The flower hall is just behind the banquet hall. It is a place for guests attending the banquet to gather. Yan Liqiang followed Yingluo to the flower hall and saw that the four ladies were waiting for him in the flower hall. As soon as he came in, four pairs of concerned eyes looked at him.
"Lord Yan, are you okay after the competition with General Feng just now? Are you injured?" Concubine Rong was the first to speak.
"I'm fine and not injured!" Yan Liqiang replied with a smile.
"That's good, that's good!" Concubine Rong heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Yan Liqiang with a different look, "We sisters thought you were injured!"
"Feng Jiangjun's attack was measured. We were just sparring just now and no one was injured!"
"I was really scared just now. There was such a loud noise, and Feng Jiangjun was so strong that the floor was about to burst. I was really scared!" Concubine Duan patted her proud chest, looked at Yan Liqiang lovingly, and blinked her eyes. "Sister Rui was so scared that she almost screamed, and Sister Yi also held my hand tightly. Lord Yan, they are all worried about you!"
Concubine Rui blushed slightly, lowered her head a little embarrassedly, and lowered her voice, "I didn't shout it out, I was just a little worried about Master Yan!"
Concubine Yi glanced at Concubine Rong, feeling a little embarrassed. "I've never seen such a fierce competition in the palace, so I'm naturally a little nervous!"
"Thank you for your concern!" Of the four women in front of him, Concubine Rong knew about herself, Concubine Rui, Concubine Duan, and Concubine Yi. However, Concubine Rui, Concubine Duan, and Concubine Yi did not know about herself and Concubine Rong. Ever since he came in, Concubine Duan's eyes had been constantly moving between his face and Concubine Rong's face, as if she had some doubts. After all, it was too coincidental that Concubine Rong was unwell last time. But even though she was suspicious, she dared not be sure of anything. It seemed that Concubine Rui, Concubine Duan, and Concubine Yi did not know about the "boudoir skills" passed down in the palace that Concubine Rong mastered.
In this situation, it was Yan Liqiang who felt a little awkward. Several people chatted seriously in the flower hall. When he was thinking about how to straighten out the relationship between the four people and himself, footsteps were heard outside the flower hall, and then Luo Yutian walked in.
"Hahaha, so Lord Yan is here!" Luo Yutian smiled. "I just sent a few guests out, and I didn't see Lord Yan when I came back. I guess the ladies are concerned about whether Lord Yan was injured just now?"
"Well, we saw Feng Jiangjun's amazing momentum just now, and we don't know how the pushing circle competition ended, so we asked Lord Yan to come over and ask. If Lord Yan is feeling unwell, the Luo family still has a healing medicine, so Lord Yan can be treated as soon as possible!" Concubine Rong looked at her brother and said, then stood up, with a calm and cold face, "Now that we know Lord Yan is fine, we sisters will go back to rest!"
Luo Yutian and Yan Liqiang both bowed slightly. Then, Concubine Rong, Concubine Rui, Concubine Duan and Concubine Yi, with the help of their personal maids, each looked deeply at Yan Liqiang, expressing a thousand words. Then, they left through the back door of the flower hall.
Only after seeing the ladies leave did Luo Yutian's face turn serious. He bowed to Yan Liqiang and said, "Thank you, Lord Yan, for showing mercy and not letting General Feng embarrass himself in public. Thank you!"
"You are too polite, Governor. Feng Jiangjun was also very measured in his actions. We just stopped at the right time. It's nothing!" Yan Liqiang said lightly.
After learning about Yan Liqiang escorting Concubine Rong back to Jinzhou, Luo Yutian felt that Yan Liqiang was not a simple person, brave and resourceful, and not an ordinary person. He had long wanted to make friends with him. After what happened tonight, Luo Yutian had seen countless people and felt that Yan Liqiang was unfathomable. After listening to what Yan Liqiang said, Luo Yutian laughed, "It's too polite for you to call me sir. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Luo. I will call you Liqiang from now on. Let's become friends regardless of age!"
"Brother Luo has spoken, how dare Li Qiang disobey!"
The two looked at each other and laughed.
After laughing, Luo Yutian suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, Li Qiang, do you have anything to do tonight?"
"It's nothing. I've had a good meal and a nice drink tonight and I'm very satisfied. I was just about to go back to the yard to rest. What's the matter, Brother Luo?" Yan Liqiang asked back.
"It's nothing special. My father wants to meet you, Li Qiang. These days, my father has been in seclusion at home and rarely sees outsiders. Just now, my father asked the old servant beside him to pass on a message, saying that he wants to meet you, Li Qiang, and have a chat with you. If you are convenient at this moment, I will take you to my father's courtyard to meet him, how about that?"
Luo Yutian's words were polite, but at this time, there was no reason for Yan Liqiang to refuse. After listening to Luo Yutian's words, he naturally nodded in agreement. Luo Yutian immediately took Yan Liqiang out of the flower hall and asked two servants to lead the way with lanterns. After walking in the Luo family's layered courtyards for seven or eight minutes, they finally arrived outside a quiet courtyard.
A hunchbacked old man was guarding under the osmanthus tree outside the yard. He came out from under the osmanthus tree when he saw Luo Yutian and Yan Liqiang coming over, but most of him was still in the shadows, looking particularly gloomy. He looked at Yan Liqiang deeply, without saying much, pushed open the door, and let Luo Yutian and Yan Liqiang in. Everyone else stayed outside the yard.
When passing by the old man, Yan Liqiang's body's Qi was slightly disturbed. He felt that there was a cold and chilly force flowing in the old man's body. Judging from the aura of that power, this inconspicuous hunchbacked old man was actually a powerful martial artist of the first level. The "Ten Dragons and Ten Elephants Divine Art" he practiced was extremely yang and strong. Under the same level, it seemed that it could just restrain this aura, so he had some sense of it.
Yan Liqiang glanced at the hunchbacked old man, and the hunchbacked old man also glanced at Yan Liqiang, with a gleam in his eyes, but neither of them said anything.
After entering the yard, Luo Yutian took Yan Liqiang directly to the study room on the east side of the yard. The light was on in the study room. Before Luo Yutian could knock on the door, a voice came from the study room, "Yutian, come in!"
Luo Yutian took Yan Liqiang directly into the study.
There are piles of bookshelves in the study. An old man with white hair and beard, clear temperament, and vague shadows of Concubine Rong and Luo Yutian can be seen between his eyebrows. He is wearing a comfortable and simple linen robe and is reading a book with great interest under the lamp.
As soon as he saw the old man's face, Yan Liqiang knew that this person was Concubine Rong and Luo Yutian's father, Luo Xianzhang, the former governor of Jinzhou and the real emperor of the Luo family. It was this man who sent Concubine Rong to the palace and made the Luo family the emperor's confidants. It was also this man who, with the emperor's support, established the Jinzhou camp to suppress the rebellion of the Yue indigenous people and created the Black Mountain Army.
Seeing the book in Luo Xianzhang's hand, Yan Liqiang was slightly shocked, because that book was the "Journey to the West" that he brought into this world...
"Father, Li Qiang has been brought here!" Luo Yutian, who was extremely domineering outside, suddenly became well-behaved and respectful after entering this study room.
"Well, sit down!" Luo Xianzhang put down the Journey to the West in his hand and asked the two to sit on the chair in front of him. Then he looked at Yan Liqiang with a smile, "Liqiang, I have read this book of yours more than once. It is hard to imagine that such a wonderful article was written by a teenager. Every word in this book is full of compassion!"
"I don't know why uncle said that?" Since he had already called Luo Yutian brother, when he saw Luo Xianzhang, Yan Liqiang just called him uncle. He knew that as long as he came here, Luo Xianzhang would not mind no matter what he called him, because Luo Xianzhang asked Luo Yutian to bring him here, not to chat about family matters.
Luo Xianzhang smiled amiably, his eyes were as gentle as water, with a strange feeling of cleansing people's hearts, "I have been paying attention to the "Han Empire Times" since it came out. If I guess correctly, Li Qiang, the reason why you wrote this book is not for fun, but to open up sales of the "Han Empire Times" in the capital area so that more people can see it. And the reason why you want to open up sales of the "Han Empire Times" in the capital area is because you already knew that there would be a natural disaster in the capital city this year. Do you think I am right? Others say that this "Journey to the West" is a joke, but I am the only one who sees that you wrote this "Journey to the West" to save people!"
Yan Liqiang was stunned for a moment. He had met quite a few people, but he had never met someone who could see through his plans as soon as they met. The shock in his heart was naturally self-evident.
In fact, not only Yan Liqiang, but even Luo Yutian, who sent Yan Liqiang here, did not seem to expect that his father would say such words. He was slightly shocked and looked at Yan Liqiang and Luo Xianzhang with the same shocked eyes.
At this time, Yan Liqiang was as shocked as Luo Yutian.
The mind snake in Yan Liqiang's head had already started at this time. After a moment of thinking, Yan Liqiang smiled slightly, "Yes, uncle is right, I did know that there would be a catastrophe in the future of the Imperial Capital City. The prophecy of the birth of the stone turtle in Ling'an River was also my handiwork, but I didn't know that Su Baiya and uncle were actually close friends. Su Baiya gave a lucky bag to the emperor, so he must have left one for uncle..."
This time, it was Luo Xianzhang's turn to be shocked. He looked at Yan Liqiang with a look of surprise that was hard to conceal, and then he sighed deeply, "It seems that what Brother Bai Ya said is indeed right. It turns out that there are really people like you, Liqiang, who can see through the secrets of heaven at a glance. I have another question. Is His Majesty the Emperor dead or alive now? Liqiang, do you know?"
"The Emperor is dead!" Yan Liqiang said very calmly, "Actually, you have already guessed this, haven't you? The White Lotus Sect can place their people everywhere, and it shouldn't be difficult for you and the Luo family to place some people in the White Lotus Sect. The new Saint of the White Lotus Sect should have informed the White Lotus Sect of the news that he killed the Emperor in the past two days. I think in a few days, the whole world may know about it..."
(End of this chapter)