Chapter 2 Conspiracy

  "Miss, are you really going tomorrow?" said Yinger Xiaoling to her mistress who was sitting on the soft couch reading a book. The miss in Yinger Xiaoling's mouth was a stunning beauty, she was Zhou Xinyuan, one of the two great beauties of the Great Qin Empire.

  A fitted silk dress with pink flower petals embroidered on it clung softly to Zhou Xinyi's body, accentuating her plump twin peaks and giving off a vibrant, about-to-burst-out feeling. Her slender waist perfectly offset the full, round buttocks below, forming a devilish figure that was simply stunning when paired with a pair of almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with emotion, flashing a hint of a smile as she turned to glance around, every inch the ravishing beauty.

  She leaned elegantly against the soft couch, holding a book in her hand, reading with relish. Upon hearing her maid's words, the beauty softly responded with a gentle "en", without saying anything else.

  "But tomorrow the Fourth Prince is also going there." said Yinger Xiaoleng with some concern.

  "Oh." The beauty still didn't react.

  "Miss, won't you speak?" Seeing that Miss still didn't respond, the maid's small face turned slightly red, and her expression also appeared somewhat anxious.

  "What's the point? Everything is fate." Zhou Xīnwén said, gazing into the distance.

  ……

  The Luoyang Qin Palace has been renovated for generations, covering an area of tens of miles. The Yellow River water flows in from the northeast and takes half a day to flow out of the palace walls. Inside the palace, earth is dug up to form pools, and stones are piled up to form mountains. Among the green trees and red walls, the green-tiled buildings and pavilions rise high, with flying eaves and corners, majestic and magnificent, with an atmosphere that is awe-inspiring. There are tens of thousands of palace maids and eunuchs inside.

  Yu De Palace was the rear palace of Qin, with one chief manager and one deputy manager, 24 eunuchs and 24 palace maids. The little eunuch Ruan An seemed to have matured a lot, his former smile had disappeared without a trace. He was usually silent and rarely spoke, but he was quick-witted and clever, so he got along well with people.

  The Great Qin has stood for hundreds of years, the once mighty emperor who resided in the north is now buried deep within the dark palace. The current Qin Emperor is fond of beauty and pleasure, with countless beauties in the harem, over a hundred consorts have their own titles. The Qin Emperor especially favors Rong Fei, often staying overnight at her residence, the Yi Lan Pavilion, rarely setting foot in the Yu De Palace.

  Queen Wang Huirong was the daughter of General Wang Fei, and she was only in her forties. She was the birth mother of the eldest prince, but because Emperor Qin especially favored Consort Rong, she often wore a worried expression on her face. She hated Consort Rong for competing with her for the emperor's favor. Consort Rong relied on her pampered status, as her brother Wei Zhan and Wang Fei were both high-ranking generals, making them highly respected. She didn't even put Queen Wang in her eyes. The other consorts were caught between the queen and the favored consort, all of them being extremely cautious.

  Ruan An sweeps the courtyard of Yu De Palace during the day and takes care of the incense and candles at night. He is meticulous and hardworking, never shirking his duties. Empress Wang also can't help but glance at this quick-witted little eunuch multiple times.

  That day, Ruan An was in the courtyard splashing water to cool off when suddenly the Empress summoned him.

  The queen leaned against the table and said lightly: "Send this plate of pastries to the Yilan Pavilion, watch Rong Niangniang finish eating, and come back to report."

  Ruan An responded with a sound, picked up the plate, and carefully backed out.

  The cake was a light yellow color, like honey, and looked sweet and delicious. Ruan An couldn't help but feel puzzled - the Empress and Consort Rong didn't get along, almost everyone in the palace knew that, so why would she go to such trouble on a hot day? Suddenly remembering something, her heart sank.

  ……

  Yilan Hall was built by the side of Dai Shui, exquisite and elegant. The surrounding green trees shaded, the cool breeze blew, and when entering the hall, the eunuch Ruan An, who had been running under the scorching sun for a while, suddenly felt his sweat disappear.

  He stealthily entered the Western Hall. The hall was lavishly decorated, with all sorts of rare and precious treasures on display. Especially eye-catching was a branch of red coral in the corner of the hall, shaped like a small mountain, nearly ten feet high, entirely crimson. The branches were adorned with colorful gemstones that sparkled brightly. In the center of the great hall stood a bed made entirely of jade, smooth as fat, covered with delicate ivory mats. Four palace maidens held fans and gently fanned the air. Amidst the green gauze curtains, a segment of snowy white jade lay reclined, shrouded in red gauze, making it impossible to discern her face.

  "What's your name?" A soft and gentle voice came from the account, which was unutterably sweet and pleasant.

  Ruan An hastily kowtowed, "I am Ruan An, a eunuch of the Yongde Palace, and I have been sent by Her Majesty to deliver some items to Your Ladyship."

  A delicate hand as white as jade lifted the green gauze, its ten slender fingers shining clean and brighter than the jade bed beneath. The person inside the curtain laughed softly, "What is it?"

  Ruan An hastily raised the plate in his hand to the top of his head.

  ……

  Luoyang has three treasures: Luoyang Water Mattress, Luoyang Peony and Longmen Grottoes.

  "Luoyang's pulse is most suitable for peonies, and peonies are especially the wonder of the world." Peony is a traditional famous flower in China, known as the "king of flowers", and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "national color and heavenly fragrance". Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's "The flower blooms for twenty days, and the whole city is like crazy" and Liu Yuxi's "Only peony is the true national color, when the flower blooms, the capital city is moved" and other famous poems vividly describe the grand scene of Luoyang people watching flowers at that time.

  The Longmen Grottoes were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty when Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, and now there are over 100,000 Buddha statues, more than 2,300 caves. Together with the Mogao Caves in Gansu Province and the Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi Province, they are known as the Three Major Buddhist Grottoes in China.

  The bright moon has just risen, the summer breeze is cool and refreshing. The lanterns in the Yanxiang Building are shining brightly, and the sound of laughter and music fills the air. The aroma of wine wafts through the building, as guests come and go, surrounded by soft, fragrant beauties and gentle, enchanting songs. The entire scene is filled with a sense of intoxicating beauty, like a dream that will last until dawn.

  Yang Chengfeng walked into the bustling first floor hall with his maid Qiufeng, and a quick-witted waiter immediately came up to greet them, speaking warmly with a smile on his face. "Sir, are you here to book a table or attend a banquet?"

  Yang Chengfeng handed the invitation to the waiter, his eyes casually scanning the hall. The decorations here were clearly more upscale than those of Baiyue Hotel. Occasionally, he could see some beautifully dressed women on the stairs.

  "Ah, it's Mr. Kong's guest, please go upstairs quickly, Mr. Kong is already waiting in the Fragrant Drunken Pavilion." The little servant's attitude became even more respectful and he said loudly, obviously to inform the people upstairs to receive the guest.

  Yang Chengfeng smiled slightly and led the way upstairs. The upstairs was even more luxurious, with several charming and beautiful women standing in the open area. These women were all seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing thin, light silk blouses that revealed infinite spring scenery as they moved, evoking distant thoughts.

  One of the women led Yang Chengfeng through a corridor, outside which was a small and delicate suspension bridge connected to a small building. The bridge was not long, under the moonlight, the water below rippled, and the small building was surrounded by emerald green water, creating an extremely elegant and quiet environment.

  Beautiful women accompanied, fragrant winds blowing, small bridges and green waters, quiet and elegant, water pavilions, even more evoking endless reveries. Every detail is uniquely crafted, a wine tower that has reached an otherworldly realm, it seems the owner of this building is not an ordinary person. Yang Chengfeng couldn't help but feel curious about this business genius.

  Entering the small building, one can see that it is elegantly decorated with a sense of nobility and refinement, yet it also evokes a hint of sensuality. The floor is covered with intricately embroidered carpets, and in the center of the room stands a large table, surrounded by several armchairs. On the table are placed an array of sumptuous delicacies and exquisite wine vessels.

  At this time, several men and women in brocade clothes were already seated behind the northern and western taishi chairs, laughing and drinking.

  Among them, a young man with an extraordinary temperament, wearing a brocade robe, of medium height, with elegant and refined features, under a pair of jet-black eyebrows like ink, his deep and profound eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, with a straight nose bridge, full and sensual lips slightly raised, revealing a hint of arrogance, his dignified appearance hid the elegance and refinement unique to scholars, yet amidst this elegance, there was a hint of evil charm, this person was none other than Yang Chengfeng's older brother, De Wang Yang Zun.

  Next was a robust and dark-skinned young man with an icy expression like a ferocious wolf, his entire body exuding a terrifying aura. He was Yang Chengfeng's third brother, Ning Wang Yang Chengyun.

  Then there were three men dressed as scholars, namely Kong Xing, Wang Zhiyuan and Zhou Haibo.

  And beside them were two women, one of whom was a beautiful woman in a white gauze long dress sitting on the ground, with a long light silk ribbon tied around her waist, which had an ethereal feeling under the gentle breeze. A white teardrop-shaped necklace hung from her neck, and the white jade earrings that hooked onto her delicate earlobes were interestingly matched. Her raven-black hair flowed with an invisible luster, and the double buns on her head complemented her snowy-white skin. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her face was extremely beautiful, it was that kind of unbelievable delicacy, her cherry-like small mouth had a faint red color, making people want to taste its unique flavor. Her bright cheeks were not yet rouged, but already showed a white and rosy complexion, looking even more delicate and lovely, with a gentle emotion like water. Only the skin on her neck was as white as snow, shining brightly, almost transparent, and her flowing eyes made her look even more charming and tender, like a spring lotus flower, a lotus flower reflected in the green water, she was Yang Chengfeng's fiancée Zhou Xīnwén.

  Another beauty wore a yellow cloud dress, with an absolutely flawless complexion that was as white as snow and had a faint red glow on her cheeks. Her nose and lips were finely carved, making her look perfect. The black pearl on the jade hairpin shone brightly against her raven-black hair, which cascaded down her shoulders like willow silk in the wind. The yellow cloud dress accentuated her slender figure, exuding a thousand charms that made one want to untie the sash around her waist and uncover the secrets hidden beneath. Such a beauty should only exist in heaven, not on earth, where she could be seen but rarely found. She was none other than Yu Ziting, the third daughter of the Minister of Rites.