"This is clearly an excuse. You are afraid of death, but you are still quibbling here!" The shrill and unpleasant voice still echoed in the room, like the crowing of a rooster when it is slaughtered. "What time is it? You don't even open your eyes to see who is the noble sitting in front of you. Don't you think that His Royal Highness Prince Min and the ladies can't order a small captain like you around? You are really so arrogant. If you keep making excuses, be careful that we will have someone drag you out and chop you off..."
Hearing the eunuch's aggressive voice, Yan Liqiang quickened his pace and walked to the door of the hall in two steps. Before he arrived, he spoke loudly, and his voice spread inside, "It is an iron law of the Han Empire that the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Who is so bold as to act so arrogantly here? How dare a eunuch who has no real job order the officers of the Imperial Mabu Division here?"
After he finished speaking, Yan Liqiang walked proudly into the hall and saw the situation inside clearly.
The hall was indeed lively, with quite a few people sitting there.
Sitting in the main seat was a beautiful middle-aged woman who was probably in her forties. She had a shawl on her shoulders, a brocade dress, and green ornaments on her head. Just sitting there with her hands on her knees, she looked noble. And because she had taken good care of herself, even though she was in her forties, she looked like a woman in her thirties, with a figure and appearance that showed no signs of aging.
Sitting next to the woman was a man, a young man to be more precise, about the same age as Yan Liqiang. He was wearing a gorgeous robe of strange colors. He was looking at Liu Xitong and the others with his head tilted. The expression on his face was one of disdain and self-righteous pride, as well as the look of a bystander watching a play, and a little confused. It was difficult to describe that charm in words.
A skinny eunuch with powdered face was standing next to the two men, veins bulging on his neck and forehead. He stretched out a hand and pointed at Liu Xi and others in an imposing manner.
There was an old man with a white beard and a black robe standing behind the young man with a solemn expression. As soon as Yan Liqiang came in, the old man's eyes flashed and he looked at Yan Liqiang.
On the left side of the main seat, there were three beautiful women sitting, aged between 20 and 30, each with her own charm. Just by looking at these women, Yan Liqiang could be sure that these women should be the emperor's concubines who escaped from the palace. There were six palace maids standing beside these three concubines. These women said nothing, just looked at them. From the faces of these women, if you look closely, you can still see a trace of paleness left on their faces because of panic and fear...
On the right side of the main seat, there was only a woman sitting. The woman was not very old, about twenty years old. She was not stunningly beautiful, but very attractive. She was a beauty with an oval face, jet-black hair, and a pair of single eyelids that looked very bright. Beside this young woman stood a eunuch and two palace maids.
Liu Xitong, Xu Shu and several other lieutenants of Luyuan stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall like prisoners being interrogated. The expressions on their faces were not very good, until they heard Yan Liqiang's voice. Several of them turned around and saw Yan Liqiang coming in. The expressions on their faces were relieved at once.
With just a quick glance, Yan Liqiang immediately keenly felt that the people in the room, the one sitting in the main seat and those sitting on both sides of the main seat, were obviously not in the same group, but were divided into three groups.
"Who are you?" The eunuch who was pointing at Liu Xi and the others saw Yan Liqiang coming in, and immediately turned his target to Yan Liqiang like a fighting cock, and shouted sharply, "How dare you be rude here!"
Yan Liqiang glanced at the eunuch with a gleam in his eyes. He could tell at first glance that this eunuch was an ordinary person without any cultivation, but he acted like a bully with the might of a powerful person. He had a powerful and clever face, and while he was talking, his eyes were still rolling around. He had reported that he was coming in, and this eunuch must have known that. But at this time he still asked who he was, obviously wanting to show off in front of his master and intimidate him. If a character like this was put into those palace fighting movies and TV dramas to play a minor villain in the harem, he wouldn't even need any makeup.
"I am the governor of Qiyun in the Han Empire, a hereditary first-class baron, a master craftsman of the Ministry of Personnel, and the archery master of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Yan Liqiang..." Yan Liqiang was furious, his long robe and hair fluttering in the wind, his eyes gleaming as he glared at the eunuch, "Who are you? A eunuch with no position and no power is shouting and gesticulating in front of me, get out of my way..."
Seeing Yan Liqiang getting angry, with his aura surging and his momentum terrifying, the old man in black robe standing behind the main seat took a step forward calmly, staring at Yan Liqiang.
“You… you… you… you…” The eunuch’s face turned red after being choked by Yan Liqiang. He was shocked and terrified. He pointed at Yan Liqiang with one finger and trembled constantly. He couldn’t even speak clearly. The beautiful middle-aged woman sitting in the main seat turned her head and glanced at him. The eunuch immediately trembled like an eggplant hit by frost, and retreated without saying anything.
Yan Liqiang ignored the eunuch and the other people in the hall, and said directly to Liu Xi and the others, "Okay, there is nothing for you to do here, you can go down!"
"Master Yan..." the beautiful woman sitting in the main seat spoke, her voice was quite pleasant, not anxious or flustered, but rather calm and composed, "I have heard of Master Yan's name in the palace, but at this time, Master Yan came and sent away the lieutenant officer of the Deer Garden, as if he was the one who was in charge of things here. I'm afraid this is not appropriate!"
"When I was in the Imperial Capital, His Majesty appointed me as the deputy chief steward of the Deer Garden. This position has not been officially revoked until now..." Yan Liqiang looked at the beautiful woman calmly, "The chief steward of the Deer Garden, Eunuch Li, is dead. According to the rules of the Han Empire, I have the final say in the Deer Garden now. I am the highest commander here. They are all officers under me. They must obey my orders in everything they do. Naturally, I can let them leave..."
Yan Liqiang said this and glanced at Liu Xitong and the others. Liu Xitong and the others immediately saluted Yan Liqiang and left the hall without saying a word.
When everyone in the room heard Yan Liqiang say this, they looked at each other.
"I see. That was a bit abrupt of me. When I came to the Deer Garden just now, Master Yan was not here, so I called them over to ask a few questions!" The beautiful middle-aged woman reacted quickly and smiled at Yan Liqiang. "Now that Master Yan is here, it's the same as long as Master Yan is here!"
"I have been to the palace several times, but I have never been to your Majesty's harem. I wonder what you call them!"
“Hahaha, very interesting, this is the first time I see someone who doesn’t know us!” The young man sitting in front of Yan Liqiang actually clapped his hands and laughed, then pointed his finger at his nose and introduced himself seriously, “I am Prince Min, you must remember…” Then he pointed at the beautiful woman next to him, “This is my mother, Concubine Rong…” Then he pointed to the woman sitting alone on the right side of the main seat, “That’s Princess Anping…” Then he pointed to the three beauties sitting on the left, “That’s Concubine Duan, Concubine Rui, and Concubine Yi…” Finally, His Royal Highness Prince Min turned around and pointed at the black-robed old man standing behind them, “This is a worshiper in the palace, a very powerful master, Elder Liu, you must remember…”
Yan Liqiang certainly remembered it, but what he didn't expect was that this wave of people fleeing from the palace was so complicated. He didn't know whether it was deliberately arranged by His Majesty the Emperor or these people just happened to escape together.
"I've talked to so many people, did you remember?" Seeing that Yan Liqiang didn't say anything, King Min asked very seriously.
Yan Liqiang took another look at His Royal Highness Prince Min, and finally confirmed that Prince Min was not pretending, but was one of those people who were born with "extraordinary bones".
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Min, for telling me. I'll remember it!" Yan Liqiang said to His Highness Prince Min calmly and bowed.
"Really? Then let me test you. Who do you think she is?" Prince Min pointed excitedly at Concubine Duan who was sitting on his left...
"Cough... cough..." Concubine Rong couldn't stand it anymore and coughed twice. She said to the eunuch next to her, "Jiang Yun, His Royal Highness Prince Min is a little tired. Take His Royal Highness Prince Min downstairs to rest..."
"No, no, I'm not tired at all. I'm an adult too, and I can discuss important matters..." His Royal Highness Prince Min said, shaking his head very unhappily.
"There are very beautiful nine-colored birds in this deer park. Don't you want to go and see them?" Concubine Rong said to her son with a friendly look.
"Really?" His Royal Highness Prince Min stood up suddenly, his eyes shining, and ran out at once, "Let's go, let's go, let's go see that bird, let's go see that bird..."
The eunuch and two guards quickly chased after him!
In the whole room, except for Yan Liqiang, the expressions on everyone else's faces seemed to show that they had already gotten used to this and were not surprised.
(End of this chapter)