Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 191 Hongmen Banquet?
In the evening, the sun sets and the sky is filled with red clouds.

At the end of June in Kyoto, it is rare to have a sunny day like today.

In Wenjufang of the inner city, there is a large courtyard with many carriages and horses parked in front of the gate. Many people come and go in front of the gate. Just by looking at their clothes, you can tell that they are either rich or noble.

This is the residence of Liang Meng Qin, but everyone in Kyoto knows that this mansion was part of the "dowry" prepared by Liang Meng Qin for the Second Imperial Concubine Qin Muwan when she married her daughter.

To put it bluntly, it was given to the second prince by Liang Meng Qin.

However, the four princes under Emperor Tianwu have not yet been enfeoffed and are not allowed to leave the palace to open other residences. Therefore, this mansion still hangs a plaque with the words "Qin Family".

The current Second Prince Ji Haoyu likes to make friends, but not everyone is qualified to "walk in the palace", so the Qin Mansion compound has become a place where the Second Prince and his faction often gather and socialize.

For example, today, the second prince held a grand banquet in the Qin Mansion and invited many court officials, children of noble families, and some talented scholars to attend.

The lobby was full of guests.

In the dance floor, a Hu girl was performing a dance, twisting her graceful figure flexibly, attracting everyone's attention.

During the banquet, people toasted each other and from time to time someone talked loudly, attracting everyone's praise.

The sounds of wind and string instruments, noisy conversations... mixed together, making it quite lively.

Ruan Yu sat at the table and slowly poured himself a glass of wine. He drank the wine with a happy expression and admired Hu Ji's beauty.

Behind him, a dozen warriors wearing the same uniform stood in a neat row.

This posture is even more imposing than that of the host of the banquet.

One of them came up behind Ruan Yu, bent down and whispered in his ear: "Brother, do we really have to be so ruthless? After all, the Zhao family master's side..."

Ruan Yu put down his wine glass and smiled playfully, "It's okay, it's okay. My sister will cover for us. What's more, if it really comes to that... Zhao Wanjin can only accept it with a pinch of his nose, what else can he do?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the corners of his eyes curled up a little: "I really want to try this Zhao Qi'an, whether he is really as powerful as they say."

"He is really good at hiding. He has been in Beijing for ten years and he hasn't revealed any flaws."

This time he came to Kyoto City not just to deliver the birthday gift for the Zhao family of Donghai.

There were some plans that even Zhao Wanjin, who sent him to Kyoto City, was unaware of.

Ruan Yu asked the fellow disciples beside him, asking with great interest: "What kind of person is Zhao Qi'an?"

The fellow disciple hesitated for a moment and said, "I have never seen him."

"I haven't seen him either, but I can roughly guess what kind of person he is." Ruan Yu smacked his lips and shook his head, "But... it's hard to say."

"If he wins in the end, he will be a wise and capable leader who thinks carefully before making decisions. If he loses, he will be nothing more than an indecisive coward."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on the dance floor. He continued to watch Hu Ji dance and said with emotion, "I'm really looking forward to it."

The fellow disciples behind him were all confused, not knowing what their brother was expecting.

……

Ruan Yu was able to attend the Second Prince's banquet this time because of the introduction by an official under the Second Prince, otherwise he would not even be able to step into the gate of the Qin Mansion.

It has to be said that even though Marquis Dingbo had resigned from office for many years, there were still people in Kyoto who were grateful for his friendship, and this network of contacts came in handy now.

At this banquet, many dignitaries, after learning of Ruan Yu's identity, took the initiative to come over and make friends and chat with him.

But this time, the second prince was late for the banquet and did not come for a long time.

It was not until almost half an hour after the banquet started and the guests had already finished three rounds of drinks that someone shouted, "The Second Prince is coming down."

During the banquet, everyone stood up and headed towards the door.

Ruan Yu was also among them, and he brought several fellow disciples with him, wanting to visit the second prince.

But when the second prince Ji Haoyu walked into the hall, the smile on his face froze.

Because Ji Haoyu didn't come alone, there was another person following him. This person was none other than Zhao Qi'an!

Although Ruan Yu had never seen Zhao Qi'an in person, he had seen Zhao Qi'an's portrait more than once and was already familiar with the appearance of Viscount Haiqing. How could he have made a mistake?

But...hasn't Zhao Qi'an been hiding in the capital?
Based on his understanding of Zhao Qi'an, he was an extremely cautious person. Now that the position of crown prince was undecided, how could such a person do such a thing as blatantly taking sides?

When Ruan Yu was looking at Zhao Qi'an beside Ji Haoyu with a look of surprise, Zhao Qi'an seemed to notice his gaze and looked over to him.

But he just glanced at it, his expression unchanged, and soon retracted his gaze and started chatting with the Second Prince beside him.

But just this one glance made Ruan Yu clear that Zhao Qi'an had definitely noticed him!
……

Zhao Qi'an did notice Ruan Yu.

Although he had never met Ruan Yu in person before, he knew most of the people at the table, so the presence of a few new faces made them stand out.

What's more, Ruan Yu and his group are all martial artists with good cultivation. Their blood is more than ten times more vigorous than that of ordinary people. It is difficult for Zhao Qi'an not to notice them.

Ji Haoyu seemed to have noticed his gaze, and glanced at Ruan Yu, then asked with a smile: "Haiqing, why don't you say hello to your family's worshiper?"

Zhao Qi'an then retracted his gaze, shook his head and said, "It's okay."

Ji Haoyu looked back and forth between the two of them and chuckled.

He noticed the discord between the two sides, but he didn't mention it much at this time.

Zhao Qi'an wanted to find a place to sit down, but was stopped by Ji Haoyu: "Haiqing, come with me."

He didn't understand why, but still followed Ji Haoyu and walked towards the main seat behind the screen.

When the two of them walked around the screen, Zhao Qi'an was stunned.

I saw a long table set up behind the screen, with delicious food on it, but there was no one sitting on either side of the table, and it was empty.

This was obviously prepared by Ji Haoyu specifically for Zhao Qi'an!
After Zhao Qi'an realized this, he couldn't help but frowned slightly, and the three words "Hongmen Banquet" almost immediately came to his mind.

But ever since he helped Ji Haoyu eliminate the "traitor" in his team and struck at the Zhou family behind the Third Prince, the relationship between the two should have been in a "honeymoon period".

Such a change... could it be related to Ruan Yu?

Ji Haoyu sat casually at the main seat at the long table. After sitting down, he gestured to Zhao Qi'an for the seat next to him and said, "Haiqing, don't stand. Sit down."

Zhao Qian'an then sat down, and a eunuch came forward with a wine jug and poured wine for the two of them.

Ji Haoyu didn't move his chopsticks either. He looked at Zhao Qi'an and asked with a smile, "Today, your Zhao family's relative came to see me with a 'generous gift'. Do you know what he gave me?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "generous gift" to make it seem particularly meaningful.

Zhao Qi'an lowered his head, shook his head, and said sternly, "I don't know."

Ji Haoyu let out a light click of his tongue, and looked towards Zhao Qian'an with some dissatisfaction.

He reached into his arms, quickly took out a small package and placed it on the table.

When the bundle was opened, before the contents were revealed, a unique fragrance wafted out and lingered in the space around the two people.

When Zhao Qi'an smelled this fragrance, it seemed as if a clear stream flowed out of his mind, and his entire mind became clear.

But at the same time, his expression suddenly changed.

The package was completely opened, revealing a pitch-black object inside.

It was a piece of tea cake, looking black and plain, weighing about one pound.

This is... Enlightenment Tea!

(End of this chapter)