Chapter 262 Flirting with Xu Junling
Chapter 262 Flirting with Xu Junling
On the long street, the drizzle that had briefly stopped began to fall again.
Zhao Duan's triumphant laughter resounded wildly in the air, clearly heard by every spectator.
At this moment, on both sides of the street, whether it was the guests in the teahouse or the people hiding under the eaves watching, there was a deep awe on their faces.
They didn't know who the attacker was, but based on some reasonable speculation, they concluded that it was Zhao Duan's bodyguard.
After all...which high-ranking official, or dandy young man, doesn't have beautiful maids and guards around him?
Stereotypes are of the type that belong to us.
"No wonder... King Zhao is so confident and fearless. This is what a big shot is like."
Many people had similar thoughts and felt envious.
Lu Qingfeng was choked, and the expression on his slightly pale old face changed, but he swallowed the name that was on the tip of his tongue and said respectfully:
"Thank you, Senior... and Lord Zhao, please raise your hands."
Zhao Duan's smile faded and he said sarcastically:
"Who said I raised my hand? Do you really think that fighting with soldiers in the capital city is okay? Come, lock up this man and these lawless people and take them to the imperial prison."
Lu Qingfeng's face suddenly changed. He didn't expect that Zhao Yanwang would insist on arresting someone after beating him up.
This time, a group of imperial guards were ready to fight, and came over with iron chains, looking like they were relying on the power of their masters.
"Wait a minute!"
At this moment, a cold female voice finally couldn't bear it any longer and had to speak up to stop them.
Finally it came out... Zhao Duan's mouth corners slowly curled up, looking towards the half-destroyed teahouse opposite.
I saw a young woman with the temperament of a lady from a noble family slowly leaning out from the half-open window.
Her face is smooth and her skin is as delicate as a baby's. She has the elegance of a girl from the south of the Yangtze River. Just standing gracefully by the window, she exudes an air of elegance and poetry.
"Ah——What a pretty lady..."
"Who is this?"
"Hush, keep your voice down, and don't comment on me."
The crowd started to talk first, then some people became alert and shut up, fearing that their words might offend the wrong people.
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up, and he looked across the dilapidated street and said with a playful smile:
"It's really strange today. One after another comes. How come this girl also wants to sit in the imperial court?"
"Bold! You..."
By the window, the maid Lu Shui was furious.
But she was forced back by Xu Junling's eyes. This talented young lady of the royal palace was graceful and elegant. Facing this scene, she just smiled faintly and raised her voice slightly, saying:
"I wonder if Lord Zhao would be so kind as to discuss this in detail?"
Zhao Duan didn't say anything, but just raised his hand and made a "waiting for you" gesture.
He asked me to go there in person... Xu Junling's eyelashes trembled, and he turned around and went straight downstairs.
Soon, she led her maid and walked out of the first floor of the teahouse. Under the gaze of people, the maid held up an oil-paper umbrella to shelter from the rain.
The two women, both of whom had quite good looks and temperament, crossed the wet and cold street and walked towards the other side.
"……Miss."
When passing by Lu Qingfeng, the palace guard who had spoken so arrogantly not long ago looked ashamed.
Xu Junling just shook his head to indicate that it was okay.
Lu Qingfeng moved his lips and sent a voice into her ears:
"That old man in the building is probably the legendary number one expert in the Imperial Palace, Hai Gongfeng."
Xu Junling paused slightly and his eyes narrowed.
Then, he walked into the teahouse opposite without changing his expression, and went up the wooden stairs under the watchful eyes of the waiters and tea drinkers on the first floor.
……
On the second floor, after Zhao Duan revealed his identity, the other tea drinkers had already fled in a swarm, fearing that they would be implicated.
At this moment, there were only Zhao Duan and Hai Gongfeng sitting at a table, watching the two women coming up the stairs.
"Xu Junling, daughter of the King of Huai'an, greets the Sea Lord, the Envoy of Zhao."
The gentle and elegant princess bowed gracefully and took the initiative to speak.
The white-haired eunuch Hai smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"My princess has embarrassed us."
Generally speaking, the status of women in the royal family is not high, they are just more noble in title. But Xu Junling is different from other princesses. She represents half of the King of Huai'an.
Secondly, since she has not married yet, she is still considered a descendant of the Xu royal family. No matter how high Hai Gongfeng's status is, he is still a royal servant in name.
So the tone is still polite.
"Ah, I didn't know the princess was coming. I didn't recognize you. I was very rude just now. I hope the princess won't blame me."
Zhao Duan was "horrified" and stood up, as if at this moment he knew the other party's identity.
"..."Xu Junling's smile froze, and he thought to himself, can you act more fake?
But she smiled sweetly: "You're welcome, Lord Zhao."
Eunuch Hai glanced at the two of them, suddenly smiled, stood up and said:
"Let's go out and digest the food. You guys can chat."
Having said that, without waiting for anyone to react, his figure leaped lightly and flew out of the building like a wisp of green smoke, disappearing without a trace.
No...Old Haini...Zhao Duan’s eyelids twitched.
Xu Junling's expression did not change. He walked straight to Eunuch Hai's seat and sat opposite Zhao Duan.
The maid holding the oil-paper umbrella did not go far away, nor did she come closer. She stood at the stairs with her hands hanging down.
"It is really unexpected that Lord Zhao and Hai Gong are here." Xu Junling said calmly.
"Haha, I didn't expect that the princess would come to a place like this to watch the fun." Zhao Duan laughed and pretended to be puzzled.
"The guy named Lu downstairs..."
"I am the guard of the palace," Xu Junling sat in a dignified and elegant posture:
"The Buddhist and Taoist event is approaching, and I was inspired to join in the fun. I just witnessed the conflict below while on guard, and I am worried that if a fight breaks out, the soldiers will suffer.
Especially once the news spreads, it will inevitably bring bad reputation to the court, so I acted rashly. I had no ill intentions in order to calm the situation, but I made Lord Zhao laugh. "
There was no cover-up, but it was made up openly, well... it seemed like he was talking about a small misunderstanding.
Zhao Duan's eyes flickered, and he laughed and said:
"I see. I was wondering when such a great master appeared in the capital. If I had known earlier that he was the princess's subordinate, I wouldn't have caused this misunderstanding.
To be honest, it was the two traitors below who were so hateful. Not only did they disrespect the laws of the court, but they also almost caused a conflict between me and the princess. It was really hateful...
I'm afraid he has calculated it right. He knows the princess is here and deliberately stirs things up. His intention is to kill her..." Xu Junling could only force a smile and said carefully:
"People in the martial arts world are crude, but they may not have complicated thoughts. At this moment, it is better to have fewer disputes in the city."
Zhao Duan let out a long "Oh" with a smile in his eyes:
"Does the princess think so?"
After a pause, before Xu Junling pursed his lips and was about to speak again, he waved his hand and said with a smile:
"Then I must have thought too much. Since it is just the behavior of a reckless man and the princess has spoken, let's just forget about it."
Lift it high, put it down gently...
In a word, he forced the other person to do him a favor.
He was so aggressive just now and arrested people repeatedly, just to force out the real person behind it.
Now that the princess came up to the tower in person, she was giving him face, and Zhao Duan also needed to return the favor.
During the conversation, he was also observing this famous princess.
Consider the other party's intentions.
As far as he knew, Prince Huai'an was the more wavering one among the "Eight Kings".
Unlike Prince Jing, who was suspected of having his own army in private, Prince Huai'an was in the "Huai River Road", an area that was prosperous, commercially developed, and full of aristocratic families.
The palace has many industries and shops under its control, and many of the ships traveling on the Grand Canal have the shadow of Prince Huai'an behind them.
Those ships were earning copper coins from King Huai'an's pocket every moment.
Therefore, this prince inevitably has the talent of a businessman and is accustomed to "betting on many sides".
When the empress first ascended the throne, Prince Huai'an was the first to send a congratulatory message.
"Among the eight princes, Prince Huai'an has the least desire for the throne, and is also the one most worthy of being won over."
This is the conclusion Zhao Duan came to after consulting the information.
Because of his merchant nature, Prince Huai'an was in a dilemma. In order to protect his interests, he did not want to betray the alliance of the "Eight Kings" headed by Prince Jing.
He also didn't want to offend the Dead Empress for fear of being purged.
Even towards the Kuangfu Society, he maintained a neutral attitude.
They bet on many parties and are not completely loyal to any one party. However, because they have a large amount of money in their hands, they can determine the weight of the game between the various forces to a certain extent.
"Heh, not long after the new policy was promulgated, the news of the court reopening was spread. Before other princes made any overt reactions, Prince Huai'an was impatient and sent his daughter over..."
"After arriving in Beijing, he was busy managing relationships with various parties. I'm afraid he was still collecting intelligence...
This talented princess is like the eyes and ears of the King of Huai'an. She comes to see the changes in the court with her own eyes, judge the situation, and assess the chances of the empress securing her throne..."
"Well... If that's the case, then it's not surprising that they found me. They wanted to see me with their own eyes and understand my background..."
Zhao Duan laughed out loud.
Many thoughts flashed through my mind at the same time.
……
So easy to talk to?
Xu Junling glanced at him with a little surprise in her beautiful eyes, and when she met his half-smile, she lowered her eyes and said:
"Your Excellency is so magnanimous and tolerant, and you are worthy of being a capable minister valued by the Imperial Sister."
The first half of the sentence is a thank you, and the second half is a compliment, but at the same time, it seems to contain a subtle sense of sarcasm.
Just as Zhao Duan guessed, Xu Junling came here today with the purpose of weighing the true worth of this popular favorite in the capital.
What kind of personality and behavior style he has.
As the saying goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. In the chess game of the world, if you want to make accurate moves, you must keep your eyes open.
But how to meet, contact and test each other is another big problem.
It was only because of his understanding over the past few days that Xu Junling was certain that Zhao Duan and the "Li Party" were complete political enemies.
However, the "Huai River Road" is the base camp of the "Li Party" officials.
Under Li Yanfu, there was a series of officials, most of whom were scholars from Jiangnan and had the support of many Jiangnan gentry.
Prince Huai'an has always maintained good relations with those aristocratic families.
This led to Xu Junling being naturally close to the "Li Party" from the perspective of his family.
She came into contact with Zhao Duan, and her every move and attitude were revealed.
All of this will be seen by the "Li Party" officials, the empress, and even Prince Jing and the other seven princes.
Any signal released may trigger an unpredictable chain reaction.
Therefore, Xu Junling thought about it carefully before directing today's drama.
As expected, Lu Qingfeng would take action at the critical moment, intervene in the challenge and guide the two sides to meet.
This can not only test Zhao Duan's character, cultivation, and style of doing things in one breath...but also avoid the displeasure of the "Li Party" and prevent misunderstandings among the seven kings.
It wouldn't really offend the Empress...
As a result, something went wrong unexpectedly.
Eunuch Hai's unexpected move completely disrupted her plans.
At this moment, the two of them exchanged pleasantries for a while, and all they said to each other were compliments and meaningless gossip.
After a while, Zhao Duan opened an upside-down cup, poured tea himself, handed it over, and said with emotion:
"Since the princess has come so early, why don't you meet me?"
Xu Junling smiled, took it with his green jade fingers, and said with a smile:
"Lord Zhao has a close relationship with the Imperial Sister. As a younger sister, I must avoid suspicion."
This is another test.
She took a sip of tea with her red lips and stared at Zhao Duan's expression, trying to judge what his relationship with the empress was like.
Zhao Duan did not respond directly, but said casually:
"My Lord, do you think this tea is to your liking?"
Changing the subject? Xu Junling smiled faintly and said, "It's quite sweet."
Zhao Duan stared at her sweet face with great interest, and suddenly smiled frivolously and charmingly:
"But I don't know which is sweeter, the princess's saliva or this coarse tea."
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(End of this chapter)