Chapter 18 Li Fei
The imperial palace was unlike any other place, with its strict rules and distinct hierarchies. Gao Shaoshan, a fourth-rank Left General, was treated with courtesy by the maids and eunuchs, and his wealth was far less valuable than Wen Yao's gold melon seeds. As the saying goes, "three classes enjoy the most," and every department in the palace had its own source of wealth. It was an unspoken rule that the kitchens took advantage of the situation. Wen Yao gave out a few gold melon seeds, and immediately she and Gao Shaoshan were taken to an empty room and served fish soup and braised meat.
Wen Yao, eating food from the imperial palace kitchen for the first time in his two lives, each took two chopsticks, frowned, smacked his lips, and savored the food carefully. Finally, he commented, "Not bad."
Of course it was delicious, but how should I put it? It was just average, not as good as the Qiongyu Tower or the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
Wen Yao suddenly felt a little sorry for the golden melon seeds he had just given away.
Gao Shaoshan shoveled his rice into his mouth and mumbled, "Commander Wen, you don't know. This is the kitchen of the former dynasty, supplying civil and military officials. Naturally, the taste can't compare to the kitchen of the harem."
"Is that so?" Wen Yao bit her chopsticks and asked curiously, "Is the food in the harem kitchen delicious?"
Gao Shaoshan shook his head: "I haven't eaten it."
Wen Yao sighed regretfully, her peripheral vision slowly shifting to the side, landing on the hallway. She heard footsteps, unlike the chaotic commotion in the kitchen, marching neatly through door after door toward her. Just as Wen Yao shoved the last two pieces of fish from the bowl into her mouth, the footsteps stopped.
"Is that General Gao in there?" A woman's voice came from outside the door, sounding very young.
Gao Shaoshan was stunned and swallowed the food in his mouth: "Yes."
The woman smiled and said, "I am from the Yurong Palace. Concubine Li sent me here to deliver something."
Wen Yao sat on the side, leaning on his arm, chewing his chopsticks, still wondering who this Li Fei was. After waiting for a while, Gao Shaoshan across from him didn't move at all, nor did he respond. Wen Yao was puzzled, and when she looked up, she saw Gao Shaoshan's face wrinkled like a bitter gourd.
"Hey." Wen Yao asked in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Gao Shaoshan looked at her, his face wrinkled even more, and he whispered, "The people outside are Concubine Li's people..."
What happened to Concubine Li?
Wen Yao wasn't very clear about who the various characters in the emperor's harem were, so he randomly guessed, "Zhao Xuanxu's mother?"
"No." Gao Shaoshan frowned. "The master's biological mother is Concubine Ling. Concubine Ling is in poor health and has not seen outsiders for a long time. Concubine Li is also a princess of the Dali Kingdom. She has only been in the palace for three years. In terms of blood relationship, Concubine Li is the master's cousin, just a few years younger."
Oh, that means Lingpin is Li Fei's aunt, and Li Fei is Zhao Xuanxu's cousin. Wen Yao was still thinking about how complicated this relationship was. When the person outside waited for a long time without a response, Gao raised his voice and asked again: "General Gao?"
I am determined to meet Gao Shaoshan.
Gao Shaoshan, helpless, stood up and walked to the door, creaking it open. Standing outside was a palace maid with a bun, followed by two young eunuchs in blue, each holding a mahogany box. Their attire was unique, with floral embroidery covering the cuffs and shoulders. The stitching wasn't quite like Su or Shu embroidery, but it was equally exquisite and beautiful.
"It has been a long time since His Royal Highness Prince Yan has visited Concubine Ling in the harem. Concubine Ling misses him very much and often talks about him with my Queen." The other party said with a smile, his eyes swept over Wen Yao who was sitting behind Gao Shaoshan. "It just so happens that my Queen is accompanying the emperor in Yonghe Palace. Although she is restricted by Tianshui's complicated formalities and cannot enter the front hall to meet with His Royal Highness, she can still send some snacks to His Royal Highness Prince Yan on behalf of Concubine Ling. These are Dali Kingdom snacks made by Her Royal Highness herself. I hope General Gao can pass them on to you."
Gao Shaoshan seemed to have suddenly become mute. He didn't say a word. He stood at the door, holding a box in each hand, and watched the other party salute and leave.
Wen Yao took a box and opened it. Inside, there were neatly arranged delicate snacks in light colors, which looked extremely delicious.
"Concubine Li still knows how to take care of her aunt's son. She is a good person." It's just that the aunt and niece marry the same person, which sounds too awkward at first.
Wen Yao lamented the sinful royal marriage and looked at Gao Shaoshan with a raised eyebrow: "What on earth is that expression on your face? It looks weird."
Gao Shaoshan's mouth seemed to be full of knots, and the expression of wanting to say something but not being able to was particularly awkward on his handsome face. His mouth was stuck together, and he stuttered for a long time, finally speaking slowly: "Commander Wen, there are some things I don't know whether I should say or not."
Wen Yao: "What?"
"This Concubine Li, she, she... isn't normal."
"What's wrong?"
Gao Shaoshan hesitated for a long time, took a deep breath and said nothing, picked up the two boxes and walked out.
Hey, who would get stuck in the middle of selling something? Wen Yao was completely confused, but he didn't think much about it. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and followed Gao Shaoshan back to the big steps.
At that moment, the carved door of the hall at the top of the stairs opened from the inside, and two people walked out, one in front and one behind. One was Zhao Xuanxu, the other was Song Mingde. The latter had straightened his back since stepping out of the hall door, and looked coldly at Zhao Xuanxu and Wen Yao who were striding down the hall. His expression did not look good.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu was tall and had long legs, so he walked with big steps. He quickly walked straight to Wen Yao and stood still, looking down at her: "Okay, let's go home."
Wen Yao pointed at Gao Shaoshan and said, "Just now, Concubine Li brought you some food and said that your mother missed you."
Zhao Xuanxu didn't even blink, his eyes flickering to the side, landing on Gao Shaoshan. The latter's hand immediately trembled, and what he held in his hand seemed more like red-hot charcoal than a snack box.
Seeing their reactions, Wen Yao finally realized what was happening. He was taken aback and said, "This Concubine Li... doesn't have a good relationship with you?"
"Not really." Zhao Xuanxu smiled, tugged at the corner of Wen Yao's sleeve, and said briskly, "Let's go back."
I don’t want to say it, okay.
The emperor's family affairs were the most complicated, and Zhao Xuanxu, with his dual ancestry from the Tianshui Dynasty and the Dali Kingdom, naturally faced double the trouble. He didn't want to say more, and Wen Yao didn't dwell on it. She knew how to cheer herself up, and once she boarded the carriage back to the Prince of Yan's mansion, Wen Yao had already forgotten about Concubine Li.
The food in the palace was not enough to fill you up. After Gao Shaoshan threw the two mahogany boxes on the side of the road, he heard Zhao Xuanxu say that they would have roasted mutton in the evening. He immediately left home and happily followed him to the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
The roasted lamb of the Tianshui Dynasty differs from that of the Liao Dynasty and the Western Dynasty to the north. It uses lamb cheek meat, skewered, smeared with plum sauce, and then grilled over charcoal. The meat is tender, tender, smooth, and juicy. Simply put, it's a uniquely flavorful lamb kebab.
Wen Yao, biting into a piece of mutton, holding a pot of wine in his hand, smiled and leaned against the window, watching Hao Chunhe training the secret guards in the open space across the way. Hao Chunhe's voice of disappointment could be heard from a distance: "Why don't you understand? Just two steps, gather your internal energy, and lift yourself up - what didn't you understand?"
Although the secret guard he caught was wearing a mask, Wen Yao could still see that he was speechless and silent.
Hao Chunhe was a master of Qinggong, and the thinking ability of a master was different from that of an ordinary person. Fei Yeke felt that the simple skills and mental methods of the moves, which were as simple as drinking water, were on another level for others.
The branches of the nearby trees were already filled with secret guards, a black mass like nocturnal birds. Each one of them peered out, their necks stretched to look at Hao Chunhe. They looked rather adorable and comical, hardly resembling the cruel and shady secret guards rumored to be.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Wen Yao interrupted with a hoarse voice, "Eat something before continuing to practice?"
Hao Chunhe waved his hand: "What are you eating? You are not allowed to eat! I just wanted them to walk on the leaves today, but I didn't expect them to be so clumsy!"
At this point, Hao Chunhe seemed to recall something and pointed at Wen Yao, saying, "Look at your commander. She escaped with me in the Western Dynasty and crossed a cliff on a cold night! Back then, when life and death were at stake, I didn't teach her step by step, yet she learned it after just one look! Wen Yao, come here and show these brats how to do it!"
Wen Yao narrowed her eyes and laughed heartily, saying, "Okay!" She placed the skewers back on the plate and leaped up with ease, tapping the window frame with her toes. She waved her dagger, sending leaves cascading down from the trees. A palm strike of internal force sent them scattering in all directions. The tip of Wen Yao's boot touched the fluttering leaves, which, bearing the weight of a person, only sank slightly. Then, using the momentum, Wen Yao soared upwards, leaping from the courtyard window to the treetops in a few seconds.
Hao Chunhe: "See?! It's really simple—"
The wind was strong at high altitude. Wen Yao pushed back her messy hair and was about to lower her head to look at the secret guards in the trees below. Her sight flashed and she saw Zhao Xuanxu standing where she had stood before.
He was dressed in black, his hair untied, its smooth, dark locks reaching past his waist. His outer robe, untied, hung loosely on his body, revealing a hint of reddish skin below his neck. In his hand, he held something pitch black, which he waved childishly at Wen Yao, motioning her over.
"Coming." Wen Yao responded, raised his arm back to the ground, stood in front of the window and looked at Zhao Xuanxu.
"This sleeve box is for you." Zhao Xuanxu picked up the black, diamond-shaped object, half the size of his palm. His slender, white fingers pressed against the raised ridges. Instantly, several cold rays shot out, and half-inch-long silver needles sunk deep into the wall. With another twist, the sharp tip of a dagger popped out, blinding the eye. "It doesn't take up space, so it's convenient to carry. Although Ah Yao is formidable and unmatched, he still needs to have a weapon handy at all times."
Why did she suddenly give it to her? Was it because she forgot to bring her dagger at the Cunying Mountain Arena today?
intimate.
Wen Yao took the hidden weapon and really liked it, so he accepted it without hesitation. He wondered if he could add some numbing medicine to the needle, so he could try it later.
"Ayao, do you want to guess what he said when he summoned me to the Lama Temple today?"
This "he" could only be the emperor. Wen Yao raised his eyes and thought for a moment: "Is it Su Yi's case?"
Zhao Xuanxu nodded and smiled, "Yeah."
Wen Yao: "It's been several days, it should be about time."
"Jiutai has already compiled Su Yi's confession, and the Supervisory Commission has completed the evidence. Tomorrow I will submit a petition, and a group of people will die that night." Zhao Xuanxu was talking, and he didn't know what Wen Yao's reaction touched his heart. He suddenly lowered his eyes and lowered his voice: "Have you felt bored these days, Ah Yao?"
"It's okay now, I don't feel it. But after a long time, I think it will really happen." Wen Yao told the truth.
She was a restless person, always wanting to travel and explore more. Staying in one place for too long would make her feel itchy. "We'll talk about the future later. Even if I have to leave, I will definitely make sure you are well settled before I go. Let's work hard and strive to retreat safely to your fiefdom within three years."
Zhao Xuanxu let out an "oh" sound, and the blood-red patch at the base of his neck expanded again, as if it was burned by heat, even his ears and eyes turned red.
Wen Yao blinked, as if being burned by the vivid red. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "You look off. What's wrong? Did you drink?"
Zhao Xuanxu shook his head, his hair sticking to his face, his voice hoarse: "Ayao, I feel a little uncomfortable."
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