Chapter 87: The Lost Princess Bai Yueguang 18 Calculation
The banquet hosted by Concubine Zheng today was extremely grand.
The hall was filled with jade tables and delicacies, and the most famous opera troupe in the capital was preparing to begin its performance.
The beautiful and bright Princess Zhaohua sat at the head of the table on the female side. The table beside her knees had been neatly arranged by Zhuyue and Zhuiyun, with dishes and cups clearly arranged.
The sound of gongs and drums came from the stage. Wen Qianning raised her eyes and carefully watched the wonderful show that was about to be performed on the stage.
On the side, Concubine Zheng held the wine cup and concealed the sneer on the corner of her lips.
Her eyes were not on the stage, but occasionally swept in the direction of Wen Qianning.
Ever since the discussion with the eldest prince during the Spring Festival, Concubine Zheng had been secretly planning the plan she had previously thought of, and she needed to find a suitable opportunity to put it into practice.
However, after observing for a long time, she discovered that even at this perfect moment, when she was hosting the banquet, Wen Qianning had no flaws. Wherever Princess Zhaohua went, Zhuiyun, Zhuyue, and several palace maids would inevitably surround her. It could be said that there was absolutely no opportunity to attack.
So, Concubine Zheng narrowed her eyes and changed her mind.
In that case... let's start with that proton.
She quickly called a spy over and whispered a few words in her ear. The little palace maid's face changed slightly, she nodded repeatedly, and then quietly retreated.
The drama was so noisy and lively that no one noticed the undercurrents surging in this corner.
Today, as part of Concubine Zheng's plan, Ji Hanlin was naturally invited to the banquet. He usually didn't like to bring servants with him, so he was going alone.
Just at a corner, suddenly, a figure rushed over in a panic.
"oops!"
There was a cry of surprise, followed by a crisp "clang" sound.
The tray fell to the ground, several cups shattered, and the wine splashed out, all spilling onto Ji Hanlin's clothes.
The strong aroma of wine spread instantly.
It was fruit wine made from grapes, bright red in color, and it stained Ji Hanlin's dark blue gown, as if it had been splashed with a layer of blood.
Ji Hanlin couldn't help but frown and glanced down at the mess.
A young palace maid knelt on the ground. She kowtowed hurriedly and apologized in a trembling voice: "This servant deserves death! This servant accidentally bumped into Master Ji. Please forgive me, Master Ji!"
There were no one around at this time, and the boy's eyes were deep, making it impossible to see what he was feeling at the moment.
Ji Hanlin didn't scold her after all. He just glanced at her calmly and said, "Get up."
The palace maid raised her head cautiously, a barely perceptible cunning glint flashing across her eyes.
She hurriedly continued, "Sir, your clothes are already wet, and the banquet hasn't even started yet. If you go like this, I'm afraid it would be disgraceful..."
"I know there's a bedroom next to the front hall that's usually unused. If you don't mind, you can go there to change. I'll lead the way."
Ji Hanlin's brows were furrowed. The banquet was about to begin, and if he went there with wine stains all over his body, it would definitely cause criticism. And if he returned to his bedroom to change clothes, it would be too late.
That's all we can do.
So, the young man remained calm and nodded calmly: "Lead the way."
The palace maid lowered her head and walked in front tremblingly, leading him to the side hall.
The moment he pushed the door open and walked in, Ji Hanlin looked around the bedroom. It was obvious that no one had lived here for a long time. Although the room was fully stocked, there was no sign of life.
Strangely, he also sensed a faint fragrance in the bedroom.
It wasn't the ambergris or sandalwood you'd find in the palace. Instead, the air was permeated with a subtle, damp heat that seeped deep into one's heart. Having rarely used incense since childhood, he didn't know much about spices and couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"Sir, please wait here for a moment." The young maid bowed respectfully at the door and turned her back. A sly smile played on her face, which he couldn't see. "I'll be back soon and bring you clean clothes as soon as possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, he gently closed the door. Suddenly, the young man was the only one left in the bedroom.
Ji Hanlin stood where he was, the indescribably sweet aroma lingering around his nose made his heart beat faster.
At this time, the banquet place.
The gongs and drums were resounding as the actors, both talented in singing and acting, took the stage, their voices melodious and lingering. The banquet was filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses, creating a lively atmosphere.
Wen Qianning, however, held his cheek with his hand, looking a little absent-minded, his eyes drifting away from the crowd from time to time.
Logically, Ji Hanlin should also be present at today's banquet, but why hasn't he arrived yet?
Zhuyue was refilling her tea. Zhuiyun looked at the princess and said with a smile, "Your Highness, why are you distracted again? Is it because the opera is not good, or is it because... you are not here?"
Wen Qianning rolled her eyes at her and was about to reply when a palace maid she had never met before walked towards her and bowed.
"Your Highness." She looked anxious and spoke quickly, "I have something important to report. Please move aside for a moment."
Wen Qianning raised his eyebrows and glanced at her lazily.
"This princess has never seen you before." She said lightly.
Zhuiyun immediately became alert, took a step forward, and shouted coldly, "Where did this maid come from? How could you approach His Highness casually?"
The maid's face changed, and she kowtowed hurriedly, "I acknowledge my guilt! But, but this matter is urgent. If I don't report it immediately, I'm afraid I'll miss something important!"
Zhuyue half-closed her eyes and was about to step forward to chase them away, but the palace maid, fearing they would be dragged away before she could say anything important, hastily added, "...This concerns Master Ji!"
"Um?"
Hearing this, Wen Qianning paused slightly with the teacup in his hand.
Zhuiyun and Zhuyue were both stunned. Wen Qianning put down the teacup, his eyes becoming cold and sharp. "What's the matter?"
The palace maid raised her head, her expression becoming more and more frightened, fearing that if she spoke a word slower, she would anger the princess in front of her.
"Your Highness, Master Ji was just on the road when he said something to a palace maid. Then the maid took him to the next room. I couldn't hear clearly, so I followed her secretly. I saw the maid take Master Ji to the room and then turned and ran away. It seemed that she was afraid of being held responsible, so she ran away secretly..."
"I asked Master Ji, but he didn't want to say much. He just told me to come find you immediately. He also said... he only wanted you to come alone."
No wonder Ji Hanlin hadn't arrived at the banquet yet. Wen Qianning didn't suspect anything and immediately stood up: "Let's go."
The palace maid was stunned, as if she had not expected the princess to be so decisive.
Wen Qianning had already walked away. Zhuyue and Zhuiyun exchanged a glance, their hearts tightening at the same time. They wanted to stop him, "Your Highness, how can we let you go alone?"
"Don't worry, we're in Xuanping Palace, there won't be any assassins." Wen Qianning thought they were worried about the assassination attempt like before, so after thinking for a moment, she said, "However, if you don't see me return within an incense stick of time, you can bring someone to look for me."
Unable to persuade the princess, Zhuiyun Zhuyue could only watch the palace maid take Wen Qianning away.
The door was pushed open with a creaky sound.
Ji Hanlin's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his body instinctively leaned forward, ready to attack and subdue the enemy. But the next moment, he saw the person coming.
The bright yellow dress came into view, and the girl looked anxious, with worry evident between her brows.
“Ningning…?”
Ji Hanlin's movements stopped abruptly, and the strength of his palm did not fall, but instead froze in mid-air.
"What are you doing here?" He was speechless for a moment, his voice was restrained, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly.
Wen Qianning was slightly stunned, and a bad feeling welled up in her heart. She quickly walked up to him and said inexplicably, "Didn't you send someone to find me? The palace maid said you were in trouble and asked me to come alone to help you."
Hearing this, the cold young man's face darkened.
"I never sent anyone to look for you," he said coldly.
As expected...someone was plotting against both of them.
At close range, Wen Qianning could clearly see the thin layer of sweat on Ji Hanlin's forehead, his unnaturally rapid breathing, and the slightly red corners of his eyes.
"You..." Her heart tightened, and her delicate hand grasped his wrist, "What's wrong with you?"
Ji Hanlin lowered his eyes, his voice low and hoarse, "There's a love incense burning in this room. I didn't realize it just now, but now that I've seen you... I can confirm it."
Because after seeing Wen Qianning, Ji Hanlin felt a fire burning under him, and this feeling became more obvious when the girl got closer.
Wen Qianning was very surprised, so he quickly turned around and pushed the door.
However, the heavy wooden door did not budge, and the latch on the outside blocked her way.
She tried again, but it was still in vain.
The little princess bit her lip, anger flashing in her eyes, and then she realized that it was obviously the palace maid who brought her here who did it, and she was actually tricked by someone.
Wen Qianning was in a state of confusion and turned to look at Ji Hanlin. At this moment, the young man was leaning against the table, his hands tightly gripping the wooden table. His slender figure was as tense as a string, and his breath was hot.
"Don't come over here."
At this time, his voice was extremely hoarse and contained a rare hint of panic.
The fragrance in the room gradually became stronger. Wen Qianning was holding his breath, but before he knew it, his chest felt like it was burning with fire.
My heart was pounding, my cheeks were burning uncontrollably, and I couldn't suppress the heat rising in my body.
She walked over to him in small steps, crying, "Ji Hanlin... I, I seem to..."
Before he could finish his words, tears were already welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"What should we do? If we stay here and wait for the drug to fully take effect, wouldn't that mean we'll just fall into their trap?"
At the end of her speech, the girl wanted to hug the boy in front of her with grievance.
Ji Hanlin's mind went blank for a moment, and he suddenly raised his hand to push her away, but stopped when he touched the back of her trembling hand.
Ji Hanlin closed his eyes helplessly.
He knew she was right. The person behind this was doing everything to trap them here. Once the aphrodisiac incense had completely taken control of their minds, and someone else pushed the door open... just seeing the two of them losing control, regardless of the cause and effect, would be enough to ruin a girl's reputation.
Staring at the girl's pitiful, tearful eyes, Ji Hanlin's heart seemed to be tightly gripped.
He would rather bear it alone than have her dragged into it.
"Ningning, don't worry." Ji Hanlin calmed down, "I'll find a way to get us out before others arrive."
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