Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 225

According to the maid, Hua Ying had to accompany the county magistrate of Licheng on his visit, so she was the only one who could lead the young master to see Lianyi.

"The timing is perfect." Ji Yan, who already knew about this, was not surprised at all and smiled as she asked the maid to lead the way.

Arriving at an elegant door on the fourth floor, Ji Yan stepped inside. Having seen her target beforehand, she knew that the person in front of her was the real Mi Lian, not some imposter.

He waved for the musicians and maids to leave, leaving the two of them alone.

"The decoration here is much more stylish than the gaudy, opulent place down below. Miss Lianyi has excellent taste."

Ji Yan unceremoniously sat down cross-legged in front of Mi Lian, her nostrils twitching slightly as she exclaimed, "Is the incense from the Yunmeng Courtyard of Chu?"

"Young master is knowledgeable and discerning; this is indeed the fragrance." Mi Lian tried to hide her reluctance and make her tone less cold, but the sense of superiority that she herself was unaware of was still clearly revealed.

In just this one sentence, Ji Yan's smile deepened, her expression revealing a smile that she couldn't hide: she was just an ordinary noblewoman, hardly a major enemy of her brother, the hall master.

The boy in front of him was about the same age as himself and was quite good-looking, but he was of low status.

Mi Lian picked up the small teapot on the table without feeling anything, poured a cup of tea, and presented it to Ji Yan with both hands: "Young master, please have some fragrant tea."

"Is it the Fire Phoenix Wutong from Chu? That's a rare treasure." Picking up the teacup and smelling the aroma of the tea, Ji Yan suddenly sounded regretful: "It's a pity it's still of ordinary quality. The best Fire Phoenix Wutong is exclusively supplied to the royal family of Chu, and the rarest ones can only be tasted by the King of Chu himself."

"It is said that the tea has a flat appearance with white hairs, a yellow-red color like fire, a rich and long-lasting aroma, a light red and bright liquor, tender and uniform leaves, a mellow and sweet taste, and its nourishing function is even more miraculous."

"Is that so..." Mi Lian was taken aback. She didn't actually know that the Fire Phoenix Tree had so many intricacies.

While at the residence of Lord Changping in Qin, she drank only ordinary quality fire tea. Just as Ji Yan said, the finest fire tea was reserved for the royal family of Chu, and even if Lord Changping had it, he wouldn't have drunk it when he served as the Right Chancellor of Qin.

Later, Xiong Qi launched a rebellion and succeeded as King of Chu in Guangling, but the country was in crisis and the Qin people occupied the place where the Fire Phoenix Wutong tree was produced, so he still wouldn't have the chance to drink it.

When she came to Licheng, she only brought these ordinary fire teas with her.

"Young Master is truly knowledgeable about Chu culture." Having repeatedly brought up the topic of Chu, Mi Lian couldn't help but want to continue the conversation.

'That's kind of stupid.'

Ji Yan smiled faintly and nodded as she continued her story to Chu Cha, but in her heart she had already completely eliminated the idea of ​​Mi Lian as an opponent.

She had clearly stated that only the Chu royal family could obtain the highest grade Fire Phoenix Wutong tree, so why didn't she find it strange at all that she suddenly felt disappointed that only ordinary fire tea was available here?

And if you're going to hide your identity, why prepare so many things related to the State of Chu for everyday use? You're clearly a woman from Qi on the surface.

Now, Ji Yan is not worried about Mi Lian competing with her for Lu Wei's position, but rather about whether such a royal eldest daughter will bring trouble to Gonggong Hall.

She got up and went to the incense burner. She opened the small incense burner and chatted with ease. Her gaze swept towards the back room, and she subtly turned her eyes around. She then took the initiative to add the 'Cloud Dream Garden' that was placed aside for backup to the burner.

It was only then that Mi Lian learned a great deal of wonderful knowledge about the Chu Kingdom from this learned young master, and she did not feel that there was anything wrong with his actions.

As the conversation deepened and Mi Lian's eyelids began to droop, she noticed the faint smile on the other person's lips—unchanged from when they entered—and realized something was amiss...

'I clearly took the antidote beforehand, how could this be...' *Thud*, losing her balance, Mi Lian fell to the ground. At the same time, the sight of two guards collapsing behind a screen at the back of the room made her feel even more helpless: 'It's you...'

She bit her lip until it bled, forcing herself to look up at the young master whose expression had instantly turned blank. She watched in horror as he approached, then, with a small, delicate hand, pinched her chin and shoved a pill of an ominous color into her mouth...

Then, Mi Lian completely lost consciousness.

Chapter 254, Part 253: What else could it be but a dancer?

Zuimenglou had tampered with the incense and tea, and there were also guards hidden behind the screens in the rooms, so their countermeasures were quite comprehensive.

However, Ji Yan has the internal energy of the Rejuvenation Technique protecting her body, and she also cultivates the Farmer's School's "Observation Skill," possessing a pair of "bright eyes like autumn water." Even without activating the changes in her eyes, her observation ability far surpasses that of ordinary people.

This is the territory of Shennong Hall. Shennong Hall is most skilled in collecting and making medicine. It is a place where a group of women of the night stay. Using medicine to deal with enemies is also their best means of defense. Before coming here, Ji Yan was extremely wary of anything that might enter her mouth or nose.

Meeting this eldest daughter of the Wang family is not difficult. Since they have chosen to hide in this place and under this identity, they must bear the corresponding price. Hua Ying would definitely not dare to gamble on creating any risk that might expose them.

Zui Meng Lou is a place for gathering intelligence, and what it fears most is being gathered intelligence by others.

The only slightly troublesome part is figuring out how to be alone with Mi Lian. The key to achieving our goal is to get the supervisor, Hua Ying, away.

It's the same old routine: the courtesan is the courtesan. When a 'big shot' comes to enjoy himself, he specifically asks Hua Ying to accompany him. Hua Ying's disguised identity dictates that she has no choice but to go.

Licheng and Dazeshan are so close, and the main road into the mountain leads to Chiyou Hall and Gonggong Hall. It's understandable that Tian Hu didn't make any detailed arrangements, but if Lu Wei didn't make any arrangements either, then that would be a serious dereliction of duty.

With the manpower and resources of Gonggongtang, plus its prior planning, Xianyang, thousands of miles away, certainly did not have as much control over the small city of Licheng as Dazeshan, which was right next door.

Besides Gonggongtang, the Zhu family of Shennongtang also had plans for this place, but their main focus was on Zuimenglou. Shennongtang's headquarters were located in the northeast corner of Dazeshan. Building Zuimenglou in Licheng was already overstepping their bounds. If they exercised too much control, they would inevitably clash with Chiyoutang and Gonggongtang.

By sending the local county constable to distract Hua Ying, who is knowledgeable in pharmacology, to buy time, dealing with a mere young girl and other secret guards would be no problem.

As long as you secretly mix in some sleeping potion that you got from Sister Duanmu when adding incense to the incense burner, it will be difficult for most people to detect because of the fragrance already present in the room.

By the time they realized something was wrong with their bodies, it was too late.

Unsurprisingly, to avoid attracting attention, the window of Mi Lian's room overlooked a narrow alley rather than a bustling main street.

After cleaning up the scene, Ji Yan picked up the limp and powerless eldest daughter of the King of Chu and used his lightness skill to leap out of the window.

There were sentries planted by Zui Meng Lou in the alley. When they saw someone step out, they hurriedly surrounded her to stop her, but Ji Yan used the fact that Mi Lian was unconscious to cover her up and was afraid to act rashly. In the end, they were all defeated.

There are only three sentries; any more would risk exposing them to the Qin people if they were to remain hidden.

Normally, if they discover something unusual, they should report it to Hua Ying, but Mi Lian's identity is too important, and the sentries instinctively want to take it back.

After resolving all the troubles, Ji Yan calmly led the hostages away silently through the alley.

She came here today only to test the waters, not to kidnap the Chu princess. Otherwise, to be on the safe side, Xiao Yan'er would have had Mei San Niang meet her here.

But as the probing continued, she discovered two things: first, that Mi Lian was somewhat naive and not worth considering; second, before entering the room, based on the memory map in her mind, Ji Yan had already determined the room's location within the entire Drunken Dream Pavilion and concluded that she could abduct the person and leave.

She decided to devise a plan on the spot, and to her surprise, it succeeded far too easily.

Is this how Zui Meng Lou (Drunken Dream Pavilion) takes precautions?

That's true. Anyone who knows Mi Lian's true identity could easily take her away, whether openly or secretly. The secret of Zui Meng Lou means that even if it has more stringent security measures, it cannot use them due to its identity.

Because the elder brother of the hall master knew in advance that the princess of Chu would come to such a place to hide in an unimaginable way, and had planned everything in advance, the plan went so smoothly.

Just a quarter of an hour after Ji Yan left, the two guards who had fallen behind the screen woke up because Ji Yan had deliberately left them unattended.

The sleeping potion Ji Yan used today was fast-acting and effective, designed to induce and expel Mi Lian quickly. This is why she gave Mi Lian another pill.

After regaining consciousness, the two hurriedly got up and looked towards the table. Sure enough, the princess was nowhere to be seen, as was the young master.

His face paled in shock as he peered out the open window to see the three bodyguards, their necks snapped, lying stiffly in the alleyway...

The two men in the room were guards assigned to Mi Lian by Xiong Qi; they survived only because of their Chu identity. The sentries were all members of the Drunken Dream Pavilion trained by Hua Ying herself, of little value. Furthermore, Ji Yan, unwilling to delay any longer, showed no mercy, so they would all die...

...

Mei San Niang was a forthright and bold woman from the martial arts world, and she usually drank heavily in the hall.

This time, while following Ji Yan to carry out the Hall Master's orders, she only drank tea in Licheng so as not to let the smell of alcohol affect the intelligent Miss Yan's thinking.

Tonight, Miss Yan went to Zuimeng Tower to gather information. Mei San Niang's identity is not a secret among farmers, and given her overly conspicuous personality, it would be easy for people to guess her identity if she went with them. So, they had no choice but to stay at the stronghold and wait for Miss Yan to return.

When she heard the pre-arranged knock and opened the door, she hurriedly took the reddish-brown-haired girl that Ji Yan was supporting and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss brought the target back?"

“By chance, and with an opportunity, I used Third Sister’s method.” Releasing Mi Lian and handing her over to Third Sister Mei, Ji Yanjing quietly closed the door after confirming that no one was following them outside: “Take her to the prepared room. The effects of the medicine can last for a few more hours. She won’t wake up tonight.”

"The sect leader will surely reward Miss for completing the mission so smoothly." After settling the captured target as instructed, Mei San Niang was happy for Ji Yan.

"This is just the first stage. Although this princess of Chu is not very smart, she still has a certain amount of pride. It won't be easy to make her submit." Ji Yan waved his hand calmly. The next step in the plan is to train her to obey.

Xiao Yan'er already knows that Lu Wei intends to use Mi Lian to win over the hearts of the Chu people, which requires the princess's willingness. The kidnapping method must have given Gonggong Hall a very bad first impression on Mi Lian, and now that she has the girl, she must redeem that impression and make her understand that Gonggong Hall is the only option.

Since Brother Hall Master has issued the mission, and the target this time is not a threat, then we must exceed Brother Hall Master's expectations!

"Third Sister, I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up in an hour."

"Don't worry, Miss Yan, leave it to me!"

At Zuimenglou, Huaying was not informed of Mi Lian's disappearance until a full half hour later. This was not because Huaying did not care, but because it was really not easy to deal with those powerful and influential people.

After seeing the guards' gestures to protect the princess, she finally managed to finish a dance under Wang Li's name and leave the private room.

After learning the general outline of the matter, Hua Ying was shocked and went to Mi Lian's room with a dark face. At a glance, she saw the words "I have taken away the eldest daughter of the King of Chu" sharply engraved on the table. Hua Ying's left fingernails dug into the back of her right hand due to excessive force.

The fragrance of incense in the room had almost completely dissipated due to the open window, and the inner liner of the small incense burner had been taken away entirely. The methods used by the other party were obvious, but there was absolutely no way to trace them.

Only one thing is clear: the enemy knew the princess's identity, but was not a Qin person; otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to use such methods to capture her.

This means that Hua Ying cannot openly search for clues, and her careful investigation must not leak information. Otherwise, if she pushes the other party too far and they hand the princess over to the Qin people...

"You two come with me. We'll go to Daze Mountain tonight to see Master Zhu!" Hua Ying said, pointing to the two incompetent guards who were supposed to protect the princess but had been drugged. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

This situation cannot be resolved by Zuimenglou alone; Guangling is too far away, and we must rely on the help of the farmers...

An hour later, at the Gonggong Hall's hidden stronghold, Ji Yan searched the unconscious Mi Lian and found a pale red jade pendant of extremely special quality, which should belong to the Chu royal family.

He slipped another white pill into those delicate, small lips, and used his inner strength to help Mi Lian dissolve it. Ji Yan, still dressed as a man, maintained the faint smile he had shown at Zui Meng Lou, and sat on the table and chair in front of the bed, slowly drinking water.

With a soft moan, as the medicine took effect, Mi Lian groggily woke up and sat up. Turning her head, her blurry eyes just as she saw the smiling Ji Yan, she suddenly became completely awake.

"you!"

Pale-faced, Mi Lian stared at the jade pendant Ji Yan was playing with. She subconsciously checked her body and found that apart from a tingling and weak feeling, she felt no pain. While relieved, she couldn't help but feel worried: "How dare you! If you release me now, I can guarantee that I will not pursue your crime."

"Otherwise, the laws of Qin will not let you off the hook!"

The frail little girl's right hand was trembling slightly behind her back, but she forced herself to maintain a composed demeanor, baring her teeth and claws as she tried to threaten Ji Yan.

"Oh?" Ji Yan stood up, a half-smile on her face, and walked step by step towards the bed. Mi Lian's wide eyes met her crescent-shaped smiling eyes for only a few breaths before he deliberately looked away.

"Does Your Highness, the Princess of Chu, really have to rely on reciting Qin laws to bolster your image?"

Xiao Yan'er's words made Mi Lian droop his head like a cabbage that had just been hit by frost, stammering and unable to speak.

She knew very well what terrible fate awaited her if she were handed over to the Qin people in her capacity.

My brain was working at lightning speed, but no matter how hard I tried to find a solution in the blank space, I couldn't get one.

"Looks like I wasn't wrong." Ji Yan raised her hand and lifted Mi Lian's chin, forcing the other to look at her, and clicked her tongue in admiration: "You're quite good-looking, no wonder you were assigned to be a dancer, it suits you perfectly."

"I am not a dancer!" Biting her lip hard, Mi Lian turned her head and broke free from the other's grasp, speaking out in protest.

"Is that so? I spent thirty gold coins to bring you out of the infamous Drunken Dream Pavilion, a notorious brothel known throughout the entire Eastern County. If you're not a dancer, then what are you?"

"Does Your Highness still consider yourself a princess even though you're not in the Kingdom of Chu?"

Chapter 255 Bet

After being ridiculed, Mi Lian came to her senses and stared at the other person, who was roughly the same age as her, trying to guess why she had been kidnapped.

In her memory, she could only belatedly realize that it was her everyday items and the decorations in her room that were too much like the Chu style that aroused the other party's suspicion. It was only after the royal jade pendant was found on her that her identity was confirmed.