By the afternoon, the rain gradually subsided.
Yejing Hall walked out of the dungeon, his hand still resting on the saber handle, contemplating the essence of the "Tianhe Saber" technique.
After the exchange with Qiu Tianhe in the dungeon just now, he could be said to have learned the "Tianhe Saber" technique.
However, the "Tianhe Saber" was a rare internal martial art among saber techniques, completely different from the saber technique taught by his adoptive father. He could only say that he had learned how to use it for now, but he didn't understand the connotation of the saber technique at all and couldn't be considered proficient. It was too early and absurd to teach Prince Jing now, so he still needed a couple of days to get familiar with it.
As he turned these thoughts over in his mind and walked out of the dungeon entrance, Yejing Hall looked back at Mingyu Tower. He originally just wanted to take a quick glance and leave, but unexpectedly, he vaguely heard the voice of a mature woman through the light rain:
"What are you thinking? Giving such an item..."
"You're the one who's lonely. Seriously... Look at it yourself. It's so thick, almost as thick as the wrist..."
"What do you mean, get a smaller one? No, no. You can use it yourself... It's so embarrassing~..."
The voice was shy and impatient, with a hint of disdain, but it was soft and sweet, very pleasant to the ear.
Just hearing the voice, one could imagine a beautiful noblewoman, biting her lower lip shyly and annoyed, pushing it away.
Yejing Hall was a bit puzzled and was about to listen to whom she was talking to and what they were talking about.
But just as he pricked up his ears, a whisper like that of an ancient spirit came to his ear:
"Sir, please come this way?"
The voice came suddenly, and even Yejing Hall, who thought his martial arts were already quite good, was startled and gave a shudder.
He turned his head and saw that three steps away from his side stood an old woman with long hair reaching the ground. She was hunched over, with her left hand behind her back and her right hand open, gesturing towards the outside of the Black Yamen.
Although Yejing Hall was seeing this white-haired old woman for the first time, from her appearance, he could guess that she was most likely one of the two "Red Cudgels with Double Flowers" in the Black Yamen - Meng Jiao, the White-haired Divine Listener.
The Eight-armed Ksitigarbha and the White-haired Divine Listener were both top grandmasters and coaches of the "national team." Although they didn't look remarkable, one could imagine how much weight they carried in the martial arts world.
Yejing Hall was caught red-handed eavesdropping on the conversation of the female relatives in the prince's mansion, and he was really embarrassed. After saluting with his hands clasped, he quickly walked towards the outside of the Black Yamen. After walking a few steps, he looked back - the exit of the dungeon was empty, as if what had just happened was just an illusion.
What excellent lightness skills...
Just like a ghost...
With lingering fear in his heart, Yejing Hall quickly left the Black Yamen, rode his horse back, and along the way, he was also thinking about the identity of the noblewoman who had been talking just now.
The person who could stand on top of Mingyu Tower and chat without scruples must have a very noble status, but it didn't seem to be the Female Emperor.
During these few days of wandering in the capital, he had also privately inquired about the situation in the court.
The current Female Emperor was Prince Jing's elder sister, and the age difference between them was not large. No one dared to mention what she looked like, only knowing that she had a decisive personality and a tough hand.
Prince Jing had a supermodel figure and peerless beauty. Presumably, the Female Emperor wouldn't be any worse. Such an empress would probably not speak in such a shy way.
As for the others...
Yejing Hall didn't know many people and really couldn't figure out who it was. He just assumed that she was a relative of Prince Jing.
He wanted to enter the palace to find the "Minglong Tu." Speaking of which, he had also inquired about rumors of "male concubines" and the like these days.
From the inquiries these days, it seemed that both the Female Emperor and her sister were very chaste, and there were no rumors about male concubines...
Incidentally, the Empress Dowager Qin, who lived in seclusion in the deep palace, was also the same...
But the idea of entering the palace to obtain things by selling his charm and deceiving women's feelings somehow made him feel guilty.
The remaining option was to practice lightness skills hard and sneak into the imperial palace.
The possibility of succeeding with this method was quite high, but the risks were undoubtedly great. Just Prince Jing had a fierce person like the "White-haired Divine Listener" by his side. He didn't even dare to imagine what the Female Emperor had around her. If he was discovered, even the bird might end up being made into pigeon soup...
He rode along the street through the busy market and unknowingly returned to the entrance of the alley on Ranfang Street.
Although he didn't hear any sound, from a distance, he could smell the aroma of stir-fried pork.
Yejing Hall hadn't eaten well from yesterday to today. When he smelled the aroma, his appetite was greatly aroused. He quickly came outside the courtyard and looked over the wall - there was a bench under the eaves. Little Miss Zhe was sitting outside the kitchen, chopping firewood with a firewood knife. Her saber skills were good, but she wasn't very proficient in doing the work, and the pieces of firewood she chopped were of uneven lengths.
There was smoke coming out of the kitchen, and the window was open. Miss Luo, wearing an apron, was moving back and forth between the chopping board and the stove. The rice was warming on the small stove.
The bird was also very diligent. Standing on the stove, it opened its beak, waiting to help taste the food.
Yejing Hall opened the courtyard gate and lifted the two small wine jars in his hand:
"Is the meal already cooked? I just bought two jars of small wine on the way. It's the Yangchun Shao from Wutong Street. I drank it once at Jinping Tower last time. The wine is extremely fragrant..."
Luo Ning had already heard the footsteps. She raised her eyes and glanced at Yejing Hall. Her mood was still not calm after being bullied last night, so she didn't say anything.
Zhe Yunli was much more enthusiastic. She flicked her wrist and threw the firewood knife, which landed steadily on a piece of firewood. She got up and ran over to catch the wine jar:
"Brother Jingtang, what's the situation at the Black Yamen?"
"It went very smoothly. I went to learn the saber technique from Master Qiu, and he agreed. Once I learn it in a few days and teach it to Prince Jing, we should be able to get him out."
"Prince Jing won't go back on his word after learning the saber technique, will he?"
"Prince Jing values my abilities. How can he win people's hearts if he goes back on his word? Besides, it's not like letting a tiger return to the mountains. Letting Master Qiu spend his remaining years in the capital is equivalent to detaining him in another place. There's no need to bluff me."
...
While chatting, Yejing Hall came to the kitchen. After a brief look around, he found that there were no wine glasses, so he said:
"Yunli, please help me go to the general store on the street to buy a set of wine utensils. Thanks."
"Sure thing."
Zhe Yunli immediately picked up the umbrella and was about to go out.
Luo Ning didn't pay much attention at first, but after stir-frying the vegetables for a while, she realized something was wrong - if he could buy wine, how could he forget to buy wine utensils?
!
Luo Ning's icy face stiffened slightly, and she quickly turned around:
"Yunli..."
Zhe Yunli was very quick on her feet, and there was no sign of her in the courtyard.
At the same time, Yejing Hall had already walked up to her and stroked the big bird:
"Miss Luo, your cooking skills are really good."
"..."
Luo Ning took a step to the side and didn't look at Yejing Hall:
"Yejing Hall! If you dare to push your luck again, don't blame me for being unkind."
Yejing Hall had noticed in the morning that Luo Ning was indeed a bit unhappy. He knew that he had been a bit impulsive yesterday and felt quite ashamed.
He took out a green jade pendant from his sleeve, placed it on the chopping board, and went behind the stove to stir the firewood:
"Don't think too much. The Black Yamen gave me the 'Longtan Bixi'. There's only one jade pendant. If I give it to you in front of Yunli, it will easily make her misunderstand."
Luo Ning glanced at the 'Longtan Bixi': "You knew there would be a misunderstanding, yet you still gave me the jade pendant? What do you mean?"
"How can it be said that I'm giving it? Last night, we joined hands to capture the thief. I can't just take all the spoils for myself. Miss Luo, do you want to give all the things to me? That would make me think too much."
Luo Ning thought about it and realized that he was right. She put the jade pendant into her bosom:
"This is what I deserve, not a gift from you. When I leave the capital, I'll take it to Shuiyun Sword Pool to exchange for reward silver."
No matter how one listened to these words, it was obvious that she was deliberately trying to anger Yejing Hall.
Yejing Hall shook his head and smiled: "It's your thing, so you can naturally deal with it as you like."
Sizzle...
The water vapor in the pot rose, blocking their view, and the conversation stopped.
Luo Ning skillfully stir-fried the vegetables, but she was clearly a bit absent-minded. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yejing Hall stirring the firewood, and she was basically pouring the seasonings randomly.
After a moment of silence, Luo Ning couldn't help but speak again:
"Get out. Don't just stand here."
"Do you really not want to see me, Miss Luo?"
Luo Ning put down the spatula, stared at Yejing Hall with a cold expression, looking like she was ready to throw in the towel and say "I can't stand this anymore."
Yejing Hall shook his head, got up, and went outside to chop the firewood that Zhe Yunli hadn't finished chopping.
Only then did Luo Ning relax and continue stir-frying the vegetables. In the middle of it, she picked up a piece of stir-fried pork, blew on it, and fed it to the bird that was eagerly waiting to be fed.
The bird's eyes sparkled as it caught the food, and then...
"Goo...?!"
The bird twitched a couple of times, closed its beak, which was rare for it, and nodded vigorously, as if praising Sister Xiaogua's good cooking skills.
Then the bird hopped out the door and came up to Yejing Hall, watching him chop the firewood attentively...
As the aroma of the meal filled the courtyard, the rain also stopped.
"Time to eat~"
Zhe Yunli carried the dishes and walked through the tidy courtyard to the main house. She found the bird squatting in the birdhouse under the eaves and asked in confusion:
"Why aren't you in a hurry today?"
"Chirp~"
The bird waved its wings magnanimously, indicating that it was full.
Yejing Hall sat at the table, opened the wine jar, and poured wine for the two women, one big and one small.
Luo Ning sat in the main seat and helped serve the rice. She still didn't look at Yejing Hall with her eyes, but with Yunli around, her behavior was much more natural.
When all the dishes were served, Yejing Hall raised his wine glass:
"Come on, let's have a toast. Here's to Master Qiu's early liberation from suffering."
Zhe Yunli was very polite. She quickly picked up her wine glass with both hands:
"Master Qiu's life is out of danger, and both my mistress and I owe Brother Jingtang a great favor. My mistress and I will toast you first."
Luo Ning didn't have the mood to toast Yejing Hall, but since Yunli had already said it, she couldn't very well refuse. After thinking about it, she put down her chopsticks, raised her glass with both hands, and clinked it with Yejing Hall's.
Ding~
Luo Ning covered her lips with her sleeve and drank it all in one gulp. Her fair cheeks immediately turned a delicate pink, like the peach blossoms in February. It was obvious that she didn't often drink alcohol, and her naturally misty beautiful eyes also showed a hint of haze.
Zhe Yunli had a good tolerance for alcohol. After taking a big sip, her face didn't even turn red. She leaned close to her mistress and gently stroked her back to help her catch her breath, smiling and saying:
"This is the first time I've seen my mistress drink. Brother Jingtang, you're so lucky. If people in the martial arts world knew..."
"Yunli!"
Luo Ning knew that Zhe Yunli wanted to say "The Goddess of the Moon Palace toasted you." Her eyes darkened, and she interrupted Zhe Yunli's words.
Zhe Yunli said dejectedly: "I'm not stupid. I was just saying it casually. Is it very spicy?"
Luo Ning put down the wine glass and replied calmly:
"Just average."
Yejing Hall didn't respond either. He picked up his chopsticks,夹了块色香味俱全的小炒肉, and chewed it slightly...
Goodness!
No wonder the silly bird was standing outside...
Yejing Hall was also a real man. He chewed the extremely salty stir-fried pork without changing his expression, took a sip of wine to suppress the taste, and at the same time, glanced at Miss Luo to see if she was deliberately tormenting him.
It didn't seem so...
Then it must be that she was absent-minded and her performance was affected...
Zhe Yunli smiled and poured herself a glass of wine. She also picked up a piece of stir-fried pork and put it in her mouth.
Then her face turned green immediately!
But it was the dish that her mistress had made with great difficulty. If she spat it out on the spot, how sad her mistress would be.
Zhe Yunli gritted her teeth and swallowed it, staring at Yejing Hall with wide eyes, probably asking - How did you manage to eat it?!
Yejing Hall picked up a large chopstickful of food and put it in Zhe Yunli's bowl, saying with concern:
"You're still growing. Eat more."
You scoundrel!!!
Zhe Yunli clenched her teeth, but her expression remained unchanged. She also picked up a large chopstickful of food and put it in Yejing Hall's bowl:
"Brother Jingtang is a man and has to go out to handle affairs. You should eat more. What do you think of my mistress's cooking skills?"
"Exquisite."
Yejing Hall didn't change his expression and swallowed the food with gritted teeth.
...
The "family of three" ate their ordinary meal like this, and the atmosphere was quite warm.
Luo Ning ate in a rather elegant way. She preferred a light taste and didn't like greasy food. She was just eating the stir-fried vegetables.
Seeing Yejing Hall and Zhe Yunli looking so close and friendly, she felt quite annoyed.
But as the two of them kept picking food for each other and gradually stopped talking, just drinking in silence, Luo Ning finally realized something was wrong.
Luo Ning picked up her chopsticks and tasted the stir-fried pork. Her face immediately changed color. She thought someone had poisoned the dish. Then she said angrily:
"It's so salty... If it tastes bad, why didn't you say so? And you still forced yourselves to eat it!"
Yejing Hall laughed twice and raised his hand to gesture:
"It's okay... Cough cough..."
"Strange..."
Zhe Yunli finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She got up to get the teapot and drank directly from it:
"Gulp gulp..."
?!
Luo Ning stared at the two "lunatics." It seemed that she wanted to laugh, but she held it back. She tapped the table lightly, got up, and went out the door. She picked up the bird that was peeking in to watch the fun outside the door and gave it a scolding:
"What's wrong with you?"
"Chirp..."