23 Chapter 23
◎The world has been without a holy ruler for a long time.◎
About half a month later, Silver Moon Valley.
Someone set up a small stall outside the residential area, and herdsmen lined up in a long queue to get... a small iron pot for boiling milk.
The small iron pot was hard and shiny, making it irresistible. The veterinary captain finally showed up after more than two weeks. He looked a little haggard, but his movements were no longer impaired. He held the child's hand and smiled as he greeted the people he hadn't seen in a long time.
Someone gossiped, "You're well now, but what medicine did the doctor sent by the Khatun give you?"
"Yes, the doctors before were helpless. Could it be a prescription from the Central Plains?"
The veterinary captain grinned and scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "It's willow bark soup and garlic."
The people around gave an expression of "Are you kidding me?", only the young man with fox eyes a little further away nodded thoughtfully.
A crisis that should have caused heavy losses was resolved without a trace... Interesting.
*
Li Hengqing, however, had no time to ponder whether this was interesting or not. Last summer, she had checked the files and found several suspicious individuals, but they seemed to be deliberately teasing her by revealing their true colors. Besides showing up to scare Cen Jue, they hadn't done anything else to disrupt public order. She simply put the matter aside for the time being.
At this moment, there were two letters on her desk, each containing an identical invitation.
The Sixth Prince, Prince Gong, had been granted fiefdom in Yunzhou and dozens of other cities. He was ordered by the Emperor to oversee government affairs, and naturally, local officials wanted to show their appreciation. So, a group of people planned a welcome banquet. The calligraphy on the invitation was even inscribed in gold ink, a truly extravagant display of elegance.
A letter came from the prefect of Yunzhou, written in a businesslike manner, inviting His Royal Highness Shunyang to a banquet to reminisce with His Royal Highness Prince Gong.
Another letter came from Chen Jiao, the daughter of the former Northern Frontier Governor, saying that the guests at this banquet might have ill intentions and asked Li Hengqing to be careful.
Li Hengqing replied, and both sides agreed - after all, she would eventually meet the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince who were trying to make things difficult for her.
If other preconditions and consequences were not considered, Li Hengqing would have wanted to give the Sixth Prince a loud slap in the face.
But before that, she had to prepare a small gift for the honorable Prince Gong according to etiquette.
*
Night is just beginning to fall. There are no stars or moon tonight, but Zuiyun Tower is brightly lit, illuminating half of the street as if it were daytime.
Li Hengqing went up the stairs, and the waiter pushed open the door to the private room named "Chun Xin". Even she couldn't help but hold her breath.
The scene before me resembled more a castle in the air, piled high with glittering silver, than a private room. The window panes were elegantly carved hardwood, covered with translucent Korean paper. The floor was covered with a thick Persian carpet, its vibrant floral patterns vivid and soundless underfoot. The porcelain adorned the room was from an imperial kiln, even the edges of ordinary bowls and plates were woven with gold thread. The air was filled with the delicate scent of woody incense; it was the height of luxury.
Even though Yunzhou City is the leader among dozens of cities on the border, and Zuiyunlou is the best restaurant in Yunzhou City, Li Hengqing's eyelids still twitched.
If a private banquet to welcome a prince is like this, what should the real royal ceremony be like?
She arrived early, and the waiter served her a cup of tea. The teacup from the official kiln was filled with a light green spring tea with a delicate fragrance. Li Hengqing's tongue was not picky, and after a quick sip, she felt a dull sensation inside.
She looked at Lang Yue, who nodded in response. The gifts were ready, waiting for the actors to make their debut.
The first person to come was Shen Zhenyuan. He exchanged a few polite greetings with her without saying much, so he was not a troublesome person.
Song Heng, the prefect of Song, arrived on his heels. He was a kind-looking, middle-aged man with the typical features of a scholar, not quite young, with a few graying hairs on his temples. He was a bit overweight, and he walked in unsteadily. He greeted Li Hengqing politely, "Your humble servant greets His Highness Shunyang."
"I have long heard of the great name of Governor Song." Li Hengqing responded with a polite smile.
The other party selectively ignored Shen Zhenyuan, who was also in the private room. Li Hengqing saw it all but said nothing.
The most important character always arrived last. The protagonist of this welcome banquet, His Royal Highness Prince Gong, was so impressive that a full quarter of an hour had passed before the eunuch came to announce in a gentle voice: "His Royal Highness Prince Gong has arrived—"
Li Hengqing took a closer look and found that it was the man who had come to the store with a fake beard. He was still fair and clean, but he had lost a lot of weight visibly. He must have suffered a lot after returning home.
Prince Gong made a grand appearance, his features bearing some resemblance to Li Hengqing, particularly his calm eyes. However, a closer look revealed his eyes to be more elongated and narrow, inexplicably tinged with an unspeakable demonic aura that made the gaze tingle.
Li Hengqing felt uncomfortable in his stomach and was very nauseous.
Lee Yong-yoo slowly walked to his seat, smiling as he looked around at everyone present. His gaze finally settled on Lee Heng-qing. "I am truly moved that my Royal Sister has come all this way to meet me. I apologize for the hardship she endured along the way."
The guards behind him had swords, which were hung openly at their waists, ready to be drawn at any time and pointed at the throats of those present.
The golden cage and jade lock are waiting for the truth to be revealed.
"I miss His Royal Highness Prince Gong very much." Li Hengqing said with a smile, "I also want to thank Governor Song and Commander Shen for inviting me here. Bright Moon——"
Langyue came forward with a tray.
Li Hengqing continued, "I have prepared a small gift for His Royal Highness Prince Gong. Please accept it."
The red cloth on the tray was suddenly peeled back, revealing a fine steel dagger beneath. The gleaming blade caught the bright candlelight, a fleeting glint that caught Lee Yong-woo's eye. The guards immediately took a defensive stance, not allowing Lang-yue to approach. Lang-yue, however, remained unfazed, saying, "This dagger is unsharpened. There's no need to be so wary of my Highness."
Prince Gong was stung by the hidden meaning in the words. He waved the guards away and took up the dagger, toying with it himself. As expected, even without a sharp edge, it was much harder than ordinary swords, its smooth surface practically reflecting light. His expression changed slightly, and then he had the knife put away. He smiled kindly, "It seems that my sister is doing well in Beidi. I was worried that my sister, accustomed to the harsh living conditions there, would not be able to enjoy the delicacies of our Great Sheng."
"Why wouldn't I be used to it?" Li Hengqing smiled faintly. "People are born and raised in different places, so naturally everyone has their own strengths. I often miss the taste of this bowl of rice, so I even asked someone to buy a lot of it when I came to Yunzhou City this time."
She changed the subject: "--It is my royal brother who is not allowing my people to buy some fine grains out of consideration for my different tastes?"
Li Rongyu hadn't expected this previously indecisive and obscure man to bring their secret confrontation to light. He curled his fingers slightly, "No, no. I guess someone down there is being ignorant. If my Royal Highness likes this, you can serve more dishes today. I'll toast you first!"
Song Heng quickly followed suit, raising his glass and apologetically saying, "I would also like to offer a toast to His Highness Shunyang. May His Highness Shunyang be blessed with both good fortune and happiness."
As they passed the cups and glasses, three rounds of wine passed quietly.
Li Rongyu had drunk quite a bit, and in a tipsy state, he asked for more wine. His words were a bit slurred as he spoke, "...I heard that your sister's trade with the Northern Di people is doing very well in Yunzhou City."
"Your Highness Prince Gong, you are joking. I just opened a small shop to earn some money to buy rice." Li Hengqing replied.
Li Rongyu frowned. "I didn't know that my sister, all alone, would actually spend so much money on rice, ironware, and craftsmen... She's using the money of the people of the Celestial Empire to buy their supplies, leaving my people destitute. This is like aiding the enemy."
Li Hengqing complained in his heart: Yes, you saved a hundred yuan and used it to buy rice, which is equivalent to spending zero yuan.
But she couldn't say that: "The emperor arranged the marriage with the Northern Di people in order to promote friendly cooperation and share prosperity and peace. How can that be considered aiding the enemy? If the emperor heard this, he would punish my brother again."
"Besides, the Northern Goods Store sells a lot of oil and other essential supplies, and employs local merchants. Of course, what I do is a mutually beneficial business. The national treasury is tight, and there's no decent dowry, so of course I can only do some shady little business to maintain my dignity. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all."
She applied eye drops to the father and son in turn, and then she saw Prince Gong suddenly fall asleep with his head tilted. Shen Zhenyuan looked at Prince Gong with a very subtle expression.
Now that the protagonist is asleep, this good show can only end and everyone can go home.
Lee Yong-woo opened his eyes in the sedan chair, his face still red, but he spoke clearly and without stammering. He instructed those around him in a very gentle and cold voice, "You can give some shops to Shunyang, but not too many. Keep a close eye on the prices at the Northern Goods Stores, and have the prefect go back and count the inventory for disaster relief."
He added, "Have someone grind the ink in advance. I need to write a memorial... no, a letter home to my father."
Tong Gonggong's face changed. Thinking of the hardship he had suffered last time, he dared not disobey Li Rongyu at all. He could only respond, "Yes."
On the other side, Shen Zhenyuan returned home drunk and glanced at Shen Jiao's empty waist again, but his expression was not so ugly.
Princess Shunyang has the support of the peace-loving faction of Beidi. Although she is quite capable, she is not a cruel and unpredictable person who makes people live in fear all day long. On the other hand, His Royal Highness Prince Gong is the real smiling tiger.
Seeing that he was silent, Shen Jiao asked someone to bring over some sobering tea and said, "Daddy? Are you drunk?"
Shen Zhenyuan shook his head: "I just thought of your brother."
Shen Jiao pursed her lips and didn't respond. She had an older brother who had died in the army over ten years ago, a hidden pain that Shen Zhenyuan couldn't bring himself to mention.
But isn’t today a party to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Gong? What does it have to do with my eldest brother?
She thought about it and finally came to a conclusion: "Have some sobering tea, Daddy."
After drinking, you should stop thinking about your big brother.
Shen Zhenyuan took the sobering tea and drank it all, and the years of depression in his heart suddenly eased a lot. In this silent storm, he knew which side to lean on.
There has been no holy leader in the world for a long time, and Shen Zhenyuan has not taken sides for a long time. He hopes that the person chosen this time will not disappoint his expectations.
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