Minglong

Chapter 141 Did Dr. Lin Hit You?

"Ta-da~..."

Upbeat electronic music from Daqian echoed in the attic.

Princess Changning, dressed in a colorful skirt, danced with practiced butterfly steps, while the plump peacock shook its head, showcasing the abundance that the prosperous Qianlong era should have.

Duoduo sat on the bench playing music, while Meiqiu, who had been freeloading all night, squatted on the small table accompanying the shaman's dance, his bright eyes filled with the carefree joy of being well-fed and satisfied.

However, not everyone can have a good time in such a large mansion.

On the shore of Xizhai Lake, Linghu Qingmo leaned on the balustrade, gazing at the koi in the lake. His clear, cold eyes were lost in thought as he recalled the scene of provoking Doctor Lin last night.

Kiss kiss~
All you do is sleep?

I can also give you gentle care...

To act so disrespectfully in front of someone's confidante—aren't those crazy green tea bitches from Wuwei Pavilion?

It's over, it's over, my Dao heart has collapsed...

……

Lost in these wild thoughts, a figure in white leaped over the wall, landed in the corridor, stumbled a bit, and then braced himself against a pillar with one hand, holding his forehead!
"Hmm? Xie Jinhuan?"

Seeing his exhausted appearance, Linghu Qingmo immediately became anxious and rushed to his side to help him up.
"What's wrong? Did Dr. Lin hit you? Huh?"

Before she could finish speaking, the white-robed young man in front of her suddenly raised his hand and cupped her cold, beautiful face. His eyes were filled with longing, as if he hadn't seen a woman in eight lifetimes and his heart was filled with a longing gaze.

Linghu Qingmo shuddered, raising his hand to shock the lecherous man, but then hesitated, realizing Xie Jinhuan was acting strangely.
"What's wrong with you? Did Dr. Lin hang you up and beat you?"

As he spoke, he pulled open his robe to check for whip marks on his body, and sure enough, there were red scratches near his neck, like cat scratches...

This pretty but useless woman who only knows how to sleep, get jealous, and beat men!
……

Xie Jinhuan had only made the wrong choice by accident. Now, he felt that the cold and beautiful Mo Mo had transformed into a goddess of salvation radiating white light, and he couldn't get enough of looking at her...

Noticing the fierce glint in Mo Mo's eyes as she looked towards the Lin family's direction, Xie Jinhuan quickly turned her face back and lowered her head to taste the rouge:

"I'm fine, just a little tired..."

Stab la la——

Caught off guard, Linghu Qingmo immediately pressed his shoulder and gave him a shoveling shock:
"You...you tell me not to be angry first! Otherwise, I'll settle all scores, old and new. If Doctor Lin beats you up, I'll beat you up too!"

Xie Jinhuan remained calm and said softly:

"We just poured our hearts out to each other yesterday, and I know you've been feeling wronged..."

"Who would confide in you?!" Linghu Qingmo's face flushed red. "You gave me that lousy medicine yesterday, which confused my mind. I was just saying things against my will, as if possessed by a ghost. I am a disciple of the Daoist sect, dedicated to upholding the righteous path. How could I be swayed by romantic feelings..."

But you said yesterday that yesterday's words should be taken as fact...

Seeing that Mo Mo looked utterly ashamed, Xie Jinhuan didn't expose her, but instead comforted her by supporting her shoulder:

"I understand. It was all my fault for not handling things properly. I won't let it happen again."

"..."

Linghu Qingmo felt there was no going back, but making excuses on the surface would at least offer some psychological comfort, so he coldly snorted:

"You need to use safe words first, or this isn't over..."

Xie Jinhuan only had one chance, how could he waste it? He tried to change the subject, but then he saw the landlady jumping around in the attic, shaking with excitement...

Naiduo, who was sitting by the window, had already noticed his arrival, but she had kept quiet because she saw him stealing a kiss from Momo. Now, she quickly straightened up and gestured to the big white pipa, probably inviting him to come in and play for a bit...

Linghu Qingmo, with an expression like an iceberg master, waited for her bratty brother to apologize, but the aloof young master in front of her stared at her side with eyes like an eagle. She couldn't help but wonder and turned around to look...

You were looking at another woman?!

A murderous aura suddenly filled the corridor!
Xie Jinhuan reacted instantly, and gently said while supporting her shoulder:
"I was just spacing out. Your Highness, Princess Junjun, please wait. Let's go over there."

? ?
Linghu Qingmo felt that the righteous young hero in her heart had become completely oblivious to everything. She took a deep breath, changed to a simple stepping on her toes, then turned and walked away. She seemed genuinely angry and didn't want to deal with this scoundrel anymore...

Shortly after, inside the entertainment hall.

Dangdang~
dong dong dong~
The zither and lute played in unison, creating a rhythmic melody.

Xie Jinhuan held Mo Mo's small waist, taking steps back and forth, her white skirt creating a captivating rhythm:

"One, two, three, four... Spin around~ Yes..."

Linghu Qingmo's eyes widened like coal balls, his movements stiff as he followed the movements, his gaze filled with shock, as if to say—you really know how to dance? Go ahead and be even more flamboyant?
Naiduo was already used to it, and accompanied the music from the side, her eyes sparkling, clearly wanting to try this 'wife and children separated dance' herself.

Princess Changning, dressed in a gorgeous palace dress, twirled around the table with her coal-bomb-winged chariot, personally testing this top-notch male dancer. However, with her best friend present, she couldn't do it openly, so she just smiled and egged her on.

"Move your hand down, put it on your butt. What's with all this politeness? Qingmo isn't an outsider..."

"Ling'er!"

Linghu Qingmo blushed, perhaps afraid that Xie Jinhuan would actually obey and move back. His eyes were slightly cold, but since they were half-embracing and their eyes were close to each other, he couldn't bear to look at those beautiful, cold eyes and could only look away.

stomping on...

While Xie Jinhuan and Mo Mo were exchanging glances, he also chatted about work in his spare time to relieve his girlfriend's stress.
"Has the Imperial Observatory investigated the specifics of what happened at Tiejiling yesterday?"

Princess Changning carefully observed Mo Mo's coyness:
"Judging from the layout of Hongzhang County Square, the Underworld Cult originally planned to make its move when the He family opened their granaries and rewarded the laborers at the quarry with wine and meat. However, your discovery of Ye Shirong forced them to act ahead of schedule."

"The ghost cultivator must have rushed over to make his move, but you acted too quickly, even running over the next day and taking shortcuts, so you bumped into him by accident. It wasn't a deliberate ambush..."

"Some evidence left at the mine suggests that the Underworld Cult may have made its move in Zhen'an and Lanhe counties. A large number of celestial officials have been pursuing them, but they haven't found the right people yet..."

Linghu Qingmo, being a workaholic, wasn't cold anymore upon hearing this, and raised his eyes:

"How are you feeling? Should we come over and check on you?" Xie Jinhuan had already sworn an oath with the Underworld Cult, and if there were any leads, they would definitely wipe them out. However, today he needed to pick up the goods from Big Ice Block and get money from Bu Hanying, so going on a business trip for a few days wasn't appropriate. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"The celestial officials are investigating. If we go there and find out what's going on, wouldn't we have made a wasted trip? Let's see how things go tomorrow."

"Oh."

Linghu Qingmo didn't say much, forced to imitate the flirtatious gestures, secretly muttering to himself:
If Dr. Lin saw me dancing like this, wouldn't he be so angry he'd cry?

It's good that you cried. Serves you right for throwing a shoe at me in front of me and then scratching Xie Jinhuan when you got back...

We've been forced to make our relationship clear, so you can hug me but I can't...

……

After such a commotion had gone on for who knows how long, Princess Changning, still in high spirits, heard a maidservant report from the outer corridor:
"Your Highness, Envoy Yang has arrived. He says he has urgent business with Young Master Xie."

Startled, Linghu Qingmo quickly stepped back, straightened her clothes, and transformed back into her icy, aloof Taoist nun appearance.

Xie Jinhuan apologized to the three patrons he hadn't entertained properly, then quickly entered the covered walkway. As he turned the corner, he saw the shifty-eyed Steward Hou talking to Yang Dabiao.

“No matter how big the matter is, it’s not as important as the princess’s banquet. The princess is having Xie boy serve her. If you call him out, who will the princess have serving her?”

"Yeah……"

……

Xie Jinhuan saw Butler Hou and felt a surge of murderous intent, but since he couldn't really hit the landlady's lackey, he pretended not to see him and approached him.
"Brother Yang, what brings you here? Is something urgent?"

Yang Dabiao, still wearing his hospital gown, pulled Xie Jinhuan aside:
"The monk Jibei said that Du Mushan, a retainer of the Li family, returned from outside, carrying a valuable birdcage on an urgent mission. The monk Jibei is still keeping watch nearby. He asked me to come back and report the news, but I don't know what that means..."

Xie Jinhuan frowned, knowing that Li Gongpu was getting impatient and had already begun to plan his escape route.

Li Gongpu has already been put on Ah Huan's kill list. When the opportunity comes, he will definitely be killed. However, it is still unclear how Li Gongpu should curry favor with the Crown Prince. At present, we can only find out the Crown Prince's movements and see when Li Gongpu will have the opportunity to make private contact.

We'll have to ask the landlady about this...

Thinking of this, Xie Jinhuan returned to the hall...
-
Sifang Pavilion.

On the occasion of the Empress's birthday, many envoys from foreign countries came to Luoyang. The Crown Prince received the envoys on behalf of the Emperor. In the past few days, he has been taking the imperial envoys to visit the Arsenal, the Textile Workshop, the Imperial Pharmacy, and other places. It is said that the foreign countries can learn from and emulate these places, but in reality, it is to demonstrate the strength of the nation.

In the evening, the imperial court would host a banquet at the Sifang Pavilion to entertain foreign envoys, with the crown prince as the host.

As night fell, preparations for a banquet were underway at the Sifang Pavilion. Guo Ziyan, the envoy from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and his deputy stood on the covered bridge, gazing at the vast, seemingly endless city, their eyes filled with the same admiration as if they were admiring the future imperial garden of the Empress Dowager.

The Great Qian Imperial Palace is like the most alluring and beautiful autumn chrysanthemum in the Empress Dowager's back garden...

In a hall behind the Sifang Pavilion, Crown Prince Zhao Jinghuan, dressed in a bright yellow robe, sat beside a chessboard, playing with the black pieces with his fingertips and observing the current game.

Prince Zhao De sat opposite him, casually waving a folding fan and showering him with praise:
"Brother, you truly are the chess master of the Great Qian Dynasty. Your chess skills are like a bachelor strolling through a brothel..."

Zhao Jinghuan paused slightly, then looked up in confusion: "Hmm?"

"Proceed step by step!"

Zhao De raised his folding fan and tapped it: "Your Highness, you really have no sense of humor at all."

Zhao Jinghuan pondered for a moment before understanding the meaning, and nodded thoughtfully:
"I've learned a lot. You came here today for more than just chess, haven't you?"

Zhao De shook his head: "Mainly because I'm worried the Crown Prince will be bored, and secondly because we're short on funds, um..."

?

Zhao Jinghuan resisted the urge to crack open his cousin's skull with the chessboard, and frowned, saying:

"Just two days ago, I withdrew eight thousand taels of silver..."

Zhao De said helplessly, "Now that Ling'er has entered the capital, a young lady like her needs some things. As her younger brother, I can't bear to see my sister suffer. That eight thousand taels of silver..."

"They all lost to the son of the Duke of Zhenguo?"

Zhao De was taken aback and looked around:
“Crown Prince, you don’t want to be secretly spying on court officials, are you…”

? !
Zhao Jinghuan was known for his kindness and benevolence, possessing the qualities of a virtuous ruler, but even he took a deep breath at this moment:

"The eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo is the Crown Prince's study companion!"

"Oh……"

Zhao De suddenly realized, "I knew it! I'd completely forgotten about that... Crown Prince, you know Ling'er's temper. I promised to prepare the family business. If we go back empty-handed, my father might have to raise a shrewd and capable son to take the throne! Rebellions by vassal kings have been common throughout history. Crown Prince, you'll be the one inheriting the throne..."

Snapped--

Zhao Jinghuan slammed his hand on the chessboard, making the chess pieces tremble, interrupting this lawless and insolent speech. Then he raised his hand and said:
"He Man, send someone to the Imperial Father-in-law's residence to withdraw eight thousand taels of silver and deliver it to the Heir Apparent."

"Oh! You really are my brother. No need for the Crown Prince to escort me. I'll go to the Imperial Father-in-law's residence to get it myself. Farewell."

After Zhao De finished speaking, he turned and left.

?

Zhao Jinghuan stared at the mess he had painstakingly prepared for, a situation he was about to gloat over, and remained silent for a long time, clearly exasperated.

He Man, the Crown Prince's tutor, was a relative of the Empress. Not long after he sent Zhao De away, he suddenly came close and whispered in his ear.

Zhao Jinghuan frowned, turned to look outside, and looked quite surprised:
“Li Gongpu… Since he dares to come to our door, let him in. He has served the Emperor for so many years, I really want to see how capable this man is.”

"Yes……"

……
-
Please give me a monthly ticket or2!

There's only one chapter left to write, and I estimate it will take another few hours. Sorry!

(End of this chapter)