Chapter 206: Unexpected Guest

Unexpected Guest

In the night of July, there was already some summer heat. At this moment, the Imperial Garden was extremely lively. Palace lanterns were lit one by one, illuminating the place as if it were daytime. The colorful flowers in the garden filled the air with a charming fragrance...

Emperor Shuncheng and Empress Duan arrived, then everyone saluted and took their seats. Clearly, the Emperor was in a good mood today. Although his expression remained gloomy, he had lost his usual sharpness, and even his habitually slightly furrowed brows had relaxed quite a bit.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan, who was sitting in her seat, couldn't help but press her lips together slightly, then raised her head to look at Yin Fengzhan, who was sitting not far away diagonally opposite. Then she withdrew her gaze... But just then, Nie Jinxuan discovered that Senior Minister Nie, who was beside her, had a somewhat solemn expression.

Senior Minister Nie had been an official for many years, and regardless of whether it was in the court or at home, his temperament had always been easygoing. It was very rare for him to show such an expression. So seeing her father like this, Nie Jinxuan was stunned for a moment, then leaned over and asked in a low voice,

"Father, what's wrong? Your expression is not very good."

Nie Jinxuan was somewhat worried. But hearing this, Senior Minister Nie's expression darkened.

"There are evil people in the court now, how can your father be happy?"

When he said this, Senior Minister Nie's expression became even colder. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was shocked. But at the same time, she discovered that her father was looking at a certain position opposite. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan's eyebrows twitched, and she followed her father's gaze... But the moment she saw the other party, Nie Jinxuan was stunned.

It turned out that in a position not far away, there sat an elderly man with silver hair, white beard, a thin face, and dressed in simple gray-white casual clothes, but he faintly revealed an ethereal feeling of immortality!

"Father, who is that old man? Why haven't I seen him before?"

Those who could come to this flower-viewing banquet today were all officials above the third rank and their family members. But looking at the old man, sitting there alone, he didn't look like he was following anyone, so he was clearly not a family member of an official. But if he were a court official, he should be wearing an official uniform, but he was wearing a Taoist robe, and his seat was so far forward...

Nie Jinxuan felt somewhat suspicious. But then she suddenly remembered the afternoon before leaving Jinshui Town, when Zhongli suddenly found Yin Fengzhan and mentioned that person...

Who was it? Oh, right, at that time Zhongli said he was a warlock...

Thinking of this, Nie Jinxuan's eyes flashed, and she sized up the old man a few more times. At this time, hearing Nie Jinxuan's questioning, Senior Minister Nie snorted coldly, which was rare.

"He is a warlock who calls himself Huo Lian. Half a month ago, he was recommended to the Emperor by the Vice Minister of Rites, Ma Huan, saying that he could predict wind and rain, observe celestial phenomena, and could also read faces and read bones... But your father doesn't believe in those crooked ways. Predicting wind and rain and observing celestial phenomena are just small tricks to deceive the Emperor. As for reading faces and bones, it is even more nonsense!"

Senior Minister Nie's voice was cold. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan immediately understood in her heart. But then she looked at the old man named Huo Lian opposite again, and then said in a low voice,

"But Father, although you don't believe it, it seems that the Emperor trusts him very much!"

"Hmph! It's more than just trust, the Emperor simply values him highly. Otherwise, how could a mere warlock with no official position participate in this flower-viewing banquet?"

The more he spoke, the more angry he became. Speaking of this, Senior Minister Nie's expression darkened even more.

"Moreover, that Ma Huan is not a clean person either, so how could the person he recommended be a righteous person?"

"Uh... then in that case, Father, are you planning to..."

It was rare to see Senior Minister Nie get angry, so Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but worry about what he was going to do. Senior Minister Nie narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice,

"Don't worry, Jinxuan, when the time comes, your father will naturally speak up!"

Senior Minister Nie's expression was cold, and speaking of this, he looked at Huo Lian opposite again. Seeing her father's persistence, Nie Jinxuan couldn't say anything more, so she pressed her lips together and said nothing.

At this moment, while Nie Jinxuan and Senior Minister Nie were talking privately, melodious music sounded, and then a team of graceful dancing girls came out from the side, and then began to sing and dance in the center of the banquet with the music!

Clearly, this opening was lively. After a dance, Emperor Shuncheng nodded with satisfaction and then rewarded them. But just then, a young eunuch ran over quickly and whispered two words into the ear of Gao Caiyong beside Emperor Shuncheng. Hearing this, Gao Caiyong glanced at the young eunuch and then stepped forward to pass the message to Emperor Shuncheng.

No one knew what Gao Caiyong said to Emperor Shuncheng. But Nie Jinxuan clearly saw that Emperor Shuncheng's face revealed a trace of joy, and then he nodded to Gao Caiyong. Just when Nie Jinxuan was wondering what good thing had happened, she heard a loud announcement from outside.

"The Third Prince of the Tiancheng Kingdom, Ye Yushu, is here to pay his respects."

In an instant, the sharp voice unique to eunuchs sounded in the banquet. Everyone present was stunned, but before everyone could snap back to their senses, they saw a young man in his early twenties with a tall figure walking all the way to everyone along the red carpet from outside the garden.

"Ye Yushu, the Third Prince of the Tiancheng Kingdom, has met the Emperor of Dongling. Long live, long live, long live!"

Nowadays, in the Central Plains continent, there are many countries. Among these countries, the Qifeng in the west and the Tiancheng in the east are the most powerful. And Dongling, located south of Tiancheng and Qifeng, although also rich and strong, is slightly inferior to Qifeng and Tiancheng.

For a hundred years, Tiancheng and Qifeng have been at odds. And Dongling, which borders both countries, chose neutrality. But more than twenty years ago, when the Regent of Qifeng, Feng Jiutian, gathered hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Tiancheng, Dongling didn't help anyone on the surface, but in reality, it received benefits from Tiancheng, which allowed Tiancheng to counterattack at the last moment. It was also from that time that Dongling, which had originally been neutral, leaned more and more towards Tiancheng.

Subsequently, with frequent border trade, the civil exchanges between the two countries became more and more extensive. Plus, compared with the Qifeng people who mostly lived on the grasslands, the people of Dongling and Tiancheng inherited Central Plains culture, so they were very close in cultural customs. Therefore, in the past ten years, Tiancheng and Dongling have often sent envoys to each other and occasionally sent royal family members to visit each other.

Of course, this time was no exception. Although Emperor Shuncheng had received the national letter sent by Tiancheng before, the national letter didn't say who was coming, so Emperor Shuncheng didn't care much. But what Emperor Shuncheng didn't expect was that Tiancheng had actually sent the Third Prince, Ye Yushu!

Although Ye Yushu was ranked third among the descendants of the Tiancheng royal family, he was born to Empress Xue. He was a legitimate eldest son of the royal family. So once the Tiancheng Emperor passed away, he would most likely pass the throne to him!

So, it is conceivable that upon knowing that it was Ye Yushu who came, Emperor Shuncheng was naturally overjoyed. At this moment, seeing that Ye Yushu was indeed extraordinary in appearance, noble and incomparable, and what was rare was that although he was young, he didn't have half a trace of arrogance, clearly not an ordinary playboy royal family member!

Therefore, hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng laughed three times, which was rare, and said on his own,

"Hehe~, you have come from afar, and you have given me a huge surprise. Please, no need for formalities."

Directly calling Ye Yushu nephew, it was clear that Emperor Shuncheng really liked Ye Yushu at this moment. Hearing this, Ye Yushu hurriedly smiled and said,

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It is not just me who is giving you a surprise!"

As he spoke, Ye Yushu raised his head and smiled at Emperor Shuncheng, then raised his hand and clapped three times.

'Clap—clap—clap—'

Three crisp sounds. Hearing the sound, everyone present, including Emperor Shuncheng, was stunned. But just then, they saw a pink figure walking over from the other end of the red carpet gracefully.

That was a very beautiful young girl. She was fifteen or sixteen years old, but she had a graceful figure, a pink dress set off her skin like snow, a delicate little face, and features like a painting... As soon as she appeared, she made everyone's eyes light up.

At this moment, watching the girl walk over step by step, and finally arrive at Ye Yushu's side, she bowed and saluted.

"Qionghua has met the Emperor of Dongling. Long live, long live, long live!"

The young girl's voice was very pleasant. Subsequently, Ye Yushu on the side smiled and introduced,

"Your Majesty, this is my sister, Qionghua."

The descendants of the Tiancheng royal family were not prosperous. Including the two princes born to Empress Xue, there were only five princes and two princesses in total. But according to Emperor Shuncheng, the only two princesses were still young, so upon hearing that the girl in front of him was Ye Yushu's sister, Emperor Shuncheng couldn't help but frown slightly in confusion.

Seeing Emperor Shuncheng's expression, he heard Ye Yushu continue,

"Six years ago, my uncle and aunt were on a tour of the mountains and waters when they met a little girl. At that time, the little girl was suffering from a serious illness and had lost her memory. My uncle and aunt felt sorry for her, so they brought her back and invited an imperial physician to diagnose and treat her. After she was cured, they adopted her as their foster daughter. Later, after my father learned of this, he conferred the title of Princess on her. And she is Qionghua!"

Ye Yushu's explanation was simple, but clear. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng suddenly realized, but at the same time, his eyes were slightly shocked.

You must know that in Tiancheng, the person with the highest prestige was not the Yongning Emperor, Ye Wuyan, but his younger brother, the most handsome man in Tiancheng, the Xuan Prince, Ye Wuxuan!

Of course, Ye Wuxuan was not praised for how he looked. Instead, he had another title: God of War!

It is said that in Tiancheng more than ten years ago, the Ye royal family was not as harmonious as it is today, but was full of blood and slaughter. Even in the end, for the throne, several princes of the Ye royal family killed each other, and finally Ye Wuyan ascended the throne, but at this time, the Ye royal family only had Ye Wuyan, who had just ascended the throne, and his younger brother, Ye Wuxuan, left!

This struggle was unknown to anyone. And after Ye Wuyan ascended the throne, Ye Wuxuan locked himself in the Prince's mansion, and for the next five years, Ye Wuxuan didn't take a single step out of the Prince's mansion. But five years later, which was twenty years ago, the Regent of Qifeng, Feng Jiutian, suddenly personally led hundreds of thousands of troops to force Tiancheng, and in just a few days, he captured several cities in Tiancheng. For a time, smoke and fire rose everywhere, and it looked like they were going to break into the capital of Tiancheng.

At the critical moment, the Yongning Emperor, Ye Wuyan, had no choice but to go on a personal expedition. But at this time, Ye Wuxuan, who had been in seclusion for five years, stood up and went on an expedition instead of Ye Wuyan. Subsequently, Ye Wuxuan led a few tens of thousands of soldiers who had been temporarily gathered to make a quick attack and return in triumph. In just a few days, he recaptured the occupied cities, and finally fought a bloody battle with Qifeng's hundreds of thousands of troops at Camel Mouth with very few troops, winning with few against many, finally making the Qifeng Regent, Feng Jiutian, who had been dominating the world, retreat in defeat at Camel Mouth.

Ye Wuxuan became famous for this battle. It is said that his heroic posture on the battlefield was comparable to a god descending to the world. In silver armor, his martial arts were superb. And the Regent of Qifeng, who had been covering the sky with one hand back then, retreated to the court because of this. Since then, the Ye royal family has opened a new chapter, brothers are harmonious, and there is no more bloody struggle. The Yongning Emperor, Ye Wuyan, trusts his younger brother extremely, and it is said that Ye Wuyan likes his brother's children very much, even comparable to his own children.

So it is conceivable that this Princess Qionghua, even if she is only Ye Wuxuan's foster daughter, is absolutely noble. Otherwise, with the status of the legitimate eldest son of the royal family, Ye Yushu, how could he be willing to call her sister?!

Thinking of this, Emperor Shuncheng laughed out loud,

"Good, good! Qionghua... beautiful jade like flowers! Good name!"

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!"

Princess Qionghua was quite well-behaved. Hearing Emperor Shuncheng's praise, she couldn't help but smile brightly, then gave a look to the two maids following behind her, and then said to Emperor Shuncheng,

"Your Majesty, Qionghua is a newcomer, and I don't know what gift to give you. If I send something valuable, your country is rich and prosperous, and you have seen a lot, so you might not be happy. So I embroidered a picture of a hundred flowers competing for beauty with my own hands to give to you, to express my heart, but Qionghua is clumsy, and the embroidery is not good, so I hope you won't dislike it."

While speaking, the two maids stepped forward and displayed the embroidered picture to Emperor Shuncheng and everyone. The moment the embroidered picture was unfolded, everyone was pleasantly surprised.

It turned out that the brocade embroidery was more than two meters long, and on the gorgeous satin surface, a cluster of flowers was embroidered with five-colored silk threads. And in the colorful flowers, butterflies were dancing, and the faint dew drops seemed as if they would drip down if the wind blew, lifelike!

At this moment, although the civil and military officials didn't know much about this embroidery skill, they could see that this brocade embroidery was exquisite and peerless. So they couldn't help but praise it one after another.

Even Empress Duan, after seeing it, couldn't help but say,

"What a picture of a hundred flowers competing for beauty, even the excellent embroiderers in the palace are not as good as Princess Qionghua's craftsmanship! And such a large piece of brocade embroidery was embroidered by hand, this heart is worth a thousand gold!"

Empress Duan's words naturally had some exaggeration, but they were not wrong. So hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng laughed again, said several 'good's in a row, and had Gao Caiyong take the brocade embroidery.

The arrival of Ye Yushu and Princess Qionghua made the atmosphere of the scene much warmer. Seeing Emperor Shuncheng so happy, many ministers stepped forward to flatter him, but while talking, Emperor Shuncheng seemed to remember something and said to Ye Yushu, who had already taken his seat,

"Nephew, you have come from afar, I would like to introduce someone to you."

"Oh? I wonder who you want to introduce, Your Majesty?"

Emperor Shuncheng's words aroused Ye Yushu's curiosity. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng smiled slightly, raised his eyes to look at Huo Lian sitting below, and then saw Huo Lian, who had been sitting in his seat without saying a word, stand up and walk to the banquet table of Ye Yushu and Princess Qionghua.

"Xuanqing has met the Third Prince and Princess Qionghua."

It turned out that the person Emperor Shuncheng wanted to introduce was Huo Lian. Looking at the elderly man in Taoist robes, who was ethereal and immortal, Ye Yushu was stunned, then raised his eyes to look at Emperor Shuncheng.

Ye Yushu was somewhat confused. At this time, he heard Emperor Shuncheng say,

"Nephew, you don't know. This Daoist Huo Lian is a capable person. Not only can he predict wind and rain, but he is also most skilled in reading faces and bones... even I have to admire him~!"

"Oh? Is that really so?"

Emperor Shuncheng's words made Ye Yushu's eyes widen. At this time, Princess Qionghua on the side also had her eyes shining, and then couldn't help but follow up,

"Is it true, Your Majesty? Can you ask the Daoist to take a look for Qionghua?"

Ye Yushu had said before that Qionghua not only suffered from a serious illness but also lost her memory. So hearing that Huo Lian could read faces and bones, she was immediately interested. After all, if she could get some clues from Huo Lian, she could try to find her family.

Qionghua was somewhat anxious. Hearing this, Ye Yushu also nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Emperor Shuncheng smiled slightly and said to Huo Lian,

"Since that's the case, Daoist Huo Lian, please take a look for Princess Qionghua."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Responding neither humbly nor arrogantly, Huo Lian came to Princess Qionghua, said a 'sorry for the offense', and began to size up Qionghua. After a while, Huo Lian stood up straight, then stroked his long, white beard thoughtfully.

"Daoist, how is it? Can you see anything?"

"Yes, Princess, please forgive this poor Daoist for speaking bluntly. According to what I just observed, Princess Qionghua has a full forehead and a square chin, which is a rare sign of wealth. And this sign of wealth is bestowed by heaven, so this poor Daoist believes that although Princess Qionghua suffered from a serious illness before, she must have been born into a wealthy family. Therefore, even if there is a disaster in her life, she will turn bad luck into good luck."

Xuanqing spoke seriously. Hearing this, Princess Qionghua's eyes filled with tears, and she cried.

"Then since it was a wealthy family, why did they abandon Qionghua?"

Princess Qionghua was not old, and when she said this, her tears fell drop by drop. Seeing this, Ye Yushu on the side comforted her repeatedly, but then heard Huo Lian say again,

"Princess, don't be sad. As the saying goes, blessings are not blessings, and disasters are not disasters. How do you know that you were abandoned by your parents, Princess? You must know that the world is impermanent. Even if you were born into a wealthy family, sometimes accidents are not impossible. Moreover, according to what I just saw, if you hadn't met the Xuan Prince and his wife, who were born noble and extraordinary, you would definitely not have survived that disaster back then. So, everything has its own destiny, Princess, don't be too sad."

Huo Lian's words made Qionghua stop crying, then she raised her eyes to look at him, and after thinking for a while, she nodded silently, then broke into a smile.

Princess Qionghua was a child at heart, her emotions coming and going quickly. Later, seeing Princess Qionghua smile, everyone present praised Huo Lian even more. But just then, a somewhat cold voice suddenly came from the crowd.

"Hmph, it is nothing but a charlatan's trick from the jianghu!"

Amidst the praise, this opposing remark was particularly clear. Hearing the sound, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Everyone followed the sound and found that the person who had just spoken was actually Senior Minister Nie!

Suddenly, everyone was slightly shocked. At this time, the Vice Minister of Rites, Ma Huan, sitting in the banquet, darkened his face.

"What does Senior Minister Nie mean by this? Could it be that you are saying Daoist Xuanqing is a liar?"

"So what if I am?"

Without any hesitation, Senior Minister Nie said again,

"Princess Qionghua is now under the care of the Xuan Prince and Princess of Tiancheng, and has been adopted as their foster daughter. Such honor is naturally a noble status by birth. And Princess Qionghua herself is also beautiful and has a good appearance. Even someone who doesn't understand physiognomy can see this, so why does he, Xuanqing, need to say it again?"

Senior Minister Nie's words were loud and clear. Hearing this, some of the ministers fell into deep thought in agreement. But Ma Huan sneered coldly,

"Senior Minister Nie is an old minister in the court, and I have always admired him. But why does the Senior Minister have to speak like this? You must know that Daoist Huo Lian is a high-ranking person, and it is rare for him to see these things in just a few glances. But no matter how great Daoist Huo Lian's skills are, he is a human, not a god. And some things are heavenly secrets, and heavenly secrets cannot be leaked. Does Senior Minister Nie want Daoist Huo Lian to tell the past and present life of Princess Qionghua?"

"Moreover, if Daoist Huo Lian didn't have real skills, how could he get the Emperor's appreciation? Does Senior Minister Nie think that the Holy One cannot distinguish right from wrong, and can be deceived by a few tricks of a warlock?"

Ma Huan was very eloquent. Hearing this, Senior Minister Nie was so angry that his face turned purple.

For a time, in the large banquet hall, it was silent, and the originally pleasant atmosphere was replaced by tension. But just then, Huo Lian, who had been silent, smiled slightly, stroked his beard, and said slowly,

"Senior Minister, don't be angry. This poor Daoist knows that the Senior Minister is highly respected. Questioning this poor Daoist just now was also because you have a heart of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, so you said such words. Otherwise, if it were someone else, even if they cursed this poor Daoist to death in their heart, they wouldn't say half a word..."

"It's just, Senior Minister, this heavenly path and fate are truly mysterious. This poor Daoist has studied it for a lifetime and only found a way. But this poor Daoist can say for sure that this poor Daoist only says things that have a basis, and never tells half a lie... And the people in this world, although they are beautiful and ugly on the outside, their fate and roots are by no means as simple as they appear on the surface! For example, the officials and princes present, even if they are noble beyond compare now, what will happen in the future? Fate is decided from the moment of birth..."

As he spoke, Huo Lian smiled at Senior Minister Nie, then turned his eyes to glance at the officials around him, then looked at the princes sitting in the upper seats. But just then, Huo Lian, who had been smiling, suddenly froze and was stunned on the spot!

See you tomorrow! ===== CHAPTER 207 =====