Chapter 50: Probe

  When Haotian arrived at the Luoxingju First Heaven, Auxiliary King Liu Xian and Minister of Household An Yongchang were already waiting inside. The auxiliary king was naturally seated in the main seat, but beside him sat an old man with a cold expression, who was extremely thin but sat upright. Haotian took a closer look and only then discovered that this person was actually the same old man who appeared on the night of his arrival at the Tian Du Sheng Jing Emperor's banquet, but Haotian really couldn't understand what kind of identity this person had to be able to sit directly beside Liu Xian.

  "Master Hou has arrived late, shouldn't he be punished with three cups of wine first?" Liu Xian said with a bright smile as soon as he saw Haotian enter the hall led by his attendants.

  Hao Tian hastily cupped his fists and said: "This official has arrived late, please forgive me, Your Highness. However, this official's capacity for wine is shallow, should we put this off till later?"

  "No harm done. Since Master Hou isn't quite a drinker, we'll just have to drink less today then. Hehe, could it be that Master Hou has a shrewish wife at home and doesn't dare to overdo it?" Liu Xian said with a half-joking tone.

  "Hao Tian hastily replied: 'Your Highness misunderstands, although my humble wife is not well-versed in learning, she is not a person who would make a loud noise like the lion of Hedong. It's just that I have a very low tolerance for alcohol and the wine quality is also too poor, so I dare not drink much.'"

  An Yongchang also smiled: "Prince, don't make it difficult for Lord Hou. Lord Hou has just taken in the Holy Maiden of Tianwu Xinghe, Xian Nu Lianchen, and is newlywed. Naturally, he wouldn't want to return later with a body full of wine."

  Hao Tian was shocked in his heart, and the things between him and Xian Lian Chen were not top-secret, but these were all things that happened in the Jingbei Hou Mansion. The maidservants and slaves who might be spies from various parties had already been assigned to unimportant corners by him, and the heavens were also closely monitoring them, only unexpectedly letting outsiders know their true situation so quickly. Tian Wu Xing He had been particularly low-key over the years, but his relationship with the imperial court had never been very harmonious. What was An Yong Chang's intention in saying this? Was he warning himself or showing kindness to himself?

  This was his first time seeing An Yongchang, and as he glanced over, he couldn't help but carefully examine this former confidant of the Divine Sect. He had a medium build, with wrinkles covering his face. Coupled with his emotionless eyes, it made one feel an overwhelming sense of weariness. There was a long scar on his face, said to be a remnant from when he was stabbed by the Eastern Wokou assassin. However, his spirit was exceptionally robust, and his body was also unusually sturdy. Faintly visible, even Haotian could see the thick calluses on his hands. It seemed that the rumors of An Yongchang's martial arts attainments being extraordinary were indeed true.

  Liu Xian seemed to have not caught the meaning of An Yongchang's words, and instead smiled and said: "Your Excellency is young and wealthy, and some romantic gestures are normal. However, Your Excellency has been too inconsiderate this time, we are all colleagues in the imperial court, why didn't you inform us about such a joyful event, so that everyone can celebrate together?"

  Hao Tian came back to his senses and hastily replied, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. Such a trivial matter, I didn't think it would disturb Your Excellency and Lord An. After all, you and Minister An are both busy with state affairs, how could I dare to bother you with such a small thing?"

  An Yongchang burst out laughing and then said with profound meaning: "The Duke is a new noble of the imperial court, and also the most favored vassal in front of the current emperor. How could I and Wang Ye dare not pay more attention?"

  Haotian's expression was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood that Anyu Chang was about to get to the point. Indeed, after Anyu Chang laughed loudly, he let out a long sigh: "Alas, if the Northern Expedition Army had been completely defeated back then, and if it weren't for His Excellency's desperate counterattack to turn the tide, who knows what would have happened to this peaceful world? Today, I and the King can sit here safely, all thanks to His Excellency."

  "General An is being modest, I just got lucky. Even if I wasn't here, with the prince and General An's intelligence and martial arts skills, Qingfeng would still be safe." Huanghai said, pretending to be muddled.

  An Yongchang apparently anticipated that Huan Tian would respond in this way, and his face didn't show any surprise. He took a light sip of wine, just about to continue speaking, when the door curtain of the great hall was suddenly pulled open. An Yongchang's face immediately showed a hint of displeasure, but it quickly turned into excitement. Huan Tian curiously turned his head to look, and saw a middle-aged woman leading three young girls walking in.

  "I, Huā Ruì, pay respects to Lord Liu Xian, Lord An, and the Marquis of Jingbei. I'm afraid I've disturbed you all, please forgive me." The middle-aged woman said with a gentle tone.

  Liu Xian burst out laughing: "Madam Huarui, no need to be so polite, please sit down quickly." But in Haotian's heart, he was shocked. He never expected that the boss of Luoxing Residence would be such a noble and elegant middle-aged woman.

  As for Liu Xian's enthusiasm, Huatuo Furen didn't seem too surprised or flattered, but instead smiled faintly and sat down at the lower seat. Then, pointing to the three women behind her, she said: "Everyone has come to our humble abode today, it's really an honor. Originally, I wouldn't have dared to come forward and disturb you, but these few maids wanted to come over and see the world, so I took the liberty of bringing them along. Please don't blame me, everyone."

  An Yongchang smiled hypocritically: "The lady is a rare person in the market, and the three girls are all talented women with a reputation. I am not worthy to meet them, how can I dare to blame?" However, his gaze was fixed on Hua Rui's wife and the three women behind her, and Liu Xian's expression was not much better.

  Mrs. Huarui was obviously accustomed to gazes like An Yongchang's and smiled indifferently: "Lord An, you're overpraising me. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb your gathering any further. Xin Jiao, why don't the three sisters stay here?" After finishing her sentence, she didn't even wait for Liu Xian and An Yongchang to react before calmly exiting the hall. Meanwhile, in Haotian's heart, a wave of emotion arose; although he didn't know what kind of reliance Mrs. Huarui had, being able to face Liu Xian and An Yongchang like this indeed earned her the title of "extraordinary woman".

  When the lady of Huā Rǔ left the hall, the three women exchanged a glance and then very tacitly sat down beside Liu Xiǎn, ān Yǒng Cháng and Hào Tiān respectively. And sitting beside Hào Tiān was precisely Xīn Jiǎo whom the lady of Huā Rǔ had mentioned just before she left.

  As Xīn Jiǎo approached him, Huáng Tiān couldn't help but think of what Xiān Liàn Chén had said before he left. His body involuntarily shifted to one side. Xīn Jiǎo's expression was clearly taken aback, although she came from a brothel, in the Tian Du Holy City, no one had ever looked down on her because of it. At least not when they were in front of her, every man tried their best to please her. Unexpectedly, as soon as she sat down, Huáng Tiān actually shifted away slightly.

  Hao Tian was also a thoughtful person, and as soon as he saw Xin Jiao's expression, he hastily explained: "Miss, please don't misunderstand, I just think this place is not very spacious, so I gave you some space." However, looking at Xin Jiao's disbelieving face, he awkwardly said: "I didn't have any other ideas, I just didn't want people to misunderstand that I wanted to take advantage of you."

  She was, after all, a woman from the brothel, and she understood men's thoughts. Although she didn't quite understand why Hua Tian wanted to sit on one side, it was clear that she knew Hua Tian was lying. However, she didn't want to expose him immediately, but instead looked at Hua Tian with a pair of beautiful big eyes, smiling brightly. Because she suddenly felt that the look of this man when he lied was actually quite interesting.

  Seeing Xin Jiao not speaking, Huang Tian naturally understood the reason and his face turned red. He could only spread his hands and say: "Miss Xin Jiao, this is just because someone was strictly ordered by his wife before leaving home to be proper at the banquet with the Crown Prince. If Miss still doesn't believe it, then there's nothing he can do."

  Xin Jiao's expression suddenly became sorrowful, and her voice was tinged with a hint of resentment: "So Master Hou has a virtuous wife at home. Please be assured, I am just a woman from the streets, I absolutely dare not have any ulterior motives."

  "Miss, you've got it wrong." Haotian hastily waved his hand and said: "Someone isn't thinking that way, but rather... sigh, it's really hard to explain. Anyway, someone is absolutely not like what miss thinks."

  Xin Jiao burst out laughing: "This little girl was just thinking, Master Hou is indeed a gentleman and a true man. Hehe, I wonder where Master Hou has gone?"

  Hao Tian was taken aback for a moment, his mouth agape. He had never expected Xin Jiao to speak like that. Looking at Xin Jiao's beautiful eyes that seemed to be speaking, Hao Tian was momentarily stunned and couldn't react.

  "The Spring Festival is approaching, I don't know where Master Hou will go after the New Year." An Yongchang said after catching his breath.

  Hao Tian's expression stiffened, and he paused for a moment before saying: "Your subordinate will return to the Yellow River Basin as soon as possible. The battle situation in the north has not yet stabilized, and your subordinate's main force is still wandering outside the pass. If we cannot hurry back before spring begins, your subordinate fears that the situation in the Yellow River Basin will deteriorate further."

  "Marquis is indeed a pillar of the country, and my emperor is fortunate to have such loyal ministers and generals. It's truly a blessing from heaven." An Yongchang chuckled and continued: "Prince Wang is far away in Hetao, it's not easy for him to come back this time. I wonder if there are any difficulties in Hetao now? If so, let's see if this official and Prince Wang can lend Marquis a helping hand."

  Hao Tian hastily nodded and entered the Heavenly Sacred Capital. After arriving, he had already reported to Emperor Ying Lie about the difficulties faced by He Tao at least three times, but Emperor Ying Lie had never given a positive response. It was rare for An Yongchang to bring it up on his own initiative, so Hao Tian's heart was naturally extremely delighted. He hastily opened his mouth and said: "The six states of He Tao have been ravaged by the alien tribes and are now in a state of decline, with the people's lives extremely difficult. It is already the cold winter season, but many people still do not have warm clothing. Although I have done my best to allocate resources, I can only solve the needs of a small part of the population. What is most lacking is food. After careful calculation, I found that He Tao's current grain reserves can only last until next spring. However, He Tao's finances are on the verge of collapse and do not have the ability to pay for external grain purchases. Moreover, due to the alien tribes' ravages, the people's property losses are extremely severe. I once petitioned Your Majesty to reduce or exempt He Tao from several years of tax payments, but Your Majesty has never responded. I hope that you, Prince and noble sirs, can speak on my behalf to His Majesty, considering that we are all children of the Divine State."

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