Chapter 40: The Heavenly Fragrant Beauty

"Your Highness, this is not the direction of the Prince's Mansion."

After leaving the Armory Bureau, Zhao Xu headed north.

Xu Lie immediately reminded Zhao Xu.

Since the assassination attempt, he had been on edge every day he protected the Yan Wang when he went out.

It felt as if a sharp arrow could be shot from the darkness at any moment.

Liu Fu laughed when he saw how nervous Xu Lie was, "Commander Xu, His Highness now holds great prestige in Yan Commandery and is no longer what he once was, so there is no need to be so nervous."

After Chang Wei took charge of the Prince's Personal Army, Xu Lie was promoted to Commander of the Personal Guards, following Zhao Xu to provide protection.

When there was nothing to do during the day, Xu Lie would stay in the gatehouse.

The two met often, so naturally, they had become familiar with each other.

Glancing at Liu Fu, Xu Lie said, "How can the safety of His Highness be child's play..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly sensed something and abruptly pressed his hand onto the hilt of his sword.

They saw a heavily made-up woman standing in the middle of the road, looking at the Yan Wang.

Xu Lie identified her slightly and recognized her as the procuress of Tianxiang Lou.

Riding his horse forward, he warned vigilantly, "Why are you blocking the path of the Yan Wang?"

The procuress wore a smile, her eyes still fixed on Zhao Xu, and she said softly, "Does Your Highness still remember that note?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu, Liu Fu, and Xu Lie all changed color.

Of course, they remembered that it was by relying on that note that they were able to escape the assassination by the Zhang Family.

What they did not expect was that this matter actually had to do with the procuress who had been so servile to Zhang Rang that day.

"So it was you?" Zhao Xu rode forward, cupped his hands, and thanked her, "Many thanks for your help; otherwise, this Prince would have already perished. May I ask your honorable name?"

"Your Highness may call me Liu Sanniang. However, Your Highness need not thank me; if you wish to thank someone, thank my young mistress."

"Young mistress?" Zhao Xu vaguely remembered that back that had turned and left.

Liu Sanniang nodded gently, "I ask that Your Highness please move to Tianxiang Lou. Because of helping Your Highness, it has actually caused trouble for Tianxiang Lou; if not for this, I would not have troubled Your Highness."

"Your Highness, beware of a trap." Seeing that Zhao Xu intended to go, Xu Lie spoke up to warn him.

"They saved this Prince's life; there is no reason for this Prince to sit by and watch them face danger without intervening. Furthermore, this Prince would like to see what kind of sacred beings they are." Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes.

Yan Commandery now gave him only one feeling.

The temple is small, but the demonic winds are strong.

Xu Lie nodded solemnly.

The procuress saw Xu Lie's worry and laughed, "Now that Yan Commandery is under the control of the Prince's Mansion, I have nothing but requests for the Yan Wang, so how could I harm his life?"

Xu Lie merely snorted and said nothing.

Zhao Xu shook his head, turned his horse around, and headed toward Tianxiang Lou.

They were already near Golden Scale Pond; he estimated that the procuress must have appeared after receiving the news.

However, looking at it this way, this Tianxiang Lou was certainly not simple.

They must have already planted eyes and ears in Yancheng.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the group arrived at Tianxiang Lou.

The procuress led Zhao Xu to the fourth floor and stopped in front of a room hung with beaded curtains.

Xu Lie led thirty guards to clear the surroundings and keep a tight watch.

"Young Mistress, the Yan Wang has arrived."

Before the door, the somewhat frivolous procuress suddenly became serious and humble as she announced them inside.

"Please, Your Highness, come in." A woman's voice drifted from inside the room, soft and charming like water, enough to make one's bones go limp.

Zhao Xu stepped inside, and Xu Lie followed closely behind.

The procuress reached out to stop him, but Xu Lie glared at her, "Who knows if there is an ambush inside?"

Zhao Xu did not blame Xu Lie, for although he was curious about who had saved him.

He had not yet lost his reason; safety was still the top priority.

"Aunt Liu, just let him in." The woman's voice came out again.

The two entered the room and saw two women standing behind white gauze curtains, one dressed in yellow and one in red, their appearances appearing and disappearing from view.

"Playing gods and ghosts." Xu Lie complained in a low voice and reminded him again, "Your Highness, beware of a trap."

Zhao Xu gave a bitter smile.

Xu Lie was always overly cautious.

But this was also the quality a Commander of the Personal Guards should have.

"Your guard is truly rude. Letting you in is to put your mind at ease; are you still afraid that we might eat you?"

Xu Lie had made the woman in yellow very unhappy.

"Xiao Huan, do not be rude." The woman in red gave a light reprimand and reached out to pull aside the gauze curtain.

She walked slowly toward Zhao Xu, lowered her head, and said, "This young woman, Xu E, pays her respects to Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will not take offense."

Xu Lie had wanted to retort.

But upon seeing the faces of the two women, both he and Zhao Xu were momentarily stunned by their beauty.

"That day, many thanks to you, Miss, for your assistance." Zhao Xu was the first to recover.

The woman was dressed in red, her dark hair like distant eyebrows.

With two curved mountain-like brows, a face like peach blossoms, and eyes like spring water, she was charming and moving as they shifted, her appearance extremely beautiful.

If he had been born in this era, he would likely have been lost in such beauty.

It was just that he came from the modern age, accustomed to carefully selected female celebrities and all sorts of photoshopped pictures, so he had developed a resistance to beauties.

"Your Highness, why the need for thanks? In helping Your Highness, there is actually some personal motive of my own." Xu E raised her head and looked straight at Zhao Xu, not shy like an ordinary woman.

This was also her first time seeing Zhao Xu; the Yan Wang was indeed this young, and she secretly admired him in her heart.

To be able to sway the overall situation of Yan Commandery in such a short time, this young Yan Wang was capable.

She believed that even any Imperial Prince in Jingshi could not do it.

Let alone that this Yan Wang's maternal family was merely of humble origins.

Furthermore, there was the peerless Fine Wine brewed by this Yan Wang, which even she had to call excellent.

"Personal motive?" Zhao Xu scrutinized Xu E, "What does this mean? And, what exactly is this Tianxiang Lou..."

He wanted to get to the bottom of it.

After all, such a mysterious place was in Yan Commandery.

As the master of Yan Commandery, it was impossible for him not to care.

Xu E did not speak; she reached out and gestured to the floor cushion, "Your Highness, please sit. This matter needs to be told slowly."

Zhao Xu sat down, and Xu E sat opposite him at the low table, pouring a cup of tea for Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu went to pick up the tea, only to hear Xu Lie cough behind him.

Xu E smiled charmingly, took the tea meant for Zhao Xu and sipped it with her bright red lips, then gently placed it in front of Zhao Xu, her gaze shifting, "Your Highness, you can rest assured now, just don't despise this young woman..."

"A beauty is approachable, how could I despise you." Zhao Xu spoke flirtatiously, yet he did not reach for the teacup.

Xu E gave Zhao Xu a meaningful look and sighed softly, "The Qingfeng Stronghold leader Pang Kun is my father's murderer. Although the Zhang Family of Yan Commandery did not participate, they were accomplices. When I first arrived in Yan Commandery, the eyes and ears of Qingfeng Stronghold brought out the news, and I immediately decided to help Your Highness."

"But you also wanted Pang Kun and the Prince's Mansion to suffer mutual losses, so that you could capture him." Zhao Xu smiled broadly.

Xu E laughed coquettishly, "That is indeed so."

"But now that this matter is over, why have you revealed yourself?"

This was what Zhao Xu found most puzzling right now.

"Because Your Highness has already gained the favor of a Noble Lady, and that Noble Lady wishes to cooperate with Your Highness in Yanzhou to restrain the Yuan Family." Xu E leaned forward, "Your Highness is isolated and helpless in the imperial court; if the Yuan Family wants to deal with Your Highness, it is still very easy. As far as I know, Zhang Kang seems to have already sought help from the Yuan Family."

"The Yuan Family?" Zhao Xu's heart sank.

That day, Zhang Kang had already secretly used the Yuan Family to threaten him.

"Exactly. The Yuan Family has cultivated Yanzhou for many years and holds the two hundred thousand Black Armored Army; they are not some low-class trash like the Zhang Family." Xu E smoothed the dark hair on her forehead.

"But, who is this Noble Lady?" Zhao Xu felt somewhat resentful.

It seemed he still had a long way to go; after all, compared to these locals, his foundation was too shallow.

"The Noble Lady says that when the time comes, Your Highness will naturally know."

"Then how shall we cooperate?"

"Upon receiving news, I will notify Your Highness."

Zhao Xu frowned. This Noble Lady was truly 'noble'; was she even nobler than him, an Imperial Prince?

"I will consider it." Zhao Xu suddenly felt a wave of annoyance, stood up, and walked out, too lazy to chat further.

Xu E stood up, "If Your Highness is at leisure, you are welcome to come to Tianxiang Lou to relieve your boredom. I hope for Your Highness's patronage in the future."

Zhao Xu waved his hand and strode away.