Chapter 263 A Day of Shame for the Imperial Court
saliva……
In the empty two-story teahouse, when Zhao Duan uttered this sentence frivolously, Xu Junling was stunned.
The smile on the face of this noble daughter of a royal family froze.
The posture holding the tea bowl also paused, as if he didn't hear clearly, or didn't dare to believe it.
On the other hand, the maid standing at the stairs, the only "third party" here, was stunned for a moment before she screamed in disbelief:
"How dare you! How dare you be so frivolous..."
The maidservant shouted halfway, then suddenly lowered her voice when she remembered something.
He was afraid that the shout would spread, but because of this action, he lost all his momentum.
Xu Junling was awakened by these words, and a bright red suddenly appeared on the thin cheek of the girl from the Jiangnan water town.
She pursed her red lips subconsciously and threw the tea bowl on the table.
Then, belatedly, he became angry, his face turned cold, and his eyes were still filled with disbelief:
"Master Zhao, what did you just say?"
Haha… As expected, the best way to instantly bring down a lady who’s putting on airs is always this simple and crude…
Zhao Duan smiled, his eyes fixed on her red lips and pearly teeth, staring at the several strands of silk thread that were stuck together, and said:
"The princess's saliva..."
"Shut up!" Xu Junling's face changed slightly and he stared at him:
"Lord Zhao, aren't you afraid that my sister will find out when she says this?"
Zhao Duan raised his hand unscrupulously, drew a circle on the second floor, and said nonchalantly:
"Here, there are only you, your servant, and me. How did His Majesty know? Or should the princess report it to His Majesty? Do you think His Majesty would believe it?"
Xu Junling was stunned.
Would the Empress believe it? It wasn't a question of belief or not; it was simply impossible for her to tell anyone else.
It's not because of her reputation, but because of her stance.
The King of Huai'an was not only one of the "Eight Kings", but also had close ties with the aristocratic group behind the "Li Party".
With this identity, Xu Junling absolutely could not "frame" Zhao Duan to the empress, nor could he spread the news to outsiders.
Because this will be interpreted as alienation, and a very low-level alienation at that.
Or it could be a rumor spread by the rebels.
Therefore, this is why the other party teased him with such unscrupulous words...
It's so certain, there's no risk. Even if I tell everyone about it, no one will believe it...
"Lord Zhao, do you find this interesting?" Xu Junling calmed down and quickly adjusted his mood.
Zhao Duan smiled and continued to pour her tea:
"With your knowledge and status as a princess, you should know that as a 'younger sister', it is extremely disrespectful to tease your 'older sister' about her relationship with a man."
"..." Xu Junling was speechless, thinking:
The rumors turned out to be true. The man surnamed Zhao was really vindictive. He was teased in return for just a slight probing word.
"Master Zhao, you're overthinking it. I have no intention of making irresponsible remarks about the Imperial Sister."
Xu Junling took a deep breath and stood up to say goodbye:
"However, it's indeed inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together. Lushui, let's go."
Are you leaving now? No more exploration?
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes, watched Xu Junling turn around, and called the maid to walk downstairs together.
He sneered and said teasingly:
"Oh, a reminder. The clothing style in the capital is much more open than in the Huai River area. Your Highness doesn't need to wrap her chest with a ribbon just to look like a lady. It makes her speech less fluent and less clear.
Why hide such a beautiful scenery? Hiding? Thinking that wearing clothes will make you look ugly? Wrong, the magnificent mountain and river scenery is the most moving.
Xu Junling's breathing and footsteps became disordered.
The maid beside him was furious, but the latter raised his hand to hold her down.
The wealthy princess took a deep breath, and without turning around, she said sarcastically:
"Sir Zhao, instead of criticizing others, you should think carefully about how to prevent chaos in the capital. As far as I know, Chai Keqiao from Qingshan is heading for the imperial court."
After saying this, she walked downstairs and disappeared outside.
Only Zhao Duan was left stunned.
The frivolous look pretended on his face disappeared without a trace. Where was the slightest trace of the frivolous playboy?
…
…
Under Zhao Duan's order, the conflict on the long street was declared over, and Lu Qingfeng followed the princess away.
The big man and the female warrior were also released and disappeared into the crowd.
Only this episode remained, spread by word of mouth, becoming a topic of conversation destined to be full of mystery.
Beside a quiet street.
Inside a luxurious carriage.
Xu Junling waited quietly for a while, and when he saw the maid Lushui come in, he asked softly:
"How is Master Lu?"
The maid replied, "The injury is not serious, I just need to tease her for a while."
Xu Junling nodded slightly, breathed a sigh of relief, and took out a porcelain bottle:
"Send this pill to Master Lu."
The maid Lu Shui took it and asked, "How are the arrangements over there?"
The "they" she mentioned were the big man and the female knight who were also guards of the princess.
Xu Junling sighed softly and said helplessly:
"Let them come back directly. There's no need to pretend not to know them. Zhao Duan has already seen through them."
Lu Shui was greatly surprised: "Has he seen through it a long time ago? Then..."
Xu Junling looked serious and said with emotion:
"This person is clearly trying to force me out. His rude and frivolous words just now are probably a way to gain control of the conversation.
After just a quarter of an hour of conversation, he was able to understand my style, understand my many concerns, and use his words to tease me, change the subject, and disrupt the rhythm of his opponent's conversation...
It seems that my sister has truly raised a formidable person."
here we go again……
Lu Shui was no longer surprised by his princess's habit of imagining and analyzing things, and said:
"So, did we lose this round?"
Xu Junling smiled, looking pleased with himself:
"Of course not. At most, I just let him take advantage of me verbally. At least I have a general understanding of his character.
The purpose is achieved.
Besides, he must be rushing back anxiously now. Ha, wait until he loses face and see if he can be arrogant again."
Lushui seemed to understand but not quite, and said "Oh" in a muffled voice.
Xu Junling picked up the book and flipped through it while listening to the rain.
For some reason, Mr. Zhao's last words kept echoing in my ears.
His gaze involuntarily fell on his chest.
Recalling the scene a few days ago when he stayed overnight in the Empress's bedroom and met his sister while she was bathing, he suddenly became distracted.
Is the magnificent mountain and river scenery the most moving? It seems that is true.
…
…
“Da da…”
On the other side, after seeing the princess off, Zhao Duan saw that Eunuch Hai had not returned, so he left a note.
Then, he went downstairs alone, rode his horse against the wind and rain, and quickly returned to the yamen.
"Xu Junling, ah Xu Junling... If you dare to lie to me, we will record this matter..."
While riding his horse, Zhao Duan continuously used his internal energy to shake off the raindrops falling on his body.
Muttering in my heart.
He was not sure how true Xu Junling's last words were.
However, since the other party accurately said the name "Chai Keqiao", it was worth his trip.
After a while, when Zhao Duan arrived at the main gate of the imperial court, he jumped off his horse and asked the gatekeeper:
"Is there something going on in the government office? Are there any outsiders?"
The official's lips trembled when he heard this, as if he had seen the backbone:
"Master Jisi, you are back. Please come in and take a look."
Zhao Duan's heart sank.
Without wasting time talking to him, he threw the reins to him and strode into the yamen.
His ears moved, and he followed the direction of the noisiest voices and quickly arrived at the Governor's Hall.
The usually deserted courtyard of the hall was now crowded with people, all of whom were officials in embroidered uniforms from various halls.
He immediately saw his subordinates from Lihua Hall and said in a deep voice:
"Get out of the way! What's going on? Why are you crowding here?"
With a low shout, everyone looked over and then shouted "Zhao Jisi" in a mess.
The secretary Qian Kerou was also here. Her eyes lit up and she ran over and said quickly:
"Sir, you are back. Not long ago, a strange-looking warrior came to the yamen. He called himself Chai Keqiao and declared that he wanted to challenge the masters of the imperial court.
The first person to receive him was the Maritime Police.
Afterwards, he challenged all the detectives from the eight halls in one breath.
I came to our Lihua Hall and left only after seeing you were not there."
Another challenge?
It’s not over yet, right?!
Zhao Duan felt an inexplicable surge of anger in his heart and asked:
"Where's the governor? Isn't the governor here?"
Qian Kerou shook her head and said:
"The governor went out to do some work this morning and hasn't come back yet."
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and walked into the Governor's Hall with a stern face.
The crowd of people in brocade clothes in the courtyard lined up on both sides like a tide.
When he walked into the Governor's Hall, he saw that around the big table where everyone used to hold meetings, the police officers from various departments were slumped on the chairs.
Everyone was pale, bloodless, and breathing weakly.
He looks like he is recuperating.
Many people had some minor injuries.
When they saw him come in, they all looked at him, unable to hide their shame.
"How serious is the injury?" Zhao Duan asked anxiously.
Zhang Han, the number one expressionless face in the Ninth Hall, moved his lips and shook his head.
"It's nothing serious. We're all only slightly injured, but... cough cough, my Qi sea is shaking, and I'm a little weak."
The knuckles of his hands were cracked and now covered with ointment and bandages.
Zhao Duan breathed a sigh of relief silently, his face grim:
"Was it that Wu Xiankui's direct disciple? Chai Keqiao did it? You all lose?"
Haitang also lost her strength and slumped in the chair, looking weak, and habitually retorted to him:
"Nonsense... Nonsense, do we look like we're winning... This guy is truly formidable. Zhang Han hasn't even fought him for a few rounds... I told you this morning... This guy is unreliable... And you still... cough cough..."
Zhao Duan walked over, raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, using his inner strength to help her adjust her breathing, frowning and saying:
"Stop talking, you need to rest."
One of the police officers complained:
"Zhao Jisi, go find the Governor. This matter can't be let go. The reputation of the imperial court... cough cough."
Beside him, old acquaintance Zhou Baihu explained with a bitter face:
"We've sent people to look for him, but the Governor won't be back for a while, and it's not good to worry about this..."
"I understand," Zhao Duan waved his hand and looked around at everyone with a cold look in his eyes.
"Where is that Chai Keqiao!?"
(End of this chapter)
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