Xu Jingui and his companion immediately understood – wasn't this blatant robbery? But since they were on someone else's turf, they didn't dare to act recklessly. They could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence.
The two looked at each other and both felt that life was more important.
The second-in-command personally searched them, taking all the silver from their bodies before stopping.
Xu Jingui watched as his money was taken away, and how could he not be furious? He wished he could burn down the casino.
"Let's go." The second-in-command gestured that they could leave, but the two of them were unwilling. After all, all their money had been taken away, how could they let it go?
The second-in-command snorted coldly, and Xu Jingui and his son ran straight out of the casino without the slightest hesitation.
After the Xu family father and son left, the head of the gang changed his clothes and went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
After hearing that it was Marquis Ningyuan who had helped Xu Mingzhi, he had already decided to go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to report the news.
"Greetings, everyone. I have important matters to discuss with the Princess today." The chief spoke respectfully as he entered, for all those present were important figures.
Xu Yuehuai was very curious, so she asked directly, "May I ask who you are?"
The head of the gang didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "I am the owner of the gambling den. Today, a father and son won five hundred taels in my gambling den. My second son said it was Xu Jingui and Xu Mingzhi."
Upon hearing that there was a father and son involved, and that it was related to her, Xu Yuehuai knew it must be Xu Jingui and his group. She was right, and her chest heaved.
She was also somewhat annoyed, and the Duke and his wife were also lost in thought. Seeing this, the head of the gang continued, "I was very surprised. Xu Mingzhi even claimed that he was the second-place scholar. I didn't believe him, so I arrested him. After some intimidation, he said that the Marquis of Ningyuan helped him. He was an illiterate idiot, how could he be the second-place scholar?"
Xu Yuehuai was furious after hearing this and slammed her hand on the table. She didn't want to see Xu Jingui and his son get their way, but she didn't expect them to do so in such a disgraceful way.
The Duke of Zhenguo remained calm throughout. After listening, he said, "I don't think it was necessarily the Marquis of Ningyuan who did it. He has never been one to meddle in other people's business."
“That was a life-or-death situation, I don’t think he would lie,” Xu Yuehuai replied.
"Ah Yue, don't be anxious. We need to discuss this matter carefully, since it involves Marquis Ningyuan," the Duchess of Zhenguo comforted Xu Yuehuai, urging her to calm down.
The leader sat silently to the side. He had said what he needed to say, and the rest of the decision was up to them.
Xu Yuehuai calmed down and immediately realized that what the Duke of Zhenguo said made sense. She first thanked the head of the household: "Boss, thank you for coming to deliver the letter to me. I will have Tianxiang Restaurant send a banquet to your door to express my gratitude later."
The leader stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Princess, you are too kind. I didn't expect anything in return. I just couldn't stand their arrogance."
"You've come all this way, so please don't refuse this small token of your appreciation," Xu Yuehuai advised.
The leader no longer refused: "In that case, I'll take my leave."
Xu Yuehuai personally saw the person off from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and then kept thinking about the matter.
The Duke and Duchess of Zhenguo were also waiting for her in the main hall, and she seemed to suddenly remember something.
“Godfather, godmother, I’ve thought of someone again.” Xu Yuehuai’s expression changed when she spoke of it. “Consort Min, I saw Xu Mingzhi in Consort Min’s palace before I left the palace.”
The Duke of Zhenguo stroked his beard, his face serious: "Men, take turns keeping an eye on Xu Jingui and his son, and be sure to record their every move."
Lady Zhenguo hesitated, but then the Duke of Zhenguo suggested, "Madam, since A-Yue mentioned Consort Min, why don't you take her to the palace to find out some information?"
"Alright," the Duchess of Zhenguo replied.
Xu Yuehuai thought for a moment and said, "Godfather, Godmother, I don't think this is appropriate. Entering the palace so rashly will surely alert the enemy."
“Ah Yue, no, that won’t happen.” The Duchess of Zhenguo began to explain: “Consort Jia is my distant cousin. Her birthday is coming soon, and I was ordered to enter the palace.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai immediately thought it was feasible and felt relieved.
The Duchess of Zhenguo continued, "We can take this opportunity to pay our respects to the Empress and Consort Min."
Xu Yuehuai nodded in agreement, and the two went to prepare the things they would bring later.
Meanwhile, the princess and envoy of Yinshan Kingdom arrived in the capital, and His Majesty sent Qi Guze to greet them.
Qi Guze originally wanted to refuse, but seeing that His Majesty meant that he was indispensable, he had no choice but to accept the task and led a group of men to wait outside the city.
When the princess of Yinshan Kingdom saw the capital for the first time, she got off her carriage and came out to tour the city. Qi Guze hurriedly stepped forward to greet her and introduce her to the princess.
His attitude was very cold, and he exuded a chilling aura: "Princess, you must be tired from your journey."
He gestured for the princess to enter the city, but the princess of Yinshan Kingdom didn't even look at him, so she must not be interested in him.
"Lulu, you talk to him." The princess of Yinshan Kingdom directly sent out a palace maid to speak with Qi Guze.
Qi Guze was not angry when he heard this. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. If he were to be accused of disrespecting the princess, wouldn't that be shooting himself in the foot?
“Our princess has already traveled a long and bumpy road. When can we arrange for her to rest?” Lulu said as she helped the princess of Yinshan Kingdom.
"I will take the princess to the palace to settle in." Qi Guze said, leading her into the palace.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuehuai had already entered the palace with the Lady of the Duke of Zhenguo.
The two arrived at Fengyi Palace first.
When the Empress heard the news, she was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the two of them to come.
However, she immediately invited the person inside, and then deliberately coughed loudly twice to cover up her previous pretense of being seriously ill.
May Your Majesty the Empress enjoy good health and longevity.
After the Duchess of Zhenguo led Xu Yuehuai through the formalities and took their seats at the other party's invitation, she asked, "I heard a few days ago that Her Majesty the Empress was not feeling well. I wonder how she is now?"
"In principle, we should have come to inquire about Her Majesty the Empress's health some time ago, but Ah Yue is also unwell and was only able to get up today, which is why we are late."
Her words were tactful, even silencing the Empress's attempt to blame her.
As expected, the Empress immediately waved her hand and said, "A-Yue has been with me these past few days, why are you saying such things to me? Besides, if I weren't feeling unwell, I wouldn't have come to check on A-Yue's health."
"Ah Yue, are you feeling much better?" she asked quickly, not forgetting to cough twice as she did so.
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