T/N: Thank you so much for the Kofi donation, Kira! Here’s a double update.

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After boarding the carriage and entering the palace, he learned the whole story from the palace attendants.

It was not the emperor or Huo Fenglie who wanted him to come, but Li Jinshu.

Upon hearing this name, Liu Zhenqing felt that even the air he breathed was cold.

“Why?”

“Li Jinshu said that he heard General Huo was engaged, so he must meet the general’s fiance, and the other envoys followed suit. It would be difficult to refuse them such hospitality, so His Majesty issued an edict to invite Young Master Liu to the palace.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned when he heard this, and the palace attendant reassured him: “Don’t worry, Young Master. Among the envoys present, aside from Xiheng, who dares to not give General Huo face, everyone will be trying to please you.”

Liu Zhenqing naturally understood that everyone else meant little, and just swung back and forth between the two powers. Li Jinshu was the only true provocator.

Li Jinshu was truly a proud son of heaven. He liked to triumph, liked to win, and liked to challenge the strongest. At the age of ten, he had threatened that he had no interest in inheriting the throne, and that someone else should be the emperor of Xiheng. Li Jinshu wanted to fight on the battlefield and make the whole world crawl at his feet.

It was a shame that not only was Li Jinshu the proudest son of heaven in the world, he wouldn’t have been able to make such a clamor if the kingdom of Xiheng wasn’t giving him a strong backing. There weren’t many people as straightforward and level as him, and even fewer people believed in his straightforwardness. Born into a royal family, he was destined to be forced into the struggle, and with chaos behind him, he was unable to advance.

After going around and around like this for many years, although it had been heard that he had absolute control over the Kingdom of Xiheng, he had a younger brother who was an obedient emperor, which gave him the opportunity to fight on the battlefield. However, he seemed to have lost his past spirit and rarely led his army to provoke Great Zhou.

To be honest, although it was unexpected for him to be an envoy this time, it wasn’t too surprising, and it was something only he could do. As for clamoring to see Huo Fenglie’s fiance, this was also understandable. After all, he and Huo Fenglie had fought each other on the battlefield for many years. To a certain extent, Li Jinshu regarded Huo Fenglie as his ‘confidant.’

As such, Liu Zhenqing didn’t worry too much about it. He closed his eyes and rested, keeping a hand pressed to his ring.

He followed the attendants into the palace respectfully, maintaining his previous cautious and discrete persona.

When they came to the Imperial gardens where the banquet was being held, he saw that those sitting on the right were all officials of third rank and above with their families, as well as relatives of the emperor, and those on the left were naturally the foreign envoys.

The position closest to the emperor was the most distinguished. Behind him sat the Empress Dowager and the Taifei, as well as four other concubines, the prince, and King Jing.

The first among the foreign envoys was the envoy from Xiheng, and the first among all the ministers was of course Huo Fenglie.

However, none of the Huo family was present. Li Xingruo never attended such gatherings, and almost never entered the palace. Although the twins had wanted to come, the Longevity Festival lasted for several days, and it was naturally inconvenient for them to stay here the whole time during their studies. They would be able to attend on the last day to join in on the fun.

Almost all the other ministers had brought their families to boost morale, so there were at least over a hundred people present.

There were people from the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang patrolling around, but Liu Zhenqing didn’t see He Lan or Qin Yu.

As soon as Liu Zhenqing stepped onto the main path, he felt countless pairs of eyes fix onto him. He immediately stiffened his body to appear extremely uncomfortable, lowering his head as he walked forward to salute Yuan Jue, who was sitting in the main seat.

Liu Zhenqing could sense two sets of piercing eyes. One naturally belonged to Huo Fenglie, and the other…..

“Young Master Liu, I heard that you were ill?”

Liu Zhenqing skewed his eyes and said: “My health was not good before, but the season has changed, so…..”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t speak clearly, so that whatever Huo Fenglie had told him would hold up under scrutiny.

Yuan Jue said: “No wonder you’ve livened up today. Since Zhanyuan didn’t bring you here, I would have wronged you by ordering you to come today.”

Liu Zhenqing said hastily: “How could this subject be wronged? It is this subject’s honor. The general was originally worried that my health would interfere with His Majesty’s Longevity Festival, so he let me rest. But since I entered the palace today and felt the majesty of the dragon spirit, my health seems to be much better.”

Liu Zhenqing’s flattery and obsequious manner was displayed before all.

Yuan Jue smiled and said: “Go back and have the Imperial Hospital take a look at you, and take any supplements you need directly from the palace. The only reason I summoned you today was that the envoys were very curious about the fiance of our general who guards the country. After all, everyone has friendly relations with Zhanyuan.”

When Yuan Jue said this, the envoys below smiled in agreement. Friendly relations? More like friendly relations of being beaten.

“Make your greetings,” Yuan Jue said.

Liu Zhenqing revealed some fear at first, and glanced toward Huo Fenglie, whose eyes were locked on him in preparation to rush out.

As he sat over there, Huo Fenglie’s aura practically terrified the envoys from minor countries to the point of pissing themselves. No one had thought that just looking at Huo Fenglie’s fiance would make him so furious. Right now, it felt like Huo Fenglie just sitting there was more frightening than when he was riding Chen Jiangyue on the battlefield with the Chunjun Sword in hand.

With a dark expression, Huo Fenglie stared closely at Liu Zhenqing, and even more so at a certain person opposite him.

Liu Zhenqing turned and donned an uneasy expression, as if seeking moral support from his fiance. Huo Fenglie was instantly confused.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes, but when he saw Liu Zhenqing wink at him, he felt slightly relieved.

As expected, Qing-ge was still Qing-ge. Even when it came to the thing he was most anxious about, Qing-ge could handle it very well. But……as he watched Qing-ge continue to act while greeting the envoys, he was still distressed. He felt that he’d failed to protect Qing-ge well.

“Greeting all of the envoys, this one is Liu Xiaozhu.”

The envoys were smiling and whispering together, looking rather disappointed, as if they felt Huo Fenglie deserved better than someone of such mediocre appearance. He was a wealthy young man with no official position. A merchant. He lacked a peerless appearance as well as a peerless demeanor, and it was a mystery how he had caught Huo Fenglie’s eye.

After all, Huo Fenglie was the hero who had trampled them all under his feet. Even though they were enemies, they had to admire him. Never mind marrying a man, the man wasn’t even top-notch, and he was lacking no matter how they looked at him.

“We were just curious. After all, if we were unable to recognize you, it may be fatal if we offend you later.”

“Indeed, it is said that the Western Shu Kingdom kidnapped Young Master Liu and General Huo nearly captured their king alive in order to save you. Even now, Western Shu is still under siege.”

“The king of Western Shu was a fool to go up against General Huo.”

“This also proves that General Huo loves his fiance dearly, ah.”

Facing everyone’s teasing, Liu Zhenqing looked embarrassed and uncomfortable.

He had naturally told Qiao Jin to spread these rumors. Since he was going to be a general’s wife, he would naturally have to face dangers, and the way to minimize those dangers was to act in a diametrically opposite way.

To make those people stop staring at him with an opportunistic mentality, they must understand that if they wanted to deal with him, they must face Huo Fenglie’s wrath. Thus, only those who truly wished to confront Huo Fenglie would dare to take their chances.

Yuan Jue looked at him pretty much the same way, and told him to go back. Liu Zhenqing’s performance today was quite satisfactory, but for Yuan Jue, it was inexplicably disappointing.

Finished with his greetings, Liu Zhenqing walked toward Huo Fenglie. When he saw Er-gou looking anxious and uneasy, he felt simultaneously soft-hearted and amused.

Suddenly, a casual “Wait a moment……” came from behind.

The slightly lilting tone was leisurely, as if everyone present failed to fall into the speaker’s eyes, and thus weren’t worth taking seriously.

But in that moment, Huo Fenglie felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy. His cold eyes looked past Liu Zhenqing toward the fellow who had spoken out.

Li Jinshu stood up and raised two wine cups, then walked directly toward Liu Zhenqing.

“Young Master Liu, I would like to propose a toast to you.”

Liu Zhenqing turned around and bowed. He said: “This nobleman is…..?” The original goods didn’t know Li Jinshu, so Liu Zhenqing musn’t reveal any flaws.

Li Jinshu seemed to be very easy-going: “Your fiance and I are old friends. Surely Young Master Liu won’t deny me this face…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s brow furrowed, and he was about to take the cup when it was abruptly snatched by another hand. Cries of surprise sounded around him.

He felt a whoosh of air behind him transform into a wall, as if he was suddenly leaning against solid rock.

A hand immediately went around Liu Zhenqing’s waist as a certain person said coldly to Li Jinshu: “Since we’re old friends, you should be toasting me. Why toast my fiance?”

Before Li Jinshu could speak, Huo Fenglie had already finished the drink and turned the cup upside down, glaring at the other man with frigid eyes. The surrounding area gradually went quiet. Nobody dared to breathe.

Li Jinshu smiled: “General Huo really treasures and protects his fiance.”

“I naturally treasure my fiance,” Huo Fenglie said matter-of-factly.

The people around them also noticed Huo Fenglie’s incredible ferocity as he stood in front of his fiance. The subjects of Great Zhou truly feared that the two men would fight on the spot, while the other envoys watched on with eager excitement.

Li Jinshu didn’t intend to fight Huo Fenglie. He just raised an eyebrow at Liu Zhenqing and said with a smile: “Not to mention General Huo, Young Master Liu and I also have somewhat of a connection. That’s why I wished to toast him.”

Everyone was full of questions when these words came out, and even Yuan Jue couldn’t help but frown.

Liu Zhenqing was shocked. He didn’t want to be seen as a spy, so he quickly said: “I’ve never met this nobleman before, ah.”

Li Jinshu smiled faintly and raised his eyebrows, saying: “Of course we haven’t met. I’m talking about your distant relative, Liu Zhenqing.”

He spoke word by word, almost as if savoring the name in his mouth. The surroundings fell into an eerie silence once more, and even Huo Fenglie couldn’t help but tighten his arms.

A sharp look flashed through Yuan Jue’s eyes, but he remained calm. Yao Hua’s gaze shifted where she sat behind him, and Jian Shuang gently patted the back of her hand.

Zheng Wei, standing respectfully nearby, glanced at King Jing, and He Cong, standing guard on the other side, couldn’t help but snort upon hearing these words.

Not to mention the people of Great Zhou present, even among the foreign envoys, most of whom were older, there were few who had never suffered due to Liu Zhenqing or been intimidated by him.

Liu Zhenqing was expressionless in response.

With a smile that wasn’t a smile, Li Jinshu slowly searched Liu Zhenqing’s face: “I was just one step from marrying him away. Don’t you think we can be considered relatives?”

Liu Zhenqing felt a murderous aura pouring out of Huo Fenglie at these words. His body was tense, like an arrow that could leave the string at any time. Liu Zhenqing silently held the hands around his waist.

When Li Jinshu said this, it reminded the Great Zhou people present of something.

Li Jinshu had fancied Liu Zhenqing back then, and it was later rumored that Liu Zhenqing had Li Jinshu’s name etched on his back. It was obvious that the two had an inappropriate relationship.

Everyone held a grudge over the battle between Great Zhou and Xiheng that had resulted in the death of Huo Feihan and his 10,000-strong army. Rumor had it that Liu Zhenqing had colluded with his good friend Li Jinshu to kill Huo Feihan and avenge private wrongs.

Otherwise, why would he, the dignified Minister of Great Zhou, carve the enemy’s name into his back. There was no explanation for such ambiguous behavior. And now that Li Jinshu had said this in person, there was even more proof.

The people of Great Zhou present couldn’t help thinking so.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing’s voice interrupted everything.

“Then this nobleman has misunderstood. Our families separated long ago, and we never knew nor met one another. Even His Majesty has said that one Liu is not the other Liu, so we cannot be regarded as relatives.” Liu Zhenqing wore an awkward expression, as if he didn’t want to be associated with that person in the rumors.

Li Jinshu frowned slightly when he heard this. Seemingly dissatisfied with Liu Zhenqing’s evasive attitude, he started to say something.

Yuan Jue opened his mouth and said: “If there is a connection here, it is that Prince Li is closely related to my court’s eldest princess. Unfortunately, my aunt failed to attend and missed the opportunity to meet Prince Li.”

At the name of his nominal first wife, Li Jinshu couldn’t help but grimace in extreme disdain. No longer interested in teasing Liu Zhenqing, he turned around and went back to his seat.

Huo Fenglie immediately tugged Liu Zhenqing back and held his arm tightly until he sat down.

The surroundings grew lively again, and almost no one dared to approach their table.

Liu Zhenqing calmly lowered his eyes in thought. When he looked up, he found his own face clearly reflected in Huo Fenglie’s black and white eyes. The worry on his handsome face seemed about to condense into physical form. The sight of those eyes filled with his own appearance made Liu Zhenqing smile, and the tremulous feeling in his chest also vanished.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose along with a frivolous eyebrow. He rubbed the palm of the hand he was holding, chuckling softly as he saw those eyes lower awkwardly.

“I’m hungry,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Huo Fenglie hurried to set his favorite foods on the table, but Liu Zhenqing stopped him and said: “Don’t let anyone see.”

Huo Fenglie’s hands paused, and then he gave Liu Zhenqing a portion of each item. The interaction between the two was much like flirting, their feelings evident.

“Does this count as being witnessed in front of the whole world?” Liu Zhenqing joked.

Huo Fenglie stared blankly for a moment. With a serious look on his face, he glanced at Yao Hua and Li Jinshu, then gave a firm nod and held Liu Zhenqing’s hand tighter.

When he saw Liu Zhenqing eating happily, Huo Fenglie could only swallow back the discomfort in his heart.

Liu Zhenqing had performed without any problems, but Huo Fenglie seemed to be perpetually standing at the edge of a cliff.

The appearance of Li Jinshu represented the hardest time for Liu Zhenqing that year. Back then, the Three Kings had not yet been defeated, and Xiheng had were watching on with eager eyes. Then Huo Feihan died.

When he rushed back upon hearing of his elder brother’s death, he found a helpless Liu Zhenqing lying against the coffin, drinking strong wine and weeping uncontrollably. Although drunk and confused, he softly called for help: “Your Highness, Huo-dage, how far is there still to go? How long can I hold on?”

Such a helpless scene was firmly imprinted in Huo Fenglie’s mind.

So Huo Fenglie had never wanted him to come into contact with this person again, nor even hear news about him.

Thinking of this, after Liu Zhenqing finished eating, Huo Fenglie directly told Yuan Jue that Liu Zhenqing wasn’t feeling well, and that he intended to take him to the Imperial Physicians.

It was impossible for Huo Fenglie to leave the palace on such an occasion, but he could still take Liu Zhenqing away from these people.

Yuan Jue naturally agreed, and gave them a separate room in the palace to rest. Huo Fenglie took Liu Zhenqing and left the banquet.

When they reached the palace room, Huo Fenglie directly clutched him to himself, as if only by holding this person tightly could he feel at ease.

Liu Zhenqing patted him in amusement and asked: “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, Qing-ge. I couldn’t stop it.”

“There was nothing you could have done. I don’t blame you.” Liu Zhenqing pulled away from Huo Fenglie with a smile. “By the way, I heard Li Jinshu joined the envoys at the last minute?”

Huo Fenglie hadn’t expected him to say that person’s name so naturally, and couldn’t react for a moment.

“I just asked you something.” Liu Zhenqing grasped Huo Fenglie’s chin and shook it.

“En,” Huo Fenglie responded at once.

Liu Zhenqing frowned, and couldn’t help but analyze: “He said he came here because he was curious about your fiance. It makes sense according to his character, but he’s no fool. It’s very likely that he’s seen the series of major cases in Great Zhou and also sent troops to Western Shu to find out the truth there. But he can’t be here as a spy, can he? Why use a bull-slaughtering knife to kill a chicken?”

Huo Fenglie just looked at him blankly.

Seeing how unbusinesslike he was, Liu Zhenqing angrily pinched his cheek and said: “You’re the general who guards the country, not me. Haven’t you thought about this?”

“Rest assured, Qing-ge, I’ve sent people to watch them at all times.”

It was naturally impossible for Huo Fenglie to have done nothing. Although Li Jinshu seemed like a carefree person, he was thoughtful and meticulous, and disregarded human life. This person couldn’t be treated as a simple visitor. Even Yuan Jue, who had suffered hardships in Xiheng, couldn’t let Li Jinshu off easily.

“Good. By the way, am I able to leave the palace tonight?”

“The others can. You…..came with me, so I’m afraid you can’t.” And even though he had used physical discomfort as an excuse, there were Imperial Physicians available. Liu Zhenqing must always follow Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing hooked Huo Fenglie’s neck with a smile and said: “Then I’ll marry a dog and follow a dog.”

But Huo Fenglie was still unhappy about Liu Zhenqing meeting Li Jinshu, so on the first day, Huo Fenglie excused Liu Zhenqing so he could rest and put him where he was staying in the palace. Huo Fenglie was basically the one in charge outside, so it was relatively safe and no one could break in easily. And even if someone did break in, Huo Fenglie would be notified immediately.

Liu Zhenqing simply remained there leisurely, reading, eating, and drinking tea, his protection airtight.

As evening approached, there was a commotion at the door. When Liu Zhenqing got up to take a look, he saw the gorgeously-dressed Eighth Princess push aside the guards and rush inside.

“You dare to stop this princess! Get out of the way!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned upon seeing this person. After a few seconds, he recalled that this was Huo Fenglie’s suitor he had tricked back then. He’d actually forgotten about this princess.

By the time he reacted, the Eighth Princess was already in front of him, raising a hand to hit him.

Liu Zhenqing naturally couldn’t allow a little girl to strike him. He grabbed the Eighth Princess’s wrist and said: “Your Highness, what are you doing, ah!”

“You cheap whore! You actually mocked me and deceived me! I should have killed you in the first place!”

“Look at what you’re saying. I spoke from the bottom of my heart, ah, how could I know General Huo would like me? This is called destiny, there’s nothing to be done. The Princess couldn’t get him, so she wants to kill me, ah. I am now the future wife of the general. I’ve been recognized by the emperor and the Huo family has made up their minds. If you do this, I’ll have no choice but to cry to my fiance.” Liu Zhenqing played with the young girl.

“You…..you’re shameless!” The Eighth Princess turned red in anger. If she hadn’t been restrained by the Empress Dowager, she would have long since rushed out of the palace to deal with Liu Zhenqing. “Come here and arrest him.”

Those who had come with the Eighth Princess stepped forward one after another, but were blocked by those who were left behind to guard Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing said with an innocent expression: “Princess, please don’t embarrass me. It’s General Huo who followed and pestered me, otherwise I never would have returned to the capital. It’s useless for you to embarrass me.”

Those who were left behind to guard him couldn’t help but tremble when they heard this, and quickly pretended not to have heard anything.

The Eighth Princess was so angry that she was about to emit smoke. She drew out a knife and rushed toward Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing saw she was serious and quickly backed away. The others wanted to stop her, but didn’t dare take action. She was a princess, after all, so they could only block the way. They had already sent people to find Huo Fenglie, so they only needed to buy some time.

Liu Zhenqing also thought this way, but misfortune struck in the next moment. A broken stone, the source of all evil, caught his foot. He stumbled backwards, and with a fierce expression, the Eighth Princess took the opportunity to strike.

Liu Zhenqing hadn’t thought that the casual game he was playing would turn out to be dangerous. He was about to desperately evade, when a person suddenly appeared nearby and grabbed Liu Zhenqing by the waist, pulling him into his arms. Carrying him, he moved back on the tips of his toes and kicked away the stone, which flew up and hit the Eighth Princess’s blade. The blade was directly knocked away, and the force took the Eighth Princess down with it.

The Eighth Princess was about to fly into a fury, but her expression changed when she saw the person who had arrived.

And that unfamiliar aura that was engraved deep in his memory made Liu Zhenqing instantly tense up. He even forgot to try to break free.

He felt the person smile against his ear, saying: “The princess should be careful not to hurt your general’s precious fiance. Perhaps he won’t guard your country in the future, ah.”

The Eighth Princess’s breath caught. She started to speak, but stopped in the next moment.

Li Jinshu immediately felt the murderous aura rushing toward him from behind, and turned to face it while holding Liu Zhenqing in his arms. Before he could react, the person in his arms had been snatched away. Like a hungry wolf guarding its food, that person clutched Liu Zhenqing tightly and leveled Li Jinshu with a fierce glare.

The flustered Liu Zhenqing saw that Huo Fenglie was so angry that his eyes were almost scarlet red.

“Fenglie!” Liu Zhenqing called quickly, fearing he would take action.

Huo Fenglie’s body, primed to move, untensed slightly.

Liu Zhenqing was also quick to calm down. He didn’t understand. Why was Huo Fenglie more agitated when facing Li Jinshu than he himself was?

Er-gou…..probably didn’t know what had happened between him and Li Jinshu back then.

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Chapter 134 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 136