Chapter 429 - 429: Returning to the Family

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi touched Tang Jinghong’s handsome face and deliberately teased, “You’re mine too.”

Tang Jinghong’s ears slowly turned red.

Chu Qingzhi said, “Jinghong, that Lu Ziming is so cunning. He clearly found the Record of Wonders, but he told people that he didn’t find it…”

Tang Jinghong was not surprised. “Environment can change a person.”

“Indeed.” Chu Qingzhi told Tang Jinghong about the Nalan family in the Records of Wonders.

Tang Jinghong frowned. “The Nalan family?”

Chu Qingzhi turned to look at Tang Jinghong. Judging from the way he looked, he seemed to know something. “Jinghong, do you know?”

Tang Jinghong said softly, “It’s said that the Nalan family has the founding Emperor’s jade seal.”

Chu Qingzhi’s interest was piqued. “Who is the founding emperor?”

“Zhou Chang.” Tang Jinghong glanced at Chu Qingzhi. Qingzhi was knowledgeable. Didn’t she know this?

“Why is the founding Emperor’s jade seal in the Nalan family?”

Tang Jinghong said, “The Nalan family likes to collect rare treasures. The Founding Emperor’s jade seal is the main collection. For this, they even specially built a basement to store these treasures. The family even raised a group of guards to protect it, but everything disappeared with the earthquake.” Chu Qingzhi blinked. “Jinghong, how do you know this?”

Tang Jinghong smiled. “In the past, when we were fighting at the border, there was a soldier in the military camp who abandoned literature to practice martial arts. When everyone was free, he would tell us stories he read from books. I heard everything from him.”

Chu Qingzhi hesitated. “Then does he know about the Nalan family?”

Tang Jinghong was not sure. “I think he also saw it in random books. Such a special family must be recorded in more than one book.”

Chu Qingzhi agreed. “Where is this person now? Should we write a letter and ask him what else he knows about the Nalan family?”

Tang Jinghong shook his head. “He… died in battle.”

Chu Qingzhi said apologetically, “Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” Tang Jinghong recalled. “He was the most friendly person I’ve ever met. When he died in battle, many people in the military camp cried.”

Chu Qingzhi placed her hand on the back of Tang Jinghong’s hand and clenched it gently.

After a while, Tang Jinghong held Chu Qingzhi’s hand. “Eat quickly. It won’t taste good when it gets cold.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded. “Go ahead.”

Nanny Han walked towards the main courtyard in a hurry. “Miss Chu, Miss Chu…”

Chu Qingzhi was writing the plan for the Food Festival in her room. Now that she had nothing to do, she could write the plan and start implementing it when she returned.

Hearing Nanny Han’s voice, she opened the door and walked out. “Nanny, what’s the matter?”

Granny Han handed the invitation to Chu Qingzhi with both hands. “Miss, this is an invitation from Third Miss Fan. She asked me to give it to you.”

Chu Qingzhi flipped open the invitation and asked, “Who is Third Miss Fan?”

Granny Han said, “The Third Miss of General Fan’s family, Fan Yuru.”

General Fan had one wife, two concubines, and six children.

The eldest daughter married the emperor and became the empress.

The third daughter liked to use spears and swords. She was a straightforward person. Since she was young, she had a dream of becoming a heroine.

She was the one who invited Chu Qingzhi this time.

Chu Qingzhi’s gaze swept across the invitation. “…Invite Miss Chu to Pear

Phoenix Garden for a banquet at noon…”

Is this a trap?!

In modern television dramas, the female lead would usually be bullied and suppressed when she went to banquets. She would also be asked to perform. If she did not perform well, she would be mocked and ridiculed…

Sigh, she didn’t expect to experience this one day.

As for not going…

That was impossible. In the capital, where power was intertwined, the women in the backyard were also a great tool to maintain and consolidate the relationship between men.

As Tang Jinghong’s fiancee, if she didn’t go, it meant that Tang Jinghong didn’t take all the families in the capital seriously. To put it bluntly, he was going against all the families in the capital.

“Nanny, do you know which clothing shop in the capital is the best?” She had to dress up and attend, so she wouldn’t embarrass Jinghong.

“Miss, I know. I’ll bring you there immediately.” Nanny Han walked out, but after taking two steps, she turned around and said, “Miss, you still need a servant girl to attend the banquet.”

A servant girl? Chu Qingzhi did not want a servant girl, but she thought of a candidate. “I won’t bring a servant girl over. I’ll bring a friend over.”

“That’s fine. In any case, don’t go alone.” If she was made difficult, she wouldn’t even have anyone to help her. Nanny Han obviously knew the nature of these gatherings.

Chu Qingzhi brought Nanny Han to the inn, called Ge Lihua, and went to the shop that sold clothes.

Ge Lihua saw that Chu Qingzhi looked like she was going to the battle and couldn’t help but ask, “Qingzhi, are you going to fight?”

“Not really.” Chu Qingzhi waved her hand. “When you were in the northern border, you should have attended many banquets organized by young ladies, right?”

Ge Lihua nodded. “I’ve participated in many.”

Chu Qingzhi handed the invitation to Ge Lihua. “Lihua, I’ll rely on you later.”

If those young ladies found trouble with her, she didn’t know if she could hold back from breaking their necks and throwing them out of the wall.

Ge Lihua flipped open the invitation and smiled. “Leave everything to me.”

The two of them went to the ready-to-wear shop and bought the two most expensive dresses in the shop. One was a light green dress and the other was a moon-white dress.

Then, she went to the jewelry shop and bought some suitable jewelry.

After that, she returned home to dress up.

It was still morning and there was still plenty of time to attend the banquet at noon.

Imperial Palace.

Eunuch Li Fei eagerly walked into the imperial study and presented the thing in his hand to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, this is presented by a woman who calls herself Consort Xin.”

It was a special dagger with a dragon carving on it. It was obvious that it was from the royal family.

The Emperor fiddled with the carvings on the dagger and fell into his memories…

The late emperor had many children. Every time a child was born, the late emperor would create a birth gift. The current Emperor’s was a small sword. He liked it very much. Now, it was placed in his bedroom.

The other princes and princesses also had one weapon.

Looking at the carving on the dagger, it was indeed an item of the royal family. However, since his father had given her the birth gift, he naturally knew that the child existed. Why didn’t he bring her back to the palace?

There must be something going on…

The Emperor took out the dagger and looked at it. He instructed, “Bring her to the side hall. I’ll go take a look myself.”

Eunuch Li Fei bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty..”