Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 497 Thanks
Empress Dowager Gao slowly stood up, stretched her body, and felt completely refreshed. Her spirit, which had been weakened by old age and illness, was now revitalized as if a withered tree had been rejuvenated in spring.

"Good, good, good! Sir, you are indeed a miraculous doctor. This skill can be described as seizing the wonders of heaven and earth!" Empress Dowager Gao looked at the world with excitement, as if a blind person who had been blind for many years had suddenly regained their sight.

Empress Dowager Gao praised it highly and instructed the beautiful woman in palace attire, "Yun Jin, immediately have Eunuch Li inform the Emperor of this news and summon all the ministers to the palace as soon as possible. Instruct the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a banquet; I wish to host a feast for my nephew Murong."

Murong Fu smiled slightly: "In that case, I will take my leave now."

Empress Dowager Gao rose and waved her hand, saying, "Wait, wait. My dear nephew, please don't be in such a hurry. I've prepared a cup of wine and water as a token of my appreciation. Surely you won't refuse your aunt this favor?" Empress Dowager Gao smiled broadly, her mood extremely pleasant. No matter how open-minded a person is, when faced with a matter of life and death, they will always have some attachment to the world. To be reborn after such a calamity is probably the greatest joy in the world.

Murong Fu smiled helplessly: "Since Aunt has put it this way, how could I possibly refuse Aunt's good intentions?"

Three hours later, at Cishou Palace.

In essence, despite living two lives, Murong Fu is still a socially awkward person at heart.

Social anxiety, as it's called, has nothing to do with identity or status.

Empress Dowager Gao repeatedly emphasized that it was just an ordinary family banquet and had no other meaning, but Murong Fu felt very uncomfortable.

But no one told me that this so-called family banquet would actually have so many people!
The vast palace was now packed with members of the Zhao Song imperial family and their relatives. Although Empress Dowager Gao was only sixty years old, she had served four emperors of the Zhao Song dynasty and held a very high position. The news of the Empress Dowager's critical illness had long affected the nerves of various forces. Although those present were all closely related to the Zhao Song imperial family, there were still about two hundred people sitting there.

Murong Fu didn't know most of the people, and he was too lazy to befriend those imperial relatives.

Empress Dowager Gao sat in the main seat. The old lady insisted that Murong Fu sit next to her. Unable to refuse the old lady's good intentions, Murong Fu had no choice but to sit next to her. This was not a problem. The main problem was that Empress Dowager Gao, for some reason, insisted on placing the Chu princess next to Murong Fu, claiming that the young people should get to know each other better. This made the Chu princess blush deeply. Unable to refuse her grandmother, she had no choice but to sit next to Murong Fu.

On the surface, Murong Fu appeared calm and collected, wanting to remain quiet and ignore the others present. However, his profound internal strength granted him exceptional hearing. Although the royal banquet wasn't particularly noisy, Murong Fu still heard the whispers of some people and the various thoughts of others. Occasionally, someone would come over to offer him a toast.

Murong Fu had no choice but to smile faintly and exchange pleasantries with each person who came to offer a toast, sending them away as if there were nails on the stool.

At another table not far away, the current Emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, his brother-in-law, was sitting at the lower seat.

After seeing off another member of the Zhao Song imperial family who had come to curry favor, Murong Fu had just sat down when he heard the Chu princess beside him whisper, "Thank you!" Murong Fu wondered if he had misheard and looked to the side uncertainly: "What?"

The Chu princess mustered her courage and said in a slightly louder voice, "Thank you for curing my grandmother's illness!"

Murong Fu couldn't help but tease, "Oh, Your Highness, this is the first thing you've said to me tonight. How rare!"

"You lecherous scoundrel, can't you speak properly?" Princess Chu sighed softly.

Murong Fu was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he said, "I have been speaking properly the whole time. It is Your Highness who has been calling me a lecher. What is the reason for this?"

The Chu princess's beautiful eyes widened: "How dare you say that? You, you..."

Murong Fu sighed, "Your Highness, if—and I mean if—there truly were a girl in this world who looked eight or nine parts like you, and happened to end up in my household and become the woman I love, would Your Highness consider this an offense? This woman is called Abi in my household; she has served me as my personal maid for many years. If Your Highness is interested, I can bring her to meet Your Highness after the banquet. What do you think, Your Highness?"

The Chu princess blurted out, "How could this be..." She wanted to say, "How could such a coincidence happen?" But suddenly, a flash of insight struck her, illuminating the darkness of her memory. She thought of a possibility: "Could it be?"

Murong Fu smiled mysteriously, offering no further explanation. He simply placed two fingers to his lips in a shushing gesture. The Chu princess lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Alright, after the banquet, I will wait for you at the west gate of Cifu Palace. Please take me to meet the woman who, according to you, looks remarkably like me."

Murong Fu smiled faintly: "Isn't Your Highness afraid that someone with ulterior motives might see you coming and going with a lecher like me, which would damage Your Highness's reputation?"

The Chu princess said solemnly, "I was rash earlier, please forgive me, sir. I apologize to you. This matter is of great importance to me, please do not think I was joking."

Murong Fu's mind raced, and he suddenly remembered something—he recalled that Abi had been sent to the Murong family in Gusu by her father to escape trouble since she was a child. If Abi was truly a princess of the Zhao Song royal family who had been living away from home, what kind of enemy could have made the Zhao Song royal family send their own princess to the Murong family to escape trouble?
Could this be another misdeed committed by Ye Erniang? But that doesn't make sense; does Ye Erniang have that kind of ability?
Don't be fooled by the fact that a beggar like Ren Hongqigong seems to be able to run around the Zhao Song imperial palace without any problems. That's because the old beggar only sneaked a few bites in the imperial kitchen. If he were to try wandering around the emperor's bedroom, those hidden masters would definitely come out and teach the old beggar a lesson in manners.

Putting aside everything else, just look at the beautiful woman in palace attire who accompanies Empress Dowager Gao. She is a martial arts genius with profound internal strength, one in a million. Not to mention that the beautiful woman in palace attire claims that she learned her martial arts from her father.

Murong Fu thought to himself, should he send someone to inform Ye Erniang and call her over to ask her? If Ye Erniang had really committed another sin, then he would have to have a good talk with this woman.

As she was pondering, the Empress Dowager rose and said, "I believe everyone already knows why I have summoned my relatives and friends here today. My recovery is entirely due to the medical skills of this young master Murong. From now on, our Great Song Dynasty will forever remember Mr. Murong's kindness. In addition, I have another important matter to announce today."