Chapter 72: Seeing Chu Fu

Although Liu Li sighed in her heart at Liu Ling's intelligence, she was truly worthy of that evaluation by the Grand Historian—the Huainan King has a daughter, Ling, who is intelligent and eloquent.

But no matter how intelligent, she had a golden finger, so she would definitely not lose.

Thinking of this, Liu Li quickly looked up at A Jiao: "Mother, you must quickly arrange for people to sneak into Huainan to investigate Liu Ling and Chu Fu, and investigate their affairs as clearly as possible."

The system encyclopedia can only know stories recorded in books and cannot know the true life of a person. Just like Liu Li can know through historical records that Empress Chen was deposed in the fifth year of Yuanguang, but she cannot know more detailed things.

Now, everyone in front of her is no longer a common being in the torrent of history, but a living person, each with their own life story, including herself at this moment.

So what story happened to Liu Ling?

The Great Han has a regulation that women must marry after reaching the age of fifteen, otherwise they must pay a "bachelor tax." But Liu Ling is already twenty-two years old; why hasn't she married yet?

It seems there must be a story in this.

Now Liu Li needs to investigate the story about Liu Ling so that she can know how to deal with this exceptionally intelligent opponent next.

Is it to win over, or... to eliminate.

A Jiao felt much calmer after hearing that A Li had a way, and she nodded: "Alright, I will send a message to Min and let him go to Huainan to investigate."

Liu Li nodded: "That works."

Min was a swordsman who had joined Guan Fu's sect in his early years. Previously, Tian Fen and Guan Fu had a quarrel, and Guan Fu was arrested by Tian Fen. This Min had wanted to break into the prison to save Guan Fu, but in the end, because two fists couldn't defeat four hands, he fell into the hands of the soldiers.

It just so happened that at that time, Tian Fen's collusion with the Huainan King was known to Liu Che, and Liu Che was so angry that he had a miscarriage, so he didn't deal with this Min.

Later, Dou Ying pleaded for Guan Fu, and A Jiao also wanted to save Guan Fu's life, so she did a favor and spared Guan Fu's life. This Min was also released.

Because of A Jiao's forgiveness, Guan Fu was grateful to A Jiao, and A Jiao took the opportunity to let Guan Fu become Liu Li's guest, letting Guan Fu move to Maoling Commandery to settle down and listen to the orders of Princess Jianling.

Min could also be considered a knight-errant of this era, although his fame was not as great as Guo Jie's, he had made many friends in society, so arranging for him to go to the Huainan Kingdom to investigate Liu Ling and Chu Fu was most appropriate.

On the other hand, Liu Li was actually still very curious about this Chu Fu. She really wanted to know whether Chu Fu's so-called witchcraft was true or false, and whether she could really see that A Jiao and Liu Che had swapped identities.

Thinking of this, Liu Li narrowed her sparkling eyes and said: "Mother, let's find an opportunity to kidnap Chu Fu alone and test her."

A Jiao nodded: "Alright."

Investigating Liu Ling's affairs wouldn't have results in three or five days. However, the spy planted beside Liu Ling came back to report that Liu Ling hadn't had any unusual movements in the past few days. That female doctor from Huainan had stayed in her room and hadn't come out since she came to the Changle Palace.

Even when eating, the palace maids would put the food at the door and wait for her to take it. None of the palace maids in the Changle Palace had seen her appearance clearly; in short, this female doctor was very mysterious.

So Liu Li couldn't find an opportunity at all to see this legendary witch.

But Liu Li seemed to really have the protection of the gods, and soon she found an opportunity to sneak into the Changle Palace.

The Emperor's Eldest Sister, the Pingyang Princess, was getting married for the second time.

The person the Pingyang Princess took a fancy to this time was the great-grandson of the Great Han's founding hero Xiahou Ying, named Xiahou Po. In the second year of Yuanguang, Xiahou Po succeeded as the Ruyin Marquis.

The wedding of the Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po was arranged at the Princess's mansion in Chang'an City. Originally, both of them were marrying for the second time, and the Pingyang Princess didn't expect to hold a grand one, but A Jiao said: "My Eldest Sister is getting married, no matter how many times it is, it is like the first time. This wedding must be held grandly."

The Pingyang Princess didn't expect her brother to say this, and she was quite moved in her heart. And A Jiao also said: "Sister, you don't need to save money; I am willing to pay from my private treasury to hold the wedding for you."

The Emperor was actually willing to use his private money to hold a wedding for his sister; this was how much importance he placed on the Pingyang Princess! Hearing this, the Pingyang Princess was even more moved: "Then on the day of sister's wedding, will brother come?"

A Jiao nodded: "I will go on that day."

"When sister married into Pingyang County, I never went to watch the ceremony. Now that sister is getting married in Chang'an, I will definitely go." A Jiao said very sincerely.

The Pingyang Princess was moved to tears: "Before, A Che drove the beauties sister gave you out of the Weiyang Palace, and sister thought A Che had become estranged from sister from then on. I didn't expect A Che to place such importance on sister's wedding; it truly makes sister very moved."

A Jiao lowered her eyes to look at the Pingyang Princess, who was moved to tears, her dark eyes deep without a ripple.

"By the way, there are still many singing girls in my mansion who know music. If A Che feels tired in the future, you can still come to sister's place to rest."

A Jiao responded lightly: "Alright."

The wedding of the Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po was held five days later. To make this wedding look very grand, A Jiao actually selected several boxes of treasures from Liu Che's personal small treasury as the Pingyang Princess's dowry. And she specifically allowed the Pingyang Princess to marry from the Weiyang Palace.

Such honor, even Liu Che didn't quite understand: "Eldest Sister is marrying for the second time, why is it so grand? This specification is almost comparable to when you married me back then."

Hearing this, A Jiao raised her eyebrows lightly: "Didn't you always say you respected Pingyang sister very much? Helping her hold a grand wedding, why are you unhappy?"

Liu Che's expression was a bit strange: "I'm not unhappy." It was just that A Jiao's attitude made him feel very strange.

A Jiao said: "On the day of Pingyang sister's wedding, you and I will go to watch the ceremony together."

Liu Che nodded: "Hmm."

A Jiao specifically told the Pingyang Princess that such a grand wedding must invite guests properly; after all, even the Emperor and Empress were going to attend, so if there were few guests, wouldn't that be a loss of face? And the Huainan King's Wengzhu, who lived in the Changle Palace, must also be invited.

The Pingyang Princess was originally a face-conscious person. Hearing the Emperor's reminder, she wished she could invite all the officials and marquises she was on good terms with to witness her second marriage.

A Jiao thought of Liu Ling liking Wei Qing, so she called Wei Qing over and said to him: "On the day of the Pingyang Princess's wedding, help me do one thing."

Wei Qing listened and stood ready to listen to the Emperor's orders.

"Let her stay at the banquet for a longer time. I don't care what method you use to keep her; in short, before I give the order, you just stay at the banquet and accompany her."

Wei Qing: "..."

He showed a difficult expression: "Your Majesty, this subject... cannot do it."

"You can," A Jiao encouraged him. "Liu Ling has feelings for you; she should be willing to spend more time with you."

Wei Qing was still not very willing, and A Jiao had to say: "Wei Qing, this is an order."

"Nu."

After everything was arranged properly, they just waited for the day of the Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po's wedding. According to A Jiao and Liu Li's plan, the Emperor and Empress would send the Pingyang Princess off together that day, and then go to the wedding banquet to eat.

Liu Ling, as an invited guest, naturally had to be present.

As long as Liu Ling left the Changle Palace, their opportunity would come.

Liu Li, who remained in the Weiyang Palace, would take this opportunity to sneak into the palace where Liu Ling lived in the Changle Palace to test whether Chu Fu really had special abilities.

Five days later, the Pingyang Princess got married.

According to the previous plan, Liu Li pretended to be unwell and didn't go to the Pingyang Princess's wedding banquet with the Emperor and Empress, staying in the Jiaofang Hall to rest.

The Emperor and Empress dressed grandly, sent off the Pingyang Princess who was marrying from the Weiyang Palace, and then specifically called Liu Ling to go to the mansion where the Pingyang Princess had prepared the banquet to eat.

Liu Ling was originally a guest invited by the Pingyang Princess. Seeing that she could travel with the Emperor and Empress, she didn't refuse.

After sitting on the imperial chariot, Liu Ling didn't see Liu Li and asked: "A Jiao sister, why don't I see little A Li?"

A Jiao said: "A Li woke up this morning feeling unwell, so I let her stay in the palace to rest."

"Feeling unwell? Did you call the Imperial Physician?" Liu Ling expressed her concern for Liu Li.

A Jiao: "I have already called, A Ling, don't worry."

Liu Ling smiled slightly: "That's good." It's really strange; I clearly asked A Jiao sister, but the one answering my question has always been the Emperor? This made Liu Ling's heart inevitably have some doubts again.

Last time she took Chu Fu to the Jiaofang Hall, she also let Chu Fu see the Emperor and Empress. It was just that when she asked Chu Fu later if there was anything wrong with the Emperor and Empress, Chu Fu said she couldn't see anything wrong.

Could it be that they have no problems? Perhaps I was overthinking it before? Liu Ling decided to observe more.

The three of them arrived at the Pingyang Princess's mansion together. A Jiao and Liu Che got off the carriage first, and Liu Ling walked at the end. When she got off the carriage, she noticed that the person driving for them was actually Wei Qing.

"Commander Wei." Liu Ling's expression rose slightly, and the smile on the corners of her lips seemed deeper: "Why are you driving for the Emperor today?"

Wei Qing stood in place, lowering his head slightly, but because of Liu Ling's proximity, his expression appeared somewhat uncomfortable. He replied: "This subject can protect the safety of the Emperor and the Empress here."

Liu Ling moved closer to him, her bright red lips almost touching his face, and her voice was incomparably ambiguous: "Only protecting the Emperor and the Empress? Then what about my safety?"

Wei Qing: "..."

The fragrance on her body entered his nose, and the earlobes behind Wei Qing's temples turned red. He hurriedly said: "Na, naturally, I must also protect the Wengzhu's safety."

"Hahaha." Liu Ling suddenly let out a laugh like silver bells, muttering and teasing: "The way Commander Wei blushes is really cute."

Wei Qing: "..."

Liu Che heard Liu Ling's laughter, turned his head to look at her, and said loudly: "A Ling, you don't need to tease Wei Qing. The auspicious time is about to begin, hurry in."

Liu Ling responded obediently: "A Jiao sister's lesson is right; A Ling is coming." After saying that, she walked past Wei Qing and walked together with Liu Che.

Seeing the Empress relieve him, Wei Qing breathed a sigh of relief quietly, and then led the guards to protect the Emperor and Empress as they walked into the mansion.

This mansion of the Pingyang Princess was the property Tian Fen had in Chang'an before.

After Tian Fen died, to appease the Empress Dowager's emotions, Liu Che gave half of Tian Fen's inheritance to the Empress Dowager, and this mansion was among them. Later, it seemed the Empress Dowager gave this mansion to the Pingyang Princess as a foothold in Chang'an.

This mansion was built like a small palace, with pavilions and towers, just like a small Weiyang Palace. If Liu Li had come here too, she would probably sigh and say, this is simply the "Gong Prince Mansion" of the Western Han!

Liu Che walked all the way, looking at such a luxurious and extravagant mansion, gritted his teeth and whispered: "I didn't expect the Wuan Marquis's former mansion to be so luxurious. If I had known..." If I had known, I would have confiscated this mansion!

A Jiao heard this and laughed lightly: "It's useless for you to regret it now; this place has already been given to your sister by the Empress Dowager."

Liu Che curled his lips.

Passing through the winding corridors from the entrance, they finally arrived at the backyard of the mansion, which was also the place where the wedding was held. The tables for the guests had been lined up in the courtyard one by one. Seeing the Emperor arrive, everyone stood up to salute the Emperor.

A Jiao took Liu Che's hand and sat down, and then everyone sat down again to watch the Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po perform the wedding ceremony.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, black was respected; even weddings were based on black as the main tone, with red as a secondary color, and they wouldn't be as red and purple as modern society.

The Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po wore serious and dignified black wedding clothes and walked slowly to the hall under the gaze of the guests. The two bowed to the Emperor and Empress together, and A Jiao and Liu Che also stood up to return the bow.

Then, according to the steps of the ritual official, the wedding process was carried out one by one.

A wedding is also called a "Hun" ceremony, so when all the rituals were completed, it was already close to dusk. The guests who came to attend the banquet had waited for most of the day and could finally start eating.

The maids in the mansion wore the same skirts, holding dishes and serving them to each table one by one. Although there were more convenient tables and chairs now, the Pingyang Princess felt that traditional tables were more solemn.

Although Wei Qing was a favorite of the Emperor and the commander of the Feathered Forest Guard, he was not on the Pingyang Princess's invitation list today, so he could only stand behind the Emperor as a guard.

After the Pingyang Princess and Xiahou Po finished the process, they changed into evening clothes in the back and came to the front courtyard to toast the guests.

The first to toast was naturally the Emperor and Empress. Because of the Emperor's importance, the Pingyang Princess felt that she had a lot of face at this wedding today, and the smile on her face was a bit more sincere.

After toasting the Emperor, the Pingyang Princess caught a glimpse of Wei Qing standing on the side and only felt that this guard looked handsome and kind, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

"Your Majesty, this little guard of yours looks a bit familiar. What is his name?" The Pingyang Princess asked casually.

Liu Che said: "Sister, don't you recognize him?"

The Pingyang Princess looked at "A Jiao" who was speaking and smiled: "Should I recognize him?"

"He is Wei Qing; didn't he come out of your Pingyang mansion?"

Hearing this, the Pingyang Princess was stunned. Wei Qing raised his hand to salute her: "Wei Qing pays respects to the Pingyang Princess."

The handsome guard in front of her gradually overlapped with the thin and shriveled little horse slave in her memory. The Pingyang Princess suddenly realized: "You... are Wei Zifu's brother, Wei Qing?"

Wei Qing nodded: "Yes."

The Pingyang Princess was silent all of a sudden.

She never expected that the grown-up Wei Qing would be so handsome; this sturdy build was much stronger than when he was small. If his status had been higher, perhaps she would have agreed to Wei Zifu that day.

For some reason, seeing Wei Qing like this, the Pingyang Princess suddenly felt some regrets, always feeling that she seemed to have missed something.

Xiahou Po noticed his new wife's distraction and said: "Princess, we still have to toast other guests."

The Pingyang Princess withdrew her gaze from Wei Qing, put a dignified smile back on her face, and nodded: "Alright, let's go."

Weiyang Palace—

After A Jiao and Liu Che left the Weiyang Palace, Liu Li didn't rush to the Changle Palace, but first arranged for Zhuqing to go around the Changle Palace, especially near the bedchamber where Liu Ling lived, to see if there were guards or other situations.

About an hour later, Zhuqing returned to report the situation of the Changle Palace to Liu Li: "There are guards in the Changle Palace. This servant didn't dare to get close to check, just looked from afar. There are no guards in front of the Huainan King's Wengzhu's bedchamber."

"OK." Liu Li responded subconsciously and began to tidy herself up, preparing to go to the Changle Palace.

Zhuqing stood in place, her mind still thinking about what the "OK" the Princess just said meant.

Liu Li had prepared a small attendant's outfit for herself in advance. Because she didn't know how to wear it, she needed Zhuqing to help her, and finally, she tied her hair in a crown.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Liu Li looked at her outfit; she looked quite like a creamy little student, if only she were taller.

She was six years old this year, and her estimated height was only about 1.2 meters, which was not tall or short for this age group. Fortunately, there were many young eunuchs and attendants in the Weiyang Palace, so she could pass as one now.

After everything was prepared, Liu Li took a carriage toward the palace gate of the Weiyang Palace near the Changle Palace.

Between the Weiyang Palace and the Changle Palace were the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Commandant's Mansion, as well as the Armory; the guards here were very strict. To avoid trouble, Liu Li decided to go out from the Xi'an Gate of the Weiyang Palace, pass the An Gate, and finally enter from the Fu'an Gate of the Changle Palace.

Taking such a detour, she walked a long way, but fortunately, there was enough time today.

After passing the Fu'an Gate of the Changle Palace, to avoid attracting attention, Liu Li had to find a secret place to get off the carriage.

After quietly getting off the carriage, Liu Li ordered Zhuqing to wait for her here. She needed to bypass the Changle Palace where the Empress Dowager lived to reach the palace where Liu Ling was staying.

Fortunately, A Jiao had told Liu Li before that she could walk from behind the Changle Palace, which could not only bypass the guards but also shorten the distance. Liu Li walked while comparing the map A Jiao had drawn for her.

Liu Ling's bedchamber was to the right rear of the Empress Dowager's bedchamber. She only needed to pass through the long palace road here to arrive. Because she was focused on looking at the map, Liu Li didn't notice a person suddenly popping up in front, and the two bumped into each other, then looked at each other in surprise.

"Liu Li?" The person looked at her in astonishment: "Why are you dressed like this?"

Liu Li looked at the other person for a long time before remembering his name: "Cao Xiang?"

For a time, the two were speechless. At this moment, the sound of patrolling guards' footsteps came from the quiet palace road, and Liu Li subconsciously reached out and dragged Cao Xiang to hide.

Cao Xiang followed Liu Li to hide, feeling inexplicable.

After the patrolling guards walked away, Liu Li breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Cao Xiang: "Why are you in the Changle Palace? Isn't today your mother's wedding?"

Hearing Liu Li mention this, Cao Xiang's little face was full of the word "unhappy." He curled his head slightly and hummed, obviously sulking and throwing a tantrum.

If it weren't for the fact that there were things to do today, Liu Li might have had the leisure to gossip.

"Cousin Cao Xiang, I have something to do, so I'm leaving. See you at the Imperial Academy later." Liu Li greeted him and prepared to continue moving forward.

Seeing this, Cao Xiang frowned: "As a Princess, you are wearing such an incongruous outfit and acting so sneakily; what are you doing?" He reached out and grabbed Liu Li's arm, not letting her go: "Explain clearly, otherwise don't think about leaving."

Cao Xiang was depressed because of his mother, the Pingyang Princess's wedding, and didn't even attend his mother's wedding banquet, but ran to his grandmother's place in the Changle Palace to escape reality.

He didn't expect to meet the sneaky Liu Li like this.

Liu Li wanted to shake off Cao Xiang's hand, but couldn't, so she could only say: "I have my own things to do; what does it have to do with you?"

Cao Xiang was stunned; it seemed it really had nothing to do with him. However, based on the principle that he wasn't happy and didn't want others to be happy, Cao Xiang let go of Liu Li, raised his eyebrows and said: "Alright, then I'll follow you. I want to see what you want to do."

Liu Li: "..." After all her calculations, how could she not have calculated that Cao Xiang would be in the Changle Palace!

She walked forward a few more steps, and Cao Xiang really followed her like this. Liu Li couldn't help but say: "Are you a follower?"

"What kind of bug is a follower?" Cao Xiang didn't understand.

Liu Li: "..."

"On the happy day of Aunt Pingyang, don't you want to go home and bless her?" Liu Li decided to persuade this little follower to leave.

"I won't bless her," Cao Xiang said sulkily. "I don't want to bless her at all."

Liu Li heard it; Cao Xiang was sulking with the Pingyang Princess, so he ran to the Changle Palace to find the Empress Dowager. She turned her head to look at the big boy who was only eight or nine years old in front of her, sighed, and said: "Heaven wants to rain, and mothers want to remarry; even if you don't want this kind of thing, you can't stop it, right?"

Cao Xiang curled his lips and said sullenly: "I didn't not let mother remarry, but father has been gone for less than three months."

Liu Li was silent; for a time, she didn't know how to comfort him either. The Pingyang Princess's second marriage did seem... a bit too urgent, but in the eyes of the Western Han people, it didn't really count as anything.

Perhaps Cao Xiang had a good relationship with his father, so he would stand up for his father like this.

"Then you shouldn't come to the Changle Palace at this time." Liu Li curled her lips and said solemnly: "You should go to your father's grave and offer him two cups of wine; that way, you should feel better."

Cao Xiang listened at first and actually felt that what she said made some sense. He was about to nod in agreement, but then felt it was wrong. After a long time, he reacted, widened his eyes: "You, are you teasing me?"

Liu Li blinked her beautiful phoenix eyes innocently, her fair little face full of sincerity: "Yes, I am teasing you."

Cao Xiang: "??"

He was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves, clenched his fists, and gestured in front of Liu Li, looking at the little cousin who was half a head shorter than him, pretending to be fierce: "Believe it or not, I'll beat you?"

Liu Li looked at him fearlessly: "Before you beat me, you can think about your own fate first."

Cao Xiang: "..." Oh, this little cousin is the little princess held in the palm of the Emperor uncle's hand. Thinking about it, he put down his fists sullenly and curled his lips: "You just rely on the uncle's doting on you."

"Father dotes on me because I have ability." Liu Li said: "If you had ability, maybe your mother wouldn't be in such a hurry to marry someone else."

Cao Xiang frowned, not understanding: "What do you mean by that?"

"How old are you this year?" Liu Li asked.

"Nine years old."

"Your father had no official position in the court, only the title of Pingyang Marquis. After your father died, you inherited the title and became the new Pingyang Marquis, so Pingyang County has nothing to do with your mother. That's why your mother is in such a hurry to remarry; it's just to find a shelter." Liu Li casually made up a set of rhetoric.

Cao Xiang was suddenly stunned: "So... this is the reason why mother is in such a hurry to remarry."

Liu Li nodded vigorously: "Yeah, yeah, that's it. So you can still go back and bless her now."

Cao Xiang's expression was slightly stern, and a pair of eyes looked at Liu Li brightly: "A Li, thank you for the reminder; I'll go back and find mother now."

Hearing Cao Xiang call her nickname so affectionately, Liu Li scratched her eyebrows uncomfortably: "Go, go, Aunt Pingyang will be very happy to hear your blessing."

Cao Xiang turned to leave, but after walking a few steps, he turned back: "Then what about you? You haven't told me why you are dressed like this and appeared in the Changle Palace."

Liu Li: "..." Why is this child so stubborn?

"I came here, of course, because there are important things to do." Liu Li said seriously: "This is what Father told me; I can't tell you."

"Uncle told you?" Cao Xiang's expression tightened: "Can I help you do something?"

"You disappearing from my sight as soon as possible is the greatest help to me." Liu Li said irritably.

Cao Xiang hummed: "You are really a little slippery. If the uncle really had important things, how could he hand them over to a three-year-old child?"

"I am already six years old, thank you." Liu Li sighed; she found that Cao Xiang was not easy to fool at all. Since she couldn't drive him away, she could only drag him into the water; otherwise, if she continued to consume time with him, something might go wrong.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you the truth." Liu Li said helplessly: "See that palace in front?"

Cao Xiang looked at it and nodded: "I see it. What's wrong with this palace?"

"The daughter of the Huainan King lives inside. In terms of seniority, she counts as my cousin aunt, your cousin aunt."

Cao Xiang nodded again: "So?"

"Father suspects that the assassin encountered at Ganquan Palace before was arranged by this Huainan King's Wengzhu, so taking advantage of the fact that she is not in the Changle Palace today, he let me come to where she lives to find clues." Liu Li said seriously: "Now do you know why I have to dress like this?"

Cao Xiang gasped, and his expression became serious: "She has such great courage! A Li, I must help you with this matter."

Liu Li: "..."

Liu Li was puzzled: "No, didn't you hate me before?" How come today you are like a dog-skin plaster that can't be shaken off?

Cao Xiang was puzzled: "Really? When did I hate you?"

"What happened during the New Year's Eve, have you forgotten?" Liu Li hadn't forgotten at all; Cao Xiang was the third historical figure she unlocked whose favorability was negative. Not only that, at the New Year's Eve banquet, he also helped Liu Yue squeeze her out.

"Oh~ I did hate you at that time." Cao Xiang admitted generously: "Who let the uncle be biased and give you so much money for suppressing evil? I saw that cousin Yue was unhappy, so naturally, I hated you."

Liu Li: "..." You are quite honest.

Cao Xiang said very straightforwardly: "But you didn't make cousin Yue unhappy now, so why should I hate you?"

"Do you like Liu Yue?" Liu Li raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Yes." Cao Xiang nodded, his face gentle: "Cousin Yue is gentle and beautiful; I watched her grow up, so naturally, I like her."

When Liu Yue was just born, she was highly regarded and doted on by the Emperor. At that time, the Pingyang Princess often brought her son into the palace to connect feelings with Wei Zifu, so Cao Xiang and Liu Yue often saw each other when they were young.

Cao Xiang said quite bluntly, "But you haven't made Cousin Yue unhappy right now, so why would I dislike you?"

In history, the first husband of the Wei Chang Princess was Cao Xiang, so logically, this Liu Yue in this space-time should also marry Cao Xiang, right?

"Really? Hehe." Cao Xiang scratched his head, a shy smile on his face.

However, soon, he straightened his face again: "Aren't we going to the palace in front to find clues now? I know we can enter from the pavilion in front; you come with me."

Saying that, Cao Xiang grabbed Liu Li's hand and walked forward in a hurry.

Liu Li was speechless, but she had to follow Cao Xiang. Cao Xiang often came to the Changle Palace with his mother when he was young; at least he was more familiar with the terrain of the Changle Palace than Liu Li.

The two carefully avoided the guards and planned to climb over the railing here. Liu Li was not tall enough, so climbing the railing was a bit difficult. Cao Xiang suddenly squatted down: "You step on my shoulder and go up."

Liu Li hesitated for a moment, stepped on his shoulder, and then climbed over the railing. Cao Xiang was taller than Liu Li, and his arms were stronger than Liu Li's; he supported the edge of the railing and climbed over with a force.

Because Cao Xiang's movement was too large, Liu Li saw his bare thighs.

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she comforted herself in her heart: Fortunately, it was just his thighs, and she didn't see anything else that shouldn't be seen; otherwise, she would have eye styes today, woo woo woo.

"The main hall should be in front." Cao Xiang said, and was about to take Liu Li to the main hall.

Liu Li hurriedly grabbed him: "Wait, I'm not going to the main hall; I'm going here." Liu Li took out the map A Jiao had drawn for her: "This is the approximate location here; I'm going to this bedchamber."

Cao Xiang stared at the map in Liu Li's hand for a long time. He silently turned the map in Liu Li's hand in one direction, and then said: "I probably know where this bedchamber is; you come with me."

Liu Li: "..." Fortunately, Cao Xiang was there; otherwise, she would definitely have been lost.

Patrolling guards would generally only patrol outside the palace, and there were no guards inside the palace, but it was possible to meet palace maids. Fortunately, Liu Li was dressed as a little attendant, so even if she met palace maids, she wouldn't be suspicious, but Cao Xiang...

Fortunately, they didn't meet any palace maids along the way. Under Cao Xiang's guidance, they finally arrived at the bedchamber where Chu Fu was staying.

It was just that in front of Chu Fu's bedchamber, there was a eunuch dressed as an attendant guarding it.

Liu Li was not sure if this attendant was a eunuch in the Changle Palace or a spy brought by Liu Ling, so she didn't dare to step forward rashly.

The two squatted in the corner, and Liu Li said: "We have to find a way to lure this person away."

Cao Xiang: "You are a Princess; can't you just order him to leave?"

Liu Li felt that this child Cao Xiang had some small cleverness, but not much. She said irritably: "Guess why I had to dress like this before coming over? If I could come over as a Princess, would I need to hide and sneak around?"

Cao Xiang: "Also."

"How about we climb in from the window?" Cao Xiang said: "I think I can go in."

"I don't think I can." Liu Li pointed at herself and said: "Don't compare my little body to yours, and... also..." Also, I don't want to see your thighs again!

"Then what do you say we do?"

Liu Li frowned and thought about it. If this eunuch was a spy brought by Liu Ling and was guarding the door at this time, it meant that Chu Fu might indeed be threatened by Liu Ling. And Liu Ling was very worried about Chu Fu, so when she was not there, she still had to arrange for people to watch Chu Fu here.

"It's your turn to take action." Liu Li turned to look at Cao Xiang, very solemnly raised her hand and patted his shoulder: "Use your status as the Pingyang Marquis to order this eunuch away."

Cao Xiang: "Ah?"

Liu Li raised her eyebrows and whispered a few words in his ear.

Cao Xiang only felt that his ear suddenly became itchy, as if a feather had gently brushed past his ear, tingling and numb, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

"Did you understand?" After Liu Li told him what to do, she saw that he was dull and had no reaction, so she couldn't help but call him again: "Cao Xiang?"

Cao Xiang suddenly came back to his senses. He nodded randomly, his eyes looking around, just not looking at her: "I know, you wait here."

Saying that, Cao Xiang stood up and walked back along the path they had just come. Liu Li squatted here for a while, and then heard a commotion not far away, vaguely hearing Cao Xiang's voice: "My things are lost, I chased the little thief who stole things here. Let everyone in this palace come over; I want to catch the little thief myself."

As the nephew of the Emperor and the grandson of the Empress Dowager, Cao Xiang still had this little right. Before long, the guards brought by Cao Xiang gathered all the palace maids and eunuchs of this palace together, including the guard wearing eunuch clothes at the door of Chu Fu's room.

Liu Li seized the opportunity and rushed into the room in one breath.

She carefully closed the door and turned to look at the entire room, only to find that the light in this room was very dim. Do they not open the windows in the middle of the day?

Because Liu Li came in, the candlelight in the room flickered lightly, and the light in the whole room also changed slightly. Liu Li's gaze passed through layers of curtains, vaguely seeing a figure.

Maybe because this room was too dark, or maybe because the atmosphere was very oppressive at this time, Liu Li felt inexplicably nervous. She tried to slow down her pace, wanting to approach Chu Fu silently. Who knew that just after taking a step, she heard Chu Fu's hoarse but very clear voice: "Princess Jianling, you are here."

Liu Li was stunned; at this moment, even her breathing stopped. After holding it for about three seconds, Liu Li adjusted her mentality, lowered her voice, and said: "You... knew I would come?"

Is she that amazing?

I don't know why, Chu Fu curled her lips slightly and said: "I didn't know, I just smelled the body fragrance on the Princess, so I guessed it was the Princess."

Body fragrance? Liu Li raised her arm to smell herself, but didn't smell anything.

"My sense of smell is naturally different from ordinary people, and I can smell different scents on different people," Chu Fu explained: "The Princess has a very unique scent on her, which I have never smelled before, so after seeing the Princess that day, I remembered it."

Liu Li only felt that what she said was very mysterious. She reached out and lifted the layers of curtains in front of her, and finally walked to Chu Fu's side. Through the candlelight around, she also saw Chu Fu's appearance and the things in front of her.

Chu Fu was sitting cross-legged on a soft cushion, and directly opposite her was actually a Five Elements Bagua Diagram hanging!

"Bagua Diagram? Daoist...?" Liu Li opened her mouth uncertainly, because Chu Fu's outfit looked a bit like the little Daoist she saw on TV before.

Chu Fu slowly opened her eyes, those eyes were exceptionally clear and bright under the illumination of the candlelight, and she said lightly: "No, I am a descendant of the Yin-Yang School."

Liu Li: "Uh..."

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, human thought had just originated, so many schools of thought were born. Although there were wars during the Warring States period, the ideological culture was a hundred schools of thought contending.

It was precisely in such an environment that the Hundred Schools of Thought were born.

The most famous Confucianism represented by Confucius, Mohism by Mozi, Daoism by Laozi, and Legalism represented by Guanzi, etc., were some of the ideological cultures that influenced the Chinese people for thousands of years.

Some time ago, when Liu Li was discussing some thoughts with Dong Zhongshu, she was once honored by Dong Zhongshu as Master Liu. If it weren't for Liu Li's strong opposition, this name was really too ugly, and she wouldn't allow it to be called like that in the future; otherwise, Master Liu would probably become a representative figure of New Confucianism in the future.

It was just that what Liu Li never expected was that Chu Fu was actually a descendant of the Yin-Yang School. It is said that the Yin-Yang School has combined sorcerer thought and Yin-Yang Five Elements theory since ancient times to explain some natural phenomena and changes that humans cannot understand.

In short, the entire Yin-Yang study is very mysterious; in modern terms, it can also be called metaphysics. ===== CHAPTER 73 =====

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, human thought was just beginning to originate, which led to the birth of many schools of thought. Although the Warring States period was full of turmoil, the ideological and cultural landscape saw a hundred schools of thought contending.

It was precisely in such an environment that the Hundred Schools of Thought were born.

The most famous include the Confucianism represented by Confucius, the Mohism of Mozi, the Daoism of Laozi, and the Legalism represented by Guanzi, among others—ideological cultures that have influenced the thinking of the Chinese people for thousands of years.

Some time ago, when Liu Li was discussing certain ideas with Dong Zhongshu, she was even once respectfully addressed as "Master Liu" by him. If not for Liu Li's strong opposition—insisting that the name was truly too unpleasant and that he was forbidden from calling her that in the future—Master Liu might have become the representative figure of Neo-Confucianism in the future.

What Liu Li never expected, however, was that Chu Fu was actually a successor of the Yin-Yang School. It is said that since ancient times, the Yin-Yang School has combined the thoughts of sorcerers with the theories of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements to explain natural phenomena and changes that humans cannot understand.

In short, the entire Yin-Yang study is very mysterious; in modern terms, it could also be called metaphysics.