Chapter 49: She Sets the Stage, He Sings the Lead

"Miss, Zhang Linxiang went to see Xu Guodong, and the two parted on bad terms after a quarrel!"

In the Qiu residence, Zhaojiao was sketching on a rack beside the brazier, listening to Willow Catkin report the situation outside as she drew.

A vibrant red flame leaped onto the paper. Holding her brush, Zhaojiao looked at that cluster of flames and smiled with a chilling eerie intent.

"Keep a close watch. Xu Guodong has been Zhang Linxiang's dog for all these years; he must hold plenty of dirt on the other man. A cornered beast will leap over a wall, and Xu cares most about his official post. If Zhang—"

"Lady Bright Moon, please forgive this old monk, I am forced to offend!" The eccentric monk scooped up Coral and leaped away with several bounds, instantly vanishing from the chaotic scene.

Seeing this, Meng Changsheng knew that Yan Chixia must still harbor some distrust toward him, so he said no more and simply continued to drink by himself, leaving Yan Chixia to ponder. For a moment, the room fell silent, broken only by the occasional sound of the two drinking.

"Take good care of the Fourth Mistress here. Once the physician finishes examining her, send her back to the residence. I need to go find the Second Mistress." No one found anything improper about Ding Jiuxi's instructions; the servants nodded in agreement, and Ding Jiuxi turned and left.

"Since the Northeast People's Army has so many elite forces, why don't they take the initiative to attack?" Zhang Chong raised a malicious question, casting a sideways glance at Old Jiang as his words fell.

After drinking a cup of wine herself, Coral began employing flattery and urging him to drink. She poured drink after drink for Zhai Bao, and within moments, Zhai Bao was dizzy, his gaze dull, and his speech completely incoherent.

However, those present who were privy to some insider information knew that the Black Mountain Old Demon and Wu Gui could hardly be old friends; they were practically mortal enemies.

After this incident, although the Heavenly Emperor did not punish the Immortal Elder for the crime of poor judgment in appointing personnel, in private, people were still buzzing with discussion, even suspecting that the Heavenly Emperor was guilty of favoring his close, old subordinates.

Xuan Yuan Yexian asked Di Shitian inside the pet space, but received no response for a long time. She couldn't help casting a suspicious look into the pet space, only to see that Di Shitian's territory was currently glowing with a brilliant seven-colored light.

It was this Commandery Princess who had matched Fourteenth Miss Xin with Feng Sheng, yet the moment the Xin family met with disaster, she instantly distanced herself, washing her hands of the matter and offering a host of high-sounding excuses. Talk of the laws of the Three Realms was sheer nonsense; in Meng Changsheng's view, the truth was simply that the Commandery Princess was selfish and cowardly.

The leader of the Heavenly Demon Society was rumored to be a mighty expert of the Three Realms of Cloud Sea, possessing formidable strength, and beneath him were two vice leaders, both cultivating at the First Realm of Cloud Sea.

In comparison, those bearing sabers performed even worse than a lean, scrawny old man. Everyone wore a look of panic, their blades half-drawn. Especially the young man from Marquis Wuqing's household, Zhu Pingjin's cousin, whose performance was even more unbearable. Zhu Pingjin estimated that when he returned to the princely residence today, he would need a new pair of trousers.

The Empress Dowager sat upright at the top, a warm pillow resting against her back. Her makeup was forever impeccably flawless, and her face always wore a benevolent smile whose intentions remained unreadable.

Yu Tianzheng increased the pressure of his grip on the case files, his eyes lingering on the documents while his thoughts were far away.

Whether it was because speaking these words had tired him out, or because the recent conversation with Li Jiaxing had left him physically and mentally exhausted, the old man closed his eyes and feigned sleep after saying these few words to Zhang Tianyi.

When the gates of the Xingguo Temple were thrown wide open and thousands of peasant rebels poured out, charging straight at the government army's left flank, Zhao Ronggui, who was overseeing the defense on the left flank, felt his eyes split wide open with terror.

Ye Chunyi and Daoist Xusheng exchanged glances, a trace of a smile appearing on both of their faces. It was obvious they could tell Li Xiang was being perfunctory in his words, but since he intended to conceal something, it would not be proper to press further.

Zhuang Shaoyou was somewhat surprised. Who had stirred this up? Then he saw Guo Yuan, Luo Yu, and Wu Liang coming forward from the city gate to pay their respects.

Chen Lin had not run far before the messenger who had just delivered the report came running back in the opposite direction. He wore a look of sheer terror, as if the sky were falling.