The banquet was lively and cheerful, and no one was so tactless as to bring up the little squabble from before.
However, the one dressed in golden armor was simply too eye-catching.
As the eldest daughter of the emperor, Qin Zhaoqiong was favored by His Majesty from a young age and naturally possessed a certain arrogance.
However, he was well-mannered at the banquet, and even when facing the court officials who had previously criticized him, he did not show any dissatisfaction on the surface.
Arrogance transformed into magnanimity, the magnanimity of a crown prince...
With each court official possessing an cunning mind, who wouldn't notice this obvious difference? The mindset of many neutrals is subtly shifting.
Little did they know that Qin Zhaoqiong's change was largely due to her sixth younger sister.
A previously unnoticed nobody, a troublemaker with a bad reputation in Fengjing, ended up receiving many pleasant surprises during the disaster relief efforts.
It seemed as if nothing could stump her, and she could solve all sorts of problems with ease.
Besides that, there was the period when I was stationed in Bailu County.
Qin Zhaoqiong no longer had to handle everything personally. He was now surrounded by a capable governor and the prime minister's eldest son, whom he had been exposed to from a young age.
Having undergone such trials, he is naturally different from before.
After the banquet, Qin Zhaoqiong was kept behind to go to the imperial study to give a reply.
However, since she was wearing armor, which made things inconvenient, His Majesty granted her permission to change clothes and rest briefly.
Taking advantage of this moment, Yin Zhe spoke privately in the Imperial Study.
Secret reports were sent back through the Xuanji Guard's channels, but some intelligence could not be written down.
Yin Zhe reported two matters.
Firstly, during the dredging of Mingyan County, the secret surveillance of Xuanji Guard was diverted, which led to Meng Jian's great feat of displaying his divine power.
Secondly, the Prince of Longmen County was assassinated on the river embankment and poisoned by a third-rank sorcerer's life-saving poison. Qin Zhaoyue used her true qi to heal the wound and detoxify him.
Qin Minghuang listened quietly, pondered for a long time, and found that both items had obvious supernatural aspects.
The Meng family doesn't possess any precious medicines, let alone the possibility of gaining the strength of a Divine Martial Realm simply by consuming a single pill. As for true qi...
"Where does Xiao Liu's true energy come from?"
"I don't know. According to her, it's a natural gift, formed naturally when the blood and qi are stimulated to their extreme."
"How effective is the healing?"
"The effects were immediate; the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, not to mention the sorcerer's poison."
"If she hadn't intervened, the Crown Prince would likely have died on the spot, and might not have been able to survive until we escorted him to the capital."
The ability of blood and qi to generate true qi is within the realm of explanation, but what about this healing ability?
According to Yin Zhe, even a Divine Martial Realm cultivator who practices healing techniques might not be able to achieve that effect.
In addition, Qin Minghuang has a special clue: only she can hear Xiao Liu's thoughts.
All signs indicate that something must have happened to Zhao Yue.
Meanwhile, Qin Zhaoqiong was changing clothes in a side hall when her three younger sisters arrived together.
The third sister is Qin Zhaowan, the fourth sister is Qin Zhaoshu, and the ninth sister is Qin Zhaolong.
"Eldest sister."
After exchanging greetings, Qin Zhaoqiong's gaze fell on Xiao Jiu, and an idea began to form in her mind.
If Sixth Sister is faking it, then what about Ninth Sister...?
Xiao Jiu blinked her big, innocent eyes. Seeing her older sister staring at her, she quickly checked herself to see if there was anything amiss.
"Elder sister, is there something on my face?"
Qin Zhaoqiong shook her head. It didn't seem so. Xiao Jiu seemed to be a bit stupid... naive.
Yes, innocent and carefree.
"It's nothing, I just haven't seen Xiao Jiu in a long time, and I miss her a little."
Xiao Jiu smiled broadly upon hearing this, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Right? Eldest sister misses Xiao Jiu, doesn't she!"
"Uh-huh……"
The third and fourth brothers exchanged a smile.
To be honest, my elder sister's performance in the Linde Hall was quite unexpected.
It's quite noticeable that the gap between them and others has widened.
"Where's Xiao Liu? Why isn't she here for such an important occasion?"
Qin Zhaoqiong sighed heavily; how could she possibly know?
"She said she was feeling unwell when we entered the city, so I deliberately slowed down my pace, but I still didn't see her when we got to the palace gate."
"Is your discomfort... serious?"
"Alas, her health was never very good to begin with, and she was used to the luxurious life in Fengjing."
"After more than two months of traveling and not eating or sleeping well, I hope I don't develop any chronic illnesses."
Qin Zhaoqiong remained silent, her forehead twitching.
Not eating well, not sleeping well? Who are you talking about?
The third and fourth brothers' impressions of the sixth brother were still stuck in the past. Perhaps he was intelligent but lacked inner beauty, but it was hard to fake his frail health.
What she meant was that Xiao Liu was in good health.
Despite running around, getting soaked in the rain, and being swept away by floods, I'm perfectly fine. I don't even have any minor ailments like colds. I'm in great health!
But who knows what kind of trouble Xiao Liu will cause? He can't possibly be hiding and deliberately not going to the palace, can he?
Qin Zhaoqiong felt that this might be the correct answer, but in the end, she still kept quiet and didn't tell the truth.
"After we finish our audience with His Majesty, let's go see Xiao Liu together."
“Great! I’d love to hear about what my elder sister has to say about her disaster relief efforts.”
After Qin Zhaoqiong removed her armor and changed her clothes, the sisters chatted as they headed straight for the Imperial Study.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, Suimo was kneeling on one knee, a bead of sweat glistening on his forehead.
Just now, His Majesty summoned her privately to inquire about the matter of the Xuanji Guard being transferred away during the canal construction in Mingyan County.
Sui Mo revealed his real name for this and swore an oath to the Queen Mother not to leak information about gunpowder.
She had anticipated this, but when she actually faced His Majesty, the all-pervasive pressure still almost suffocated her.
"This humble servant is unaware!"
Despite gritting his teeth, Suimo still managed to utter those four words.
The pressure suddenly increased, as if a huge boulder was weighing her down, bending her back, and her back was instantly covered in cold sweat.
Qin Minghuang squinted at the trembling woman in front of her.
For the defense of the palace, the Azure Phoenix Guard was the inner unit, and the Qilin Guard was the outer unit.
Every member of the Azure Phoenix Guard has a clean background and has undergone rigorous and cruel training in the palace since childhood. Loyalty should be ingrained in their very bones.
But in just over two months, they actually hid the truth from her!
Sui Mo pressed his entire body against the gold brick, appearing to be prostrate on the ground, but his whole body was trembling incessantly.
His face was as pale as paper, but his gaze remained firm.
I had long anticipated this would happen. Concealing the truth from His Majesty is tantamount to deceiving the emperor, a crime punishable by death.
Moreover, given her status as a palace guard, her crime was compounded.
Fortunately, she has no relatives left in this world, so the punishment is something she has to bear herself.
For some reason, what comes to mind right now is that lazy and unrestrained figure.
They'll sit if they can, and when you wake them up in the morning, they'll turn their back to you. Even when they're fully awake, they'll insist on staying in bed for a while longer, and they're also greedy for food and cold things.
A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. It's really not worth dying for someone like this…
"Your Majesty, His Highness requests an audience..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
