Chapter 76: The Rival of the Rival's Rival

  The East Palace is too big.

  From this courtyard to that courtyard, from this corridor through that corridor, they walked back and forth for a while without reaching their destination. As they approached the front hall, Lin Taizhen, who had been staring at them with red eyes, bid farewell and parted ways with Xia Chuyi, while Xiao Yatou Baoqin, who was ordered to escort Xia Chuyi, seemed to be disgusted by her and Li Mo's presence. She pointed in one direction and then quickly followed Lin Taizhen, as if someone was chasing after them, determined to see him off.

  "Selfishness!" Li Miaoran muttered, gazing at the receding figure.

  "Big brother, you just don't understand. Why don't they want to travel with me? Is it because of my personality? I'm born with a strong aura, which easily makes them feel short of breath, chest tightness and heart palpitations, causing their blood to flow faster and leading to an abnormal mental state. So, for self-protection, they naturally had to leave quickly?" Xia Chuqi responded with a smile.

  "Shut up!"

  Looking at Li Miao's helpless expression, Xia Chuqi raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing. He was pleased with his own optimistic attitude. "The world is in my eyes, and my eyes are the whole world. If I say it's black, it's black; if I say it's white, it's white. Everything can be subjective, right? You're just too rigid. Where's the fun in life like that?"

  On the one hand, Li Mo was transforming his worldview, while on the other hand, he was looking around and walking towards the front hall. Xia Chuyi smiled with a smile, admiring the pavilions and buildings of the East Palace, only to see that every place was exquisite and elegant, and wherever he looked, it was the luxury of the feudal exploitation stage.

  Behind her, Li Mo carried a medical box and walked very slowly, with deep furrows on his brow.

  "Chu Qi, was this thing today arranged by you on purpose?"

  Turning her head to look at her, Xia Chuqi had his hands behind his back and walked with a carefree stride, smiling as he asked.

  "You answer me first, is your heart at ease?"

  "Great!" Li Mo nodded his head.

  With a proud smile, Xia Qi gave her a flying kick-like gaze that was full of lethal power. Summer Seven smiled and replied, "Ah, I thought only the big villains would do something like stirring up trouble, but it turns out I'm pretty good at it too. However, let me tell you, doing this kind of thing is really addictive, using poison to attack poison is really cool, and we need to make use of it more often, improve our skills, wait until I've caught my breath, I'll stir up trouble everywhere, muddy the waters, just you wait and see, I'm going to make a big splash in this capital city."

  Li Mian looked at her spirited face and thought for a moment, still feeling somewhat worried.

  "When they come back to their senses and realize what happened, won't they also find out it was you who did it?"

  "What's going on?" Xia Qiuli spread out her hands, glanced at her and said, "People like Xia Wenqiu aren't the kind who can be trusted, besides, what did I do wrong?"

  “……”

  Looking at Li Mo's disheveled appearance in the wind, unable to utter a word, Chu Qi's smile grew bigger and bigger. "That's right. I didn't do anything actually. I'm a doctor with high professionalism and good moral standards. I cure diseases, save lives, rescue the dying, and helped his little wife unblock her intestines. What great merit is that? He should be grateful to me, how could he think too much?"

  “……”

  Li Mi's thinking level is not on the same level as hers.

  She is cautious and meticulous in everything, striving for perfection. Xia Qi, on the other hand, is bold and meticulous, and would not hesitate to stir up trouble in the capital, even daring to touch the emperor's buttocks, let alone the crown prince of the Eastern Palace?

  She turned back and asked Li Mo.

  "Have you seen that bird?"

  "It's done."

  "Is it?"

  Li Mian replied, "It should be."

  He curled his lip, and Xia Chuqi suddenly pinched his chin, feeling a bit sentimental. "Can't help but say, that's really a good bird, scold it once, and it still knows how to talk back... Tsk, one of these days, this 'bird speaking human language and reporting back' thing, I'll have to turn the tables and slap that guy's big mouth."

  "Chu Qi——"

  Li Mian was about to speak but stopped again.

  "What's wrong? Did you get your tongue twisted today?"

  On the seventh day of summer, Li Miaozhen gave her own family a strange look, as if something had grown on her face. From time to time, she would glance up at it, and she had already rubbed her face several times, feeling very strange.

  "Speak your mind."

  Li Mo hesitated for a moment and still spoke in a low voice.

  "Where did you get these thoughts and skills from now? I didn't know all of them?"

  It's this again.

  Xia Chui Qi let out a sigh of relief as a hand gently patted her shoulder.

  "People are forced out of desperation. Don't worry, follow me and you'll have meat to eat - huh?"

  Just as she let out a soft "hmm", the sound of a guqin drifted over from somewhere, sometimes near, sometimes far, wandering and carefree. It was unclear which beautiful young lady from the Eastern Palace was playing it. The music carried a sense of suppressed emotions, sometimes like singing and crying, sometimes sobbing in sorrow, sometimes gentle and lingering. It seemed as if a woman who had experienced many hardships was calling out to her long-lost lover, or as if someone was using scissors stained with blood to cut open their heart and whisper about the love that had been separated by thousands of miles and mountains. Every jump of the notes was full of emotion, even Xia Chuyi, who didn't understand music at all, felt it deeply.

  "Wow, great!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, Li Mo took over, "It's the Crown Prince's consort."

  "Ah!" she exclaimed, and Xia Chuyi was like a bee stung on the face, her neck suddenly stiffened, extremely regretting the "wonderful" word that had just slipped out of her mouth. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and when she looked at Li Mo again, her tone changed immediately.

  "Scoffing, forcing new words to express sorrow, generally means pretending to be depressed."

  “……”

  Even someone as serious as Li Mo couldn't help but roll his eyes at her.

  "Cough, was I too obvious?" Xia Chuqi asked her with a tilted head.

  "It's obvious."

  Hehe, Xia Chuyi and Li Mo looked at each other and said in unison: "Let's go."

  "Jealousy!"

  Alright, Xia Zhiqiu is now in this matter, his heart is only as small as a needle. He hasn't seen Amour's appearance yet, but he has already been deeply hurt by her beautiful piano sound. If it were her, holding a gun or a scalpel, she could still perform, but if there was a piano in front of her, she couldn't even play a single note.

  Ancient people... how can this one sentence be so good?

  Affected melancholy, affected cultural, isn't it just because there are too few recreational activities?

  One person hummed, she originally thought the sound of the piano came from inside the courtyard, but as two people walked towards the front hall, the sound became louder. After walking a certain distance, sure enough, in a water pavilion near the front hall, they saw the source of the sound.

  A great place for installing x.

  The pavilion was empty on all four sides, with only some plain white silk hanging down, fluttering in the cold wind. On the corridor leading from here to the water pavilion in the middle of the lake, a dozen or so maidservants stood quietly, making the water pavilion in the lake look like the music platform of the nine heavenly goddesses, and they all became the accompaniment of the person in the middle of the lake. From afar, Xia Qiqi couldn't see the face of the woman playing the zither, but could see the hands on the black ancient zither and her profile, which looked like a layer of fine glaze on white porcelain.

  Beautiful!

  Looking at the beautiful woman dancing vaguely, Xia Qi suddenly understood a little. Why did those people say that Amur and Zhao Zhu were made for each other? If they really got together, it would indeed be a delightful thing to see. If she were in the audience, she would definitely admire this Eastern Amur and push her own ugly duckling self to the side to play a supporting role.

  Not afraid of not knowing goods, but afraid of comparing goods.

  Compared with Amur, she thought that Zhao Zhuo who was always with her would have the feeling of 'dreaming on a beautiful platform and waking up in a pigsty'.

  "Looks good?"

  The sound of Li Mochen's gentle voice came into her ears, disrupting her thoughts about life.

  "Looks good..." She lazily said two words, pouted her mouth, and continued, "Nonsense! At first glance, it seems like it's from heaven to earth, but take a closer look, it's just that."

  "What's 'Tian Shang Ren Jian'?" Li Miao obviously didn't understand such a high-end location.

  "Brothel——" Xia Qi said languidly.

  "Jealous!" Li Mo let out a sigh and bluntly retorted back at her.

  "You're too honest, it's not good. You've hurt someone's young heart again."

  Xia Zhong Qi glared at her, feeling a bit like she wanted to explode. But then she couldn't find anyone to vent to. This mental state was very strange, she had never experienced it before. It was as if all the "small" things were suddenly exposed in front of her emotional enemy.

  I've gone crazy!

  Be careful!

  She stood there, watching from a distance, and even forgot to lift her feet.

  How can she be so beautiful? So elegant? With a figure like that? And yet, she dares to sit there with a calm face, playing those things she doesn't even understand, making people feel like they're basking in the warmth of spring? Xia Chuqi admitted that she had seen many beauties who were more stunning than Amur, and there were countless female stars from past TV shows and movies. But a woman who could give her such a strong aura of beauty and dazzling light just by being observed from afar, she really hadn't seen before.

  In an instant, Dongfang Qingyun appeared in his mind again.

  She's as beautiful as a demon and moves like a fox; these two siblings are naturally fox spirits.

  "I'm going to die, I'm going to die." She scratched her ear, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and the less confident she felt. She pouted, then suddenly turned her head towards Li Mo, "Darling, do we have tofu?"

  She asked strangely, Li Mo and she exchanged a glance, "What's wrong?"

  "Looking for tofu to kill yourself?"

  Li Mo pointed extremely unsympathetically to the green brick wall on her right.

  "It will be more intuitive with that."

  "Ah!" Xia Chuiqi suddenly looked at Li Mo and raised an eyebrow, "That's not right."

  "What's wrong again?" Li Miao thought she was really possessed, looking her up and down, this time without any teasing or ridicule, genuinely worried about her, his tone also became much more serious, "Chu Qi, don't think too much, even if she and the 19th prince still have feelings for each other, it's impossible for them to be together in this lifetime."

  "Go! Who said that?" Xia Chuyi raised an eyebrow, "What I mean is, how did this Amur end up playing the zither here?"

  It's been half a month since she arrived at the East Palace, and she has never seen the face of the Crown Prince's wife. It is said that Amur is a quiet person who rarely goes out, even when visiting Zhao Zhe, he was not seen, let alone today when he suddenly became enthusiastic about playing the zither and ran to a place just one wall away from the front hall.

  "How would I know?"

  Li Mian's voice had barely fallen when the response came.

  Near the archway leading to the front hall, not far from where the two were standing, a man in a black sable cloak quietly emerged. He was slender and handsome, with a noble and elegant face. Behind him followed Zheng Erbao, who didn't even lift an eyebrow, clearly also feeling awkward.

  At a glance, Xia Zhi's mind flashed with four big words - So that's how it is.

  This time, she wanted to go find tofu even more.

  Damn it, this is really a ghostly encounter. Someone's old lover has a date, and she even bumps into them?

  My mind was a jumble of thoughts, my heart beating wildly like thousands of drums pounding in unison.

  At this moment, she really wanted to turn around and leave. Because that way, she could deceive herself, she hadn't seen Zhao Zun, she didn't know anything. Her fingers were tightly clenched, and it was also at this moment that she suddenly felt a little afraid, afraid that those vague, beautiful feelings that had long been etched in her heart would be suddenly shattered. She had grown accustomed to the half-joking, half-romantic life with him; if everything changed, could she really go back?

  "Why are you walking so slowly?" She was there getting angry, and the person opposite her asked first.

  "How did you end up here?" With a sigh, Xia Chuqi narrowed her cat-like eyes and walked step by step towards him, her palms still clenched tightly.

  "I heard you've made another fortune, as your creditor, I naturally have to come and collect." Zhao Zun said it very simply.

  "You..."

  She stumbled and her mind went blank.

  Isn't he here because of his date with Amour?

  She looked at him with a suspicious gaze, her eyes fixed on his tall figure that seemed to be floating in the clouds, and she felt even more disheartened, pouting her mouth.

  "Are you... looking for me?"

  "Didn't you just get a hundred taels of gold? I remember it clearly."

  The man was still as dignified and serious as ever in his debt collection methods, but this time when he asked for money, the gloomy and dark heart of Xiao Qi, who loved money like her life, suddenly brightened up, and the clouds dispersed.

  He came for the money, meaning he didn't come to listen to Amour play the piano. If not to listen to the piano, then perhaps he was heartless... The words "money", "piano" and "heart" kept swirling in her mind, making her stare at him, momentarily stunned.

  On the left is the lake, in the middle of the lake is a pavilion, and inside the pavilion is the girl he likes. In front of him is Zhao Zhu, with a thousand-year-old frost on his face that never melts, but this is the East Palace, not her territory or his, so why does Xia Chuqi suddenly feel strange again?

  "Your reaction really puts me in a good mood."

  She slightly curled down her lips, and Zhao Zun saw that she wasn't moving, so he took the initiative to walk over.

  He didn't look at Li Miao, or rather, after being together for so long, Li Miao had never seen him take a glance at her. He was so unceremoniously and naturally holding onto Xiao Qi's small hand, wrapping it in his own palm, with an unchanged expression, without looking around, not even considering the fifty-meter distant Lake Heart Pavilion, nor thinking about whether holding hands with a man would be indecent.

  "Robber! The money we earned with great difficulty!" Finally, Xia Chuqi uttered two words.

  It's extremely humiliating, with a pouting mouth. But in her heart, it's all sweetness.

  "After all, you owe me, and you'll have to pay me back sooner or later."

  The more he spoke in a calm and gentle tone, the more Xia Chuqi's emotions became unsettled.

  Amur is right next to him, didn't he really see it?

  She hummed and was about to remind him, but he also lowered his head at this time to look at her. The faces of the two people were close at hand, with each other's face reflected in their eyes, and the breaths intertwined on each other's faces. It was as if a glance would last for eternity, and no one spoke for a long time, until Xia Chuqi clearly saw the calmness in his eyes... only then did she start to wonder if his ears were not working properly?

  "Grandfather, didn't you hear the sound of the zither?"

  Zhao Zun furrowed his brow and stood up straight, "So what if I heard it?"

  "Does it sound good?"

  "It's okay."

  "Do you like it?"

  Zhao Zhu looked at her, his eyes deepened a bit, "Did Ah Qi's brain get pinched by the door?"

  "Pffft!"

  When she heard an old man speaking in a classical tone, saying a modern phrase that was full of feeling, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. And with this laughter, all the sourness, resentment, envy, and hatred in her heart were thrown far away, and she laughed uncontrollably, pushing him gently, and glanced at him with a sly look.

  "You're ruthless!"

  Zhao Zhuo gave her a forehead bump, expressionless, and pulled her away, the two of them leaving together.

  "You're killing me! Don't learn from me how to talk again, it's really too much..."

  On the seventh day of summer, she was still smiling, but suddenly a "ding" sound came from the water pavilion behind her.

  The ripples dissipated, and the entire lake surface calmed down.

  That was the sound of a snapped string.

  "Oh——" Xia Qī turned her head back, unable to see the girl behind the silk curtain, nor could she imagine what kind of mood she was in. Unfortunately, Zhao Zun did not turn his head, and she couldn't see his expression either. She tilted her head to the side and pulled the corner of her mouth.

  "It's completely ruined, a good piano, destroyed."

  Zhao You glanced over at her with a slanted gaze, looked at her for a moment without saying anything.

  It's not worth breaking this layer of window paper, Xia Chuiqi's eyes curved and she stuck out her tongue.

  "Isn't today's weather just great? It's perfect for playing the piano and talking about love. Right, old man?"

  Zhao Zhuo patted her head, "I think that when the weather is good, Ah Qi should be thinking about how to make money to pay off debts."

  "Of course, of course, I even dream about making money. Sir, can't you smell it? Nowadays my whole body is filled with a strong aura of wealth. Come come come, take a sniff, and bask in my glory, isn't that right? Is it not? Tsk tsk, with just one move of my hand, one toss of my foot, gold and silver are flying over to me..."

  She suddenly widened her eyes and remembered something when she was blowing here.

  "It's done!"

  "What's wrong?" Zhao asked her.

  "Zhao Mianze! Zhao Mianze still hasn't given me the money."

  After muttering to herself, she turned around and went to look for Li Mo.

  "Brother, accompany me back to find him. One hundred and two gold..."

  "No need to look for me, Dr. Chu. I'm here..."

  At the sound of her voice, Xia Qiqi suddenly turned his head back again.

  But then he saw Zhao Mianze already standing at the gate of the front hall.

  A white brocade robe fluttered into view, with a warm and gentle smile on his face, his eyebrows and eyes were clear and soft, but it didn't seem like he had just arrived, nor did anyone know how long he had been standing there. His gaze only lightly swept over Xia Chuqi before turning to Zhao Zun and performing a deep bow, saying in a soft voice, "I've already prepared tea for Nineteenth Uncle in the living room, please..."

  He finished speaking and retreated to the side, looking at Xia Chuqi again.

  "The gold for Dr. Chu will be delivered to the carriage by someone sent by Meng Ze in a moment."

  On the seventh day of summer, I felt a little happy in my heart, and even Zhao Mianze looked pleasing to the eye, so I nodded my head and made a bow.

  "Thank you, Crown Prince Chángsūn, I am beneath you..."

  She hadn't finished speaking when a hand stretched out from the slanting stairs, pulled her and walked towards the living room, saying emotionlessly, "Watch your step, mind the threshold."

  Quickly stepping over a high threshold, Xia Qi Qi hastily jumped back, three feet away from him.

  Zhao Zhu's face turned cold, "What are you jumping for? I'm just trying to help you."

  He rolled his eyes at him, and Xia Chuqi burst out laughing. "Sir, I don't dare to accept your feelings, I'm afraid that if I take a step back, I'll have to pay ten taels."

  "You underestimate me too much, how could I be so petty?"

  Xia Zhi Qi looked over disbelievingly and indeed heard him add, "At least twenty taels."

  "Hmph, fortunately I'm clever, that one doesn't count as silver. Xia Chuyi thought for a moment, glanced at Zhao Mianze beside her, raised an eyebrow, and intentionally leaned in close, bumping into Zhao's chest, smiling and asking, "But speaking of which, why didn't you go back to the manor today? Running here, are you after money or thinking of me?"

  "Have a smooth journey..."

  "Really?" Xia Chuqi smiled and playfully glared at him, "I helped you complete the sentence. No need to thank me, just give me ten taels."

  Little miser.

  Miser.

  Two people are used to being ignored, even Zheng Erbao next to Zhao Zun has already gotten used to their daily quarrel show. It's like listening to a funny joke, and the more he listens, the more flavorful it becomes, and he no longer thinks that Chu Qi is offending his master. Because he knows, his master's heart is truly happy.

  However, Zhao Mianze was rarely seen, and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

  He couldn't imagine that his serious and stubborn nineteenth uncle would also have a romantic and flirtatious side.

  Is this what Chu Qi said, fighting every day, disliking each other every day, but not allowing others to dislike the feelings they've fought for?

  His eyes deepened, and he glanced at the two people who were chatting and laughing. He entered the living room, first asked Zhao Zun to sit in the main seat, and himself sat in the last seat accompanying him, his face had already regained its calmness and warmth.

  "Nineteenth Uncle, it's been many years since you've come to the Eastern Palace. I heard someone report it just now and thought I misheard."

  Zhao Zun blew tea water and said calmly, "Busy."

  Zhao Mianze smiled warmly and wouldn't point out the awkwardness of 'brother-in-law marrying elder brother', but instead asked humbly, "Since Nineteenth Uncle has come, would you like to go see my father? He's always thinking about you. Several times he asked me what you're busy with?"

  "Perhaps another day." Zhao You lightly pursed his lips, glanced at Xia Chuyi again, and then said, "Today I'm just passing by to pick up Chu Qi, there are still some miscellaneous things to attend to in the mansion, so I'll be leaving soon."

  Zhao Mianze nodded.

  After a brief silence, his voice was heard again.

  "Uncle Nineteen, have you heard about Fan Congliang's matter?"

  "What's wrong?"

  "This morning before going to court, my nephew went to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. On the way out, he heard from Eunuch Cui Yingda of the Imperial Guard that Fan Zongliang had confessed everything in the Jin Yiwei prison."

  As he said this, his eyes seemed to glance at Zhao Zhuo.

  The implication is too strong.

  Not mentioning Zhao Zun, even Xia Chuqi knows this is a veiled threat.

  Ke Zhao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, but his cold and stern face showed no emotion.

  "Lately I have been rectifying the discipline of the three major camps, and this matter is of no concern to me."

  "Nephew knows that Nineteen Uncle is busy." Zhao Mianze's lips curled up with a warm smile, "But at present, the situation in the imperial court looks calm on the surface, but secretly it's turbulent. Especially my father, the king's illness, thanks to Doctor Chu's good fortune, suddenly there's hope for recovery again, I suppose many people's minds are in disarray. Nineteen Uncle, what do you think?"

  What's going on here?

  On the seventh day of summer, his eyeballs were rolling around rapidly...

  Suddenly realized another point.

  Amur initially sent embroidery to win over Zhao Zun. Now, Zhao Mianze's words are half-threatening and half-enticing, but they also have a similar intention, which is to win him over. After all, Zhao Zun holds the military power of Dayan in his hands. Moreover, this military power was returned to the capital under the old emperor's tacit consent without being handed over, clearly relying on Zhao Zun to stabilize the situation in the capital.

  Moreover, Chu Qi was Zhao Jun's person, and she cured the crown prince's illness. Therefore, those who wanted to harm the crown prince could not be Zhao Jun. This treatment, from another perspective, also indirectly cleared Zhao Jun's name and established an image of "not vying for the throne".

  But Zhao Zun not harming the crown prince does not mean that other forces can make Zhao Kun safe and sound as his successor. The crown prince is weak and kind, which is a well-known fact, so now Zhao Mianze is pulling in external support, wanting to pull in Zhao Zun to jointly deal with the likes of Ning Wang?

  The mind of politicians is truly complicated.

  She lowered her eyelids, sighed slightly, but heard Zhao Zun say lightly.

  "His Majesty's brother is blessed with good fortune and will surely be safe and sound."

  This Tai Chi boxing is too ambiguous and slippery.

  Zhao Mianze smiled slightly, without any expression of regret, and thought for a moment before saying, "Nineteenth Uncle is absolutely right. With Chu Yiguan here, I am very confident. However, it will still take some time for my father the king to fully recover from his illness. Meanwhile, Third Uncle controls the speech routes of the Ducha Yuan, and can always find fault with something. Sixth Uncle controls the Imperial Guard and the defense of the capital, and has the imperial city in the palm of his hand. Ah, as a nephew assisting the emperor in governing, there are many places where I am not able to manage properly. If there is any conflict with Third Uncle or Sixth Uncle, I hope Nineteenth Uncle will give me guidance on behalf of my father the king."

  A long passage, Zhao Mianze said elegantly and smoothly, without ups and downs.

  It sounds like a pleasant summer day on the seventh, but it's also frightening.

  Indeed, what appears to be a calm and peaceful capital city is actually full of undercurrents.

  The center of the storm and whirlpool is actually the crown prince's illness - whether it gets better or not.

  It can also be said that Chu Qi has been pushed to the forefront of the trend, and everyone is paying attention.

  In fact, she also wants to know Zhao Zun's attitude towards this matter just like Zhao Mianze.

  But he merely flicked his sleeve and stood up.

  "With Your Majesty here, you don't have to worry too much."

  Another Tai Chi move, and he slid away. Before Zhao Mianze could respond, he glanced at Xia Chuqi again, lazily saying, "There's still something to do, I'll leave first. Give my regards to your father the king."

  Early summer seventh day can't help but admire this old fox.

  Seeing him leave, I naturally stood up and bid farewell as well.

  Zhao Mianze didn't bother to keep anyone, lightly said "oh", his eyes fell on Xia Chuqi's face, smiled slightly, and then turned his head to look at He Cheng'an who was standing beside him.

  "Go and let them put those one hundred and twenty taels of gold on the carriage for Official Chu."

  "Yes."

  He Cheng'an had not yet made a move when Zhao Zhen suddenly let out a low shout.

  "Wait—"

  Zhao Mianze was stunned, and Xia Chuyi also turned his head to look over, not knowing what he was going to do. However, under the suspicious gaze of the crowd, that noble Jin Wang Gongzi looked at Xia Chuyi with an expressionless face, then said something strange to Zhao Mianze.

  "Didn't Chu Qi say one thousand and two?"

  Zhao Mianze's face changed slightly, and he was suddenly stunned.

  Summer begins on the seventh day, but he is delighted and his eyes are curved.

  Dad, so you've come to slaughter the goose for me?

  ……

  ……

  A thousand taels of gold is a huge amount, even the East Palace would need some time to prepare. After waiting for about half an hour, a group of guards finally carried out a large box from the gate of the East Palace.

  On the seventh day of summer, his expression was very proud and triumphant.

  Thinking of Zhao Mianze eating a dumb loss, but because he had to ask for something from Zhao Zun, he couldn't help but swallow the bitter water in his stomach with a bitter and embarrassed expression. She really admired Zhao Shiyan to death. It's hard not to say that Lai Qian was addicted to cheating people out of their money, and every time she did it, she would do it with a big hand.

  Hmph, one thousand two hundred kilograms of gold, and it's just going to fall into our hands like that?

  Has she paid off all her debts? That's awesome!

  Looking at those intricately carved large chests, thinking of the glittering gold inside, her mouth began to water, and a smile spread from the corners of her eyebrows to the bottom of her eyes. She rubbed her hands together, narrowed her crescent-shaped eyes, and gazed up at the sky with a self-satisfied expression.

  "Haha, I've finally paid off what I owed! What a relief!"

  "Who told you it's been cleared?"

  A sudden word, like a ghostly fire on a mid-night, startled her.

  She turned around and followed him for a few steps, asking "What do you mean?"

  Zhao Zhuo's sleeves fluttered as he strode ahead with large steps, his face stern and unresponsive.

  She paused, furrowed her brow, and a bad premonition floated up in her mind. She quickly broke into a jog to follow him, keeping pace with his long strides as they ran towards the carriage. But his steps were big and hers were small, causing the southern red agate beads hanging from her waist to clink softly.

  "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

  "Making money is a technical job." He stole another line from her script, Zhao Zhuo said calmly, looking at her, "The money will come back to me, what does it have to do with you?"

  Xiao Lian'er pulled it down with a swoop, and Xia Chuqi's face was even uglier than a black pot lid.

  "Grandpa, we can't do anything shameful. Having children without an anus..."

  "After all, it's you who gave birth, not your grandfather. Your medical ethics are unmatched—"

  He said something and stopped, he was stunned. The idiot who thought about gold with eyes sparkling also froze. You looked at me, I looked at you, Xia Chuqi suddenly felt a burning sensation in his ears, coughed lightly, and awkwardly chuckled, "Let's not digress, let's not digress... continue talking about money."

  It's clear that Zhao Zun's face is thicker than hers.

  He raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn't just said that embarrassing sentence. This guy's face didn't even have any extra expressions, and he calmly stretched out one hand to pull her up onto the carriage, his words also slow and gentle.

  "See you behave well, grandpa will reward you some more."

  On the seventh day of summer, he stared at him, and he continued to be calm, "There is only a difference of 800 taels of gold, isn't it generous?"

  Eight hundred taels?

  It's hers, originally there were 100 taels inside.

  No, no, originally one thousand two were all hers.

  Normally, Xia Zhicheng would definitely get angry and quarrel with him on July 7th.

  But at this moment she didn't make a sound, just glanced at him and silently climbed onto the carriage, it's unknown what she was thinking in her mind.

  "Has she been struck dumb?" Zhao Zun was clearly also surprised since he hadn't seen her speak.

  She didn't look at him, nor did she speak, silently waiting until they were seated in the carriage before turning her head to gaze at him with a pitiful expression, her eyes red-rimmed as if about to cry.

  Five hundred.

  With a slight nod, unexpectedly, Zhao Zhuo responded with an "Okay".

  "Yay—Victory—"

  Someone who was just silently heartbroken, suddenly burst out laughing and rubbed their leg again, lifting their chin to say to Zhao Zun, "Oh my god, today my leg has suffered so much. Earlier I pinched it once to pretend to be weak and deceive Zhao Mianze, and now I've pinched it again to coax you. Tsk tsk, it's really pitiful. By the way, no regrets allowed, we're just short of 500..."

  "What did you say?" asked a cold voice, Zhao Zhu's face suddenly looked ugly.

  She gave him a glance, Xia Chuqi blinked her eyes and smiled, "What's with what? Oh, you still haven't figured it out, have you been fooled by me? Haha, I suddenly earned 300 taels of gold, it's really useful, women are soft, soft, soft, I'll continue to be soft..."

  She softened on one side, but Zhao Wangye's face became harder and harder on the other.

  Hard, hard, hard, so hard it's almost like black iron.

  The body that was about to drill into the carriage stopped, and he gave her a sideways glance.

  "Can you tell me the name of the Crown Prince?"

  For no reason, Xia Chuyi was suddenly scolded. She was confused and didn't understand why Zhao Zun was so angry with her. Usually, she called him Zhao Zun and he didn't get angry like this. Besides, there were no other people around, so what's wrong with asking about Zhao Mianze? This guy is really strange!

  She rolled her eyes and didn't argue back, just sat in the carriage staring at him.

  He didn't make a move for half a day, and then, instead of getting on the bus, he turned around and rode his horse away.

  The golden sedan chair was ready, the guards mounted their horses, and the group set off.

  At the beginning of summer, Qiu'er sat in the carriage for a while, then opened the curtain and stuck out her head.

  All she saw was that man sitting upright on the horse, his body straight and motionless, not even turning his head to look at her, as if he really was angry. What's going on? Why did Ping get so much gold for nothing and still put on a bad face? She stared at him hard, pouting, and couldn't figure it out, getting anxious about her own high IQ.

  "Hey, stop riding your horse, it's cold outside. Come on up and sit down?"

  She smiled and gave him an excuse.

  Unlike usual, he specified along the topic and hooked up with her immediately.

  But today he was still tough, tough, tough, all the way tough, his face cold and hard, even his eyebrows were furrowed.

  She bit her lip, raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, and then suddenly said, "I want to ride a horse too, sir."

  Turning his head back to her with a cold face, Zhao Zhu's eyes were chilly, "Get on your carriage."

  "Can't I? With all this gold of mine, can't I hire your horse for a ride?"

  "It's no good."

  "Then I'll sit in front of you."

  He ignored her.

  She hummed a little tune, propped up her cheek with her hand, and rested her elbow on the windowsill.

  "Then I'll sit behind you?"

  She spoke with a smile in her eyes, which were big and black, shining with a cunning, dissatisfied, provocative, cat-like light, as if it was only natural. But Zhao Zun's face became increasingly harder, especially on the road, where people would occasionally gather to watch, and there were even over ten guards surrounding them, making the situation all the more ridiculous.

  Although he usually doesn't care, today on the seventh day of the new year, he probably tasted the sweetness of being spoiled, and his expression was particularly rich, with a rare glimpse of cuteness and playfulness in his words and tone.

  "Grandpa, just let it go, okay?"

  “……”

  "You're not saying anything, does that mean you agree? I've managed to get out of this situation? Really gotten out?"

  As expected, it works.

  Just as she was halfway out of the window, her collar was caught by someone.

  The whole person was lifted into the air, her body was blown by his black wind for a moment, just like being held and spun around in a circle. The next instant she had already fallen in front of Zhao Zhu's big black horse. Hehe, she let out a satisfied sigh, only to suddenly realize that two old men were riding on one horse, swaggering through the streets, which was quite impressive.

  "Cough!"

  "It's nothing, it's nothing, no one can see."

  He didn't say anything.

  "Otherwise, I'll just get back on the horse carriage?"

  He still didn't say anything, but he put his arm around her waist.

  Careful liver again happy, Xia Chuqi lips smile.

  A group of people pulled a thousand taels of gold and walked on the main street of Ying Tian Fu.

  On the seventh day of summer, on the road, her eyes were all looking at the roadside shops, one by one, looking at the silk store, the wine house, the umbrella shop, and the pawnshop, watching the crowds of people, thinking about the man behind her who had not made a sound, what kind of evil spirit he had committed today, why he just wouldn't speak.

  Isn't it...

  Her hand suddenly rested on his as he grasped the reins.

  She pinched him and saw he still didn't react, so she suddenly changed the subject with a far-fetched topic.

  "Grandpa, I thought she would come out again and see you one more time... it's really unexpected..."

  Who is she? Xia Chuqi believed Zhao Zun would understand, and he was naturally referring to Dongfang Amu.

  "Women's hearts."

  He unexpectedly replied in a low voice.

  On the seventh day of summer, she glanced sideways and turned her head to peek at him.

  "Changing the subject. Are you thinking about her?"

  “……”

  He didn't respond, and she snorted, "Have you heard a saying? If you can't forget an old love, there are only two reasons. One is that the new one isn't good enough, and the other is that time isn't old enough... Sir, which one are you?"

  “……”

  He still didn't respond, his piercing gaze slightly narrowed, carrying a familiar chill that made her heart skip a beat. Suddenly feeling a chill in her heart, Xia Chuqi raised the corner of her lips and waved her hand, saying magnanimously.

  "Come on, buddy, what's wrong with saying this kind of thing? Don't think I'm nagging, but let me tell you, when it comes to feelings, don't worry too much about what others think. Who cares what others say? If the two of you are really meant to be together, even if you're not allowed to be together, you can still elope! Although she's already married..."

  She hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and prepared to tell him that the prince had not slept with Amur. Although it was a bit silly, she felt that perhaps only in this way could she give him the courage to make a choice, rather than letting him continue to ponder and weigh his options.

  "Grandfather, I'll tell you a secret, actually the prince and she..."

  Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom...

  A string of rapid and dense firecracker sounds suddenly exploded on the horse's back, on people's bodies. People shrieked, the horse let out a loud whinny and raised its front hooves high, the hubbub on the street interrupted her words and thoughts. The horses on the street were frightened by the firecrackers and ran away in panic.

  The scene was suddenly thrown into utter chaos——

  Horse neighs, human voices, firecracker sounds, all mixed together in a chaotic mess.

  In the midst of thick gunpowder smell, a shout of "Kill" came from the top floor, and from all directions of the shops, it suddenly transmitted over, people scattered in all directions screaming, Xia Chuqi's face sank, her hand inserted into her pocket, about to touch her self-defense stun gun.

  No need to wait for her to show off her skills, in the next instant, a dark black sable cloak was draped over her head, plunging her entire body into darkness. The goods behind her wrapped her up tightly, holding her firmly in place, making it impossible for her to move at all.

  Then, a low voice came into the eardrum.

  "Hold on tight, don't be afraid!"

  Digression

  Today I'd like to ask everyone a question: Which excavator manufacturer is stronger in terms of technology and sales?

  Everyone can use your passionate and fiery little votes to heavily criticize me, and then gently tell me the answer - go to Shandong, find Lán Xiáng.

  Acknowledgments:

  Dear [99788], upgraded to San Ding Jia - Banger Jun, hug and bite.

  Dear [18735913010], upgrade to become a member and hug one more time.

  Dear [small yin￡23_09], [Western Spirit Spring] and [Floating with the Wind 123dv] have been upgraded to contributors, hug them tightly.