Chapter 514
“Li Shaoxia is the financier of the Hundred Flowers Festival! Look at him, grinning from ear to ear, and he still wants Han Xianzi to perform for others?”
“Damn, no wonder he’s throwing around so much money. Turns out he’s right here!”
...
At this moment, Empress Chu Ge was surrounded by palace maids as she passed through the noon gate. Suddenly, she halted, turning back to gaze deeply into the distance.
Her expression was complex, a mix of longing and jealousy, hard to encapsulate in words.
“So beautiful…”
Even the maid supporting her was entranced, her eyes glued to the sight.
Suddenly, the maid shivered, realizing the Empress was looking at her, and she instinctively lowered her head in fear.
“I’m doomed.”
“Everyone has a love for beauty; how could I be so petty as to be jealous?”
Empress Chu Ge gently patted the back of her hand.
“Go to the ancestral hall and invite my second uncle here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing this, an inconspicuous young lady’s eyes flickered as she looked at the Empress and the man holding her hand, then quietly slipped away to a corner.
...
At the entrance of the festival.
The entire imperial capital could witness the Hundred Flowers Festival, but most people could only watch through the ‘broadcast’ of the Jiangshan Sheji Tu (Map of the Nation). Those queuing to enter were all of extraordinary status.
Among them were many distinguished scholars from the Guozijian (Imperial Academy).
Some were so excited that they couldn’t contain themselves and wanted to compose poetry on the spot to express their feelings.
“Han Xianzi… truly a celestial beauty…”
Song Qian was dazed for a long time before suddenly exclaiming, “I want to write a poem too!”
“Don’t do that, Song Qian, don’t!”
“Poetry? You dare to present your clichés?”
“Someone take his pen away! Don’t let this guy embarrass our Guozijian!”
His classmates, knowing his limited talent, quickly stopped him.
One curious classmate looked at the attendants beside Song Qian and asked, “Song Qian, when did you change your entourage?”
At this, the attendants, including the leader of the Qingmu Society, felt a slight tension.
Indeed, the people following Song Qian were all representatives of the Lu (Deer) faction, members of the Demon Summoning Sect.
The Confucian, Daoist, and martial arts teachings were quite peculiar; they didn’t seem like martial arts, yet they might have ways to expose their identities.
“None of your business.”
Song Qian snorted, clearly displeased with their attempts to snatch his pen.
At that moment, someone leaned in to whisper something to the questioning scholar, whose face changed dramatically. He instinctively covered his backside and hurriedly distanced himself from Song Qian, as if fleeing from a plague.
Song Qian: “?”
He sensed that the other had said something quite rude.
“Master, let’s go in first.”
The leader of the Lu faction, disguised as a representative, said calmly.
“You all go ahead; I’ll wait here for a bit.”
Song Qian stubbornly remained in place, stretching his neck to look ahead.
“Fine, I’ll go in first then.”
With no other choice, the Lu leader handed the golden invitation to the eunuch at the entrance.
“Last time my father and Li Mo became sworn brothers, it must have been for official business. Now that the Hundred Flowers Festival is set in stone, heh heh…”
Song Qian thought to himself.
In the officialdom, when you need something from someone, you plead and beg, but once it’s no longer useful, you kick them to the curb—that’s the norm.
He wasn’t afraid now...
“Hey, Song Daren.”
Just as he was lost in thought, Song Baiyue poked his head out from the carriage behind, being helped over, and arrived at the entrance.
Old Song was in a daze, the noise around him was overwhelming, and he truly didn’t see his unfortunate son.
“Li Jianhao, Han Xianzi.”
The eunuch in purple first greeted Li Mo and then turned to Song Daren, his voice sharp and thin:
“Ah, Song Daren, His Majesty was waiting for you to report yesterday. He sent me to find you three times. You didn’t forget about His Majesty, did you?”
“His Majesty is broad-minded, so it’s no big deal, but I can’t let the dragon body suffer. I need to have a serious talk with you.”
Song Daren immediately recognized that the other was trying to pick a fight, extorting him.
But he had indeed forgotten about the report last night...
Song Baiyue: “Let’s invite the eunuch to the Fengyue Xiaozhu (Pleasure House) for a chat later.”
Li Mo: “…”
Old Song was really still drunk; although Fengyue Xiaozhu was now a legitimate business, many still didn’t see it that way.
Wasn’t this just inviting a eunuch to a brothel?
As expected, the eunuch’s expression soured, and he looked quite displeased:
“Song Daren, what exactly did you do last night?”
“I…”
Song Baiyue realized he had misspoken but found it hard to explain, as he truly hadn’t done anything proper.
He could only look at Li Mo.
“Uncle Li, Aunt… could you two help me out here?”
“…”
Li Mo was genuinely taken aback.
Old Song could really call out like that; no wonder he was rising through the ranks. His thick skin was comparable to that of a mystical beast.
“???”
Song Qian felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
What the hell, did that just lower his status even more?
---
Chapter 581: Caught in the Scheme of a Childish Ghost!
How valuable is a luminous pearl? Before this, Xiao Li had never sold one, but today he found out.
The eunuch in purple discreetly tucked his hands into his sleeves:
“Li Shaoxia is truly reasonable; I can’t refuse you. Please, take a seat.”
“What about my carriage?”
“Ah, go on in, go on in. You’ve contributed to the festival, so you’re half a host. We shouldn’t be too formal.”
The eunuch’s expression changed in an instant, no longer making things difficult for Song Daren.
In truth, he couldn’t really make things hard for Song Baiyue; he was just taking advantage of the situation.
Li Mo also felt that the luminous pearl was worth it.
Everyone was happy, and the eunuch even personally called a palace maid to lead them inside.
“Bing Tuozi, come up.”
Li Mo jumped into the carriage and seriously extended his hand.
As Ying Bing was pulled in, he lowered the carriage curtain, blocking out all outside views.
“You’re helping Song Daren out just to bring the carriage inside?”
“Just a luminous pearl.”
Li Mo casually pulled the curtain down.
Now, it was impossible to see inside from outside; it was tightly sealed. Fortunately, the curtain was made of special material, allowing those inside to see outside.
Ying Bing paused for a moment, her autumn-water-like eyes softening.
So, is he generous or stingy?
The luminous pearl wasn’t much to him, and organizing the Hundred Flowers Festival must have cost a fortune. He seemed never to have felt the pinch.
As everyone knows, Xiao Li was famously generous.
But now he was being stingy, unwilling to let anyone look at him for even a moment.
At this moment, the carriage entered the Huagai area, where all the high-ranking officials and scholars from the Guozijian were gathered, right under the emperor’s feet, not far from where Emperor Jingtai was seated.
Some ministers were too proud to go outside to catch a glimpse of the blooming flowers.
After all, they didn’t know that the Empress had also come from the noon gate, and others didn’t have the privilege to welcome the ministers outside.
However...
“Ying Xianzi is beyond description as a beauty.”
“I want to write something, but my mind is blank; I regret not having more words when the time comes!”
“Li Mo is truly despicable; did he save the world or something?”
Since the scholars from the Guozijian took their seats, similar remarks echoed continuously.
They never expected someone could overshadow the Empress.
The ministers were stirred, some feeling a twinge of regret, but thankfully, there would be more opportunities later...
“Hey? Is that carriage Li Shaoxia’s?”
“Since Song Daren is with him, it must be.”
All the officials turned to look, only to see the carriage stop at the banquet, and then...
There was nothing more to see.
The occupants seemed completely uninterested in getting out, and fruits and pastries were directly sent in by the palace maids.
“???”
This is a bit too much, isn’t it?
Not even letting anyone take a look!
Moments later, those who were supposed to enter had entered, while those who hadn’t were ready with sunflower seeds and peanuts, eagerly looking up at the sky.
The Jiangshan Sheji Tu lit up with a mystical glow, dimming the bright sky, making it look like dusk, while the stage shone brilliantly.
The one hosting the festival was still the eunuch in purple.
“This Hundred Flowers Festival, with the Emperor’s approval, is a result of the united efforts of all the esteemed officials, showcasing the new spirit of our Dayu Dynasty, bringing peace to the four seas.”
“We must especially thank Li Shaoxia for his exclusive sponsorship…”
After a long-winded introduction, Ning Jue took the stage and played a piece of Penglai fairy music, and the atmosphere at the scene began to heat up.
But it was the next performance that truly brought the atmosphere to a climax.
The little junior sister from the Hehuan Sect, Tu Yan, passionately performed a dance...
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