Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 197 Brother and sister meet
"My child, Ji Qingkong, wants to see my father!"

Outside the Yangxin Palace, Ji Qingkong knelt in front of the palace door and shouted loudly.

The guards at the palace gate did not move. They were already accustomed to this scene.

Among the four princes, only Ji Qingkong could kneel before His Majesty's palace and ask for an audience without any scruples and without being punished.

It would not be easy for the other princes to meet Emperor Tianwu.

A moment later, a tall eunuch walked out of the hall in quick steps.

Ji Qingkong looked up and recognized who it was. He bowed again and said, "Greetings, Lord Five Marquis."

A prince kowtowed to a eunuch in front of a large crowd...

This has been an incredible thing in every dynasty.

But Ji Qingkong did it so shamelessly, even shouting "Long live the Lord".

The "Five Marquises" are real marquis titles conferred by His Majesty, so no matter who it is, when they see the Five Marquises, they can call him "Lord Five Marquis" or "Eunuch Five Marquis".

And it doesn’t matter what you call me in private.

But now, in front of the emperor's palace! Calling him "Thousand Years Old" directly is a taboo.

Not to mention it was shouted out by a prince.

The Fifth Marquis Qiansui quickly dodged, not daring to stand in front of Ji Qingkong and accept his worship. He turned aside and said with a dark face: "What are you doing, Fourth Prince? Are you trying to embarrass me? Stand up and talk."

He spoke rather coldly, and it was obvious that he had no personal relationship with Ji Qingkong, nor did he think highly of him just because Emperor Tianwu favored this boy.

Compared to other eunuchs who always hunch over, flatter dignitaries, and like to look at people with their heads down and eyes up, this eunuch who was born in the grassroots gives people a completely different feeling.

Although he has been in the deep palace for many years, one can still see the chivalrous spirit in Wu Hou Qiansui. He speaks more directly and treats others more equally. He never calls himself "our" or "slave", and even when meeting Emperor Tianwu, he calls himself "I".

Because of this, he almost showed his dislike for Ji Qingkong on his face. When he looked at this extremely handsome prince, his eyes were filled with a bit of cold disgust.

Ji Qingkong could obviously sense it, but he didn't care at all about how the eunuch in front of him viewed him. He stood up and smiled, "Fifth Marquis, is my father willing to see me?"

The Fifth Marquis Qiansui shook his head.

Ji Qingkong did not hesitate, he lifted his robe and knelt down again.

Wu Hou Qiansui said: "Your Majesty does not want to see you. It is useless for Your Highness to kneel and die here."

But what’s the use of persuasion?

Ji Qingkong yawned, as if he was feeling sleepy, and knelt there with his eyes closed to take a nap.

It seems like he won't get up until he sees Emperor Tianwu.

This rogue's behavior made Wu Hou Qiansui helpless, and he explained: "The Concubine Zhen came the day before yesterday, and cried in front of His Majesty, which made His Majesty feel bad, so he didn't want to see you. If Your Highness came for Princess Yuzhen's matter, just tell me."

"If I want to see Yuzhen?"

"I can make the decision and let Your Highness see him. There is no need to disturb Your Majesty for such a small matter."

Ji Qingkong then narrowed his eyes, stood up, patted the dirt between his knees, and said with a smile: "Fifth Marquis, why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had told me earlier, I would have gone through all this trouble."

Wu Hou Qiansui had a blank expression on his face. He turned and walked towards the back of the Yangxin Palace: "Your Highness, please follow me."

……

After passing the rear hall of the Yangxin Palace, there was a small door on the high red wall. There were guards at the door. When they saw the Fifth Marquis and the Fourth Prince coming, they all bowed and saluted.

Wu Hou Qiansui came to the door and said calmly, "Open the door."

When the small door opened, he was the first to step over the threshold.

Ji Qingkong followed the Fifth Marquis and crossed the threshold, and what came into view was a separate small courtyard.

A bluestone-paved road is smooth and connected in all directions. In the center of the courtyard, a simple rockery stands majestically. The water on the mountain flows gently, and the waterfall falls into the clear pool below, splashing crystal water. The colorful koi fish playing in the pool add a touch of agility to the quiet courtyard.

The bluestone path is surrounded by carefully trimmed green plants on both sides, and the flower beds are planted with various precious and exotic flowers and plants, with the fragrance of flowers filling the air.

Even though this place is a little smaller than the back garden of the imperial palace, it is not inferior in other aspects.

Ji Qingkong was a little surprised. Although he often came to the Yangxin Palace, he didn't know that there was such a separate courtyard in the back hall.

Seeing his surprised expression, the Fifth Marquis Qiansui casually said, "In the past, when the Imperial Master occasionally came to the palace, he would take a rest here."

Ji Qingkong raised his eyebrows, looked around, and laughed: "It's a good place to hide a beautiful girl."

His joke made the Fifth Marquis, who was leading the way, stop and turn around.

Wu Hou Qiansui looked at Ji Qingkong expressionlessly, and just one look made the smile on Ji Qingkong's face freeze.

Gradually, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his hands hidden under his sleeves began to tremble: "I, I just..."

He wanted to explain that what he just said was just an unintentional remark, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat and he stammered and couldn't say the words.

After a moment, Wu Hou Qiansui turned around and continued to lead the way, leaving only a few words:

"I will report these words to your majesty truthfully."

It was not until this time that the terrifying pressure that enveloped Ji Qingkong dissipated. He took a few deep breaths as if he had been reborn, and beads of sweat were already pouring down his forehead like rain.

At this moment, Ji Qingkong became much more obedient and followed the Fifth Marquis and walked in front.

The two walked along the bluestone path, the corridors winding and extending, and after passing several forks in the road, they finally arrived at the door of a house.

Wu Hou Qiansui pushed the door open, but did not go in himself. Instead, he turned sideways and motioned Ji Qingkong to go in.

Ji Qingkong then stepped inside and saw that although the cottage was not big, it was quite luxurious, with soft wool carpets covering every corner of the room.

Entering the room and walking around the screen, there was a long purple wooden couch. A young girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, motionless.

She was no longer wearing the extravagant and gorgeous clothes she used to wear. She was only wearing a plain dress, and her body was clean, without any of the jewelry, gold and silver objects she used to wear.

And the face that was always heavily made-up in the past is now bare-faced. However, that handsome face is enough to outshine all the people in Kyoto, and one would never forget it once he saw it.

Only the pair of eyes with upturned corners had lost their former arrogance and were now cloudy and empty.

She no longer had the pampered and domineering look of the past. She was like an exquisite porcelain doll, beautiful but soulless.

"Le Yao?"

Ji Qingkong's voice trembled slightly when he called softly.

It was not until he heard the sound that Yu Zhen slowly turned his head and looked in his direction.

(End of this chapter)