[Wuxia] The Number One Ding Under Heaven (Complete) - 34

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

In Chapter 247 of the main text, Yangpai Fengkou, which had fallen

, was filled with joy by a single sentence. Fourth Brother enjoyed this feeling of being overjoyed. He immediately kept his promise and personally brought Gongsun Ce to the editorial department, introducing this newly recruited deputy editor-in-chief, who was in his early twenties, to his colleagues.
Although a young man with no academic achievements and no one even knew him had taken this coveted position, no one questioned Fourth Brother's arrangement. This was because the editorial department adopted Fourth Brother's unique performance mechanism: the more you did, the more salary you received. If you didn't do anything, even if you were the chief editor, you wouldn't get a penny. And if you were proven to be incompetent, then without a doubt, you would be immediately demoted. Fourth Brother was simply giving the young man an opportunity by appointing him as deputy editor-in-chief; whether he could seize it was up to him.
Gongsun Ce, true to his name, immediately mingled with the editors upon arriving at the Second Editorial Department's office. After a brief introduction to the business by his fourth brother, he plunged into the intense work. Printing, magazine layout based on modern publishing concepts, graphic design, text editing… and so on. The reality made her admire this young servant's forward-thinking and creativity. Even though she disliked his frivolous, unruly, and willful nature, witnessing firsthand the various effective and practical "inventions" and "innovations" forced her to set aside her preconceived dislike and re-evaluate this extraordinary man beside her.
She casually picked up a draft of a magazine and flipped through it, trying to find flaws so she wouldn't be so amazed by this wicked servant's genius. But after reading only a few pages, she suddenly noticed a row of solemn and imposing characters on the title page: "Loyalty and Righteousness Unparalleled in the Yang Family!
" "What is this?" she asked, pulling Pang aside.
Pang glanced at his hand and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, can't you read?"
Yang Paifeng almost slapped him in anger, but under the watchful eyes of more than twenty pairs of eyes in the editorial department, she rationally chose to "endure," glaring at Pang fiercely, "Why is our Yang family mentioned here?"
"Oh, this is the title of the fourth issue of the *Great Song Dynasty Weekly*. Following the special issue on the Flower Queen Competition, we plan to publish a new special issue as a supplement to commemorate three generations of loyalty and righteousness of your Yang family, who sacrificed their lives for our Great Song Dynasty, shedding blood and shedding tears for the country, risking their lives, one after another, exchanging their blood and lives for the peace of the nation and the stability of the people. It serves as a reminder that we must not forget the past, nor be complacent with the status quo, but dedicate everything to the revitalization of the Great Song Dynasty, especially the young people, who should not fail the expectations of the nation." Don't waste your precious youth! Remember the heroic sacrifices of the Yang Family Army, learn from their noble spirit, study diligently, practice assiduously, constantly refine your skills, strive for progress, and become the hope of the nation and the backbone of the people as soon as possible!
Fourth Brother's mouth is incredibly sharp; he launched into a long, rambling monologue without even taking a breath, leaving Yang Paifeng stunned. After a long while, she snapped out of it, angrily shoving him away: "You...you shouldn't try to flatter me with this kind of thing. I...I don't appreciate it."
"Oh, sister guessed right, this issue is for you!" Pang didn't deny his purpose at all, and leaned closer with a grin. "Sister, you've been protecting me all this time, never leaving my side. You've really worked hard! How could I let you do it for nothing? The Lantern Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar) is just around the corner, so I'm doing a special issue for the people of the capital to commemorate the martyrs of the Yang family, to comfort the people's heroes of Tianbo Mansion who sacrificed their lives for the country. The magnificent poems they wrote with their lives are an immortal monument in our hearts!"
His eloquence was truly remarkable. These words of remembrance for the martyrs came out of his mouth effortlessly, and coupled with his vivid and rich expressions, they stirred up Yang Paifeng's own feelings of remembrance and longing. Her eyes couldn't help but redden, and she murmured, "You... if you really want to do it, you must do it with your heart... do it well..."
"That's right!" Fourth Brother quickly interjected. "Look. The picture on the cover is the monument to the fallen soldiers of the Yang Family Army, which I designed. It's made of over ten thousand pieces of granite and white marble. It's solemn, majestic, and magnificent. The base has two levels, surrounded by white marble railings. There are steps on all four sides. The lower level is shaped like a begonia flower, and the upper level is square. On the base are two Sumeru pedestals of different sizes. The waist of the lower Sumeru pedestal is inlaid with eight huge white marble reliefs on all four sides. They depict the heroic figures of the Yang Family Army martyrs receiving orders before the palace, rushing to the battlefield, charging into battle, and breaking through the Tianmen Formation—good sister, don't underestimate this just because it's a picture now. One day, I will make this monument to the heroes of the Yang Family Army stand tall, so that the people can admire and pay their respects!
"And look at the back cover I designed. On both sides are relief wreaths made of five stars, pine trees, and flags. They symbolize the eternal existence of the great spirit of the martyrs of the Yang Family Army!"
"And also, the eulogy on the first page was also written by me personally." Let me read this to you—the martyrs of the Yang Family Army. Heroes of the Song Dynasty. To protect their homeland, revitalize China, rescue the people from suffering, and alleviate their hardships, they endured
countless trials in their quest for truth, shedding their blood and lives! History will not forget. The towering monument to victory is built upon countless lives and sacrifices. Our current peace and happiness were bought with their lives and sacrifices. We must cherish this hard-won happiness, remember the heroic martyrs of the Yang Family Army, carry forward their spirit, and strive to create a bright and happy future, making our motherland more prosperous and strong, and our Song Dynasty even more prosperous and powerful! The people's heroes who sacrificed their lives in the War of Resistance against Liao will live forever in our memory! "
His impassioned words, brimming with heroic spirit, echoed throughout the editorial department. His passionate enthusiasm radiated from Sister Huo Shuai, lingering for a long time.
Fourth Brother was very satisfied with the effect. With repeated teasing and flirtation, plus the next issue guaranteed to spark city-wide mourning and tributes to **, Sister Huo Shuai, even if your heart is as hard as iron, you'll be completely moved by me now. When a woman is moved by a man, it's only a matter of time before she becomes his captive.
—Sister Huo Shuai, you can't escape my grasp, obediently become Fourth Brother's woman!
"What's this now?" Suddenly, Yang Paifeng's question came again.
"Huh?" Fourth Brother looked closely and saw Yang Paifeng pointing to a deliberately drawn square next to the article, with a circle in the middle containing the character "一" (one), and next to it, "Jin Hua Zhai." "
Oh oh oh oh~~~ An advertisement, this is a first-level classified ad for Jin Hua Zhai. "
“Advertising…?” Yang Paifeng stared at him, puzzled. “
Advertising, as the name suggests, is about spreading information widely. It’s a new way for a specific organization or individual to pay a fee to disseminate their promotional information through our ‘Great Song Dynasty Weekly’ within a specified time and according to requirements for a certain purpose…” Fourth Brother guessed that Yang Paifeng couldn’t understand the pure concept, so he asked her, “Sister, you know about the Jin Hua Zhai teahouse, right?”
“Yes.” Yang Paifeng nodded. “I remember the Marshal mentioning it. The snacks there seem to be quite good.”
“Then who did Marshal Mu hear about it from?”
“It must have been Yan’er. She loves the ‘Thousand-Layer Phoenix’ there the most. She used to pester me to go when she was little.”
(Oh, that crazy girl has pretty good taste. She knows how to enjoy life.)
“Then how did Yan’er… Miss Yang know about this teahouse?”
“You’re asking me? How would I know?” Yang Paifeng was a little annoyed, blaming him for asking such irrelevant questions.
“That’s right, Sister Paifeng. You know ‘Jinhua Zhai’? It’s been passed down through word of mouth at least twice, which takes a long time, and it’s hard to know what the snacks are like or what their unique flavors are just from hearsay. Our advertising, on the other hand, uses the platform of the ‘Great Song Dynasty Weekly’ with its nearly 80,000 copies sold per issue, giving each shop a detailed opportunity to introduce themselves to the public.” Fourth Brother kept gesturing with the box, “For example, this section can hold about a hundred words. Jinhua Zhai can use this content to introduce their shop’s features, flavors, customer base, and so on. Think about it, our weekly has 80,000 loyal readers. Even if only one out of every hundred people reads it and becomes interested in Jinhua Zhai, and tries the food there, that would bring in 800 new customers for Jinhua Zhai, greatly boosting their sales.”
“I understand!” Yang Paifeng exclaimed in realization, “Advertising is a novel promotional method, different from the traditional word-of-mouth approach, it introduces the shop to readers through text…”
"That's right, sister is so smart!" Pang grabbed Yang Paifeng's long, slender hand again and leaned closer, saying, "I just wanted to provide a platform for businesses in the capital to promote and showcase themselves, so taking advantage of the weekly's popularity, I decided to dedicate a section to adding advertisements."
"You're trying to make a fortune off this, aren't you? Humph! And you're dragging our Yang family into it!!!" Yang Paifeng saw through her fourth brother's true intentions, shook him off, and stamped her foot angrily.
“How can this be considered profiteering? I’m just receiving legitimate compensation!” Fourth Brother puffed out his chest, speaking with righteous indignation. “Take Jin Hua Zhai for example. One advertisement brought them eight hundred customers. Even if each person spent a total of five hundred coins at their teahouse, that’s four hundred strings of cash. Even if we only make a hundred strings of cash profit after deducting the cost, it’s not unreasonable for them to give us fifty strings. It’s a win-win situation, everyone benefits! Now it’s a business promotion period, all advertising fees are 20% off. Buy the first and last page large cover advertisements and get an extra small cover page as a bonus. The discount is huge!”
…
Yang Paifeng couldn’t argue with him, and gradually she was persuaded. She felt that adding advertisements to the weekly magazine was a matter of course and a matter of course. Only after she “understood” this point did her slender waist suddenly tighten. Her exquisite, curvaceous, and youthful body was pulled into Pang’s arms, and a strong masculine aura rushed towards her.
"Good sister, now that this matter is settled, accompany me on another trip this afternoon to select six properties to acquire for my lord."

Chapter 248: Springtime Passion.

One afternoon—no, for the next two days—Fourth Brother completely demonstrated what arrogance, humiliation, and sharing joy with the people truly meant.
Within two days, six properties under the Prince's faction were seized by Fourth Brother—no, they were all taken back by Fourth Brother according to the agreed-upon terms. He didn't necessarily choose the most profitable or lucrative industries, but rather those with the highest customer traffic and the most frequent crossroads.
Fenglelou, second only to Yuluxiang in grandeur; Zhiweiguan, a century-old restaurant; Zhuangyuan, a gathering place for literati; Caidiexuan, a top-tier jewelry and cosmetics shop in the capital; Zhongshan Zhengdian and Huixianlou Zhengdian, two of the eight major shops in the capital—from this day forward, they were all Fourth Brother's properties.
Fourth Brother is such a generous person. He immediately shares any benefits he gains with the people of the city. Whenever he acquires a place, he immediately holds a special sale with banners hanging high and leaflets everywhere, as if afraid that the people would not know that it is a property that the Prince's Party "resold" to Marquis Anle.
At the same time, the Crown Prince Party, in alliance with the God of Wealth, reduced prices and promoted sales in over thirty businesses under their respective names, including ginger shops, yarn shops, cattle shops, horse shops, fruit shops, fish shops, rice shops, meat shops, pig shops, large and small goods shops, cloth shops, inns, storage yards, restaurants, eateries, teahouses, hotels, inns, gourd soup shops, steamed bun shops, noodle shops, pancake shops, entertainment venues, brothels, general stores, pharmacies, gold and silver shops, silk shops, dyeing shops, bead shops, incense and medicine shops, and boot shops. Ostensibly, this was a response from Beijing merchants to the court's call to stimulate the economy and improve people's livelihoods after the unrest caused by the rebels subsided. In reality, the Fourth Prince wanted to use this opportunity to change the public's perception of the Crown Prince Party as a group of lazy, pleasure-seeking, and frivolous young masters. Instead, the public saw them as benefactors of the people!
In short, these past two days, Fourth Brother has been running around non-stop, practically fuming with exhaustion. He often hasn't slept well at night. However, as the de facto leader and spiritual leader of the Princeling Party, in order to rebuild it into a completely transformed, universally praised, outstanding youth organization, Fourth Brother can't rest. Who can blame him when the burden on his shoulders is so heavy, and who can blame him when he's a model socialist youth from another era! The sooner he takes over all the assets, makes them all, and expands them all again, the sooner he can sit at home collecting banknotes.
Sleeping until he naturally wakes up, counting money until his hands cramp—that's life!
Sleeping on a bed made of banknotes, indulging in debauchery with eight beauties by day, going through twenty-four rounds of lovemaking—that's Fourth Brother's life!!!
Fourth Brother was a kind master, always considerate of his subordinates' hardships. He himself could endure the toil, working tirelessly day and night, but he couldn't let his many subordinates suffer with him. So, starting that afternoon, Fourth Brother made Chuixue, Wanrendi, Pang Ping, and Pang Xie take turns going back to rest—don't let them get in the way! In the end, he even dropped Long Wu, only leading Yang Paifeng around, showing off and making a scene.
Who says Fourth Brother doesn't cherish women? Good heavens, Sister Huoshuai, who follows Fourth Brother everywhere, is a woman from the battlefield. If she couldn't even endure this little bit of hardship, then he really underestimated the Yang family's female warriors, right?
Indeed, these past few days running errands and protecting her fourth brother were nothing to Yang Paifeng. What truly impressed her was the performance-based work system, tiered bonuses, and perfect attendance bonuses that Pang Fu implemented immediately upon taking over the various properties. His innovative sales tactics, such as "raise prices first, then offer discounts," "buy one hundred, get fifty free (actually a series of consumer traps)," and "get commissions for referring customers," opened her eyes. Her impression of Pang gradually changed from "shameless and shameless, only good at scheming and petty tricks" to "this kid is quite clever, quite good at business, a real talent, it's just a pity he followed the wrong Marquis Anle." Then she thought, "Our Tianbo Mansion also has its own properties. If we could bring him over, using his 'intelligence' to revitalize Tianbo Mansion with me… ugh, ugh, ugh, how could I have thought of that!"
Yang Paifeng was both angry and ashamed. Her cheeks flushed a light, rosy red. She, who never blushed before, had become… no, ever since she hooked up with Pang… Since being with Pang… no, since meeting this scoundrel. The number of times I've blushed is countless times more than before!
"How…how did you come up with all this?" she asked curiously, covering her burning cheeks.
"Think? This is thinking. This is creation. This is the fruitful result of countless hours of hard work and effort!" Fourth Brother corrected him seriously. He called over the shopkeeper. "Baked lamb, lamb stew, lamb kidneys, goose and duck ribs steamed with lychee kidneys, kidneys with added filling, roasted pork belly. Lotus flower duck skewers, wine-roasted tripe. Roasted lamb head skewers, chicken skewers, plated rabbit, stir-fried rabbit, scallion-drenched rabbit, fake wild fox, golden thread tripe soup, stone tripe soup, fake roasted roe deer, fried quail, stir-fried lungs, stir-fried clams, stir-fried crab. One serving of each. Quickly!"
"Hey. You ordered so much. Can we finish it all?" Yang Paifeng glared at him again.
"We can't finish it," Pang answered clearly. “But… you have to order it. Not a single dish can be missing.”
“You… you’re so extravagant!” Yang Paifeng
nearly grabbed a teacup and smashed it in his face. “Do you know how difficult it is to get three meals a day in the capital? Even a full meal is a luxury…”
“Hey, hey, hey, dear sister, you don’t think I’m deliberately ordering so many dishes to show off in front of you, do you?” Fourth Brother paused, staring at her with wide eyes.
Yang Paifeng met his gaze angrily: “The two of us only need three or four dishes at most. You’ve ordered enough to fill two tables; we definitely can’t finish it!”
“We?”
“If it’s not us, then who else is there?”
"No, it's just you and me, you and me, us." Fourth Brother emphasized the words, deliberately teasing her.
Yang Paifeng became even angrier: "You, you're dragging us... you're dragging me into this! I'm asking you, can't you even finish all this food? If you can't finish it, then what's the point of ordering it!"
Pang smiled but didn't speak. Arguing with a woman who was angry and skilled in martial arts was not a wise move, because she couldn't win against him, and her fire poker might come at any moment. After Yang Paifeng vented her anger and calmed down a bit, she said calmly: "I ordered enough dishes to fill two tables and still have some left over, not to eat, but to taste, understand? This Zhiweiguan is now owned by the Marquis, and he has entrusted me with full responsibility. Therefore, I must taste all the dishes here as soon as possible. Every aspect—color, aroma, taste, presentation, presentation, and nutrition—must meet the requirements to ensure that every guest is satisfied. If even I can't pass the test, and the guests are not satisfied, who will be responsible?"
Yang Paifeng was stunned: "We... you brought me here to taste the dishes?"
"Ah, of course." Fourth Brother grinned and leaned closer, deliberately nudging her with his shoulder. "Otherwise, I'm not a male pig, and you're not a female pig, how could the two of us eat so much?"
"You're the pig!" Yang Paifeng pushed him away, unintentionally revealing a touch of girlish coquettishness. Knowing she had misunderstood Pang and almost couldn't help but hit him, she felt even more embarrassed. When she met his smiling face, her heart inexplicably pounded wildly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.
Fourth Brother enjoyed watching his sister Huo Shuai's shy appearance for a while, then waved and shouted, "Manager Liu—"
"Master—I'm here!" Manager Liu arrived quickly.
"When the dishes are served, I'll taste them and keep four or five of Sister Paifeng's favorites. The rest, along with the rice, will be sent to the slums on the outskirts of the city." Pang Weiyi pondered. "Uh, also get some steamed buns and flatbreads. Say it's on the orders of Marquis Anle to provide relief to the poor people of the capital, understand?"
"Yes, yes, Your Excellency obeys!" Manager Liu agreed repeatedly. He recognized the beautiful girl sitting next to Lord Tianding. Not only him, but anyone who lived in the capital ten years ago would recognize her. Back then, when she came out to shop, the streets of the capital would be peaceful for three days. No spoiled brat would dare to act wildly or act like a bratty girl. Ten years ago, it was right here in Zhiweiguan that she broke the leg of a certain Minister's son who was harassing a singing girl. But now, the woman who had become a respected heroine of the Yang family, renowned on the battlefield, was sitting obediently beside Lord Tian Ding, letting him flirt with her. One moment she blushed, the next she was angry and angry, and then she looked like a child who had done something wrong, biting her pink lips and lowering her beautiful eyes… The shopkeeper's eyes nearly popped out of his
head. His admiration for his new employer was like a surging river, endless and boundless. He wished he could serve his employer like a slave and express his loyalty! Since the employer was tasting the food, it had to be served quickly. In the short time Yang Paifeng had been blushing, the table was already full.
“Come, sister, try some.” Fourth Brother considerately handed her a pair of chopsticks and took the opportunity to squeeze her smooth, fragrant hand. If it were the day they first met at the camp, Yang Paifeng would have slapped him across the face without a second thought. Ten years ago, she probably would have crippled him on the spot… But now, after spending just a few days with Pang—yes, only “a few” days—not only had her little hands been touched countless times by him, but her body had been hugged several times, she had whispered in her ear with her cheek pressed against it, and she had seen the sticky wetness under her skirt… She had even almost been kissed by him… Yang Paifeng’s heart pounded wildly again, and she couldn’t help but let him hold her little hand and tease it wantonly…
What… what’s wrong with me… I clearly hate him, but… why…
Yang Paifeng was both anxious and ashamed, wishing she could dig a hole and disappear immediately, yet she felt an indescribable sensation in her heart, and her full, voluptuous breasts heaved incessantly. She increasingly felt that she had no resistance to this wicked little servant. His words, his smile, even his shameless lewd actions left such a deep impression on her. Even though she clearly disliked him, clearly hated him, she couldn't resist him.
Why was this happening? Why?
Could it be that I really owed him something? Was he my little rascal, my little nemesis, my little devil from a past life…?
Yang Paifeng was lost in thought, letting him hold her small hand, her watery almond-shaped eyes brimming with desire.

Chapter 249: Attack! "

Good sister, ah, open your mouth, be good, bite down."
"Bite down, bite down, those balls in the front, don't let go, be good~~"
"Be careful not to choke, if you can't, lick them more, it'll be easier to swallow if it's lubricated. " "
Pang is so romantic. He wasn't just offering a taste test; he specially added a bowl of bird's nest and pigeon egg soup for Yang Paifeng. And being such a wonderful man, he even fed her himself.
Yang Paifeng was initially reluctant to adopt such a shy posture. She rested her shapely arms on the table, tilted her beautiful face slightly upward, and opened her rosy lips, letting Pang feed her the egg with chopsticks.
This posture was too embarrassing; Yang Paifeng refused, clenching her teeth, determined not to let him succeed." "But Fourth Brother said he wouldn't? He wouldn't, huh? Fine then, I don't need your protection anymore. Go back to your Tianbo Mansion. Forget about the promise you made before—"
Fourth Brother casually said, and he had our Fire Marshal Sister completely under his thumb. Yang Paifeng blushed deeply, even her soft breathing became hot, and her voluptuous body, overflowing with youthful vitality, almost collapsed into his arms. She could only sit obediently, biting the pigeon egg that Pang fed her, chewing and savoring the taste before slowly swallowing it.
"Good sister, don't underestimate this tiny pigeon egg." Pang saw that she had obediently finished eating, but there was still a hint of annoyance in the depths of his eyes. He smiled and fed her another one. "It was a royal delicacy in the Tang Dynasty. It is sweet and neutral in nature, clears heat and detoxifies, nourishes the kidneys and benefits the body. It is very beneficial for those who have been suffering from weakness for a long time. Girls with anemia, irregular menstruation, and insufficient qi and blood can eat pigeon eggs regularly, which not only nourishes yin and moistens the spleen, but also has the effect of beautifying the skin and smoothing the complexion." "
Yes, yes," the innkeeper, who was serving us, quickly chimed in. "Our Zhiweiguan bird's nest and pigeon egg stew is a modified version of a Tang Dynasty imperial recipe. We changed the original recipe's broth, which was made with snow ginseng and deer antler, to a clear broth made with a whole black-boned chicken, after filtering out the impurities. We also ingeniously added snow lotus juice obtained through a salt filtration method to the broth, and stewed it with bird's nest and seasonings. Ten bowls are simmered into one bowl. Not only is the color clear and the taste light and delicious, but the pigeon eggs are also incredibly tender and have a unique flavor. It is also very beneficial for nourishing the kidneys and yin." Yang
Paifeng's face flushed again. The slight annoyance she had felt earlier vanished. Pang had specially ordered this hot pot for her, clearly showing his concern, care, and concern for her health.
Wait a minute, her health... her health... what did it have to do with him!
She felt both ashamed and angry, and utterly humiliated. After much deliberation, she realized it was Pang's fault again. Just as she was about to grab him angrily, her expression suddenly hardened. Her brows furrowed. She suddenly sensed a rapidly approaching killing intent! Yes, killing intent. With her keen intuition honed through years of battle, she was certain that the area around Zhiweiguan was now surrounded by at least a dozen or twenty assassins with considerable martial arts skills. They might have disguised themselves as guests, hiding in the private rooms waiting for their chance. Or they might have disguised themselves as passersby or peddlers, "just happened" to be passing by. Perhaps even... She had infiltrated the waiters serving food and tea… She didn't have time to find each of them individually. But she was certain that these people had waited for their chance, which was why they had emerged from their respective ambush locations and gathered together.
Those who practiced martial arts moved differently than ordinary people, and those carrying weapons would inevitably make "extra" noises. Yang Paifeng suddenly heard these sounds and realized that the two of them, while enjoying food and soup at Zhiweiguan, had unknowingly fallen into a huge crisis.
It might even be a trap. Someone, based on Pang Si's recent patterns, anticipated that he would come here to "inspect" after acquiring Zhiweiguan and had pre-arranged assassins to ambush him, ready to take his life.
A crisis loomed. It was imminent. Yang Paifeng, true to her name, instantly shifted from a state of shame, anger, and near-consciousness to a state of heightened alertness before battle. She gripped the fire poker tightly, ready to fight at any moment!
She wasn't sure which side's assassins were coming from. But this kind of situation had happened many times in the past few days since she became Pang's bodyguard. From the initial encounter with assassins disguised as beggars lurking on both sides of the street after leaving the editorial office of the *Great Song Dynasty Weekly*, to the recent visits to Fenglelou, Zhuangyuanzhai, Caidiexuan, Zhongshan Zhengdian, Huixianlou Zhengdian, and other places, each time there were hidden assassins attempting to attack Pang's henchmen. However, because they were few in number or lacked the martial arts skills to pose a threat, she hadn't paid much attention—her fourth brother had offended too many people. It wasn't surprising that someone wanted to hire someone to kill him.
But this time, the situation was extremely serious. Judging from the footsteps she heard and the growing murderous aura filling the shop, this group was going to kill Pang Si's people. This was far more serious than the previous attacks. The attackers were highly skilled, numerous, and their plan was meticulously executed. By the time she realized what was happening, they were already surrounded!
Even the shopkeeper sensed something was wrong; his body trembled, and his teeth chattered. But Fourth Brother seemed oblivious, continuing to sample the dishes, occasionally taking a sip of wine, and calling out, "Sister Paifeng, don't just sit there! Come, come, try some!"
Yang Paifeng had no appetite.
The murderous aura she felt now was vastly different from before. It wasn't some random "江湖人物" (jianghu figures) hired with money, but rather fully trained, highly skilled professional assassins. This intense, ever-present sense of crisis was strikingly similar to the feeling she had when she accompanied the Marshal to Jinming Pond to protect him, before the rebels launched their attack!
Rebels! Yang Paifeng's heart tightened instantly. With her battlefield-hardened martial arts skills, she shouldn't have been afraid. She could kill one by one, two by two. Moreover, this was the most prosperous area of the capital, and Pang Si's identity was extremely sensitive. If the Imperial Guards patrolling nearby learned that the special envoy was in danger, they would definitely mobilize a large number of troops to rescue him immediately. Ensuring Pang Si's safety was theoretically no difficulty whatsoever.
But what if, what if the white-clad female assassin from the attack on the emperor was also hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike? With her unparalleled martial arts skills—her ability to freeze qi and kill all the experts in the city—Yang Paifeng truly had no confidence that she could protect Pang Si under the siege of the rebels.
Even if Lord Tian Ding lost a single hair, it would be her dereliction of duty; she would be unworthy of being a dutiful bodyguard. Then the previous agreement would be invalid, and all her hard work over the past few days would have been in vain!
In a flash, immense pressure surged through Yang Paifeng's heart. This was even more perilous, difficult, and uncertain than when she single-handedly broke through a city surrounded by 100,000 Liao soldiers, making it seem like an impenetrable fortress. She gripped the fire poker tightly, focusing all her attention on determining the location of each assassin nearby and their approximate martial arts level, so she could react accurately and perfectly the moment the attack occurred.
Even at this point, Pang continued eating as if his keen hearing and intuition were nonexistent. Yang Paifeng was so angry she almost kicked him. This cunning and treacherous servant, who loved to play tricks, seemed to have suddenly gone mad. The assassins were approaching in an instant; couldn't he at least be a little prepared?
"Sister, why the rush? Everything is under control. Let's eat and drink without worry, haha—" Seeing her annoyed expression, Pang laughed again, a chilling glint in his eyes.
"Bang!" Just then, the doors and windows of the Zhiweiguan Hall exploded open, and the cold light of more than a dozen weapons flashed with countless points of light. Accompanied by a fierce and suffocating killing intent, the storm swept into the hall like a sandstorm, crashing towards the leisurely seated Pang!
Yang Paifeng was prepared, and as soon as he raised his fire poker to fight, Pang's reaction was even faster than his! In the blink of an eye, they were less than ten feet away from Fourth Brother's side. Five people, five knives, were slashing at his hands, shoulders, and neck. If they were hit, even ten imperial physicians wouldn't be able to save him.
A second's delay meant death. Faced with such a critical situation, Fourth Brother once again displayed the composure of Mount Tai remaining unchanged even when Mount Tai collapsed before him. The knife was about to strike his head, but Fourth Brother's buttocks were still sitting on the stool. His hand had already reached into his pocket before Yang Paifeng could, and he calmly raised it and swung it.
"
Aaaaaaahh
...

"Sister, you're working so well together!" Pang blinked and gestured to her. Yang Paifeng snorted, somewhat disgusted by his underhanded tactics. After all, when masters clash, it's about skill and expertise. Even against assassins, it's the same; you have to rely on real ability. What kind of trickery and cunning is this?
"Hey, hey, does this count as us being on the same wavelength?" Pang continued his shameless antics, still trying to flirt with Sister Huo Shuai at a time like this.
Yang Paifeng's cheeks flushed again from his teasing. She instinctively didn't want to get too close to him, otherwise, who knew what embarrassing things might happen later? Anyway, with the lime in hand, self-defense should be more than enough. She needed to quickly disperse the assassins and avoid being surrounded.
Thinking this, Yang Paifeng lightly touched her beautiful lotus feet with her foot, her body suddenly leaping up, rushing towards the large group of assassins pouring in through the door. Wherever the fire poker struck, a chorus of shattering weapons and torn flesh rang out.
The Fire General, who had roamed the battlefield and struck fear into the hearts of the Liao people, was no ordinary assassin. In no time, seven or eight more assassins surrounding her fell.
Pang was now unprotected.

(Chapter 250: The Assassin is a Fairy Sister

) Pai Feng, caught up in the killing frenzy, realized that the assassins who had put so much pressure on her were not as terrifying as she had imagined. It seemed that on the way back to the capital, the Marshal had passed on the last three secret moves of the Yang family spear technique to her. Yang Pai Feng was a novice and had never tested the power of the technique in actual combat. Now, after sparring with someone, she found that practicing those three moves had even improved her original spear technique considerably. She was hesitant to use her full strength so quickly. "
Why the rush? It's better to use them for spear practice.
" As soon as Yang Pai Feng had this thought, the attack of the Fire Stick immediately slowed down. Seven or eight assassins trapped her, attacking her from all directions with broadswords, longswords, short halberds, and Feng Shui Emei daggers. Yang Paifeng, eager to practice her spear skills, wasn't in a hurry to start a killing spree. She wielded her weapon with one hand, creating countless illusory and indistinguishable staff shadows, sometimes spinning and parrying, sometimes horizontally blocking and deflecting attacks. She handled the onslaught of assassins
with ease and skill. Pang, witnessing the power of the Yang family spear for the first time, was itching to try it himself! Indeed, when Sister Huoshuai displayed her spear techniques, her slender waist swayed gracefully, her long legs moved in a staggered fashion. Even amidst the fierce fighting, her posture was as beautiful as Chang'e, her full breasts rising and falling, her legs long and shapely—
she possessed an indescribable allure. Just as his heart began to race, imagining himself pinning Sister Huoshuai down on the bed, hoisting her beautiful legs onto his shoulders, supporting her supple waist and thrusting powerfully back and forth, listening to her moans, a deafening boom erupted. The skylight directly above him in the hall suddenly exploded, turning into a shower of wood chips that hurtled towards him. Just like when the fairy sister attacked him that day, behind the wood chips that were falling from the sky, a gleaming long sword seemed to be piercing straight from the eighteenth level of hell to the human world, swiftly aiming for his throat!
Yang Paifeng reacted swiftly, immediately realizing that the assassins had planned this all along, with skilled men lying in wait on the beams, ready to ambush her while she was distracted by the assassins. When she saw the assassin's face clearly, her heart skipped a beat!
A graceful, ethereal figure, an exquisitely beautiful posture, and that striking silver-white night-clothes! Who else could it be but the female assassin who had slaughtered everyone that day, single-handedly defeating numerous experts with her sword?!
Yang Paifeng was terrified, almost being struck by the assassin's blade. She quickly used her "Swift as Fire" movement technique to dodge, and with a backhand strike, she hit the assassin's shoulder, sending him flying with a scream, crashing into two other people.
The female assassin closed in on Pang, her gleaming blue sword a full three feet eight inches long. The exquisite cloud patterns carved into the blade resembled a soaring vermilion bird. The blade's edge was menacing, its spine clearly defined as a line. Its widest point was about half a foot from the hilt, then curved inwards, before bulging outwards again and converging into a sharp point. The entire blade shimmered with a blue light, giving the impression of a chilling, razor-sharp edge capable of cutting a hair with a single blow. The hilt was inscribed with the three characters "Yu Meiren" in bird-script script—the very words of Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang dynasty!
Her figure, graceful and swaying like a goddess of the Luo River, leaped from the air. Her attack was devoid of any fancy moves, possessing only the power to seize the very essence of creation. Her speed was astonishing; Pang barely realized the fairy-like woman was about to kill him before the chilling edge of "Yu Meiren" was already at his chest. The icy, solidifying energy instantly plunged him into the dead of winter, chilling him to the bone and filling him with dread!
Yang Paifeng let out a sharp cry, bursting through the encirclement to rush to the rescue. Even though he and Pang were now in different positions, facing such a sharp attack from the female assassin, he dared not act rashly. He could only try to deflect the attack, letting the assassin brush past him before regrouping his offensive. But the female assassin's sword strike was incredibly fast. Despite being wielded by a woman, it possessed earth-shattering power. She darted in from the side, and even before she reached Pang, she felt the icy pressure of the sword's energy. The surrounding air seemed to have been sucked out. Not only was deflecting the sword's force impossible, but even blocking it was uncertain!
The situation was critical. A moment's delay would have meant Pang's instant death. Yang Paifeng had no choice but to change his grip on the staff from one hand to both. Then, it was unclear whether he was pushing the staff or the staff was carrying him. The firewood staff shot out like an arrow, transforming into a rolling wave of spears in a graceful, dynamic motion. With equally astonishing speed, it slashed towards the female assassin's lower back. Although it was within the confined space of the Zhiweiguan restaurant, it felt like a battlefield where two armies clashed on the frontier. The chilling autumn wind and the swirling yellow sand were all drawn in by this earth-shattering, awe-inspiring move, merging into an irresistible force!
The splinters of wood, originally flying everywhere, were redirected by the force, like water being split in two and swept back.
The first secret move of the Yang family spear technique, "Splitting the Sky"!
This diversionary tactic was truly ingenious. If the female assassin hadn't parried in time, while she might have managed to cut down Pang and vent her anger, she herself would have been swept in two at the waist by the staff.
"Clang!" Sword and staff clashed! Flowers flew everywhere, the sound shaking the entire arena. The female assassin was forced to withdraw her sword to defend herself. Yang Paifeng's attack, unleashing a flurry of staff strikes, vanished as if scattered by a whirlwind.
His secret spear technique was shattered in a single move. Yang Paifeng didn't
retaliate, shouting, "You're not the one from that day..."
"That's my senior sister!" the female assassin sneered. Her other hand, free of her sword, suddenly produced a barbed spike. Taking advantage of Yang Paifeng's momentary hesitation, she swiftly shot it at Pang. Pang, while lacking in other skills, was unparalleled at escaping. Without even rolling, he braced himself against a table and darted away, the spike disappearing three feet from his feet as it sank into the ground.
"Come on, come on, you can't hit me, hahaha—" he laughed, suddenly realizing the spike was connected to a silver thread, only slightly thicker than a silkworm's silk. In other words, this thing was still in the female assassin's control.
Without a second's hesitation, Pang pulled out a silver brick and threw it. Sure enough, the female assassin flicked her wrist, the sharp awl snapping back and shooting towards his cheek like lightning. Fortunately, Fourth Brother reacted quickly, striking first. The awl, struck by the silver brick, slightly deflected its trajectory and missed its mark.
The female assassin was about to pursue, but Yang Paifeng had already entangled her. His gleaming silver fire poker trembled, the tip suddenly protruding into a spearhead, thrusting straight at her. Midway through the attack, the spear shaft trembled again, the point of attack instantly flashing with seven or eight dazzling white lights, seemingly capable of striking any vital spot on her body.
The second move of the Yang family's secret spear technique, "Battle in All Directions"!
With this strike, the female assassin had no time to care about Pang's life or death. "Yu Meiren" transformed into a dazzling blue light, carrying a chilling, icy killing intent, thrusting towards the center of the spear shadow at an astonishing and imperceptible speed.
"Clang!" The seven or eight spear beams that Yang Paifeng conjured transformed back into his original nine-foot-long silver spear, clashing head-on with the female assassin's "Yu Meiren" (Poppy).
The clash of sword and spear produced a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the area, like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, its sound echoing and causing everyone's eardrums to ache. Nearby tables and chairs were overturned, and the dumbfounded shopkeeper was struck on the back of the head by a flying stool, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
After their exchange, Yang Paifeng let out a muffled groan and staggered backward, seemingly having suffered a slight loss.
The female assassin, having exchanged several blows with Yang Paifeng, knew she was a formidable fighter. If she didn't press her advantage and capture her in one fell swoop, she wouldn't be able to harm Pang in the slightest. She immediately wielded her sword like the wind, relentlessly attacking the retreating Yang Paifeng. Yang Paifeng, fighting and retreating, lured her in the opposite direction from Pang. The sounds of gunfire and swordplay filled the air, engulfing the two women. The clash of energy and the sounds of spears and swords exploding like firecrackers. Sparks flew when the spears and swords touched. Every dodge was fraught with danger, a single misstep could result in instant death.
While the two women fought fiercely, each displaying their unique skills, neither giving an inch, Pang alone faced a frenzied onslaught from dozens of assassins.
With the silver bricks gone, he was left with only lime and the Fish Intestine Sword. These two items were more than enough to deal with thugs, but now he was facing a group of well-trained and ruthless assassins. To think that two magical weapons could wipe them out would be a myth, not a novel.
Was it a myth? No. Therefore, Fourth Brother was immediately in danger. Seven or eight gleaming weapons surrounded him; one wrong move and he would be dead on the spot.
Would Fourth Brother die? No. As an honest man, since he had just declared, "Everything is under control, eat and drink without worry," he must have made thorough preparations long ago.
"Ahhhhhh!" A burly assassin roared and lunged at him, taking advantage of Pang's use of the Fish Intestine Sword to smash two of his companions blinded by lime, and slashed at the back of Fourth Brother's neck.
"Ahhhhhhh—" Amidst the screams, the back of his neck was struck squarely, blood spurting out, but not Fourth Brother's neck, but his own.
Just as he was about to strike, a gust of wind suddenly blew in, chilling his neck slightly. Blood flowed out, trickling down his neck, his life force fading away in the wind.
"You are dead." With a cold, emotionless voice, the assassin's strong body collapsed like a toppled mountain, struggling a few times before falling silent.
"Whoosh—" Another slash, and the four men who had rushed towards Pang screamed and fell to the ground.
"Long Wu, you're a step too late. You've been startled." The crisis was over. The wind stopped in front of Pang, and there stood his bodyguard—Long Wu.
Pang didn't rush to speak to him. He stabbed one of them with his Fish Gut Sword before turning back, shrugging and smiling.
"Not too late, not too late. You've arrived just in time." As he spoke, Long Wu also felled another man.
Fourth Brother was indignant. How could his master lose to his subordinate? His fighting spirit soared instantly. He threw two handfuls of lime, then delivered a final blow, killing another man. Only then did he ask, "How is it? Is everything ready?"
This time, Long Wu didn't argue with his master. He respectfully replied, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother, everything is under control."

Chapter 251 The Mastermind

Paifeng and the female assassin were still locked in fierce combat. Yang Paifeng fought and retreated, while the female assassin relentlessly pursued her with her sword flashing. After a series of clanging sounds, the female assassin was narrowly struck and hastily retreated to the side.
It turned out that Yang Paifeng's seemingly weaker fighting style, appearing to be "outmatched" by her opponent's relentless attacks, was actually a result of her extensive experience in battle. She had already discerned that although the female assassin's swordsmanship was exquisite, she was suffering from a weakness caused by her single-minded focus on killing Pang and injuring her first. Her moves were all rushed. Therefore, she first feigned weakness to lure the female assassin into a fierce attack. Then, she used the "Nullification" technique from the Yang family spear technique. With extremely profound blocking and deflection techniques and the skillful use of true qi, she completely neutralized the female assassin's sword force when their weapons clashed. She blocked seventeen of her moves in succession, causing the female assassin to lose her edge and be unable to continue. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she launched a counterattack, her silver spear flashing with dazzling light as it swept towards her like a storm.
The female assassin was caught off guard by the sudden shift from defense to offense, her moves so sharp and ruthless that she was caught off guard and could only barely dodge. At that moment, the wind howled outside the window, and the sound of orderly footsteps mixed with fierce shouts of "Make way!" indicated that the imperial guards from the city had arrived after hearing the news. Upon seeing that the assassins who had come with her had been almost all killed by Long Wu, she immediately realized that
she had fallen into Pang's trap. This guy had been prepared all along! Knowing that she could not stay any longer, or she would be the one surrounded, the female assassin gritted her teeth, gathered all her strength, and with a whoosh, "Yu Meiren" trembled in the air like a snake's tongue, then straightened up, the sword tip turning into a point of azure lightning, swiftly crossing a space of about half a zhang, and stabbing towards Yang Paifeng's throat with astonishing speed.
Yang Paifeng hurriedly parried, but little did he know that the female assassin's move was a feint. The sword suddenly changed direction midway through its strike, slamming into the thick wall beside him with a loud "boom," sending dust flying and plaster covering the wall spreading everywhere.
Taking advantage of Yang Paifeng's obstructed view, she kicked a pillar, using the momentum to leap backward. Before jumping out of the window, she sneered at Pang, "You scoundrel, you're lucky today!"
Yang Paifeng anticipated her escape and gave chase, spear in hand. Suddenly, a cold, sharp light pierced through the dust and debris in the courtyard, shooting towards her chest. Yang Paifeng, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized it as the strange, pointed cone she had used to attack Pang earlier. She swung her spear to parry, but the moment the cone touched the spear, it split into five pieces, wedging the spear tip tightly. The silver threads at the cone's end, as if manipulated, magically wrapped around the spear shaft. By the time she hurriedly pulled them off, the female assassin had vanished, leaving only the futile shouts of the imperial guards outside.
She stomped her foot angrily, frustrated at failing to intercept the assassin in time, completely unaware that behind her, Pang and Long Wu were exchanging knowing smiles. After the
fierce
battle, the next step was naturally to clean up the scene.
Based on his "experience" of being secretly watched and narrowly escaping ambushes several times in recent days, Fourth Brother suspected the group from Zhiweiguan might be in danger. He arranged for Long Wu and a large contingent of Imperial Guards to ambush them nearby, ready to wipe them out as soon as the assassins made their move
. However, he hadn't anticipated Yang Paifeng's failure; the female assassin had escaped. There were twenty-one assassins in total. Fifteen were dead. Six remained alive. The Imperial Guards, arriving just in time, quickly began cleaning up the scene, removing the bodies, capturing the survivors, and dispersing the crowd.
Accompanying the Imperial Guards was an old acquaintance—the top expert of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's personal bodyguard commander, the black-faced demon Ye Gucheng, who had been almost instantly killed by the fairy sister.
"Oh dear. Commander Ye. What are you doing here?" Pang asked in surprise.
Ye Gucheng's face was dark, but he was quite amiable. He cupped his hands and said, "I was on the orders of the Imperial Concubine to deliver some things to the Grand Tutor and his two wives. I just happened to be passing by on my way back. Is Lord Tian Ding injured?" "
Thank you for your concern, Commander Ye. Thanks to... haha. Thanks to Sister Paifeng's blessing, I am safe and sound."
Only then did Ye Gucheng notice that Pang Si's personal bodyguard was actually Yang Paifeng! His reaction was no different from the shopkeeper's earlier. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It took him a while to remember to bow. He asked, "General Yang, who are these assassins? How dare they openly attack the Imperial Envoy on the most bustling street in the capital!"
"They are rebels!" Yang Paifeng's expression was solemn.
"What?"
"The masked woman I fought just now, her clothes and appearance are similar to the female assassin who attacked the Emperor. If I'm not mistaken, she should be from the same school as the female assassin."
From the same school? Ye Gucheng gasped in shock. My God! That female assassin who could numb his hand with one sword strike, make him cough up blood with two, and kill him with three—she actually had a fellow disciple!
"General Yang, you're not mistaken, are you?" He tried to remain calm, but his voice still trembled slightly. To make the Song Dynasty's number one bodyguard so apprehensive, the Fairy Sister's martial arts were truly unfathomable! Fourth Brother thought to himself, giving Long Wu a meaningful look.
“No, and the other party herself admitted it. The female assassin that day was her senior sister,” Yang Paifeng said slowly. “However, Commander Ye, there’s no need to worry. A top-tier expert like the white-clad female assassin is rare, perhaps only one in a hundred years. Her junior sister’s martial arts are only on par with Paifeng’s.”
Hearing this, Ye Gu
was slightly relieved and stroked his beard, pondering, “Since it was the work of rebels, then… this matter should be made public. Otherwise, the people of the capital will inevitably fall into panic, and the Emperor’s painstaking efforts to pacify the people will be in vain. What do you think, General Yang?”
He was asking Yang Paifeng’s opinion as a way of giving face to the Tianbo Mansion. Yang Paifeng thought that what he said made sense and nodded, “Well, let’s go with Commander Ye’s opinion. The assassination just now… should be publicly declared as a brawl among the playboys of the capital. What do you think?” Ye Gu
did not answer, looking at Pang. "However... even a private duel needs a reason, otherwise even if word gets out, the common people won't believe it..."
Ye Gucheng was a shrewd man, and he knew exactly what Ye Gucheng was thinking. He put his arm around Ye Gucheng's shoulder and pulled him closer, whispering, "Some members of the Prince's faction are unhappy that their properties were taken away by the Marquis of Anle. They've bribed some江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) figures to seek revenge. Is this explanation satisfactory, Lord Tian Ding?"
"Satisfied, but what if someone exposes me and says I'm framing them..."
"I'll report to the Emperor." Ye Gucheng still spoke softly, but the hand on Ye Gucheng's shoulder tightened, the meaning clear: kid, this is a big enough concession, don't even think about bargaining.
Fourth Brother, a mere servant, had no right to argue with the Emperor's bodyguards.
He patted his chest righteously, "The Commander has spoken; how could I dare disobey? But… this will inconvenience Zhao Yunbi and the others." Ye Gucheng glanced at him, thinking, "You'd be hoping they suffer more, wouldn't you?" He said calmly, "The imperial family are also citizens of the Song Dynasty. For the sake of peace in the capital, what's a little stigma of seeking trouble and fighting?"
"Ah, that's right, that's right!" Pang Fei quickly chimed in, "Lord Ye is absolutely right. Let's do it that way."
"Fourth Brother!" Long Wu called out.
"What is it?"
Long Wu dragged over a black-clad assassin, half-dead from a knife wound to the chest, followed by Chuixue, who appeared out of nowhere.
"It's this guy! He kicked Fourth Brother just now, blinding his dog eyes!" "This time it was Chuixue's turn to shout, shouting with great rage, spitting everywhere, "Fourth Brother, let's gouge out his eyes, beat him up, and feed him to the dogs!" To show his loyalty, he pounced on him and kicked him a few more times, targeting his lower back.
The black-clad assassin was probably badly injured, as he didn't react after being kicked for a long time.
Chuixue felt very ashamed, not being able to let his master hear the assassin's screams and vent his anger.
"Damn it, you bastard, you should hum too! Humph, Master Ximen is going to hum you!!" He raised his foot to stomp on the assassin's genitals, but someone grabbed his hand.
The person who grabbed him was Ye Gucheng.
"Don't grab me, I want to avenge Fourth Brother, this guy is blind..." Chuixue struggled, but Ye Gucheng's face darkened, his thick eyebrows almost furrowing.
“I know this person.” Ye Gucheng’s voice was very low, but Yang Paifeng and Pang Men heard it.
“What!?”
“He is the deputy commander of the inner guards of the Chu Prince’s mansion, Zhao Shiqing’s confidant!”
×××××××××××××××××
“Bang!” The gavel slammed on the table, making a deafening noise.
"This is outrageous!" In the main hall of the Imperial Guard's mansion, Grand Commandant Gao roared in fury, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, Zhao Shiqing, a mere commoner, actually colluded with rebels to assassinate the imperial envoy! Does he have no respect for the law?!"
"The law? Hmph!" Pang below sneered, "If this fellow had any respect for the law, wouldn't
he have repeatedly come to cause trouble, sending me and Third Master Gao to prison?" "What?" Grand Commandant Gao slammed his fist on the table again, almost throwing it. "Your son was falsely accused and imprisoned, suffering terribly inside. Was he involved too?"
"Of course!" Pang said hatefully, "Zhao Shiqing is Zhao Yunbi's lackey. Which of Zhao Yunbi's heinous crimes wasn't his doing? I truly wish I could skin him alive and tear him apart to avenge my master!"
"Good, good indeed." Grand Commandant Gao nodded, laughing angrily. "This old man only has one precious son, and he dares to resort to such underhanded tactics! Wait here, I will go to the palace to report that Zhao Shiqing, the son of the Prince of Chu, colluded with the rebels of Southern Tang, intending to murder the Imperial Envoy. The evidence is irrefutable. Let's see what Zhao Shouxun (Zhao Shiqing's father) has to say!"
Grand Commandant Gao acted swiftly, stepping down from the hall and shouting "Prepare the horses!" before leaving the palace to go to the palace to meet the Emperor.
"Grand Commandant, wait!" Pang stopped him.
"What?" Grand Commandant Gao glared at him
. "Grand Commandant, do you think that Zhao Shiqing, a former prince who has been deposed and reduced to commoner status, has the guts and the power to collude with the rebels of Southern Tang?" Pang sneered.
Grand Commandant Gao suddenly became interested: "You mean... Zhao Yunbi did collude with the rebels of Southern Tang, and we were all deceived before, thinking he was innocent, but actually..."
"Actually, it was him who colluded with the rebels!" Fourth Brother interrupted with a sneer.
"Zhao Shiqing is nothing more than a pawn he used to deal with my Marquis and Master Gao—Third Master." (To be continued. For more chapters, please log in to support the author and read the original version!)

Chapter 252:

The Young Master's Clever Affair! On the way home from the Palace Marshal's Mansion, Long Wu couldn't help but mention the word "t3."
For someone as hard as a rock to speak up, especially with words of praise, was even more unusual than Gao Yanei or Qian Shicai's lack of interest
in women. Pang smiled, a rare smile of satisfaction. Although he disliked flattery, these words from Long Wu were not mere bootlicking or pandering, but genuine admiration for his master's brilliant strategy!
"Brilliant, but in what way?" "He asked with a smile.
"The young master and Zhao Yunbi agreed on the following conditions: the six properties—Jinhua, Fenglelou, Zhiweiguan, Zhuangyuan, Caidiexuan, Zhongshan Zhengdian, and Huixianlou Zhengdian—have been acquired. The first of the three rules, 'to plead guilty with a bundle of thorns on one's back,' was changed by the master to 'to beg for mercy in person,' which was fulfilled on the day of the joint trial by the three judicial authorities. The second rule was to disband the Prince's Party, and the third rule was for Zhao Yunbi to bring Zhao Shiqing here by binding him. The young master has not mentioned it again, nor has he sent anyone to urge him... I have never understood why the young master did not bring Zhao Shiqing here and kill him to avenge the young mistress, until today..."
"Understood until today?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Understood what?" Pang asked deliberately.
"The young master and Zhao Yunbi agreed that Zhao Yunbi would 'arrange' for Zhao Shiqing to die suddenly from an illness, which was actually to secretly bring him out of the Chu Prince's mansion and hand him over to the master for his disposal." "This agreement, the young master has no intention of having him carry it out at all. Even without that Gongsun Ce, he would have had Zhao Yunbi postpone it anyway.
"
A rare look of surprise flashed in Pang's eyes: "Continue, go on."
"The young master actually expected this long ago. No matter what means Zhao Yunbi used to send Zhao Shiqing here, he would definitely have a backup plan. He could accuse the young master of murdering a member of the imperial clan at any time, and push all the blame away. With his superb skills and his usual treacherous tricks of framing and plotting, he could take the opportunity to smear the young master a few more times. I'm afraid... the young master will not only fail to get revenge, but will also get himself into trouble."
"The young master forced Zhao Yunbi to make a three-point agreement with you. The purpose is actually twofold: First, to damage Zhao Yunbi's image among the members of the imperial clan. To gradually disintegrate the prince's party through internal division. There are no secrets in the world. No matter how well the three-point agreement is concealed..." "Zhao Yunbi's betrayal of the Prince's Party's interests, his willingness to sacrifice his brothers for his own survival, and his willingness to disband the Prince's Party will surely be exposed. When that happens, all the young members of the imperial clan will see his true colors. Even if the Prince's Party doesn't disband, its members will be in turmoil, and no one will respect him anymore."
"Secondly… I dare not speak."
"What are you afraid of? Speak."
"Yes!" Long Wu rode closer, lowering his voice. "Young Master is loyal and righteous. He will definitely avenge Young Madam's death, and he will certainly make Zhao Shiqing pay tenfold, a hundredfold! Young Master deliberately let Zhao Shiqing know about Zhao Yunbi's life-for-life exchange, forcing him to lose his mind and become a mad dog, biting indiscriminately, willing to take revenge at all costs. He used him to first bring Gongsun Ce under his command, and then deliberately traveled alone with Yang Paifeng for several days in a row, inducing Zhao Shiqing to send assassins to kill at Zhiweiguan. Even Ye Gucheng was arranged by Master." "I had the Second and Third Madams send a message to the palace beforehand. I asked the Imperial Concubine to send him some ginseng and toad pills, tribute from Goryeo, to the residence. And there's a female assassin…"
"Long Wu, you've said too much."
"Yes." Long Wu quickly stopped talking, not uttering another word.
Pang Gui smiled coldly, a smile tinged with murderous intent. "However, you've only guessed half, a small part. What I'm setting up is a grand scheme, a scheme that will shake the court and the country, a scheme no one dares to even consider. Zhao Shiqing is merely a pawn in this scheme."
He narrowed his eyes, recalling the conversation in the Commander's mansion, his smile growing even colder. "Prince Zhao Yunbi of Beihai colluded with rebels, and Zhao Shiqing was his accomplice—no, since both Zhao Yunbi and Zhao Shiqing were involved, it's highly likely that the entire Prince's faction was in cahoots with the rebels!" Grand Commandant Gao sat back down at his desk, stroking his white beard as he spoke in a deep voice, his eagle eyes flashing with a chilling light
. "Grand Commandant, this...this can't be!" Fourth Brother exclaimed in shock. "Zhao Yunbi is ambitious and obsessed with power. I might believe he's colluding with rebels, but the entire Prince's faction...this...this is impossible..." "Nothing is impossible!" Grand Commandant Gao's voice grew serious, his thick brows furrowing. "These young members of the imperial family are used to a life of luxury and pleasure. Only power can truly ignite their desires, especially with someone like Zhao Yunbi leading the way. They won't be content with being just a mere Prince of Taiping." " Ah, Grand Commandant, you are absolutely right." Fourth Brother's expression shifted to one of sudden realization, followed by barely concealed panic. "Then...this...this...what should we do? The Prince's faction colluding with rebels...this..." "There's no time to lose! I'll go to the palace immediately and request His Majesty's judgment!" Grand Commandant Gao was loyal to his country. Now that such a major case had been uncovered, concerning almost the entire royal family, neither he, Grand Tutor Pang, nor the Eighth Prince had the right or ability to make a decision. Everything had to be reported to the Emperor for a final decision. "No!" Pang pulled him back again. "Grand Commandant, this matter is of utmost importance. Before it's thoroughly investigated, it's best to conceal it for now and not let the Emperor know. Otherwise, if there's any mistake, the responsibility..." "It can't be hidden anymore! General Yang and Commander Ye both know about this. Even if I don't go to see the Emperor, he'll find out anyway!"

“No, Grand Commandant, you are wrong.” Pang shook his head, a sly smile of triumph hidden deep in his eyes, a smile no one could detect. “Yang Paifeng recognized the traitor, and Ye Gucheng personally witnessed the Chu Prince’s guards doing so. They are our best witnesses now. However, this evidence only proves that Zhao Shiqing colluded with the traitor. It would be inappropriate to accuse Zhao Yunbi of instigating it, let alone accuse the entire Prince’s faction.”
Grand Commandant Gao stiffened, realizing he had been blinded by the seriousness of the case. He pulled Pang over and stared at him, saying in a deep voice, “According to you, how should this case be handled?”
Pang frowned and thought for a moment, then said, “Grand Commandant, you can enter the palace to see the Emperor, but you can only report the facts that the Emperor has already ascertained, such as the assassination attempt being carried out by Southern Tang traitors. ” "Among the assassins were the head of the guards of the Prince of Chu's residence and Zhao Shiqing's confidants—no, it can't be called an assassination. To be precise, it should be that you, Grand Commandant, and I, together leading the Imperial Guards, tirelessly conducted a series of meticulous and effective searches, gathering substantial evidence regarding the rebels' hiding places. Fearing our continued investigation would uncover the traitors colluding with them, the rebels meticulously planned an assassination attempt
at Zhiweiguan, intending to eliminate me, their thorn in their side. Grand Commandant, through your meticulous reconnaissance, you discerned the rebels' intentions and devised a plan, ambushing the Imperial Guards near Zhiweiguan. I, Pang Si, served my country loyally, using myself as bait. With the cooperation of the Yang family's female generals, we finally captured all the assassins, killing fifteen and capturing six alive. The annihilation of the rebels and the exposure of the traitors are just around the corner!"
"Good! We'll do it your way!" Grand Commandant Gao patted his shoulder forcefully, a rare look of admiration in his eyes. This young man has potential! At such a young age, he already knows what to boast about and what not to boast about. Even though he'd searched for many days without success, he reported it together with the assassination case, instantly making it seem "meticulous and effective." Moreover, he knew how to share the credit, not hoarding the "results" himself, but proactively giving the lion's share to his superior. Well done, very well!
Good lad, impressive! No wonder he's become a first-class servant in the Grand Tutor's mansion at such a young age. Promising, very promising!
Regarding Grand Commandant Gao's praise, he continued, "As for your suspicions about Zhao Yunbi and the Prince's faction, Grand Commandant, it's best not to reveal a single word until we find further evidence. Otherwise, if the Emperor finds out and accidentally leaks some information to the imperial family, all your hard work these past few days will be for nothing." "
Good, good! We'll do it your way!!!" Grand Commandant Gao made the decision, completely convinced by his fourth brother.
Grand
Commandant Gao has gone to the palace to meet the Emperor. The entire Palace Guard is in full swing, examining corpses and weapons, interrogating six survivors, secretly monitoring the Chu Prince's residence, and tailing Zhao Yunbi… In short, they're incredibly busy.
Meanwhile, what is Fourth Brother, the special envoy, doing? He specifically told Yang Paifeng to go home and rest for half a day, no longer needing close protection, and then followed Long Wu back to the mansion. What was Fourth Brother doing at this time?
Answer: When Fourth Brother returned to the Grand Commandant's mansion, it was already late. As usual, he had dinner with his beloved wife, inquired about whether Yuehua, the little loli, had spread rumors, fabricated stories, instigated, or spoken ill of him during her visits to her sister these past two days, and asked about Xiao Diqing's studies. Then, as night fell…
Fourth Brother changed his clothes, applied a beard, disguised himself, and headed straight for the Seven Show Pavilion.
A man, after so many busy days, deserves a break, doesn't he?
However, if a lowly servant like him were to constantly run to the Seven Show Pavilion and then disappear from the main hall, people would inevitably suspect him of being a toad trying to eat swan meat—a lowly servant seducing a courtesan. If rumors spread, it would be bad for both the Seven Show Pavilion and him.
—For certain reasons, he couldn't reveal his affair with Zou Xiyun yet.
Also…too openly do it, Fourth Brother preferred clandestine affairs; it was more exciting.
Yes, Fourth Brother came tonight to have an affair with Zou Xiyun, to relax his weary body and mind with the intense pleasure of intercourse and the ultimate joy of their union.
“Good Yunyun, I’m here! Did you miss Fourth Brother?—” He laughed, pushing open the door. Suddenly, a flash of blue light appeared before his eyes, and a gleaming longsword was placed against his neck.
Three bird-script inscriptions on the hilt shimmered eerily in the pink candlelight.
—Yu Meiren (The Beauty Yu).

Chapter 253 The Pleasure of Seven Showers

The moment Fourth Brother entered Zou Xiyun's boudoir, the Yu Meiren sword was held to his neck. The blade pressed against her skin, a chilling sensation spreading to her very bones. ~~Dream Literature Network~~
The weapon was at his throat, grazing the carotid artery below his neck; a single slash would send blood splattering five steps away, leaving him dead on the spot.
What a crisis this was! Yet Fourth Brother actually laughed.
"Good Yunyun, what are you doing? Holding a sword to your husband's neck, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
"Swish—" Before he could finish speaking, the Yu Meiren sword trembled violently, its blade flashing, and even though the edge was still against her neck, a few strands of hair at her temple were sliced off by the force of the blow!
The one holding the "Yu Meiren" was none other than Zou Xiyun. Unlike the day of the assassination attempt, when she changed into white and impersonated a fairy to lure away the imperial guards, this time she appeared in her true identity—the fairy's junior sister. She cooperated with Pang to stage a dramatic scene of a loyal imperial envoy and righteous servants being assassinated by rebels, incidentally also falsely accusing Zhao Shiqing of a crime punishable by confiscation of his property and execution of his entire clan.
But why, after such a perfectly planned and executed operation, did Zou Xiyun treat Pang this way?
"You clearly said that I should cooperate with you to put on a show, to frame Zhao Shiqing for colluding with rebels, and to clear Yang Paifeng of any suspicion that you were colluding with us..." Zou Xiyun bit her pink lips, glaring at him fiercely, her eyes flashing with unquenchable hatred. "I did exactly as you said. Zhao Shiqing secretly recruited assassins to take your life, so I sent my men to pretend to be professional assassins in the martial arts world to contact him, took his money, and instigated him to send his guards and my men to assassinate you at Zhiweiguan. I even personally took action to fight her to the death so that Yang Paifeng would be convinced that the assassin was a rebel from Southern Tang!"
"But why!" She stepped forward, the sword sliding down her neck to press against Pang's chest. Her soft, melodious voice suddenly turned cold, filled with a fierce rage that wished she could stab him to death on the spot. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand that there were Imperial Guards lying in ambush nearby? Why didn't you say that you and Long Wu would go on a killing spree? Apart from me, who saw the situation was bad and retreated in time, all the other brothers were... were all killed by you!"
It was a summer night. Zou Xiyun wore a jacquard silk shirt, her breasts half-hidden under the thin gauze, revealing her soft, snow-white shoulders and neck. Her long silk skirt trailed to the ground, her slender, lotus-root-like arms were exquisite and flawless. Her fair wrist supported the "Yu Meiren" sword, its shimmering light enhanced by the moonlight streaming in from the window, reaching up to the sky and down to the courtyard. She possessed both the youthful beauty of a young girl and the gentle, graceful charm of a Jiangnan beauty.
Her eyes were filled with anger, her bright, star-like pupils coldly gazing at Pang. The murderous aura emanating from her sword was breathtaking, yet it couldn't conceal her stunning beauty, blending seamlessly with the moonlight!
Even Pang, accustomed to beautiful women, almost showed a look of infatuation. He quickly coughed twice to regain his composure, then looked up to meet Zou Xiyun's indignant, questioning gaze. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.
"How many people did you take?"
"Five."
"Do you know how many survived?"
Zou Xiyun hesitated, then shook her head.
"Six. Except for the deputy commander of the Chu Prince's inner palace guards, used to solidify Zhao Shiqing's guilt, all your men are alive and well."
"Really...really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Pang smiled gently.
Zou Xiyun finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowly lowering her weight from his chest.
With the crisis averted, Pang immediately moved closer, grinning as he wrapped his arm around her slender waist: "Good Yun, listen to me, actually..."
"Whoosh—" Another flash of green light appeared before her eyes. "Yu Meiren" blocked her hand; if her fourth brother hadn't pulled back quickly, all five fingers would have been gone.
Zou Xiyun seemed to remember something again, her eyes flashing with hostility. She roared, "What's the difference between them falling into the hands of the Palace Commander's Mansion and being dead? No, being captured alive will only make things worse! You despicable Song dogs will definitely torture them, using every means to torment them, making our brothers wish they were dead!"
She glared at him angrily, even including Pang, with whom she had shared countless intimate moments, in her curses. Her fourth brother, however, remained leisurely, smiling faintly, "You're right. Dead men are indeed different from your captured brothers. Dead men are beyond saving, but for them, I only need to use a little trick to get them out of prison."
Zou Xiyun didn't believe he had such great ability at all, and roared, "You make it sound so nice! If you could save them, why did you arrange for the Imperial Guards to ambush and capture them in the first place, just for your own credit, for promotion and wealth!"
"Hey, hey, hey, in your eyes I'm just a heartless, ungrateful servant who wants to make a name for himself, get promoted and make a fortune, and even betray his own wife?" Fourth Brother was furious. To show that he had a clear conscience, he stepped forward with the sword pressed against his chest.
Zou Xiyun couldn't bear to stab him. Every time Fourth Brother took a step forward, she would pull back her strength, and even her shouts softened: "You, you're not allowed to call me wife, you heartless and ungrateful bastard, don't come any closer..."
If she couldn't call him back, would Fourth Brother not come closer? No way. Fourth Brother continued to step forward with the sword pressed against his chest. Zou Xiyun was anxious and scared. She was a little slow to pull back. With a "swoosh!" her clothes were torn in the chest. Zou Xiyun thought she had stabbed him and hurriedly let go.
The sword fell to the ground with a "clink".
Pang strode to her side, but surprisingly didn't lay a hand on her. Instead, he rubbed his forehead, looking heartbroken: "Yun'er, you've misunderstood me. Everything I've done so far has been for your sake!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
"I didn't!!!" Pang interrupted her, staring intently into Zou Xiyun's clear, autumn-water-like eyes. "Do you want to completely resolve the crisis facing 'Void Illusion'? Do you want the Imperial Guards' covert searches to be completely lifted? Do you want the Seven Show Pavilion to return to what it was before, so your sisters don't have to live in constant fear anymore!"
Looking at Pang's unprecedentedly solemn expression, Zou Xiyun felt a surge of emotion she couldn't explain herself, and stammered, "You did this... you did this because... because..."
"To find a scapegoat for 'Konghuan' and completely quell all incidents related to the rebels," Pang took another step closer, his burly yet handsome body almost touching Zou Xiyun's. "Sacrifice six of your brothers, let them suffer temporarily, and pin the heinous crime of colluding with the rebels on Zhao Shiqing, Zhao Yunbi, and the entire Prince's Party. Then I have my own way of ensuring that a fake 'Konghuan' and the Prince's Party are both destroyed. In this way, the capital will be completely peaceful, no one will bother to investigate the whereabouts of the Southern Tang remnants, and you and your sisters will be completely safe.
"
Zou Xiyun's anger subsided slightly, but she still looked at him with suspicion.
"Oh dear, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I was afraid you wouldn't want your brothers to suffer, so I didn't tell you!" Pang stamped his foot repeatedly, looking as if he had been wronged by a great injustice. "Think about it, how many people does your Konghuan have? Sixty? Six hundred? Or six thousand? Now we're only arresting six. It's not like we're sending them to their deaths. A little torture and hardship will save sixty, six hundred, or six thousand people from having to live in fear forever. Tell me, is it right or wrong?"
Zou Xiyun had nothing more to say, but was amused by his frustrated expression and almost laughed.
"I say, dear sister, even after all this, you still won't forgive your little brother?" With the address of "sister" and "little brother," Zou Xiyun finally couldn't help but smile, a captivating smile appearing on her lips. She said reproachfully, "You, you didn't say so earlier, making me so anxious and angry, you drove me crazy!" Her sudden laughter was like a silver bottle shattering, her smile as beautiful as the moon emerging from the clouds and flowers casting shadows.
Pang's heart fluttered, and he pulled her close, laughing, "That's more like it! A couple's quarrel in bed is
easily resolved. Come on, let's discuss this in bed." Even before they'd touched, Zou Xiyun's body tensed abruptly. She pushed his hands away, pouting slightly, "What...what couple? You...you're not allowed to call me that."
Pang ignored her, pulling her closer with a grin, "Call me that? Am I 'chaotic'? What we do all the time, what's the difference between that and a couple's love?"
"You..." Zou Xiyun blushed, her anger waning, and she could only mutter, "Don't say that again! If the maids hear...I...I'll be so embarrassed."
Pang laughed, "What does it matter? Does my wife think she's so shy? We've done it countless times, why would she be afraid of anyone finding out?"
"Who's your wife? Don't talk nonsense!" Although Zou Xiyun was angry, her body was already hot from Pang's embrace around the waist, and she was powerless to do anything. Her scolding lacked any authority and sounded more like a young couple's playful banter. Pang loved this kind of thing, so he lowered his head and kissed her neck, forcing Zou Xiyun to gasp softly, while teasing, "Good wife, still shy? Come on, call me husband, and I'll give you a good time."
"No...don't—" Zou Xiyun struggled, but Pang's gentle caresses and teasing made her helpless, even lifting her long, flowing silk skirt.
"Ah—" A shy, sticky moan escaped her throat as Pang's wicked hand slipped under her skirt and groped her, his fingers skillfully teasing her between her legs, making her tremble all over.
"Good Yunyun, stop being stubborn, look how wet you are... I was just saying, why are you so wet already?" Pang pulled out his wet hand and wiped her blushing cheeks until they glistened.
"How about it, do you want it?"
Zou Xiyun leaned against Pang's chest, panting, her brows furrowed as she tried to hold back, until she was teased to the point of tears and desperately wanted relief, before she shyly nodded.
"What does nodding mean? I don't understand." Pang deliberately teased her, pressing his bulging hips against her full buttocks, gently rubbing, but hesitating to make a move. Zou Xiyun trembled all over from the friction, her body burning hot, shyly pursing her lips for a long time, until finally, without realizing it, her skirt was completely soaked by this little devil, her cheeks flushed like peach blossoms, covered in fragrant sweat, and she whimpered softly, "Husband... I want... ahh ...
Pang laughed heartily and ripped off his robe.
He never refused a beautiful woman's request.

Chapter 254: Ren Huang Reappears.

Two days later, Pang slept until the sun was high in the sky. Returning home in the bright midday sun, he felt refreshed!
He hadn't slept with Zou Xiyun last night. What was the point? As a well-traveled young man with a broad perspective and a full 6 ton of erotic content, Fourth Brother had long since abandoned the traditional way of doing things in bed.
Last night, Zou Xiyun begged him, begged him to give her what she wanted. Fourth Brother never refused a beautiful woman's request. With a raised eyebrow and a loud laugh, he pressed Zou Xiyun's delicate body against the carved window, forcefully attacking her from behind. As Zou Xiyun turned around in alarm, her ** was already pressed against the carved window, her surging ** being vigorously penetrated by Pang.
That night, Pang had an incredibly enjoyable time, using all his skills to leave Zou Xiyun utterly captivated, feeling as if she were ascending to heaven. Her full breasts were kneaded and deformed in his palms, her hazy, dreamy eyes radiating endless allure. Perhaps fearing the passing servants would notice, even her moans and gasps were unusually urgent and seductive. Her former aloofness and reserve vanished under his tutelage, transforming her into a demure and submissive young woman, completely at her husband's mercy. Hearing her
sweet, gentle, charming, and melodious "Husband, husband," Pang's face lit up with spring, and even his manhood felt much swollen than before. He embraced Zou Xiyun and made love again and again until the first light of dawn the next day, when he finally fell into a deep sleep, holding her wet and limp body.
Zou Xiyun didn't wake up until the evening of the next day. Dragging her sore and weak body, she took a bath and changed her clothes. She remembered that she had tried to confront Pang but failed and was instead beaten so badly that she lost her mind and cried out in a daze all night. She was filled with shame and anger, but also with a strange kind of infatuation and infatuation.
On the way back to the manor, Pang was still not satisfied. However, thinking about how he had tormented Zou Xiyun all night, even with her martial arts training, she couldn't withstand his repeated assaults. The Flower Demoness was too scheming; every time he went, he had to agree to some condition in order to get intimate with her. Last time, he was so infatuated that he agreed to help her kill someone without even asking who it was before hastily leaving. If he went again... Fourth Brother was currently busy convicting Zhao Shiqing and Zhao Yunbi and capturing Yang Paifeng. He didn't have time to do such a heinous thing as murder. Uh, Fourth Brother couldn't help but miss the little princess with whom he had shared intimate moments. Back then, on the top floor of Fenglin Pavilion, the two women and one man had a threesome. The little princess was brought to ecstasy and fainted several times. Before falling into a deep sleep, he took her three, four, or more times. Finally, exhausted, she lay on the scattered clothes on the ground, her small body curled up like a ball of fluff. Her delicate and beautiful appearance, with her fingers biting, was still fresh in his memory even after so many days.
Oh dear, I wonder if that spoiled princess will ever enjoy "doing" this, and instead of cursing and making a fuss when she sees Fourth Brother, she'll cling to him and beg him to continue "loving" her...
So empty without a girl to sleep with
! Damn it! Didn't that bastard Ren Huang say he had some distant cousin of a princess to send over for me to see? It's been days, and I haven't even seen a shadow of her!
Fourth Brother was just muttering a few curses when a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the road ahead.
"What? You want to sell this tattered book for five hundred coins? Half a string of cash. Are you robbing me?!" The tone was extremely lewd and vulgar. It sounded so familiar.
Fourth Brother's heart skipped a beat. He lifted the curtain and saw...
Holy crap. Speak of the devil! Two incredibly lewd mustaches immediately came into view. It was none other than that bastard Ren Huang!
"Sir, this is the price. I didn't dare charge you more. The deluxe edition of the *Great Song Dynasty Weekly* costs five hundred coins wherever you buy it," the shopkeeper said with a forced smile. Ever since Pang Si, the powerful and influential servant, appeared in Bianliang, all the servants in the capital suddenly became arrogant. As long as they wore blue robes and hats, no one dared to offend them easily. Who knows if a second Pang Si will emerge!
Ren Huang, this guy, clearly claims to be a servant of the princess's residence, but the fourth brother has seen him several times dressed in ordinary clothes. Only today did he put on a show, dressed in a blue robe and hat, and blocked the entrance of the bookstore.
"Bullshit!" Ren Huang jumped up in anger. "Do you know who I am? Do you know who the editor-in-chief of this book is to me? And who is the president of the publishing house that published this 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly'? Huh? What! You don't know? If you don't know, let me tell you. Fan Zhongyan, the editor-in-chief of 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly,' was my princess's former poetry and literature teacher. The president of 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly' is Tian Ding Pang Si. He's my..."
"Slap!" A large hand slapped his shoulder from behind.
"What are you doing? Don't bother me, I don't want to spend five hundred coins on this worthless book today!" Ren Huang didn't turn his head, his body shaking as he tried to shake off the hand, but the hand seemed to be rooted to his shoulder, and he couldn't break free no matter how hard he struggled. This made Ren Huang furious, his two sleazy mustaches almost standing on end. He turned around and shouted, "You want to die? Watch out, my brother Pang Si will slap you—oh, isn't this Brother Pang Si?"
His face changed faster than his fourth brother's. His arrogant face just now turned into a smiling face in an instant.
"Oh my, long time no see, Brother Pang Si! How have you been? Shopkeeper, look closely! This person, this face, isn't that Pang Si, the Heavenly General? Hmph, do you think I'm lying? This is my buddy, a brother who's been to jail and eaten meat with me. How dare you charge me 500 coins for this copy of the 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly'?"
Upon seeing the real Pang Si, the shopkeeper was so excited he could barely stand. He quickly grabbed a brand-new copy of the weekly and presented it with both hands: "Lord Tian Ding's presence is an honor to my humble shop
... This copy of the 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly' would be a great honor for Lord Tian Ding.
I wanted Brother Tian Ding to sign it, to bring honor to his bookstore and share in his good fortune. But Ren Huang's shamelessness has reached new heights. The shopkeeper had barely tremblingly handed over the 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly' when he snatched it away and stuffed it into his clothes: "Hmm, that's more like it. You know what's good for you!" "
How embarrassing, how fucking embarrassing!!! Even Fourth Brother blushed for him, almost slapped him across the face. Satisfied with his free weekly magazine, Ren Huang clung to him like glue.
"Hey, hey, little brother Pang Si, I heard you were ambushed at Zhiweiguan yesterday, almost hacked to death, is that right, is that right?" He kept pushing forward, trying to show off their intimacy.
Fourth Brother waved his hand, swatting away Ren Huang's unrealistic fantasies.
"Hmph, you're quite well-informed." He stared at Ren Huang, his eyes slightly gloomy. Damn it, he's supposed to be a servant of the Princess's residence, yet he haggles over a book for five hundred coins, even resorting to robbery. Look, look, even the shopkeeper was shocked! Having a friend like this is a sin I committed in my past life!"
Ren Huang's skin was thick enough to laugh even under Fourth Brother's gaze: "Well-informed, of course I'm well-informed, hahaha, don't you even know who my Princess is? The Emperor's sister, his own sister!" "What's going on in the capital that our Princess's Mansion doesn't know? Just yesterday, you were surrounded by dozens of assassins at Zhiweiguan and almost lost your life. I got the news in less than half an hour..."
First "chopped to death" and then "lost his life," Fourth Brother felt this was smearing his reputation. He grabbed Ren Huang's clothes, dragged him over, threw him into the carriage, and with a wave of his hand, Long Wu immediately raised his whip and lashed it down hard. The carriage sped away, leaving the bookstore owner dumbfounded.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Ah!" It took Ren Huang a while to react. He shouted in panic, then quickly shut his mouth.
With a gleaming knife flashing in front of him, not many people could still speak.
"Continue, continue talking, why did you shut up?" "Fourth Brother brandished his Fish Intestine Sword, sneering.
'No, no, Brother Pang Si...you're holding a knife...to my face...how can you talk like that...'
Pang smiled sinisterly, unusually displaying a villainous expression, the Fish Intestine Sword, sharp as a razor, pointed at his face: 'Brother Pang Si? You call me Brother Pang Si?'
'No, no, no...what else should I call you? I'm older than you, I can't call you Big Brother, can I?'
'It's alright, you can call me Fourth Brother.'
Ren Huang's lewd face twitched slightly, it seemed that even under the threat of the knife, he still refused to submit and called Pang 'Brother.'
Fourth Brother greatly admired his backbone, and sheathed his Fish Intestine Sword.
Ren Huang stroked his mustache and smiled smugly, feeling very heroic, not yielding in the face of the knife.
'Snap!'" With a crisp sound, it wasn't a slap in the face—Fourth Brother wasn't that malicious—he simply reached out the carriage window and tossed down a branch. Without even looking at Ren Huang, as if he were invisible, he held the branch in one hand and wielded his Fish Gut Sword in the other, hacking and slashing until the branch was a stick in an instant.
The weather outside suddenly darkened, and a strange, eerie atmosphere filled the carriage. Looking at the gleaming sword in Pang's hand, Ren Huang
felt a chill for no reason. "Hey, you...you...what are you doing, hacking...hacking a stick for no reason?"
"Practicing." Pang didn't even look up, stood the shaved stick upright, and with one stroke, accurately split the stick in two.
The carriage was moving, the carriage was shaking, and the two halves of the stick trembled right before Ren Huang's eyes, making him shudder as well.
"Practicing...practicing?"
"Hmm, the Grand Tutor's mansion has many disobedient servants, incorrigibly unruly, and they just won't learn no matter how you teach them. The Marquis said that for those who disobey, there should be no mercy; they should be turned into human sticks."
"Human sticks? What human sticks?"
"Oh, it's when you cut off a person's two arms, ears, nose, and everything that protrudes from their body, flatten it all out. That's a human stick, isn't it? It's a lot of fun. Do you want to try it?" The knife was turned around and pointed at Ren Huang, a very buddy suggestion.
Ren Huang shook his head like a rattle drum.
"I'm not lying to you, really, it's really fun. You might as well do it once." Pang was very sincere, and immediately pointed the Fish Intestine Sword at him.
"You, don't be afraid. After you become a human stick, plant it in the ground, add some fertilizer, water it, and in less than ten days or half a month, the two arms, ears, nose, and even that thing down there will grow back..."
"Fourth Brother!" Fourth Brother! Before Pang could finish speaking, Ren Huang called out to him.

Chapter 255 Outside the Princess's Residence .

"
Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother."
"Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother! Fourth—Brother—"
Ren Huang called out several times, almost shouting, but his fourth brother just stared at him without saying a word.
"Where are you taking me? Stop the car, stop the car! I came out to deliver a copy of the 'Great Song Dynasty Weekly' for the princess. The princess is waiting for me to come back!"
Pang ignored his shouts and just stared at him. After a long while, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Hey, are you really a servant of the princess's residence? You're not just making this up to fool me, are you?"
The gesturing Ren Huang suddenly froze. After a couple of seconds, he slapped his thigh and cried out in protest, "Oh my god, Brother Pang, you don't even believe your own brother? Think about it, if you weren't a servant of the princess's residence, how could you have reached the top in the courtesan competition?" "Go up to Phoenix Island and see what kind of demeanor and spirit your brother has! Where else, besides the Emperor and Princess Yu's residence, could such a well-mannered servant be trained!"
Pang stared at his face, noticing anything but lewd self-praise. But the more he did this, the more suspicious he became. Damn it, even if Fourth Brother wasn't some invincible protagonist from a third-rate novel, lacking that domineering aura that made everyone kneel and worship women, a single sharp glance from him was enough to keep him calmly boasting and joking… How could a mere servant from the Princess's residence possibly have such ability!
Fourth Brother was increasingly suspicious of Ren Huang's identity. "You're just showing off, showing off, you've gone too far! I've seen through your act, hmph!"
He sneered, "Fine, then let's go to Princess Huanyu's residence now and ask a few people. If they say you're not one of their servants, well... Fourth Brother, acting on behalf of Heaven, will chop you into a human stick on the spot!"
Ren Huang trembled, his expression one of shock and fear, like someone caught doing something wrong. Then, surprisingly, he puffed out his chest, his lewd mustache pointing to the sky, "Let's go then, who's afraid of who?"
Damn it. Still putting on airs!
Fourth Brother was furious. He was determined to expose this lewd and lowly fake servant on the spot today!
"Long Wu. Change course. Head to Princess Huanyu's residence!"
×××××××××××××××
After a short while, the carriage stopped in front of a large mansion with three courtyards. In front of
the gate were neat white stone steps. On the steps stood a gate tower and screen wall decorated with brick carvings. Under the eaves hung a newly made gold-lacquered black plaque: "Princess Huanyu's Residence".
Fourth Brother had already learned from Chuixue that Princess Huaiyu was Emperor Renzong's elder sister, the eldest princess of the Song Dynasty, and about twenty-five years old. Nine years ago, she married Cao Dingkun, the great-grandson of Cao Bin, the Prince of Jiyang, a founding meritorious official. The couple were a perfect match, and their married life was harmonious and happy. Then, three years later, Cao Dingkun unfortunately fell ill and died suddenly. Princess Huaiyu became a widow. The former most beautiful woman in the royal family, the dream goddess pursued by countless young men in Guizhou, wasted her prime years in the high-walled Princess Huaiyu Mansion.
When Fourth Brother and his group arrived, the vermilion-lacquered copper-ringed gate of Princess Huaiyu Mansion was tightly closed, and the area in front of it was empty. There was none of the imposing presence of other powerful and noble families with elite soldiers standing guard at their gates, holding halberds and spears. But this was understandable. The beautiful widow was pure of heart and had no desire for worldly affairs, so why would she compete for the limelight?
Ren Huang stared at the tightly closed gate, his face unusually devoid of its usual frivolous expression. Even his usually lewd mustache looked much more "serious." Fourth
Brother glared at him: "Hey, what are you standing there for? Isn't this your master's residence? Go knock on the door, hurry up!"
Ren Huang snapped back to reality, his eyes flickering, looking like he had something to hide.
"Hurry up, I'm a very impatient person," Fourth Brother urged. Ren
Huang hesitated, stroking his mustache somewhat embarrassedly, "I... hey, the princess asked me to go out and bring her a copy of the *Great Song Dynasty Weekly*. I've been gone for a long time... and I just got back, and I brought a friend... ha, this... isn't a good look.
"
"It's alright, I'll just look around, I won't go in."
"Not going in, but..." Ren Huang's face stiffened, and he chuckled dryly.
Fourth Brother could tell he was deliberately stalling, but what was the use of stalling? It was either yes or no. Could he fabricate a story and get everyone in the princess's residence to prove he was a servant here?
"Oh dear, I don't know why, my hands are itching, I want to chop someone up." He reached for his knife again.
"Fourth Brother, don't rush, don't rush, let's talk this out, let's... let's discuss this..."
Fourth Brother ignored him and walked straight towards the gate.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?" Ren Huang hurriedly pulled him back.
"Oh, I've thought it through. I'm a law-abiding citizen, chopping people up is unacceptable, but my hands are itching, so I guess I'll just have to smash the wall. Anyway, you're the princess's confidant, and we know each other well. If I break the gate, I'll just pay for it. You can run away, but you can't hide. The Grand Tutor's mansion is there." Fourth Brother raised his eyebrows, which sounded like he was saying that he, a servant of the Grand Tutor's mansion, couldn't get away with doing something wrong, but actually he was telling Ren Huang that this
guy was just asking for trouble. Fine, then I have the Fish Intestine Sword that can cut through iron like mud. I'll just blame it all on you and go back to the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Ren Huang was so anxious he was almost crying, wanting to curse him out loud. Shameless! How could there be such a shameless person in the world? He wanted to do something bad, and then dumped everything on me! Poking holes randomly, and not just randomly on the body of a princess who had been widowed for many years—no, it was randomly poking at the gate of the widowed princess's residence, no, it was randomly poking at the gate of the widowed princess's residence! If this were mistaken for either of the two crimes mentioned earlier, ten heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it!
Ren Huang was at his wit's end, completely at his wit's end. He obediently went over and knocked on the door.
"Open the door! Open the door! I'm back, Zhao Pingji, open the door for me—open the door—" After shouting twice with no response, Ren Huang simply pressed the door knocker and pounded on it fiercely, as if deliberately showing off to his fourth brother—what's wrong with you? What are you looking at? I, Ren Huang, am returning to my own residence, and I like to knock like this! Wow
, wow, wow, that's quite a show of force, doesn't seem fake.
Fourth Brother almost applauded him, because even if Ren Huang really was a servant of the Princess's residence, such a "smashing" of the door would surely bring him trouble later, wouldn't it? Even if he returned to the Grand Tutor's residence, he wouldn't be this arrogant.
After slamming the door seventeen times, the Princess's residence gate finally opened.
"Who is it? Who is it? Your parents died in broad daylight, and you come to the Princess's residence to wail about their death? Are you tired of living? May your ancestral graves emit smoke, may you have sores on your head, pus on your feet, and blisters on your mouth? May your yin and yang be out of balance, and may your head be caught in a door?" A thunderous voice exploded first, and then a wall was forcibly squeezed out from inside the door.
—To be precise, she was a burly, shrewish woman, a wall-like figure standing before him. Her large, fat hands were tucked into her hips, which swayed like millstones. Her other hand, as thick as a small radish, pointed outwards, trembling like a teapot—a classic street-swearing pose.
The first person that came to mind was—Grandma Fiery from the TV series "Hail the Judge"!
Grandma Fiery burst out, continuing her tirade: "Who is it? Who was that? Who banged on the door? Which filthy bastard! You son of a bitch! You deserve to be cut to pieces! May your ancestors' graves emit auspicious smoke, and your wife be ridden by ten thousand men…"
Grandma Fiery stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide as she stared at Ren Huang.
"Huang, Huang, Huang, Huang…" Grandma Fiery looked like she'd seen a ghost in broad daylight, her fat face contorted as if hit by a boulder, her whole body trembling violently!
"Huang my ass! You call me Brother Huang?!" Ren Huang snapped, venting all the anger he'd suffered at Fourth Brother's hands. He kicked Grandma Liehuo in the butt, sending her tumbling like a ball, crashing into the door with a thud. His previous arrogance had vanished, replaced by howling.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, Master Huang... I was wrong... This lowly woman was blind, this lowly woman deserves to die, this lowly woman... thud! thud! thud! thud!" He was already kneeling and kowtowing halfway through his sentence.
Fourth Brother was truly shocked. What kind of people live in this Princess's mansion? What kind of family values are these? The gatekeeper is a shrew who curses as soon as she comes out, and Ren Huang is just a servant. What's wrong with scolding him a couple of times? Is he really a servant of the Princess's mansion?
"Hahaha, now you believe me, right?" Ren Huang laughed wildly, hands on his hips, looking extremely smug.
Fourth Brother glanced at Granny Liehuo, her head banging and desperately begging for forgiveness, which reminded him of when Chuixue made a careless mistake. A sudden chill ran through him. "Damn, this attitude is wrong! Even the most obsequious servants don't need to kowtow and beg for forgiveness, unless… unless…" He hesitated, then two forbidden words flashed into his mind, startling him so much he almost jumped up. "
Noodles?" "Male concubine?" Wow! He'd actually stumbled upon something so bizarre! A beautiful widowed princess, a lewd and vulgar but skilled servant in bed… Wow! The
thing he'd been struggling with for so long suddenly became clear.
That's it! That's the explanation. The shrewish gatekeeper had accidentally insulted her master's face, and she had to apologize and beg for forgiveness immediately, or else she'd die!
Pang glanced at Ren Huang carefully a few times. Well, although not as tall and imposing as Fourth Brother, Ren Huang had strong arms, a good posture, and seemed quite robust. And those eyes—a lecherous glint lurked deep within them. He was definitely not the kind of man who would stay home with his wife; he was clearly lustful and indulgent…
The more Fourth Brother looked, the more impure his thoughts became, further confirming his suspicions.
Ren Huang was also glancing at him. With his back to Pang, half of his face curled into a wicked smile that sounded like a sigh. His small mustache, which had finally regained its composure, instantly became lewd again.
“Little Brother Pang, wait here for me a moment,”
Ren Huang winked at Pang, exchanging a lewd smile that only men could understand.
"Brother, go in and inform them that I will take you to meet my princess's good sister in a while."

Chapter 256 The beautiful princess

. People are always a troublesome thing. If it weren't for Ren Huang's enlightenment and his initiative to bring up the matter, just the fact that he asked Fourth Brother to wait outside would probably have made Fourth Brother just leave.
—Yes, a naive and delicate girl being "sold" by her princess sister and a shameless gigolo is absolutely unacceptable. Fortunately, she encountered the benevolent and compassionate Fourth Brother. How could the benevolent and compassionate Fourth Brother stand idly by and watch the girl suffer? Fourth Brother is a man with a very strong sense of justice; he cannot stand by and watch this "selling of his sister" continue. What if it wasn't Fourth Brother who was involved, but some lewd man from who-knows-where, Ren Huang? Wouldn't the girl's life be ruined?
Fourth Brother is a kind and compassionate man; this time, he must personally intervene to save the poor, ignorant girl who has been sold without even realizing it, and guide her towards the right path in life! Fourth Brother,
unusually, waited patiently. What's wrong with standing at the door for a while to save the innocent girl?
Less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea after entering, Long Wu came out.
"Brother Pang Si, my princess invites you." "He stopped calling me 'Fourth Brother,' and a sly glint gleamed in his eyes. It was clear he was up to something again. Fourth Brother, too lazy to argue with this lecherous man—saving the girl was more important—waved his hand and led Long Wu inside.
'Wait!' Long Wu stood at the door, even his blocking the way was done in such a lewd manner.
'The princess only requests the Heavenly Sergeant.'
Pang gave him a meaningful look, and Long Wu immediately stepped back.
'Also, please, Guard Long, don't climb over the wall. Although there aren't many guards in the princess's residence, they are all fiercely loyal. A misunderstanding might not be good.'
'Fourth Brother!' Long Wu hesitated.
'It's alright. Wait outside.'"
"Fourth Brother, what are you afraid of? Princess Huanyu. A woman. She can't possibly eat me alive, can she? Hmm. I heard that Princess Huanyu was the most beautiful woman in the royal family before she got married. In that case, I might consider eating her." He waved his hand, telling Long Wu to wait outside, and swaggered in.
The Princess's Mansion was indeed the Princess's Mansion. The mansion was an elegant and exquisite garden. After passing through the two rows of side rooms where the servants and servants lived in the outer courtyard, the road ahead suddenly opened up. There were artificial hills and ponds, winding corridors and pavilions, with vines everywhere. Insects and birds chirped, and a breeze brought a fresh scent of grass. It was as if he had come to the Jiangnan water town, a paradise on earth.
Pang walked and admired the beautiful scenery along the way. Before long, he arrived at the central courtyard with a row of eighteen... Before a wooden door with a window and a perforated floor. Beside it, on the screen wall of the courtyard, inlaid with brick carvings, are the four characters "花竹怡静" (Hua Zhu Yi Jing, meaning "Flowers, Bamboo, Tranquility").
Around the brick walls are delicate openwork carvings of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, rendered with smooth lines and exquisite craftsmanship. Passing through the door, one enters a courtyard five hundred paces wide and deep. Camellias, roses, peonies, and osmanthus are planted all around. Vines hang from the pavilions, and tall bamboos stand against the walls, creating a scene like a fairyland. In the center is a large expanse of shallow water. Strange rocks, resembling caves and craggy peaks, are scattered about. The pine trees, with their sharp, twisted edges, are rugged and complex. Lotus leaves, a deep green, float on the water, complementing the artificial hills... It is early summer. Camellias are in full bloom, and the fragrance of osmanthus fills the air. Red and white flowers reflect each other. The water moves and the breeze is cool—a scene of vibrant beauty.
Ren Huang led Pang across the stone bridge to the center of the pond... Before the elegant and uniquely designed hall, surrounded by water, lay the entrance. Inside, the first floor was a large hall enclosing a smaller one, both furnished with refined luxury. One side of both the hall and the smaller hall featured floor-to-ceiling windows, exquisitely carved and decorated, all made of expensive mahogany. Fortunately, Fourth Brother had come from the Grand Tutor's mansion; the furnishings in his Spring Garden alone were no less impressive. Any other servant might have been overwhelmed by the sight. Reaching a waterside platform on the second floor, Ren Huang invited him to sit down, then turned to invite the princess. Fourth
Brother, a very casual person, treated everything as his own home. Seeing no maids to serve tea, he poured himself a cup, pulled up a chair, crossed his legs, and leisurely enjoyed the view, completely relaxed and content.
Looking down, the entire courtyard unfolds before your eyes: pavilions, terraces, towers, beautiful trees, and fragrant flowers—a place to sit, lie down, stroll, and admire, exquisitely crafted and elegant. Around the embroidered pavilion, in and around the pond, stand countless Taihu stones, meticulously sculpted by nature itself. Some are strangely shaped, some brightly colored, some beautifully patterned, some of superior quality, some delicate and translucent, others ethereal and graceful; still others are rustic and ancient, solemn and profound, transcending the mundane, possessing the majestic grandeur of layered mountains, pleasing to the eye and inspiring contemplation.
Fourth Brother, though a servant, also possessed the spirit of a scholar. Seeing such beauty, he couldn't help but express his feelings. He took a sip of his fine Junshan Silver Needle tea, stood up, walked to the railing of the viewing platform, and spontaneously recited: "Scattered and towering, a heap of jade in the air. Peaks rise like immortal palms, crevices open like sword gates."
"Excellent, a perfect five-character quatrain composed to suit the occasion. " A soft sigh came from outside the open door. Before Pang could turn around, a clear and melodious female voice entered his ears.
“In ancient times, Cao Zhi composed a poem in seven steps; today, Lord Tian Ding, after only half a cup of tea, uttered a poem on the spot. Truly a man of great talent.”
Pang turned around upon hearing this, his eyes immediately lighting up.
Before him stood a woman of exquisite beauty, tall and slender, who entered with a graceful and elegant gait. A long black gauze palace dress accentuated her dignified and refined complexion. Her hair,
styled in a high, slightly sloping bun, seemed to tremble, perfectly complementing her long, graceful figure—a slender waist, a beautiful neck, fair skin, and full breasts. She looked nothing like a widow who had been widowed for many years; she was clearly a beautiful princess in the prime of her life!
"No, no, Prince Chen Si (Cao Zhi) is a man of
unparalleled talent. How could I, Xiao Ding, compare myself to him? At most, I'm worth nine or ten Xie Lingyuns, hahaha—" Pang Da laughed three times, stepped forward, and bowed in greeting. Princess Huanyu sat down in the main seat, her expression dignified and composed, exuding an air of elegance and nobility. After exchanging a glance with Ren Huang that was definitely not between master and servant, she suddenly glanced at Pang Da and said leisurely, "Lord Tian Ding is truly modest. Xie Lingyun was the foremost literary figure of the Southern Liu Song Dynasty, his talent admired by all. He once said, 'Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the literary talent of the world totals one shi (one shi equals ten dou), of which Cao Zijian alone possesses eight dou, I have one dou, and the rest of the world share the remaining one dou.' Lord Tian Ding claims he dares not compare himself to Prince Chen Si, yet..." "You want to possess ten bushels of talent all to yourself?"
Fourth Brother smiled faintly. "When I said 'I won't compare,' it wasn't because I considered myself inferior to Cao Zijian. It's because the Marquis often taught us, the servants of the Pang family, that humility is a virtue, and we shouldn't try to outdo others. Otherwise… Hmph, not to boast, but even Liu Yong and Ouyang Xiu are inferior to me, so what is Cao Zijian compared to me!"
These words were full of pride and domineering arrogance. Combined with his proud posture, handsome appearance, and his usual confidence, arrogance, and wildness, he exuded a kind of awe-inspiring aura.
But strangely enough, Princess Huanyu was not stunned. Instead, she maintained her dignified demeanor, and her beautiful phoenix eyes seemed to hold a hint of testing.
"Lord Tian Ding considers himself highly talented…"
"Ah! Princess, you're mistaken. It's not just me who considers myself highly talented, it's everyone's consensus!" Fourth Brother emphasized.
Princess Huanyu showed a slight surprise: "Why isn't Lord Tianding being modest?"
"The Marquis often teaches us that excessive modesty is arrogance."
Looking at his serious expression and the constant emphasis on "the Marquis often teaches us," Princess Huanyu, who had been widowed for many years and was usually calm and composed, surprisingly pursed her cherry lips slightly, as if suppressing a slight laugh. "Very well, then I will test Lord Tianding to see if this universally acknowledged 'high talent' is truly deserved."
"Test me? Sure, Princess, just pick a difficult question. I like challenges." Fourth Brother smiled confidently. Damn it, I'm not afraid of Liu Yong, who in this world can stump me?
"Little Brother Pang, don't be too confident." Ren Huang interjected, his mustache still looking lewd. "Before the princess married, she was the most talented woman in the capital, and many scholars and writers were willing to admit defeat.
"
Princess Huanyu glared at him reproachfully, then slowly turned her head to look at the shimmering blue pond outside the window.
"Impromptu poetry... Oh, Princess Yu really does have the makings of a talented woman."
He gazed intently at her; her charm remained undiminished from when she was a widowed young woman before marriage. She had delicate eyebrows, phoenix eyes, smooth skin, and a radiant complexion. Her beautifully styled hair, styled in a light updo, enhanced her femininity. From his angle, her dignified and graceful figure stood out perfectly against the picturesque scenery of the manor, the two complementing each other beautifully, making her even more alluring and radiant. It was hard to tell whether it was her reflection in the water or the water reflecting her.
As a princess, her attire was undoubtedly magnificent—a long, flowing dress with wide sleeves, a cloud-shaped shoulder cape, a shawl, a wide belt, and a knee-covering, all made of only white silk and black gauze. Her thick, dark hair was styled into a high bun with tassels, adorned with shimmering gold ornaments. Every pearl embedded in her hairpins was a rare and precious tribute that money couldn't buy. Perhaps due to her widowhood, even her bun was covered with a long, flowing black veil, which contrasted beautifully with her fair skin. Her entire outfit consisted of only black and white.
Fourth Brother, being a gentleman, was certainly not the kind of beast who would look at a woman's chest first. However, Princess Huanyu's slender figure showed no signs of aging. She was indeed fully covered by silk and satin, yet from the side, her waist remained slender and not at all bulky. Her ribs were full and rounded, as if they were about to burst out of her clothes at any moment, completely disregarding the multiple layers of her elaborate dress. Her dignified beauty was enhanced by the alluring charm of a young woman!
She sat with her legs crossed, her two delicate, snow-white hands resting on her knees. Beneath her skirt were a pair of princess-style shoes with gilded phoenix-head ornaments, and the phoenix hairpin adorning her black gauze bun—the only two colors besides black and white in her entire outfit.
Princess Huanyu gazed at the shallow water beyond the platform, lost in thought for a moment, before a soft, melodious voice escaped her cherry lips: "Fragrant lotus, green water, a cool breeze stirs; water stirs, a cool breeze stirs, summer days are long; long days, summer coolness, a breeze stirs the water; cool breeze stirs the water, green lotus fragrance lingers. Lord Tian Ding, please also compose a palindrome poem to match the occasion."
She emphasized the words "match the occasion" and "palindrome."

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