Zhang Ting noticed that Aunt Meng kept glancing at them, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Then she thought that perhaps Aunt Meng was suspicious of her relationship with Xu Yuehuai, and she immediately had an idea.
"Manager Xu, I really had a great time today," Zhang Ting said, picking up her wine glass and pouring wine. "Here, let me toast you."
Seeing Zhang Ting's attitude, Xu Yuehuai didn't refuse too much: "Come on, cheers."
After all, only by lowering her guard can he convince her that his actions today were merely to get her to accompany him into the Eastern Palace.
"But Manager Xu, I'm still a little uneasy. I've only just arrived, how can I accompany you to the East Palace? Perhaps Third Sister or Zhou Wan could go with you instead?" Zhang Ting once again expressed her refusal.
Xu Yuehuai's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and then she said calmly, "Zhang Ting, if you say such things again, then you are looking down on me. I treat you like a sister, and I have promised the prince that I would take care of you. You can't refuse anymore."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Meng decided to inform Marquis Ningyuan about the matter.
But Zhou Wan seemed to have sensed something and kept pulling her to drink, not giving her a chance to get away.
At this time, everyone at the dinner table was chatting and drinking happily. Before long, everyone was either exhausted or drunk and had lost consciousness.
Zhang Ting took the opportunity to get Xu Yuehuai drunk.
She glanced at the people on the table; some were already unconscious from drunkenness, while others were talking nonsense.
She stood up and staggered out, pretending to be drunk and about to vomit. But as soon as she left Tianxiang Tower and turned a corner, she regained her sober appearance.
Although she has the blood of the Central Plains in her bones, she still belongs to the people of the Dark Moon Kingdom. They ride horses and drink every day, and she alone can outdrink a whole group of them.
Zhang Ting was extremely pleased with herself and quickly arrived at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.
However, she was too smug to notice that after she left Tianxiang Tower, Xu Yuehuai and Zhou Wan, who had been drunk by her, woke up.
“Mother, it seems that Zhang Ting really does have some connection with Aunt Meng. In that case, I’m afraid your journey to the East Palace will be fraught with danger.” Zhou Wan’s expression grew increasingly grim, fearing that Xu Yuehuai might lose her life in the East Palace if she wasn’t careful.
Xu Yuehuai pursed her lips and spoke after a long while: "Zhou Wan, you must protect yourselves during this period. I am in the East Palace, and they may not dare to lay a hand on me. At most, they will look for my faults, but you are in greater danger."
"After I got rid of Aunt Meng and Zhang Ting, the rest are people I can trust."
She went to such great lengths just to ensure the safety of Tianxiang Tower.
Zhou Wan nodded knowingly.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ting had already arrived at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.
"My lord, today Xu Yuehuai asked me to accompany her to the Eastern Palace to take care of the Crown Prince." Zhang Ting began to recount the day's events upon meeting the prince.
She was currently in Chang'an, a city where she knew no one, and had to rely on others to make decisions. Moreover, she had to follow the arrangements of Marquis Ningyuan.
"Good, good, good." Marquis Ningyuan stroked his beard, nodded, and said "good" three times in a row. "Go with her, and we can deal with her in the East Palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, he revealed a ferocious expression.
"Yes," Zhang Ting agreed, but she also wondered, "Isn't killing someone in the East Palace a bit too extravagant? Will I be able to get away unscathed?"
"Don't worry, this crown prince is one of ours too," Marquis Ningyuan said dismissively.
Zhang Ting naturally knew that the Crown Prince was on the same side as them, but that wasn't what she was worried about: "But if Xu Yuehuai doesn't return safely, and I escape unscathed, it's inevitable that people will become suspicious, especially since I won't be able to explain it to the Regent."
"Tsk tsk tsk." Ningyuan Hou's face showed even more disdain. "You just go ahead and do it. I'll take care of the rest for you."
“Alright, in that case, the Eastern Palace group will definitely be able to get rid of Xu Yuehuai.” Zhang Ting said, setting her own goal.
“By the way, Lord Marquis,” Zhang Ting paused slightly, “today, Aunt Meng went out on the street and happened to find that Meng family member, so she had no choice but to acknowledge them, which also helps to avoid arousing suspicion.”
Marquis Ningyuan nodded: "Well done. When necessary, make decisions first, use a counter-strategy, and never give yourself away."
“However, Tianxiang Tower still needs to leave someone behind. In my opinion, it would be better to target that family. That way, no one will suspect her.” Zhang Ting didn’t want to be isolated and helpless after returning from the East Palace.
Marquis Ningyuan considered the matter carefully before agreeing to it.
Fearing that her prolonged absence would arouse suspicion in others, Zhang Ting immediately ran back to Tianxiang Tower. Seeing that the others were still slumped over the tables, she then pretended to follow suit and lay down as well.
The next day, Xu Yuehuai continued to interact with Zhang Ting warmly, just as he had the day before, in order to lower Zhang Ting's guard.
However, Xu Jingui's life was not so easy.
Ever since he won fifty taels of silver last time, he's been on cloud nine, even fantasizing that he can turn his fortunes around with a single gamble.
As a result, within a few days, he had gambled away all his money and even owed a lot of money.
"Xu Jingui, if you can't come up with the money, we'll break your legs." The second-in-command of the gambling den led his men to Xu Jingui's house to collect a debt.
As they spoke, they made a move to hit Xu Jingui. He flinched back in fear, clearly terrified of being beaten, and kept begging for mercy: "Don't worry, don't worry, I will definitely pay for it."
"Then tell me, when will you pay it back?" The second-in-command wasn't a newcomer to collecting debts, so he naturally understood that this kind of evasive talk was their usual tactic. Since that was the case, they absolutely couldn't believe it easily. "Xu Jingui, your daughter is the manager of Tianxiang Restaurant. She can easily scrape together enough money for you to live on for a lifetime. Tell me, why did you have to take our beating?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jingui became furious upon hearing this.
It's all because of that Xu Yuehuai. Otherwise, he would have become successful long ago and would never have ended up in this situation.
"Don't worry, I will pay you back as soon as possible." Although he was resentful, he could only lower his voice in front of his creditors. "I will go to Xu Yuehuai to ask for the money in a little while."
"That's good, otherwise you know what will happen. Let's go." The second-in-command found Xu Jingui's words somewhat believable, after all, Xu Yuehuai's Tianxianglou's turnover was comparable to their gambling den.
He received a reply and immediately left with his men.
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