I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 86 - 70 Assassination Attempt

The stream flowed gently, rushing from ditches into bamboo channels, winding through the landscape for several miles before entering the luxurious manor, becoming the most splendid scenery at the flowing wine cup banquet.

Scholars, with their powdered faces, walked with fluttering robes, displaying their grace. Talented maidens, holding silk fans to half conceal their faces, smiled charmingly.

When the banquet began, scholars and literati sat beside the stream. Trays holding wine cups floated on the water, drifting along the way.

When a wine cup stopped moving, the person closest to it had to compose a poem or play a piece of music. If they succeeded, they could push the tray on; if not, they had to drink the wine in the cup.

Thus was the flowing wine cup banquet.

Xu Qing wandered through the pavilions and water pavilions. It took him half a tea time just to walk around the periphery of the banquet venue.

He had thought the Prince’s family was wealthy, but he never imagined such luxury.

One must know that his Golden House, that miniature box garden, was only of a modest size.

One could only say that poverty limited his imagination.

Apart from the dazzling garden scenery, Xu Qing most enjoyed watching the manor’s maids, dressed in colored skirts and jackets, busying themselves with small steps.

One had to admit, the maids at the Long Pavilion Manor were of high quality, with fair skin, slender waists, and pretty faces. They appeared perfectly composed. Moreover, they were strictly educated, and their talent was no less than that of the Courtesans of Long Lamp Street.

Xu Qing was puzzled. With so many beautiful young girls at home, why did the plump one still seek pleasure in the flower houses?

Was it that the rabbit doesn’t eat the grass beside its burrow, or was this the scope of the wealthy, incomprehensible to someone poor like him?

Xu Qing wandered, sometimes finding this beautiful, sometimes finding that attractive.

He even encountered a serious-looking maid, with a stern expression and swift steps, resembling a strict female instructor.

Was it an illusion? Xu Qing felt this maid seemed more mature than the others he’d met, estimating her to be at least twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

The maid gave a disdainful glance at the naive Xu Qing, snorted coldly, and quickly left with a tray.

Only a lingering fragrance remained in the air.

Shortly after the woman left, a scholar passed by her. After they separated, the scholar couldn’t help but pause and turn to look at the woman’s back again.

Wait a minute! This scholar?

At first glance, Xu Qing found him familiar. On a closer look, wasn’t this the Celestial Heart Sect’s Protector Bai Luo?

Don’t think he could disguise himself with heavy powder and not be recognized!

Watching Bai Luo leave, Xu Qing acted swiftly, turning around to report him.

At the edge of the flowing wine cup banquet, the night guards were patrolling when suddenly one of them was hit on the head by a hard object, causing his cry of pain to draw the attention of nearby colleagues.

The guard with a swelling head picked up the weapon and cursed, "Who’s so wicked to throw a paper-wrapped stone at my head?"

The leader of the guards frowned, grabbed the ’weapon,’ and unfolded the crumpled white paper. When he saw the contents, his expression turned cold.

"There’s a rebel from the Celestial Heart Sect in the venue. Pass this drawing quickly and notify all places to arrest the traitor!"

The white paper bore an image sketched with Danqing Skill by Xu Qing, depicting Bai Luo, along with a few words of his attendance information.

...

In the manor, secret tensions ran high as skilled guards with eagle-like eyes scrutinized suspicious people in the venue.

Xu Qing, uninterested in the matter, reunited with the Wu brothers. At that moment, the two were sitting at the flowing wine cup banquet, enjoying a pleasant conversation.

"Brother Xu, you arrived just in time. The next round of flowing wine cups is about to begin, and this time, the Prince will personally lead the toast. Let’s see who’s lucky enough to draw this lot."

Xu Qing casually responded and then saw, in a distant pavilion, a towering, square-faced middle-aged man, smiling as he filled a wine cup and set it on a wooden tray, placing it in the stream to drift downstream.

Beside Long Pavilion Prince, Crown Prince Zhao You looked at the floating wine cup and remarked meaningfully, "It’s said that my nephew and I are no different from this wine cup, once thrown into the turmoil of the world, there’s no return."

Zhu Sheng smiled slightly without directly responding but instead looked at the fruits and delicacies on the table and said, "I recall, Your Highness used to love candied fruits; you might not like them anymore."

The Crown Prince paused momentarily, shaking his head with a smile, "I am old now, my teeth are not as good as before, even the finest sweets I cannot enjoy."

Forced to serve the noble guests, Zhu Huai’an scratched his head in confusion, not understanding their veiled speech.

Just now, he had seen the Crown Prince eating nuts at the table, and now he claimed his teeth couldn’t chew soft candied fruits.

Truly speaking lies with his eyes open!

Zhu Huai’an found the situation increasingly dull and thought it would be better to join the Wu brothers, who were much more interesting than the Crown Prince.

As they spoke, a guard reported from outside the pavilion.

He said that Miss Hanyuan from Book Phoenix Pavilion had found a master to repair the Mingtiao Zither and had come to play a piece for the Crown Prince.

...

Outside the pavilion, the wine cup Prince Long Pavilion had personally placed in the stream drifted downstream and soon reached Xu Qing and the others.

Wu Zhiyuan, who had always admired the Long Pavilion Prince, tensed up as the wine cup prepared by the Prince neared.