Chapter 235 Sword (II)
Under the full moon of Mid-Autumn Festival, the lanterns on the Shengping Tower illuminated the palace square in front of the Jiying Hall. On both sides of the square, which was about one hundred steps wide, red railings and colorful thresholds were hung with lanterns, which were extremely dazzling.

Bianjing, as the location of the imperial palace, began with Zhu Wen. Compared with the Daming Palace in Chang'an and the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang, this imperial city was a bit cramped and small.

And because it was expanded on the basis of the former provincial capital of Bianjing, this imperial city was put into use only for a few years, so there are not many palaces and the scale is not large. As the face of a monarch and the majesty of imperial power, it does not have a majestic aura, but rather a petty feeling.

Therefore, after Zhu Wen became very proud of himself in recent months, he inevitably had the idea of ​​building a large-scale project. He decided to expand the imperial palace by imitating the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang in order to demonstrate his civil and military achievements. The so-called Jiying Hall and Shengping Tower were built half a year ago at the instigation of the Ghost King by Zhu Wen using giant trees and even waste wood from the banks of the Wei River. It is also the only place in the imperial palace that can be used to entertain ministers and foreign vassals.

But it is a palace after all. No matter how crudely built, cramped and small it is, it will still have the necessary magnificence. In addition, the palaces are newly built, so it is inevitable that there is an air of luxury.

After Xiao Yan entered the palace, an eunuch immediately came to lead him inside. Some purple-robed and red-robed officials who were not treated this way, some green-robed officials who were occasionally brought in or sent with real power, and the families of some officials all looked at him sideways.

However, after hearing about Xiao Yan's identity and seeing his iconic broad shoulders and narrow waist from afar, he just thought it was due to his status and the emperor's favor, so it was not surprising.

"Let your Excellency know that my grandfather has been waiting for you for a long time." The young eunuch led the way and did not forget to say a few good words for his adoptive father.

Xiao Yan, who usually treated others in a peaceful manner, now had an air of majesty. He walked slowly behind with his hands behind his back, just nodded slightly and didn't say much.

The young eunuch was so worried when he saw this that he dared not say a word.

But seeing Ding Zhaopu coming towards him from a corner, Xiao Yan stood beside the rockery with his hands behind his back, looking at the pond and admiring the flowers, and said, "Eunuch Ding's fake son is smart and alert. He will definitely be a rare talent in the future."

Ding Zhaopu, who had already bent his waist slightly, was stunned when he heard the words, and then smiled and said quickly: "No, no, I am just a lowly slave. It is a great honor to be in your eyes. How dare I be called a talent..."

As for the young eunuch, he was already mixed with surprise and joy, and he felt grateful to Xiao Yan.

Just Xiao Yan's casual words were worth more than any reward money. As a high-ranking eunuch in the palace, Ding Zhaopu had many concubines under his name, and there were countless intrigues among them. It was common for him to bribe his superiors and trip up his subordinates. If he really wanted to stand out, it all depended on Ding Zhaopu's words.

And as one of the few adopted sons trusted by Ding Zhaopu, everyone knew that this young Marquis Guanjun was their grandfather's biggest backer outside the palace. With the saying "backer of a backer", how could he be afraid of not being able to make a name for himself?
Ding Zhaopu naturally understood that Xiao Yan was showing him a favor, so he was willing to give him this face. He gave the young eunuch some compliments, and finally waved his hand: "Go and guard it."

The young eunuch was naturally extremely delighted. He hurriedly walked around the rockery and then went to wait outside the garden path.

After he left, Ding Zhaopu became more respectful, not disguising his fawning attitude. He looked around, then flicked his whisk and took out a small paper bag from his sleeve: "According to your Majesty's wishes, when Your Majesty took the elixir today, I secretly took one. It's the freshest..."

"Thank you for your trouble." Xiao Yan nodded slowly, took the so-called elixir, crushed the only one with his fingers, and then smelled it gently.

Ding Zhaopu was a little panicked. Zhu Wen treasured this thing very much, and there was a special person counting it every day. He took a huge risk to steal one, and if it was crushed, there would be no second one...

However, a faint smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face, and then a flash of light appeared on his palm, and a wisp of lingering ghost energy emerged, directly destroying the fragments of the elixir into air.

"It's poppy indeed."

He muttered to himself, and then said: "Who made this so-called elixir? Where was it made? Where did the ingredients come from?"

"I would like to let you know that this elixir was first presented by the Ghost King, and then His Majesty ordered him to move the elixir room to the palace. It was two legendary Indian holy monks who specially set up an elixir room in the Qingning Palace. No one is allowed to enter unless they have a waist badge. As for the elixir materials..."

Ding Zhaopu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have not personally witnessed the process of transporting the elixir materials, but I heard that the Ghost King still spent several months sending people to fetch a fixed amount from the Western Regions. It is said that many elixir materials mature only once every ten years. Perhaps this is the 'opium' that you, my Lord, are talking about..."

"What do you mean by 'ten years to ripen'?" Xiao Yan laughed, but said nothing more, and then said: "What kind of evil monk from India can also make elixirs? Can't we Chinese Buddhists do that? There is no one in the Taoist tradition?"

Ding Zhaopu laughed and said, "He is also a ghost king. He used the fact that Zhang Xuanling of the Tianshi Mansion refused to submit in the past to suggest that Your Majesty should eradicate the Taoist tradition..."

Xiao Yan was just joking, so he naturally didn't care. He waved his hand and said, "After a while, I will bring an old Taoist to the capital. Can you think of a way to give him a chance to see His Majesty?"

"Leave it to the slave."

Ding Zhaopu bowed respectfully without asking any more questions. He knew that Xiao Yan must have his own confidence in bringing the Taoist priest into the capital at this critical juncture. And there was no need to think too much, he must be going after the Ghost King in the end. Since he had boarded Xiao Yan's pirate ship so early, he had no chance to get off the ship today, so of course he just agreed.

After he finished talking, he took out another token from his sleeve.

"I have prepared what you need. If you want to leave the palace later, just show me this."

Xiao Yan naturally took the token of the Jinwu Guard, looked at it, and put it in his arms.

"There is one more thing." Ding Zhaopu whispered, "The Dark Emperor is indeed not on the list of those attending tonight's banquet... I have carefully inquired and found that the Dark Emperor is not in seclusion. Instead, he reported to Your Majesty at the beginning of the month that he had personally gone to Lingzhou to capture a mortal enemy of the Xuanming Sect..."

"Lingzhou, mortal enemy?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then understood, and then he put his hands behind his back, frowned and said nothing.

Seeing that there seemed to be nothing else to do, Ding Zhaopu waited for a moment before suggesting, "Sir, how about I take you to the banquet?"

"No, it's not easy for you and I to get too close."

Xiao Yan pondered and said, "Now the Ghost King sees me as a thorn in his side, so it's inevitable that he will have some spies watching me. From now on, just send your fake son to do the work. Unless it's necessary, you don't have to move."

Ding Zhaopu understood, knowing that Xiao Yan was thinking of him. If the Ghost King found an excuse to attack him, Xiao Yan, as a powerful general, would be able to protect himself unless there was a catastrophe. But it would be different for him, a eunuch, who could be easily killed.

Xiao Yan's move was also to prevent the matter from being directly implicated in Ding Zhaopu. If it really didn't work, he could also use the little eunuch to take the blame.

Ding Zhaopu had no objection. He was slightly moved and immediately called the young eunuch in to introduce Xiao Yan to him.

The young eunuch named Tian Er was lying on the ground with his head down. He caught a glimpse of Xiao Yan nodding slightly with an indifferent look on his face. He was overjoyed, not knowing that his wealth and honor had fallen upon him...

After the matter was settled, Tian Er naturally led Xiao Yan to Shengping Tower, but after they entered a side room responsible for washing hands and changing clothes, another person immediately followed in.

Through the screen, Xiao Yan could clearly tell that the latter was not tall and was a woman.

Then, a deliberately low voice called out: "Champion Marquis Xiao Yan? Is he in there?"

Xiao Yan lifted the curtain and went out, only to see a palace maid standing there, glancing around with a nervous look on her face.

"I'm."

In fact, the maid heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Xiao Yan's face, and then stepped forward carefully and whispered: "My Lord, I want to tell you something..."

Xiao Yan frowned slightly, but did not move. He just said calmly: "Who is the master behind you?"

The maid was inexplicably nervous and anxious, and lowered her voice even more: "Princess Ying..."

Xiao Yan's frown became even more intense.

Zhang Zhenniang?
Seeing him deep in thought, the maid was at a loss for a moment, so she could only whisper: "Your Majesty is taking elixirs to practice, Princess Ying asks you to see her..."

What a weird sentence.

His Majesty is taking the elixir, and then the princess can invite him to see her...

If you don't know, you might think it was the imperial concubine who invited him to see her. If Zhu Wen had the guts to do this, what would happen if he could learn from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang? It was something that everyone in the world knew, but he had to pretend to hide it, and only pretended to be Zhang Zhenniang who was filial to the Emperor Ming. Could it be that he liked this sense of taboo?
It's really weird.

But considering that it was Zhu Wen, it was not surprising. This guy not only liked to force his daughter-in-law, but also liked to force his ministers' wives... In addition, it was the end of the Tang Dynasty. Compared with the cannibalism, this kind of thing seemed insignificant. It was just a loss of reputation and ethics. Zhu Wen didn't care.

Xiao Yan felt a headache and immediately turned around and walked away, saying indifferently, "Leave on your own, I will pretend that this never happened." Seeing his tall figure leaving without hesitation, the palace maid was obviously anxious and asked hurriedly, "My lord, have you forgotten the change of generals in Hebei last year?"

Xiao Yan paused. At that time, he managed to arrange for Zhang Zhenniang to whisper in Zhu Wen's ear and replace Yang Shihou of Cangzhou with Zhu Hanbin. This was indeed true, and he even gave him a place in the Rouge Review.

This matter is not a big deal, but it is also not a small matter. It is indeed a handle.

He thought about it and couldn't help laughing.

Regardless of Zhang Zhenniang's character, at least she could have a say in Zhu Wen's affairs, which allowed her to arrange a matter for him.

Thinking of this, he just stretched out his hand silently, obviously letting the palace maid lead the way.

The latter was overjoyed, and hurriedly walked in front carefully, leading Xiao Yan to the depths of the palace.

It is not quite right to say that it is deep inside, as it is still within the scope of the Jiying Palace. However, the roads leading inside are a bit complicated and seem to be still under construction. It is obviously a large lake, which resembles the scene of the Qujiang Banquet selected by Emperor Ming Huang in the past. Combined with the so-called "Jiying", it is understandable that Zhu Wen intended to use this palace to celebrate the success of new scholars in the imperial examinations.

But no matter what, they finally arrived at a tower that had not been built yet.

Xiao Yan was open and frank, not afraid of being caught. He was confident that he could twist the palace maid's neck before anyone noticed, and then leave calmly without giving anyone a chance to spot him.

And it is obvious that Zhang Zhenniang didn't want to be seen by others.

"..."

Through a door, he had already seen an enchanting figure among them, so he stopped and did not go in.

The maid was a little surprised, but she did not dare to disobey the young Marquis of Champion. Moreover, he had just said some coercive words to her, and she was still feeling uneasy.

She went to report it herself and did not mention it. A moment later, Zhang Zhenniang came out in a long dress held by a palace maid, pretending to be elegant. She was holding a palace lantern, looked carefully at Xiao Yan, who had an indifferent expression, and just snorted.

"Is Champion Hou angry?"

"I wonder why Princess Ying invited me here?" Xiao Yan's face was indifferent, but his attention had already swept around. After making sure that there was no third party near the tower, he spoke.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Zhenniang became annoyed. Her pretended elegance also disappeared, and she said coldly: "If there is nothing wrong, can't we invite the Marquis of Guanjun to come?"

"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."

"Wait!"

Xiao Yan turned around, but stopped when he heard a scolding.

The two palace maids beside her were filled with anxiety at this moment.

"Come here, I have something to tell you." Zhang Zhenniang endured it for a moment, looking at Xiao Yan's figure that attracted the admiration of all the young ladies in the city, but she was reluctant to leave after all, and then raised her hand to show all her charm.

Xiao Yan looked at the two palace maids on his left and right.

Zhang Zhenniang was delighted and waved her hand to ask the two men to leave, while she took a few steps forward.

"You've been back in Beijing for a few days. I invited you many times but you didn't come, but you didn't want to take the risk today, so I had to. Could it be that you've forgotten our friendship? It's hard for you to send me food and drinks from Anle Pavilion for a whole year, and it's hard for you to review the Rouge Review, right?"

She moved closer, but couldn't help complaining, which made her relationship with Xiao Yan seem very close.

This was indeed the case. In order to have more spies and a say in Zhu Wen's situation, Xiao Yan had actually humbled herself and worked for this man for a long time. In addition, Anle Pavilion often offered her new dishes to taste. With preconceived ideas, she could not help but believe that the relationship between the two was close.

Xiao Yan remained calm and just said, "Princess, your words are too serious. What Yanzhi commented on is what I really think. I did not accept the invitation to return to the capital, but I know my identity and dare not offend the Underworld Emperor..."

"Him? Why should I be afraid of him?" Zhang Zhenniang smiled and moved closer and closer: "Zhu Yougui left the capital ten days ago. I was the only one in the palace before. Now I don't need to be afraid of others."

"Li Jing?"

"He went to Lingzhou, saying that he was going to look for some corpse ancestor..." Zhang Zhenniang was obviously resentful, but at this moment she answered every question. For some reason, she felt that talking with Xiao Yan was particularly pleasant.

"Corpse Ancestor..." Xiao Yan nodded.

Seeing that he was indeed handsome and lived up to her longing for him, Zhang Zhenniang was very pleased and spoke in a superior tone, "Come to think of it, I have taken care of Anle Pavilion for you for the past year, and this is how you repay me? Can you just dismiss me with a sentence like 'I'm afraid of Zhu Yougui'?"

"Of course not."

Xiao Yan answered naturally: "I have bought a manor outside the city, and I also plan to set up an industry. The princess may like it..."

What’s good about things outside the city?

Zhang Zhenniang subconsciously wanted to say this, but when she got to her lips, she changed her words: "Did you do it for me?"

"Of course." Xiao Yan remained calm.

"What industry?"

"Princess, you will know once you have seen it."

Zhang Zhenniang was delighted to see that he did not seem to be faking it, but before she could say anything else, a palace maid hurried over.

"Princess, His Majesty has taken the elixir ahead of time..."

After hearing these words, Zhang Zhenniang was naturally flustered, but when she looked up at Xiao Yan, she saw that the latter was still calm, and she couldn't help but like him even more.

"I have to go now. I'll send someone to look for you after the banquet."

"Not appropriate." Xiao Yan declined politely, "Princess, you are a daughter of a rich family. How can you have too much contact with a rough person like me? And if you want to meet, I should be the one to visit you. I dare not trouble you."

"If you didn't take the trouble, how could you come?" Zhang Zhenniang couldn't help but complain, but she knew it was time to go. After hesitating for a moment, she let the maid go first and asked, "Can you hug me?"

Xiao Yan was startled, looked down at Zhang Zhenniang's expectant eyes, then just nodded and gently crossed his arms.

The latter had already come up, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath of Xiao Yan's scent. She couldn't hide her excitement and asked, "Can you call me Zhen Niang?"

Xiao Yan was naturally satisfied.

Afterwards, Zhang Zhenniang seemed to have over-achieved the purpose of this trip. After instructing Xiao Yan to come and find her, she left in a hurry.

Xiao Yan frowned and did not take this matter seriously.

What particularly concerned him was why the Hades knew the whereabouts of the surrendered minister.

(End of this chapter)