Chapter 17
Outside the royal palace, there was singing and dancing, and toasts were exchanged.
To celebrate the return of the eldest son of the emperor and the holy maiden to the country, the King of Li held a banquet here for all the officials to enjoy together.
The fact that the eldest prince and the holy maiden sat on the left and right sides of the king's subordinates was enough to show how much importance and favor they received.
To make a good impression on Huan Juntian, Qu Surou specially changed into a flowing gauze dress, styled her hair, and wore a veil before the banquet. Her posture was dignified and her demeanor elegant. Every gesture and movement perfectly embodied the saintly aura of a holy maiden.
Huan Juntian, who was sitting opposite her, was also dressed in his finest attire today. He wore a black brocade robe with a golden crown, which added a touch of nobility to his face with its sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.
Qu Surou looked calmly at Huan Juntian, but her mind was racing: "When will this banquet end? My face is stiff and my legs are going numb!"
Huan Juntian calmly picked up his wine cup and toasted the minister, replying telepathically, "I don't know either. Senior Sister, why don't you stand up and move around a bit?"
Qu Surou's eyebrows twitched. She propped herself up to change her posture, but her calves went numb, and she fell back down, accidentally knocking over her wine glass and staining her dress.
"Holy Maiden, are you alright?" a palace maid beside her exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone at the banquet.
Qu Surou's heart skipped a beat. Great, she didn't have to pretend to be a saintess anymore.
The Prince Li, seated on the throne, spoke with concern, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly take the Holy Maiden away and tidy her appearance!"
"No need." Huan Juntian bypassed the ministers, strode to Qu Surou, reached out and pulled her up from her seat, asking in a low voice, "Are your legs really numb?"
"It's numb, I've never felt this numb in my entire life..."
Qu Surou was so numb that she could barely stand, so Huan Juntian had to put one arm around her shoulder to help her stand, and use his other hand to use a spell to wipe away the wine stains on her skirt.
Everyone stared in disbelief, clapping and marveling.
"Your Highness's magical arts are truly remarkable; this humble subject has been greatly amazed!"
"With such exquisite immortal arts at your disposal, Your Highness, what is there to fear from enemy invasions..."
"Heaven has truly blessed my country!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!"
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Li was overjoyed. "My son left the palace to study immortal arts with Master Qu when he was still young. Over the past ten years, he must have devoted a great deal of effort to his immortal arts to achieve his current level of skill. Guards! I wish to bestow honors upon my eldest son, granting him a stipend of one thousand bushels of grain and a royal palace!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Huan Juntian frowned slightly. "I beg Father to rescind the decree. Your subject has not yet achieved any merit and should not accept such a high-ranking official position and salary."
“My son, there’s no need to refuse. You can accept all of this.” Seeing his son’s humility and composure, the King of Li was even more pleased.
Huan Juntian was about to refuse again, but Qu Surou knew his temperament. She touched him under her sleeve and said in her mind, "If you don't accept it in front of so many people, wouldn't that be disrespectful to your father? Just accept the decree for now. If you really don't want it, you can talk to your father about it privately."
Huan Juntian pondered for a moment and nodded, "What Senior Sister says is absolutely right."
He accepted the decree, and the King was overjoyed. He then issued another decree granting amnesty to the entire nation, celebrating with the people.
King Li then stepped down from his throne and approached Huan Juntian and Qu Surou, scrutinizing them closely.
Others might not have seen it, but he was sitting at the highest point and could see clearly some of the intimate actions between the two.
"I've heard that the Holy Maiden and my son are both studying immortal arts under Master Qu. Does that mean they're childhood sweethearts who grew up together? I wonder how your relationship is?"
Huan Juntian said, "My relationship with my senior sister is very deep."
Looking at Huan Juntian's hand still resting on the Holy Maiden's shoulder, Li Wang smiled and said, "It seems that you do indeed have a very deep affection for each other."
The three siblings grew up together in the sect and were even capable of walking arm in arm in the street, so putting their arm around each other's shoulders was nothing unusual.
But this was nothing compared to what the Prince of Li saw. He looked at his son and the Holy Maiden standing together, like a perfect couple, and a thought popped into his head: "May I ask if the Holy Maiden is married?"
Qu Surou's lips twitched beneath her veil. Based on her years of reading storybooks, she could roughly guess what the Prince of Li would say next: "Unmarried."
Li Wang nodded in satisfaction. Qu Surou subconsciously distanced herself from Huan Juntian and whispered, "Your father isn't trying to match us up, is he?"
Huan Juntian withdrew his hand and replied, "Probably not."
Qu Surou: "I hope so."
As the palace banquet drew to a close, Jingyi hurriedly arrived through a side gate of the palace and sat down behind his father, the Prime Minister. "Father, I'm late."
Jingyuan scolded him in a low voice, "How dare you be late on such an important day as the Crown Prince's return to the country? Did you go to frolic with those people in the Cold Palace again?"
Jingyi raised his wine cup and stood up, giving an irrelevant answer, "I will go and apologize to the prince right now."
He quickly walked up to Huan Juntian, and after bowing, both of them were stunned when they looked up and saw the other's face.
“I never imagined you were His Highness the Crown Prince. And that Holy Maiden, could she be…” Jing Yi looked back and saw a veiled woman with a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes. “Indeed, it is Miss Qu.”
Jingyi was both surprised and delighted. After exchanging pleasantries with Huan Juntian and Qu Surou, he learned the whole story and concluded that the three of them were destined to meet.
The king was in high spirits tonight and did not dismiss the banquet until the moon was high in the sky.
Jingyi bowed and said, "I will take my leave tonight. I will definitely present you with a visiting card next time and invite you both to a chat. I hope Your Highness and the Holy Maiden will do me the honor of attending."
He spoke politely, and Huan Juntian and Qu Surou had a good impression of him, so they agreed.
Once the two siblings left the palace, they finally had some alone time, leaving the palace maids far behind. Qu Surou, filled with curiosity, seized the opportunity to ask, "Huan San, Jingyi is actually the Prime Minister's son, so what kind of identity does Changming have?"
Huan Juntian also had some doubts about this matter, saying, "We'll find out soon enough."
When the eldest prince and the holy maiden returned to the country, several imperial edicts were issued at the palace banquet. Lu Zhong, the seal bearer, was in charge of guarding the imperial seal and military tally. He made many trips back and forth to deliver the imperial seal to Prince Li that night. He stayed in the palace until Prince Li fell asleep and there was no possibility of issuing any more edicts before leaving the palace.
Although Lu Zhong's rank was not high, the imperial seal and military tally were of paramount importance to the nation and could not be lost. Therefore, he always carried the jade token used to retrieve the imperial seal and military tally with him at all times. When he returned home at night, he had to be personally escorted by the Imperial Guards, and he dared not be negligent in the slightest.
"Lord Lu, we have arrived at the residence."
"Thank you all for escorting me."
Lu Zhong got off the carriage and quickly stepped up the stairs. In the distance, he saw a figure standing by the pillar of his own gate. He instinctively protected the jade pendant, walked around the person, and hurriedly tried to enter the gate, but the person called out, "Father."
Lu Zhong paused, turned around, rubbed his eyes, looked at the other person, and then shook his head, "My son only reaches my waist, he's not as tall as you..."
"Dad," Lu Pianpian sighed as she walked up to him, "It's been ten years since we last met. What would I be if I hadn't grown taller?"
Lu Zhong rubbed his eyes again, carefully examining Lu Pianpian's features, and was overjoyed, "It really is my son! He's still as handsome as when he was a child!"
Father and son were reunited after a long separation. He hurriedly led the man into the mansion, saying, "Come, come in with your father... You child, why didn't you come inside and wait for me? You had to squat at the door. What if you caught a cold!"
"The guards in the mansion said they didn't recognize me, so they wouldn't let me in."
If Lu Pianpian wanted to go in, it would only take a snap of his fingers, but he didn't want to get into a fight, so he waited at the door.
"Sigh, it's not their fault, it's all Father's fault!" Lu Zhong held a special official position and had set rules for the people in the mansion. If he was not in the mansion, strangers were not allowed to enter. "Tomorrow, Father will have the servants in the mansion come to you to recognize your face. Our young master has returned, how could he not recognize you!"
He kept Lu Pianpian's room and even had someone take care of it regularly. He took Lu Pianpian to see the room. "You came back so suddenly. You didn't even write to your father beforehand. Our family moved in the first half of the year, and I didn't even have time to send you a letter... By the way, how did you find your way here?"
Lu Pianpian told him what had happened, and upon hearing it, he slapped his forehead in annoyance, "It's all my fault, I'm getting old and forgetful, and I even made you almost lose your way home!"
"Father, don't blame yourself. I've found it now, haven't I?"
"You're so smart!"
Lu Zhong led Lu Pianpian to her room and lit the candles as if he knew the way well. "You can stay here tonight. If you need anything tomorrow, just tell me and I'll have someone in the manor provide it for you."
After saying that, she turned around and saw that he was still carrying a rabbit cage. She smiled and said, "This small cage is probably not enough. We have an empty space in the backyard. Let's fence it off and make a enclosure for it."
"Okay, thank you, Dad."
"Why be so polite with your father?"
Although Lu Zhong was smiling, his eyes showed exhaustion.
"Father, you should go back to your room and rest tonight."
Lu Zhong yawned, "Alright, then Dad will go first..."
"Um."
Lu Pianpian was also extremely sleepy. She put the rabbit cage on the table, cast a cleansing spell on herself, and then lay down on the bed to sleep.
Unexpectedly, just as dawn was breaking the next day, his father woke him up again, saying, "Son, someone from the palace is looking for you!"
After Lu Pianpian got dressed, Lu Zhong pulled her to the front hall to meet people.
"Are you Lu Pianpian, the young master?" The eunuch who came to deliver the message looked Lu Pianpian up and down.
The others were all drowsy, but upon hearing this, they nodded and said, "It's me."
"This servant has come to convey His Highness the Crown Prince's decree, summoning Young Master Lu to the palace for a discussion."
Lu Zhong felt uneasy and whispered to Lu Pianpian, "Son, have you gotten into some trouble?"
“Father, you’re overthinking it,” Lu Pianpian reassured him. “I’ll go to the palace with him first, and I’ll explain to you when I get back.”
"Alright then, be careful when you enter the palace, and don't offend His Highness..."
"good."
As Lu Pianpian entered the palace, she saw a woman sitting under the pavilion in the distance. She knew at a glance that it was her senior sister.
"Young Master Lu, this is a Holy Maiden. Why don't you bow to her?" The eunuch led him to Qu Surou's side and, seeing that he did not react, prompted him.
Lu Pianpian pointed to herself, looking innocently at her senior sister, "Senior sister, me?"
“Young Master Lu is my junior brother, there’s no need for formalities.” Qu Surou spoke gently and waved away the palace servants. “You may all leave now. I want to catch up with Young Master Lu.”
"Yes, Holy Maiden."
Lu Pianpian knew the reason behind Qu Surou's pretentious attitude and played along, "I haven't seen you all night, I wonder if Miss Qu is alright?"
As soon as the palace maid disappeared, Qu Surou slapped Lu Pianpian on the shoulder. "Is it fun to tease me? Your senior sister is going crazy pretending to be this damn saintess!"
Lu Pianpian chuckled softly, but Qu Surou pulled him away from the palace servants and began to speak more freely, saying, "Tell me what happened. The address you gave me belongs to someone else. Luckily, Huan San had someone check your household registration, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to find you..."
Lu Pianpian recounted the whole story to Qu Surou again, and then asked, "Where is my junior brother?"
"He went to court; he'll come find us to play after court."
The two siblings walked and talked. "By the way, Pianpian, do you remember the person who came to the sect to pick up Changming before? We saw him at the palace banquet yesterday. I didn't expect him to be the prime minister's son."
Lu Pianpian's heart skipped a beat. "So, he's also in Liguo?"
Does this mean my junior sister is also here?
Qu Surou feigned mystery, "Are you wondering where your junior sister is? Don't worry, Huan San has already sent people to Jingyi's residence to inquire, and we'll have news soon."
“Jing…Yi?” Lu Pianpian suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Senior sister, you just mentioned Jing Yi?”
"Yes, the person who picked up Changming was named Jingyi, didn't you know?"
Lu Pianpian's heart was immediately filled with turmoil.