Sophia, why, it seems that Princess Yushuang has always been in poor health. Wasn't it because His Highness King Yan fell out of anger because he failed to ascend the throne as emperor? "Deliberately wanting to break the somewhat stagnant atmosphere, Wu Feng simply took Sophia's wrist and asked casually while carefully checking Sophia's palm.
Almost only lovers can have such intimate behavior, which made Sophia subconsciously want to break free from Wu Feng's big hand, but Wu Feng's powerful force almost brought Sophia's body into Wu Feng's arms, panicking. Sophia's voice trembled a little, "Your Highness, don't do this!"
"Why can't it be like this?!" Wu Feng asked the other party confidently, "My fair lady, a gentleman is so bold. Is Sophia also at the age of marriage? I don't seem to be violating anything by pursuing Sophia like this, right?"
Of course Sophia knew the customs and habits of the Tanghe Empire. A person with Wu Feng's status was probably unique in the Tanghe Empire. Although the two women were engaged first and today's mysterious mistress followed, this was not the case. It does not affect his marriage. As the prince of the empire, maybe he will reach a higher level in the future. Marriage has no restrictive effect on him, as long as it does not seriously violate the customs and habits of the Tang people.
Her heart softened, and despite Wu Feng pinching her slender wrist, Sophia cast her gaze into the distance and sighed quietly before saying, "Your Highness, you already have a lot of confidantes by your side. Sophia is no more than a person who has lost her country like a willow. How about you?" Why should you care so much?"
Turning his head suddenly, Wu Feng's eyes narrowed. Staring straight at the girl who dared to look at Wu Feng, he said word for word: "If Sophia doesn't want to, Li Wufeng will never force her, but I trust my feelings."
He lowered his head to avoid Wu Feng's gaze. Sophia felt sour and bitter in her heart. She was like a duckweed wandering around and could never find a home. However, the majestic and heroic man in front of her already had other feelings. She no longer wanted to get involved in the fight with those women. But can I get over my own inner emotions
Shi Yawei stood behind her two sisters with a complicated expression. She regretted coming to attend this cocktail party with her two sisters. She looked at the noisy hall full of people singing and dancing, and the people surrounding her These men looked so wretched and ugly, and she felt indescribably depressed and suffocated.
How had Ting Xuexuan ever fallen into such a situation, where such a huge power group actually showed up and had no one to accept it? Faced with Situ Tai's strength. Neither the line of the King of Tai, the line of the King of Xiang, nor the line of the King of Chu who was about to take over the base seemed unwilling to take over the largest martial arts sect in the imperial capital, which was deeply hated by Situ Tai. Shi Yawei did not believe this fact. Shi Yayin and Shi Yafu didn't believe this fact, and even Shi Yunyao himself didn't want to believe it. But the reality before him was that both the King of Xiang and the King of Chu had clearly rejected the Shi family's surrender. , and the King of Qin's family also showed an expression of rejecting people thousands of miles away, and this time Su Tai, a famous Jiangdong scholar who came to the imperial capital to be in charge of foreign affairs, was not even willing to meet Shi Yunyao, maybe because he thought that with Qing With Ye Pai as their support, they no longer need to spend too much thought on this aspect. Of course, the main reason was that he didn't want to quarrel with Situ Tai, who had already announced plans to deal with the Shi family because of this matter.
But Ting Xuexuan is desperate. If he does not gain the support of one of the three major forces in the Imperial City, then Ting Xuexuan, one of the three major sects in the Imperial City, may immediately fall from the top three. Now it has shown this decline. The Ministry of Internal Affairs kept shutting down the Shi family's business for various reasons. The deputy director in charge of salt affairs of the Imperial City Economic Development Bureau, who had always maintained a good relationship, suddenly became cold towards the Shi family, and even avoided the Shi family's invitation to meet. There seems to be a tendency that the current salt monopoly certificate will not be renewed, which makes Shi Yunyao so anxious that he has trouble sleeping and eating. Salt trading is the most important and profitable pillar industry of the Shi family's business. Others, such as escort agencies, martial arts schools, transportation agencies, etc., may appear to be quite powerful in name, but in terms of profits contributed to Ting Xuexuan alone, all other industries combined cannot compare to the profits earned by Ting Xuexuan from the salt trade. Take one-third.
Shi Yunyao, an old man who has been in the empire's arena for decades, knows that once his source of income is cut off. It was only a matter of time before Tingxue It means nothing. But now the situation is so serious. In the past, if there was a banquet with the three concubines of the Shi family, they would come all over the place, but now they were invited twice, and the answer they got was that they were not feeling well and could not fulfill the contract. This is obviously someone behind the scenes putting pressure on the other party, but as Shi Yunyao, it is hard to say. The right to issue salt monopoly certificates is originally the prerogative of the government department. Just grant it if the conditions are right. To make a fortune, the same sentence of not paying money if the conditions are not met can also make a family sink. The Shi family has been able to prosper for more than ten years largely because of its reliance on the salt business. This was promoted by the Situ Mingzhi family and then took advantage of the Shi family. The deputy director of this line now seems to be planning to draw a clear line with the Shi family, and this blow is enough to bring the Shi family back from disaster.
This was not the only thing that bothered Shi Yunyao. Two martial arts schools were sealed indefinitely by the police for hiding weapons without declaration. Shi Yunyao negotiated with Xue Baiying, the chief of the Imperial City Police Department twice, but failed. The goods escorted to Dengzhou were robbed again on the way. Although the value of the goods was not great, the Shi family lost several people. The robbers were obviously ruthless and ruthless because they were targeting the goods and wanted to attack the bodyguards. As a result, the Shi family had no choice but to In order to appease the families of the murdered people and to deal with the flamboyant cargo owners, the reputation of the Shijia escort agency was greatly affected, and the business plummeted. All of this made Shi Yunyao feel very anxious.
On the contrary, the alliance of five factions headed by the Sunset Sect is booming. With Situ Tai's open support, the Sunset Sect has already taken up the banner of the number one martial arts sect in the imperial capital, and several other sects are also constantly in the process. All aspects have expanded their respective scopes, and have continued to encroach on the circle of influence that originally belonged to Ting Xuexuan. The Qingye Sect has the support of the Taiwang family, and still maintains its inherent sphere of influence, and there is a trend of strengthening. Even those who were originally in the capital The Zifeng Sect, which has never been able to open up the situation, has suddenly emerged with the strong support of the Xiang King family and has become the Tanhualang of the imperial capital, second only to the Sunset Sect and the Qingye Sect, and kicked Ting Xuexuan out mercilessly. Ranked among the top three martial arts sects in the imperial capital. And the Triads, with the shadow of the new emperor looming behind them, also began to exert their strength, overwhelming Ting Xuexuan in one fell swoop and seizing several important businesses from Ting Xuexuan. According to Shi Yunyao's understanding, the fight for the salt monopoly license was in full swing. It's from this gang, and behind them is the support of His Highness the King of Chu.
The rise of emerging sects will inevitably lead to changes in the power structure of the entire imperial capital. There will be prosperity and decline. Their rise will naturally come at the expense of the decline or even decline of some sects. A large number of people led by Ting Xuexuan who were originally close to Situ Lang's power in the world has almost without exception begun to shrink and decline. Some small and medium-sized sects have already felt the coming of the cold winter. Seeing these sects slowly fading away, Shi Yunyao seems to have seen that tomorrow's Ting Xuexuan may follow them. ’s footsteps.
There were no good opinions in the conversation with the three daughters. The series of troubles that occurred in a short period of time were not without cause. There are various signs that Situ Tai wants to push the Shi family to a dead end step by step and force them to listen. Xuexuan and his family knelt down in front of him and begged for mercy, just like a cat teasing a mouse in its paws, it would not stop until it had enough fun. It is not a very secret thing that Situ Tai falls in love with his three daughters. Shi Yunyao didn't do it, but it is precisely because he knows Situ Tai's cold nature so well that Shi Yunyao can't believe him. He must retaliate against Situ Tai. Even if the Shi family is kneeling in front of Situ Tai now, they may not be able to win the other party's understanding. With his character, he will only abuse his own family in every possible way, and then knock Ting Xuexuan into the 18th floor. Hell, Shi Yunyao couldn't take this step.
The reception held by Li Wufeng's group seemed to ignite Shi Yunyao's last glimmer of hope. Although Su Tai rejected Shi Yunyao's invitation to meet, Shi Yunyao did not give up. Tingxue Xuan still had huge strength in the imperial capital, even in the entire In the Central Plains region, Ting Xuexuan still has considerable influence. Shi Yunyao believes that as long as he shows his own value to the other party through appropriate opportunities, he has a chance to win the other party's trust. Of course, this requires opportunities, and this cocktail party seems to be a God-given opportunity. Although the quota for this cocktail party was quite strict, Shi Yunyao managed to get three invitations by relying on his own ability. As the head of the Shi family and the helmsman of the Ting Xuexuan sect, it was a pity that he did not get an invitation. I would like to attend this kind of cocktail party next time, but my three daughters do not have so many restrictions. No matter what their status is, they can come and go freely. The hopes of the Shi family and Ting Xuexuan are pinned on this cocktail party. As the organizer, Li Wufeng will definitely attend this cocktail party. Finding the right time to communicate directly with Li Wufeng is the only chance to see the new emperor ascend the throne. Immediately, I am afraid that if I miss this opportunity, I will never be able to meet His Royal Highness the King of Thailand, who is powerful in the vast western region of the empire.