Chapter 683: The Flat Peach Banquet

"Flat peaches ripen once every three thousand years,

The Yaochi banquet gathers all the immortals.

Today the Queen Mother holds her birthday celebration,

I, Magu, have come to offer longevity!"

Clang, clang, clang~

On the opera stage, the woman playing Magu moved with graceful cloud steps, her water sleeves lightly raised.

As expected of a famous opera troupe in the capital, both the posture and the singing had a unique charm.

If it were elsewhere, even if they were "lower nine stream" actors, there would be plenty of people to support them.

But in this Prince of Ying's mansion, they hadn't even eaten a hot meal.

Of course, none of the actors in the opera troupe dared to complain.

The Prince of Ying of that year came from the ranks of the military. Although he fought bravely and followed the Emperor to conquer the south and fight in the north, establishing great merits, he was too poor in his youth. According to his parents' matchmaker's words, he married a fierce woman who was famous in their village.

As the Prince of Ying rose step by step, this fierce woman gradually became the Princess, becoming even more barbaric and domineering.

If the Prince of Ying were still alive, this Old Princess would not have been able to turn the world upside down.

But it just so happened that the Prince of Ying suffered many injuries on the battlefield, and not long after returning to the capital and handing over his military power, he died.

With this, the family style of the Prince of Ying's mansion went completely astray.

Many distant relatives came to seek refuge; they were all unsavory people who only knew how to say flattering words to please the Old Princess, and then relied on the Prince of Ying's mansion's reputation to do evil outside. How could these descendants of the mansion not be influenced?

Just like that Princess earlier, who ran directly to the side gate, shouting and urging the opera troupe to sing.

What kind of noble lady could do such a thing?

The key was that the Old Princess didn't feel ashamed, and even ran over to watch it herself.

Of course, their domineering and evil reputation were all aimed at the common people at the bottom.

As for the true powerful officials, the Prince of Ying's mansion had many dealings with them, and during festivals, their etiquette was very thorough.

Precisely because of this, after the Prince of Ying died, the mansion could still roam free in the capital for such a long time.

No matter how big the opera troupe's stars were, they naturally didn't dare to offend them.

Of course, Li Yan didn't care about this.

The moment he saw Yu Wenhai, he knew the Prince of Ying's mansion's doomsday had arrived.

This person managed the Jinghai Gang and was also a disciple of the "Rotten Scholar" Kong Hui.

Where did the Prince of Ying's mansion get the guts to do this?

Li Yan was suspicious in his heart, but he did not make it public.

In front of the opera stage was a water pond, and dense bamboo forests were planted on both sides.

Li Yan leaned toward the back without changing his expression, hiding just right in the bamboo forest, observing through the gaps.

The balcony of the opposite pavilion was open, and the Old Princess sat in the center, somewhat plump. Heavy rouge and powder could not hide the wrinkles and age spots on her face. Her silver hair was combed meticulously, and a thumb-sized emerald was embedded in her golden silk forehead band.

The female relatives on both sides were all dressed in brocade and finery, with pearls and jade swaying. They said they were watching the opera, but most of the time they were turning to the side to say flattering words, and the Old Princess, surrounded by everyone, also laughed very happily.

Unlike the others, Yu Wenhai had no seat, but stood respectfully to the side.

Because they were far apart, plus the interference of the opera troupe's gongs and drums, Li Yan couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Manager Liu, do me a favor."

Li Yan looked at the Prince's mansion guards who were wearing goose-feather sabers at their waists and eyeing them covetously, and gave instructions in a low voice.

Liu Sanhuai understood immediately, bowing and scraping as he leaned over, "Everyone, where are we going to eat later?"

"Eat? Where is there time?!"

A guard scolded: "When the guests arrive later, keep singing, wait until the banquet is over before talking!"

Just as both sides were talking, Li Yan had already pinched the Dharma seal and closed his eyes.

With a flick of his little finger, several paper dolls flew out immediately.

The Prince of Ying's mansion had also invited Feng Shui experts to arrange things, placing suppression objects in the courtyard to suppress cultivators' investigation.

Li Yan could naturally break it, but the movement would be too big, so the paper dolls were more convenient.

With his current cultivation, he could control several paper dolls at the same time.

One saw a paper doll fly into the crevice of the rockery, weaving through it, heading toward the ancestral hall.

That was where Hu Yuanyuan said Wuleji might be hiding.

Although Li Yan was not clear about how the other side judged it, he had long accepted the Yin Division mission, and a small area of his hook-order was slightly heating up, the direction being exactly the Prince of Ying's mansion ancestral hall.

And another paper doll flew in the dark corner of the corridor wall, arriving below the pavilion.

Borrowing the paper doll, the images and conversations of everyone above all appeared in Li Yan's mind:

The Old Princess was leaning on a couch, with a maid behind her fanning her with pheasant feathers.

A middle-aged woman beside her flattered: "The Donghu Laozu's complexion is getting better and better. The high monk at Daxiangguo Temple said your face is the blessing of a Bodhisattva reincarnated."

"More than that? The Daoist at Long Hu Mountain said the longevity star in your life palace is shining so brightly it's dazzling; you clearly have eaten the Queen Mother's flat peaches!"

Another middle-aged woman saw this and hurriedly followed up.

However, the Old Princess's complexion immediately turned gloomy. "Zhao family, the amount of the monthly allowance for your family last month was not right, was it?"

When the middle-aged woman heard this, her face turned pale instantly. "Donghu Laozu, I am wronged..."

"Stop talking!"

The Old Princess glanced at her lightly. "On such a joyous day, I don't want to argue with you."

Seeing this, everyone dared not speak again.

The Old Princess was always moody, and they didn't know how they had said the wrong thing.

However, this appearance attracted Li Yan.

Through the paper doll, he saw clearly and could discover more details.

When the female relatives mentioned "flat peaches," the Old Princess's reaction was extremely abnormal. The wrinkles that had smoothed out due to flattery tightened instantly, a trace of panic flashed in her turbid eyes, and her withered fingers suddenly pinched the armrest of the couch.

Li Yan already had a judgment in his heart.

This eighty-year-old Old Princess was a consumer of "flat peaches," and her shiny appearance had long been hollowed out by evil arts!

No wonder...

A cold smile appeared on the corner of Li Yan's mouth.

Outside, the Prince of Ying's mansion was managed by the Prince of Ying and his younger brother.

But the one who really counted was this Old Princess.

At eighty years old, she was still greedy and domineering, and could not resist the temptation of these flat peaches.

"Donghu Laozu, calm your anger."

Yu Wenhai, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke, smiling and cupping his hands: "Today is a big day for the mansion, everyone is here for your sake. When the guests arrive later, don't let any mistakes happen."

These words were extremely unreasonable, and even had a feeling of giving orders.

The female relatives beside him were surprised when they heard this, and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

But what made them strange was that the Old Princess was not angry, but rather somewhat expectant. "Can it really work?"

Yu Wenhai laughed. "Don't worry, everyone gathering together, isn't it just to help each other?"

"That's good."

The Old Princess breathed a sigh of relief. "Where is your master?"

Yu Wenhai cupped his hands respectfully: "My master has other important matters and cannot come."

"Who else is coming?"

"The Donghu Laozu will know later..."

The conversation between the two left the surrounding female relatives confused.

However, Li Yan heard the key point.

For this gathering, many people from the "Flat Peach Banquet" would arrive. With the help of these powerful officials, the Prince of Ying's mansion could survive the disaster.

And these people from the "Flat Peach Banquet" seemed not to know each other.

What an unexpected surprise!

Li Yan didn't expect to encounter such a good thing.

Later, Long Yan'er and the others would follow the guests, and Luo Faqing's people were also surrounding the outside.

If confirmed, they could wipe out the people of the "Flat Peach Banquet" in one fell swoop.

It was just unknown whether that Zhao Qingxu would show up.

Never mind, even if he didn't come, they couldn't miss this opportunity.

The "Flat Peach Banquet" was full of powerful officials in the capital, all of whom were serious threats.

If he could remove these people, he wouldn't need to hide his identity anymore.

Unknowingly, it was already sunset.

The afterglow of the setting sun plated the vermilion gates of the Prince of Ying's mansion with a layer of golden red, like burning charcoal.

The shadows of the stone lions in front of the mansion were stretched extremely long, and people coming to celebrate the birthday arrived in an endless stream.

"Mother, the guests are here."

A middle-aged man ran upstairs hurriedly; it was the Prince of Ying's younger brother, Xiao Jingyan, who had caught the Prince of Hai back home the night before.

"Good."

The Old Princess stood up slowly. "You go welcome the guests, let Jingyuan host."

"Yes, Mother."

Xiao Jingyan hurriedly turned and headed toward the gate.

The first to arrive was a simple green-curtained carriage. The curtain was lifted, and a hand wearing a jade thumb ring reached out first, followed by a middle-aged man in brocade robes.

"Greetings, Official Zhou."

Xiao Jingyan's eyes revealed surprise, and he hurriedly stepped forward to welcome him.

To be honest, with the current state of the mansion, he wasn't sure who would come.

But he didn't expect Zhou Mingyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to be the first to arrive.

This person had been promoted all the way from a county magistrate, was in the prime of his life, and had a limitless future.

"The Princess's birthday, naturally I must come to have a cup of wine."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled slightly, his eyes holding both anticipation and a trace of panic.

"Official Zhou, please come in."

The mansion and Zhou Mingyuan had never had any dealings, and Xiao Jingyan didn't know why the other party came, but he still invited the other party into the mansion with a face full of joy.

The sedan chair of Zheng Shian, a director of the Ministry of Works, followed closely behind.

This official, who had always been afraid of the cold, was unusually wearing only a single layer of clothing, but his neck was tightly wrapped in a fox fur collar...

The wife of the Salt Transport Commissioner, surnamed Lin, arrived in a fragrant carriage covered with bells.

Her abdomen was highly distended, and she had to hold her waist and pant with every step, but her face was covered with thick lead powder, and the rouge on her lips was dripping red...

The most ostentatious was the eight-bearer sedan chair of the Marquis of Anping, Xiao Jinghan.

When this alcoholic and wasteful imperial relative lifted the sedan curtain, the whole street was filled with a strange smell of alcohol mixed with sandalwood.

His bloated cheeks shone with oil in the setting sun, and the jade pendant at his waist clattered...

Xiao Jingyan's face was already ecstatic.

He didn't expect his mother to have such great face.

With these people helping, plus the favor of the late Old Prince of Ying, any disaster could be overcome.

All of this was recorded by the secret agents of the Commandant's Office watching from afar.

Inside a wing room of a nearby house, Luo Faqing checked the list one by one, his expression becoming increasingly ugly.

Because among them, there were actually two abbots of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect's Daoist temple in the capital.

At this moment, only one thought was in his mind:

This matter was going to blow up!

News came from the imperial palace that the Imperial Guards were already prepared and gathering toward this side.

With so many powerful officials, if they were all people from the "Flat Peach Banquet," the capital would inevitably face a bloodbath.

When the carriage of Zou Yanli, the Libationer of the Imperial Academy, arrived with the last line of daylight, the mansion was already brightly lit.

"Libationer Zou."

The smile on Xiao Jingyan's face could no longer be hidden, and he hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

This Zou Yanli was a great Confucian in the capital, with countless students in the scholarly circles.

But before he could act, a young man beside him supported Zou Yanli's arm.

He was dressed in a Confucian robe, his expression indifferent; it was none other than Lu San in disguise.

In addition, Long Yan'er and Sha Lifei also disguised themselves as a maid and a servant.

Only Wu Ba, because his figure was too eye-catching, stayed two streets away to protect Wang Daoxuan, who was setting up the altar.

"No need for courtesy."

Zou Yanli stroked his beard and smiled: "This is a disciple of the clan, I brought him to see the world. I am not feeling well, and the maid and servant also need to follow into the mansion to serve, I don't know..."

"Official Zou, you are joking, of course you can."

Xiao Jingyan was excited and didn't care about these small matters, immediately inviting them in.

"Senior Brother."

Inside the house in the distance, seeing fewer and fewer guests, a Daoist asked for instructions in a low voice.

"No rush."

Luo Faqing wiped his Dharma sword quietly, "Wait until Miss Long confirms, then we will act to catch them!"

Twilight gathered, and the Prince of Ying's mansion was brightly lit.

The glazed palace lanterns hanging under the vermilion corridors reflected the blue bricks with a slight golden hue.

In the main hall, the Prince of Ying, Xiao Jingyuan, sat in the main seat wearing a dark purple python robe. Although he was nearly fifty, his complexion was as ruddy as a man in his prime, only the fine lines at the corners of his eyes exposed his fatigue.

"Everyone, thank you for your face, I will toast first!"

His mood was also quite good.

Since inheriting the title of Prince of Ying, this was the first time the mansion had encountered such a predicament.

He had been mischievous since childhood and was a famous playboy in the capital. He had never suffered much hardship since he was young, so he was inevitably worried these past two days.

Now seeing the hall full of powerful officials, the heart he had been holding finally let go.

After three rounds of wine, the singing on the opera stage continued.

Suddenly hearing the clinking of jade pendants, it was the Old Princess being supported out by two maids.

"Greetings, Princess, wishing you longevity like the Eastern Sea."

Seeing this, many officials and powerful figures hurriedly raised their glasses to welcome her.

"My longevity depends entirely on everyone's care..."

The Old Princess's face was full of kindness, and she even drank a cup of wine to thank the guests.

"Not at all, Princess, your complexion is very good."

"It is us who have come to catch some blessings..."

Everyone flattered her one after another.

After three rounds of wine, some people immediately said goodbye and left.

They were all officials and merchants cultivated by the mansion, coming this time just to go through the motions and show their support.

And some people were led by maids into the western courtyard.

The water pavilion in the western courtyard of the mansion had been converted into a secret room.

The window lattices were pasted with blood-charm paper, and seven bronze oil lamps were placed on the ground, the flames actually being a ghostly green.

More than a dozen guests sat around, including Vice Minister of Revenue Zhou Mingyuan and Marquis of Anping Xiao Jinghan.

They first sized each other up, then smiled and chatted while raising their glasses.

Everyone had a tacit understanding.

This was the first time the members of the "Flat Peach Banquet" had gathered since its establishment.

Just at this moment, when the Old Princess pushed the door and entered, everyone stood up in unison.

"Everyone..."

The Old Princess smiled slightly, "We are all our own people, no need to hide, I suppose you are all tired."

As she spoke, she gently waved her hand to signal.

Immediately, maids filed in, holding sandalwood trays in their hands.

On the trays were all large opium pipes, and they also carried small celadon bowls.

Everyone didn't talk nonsense, taking them and digging out a black paste-like substance from the small celadon bowls.

After lighting them, one by one they puffed out clouds and mist, and their expressions became relaxed.

"Ugh~"

Suddenly, the wife of the Salt Transport Commissioner, Lin, bent over and retched.

In the mucus she spat out, there were actually several clusters of snow-white fungal hyphae.

She hurriedly took a few more puffs, and only then did she droop her eyes and lean back on the chair...

"So that's how it is."

In the great hall not far away, Long Yan'er played with her Gu insects and whispered: "They are all using 'Fortune and Longevity Paste' to relieve pain."

"Don't rush."

Lu San shook his head: "We haven't seen Young Brother Yan yet, wait until he confirms before sending the signal."

Just as he was speaking, he suddenly saw Li Yan slowly walk out beside the opera stage in the distance, making a gesture toward them.

"Act!"

Lu San gave a low shout, and Sha Lifei didn't say a word, taking a bamboo tube from his bosom.

Inside was hidden a flint mechanism; with a sudden pull, smoke immediately rose from the bottom of the bamboo tube.

Whoosh! Pop!

Fireworks shot out from the doors and windows, drilling into the night sky, followed by a loud bang.

"Act!"

Luo Faqing suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his Dharma sword, and stood up.

In an instant, members of the Commandant's Office appeared in the surrounding dark alleys, carrying sabers and rushing toward the mansion...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 684 =====