The next day, the two cousins were excited and got ready early. After all, the First Princess’s spring outing banquet usually focused on young officials’ children from the capital, and Imperial merchants were never invited. This was the first time they had ever received an invitation.

As a result, when they saw Liu Zhenqing who was still fuming in the carriage, the two cousins erupted in anger.

“When we get there later, don’t embarrass our Liu family!”

“If you cause trouble, we’ll be the ones who have to deal with it when you leave the capital. Understand?”

Liu Zhenqing disinterestedly played with the nine-link ring in his hand and said: “Didn’t you hear that I offended Rong Shiming a few days ago? Now they’re using their power to force us to be present. Is it a spring outing banquet or a Hongmen Banquet?^[1] You still haven’t figured it out yet?”

The two didn’t get angry, and Second Cousin said: “Then you can kowtow and admit your mistake later.”

Liu Zhenqing rolled his eyes. This one had a bright future.

“Are you still unwilling?” Third Cousin said sternly.

Liu Zhenqing said with sudden seriousness: “The ancestors of the Liu family were once the founding fathers of the country, and there were many great people after them. Why is your generation like this? You take your cues from others and act according to which way the wind blows. Even though you are Imperial merchants, you should have the Liu family backbone. Otherwise if something happens in the future, how will you be able to handle it?”

These words, with the aura of an elder’s scolding, immediately left the two speechless. Their faces reddened in embarrassment, and they could only stare blankly.

If a family wanted to continue from generation to generation, each generation of young people must undergo the appropriate training, but most families gradually became content with pleasure and slowly went downhill. The Huo family was in the opposite situation in this regard. The young people in their family had been on the battlefield for generations, so their loyalty would last forever.

As for the Liu family…..originally, outsiders were worried that the population of Liu Manor was withering, but his Grandpa boasted to the outside world, saying that with Liu Zhenqing around, the Liu family could persist for another hundred years. But not long after the old man passed away, the manor was brought to ruin by him.

Liu Zhenqing looked at the two fellows in front of him who couldn’t see the situation for what it was and bullied the weak while admiring the strong. He shook his head helplessly. These two were the ones behind the Liu family, so this lineage was probably not far from its demise.

The carriage soon arrived at the princess’s manor. When he got off the carriage, he saw a series of buildings encircled by red walls with yellow tiles. The four corners of each roof were raised high, like a phoenix spreading its wings.

The richly ornamented buildings were magnificent.

A plaque hung high on the red lacquered door, and the words “First Princess’s Palace” had been inscribed by the new emperor himself. The two stone lions beside the door were carved from white marble, and the animal head door knockers were inlaid with gold, a display of luxury.

Aside from the Empress Dowager and the Taifei in the harem, the First Princess could be regarded as the third most noble lady in the Zhou Dynasty. Even the Empress was behind her.

All of this was because the new emperor was able to successfully take back and inherit the throne. The first three women had made great contributions, and the new emperor was grateful for their work and would naturally give them generous rewards.

And no one dared to comment on how luxurious the First Princess’s Palace given by the emperor was.

Even though the two cousins were born into a family of Imperial merchants, they couldn’t help but marvel at such generosity.

“Hey! The ones in front are blocking the path!” A loud voice suddenly sounded.

The front doors of the First Princess’s Palace were opened wide, and other guests entered in an endless stream. They weren’t standing in the center, nor were they blocking the path at all.

When Liu Zhenqing turned around, he spied two familiar figures.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart was full of joy, and he greeted them warmly, exclaiming: “We meet again, ah. It will make others envious.”

As soon as he spoke these words, the invitees around looked at them curiously. After all, what happened a few days ago had already spread everywhere. Jiang Zi’er, who had come with the other person, immediately wore an ugly expression. Having learned her lesson, she just gave Liu Zhenqing a cold look and took the first step inside.

Rong Shiming’s face distorted for a moment, and he rushed to the door first. The steward and servants greeted the young master, but Rong Shiming didn’t leave right away. Instead, he stood at the door as if to help greet the guests. When the three young masters of the Liu family came forward and the steward checked the invitation, Rong Shiming shouted at once: “Who are you trying to fool by making a fake invitation? How could the First Princess possibly invite merchants? It turns out you are fishing in troubled waters, trying to sneak into the spring outing banquet and cling to the powerful. Such shamelessness.”

One declaration turned into countless slaps to the Liu family.

The two cousins immediately flushed red and stepped forward agitatedly to explain.

“Young Master Rong must have misunderstood. How could this be fake? Take a closer look.”

“That’s right, ah, ours is no different from the others!”

Rong Shiming scoffed coldly: “How could I be wrong? Steward, tell me! Is this a fake?”

The old steward glanced at Rong Shiming, then looked at the invitation in his hand and said, “It is indeed a fake.”

This situation immediately stirred up the people around them, and they began to discuss it.

The two cousins’ faces turned purple with anger. “It was delivered personally by the steward of the First Princess’s Palace. He still has the token of authority on him. This can’t be fake.”

“Right, ah, it was clearly you who came to deliver the invitation yesterday morning. We…..”

“Presumptuous! How can you be allowed to make noise in front of the First Princess’s door?” Rong Shiming promptly became valiant and authoritative.

The old steward coughed. “The invitation is indeed fake, and we never invited you. However, if the three young masters of the Liu family are willing to wait, if there is still room after serving the other guests, we will inform the First Princess, and perhaps she will invite you into the spring outing banquet.”

Asking the three of them to wait at the door…..saying that their invitation was fake and that they were trying to sneak in…..this…..this was too insulting. But if they left like this, the incident would definitely become the laughingstock of the whole city the next day.

The two cousins panicked. At this moment, Liu Zhenqing, who had been observing behind them, spoke.

“Second Cousin, Third Cousin……”

Rong Shiming raised his head the second Liu Zhenqing opened his mouth, not hiding his condescending contempt and ill-intentioned expression at all.

“Let’s go, ba,” Liu Zhenqing said with a dull expression.

The second and third cousins immediately stared at Liu Zhenqing. They also understood that someone was deliberately making things difficult for them, and felt that they had suffered today all because of him.

“What? This plan didn’t work out and you have to go back home. Why not wait, perhaps you can sneak in,” Rong Shiming mocked. There were even more sounds of snickering and disdain all around.

But Liu Zhenqing curled his lips and said: “How could this be? Since something like this has happened, we will naturally go to the magistrate’s office to file a complaint!”

When he said this, everyone in front of the First Princess’s Palace fell silent. Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at Liu Zhenqing, some bewildered, some puzzled, and some at a loss. One young man in white actually revealed a good-looking smile and looked at Liu Zhenqing with great interest.

Rong Shiming’s eyes widened in disbelief: “What…..what do you intend to do?!”

Liu Zenqing smiled without restraint and snatched the invitation from the steward. “On this bright, clear day, at the feet of the emperor, someone dared to act in the name of the First Princess. Falsely spreading a mandate shows contempt for the Imperial family. It is a heinous crime, and deserves to be punished! Since such an evil thing has happened to us, if…..if it is related to the assassination some time ago, how could we let it go! It must be investigated thoroughly!”

Liu Zhenqing spoke with fierce steadiness, and pulled the two cousins to leave.

Everyone around was frightened when they heard this, and suddenly felt that this was a serious matter! The person behind them panicked at once.

“Young Master Liu, please stay, let me take another look.” The old steward practically ran over, his robes in hand.

But Liu Zhenqing walked faster. “Steward, please tell the First Princess to rest assured. We will definitely cooperate with the magistrate’s investigation. The origin of this invitation and the person who sent it will not be let go.”

Liu Zhenqing was unbridled in his youth. He often caused trouble, and could argue three points on his own behalf even when he had no grounds to stand on, let alone when his reasoning was well-founded. Now that he was Liu Xiaozhu, he was even more emboldened because of his backing, and his nature erupted. Wasn’t this like delivering oneself to his door to be walked over and played with?

When the old steward ran too fast and fell directly at Liu Zhenqing’s feet, Liu Zhenqing stopped in surprise. And at this time, Rong Shiming also realized how high this matter could rise. He froze, looking at Liu Zhenqing in shock and anger.

“Steward, what are you doing?” Liu Zhenqing asked, suppressing a smile.

“Young Master Liu, please slow down and let me take a closer look to avoid making a mistake. I have been too tired recently and my eyesight is not working well, hehehe…..” The old steward wrinkled his chrysanthemum-like face and smiled with difficulty, then took the invitation from Liu Zhenqing’s hand and immediately said in a loud voice: “Aiya, very sorry, I apologize to the three young masters. I was blind and saw wrongly. This is a special invitation, and is slightly different from the usual one. It’s all my fault. Three young masters, please come in quickly.”

The two cousins were immediately overjoyed. They never expected that they could make a comeback and also have face, and couldn’t help but send Liu Zhenqing embarrassed looks.

But Liu Zhenqing said: “Steward, have you looked carefully? This is no joking matter. It is very serious.”

“Of course, of course, I looked carefully.” The old steward continued to apologize, but he was complaining inwardly. He didn’t think that the love-brained idiot whose scandal had spread all over the capital would have such a side. He was very difficult to deal with. Had he known this, he would not have cooperated with Young Master Rong.

Liu Zhenqing naturally knew that the invitation was genuine due to the behavior of the two of them just now, so he had come up with such a trick. Of course, if it was fake, that would be even more interesting.

“But Young Master Rong is the cousin of the First Princess. He was so sure. Which one should I trust? Is it better to believe in your dim eyesight, Steward, or to believe in Young Master Rong’s sharp eyes?”

These words burned like tongues of fire, making Rong Shiming’s face hurt.

There was no one around him who didn’t know the truth of the matter at this moment, and they were all watching this dramatic rendition of a person going for the kill but being killed himself with surprise and amazement.

It was previously rumored that Liu Zhenqing had angrily denounced Rong Shiming, but others couldn’t believe it. They thought that Huo Fenglie and He Lan, who appeared later, had won the match. They didn’t expect Liu Zhenqing, who had lost his memory, to be so capable and win the game with just a few words.

Now it was Rong Shiming who had to go down the stairs.

The old steward looked back at Rong Shiming and saw that he was unwilling to bow his head easily, so he could only apologize on his behalf: “Young Master Rong hasn’t seen many of them, so if there is a small difference, there will be a misunderstanding. I hope Young Master Liu will be willing to generously excuse him.”

“Steward, the question is not if we are willing or not. If he hasn’t seen many and doesn’t know clearly, then he can’t say for sure. This is slander, ah. Although we are merchants and common people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, we cannot bear infamy at will. Young Master Rong’s behavior has truly embarrassed us.”

This was said tactfully. It was clear that if Rong Shiming didn’t apologize, this matter would not be over.

Seeing this atmosphere, the two cousins couldn’t help but want to pull Liu Zhenqing away, but Liu Zhenqing gave them a rare cold look. The imposing manner of an elder brother shocked the two of them on the spot.

Likely because Liu Zhenqing was so provocative, Rong Shiming finally couldn’t stand it any longer. “What’s wrong with just embarrassing you?”

Liu Zhenging had expected early on that this child wouldn’t bow his head so easily, so he said with a cold face: “It turns out it was really intentional, ah. In other words, the First Princess really did invite us, and today Young Master Rong stood in the princess’s place and overstepped the royal authority, ignored the First Princess’s orders, and stopped us directly. Young Master Rong really dominates the capital, ah! This lowly one sees how it is. Since Young Master Rong won’t allow it, we naturally don’t dare to participate. Farewell!”

The people around couldn’t help but suck in a breath when they heard this, and Rong Shiming’s expression also distorted. 

The old steward quickly stopped Liu Zhenqing, who was about to get in the carriage. If word about today spread, not only Rong Shiming would be implicated, but him as well. After all, they were the ones in the wrong.

“Young Master Rong, you young people can just talk it over. Don’t hurt your friendship. After all, he is a guest invited by the First Princess, so you can’t have a bad temper. Young Master Rong!”

Rong Shiming nearly vomited blood in anger, but he could see the situation clearly. In the end, he said with his body trembling: “It was only a joke. Young Master Liu has such a big temper.”

“Defending one’s honor cannot be considered as having a temper!” Liu Zhenqing gave Rong Shiming a cold look, indicating that such a statement was not an apology.

Rong Shiming’s teeth nearly broke, and he was so angry that his eyes were bloodshot. In front of everyone, he at last said resentfully: “I made a mistake, and I apologize to the three members of the Liu family.” His eyes said once again: Just you wait.

After speaking, it seemed that he couldn’t bear it anymore, and he turned around and rushed into the First Princess’s Palace.

The old steward immediately apologized and said some good words, and finally, the three Liu family members smoothly entered the manor.

Apart from Liu Zhenqing, who leisurely admired the surrounding pagodas and buildings, waterside pavilions, and strange plants and fairy vines, the two other Liu family members’ backs were nearly soaked when they returned to their senses.

Second Cousin: “Liu Xiaozhu, are you crazy? What you just did really offended them.”

Third Cousin: “You were told not to cause trouble, why did you……”

Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly: “What they did was already shameless. If you keep on swallowing your anger, you’ll be bullied to death. Since they wanted to cause trouble for me, why not protect myself as much as possible?”

The two of them were rendered mute by Liu Zhenqing’s words, and watched as Liu Zhenqing enjoyed the garden scenery with great interest. As they went, he also tugged the old steward who was personally leading the way in front and asked: “Will General Huo and He-daren be here today?”

The two people were suddenly disgusted, but the old steward looked at Liu Zhenqing with strange eyes. 

“They all have official duties and do not attend such gatherings, but there will be other distinguished guests present.”

Liu Zhenqing thought the same thing. Their separation last time had not been pleasant, so there was no need to see the other person again before leaving. Moreover, he was doomed to lose face today and didn’t want to be seen by a little brother like Er-gou.

However, the steward’s reaction was quite interesting, as if he was trying hard to suppress his expression of “rejoicing in another’s misfortune.”

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[1] Hongmen Banquet (鸿门宴) = A trap like the GOT red wedding 🙂 ⮐

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Chapter Fifteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventeen