Chapter 67 Morning Sickness
As the banquet drew to a close, Xiao Shu suddenly approached her and said, "You were quite the actor when you left the city yesterday, why aren't you pretending now?"
Um?
She pulled her attention away from the dancer's beauty and said, "Your Highness, please give your orders directly."
She can't read his mind, so how could anyone guess?!
Xiao Shu's breath hitched, and then he uttered four words through his teeth.
"Symptoms, I fainted."
Yao Shisan almost choked on his own saliva.
She, she...
She took a breath and said, "You just want to leave as soon as possible, don't you?"
Xiao Shu leaned back slightly and then fell silent.
Yao Shisan's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly felt a little sorry for Wen Xi. Being a follower wasn't enough; she had to be a tapeworm too.
She glanced at the officials at the banquet who had already drunk several rounds of wine; apart from the initial greetings, none of them had come forward to curry favor.
Even the governor who had been waiting at the gate for several days.
This governor is very capable; at least for now, his subordinates listen to him very well.
Not one of them overstepped the bounds in private.
No wonder Xiao Shu didn't want to pay attention to him.
Everyone here is of one mind. Why would he risk handing over his secrets to a governor who lives far away from his fiefdom just to win him over?
Yao Shisan stretched out his fingers and overturned the snack plates on the table to the ground.
"It's always the same thing jumping around!"
A group of dancers knelt down in terror.
She looked at the group of girls trembling on the ground, and her heart was slightly touched. She had once been one of those who knelt down.
Their lives and deaths depended entirely on the mood of those in power.
They were all concubines; it was just a change of man that changed their lives.
But when these men crumbled, she was still as weak and pitiful as an ant.
How boring.
Those who attach themselves to the strong will inevitably suffer the same fate when the strong weaken.
Tang Qifeng, who was keeping a close eye on Cheng Wang's movements, immediately stood up.
"They didn't dance well, I'll have someone come and replace them immediately!"
"It's not that they danced badly."
Yao Shisan didn't expect that her words would cost the lives of a group of girls.
"It has nothing to do with them; it's Lord Tang's fault for not making proper arrangements."
She glanced at him with a displeased expression.
"What kind of dance hasn't been performed in the capital? Why would I need to come here to see it?"
Tang Qifeng's eyes lit up, "Ningzhou next month..."
"Do you think His Highness came here just to eat, drink, and have fun?!" She widened her almond-shaped eyes, feigning surprise.
"This humble official dares not!"
Yao Shisan stopped looking at him and turned to look at Xiao Shu.
"Your Highness, it's so boring here! When shall we set off?"
Xiao Shu fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist, then lazily looked at Tang Qifeng, "That depends on when Lord Tang releases the travel guide."
She looked on with sudden realization, "So even Your Highness can't do anything about Lord Tang?"
“This is called…” She stretched out her slender white finger and pointed between the two of them.
"Even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake!"
Tang Qifeng turned pale with fright and immediately knelt down!
"I have no intention of offending you! The travel itinerary has already been prepared!"
Xiao Shu stood up. "Since Lord Tang is ready, I will wait for Lord Tang to bring the travel guide."
"I'll go right away."
Tang Qifeng bowed and retreated, giving the governor a meaningful look as he passed by.
The governor watched his superior's retreating figure, then glanced back at the direction of King Cheng, patted the dancer beside him, and the two switched places before taking the opportunity to slip away.
Tang Qifeng waited for the governor not far away.
"grown ups."
Tang Qifeng's face was half-hidden in the darkness. "Have the people who went to the capital returned?"
The governor wiped the sweat from his brow. "Not yet..."
Seeing his superior's expression, he quickly tried to cover it up, "This has happened before; it might be a few days late."
A dark glint flashed in Tang Qifeng's eyes. "In your opinion, if we bring Prince Cheng onto the ship, will it sail faster, or will it sink?"
The governor hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't think it's worth the risk."
"I have been waiting at the guesthouse for so many days, but Prince Cheng has not even shown his face. It was the servants who came out to deal with him."
Tang Qifeng narrowed his eyes. "You mean, the carriage of Prince Cheng is fake, and Prince Cheng only arrived today or yesterday?"
"What is he trying to do by concealing his whereabouts like this?"
The governor neither nodded nor shook his head. He couldn't give a definite answer, so that if he was wrong in the future, he could make amends.
"My lord, Prince Cheng was raised by the Empress Dowager, yet his home was confiscated by Commander Zhou of the Capital Garrison. But whether Commander Zhou acted on His Majesty's orders or the Empress Dowager's orders, no one knows."
Tang Qifeng slowly began to make plans in his mind.
Almost half of the people who lost their jobs in the capital this time were members of the Empress Dowager's faction.
The Empress Dowager advocated reducing the power of the princes, and she had suppressed them since the time of the late emperor. Prince Xin of Ningzhou was the first one to be targeted.
The throne had already passed to the third Prince Xin, but he was an incompetent ruler. On his way back to attend to the late emperor, Prince Ning was caught in a landslide, and his entire family was wiped out!
Over the years, the princes have been demoted, stripped of their titles, or their entire families have died.
The remaining vassal kings all have troops under their command, making it difficult to resolve the situation in the short term.
If it weren't for General Meng suppressing the rebellion, and the fact that the vassal kings were suspicious and at odds with each other, a joint rebellion by the vassal kings would probably have caused a great deal of trouble for the court.
At this critical juncture, King Cheng bestowed upon him the title of king.
Did His Majesty instigate the rebellion of Prince Cheng and the Empress Dowager to oppose him, or was he merely a pawn planted by the Empress Dowager among the vassal kings?
Tang Qifeng gritted his teeth, "Go and get the route book, and test it one last time."
"yes."
The governor breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the hem of his robe, and ran out.
The situation is unclear, like looking at flowers through a fog. If he makes a wrong decision, it won't be as simple as losing his head.
Tang Qifeng walked in, holding the signed road map.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I was only trying to entertain you properly, but I forgot the most important thing."
Yao Shisan sat upright, his hands folded on his knees, like a statue.
The route map has finally arrived.
She couldn't help but look at Xiao Shu. Now that she had achieved her goal, she could negotiate with him later.
She was going to take Shuang'er and Fu'er back to Chuzhou.
The elusive guard beside Xiao Shu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took the travel guide from Tang Qifeng's hand.
Tang Qifeng glanced at the guard, but only saw a pair of eyes like those of a venomous snake.
A cold sweat broke out on his back.
There must be a deeper meaning behind King Cheng's conferment of the title of king this time!
He simply didn't know which side the King of Cheng belonged to.
Xiao Shu lazily released Yao Shisan's shawl, "Lord Tang's wine is quite good."
Yao Shisan felt a sudden weight on her arm. She glanced over and saw that her shawl was hanging heavily at her sides, soaking the hem of her skirt.
It turns out he'd been drinking all along, and he'd drunk it all on her!
Tang Qifeng immediately gave his daughter, who had been hiding behind the curtain, a wink.
"Your Highness, my daughter offended the Madam, and she has specially prepared a song to apologize to her."
Yao Shisan has now grasped the essence of what it means to be a prince's concubine.
She raised her chin and said, "I don't like listening to other people's music. Whose musical skills can compare to Your Highness's!"
Xiao Shu froze, “…”
Even the guards who had already retreated couldn't help but cast their gazes over.
This woman really dares to speak her mind...
"Let's skip all of Lord Tang's arrangements. Can't you see His Highness is already tired?"
She had an arrogant look on her face, as if to say, "You guys have no sense of propriety."
Xiao Shu stood up, his eyes seemingly glancing at Tang Qifeng.
"If Lord Tang could put this thought into the people, how could he have been publicly reprimanded when he presented the imperial edict at the beginning of the year?"
One sentence was enough to make Tang Qifeng lose face.
Furthermore, it has linked all his recent actions to currying favor with the powerful and wealthy.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will remember your rebuke."
Yao Shisan snorted lightly, "Did His Highness reprimand the lord? Is what His Highness said not true?"
Tang Qifeng has served as an official for so many years, and even the former Prince Xin was always very polite to him.
In just these few days, he encountered countless setbacks with King Cheng.
He even indulged a concubine, humiliating him in front of so many subordinates!
He suppressed his surging anger and took a step back.
"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your correction. I will keep it in mind."
Yao Shisan nodded in satisfaction.
Then, following Xiao Shu, they successfully withdrew from public life.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Shu chuckled softly, "I didn't expect you to have this kind of courage."
Yao Shisan pursed his lips, his voice filled with barely suppressed laughter.
"It's just a case of a fox borrowing the tiger's power. If it weren't for His Highness's presence to intimidate me, how would I dare to be so presumptuous in front of Lord Tang?"
No wonder Song Jiyun was so arrogant.
She also likes this feeling of looking down on everyone!
Xiao Shu chuckled softly.
The carriage was somewhat dark, and Yao Shisan couldn't see his expression clearly. She subconsciously felt that this unpredictable man wasn't really smiling.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Before she knew it, she had become too proud of herself.
Everyone thought King Cheng was a gentle sheep.
In reality, it's a tiger waiting for its chance to strike.
A dark glint flashed in Xiao Shu's eyes in the darkness.
"Why are you so nervous?"
Yao Shisan's lips twitched slightly. "Your Highness is so dashing, it's no wonder I'm so nervous."
"oh?"
A faint sound came from the darkness.
What she said next almost made her bite her tongue off.
"It seems that I am superior to Prince Zhou."
Yao Shisan subconsciously moved back, widening the already considerable distance between them.
Xiao Shu had excellent eyesight; even in the dark, he could see her every move and even the expression on her face.
He scoffed, "I am not so desperate as to be indiscriminate in my choices."
Her eyelids twitched involuntarily.
"I just feel it's cooler at the doorway."
Xiao Shu ignored her.
As the carriage approached the guesthouse, a group of men in black suddenly rushed out.
The carriage came to a sudden stop, and she was almost thrown out.
The heavy headdress nearly broke her neck when it was flung around!
Before she could react, a gleaming knife was thrust inside.
Her neck tightened as someone grabbed the back of her collar and dragged her away from the range of the knife attack.
Xiao Shu tossed her back and darted out like a nimble swallow.
With a thud, Yao Shisan was thrown against the back wall of the truck, making her see stars.
Retribution comes so quickly.
This local official is incredibly audacious!
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