Jiaochu

Chapter 63 The Actor’s Passionate Hongmen Banquet ([-])
Afraid of frightening the little imperial sister, Ye Xingye comforted him again: "Lingxi, don't be afraid. The sword is in the tomb where Mr. Shang and his wife were buried together. However, Mr. Shang was also a weirdo and was not buried after his death. In the royal mausoleum, he suddenly took his wife away one night without saying hello to anyone, and no one saw the two of them after that. I don’t know where they went.”

"I must have gone sightseeing. The book says that you only envy mandarin ducks, not immortals." Ye Lingxi said.

"Which book did you read it in?" Ye Lingjue asked.

"It's in the book, that's what the book says." Ye Lingxi said with certainty.

"Lingxi, how many books have you read?" Ye Xingye asked curiously.

Ye Lingxi raised her little head proudly and said, "That's a lot." As she said that, she pointed to a pomegranate tree in front of her, "The pile is higher than that."

"So many!" Ye Xingye said in surprise, "Why do you like reading so much?" He then touched the back of his head in embarrassment, "I can't do that. I get sleepy when I read."

"Third brother, don't worry. I'll sit behind you. If you feel sleepy, I'll pinch you from behind to make sure you're not sleepy anymore," Ye Lingxi said.

Ye Xingye: "..., no need, with Master Xu here, how can I dare to doze off."

……

When they reached a fork in the road, the three of them headed east.

The three of them were silent along the way. Ye Xingye was so bored that he looked up at the stars. He almost tripped because he was not paying attention to his feet. Fortunately, he reached out and grabbed a sleeve robe in time. After he stood firm and looked down, he felt a thump in his heart and immediately took it back. He stopped his hand and explained with a dry smile, "Second brother, I didn't mean it." Then he asked with a dry smile, "Second brother, are your clothes not torn?"

"Third brother, can you lend me the sword manual that Lingxi mentioned just now?" Ye Lingjue said.

Ye Xingye readily agreed: "Okay. Second brother, how about you go to my palace to get it now, or should I have someone send it to you?"

"There's no rush. We'll wait until you finish reading." Ye Lingjue said.

Ye Xingye said quite proudly: "I have finished reading it a long time ago. Second brother, let me tell you, what is said in it is very interesting. I hope you will read it without thinking about food and tea."

While talking, the three of them separated at another fork in the road. Ye Qingran headed towards Changle Palace. Ye Lingjue and Ye Xingye first went to Ganquan Palace to get the sword manual, and then returned to Yuyuan Palace.

On the other side, Xiao Anzi took the opportunity to show courtesy to Ye Lingxi.

"What the princess just said in front of the emperor really impressed me. What I said before was sincere. If you have anything to do with the princess, just ask me, and I will definitely take care of it for you."

"Then what if I ask you to do bad things?"

"As long as the princess is happy, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Ye Lingxi pointed at the moon in the sky and asked, "Then do you have a way to take the moon off?"

"I can't do this." Xiao Anzi took two steps closer and whispered, "But if the princess wants to know the secret of the imperial concubine, I can tell her something."

"What secret?" Ye Lingxi said.

Xiao Anzi said: "It's not convenient to talk here. I'll talk to the princess alone when I get there later." After arriving at Weiyang Palace, Ye Lingxi put aside the He He and the bells, leaving Xiao Anzi alone to talk.Xiao Anzi quietly told her that when he was still on duty in the Imperial Garden, he accidentally ran into Concubine Xiao and Prime Minister Zhou having a private meeting. It was raining heavily that day and there was no one in the Imperial Garden. He happened to be cleaning near Taiye Pond. When it rained Hiding in a nearby rockery cave, he happened to see two people in the hidden Luohua Pavilion beside Taiye Pond. After staying in the pavilion for about half a quarter of an hour, the two people left one after another. He recognized them first. After leaving Concubine Xiao, she was transferred to the Imperial Study Room and recognized the other person as Prime Minister Zhou.

"Why are you telling me? Aren't you afraid that I will tell the imperial concubine?" Ye Lingxi asked.

Xiao Anzi said: "Although I am stupid, I can see that the imperial concubine is hosting the Hongmen Banquet today. I accidentally broke a pot of flowers when I was moving flowers. The father-in-law in charge wanted to send the minion to the Yeting Division. The princess has heard about this place. There is life in and out, and the servant has no relatives or friends in this palace. Even if he died, no one would care. If Concubine Lan hadn't saved the servant's life, he would not be alive now. Standing in front of the princess, I vowed to repay Concubine Lan well. Although you are young, princess, you are extremely smart. It is my blessing to be able to share the princess' worries."

Ye Lingxi thought for a while and said, "Then help me pay more attention to the imperial concubine in the future."

Xiao Anzi agreed enthusiastically, then resigned and left.

After Xiao Anzi went out, Hehe and Lingdang walked in. Lingdang couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked first. Ye Lingxi told them about Xiao Anzi being rescued by her mother and concubine, without mentioning the private meeting.

"Princess, why don't you ask your empress tomorrow to see if it's true or not?" Lingdang always felt that Xiao Anzi was glib and unreliable.

Ye Lingxi said: "You can find out if such a thing is true or false if you check it, and there is no need to lie." She was thinking whether it was intentional or unintentional. If she deliberately dropped the flower pot when she saw her mother-in-law coming over, she would win with a performance. The drama of sympathy is not impossible. People's hearts are unpredictable, so she has to guard against him. If he is really a man who repays his kindness, she will not treat him badly in the future.

However, Xiao Anzi's words aroused Ye Lingxi's suspicion of another matter. However, at the last celebration banquet, she stared at Prime Minister Zhou for a long time and did not feel that he looked much like Ye Lingjue.

If not Prime Minister Zhou, who would it be?
After much deliberation, Ye Lingxi still felt that Prime Minister Zhou was the most suspicious. Even if it wasn't him, there was some kind of connection of interest between the two.

After thinking about it for a while, she put it aside and planned another thing.

The next day, when Hehe and Lingdang came to help Ye Lingxi get up, they saw that she looked gloomy and had no energy at all. They were startled and hurriedly reported to Concubine Lan.

Seeing Lingdang, Eunuch De hurried over and asked her what was going on. Then he ordered Xiao Anzi to ask for the imperial doctor and went in to report back.

Not long after, Ye Lanchen and Lan Fei came over together.

Seeing Ye Lingxi's sickly appearance, Concubine Lan was also startled. She quickly reached out and touched her forehead. Fortunately, it was not hot.

"Your Majesty, you have to go to court later, so go and have your meal first. I can just stay here." Concubine Lan said gently and considerately.

Eunuch De also said: "Your Majesty, I have sent someone to ask for the imperial doctor. He will be here soon. Your Majesty, please go and have breakfast first."

"Father, you can't go hungry, Lingxi is fine." Ye Lingxi cheered up and said.

Ye Lanchen reached out and touched Ye Lingxi's forehead, and glanced at He He and Ling Ding, who were waiting at the table, "Is there anything uncomfortable at night, princess?"

He He nervously replied: "The princess woke up twice in the night, as if she had a nightmare. She only fell asleep more peacefully in the second half of the night."

"It's so good, why do you have nightmares?" Ye Lanchen frowned, and his face became a bit colder.

After Eunuch De comforted him, Ye Lanchen's expression softened a little.

(End of this chapter)