Xiao Kezhi seems to have the intention of repeating his old tricks. Before the banquet started, he first said a few words to his nephew Xiao Yu in public, with a kind and friendly attitude, which was particularly eye-catching.
Everyone immediately moved when they heard the wind, just like the previous banquet, they stepped forward to drink with Xiao Yu, their attitude was not ardent, but they were all respectful and meticulously drank the wine in the cup.
Xiao Yu couldn't refuse, he could only drink cup after cup patiently, but from time to time he secretly scolded Xiao Kezhi for deliberately humiliating him.
Somehow, Chu Ning felt that he was getting drunk very fast today. Although she had already had someone prepare tea and let him use it slowly from time to time, before half an hour, his face was red and his eyes were chaotic.
This drink was prepared by the Inner Servant.
She couldn't help but glance at the main seat again.
At the other end, Xiao Kezhi was sitting on the couch, stroking the lines on the wine cup with one hand and resting the other hand on the wooden armrest, looking at the courtier below who was talking with his hands, as if he was completely Didn't notice anywhere else.
But just as her eyes fell on him, he quickly turned his head and collided with her again, creating a silent spark.
Under the eyes of the public, Chu Ning was startled, lowered his head subconsciously, called Cui He, and said softly, "Let someone go back and clean up the bedroom. Your Highness is afraid that he will go back and rest for a while."
Saying that, without waiting for her to go down, he quietly squeezed her fingertips and gave her a wink.
Cui He understood and went down.
…
On the other hand, Zhao Yu'e was not as conspicuous as last time.
As soon as she entered the table today, she first restrained her sharpness, and only sat on the seat safely. Even her dress was much more elegant than usual, a little less deliberately plump and gorgeous, but she looked like an ordinary woman who kept herself safe.
A few relatives who were familiar with her asked in surprise: "Second mother, why don't you speak today? But what's wrong?"
Zhao Yu'e smiled, and subconsciously touched the hollow carved silver sachet around her waist, which was quietly burning and hot, shook her head and said, "Nothing, it was probably hot and cold, and I drank two more glasses of wine, and now I feel a little dizzy. "
"Then do we have to go back and rest earlier? We live in Tangquan Palace. If we can't walk, I will send someone to prepare the chariots." One of the ladies looked caring.
"Thank you, but it's not necessary for the time being. I'll go outside to get some air first. If I can't hold it any more, I'll go back by myself." She said, motioning for Chunyan to help herself up. After nodding to the crowd, she went to press Getai Go outside and stop by the palace that was prepared for the emperor to rest for a while.
"Madam, this is it. The servants asked people to inquire about the inner chamber, and this is the side hall prepared for the saint." Chun Yan helped her to sit down on the side of the road, and put on her thick cloak.
It had just snowed a few days ago, and there was still unmelted snow on the rocks and trees by the roadside, and the air was chilly, scraping like a knife.
Zhao Yu'e couldn't help but shivered, looking at the palace gate guarded by only two shivering servants because the emperor was still in the future, gave her the silver sachet around her waist, and took a deep breath: " go."
Chun Yan glanced at her, gritted her teeth, nodded, turned around, and said to the two internal servants: "Two internal officials, my wife, Mrs. Zhao, is unwell and can't walk, so I have specially asked the servants to ask the two internal officials, can I? Help bring a bowl of hot soup to warm up the lady?"
The two servants looked at each other, and one of them hesitated: "Then... let me go alone."
Chunyan had expected that the two would never leave at the same time, so she nodded her thanks when she heard the words, and said apologetically to the other: "Can this official come along with the servants to help my wife?"
As she spoke, she made a "please" gesture to the servant.
The servant hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Zhao Yu'e was sitting not far away and would not delay his duty, he nodded in agreement and headed over there.
Chunyan walked behind him, and while he was not paying attention, he quickly ignited two soul-enchanting incense with sparks in the silver sachet, and threw them into the hall through the gap.
…
Press the song platform, at the banquet.
Chu Ning looked at Xiao Yu who was drunk and unconscious, only to feel his forehead jumping. She was almost certain that there must be something mixed in the wine, Xiao Yu couldn't notice it when he was drinking, but she was watching, but she could clearly feel that he was much more drunk than before.
"Send Your Highness back." She rubbed her brows and asked a few maids to help him leave the table, and then sat on the chariot and went back to the sleeping hall.
In the sleeping hall, Cui He had already prepared the bed, sobering soup, etc. with someone.
Chu Ning personally served Xiao Yu and went in. After wiping and changing his clothes, he helped him lie down, and after barely feeding the soup, he watched him fall asleep quickly, and then got up again and walked outside the hall.
"Today is New Year's Eve, and there are many envoys from Fanbang. His Highness left the table earlier. It would be inappropriate for me to leave so early." She said, waving at Cuihe, "Cuihe follows I'll go back to the banquet, and you will leave Haosheng to take care of Your Highness."
The maids did not suspect him, so they all bowed in response, and watched her leave.
When they reached the secluded place, Cui Hecai said in a low voice, "Ma'am, just now, the slave and maid met Liu Dajian on the way back. He said that the sage ordered the lady to go to the Feishhuang Palace after half an hour."
Chu Ning couldn't help but look in the direction of Feishhuang Temple not far away.
Because the emperor was not there, the lights had not been lit. But under the shroud of the moonlight, it still showed a hazy outline full of momentum.
"understood."
…
On the main seat, Xiao Kezhi waved back a few courtiers who were still talking to him, got up and tugged at the front of his clothes, and walked in the direction of the side hall.
Liu Kangcai came back from behind, hurriedly followed after seeing this, and replied softly: "Everyone, the words have been handed out, and the old slave personally told Cui He."
Xiao Kezhi made a low "um", his face was expressionless, but his body was inexplicably hot.
Press Getai was already a little hot, and now it's even more disturbing. He tugged at the front of his clothes again, trying to let the cold wind blow in, but the warm air that came to him was still warm.
"Get some thinner clothes." He wiped his forehead and ordered.
Liu Kang immediately asked someone to prepare, then turned around and said, "Everyone, Erniang Zhao has been here before."
Xiao Kezhi paused slightly as he stepped into the hall, raised his eyebrows and asked, "What did she come to do?"
For some reason, there seemed to be a very faint sweet smell wafting through the air.
Liu Kang said: "She didn't come close, she just sat outside for a while, saying that she was unwell and had someone bring hot soup, and she just left."
Xiao Kezhi didn't speak, but he felt something was wrong in his heart.
After a while, a maid came to change his clothes with his clothes in hand.
He stretched out his arms and stood there, unable to help but sniff carefully again. His five senses were sharper than others. When he caught the faint sweet scent again, he frowned and said, "Has the incense in the temple been changed?"
Liu Kang was stunned for a moment, shaking his head as he went to the incense burner to check it in person: "I haven't changed it before, but I still use the incense that Feng Yu personally mixed before."
Xiao Kezhi didn't speak. After changing his clothes, he slowly paced the room.
The scent was very light, and it appeared and disappeared from time to time, leading him to a stop near the gate of the palace.
In that place, there was a window with a slit opened, and the cold air came in, just sending the fragrance into the inner room.
He stopped for a moment, and finally saw some finely divided gray powder at his feet, just like the ashes left by the burning of the spices.
There was a blank in his mind for a moment, and then his face sank: "Put this thing away and send it to the imperial physician to have a look."
Liu Kang was shocked, and hurriedly wrapped the few remaining incense ash with silk handkerchief, and turned around to have the two servants who were guarding outside take down.
"Wait." Xiao Ke one calmly stopped them, and quickly extinguished a few lights, then led Liu Kang out in the dim light, "No one outside needs to move, just wait here."
Since someone is doing tricks in his house, it must be a plot, he might as well leave the person behind to create the illusion that he is still in the temple, so that he can invite you into the urn. It's just that the way the incense came from is unknown, and I don't know what's wrong. It's really not suitable to stay in the temple.
Liu Kang has stayed in the palace for many years, and he has a lot of heart and mind, and he understands it at once. He hurriedly whispered a few words to the people around him, and quickly led Xiao Kezhi to take a detour away.
"Can everyone find another side hall to rest for a while?"
Xiao Kezhi shook his head, listening to the singing and dancing at the banquet, and said, "Go to Chongming Pavilion."
Chongming Pavilion is an attic on the press platform. It is reserved for watching the fireworks tonight. No one is allowed to enter without his permission. That place is so good that you can look down on everything at the banquet.
The cold wind on the road kept blowing, but for some reason, the heat on his body did not recede at all, but intensified, making the whole body feel unreal.
He reached out and touched his forehead, and suddenly felt hot sweat on his hand.
The smell was definitely a problem.
A vague guess quickly formed in his mind. But at this moment, he didn't have the time to think carefully. He only felt that clusters of dense fog had risen in his originally clear mind, and the heat waves on his body were also rapidly hitting the same place.
"Everyone, everyone? Do you want an imperial doctor's order?" Liu Kang helped him up to the Chongming Pavilion. Seeing his flushed face and scattered eyes, he was so frightened that he was afraid that something might happen.
"Go, ask the imperial physician to make an order." Xiao Kezhi naturally also noticed that he was wrong, and nodded immediately.
But the next moment, he shook his head to stop it: "No, you don't need to ask the imperial doctor's order to bring her."
The restlessness in his body clearly told him that what he needed now was not a doctor's order, but a woman.
His mind was like a fault, and he could only silently outline a vaguely beautiful figure, it was her.
Liu Kang was stunned for a moment, and then realized that the "she" in his mouth was referring to the Crown Princess Chu. He couldn't help shaking his hand, swallowing, and then looked at his strangeness, and then suddenly realized the effect of the incense ash. what is.
At the banquet below, singing and dancing, chatting and laughing constantly, countless people were moving, and no one seemed to notice the abnormality in Chongming Pavilion.
Liu Kang shivered and poured a cup of cold tea and served it, and said bravely: "Everyone, bear with it, this old servant will go to invite His Royal Highness the Crown Princess."
Xiao Kezhi leaned on the couch, his whole body tense, barely keeping a bit of lucidity, and made a deep "um" sound.
Your Excellency Chongming, the two servants were covered in cold sweat and listened to Liu Kang's instructions, but they did not leave immediately, but their faces were full of confusion: "Master, there are so many people nearby, Your Highness Crown Princess - how do you come here? There will be fireworks in a while, Everyone has to look up at the saint, how can this be hidden from so many eyes..."
Liu Kang was so anxious and irritable that he walked back and forth in the same place, and glanced at random from time to time. When he saw the maid walking around the table, his eyes lit up, and he gritted his teeth: "Go and prepare another set of clothes and send them together."