"Master, don't you never eat cakes?" The servant turned the carriage around.
"It's different times now."
"There are dozens of pastry shops throughout the capital, so there's no need for you to go there yourself. If you want to eat some tomorrow, I'll buy them for you one by one..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Just go if I tell you to. Let's start from this street."
"yes."
The servant drove the carriage towards the pastry shop ahead.
Takaki leaned against the car. She hadn't eaten pastries for many years and didn't know which one in Kyoto would suit her taste.
She used to be very picky about food, and I don’t know if she has changed now. Now that she has grown up, she must be able to eat more and be fatter than when she was a child.
Sang Qi came out of Xianrenzui and got into a car and asked someone to drive him back to the palace. Along the way, he could still hear people on both sides of the street mentioning the names of Xiang Minghou and Ye Qianning.
Thinking of the engagement, he felt even more disgusted from the bottom of his heart.
"I'm not going back to the palace. I'm going to the outskirts of the city." Sang Qi said angrily.
The guard driving the car changed the route and headed straight for the outskirts of the city.
News spread very quickly in Kyoto City. The news of Ye Qianning's return was just like the news of her death. Some people were happy while others were worried, and most people just wanted to watch the show for fun.
Two days later, the rumor changed again. Earlier, people said that the emperor was lenient and allowed Old Chen, Xiang Minghou and his party to enter Beili. Now, it was rumored that the emperor personally ordered them to come back.
Moreover, they insisted on not issuing a letter. They simply looked down on Beili. Without the imperial edict of the country, it was useless to them. It was the emperor who issued an edict to acknowledge what happened that year and invited them to come to Beili.
This rumor caused an uproar in Beili, and the emperor personally issued an imperial decree to invite people. It is estimated that they were going for the Fengling Horn and Liangyi Xiangsheng in the hands of the other party, just like the other three countries.
Although such statements have not been leaked openly, there are many cunning people who say so.
When Emperor Beili heard the ridicule from the outside world, he was angry but did not come out to clarify. Without the emperor coming out, some princesses in the harem could no longer sit still.
Especially the Sixth Princess Sang Shu and the Seventh Princess Sang Zhen, who had a grudge against Ye Qianning since childhood. They both felt that Ye Qianning was just being mysterious and that the emperor of a country would never issue an order to invite them.
The Sixth Princess Sang Shu is now 22 years old. She married the eldest son of the Earl's Mansion two years ago. The Earl's Mansion is somewhat snobbish in the capital. When Sang Shu heard some rumors that slandered the royal family's reputation, she had someone take action.
Anyone who spread rumors or secretly mentioned the royal edict and invitation would be arrested and thrown into prison.
Seeing the attitude of the princess and the earl's mansion, the people wisely shut up. Since the princess had come out, it seemed that the imperial edict invitation was most likely fake.
When Sang Qi heard the remarks, he went to the palace to see the emperor and inquire about the imperial edict. The Emperor of Beili did not respond directly, but sent him away with vague words.
Sang Qi left the imperial study, feeling extremely certain of the authenticity of the imperial edict.
As the crown prince, he didn't know about the imperial edict. Could it be that his father didn't tell anyone?
So who spread the news?
"Master." The secret guard suddenly appeared.
Sang Qi regained his composure and looked over.
"Master, a large number of people from the Jianghu are pouring into Beili."
Sang Qi frowned.
"They came all the way from the border, following the route of Xiang Minghou and his group. There are also many coming from all directions, and their target seems to be the capital."
Sang Qi thought of Fengling Horn. People in the martial arts world were very enthusiastic about the affairs of Penglai. The Fengling Horn in Ye Qianning's hand was more precious than the Yin and Yang, and it had already caused quite a stir.
She spread the news that Fenglingjiao would mature in three months. Now that she has entered Beili, she will definitely stay in Beili for three months.
"About how many people?" Sang Qi asked.
"There are many, and many of them are well-known figures in the martial arts world. Marquis Xiang Ming and his group also have many masters hidden in the dark. If those martial arts people enter the capital, it would be bad. Do you need to report to the emperor and send someone to stop them?"
"Whatever you can find out, the people around the emperor should have found out long ago. You should have someone keep an eye on it." Sang Qi said.
"yes."
Sang Qi knew from the beginning that if Ye Qianning returned to the capital, the capital would not be at peace. Now he felt that she was a disaster. She had disturbed everyone's peace before she even entered the capital. If she entered the capital, it would be disastrous.
Even if Sang Qi wanted to stop it, there was nothing he could do. With so many people watching, if he took action, he would definitely step on his father's reverse scale.
"Come here, dispatch more troops to guard the city gates. Anyone entering the city must be strictly searched, especially those from the other three countries. They must be stopped outside the city and not allowed to enter."
People from the underworld are the most unruly. If we allow them to enter the capital, the capital will be in chaos in the future.
Martial law was imposed in the capital of Beili. Anyone entering the city had to hold a household registration issued by the government. No one without a household registration was allowed to enter the city.
Not long after the rumor spread, martial law was imposed in the capital, causing panic and all kinds of suspicion among the people. However, no one dared to speak out openly, and they could only discuss it secretly behind people's backs.
Many of the noble families in Kyoto were indifferent to the matter and would listen to the rumors without getting into trouble.
The Gu family was happier day by day. Gu Shuo was coming back, and several branches of the Gu family had the confidence to speak in front of some of their friends, but they did not mention a word about the fact that Gu Shuo was returning with Old Chen.
A day in the Zhan family was ordinary. Ever since Zhan Chi was confined to the mansion, few people in the Zhan family left the mansion except for the purchasing manager.
Madam Zhan was both happy and worried. Her heart became more tense with each passing day, and she couldn't sleep for nights. The calming incense prepared by Zhan Yi was of no use.
I usually rely on medication to fall asleep more peacefully.
Since Sang Zhi arrived in Beijing, he has been taken away by people from Beili. In the past, there would have been a commotion, but this time he was very quiet.
He made no noise or commotion, and even didn't kill anyone. His calmness surprised Bei Li, who was still worried and asked the royal guards to keep a close watch on him.
No one in the entire palace had ever seen the Eighth Prince so calm. He didn't even punish the eunuchs who accidentally made mistakes. This change made the eunuchs serving in the courtyard even more frightened.
The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye it was the end of August.
There was a constant stream of people heading to the capital along the way, and the weather at the end of August was a little chilly in the mornings and evenings.
Sifang Town is the only way to enter the capital. The streets are bustling with people coming and going, and it is very prosperous.
It was morning at the West City Restaurant, and the restaurant was full. Judging from their attire and the weapons they carried, most of them were from the underworld, and it seemed that many of them were not from Beili.
The capital was under martial law and outsiders were not allowed to enter. Sifang Town was the closest large city to the capital, so many people from the underworld settled in the town and waited for the opportunity to enter the capital.
"Sir, the second floor is reserved." The waiter stopped the group of people who were about to go upstairs.
The leader of the group that was stopped was a burly man who looked like a foreigner. Upon hearing this, he grabbed the waiter's collar and said, "Tell the guy up there to get off. I'll pay double the price."
The waiter was so scared that he almost cried: "Sir, please spare my life."
The man threw the person to the second staircase and said, "Hurry up and go."
The waiter fell on the stairs and grimaced in pain. Before he could get up, the shopkeeper happened to come down from upstairs.
"Oh, what's going on?" The shopkeeper helped the waiter up.
The waiter stood up tremblingly: "Boss, these people... want..."
"Boss, I'll pay twice the price so that the people upstairs can make room." The man put his hands on his waist, very arrogant.
The shopkeeper was embarrassed when he heard this: "Sir, I'm afraid that double the price..."
I'm afraid you can't lift it!
Naturally, he didn't dare to say what happened next.
"What? Two times is not enough? I'll give you three times the price." The man waved his hand in a very heroic manner.
Everyone on the first floor looked over when they heard the sound.
"Isn't that the prince of a foreign country?"
"Do you know him?"
"I went to a foreign country once in my early years for a medicinal herb and had the honor of seeing it."
"I heard that the emperor summoned several princes to the capital. Turns out it's true."
"Which vassal king of Beili is not powerful? Look at what he carries, every piece is worth a fortune."
Upon hearing this, the people from the martial arts world who were sitting there all looked at the prince. The belt around his waist was inlaid with expensive rubies, and the jewels on the scabbard and hilt were enough to make someone spend their money for several lifetimes.
The jade belt around his waist and the accessories were all made of pure white jade. The hat on his head was circled with sparkling gems, and each of his ten fingers had a ring, red, white, green, and one of the finest purple.
Tsk tsk, if you don’t look closely, you won’t know that the foreign prince is simply a walking jewel house.
The foreign prince Yu Shengyou heard the discussions of outsiders, and with a proud look on his face, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal the jewel bracelet on his wrist, as if showing off.
I have to say that this scene caused another uproar.
I heard that a large amount of jade was discovered in Prince Yu's fiefdom. It seems that the rumors are not false.
The shopkeeper also noticed the guest's attire and felt a little embarrassed. The people upstairs looked like distinguished guests and they couldn't afford to offend them. The person in front of them seemed to be a foreign prince, and they couldn't afford to offend him either.
"What are you looking at? Go and make room for the people upstairs," Yu Shengyou scolded.
“Yes, yes.”
No one dared to offend, so the shopkeeper nodded and went upstairs.
Yu Shengyou leaned on the railing of the stairs, feeling very proud. The followers behind him were used to being arrogant because of following their master for many years, and they also looked very proud.
"We're almost in the capital, and we haven't seen many luxurious restaurants. It's really unacceptable." Yu Shengyou shook his head.
"These cities certainly cannot be compared with our place." The follower echoed.
"Everyone is poorer than the other. They are only decent if they are near the capital." Yu Shengyou looked down upon the poor the most. He felt that eating with the poor was a lowering of his status.
He had a special restaurant in his own fiefdom, which was very luxurious. Even if he occasionally went to the restaurant to listen to music, almost everyone in the room would consciously avoid him.
Or they would just buy it at several times the price and throw out anyone who disagreed.
Most of those who came all the way from their fiefdoms were like this, acting rich and high-profile.
After a while, the shopkeeper came down from upstairs. Seeing him coming down, Yu Shengyou thought that the matter was done, so he raised his hand, threw a stack of banknotes, and walked upstairs.
"Sir, sir, wait a moment." The manager stopped him immediately.
Yu Shengyou turned around: "What?"
"The guest upstairs said... that three times the price was too little, and he wanted ten times the price before he would give in." The manager looked grim.
"ten times?"
Yu Shengyou was slightly surprised at first, then sneered and mocked, "What a big appetite! Who is renting out the whole place upstairs?"
"This... I don't know either. They just said that unless the price is ten times higher, they will definitely not give in."
Yu Shengyou glanced upstairs. The second floor was very quiet, not even a sound of talking. He guessed that there were only a few people who were greedy for money.
"Ten times is ten times, this prince has plenty of money." As long as things can be settled with money, Yu Shengyou never takes them seriously.
"The guests upstairs paid three thousand taels when they booked the inn. Ten times that is thirty thousand taels. The guests upstairs said that as long as the guests paid, they would leave immediately." said the shopkeeper.
Yu Shengyou paused as he took out the money, his eyes gleaming fiercely: "What did you say?"
"Sir, these are the exact words of the distinguished guest upstairs." The shopkeeper shrank his head.
"You still need three thousand taels to rent this shabby building? You are not deceiving me, are you?" Yu Shengyou is not a sucker. Even in the sensational Xianhai Building, a table of food would cost at most a thousand taels.
Three thousand taels for a meal in a small restaurant? Who are they trying to cheat?
"Sir, the guest upstairs did pay three thousand taels. We have all the records in our restaurant." The shopkeeper said and shouted to the counter downstairs: "Bring the account book here for our distinguished guest to see."
“Yes, yes.”
The accountant had noticed the situation here long ago. When he heard the shouting, he collected the account book, walked upstairs and handed it to the follower.
The attendant took the account book and handed it carefully to his master.
Yu Shengyou's face turned pale, and he raised his hand and threw the account book away: "It's just 30,000 taels. This prince is not so poor that he would look through the account book."
He even dared to take out the account book. Obviously, the three thousand taels the shopkeeper said were not false. Wouldn't it be a joke if he looked through the account book?
"Sir..." The shopkeeper was embarrassed.
"Thirty thousand taels, this prince doesn't care about it, but this prince wants to see who is upstairs." Yu Shengyou pushed the shopkeeper away and strode upstairs.
"Sir..."
"Go away, go away, don't block the road."
The attendant pushed the shopkeeper aside and followed his master upstairs.
Before Yu Shengyou even stepped upstairs, a rough and arrogant voice shouted, "I can afford ten times the price, but I'm afraid you can't... afford it..."
He took a step up the stairs, and the scene he saw immediately dampened his arrogance.
The second floor was similar to the first floor, with a large number of people sitting there. All of them were dressed in black and sat upright with swords beside them. At this moment, all the cold gazes were focused on Yu Shengyou at the stairs.
"That's right, you dare to blackmail the prince, you must be impatient to live..."
The follower behind caught up, poked his head out to catch a glimpse of the situation on the second floor, and silently retracted his head.
Yu Shengyou suddenly felt an overwhelming coldness sweeping over his whole body. He hadn't heard anyone talking upstairs and thought there were only a few guests.
He never expected that there would be dozens of them, all of whom looked like martial artists. The aura was dull and depressing. He also practiced martial arts, so he immediately felt the danger.
"Hey, this is the rich man who wants to pay ten times the price to rent the inn."
A female voice came, the voice was clear and pleasant.
Yu Shengyou heard a female voice in his ears. He looked around and finally saw the person who came from the voice sitting by the window. The woman was wearing a light-colored dress and a veil covering her face. She had a pair of beautiful eyes.
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