Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 38 Nine Treasures
Inside Huixian Hall, lights and shadows flicker.

Lingxu was kneeling in the middle, his Taoist robe was disheveled, and he was sweating profusely. Beads of sweat the size of beans kept rolling down his cheeks, and his eyes were full of panic and fear. The Taoist and immortal appearance that he usually looked like when he was sought after by others had disappeared without a trace.

Even though he is usually eloquent, in the face of absolute power, his reputation is like a bubble and is so fragile that it can be easily destroyed.

The decrees of this dynasty are very strict in rules and regulations.

It is illegal to become a monk without permission.

Regardless of whether they were monks or Taoists, they were all under the control of the imperial court and were all registered, and had to enter Taoism in accordance with the imperial edict issued by the emperor.

Lingxu's original surname was Liu, and his given name was Shijuan. He was the son of the Liu family of Pengcheng, and his actual age was less than fifty.

He had killed someone and was wanted by the government. He had no choice but to flee to Guiyun Mountain, where Taoist Lingxu had passed away. With nowhere else to go, he came up with a plan. He bribed Lingxu's personal Taoist boy to take his place, and from then on, he took Lingxu's identity and hid himself, avoiding the world for three years under the pretext of practicing in seclusion.

When he came out again, he gradually performed some miracles such as "rejuvenation" and "turning white hair black", deceiving the world and stealing fame, and won a lot of praise for nothing. He was even appreciated by the court and was invited to Chongxuan Hall for lectures from time to time. He became a role model among the Taoists in the world.

This matter may sound strange, but it is not profound if you think about it carefully.

It's nothing more than a lie.

He took advantage of his identity as a hermit and people's respect and trust in Lingxu himself, and thus was not exposed.

Li Huan tortured Liu Shijuan and interrogated him lightly, and he confessed everything. However, he even confessed to adultery with a married woman, but he denied the two cases in Qionglou.

"Your Highness, please be clear, Lord Shangshu, I know nothing about this."

Li Huan asked: "If you didn't know, then why did you go to Xue's house and talk so clearly about it?"

His voice was not loud, but it made Liu Shijuan tremble so much that he wished he could bury his head into the ground.

"I just...heard some gossip in the market, and since the eldest lady wanted to invite me, I thought of defrauding the Shangshu's mansion of some money..."

Li Huan was still unaware of the silk scarf found on the Taoist priest, but he had roughly guessed what was going on. Liu Shijuan was so deeply involved with the Xue family, and the "Eight Lucky Stars" that his mother was so proud of was probably all fabricated.

He asked calmly, "What does Minister Xue think?"

Xue Qingzhi secretly groaned in his heart, holding a hot potato in his hand, and his tone was very cautious:

"This is a serious matter. In my opinion, it is not easy to draw conclusions. This person has bad intentions, but he is not capable of stirring up trouble. He just loves money. He doesn't have the guts to deal with the Qionglou case. As for my wife... the women in the back house are short-sighted. I will deal with them properly."

Li Huan raised his eyebrows and smiled with an ambiguous meaning.

At this time, instead of taking advantage of the situation to extricate the Xue family from the case, Xue Qingzhi helped a Taoist priest to get rid of the crime?
Li Huan understood and smiled faintly.

"According to Master Xue San, the bandits from Laojun Mountain kidnapped him and demanded a ransom. So there is absolutely no reason for them to pretend to be Master Xue San to confuse the government office."

Xue Qingzhi nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, there must be some trick here."

Li Huan said, "I have informed the Jingzhao Yin and sent the guards to investigate the identity of the deceased. There are 42 lanes and 364 alleys near Zhuque Street, and there are restaurants, hotels, inns, gambling houses and other places where all kinds of people are mixed together. It's a good opportunity to investigate and see what is hidden in the dark!"

Xue Qingzhi was secretly shocked.

Such a huge fuss, is it to expose the East Palace and avenge the defeat at Laojun Mountain?
Li Huan glanced at him and couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he saw that the old man was smiling apologetically but didn't say much from the heart.

"Master Xue San has returned safely. The Minister has his own family affairs to deal with, so I will take my leave first."

He said this and stood up.

Xue Qingzhi stood up and asked guiltily:

"Your Highness, how should we deal with this Taoist priest?"

Li Huan looked at him with a half-smile, "Minister Xue, please do as you please."

Xue Qingzhi breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and bent very low.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Lingxu's crime could be big or small. If he were to be handed over to Jingzhao Prefecture for prosecution, how would the case file be written? Wouldn't that give Old Yin a chance to catch him?

For the century-old Xue family, reputation was the most important thing. Xue Qingzhi did not want the family's dirty laundry to be made public.

He was very grateful for the convenience given by Li Huan, so he tried to keep him with great fear and trepidation.

Li Huan waved his hand to refuse and walked out.

Xue Qingzhi followed him out, and Xue Yuechen waited outside.

Xue Sui stayed beside her, standing motionless, like a maid.

Xue Yuechen glanced at Li Huan's face, put away his chaotic emotions, and stepped forward to salute.

"My Lord, are you going back home now?"

She wanted to keep Li Huan at her parents' house for dinner to ease the situation.

"Grandmother just sent someone to tell me that we have prepared some side dishes that the prince likes in Yueshan Hall. Can you come back after dinner?"

Li Huan said calmly, "If the princess wants to stay with her family, then she can stay."

Xue Yuechen's heart tightened and he groaned inwardly.

She wanted to stay and enjoy the leisure and comfort of her mother's home for a few days. But recently, there were many things going on in Prince Duan's mansion. Concubine Yuan relied on giving birth to a daughter and was favored by Concubine Xiao. She was very attentive to Li Huan all day long, and she wanted to have another son.

If she stayed for a few days and then returned to the palace, she would be afraid that her home would be destroyed.

Moreover, with the incident of the fake Taoist priest, Li Huan might have known that she was a fake "Eight Lucky Stars". Even if he didn't pursue the matter out of consideration for their relationship as husband and wife, Concubine Xiao would be in trouble because of her tigress power.

She has no children yet, and her position is precarious...

At present, it is important to let Xue Liu get Li Huan's favor as soon as possible and give birth to a child.

Xue Yuechen was flustered, but she had a proper smile on her face. "It is important for me to serve the prince."

As she spoke, she winked at Xue Sui.

He signaled her to be smarter and seize the opportunity to please Li Huan.

Unexpectedly, Xue Sui did not see it, and walked straight towards Xue Qingzhi and bowed to him.

"I beg you, father, to give your daughter a clear name."

Her voice was crisp and her face was stubborn, which made Xue Qingzhi so angry that his face immediately sank.

Is he trying to embarrass his father in front of Prince Duan?
He lowered his voice and scolded her, "Why are you causing trouble at this time?"

Xue Sui looked at him with a smile, then slowly knelt down, his voice extremely clear.

"My daughter has had a bad reputation since she was young, all because of this Taoist priest. Now the Taoist priest has come to slander her and humiliated her again and again. Can't my daughter seek justice for herself?"

The girl's back was straight, and her pink face, under the dim light in front of the eaves, looked like a jasmine flower blooming under the moon, dipped in starlight, soft and intoxicating, looking beautiful and stubborn, making people inexplicably distressed.

Xue Qingzhi wanted to strangle her neck and tell her to shut up.

"We will discuss this matter later. Your Highness is here, so please do not be rude..."

Xue Sui did not hide his thoughts and looked directly at Xue Qingzhi, his eyes sparkling: "My father was unwilling to seek justice for his daughter in front of the prince. If the prince is not here, where can I seek justice?"

Xue Qingzhi's scalp felt numb.

This Xue Liu wanted to force him to submit.

Seeing Li Huan looking at him, he took a deep breath with a stiff face.

"At dawn tomorrow, I will deal with Lingxu. I know everything in the mansion and will not let you bear the stigma."

Xue Sui: "What's the use if everyone in the palace knows about it?"

Xue Qingzhi was furious: "What do you want to do?"

Xue Sui said, "Take Lingxu to the government office for record so that there is evidence to check. If there are rumors in the future, my daughter will have something to rely on. Otherwise, it will all depend on everyone's mouths. Who knows what the rumors will end up like?"

Xue Qingzhi was so angry that his head was about to explode.

"You get up first, and I will definitely satisfy you."

Xue Sui didn't respond for a long time.

Xue Qingzhi took two quick steps forward and bowed to Li Huan.

"Your Highness, please slow down."

A subtle expression flashed across Li Huan's face, and finally his eyes fell on Xue Sui's straight back. He smiled faintly, suddenly put his hands behind his back, and said to Xue Yuechen:
"Since the old lady prepared the meal, it would be a shame to let her down. Please stay and have the meal before leaving."

Xue Yuechen's fingertips felt slightly cold. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your honor. Grandmother will surely be pleased."

Xue Qingzhi was stunned for a moment, then he put on a smile and made a gesture of invitation.

"Your Majesty, this way please!"
-
With Prince Duan present, no one else in the mansion was allowed to come to Yueshan Hall except Xue Qingzhi and the old lady, but Xue Yuechen made an exception and asked Xue Sui to sit with him.

Before entering the house, Xue Yuechen told her a lot about Li Huan's preferences, fearing that she would do something wrong. Unexpectedly, she was very familiar with the place, not like a woman who had never been disciplined, and she looked generous and generous, which made her feel confused for a while.

Li Huan didn't have a big appetite, so he just took a few bites of each dish and then stopped eating.

Xue Yuechen took a deep breath and said with a smile, "I just tasted the Nine Treasures Cake made by Sixth Sister in Bitong Courtyard. It tasted very good. Would Your Majesty like to try it?"

Li Huan did not comment and asked casually:

"I've only heard of the Eight Treasures, but never the Nine Treasures."

Xue Yuechen glanced at Xue Sui.

Xue Sui followed suit and brought the cakes that he had prepared long ago to Li Huan.

Li Huan looked at him carefully for a moment, and his cold eyes fell on Xue Sui.

"It looks unique, but what's the trick?"

Xue Sui said, "Your Highness, this Nine Treasures Cake is made from flowers and is named after them. The golden color is osmanthus. In autumn, the sweet osmanthus fills the air with fragrance, so it is named Golden Fragrance. The white color is pear blossom. In spring, pear blossoms bloom, white as snow, pure and elegant. When blended into the cake, it tastes fresh and elegant, so it is called Snow Core..."

"The nine treasures are named after the essence of flowers, namely Jinfu, Xuerui, Taoyao, Luoying, Helu, Juyun, Zhuqin, Feixing and Qingli. Each has a different taste, some are sweet and rich, some are fresh and refreshing, and each has its own strengths."

The prince who grew up in the palace had eaten all kinds of delicacies prepared by famous chefs in the world. He had seen all kinds of dishes. Xue Sui did not try to please him on purpose. He just happened to talk nonsense. However, Li Huan frowned and looked at him for a long time. A hint of interest appeared in his deep eyes.

"Luoyang red is very valuable. It's just the beginning of spring, and it's even harder to get one shipped from Luoyang. It's thoughtful of the Sixth Miss to use it to make cakes."

Luoyang Red is very similar to rose, but its fragrance and color are better than rose. It was introduced from Luoyang and is extremely rare.

I have to say that Li Heng is very thoughtful.

Xue Sui smiled faintly.

"Your Highness has a keen eye. Yesterday at the flower market, the flower seller gave me a basket full of flowers, among which there were exactly two."

Li Huan picked up one, tasted it, nodded and said no more.

Xue Yuechen sat beside him, clenching and unclenching his hand several times before he finally smiled appropriately.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Sixth Sister is quiet and inconspicuous. Unexpectedly, she has a pair of skillful hands."

　Luoyang Red is the rose that came later, and there is another chapter

　　(End of this chapter)