Chapter 170 Let’s continue
An autumn breeze blew, and the copper bells on the corner of the waterside pavilion made a pleasant “ding ding, ding ding” sound.

The lake water was also blown into ripples.

Lin Daiyu was leaning against the window of the waterside pavilion, looking at the wild ducks, mandarin ducks and other water birds swimming freely in the lake.

Obviously, she was a little upset. Her eyes were facing the lake, but her gaze was not on the lake.

Suddenly, there were several clear and melodious crane calls from the river bank, followed by Shi Xiangyun’s excited shout: “Sister Lin, come and see! The cranes are dancing!”

Lin Daiyu came to her senses and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the two cranes standing on tiptoe, spreading their wings and dancing gracefully.

Looking closely, the two cranes had their flight feathers clipped.

At this moment, Nanny Wang’s voice came from the bridge: “Miss, the Second Master has sent someone back to tell you the news!”

Before she finished her words, Nanny Wang walked in quickly.

Lin Daiyu looked at her nervously.

Nanny Wang: “Second Master said everything is fine.”

Lin Daiyu felt relieved when she heard this. She held her chest and closed her eyes, then asked, “Where is your Second Master?”

Nanny Wang replied, “Second Master has been ordered to attend a banquet at Huitong Hall.”

Lin Daiyu nodded.

Nanny Wang: “Second Master told me to tell the girl not to worry, because he is here for everything!”

Lin Daiyu smiled.

Nanny Wang added, “Second Master also said to let the girl have fun and bring her some candied haws when he comes back.”

Lin Daiyu blushed and was about to speak.

“Sister Lin~”

Shi Xiangyun rushed in like a gust of wind, picked up the tea bowl on the table, and drank it down in one gulp.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, “This is the best Laojunmei. Is there anyone who drinks it like this?”

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, “A true gentleman should be elegant and unrestrained. Drinking tea is to quench thirst, so etiquette is not a big deal.”

Lin Daiyu smiled and looked at her: “What are you busy with at home all day? Are you so busy even when eating and drinking tea?”

A trace of sadness quickly flashed across Shi Xiangyun’s eyes, and she smiled again in an instant. She walked to Lin Daiyu and sat down, chanting softly: “The crane calls in the nine marshes, and its voice is heard in the wild. The fish hide in the deep. The crane calls in the nine marshes, and its voice is heard in the sky. The fish rest on the islet. This is the first time I have heard a crane call in my life.”

At this point, her eyes lit up, “Sister Lin, who plays the piano and accompanies the cranes’ dance under the moon, let’s also play the piano and watch the cranes dance.” As she said this, she looked at Lin Daiyu with anticipation.

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded at her: “You are always acting on impulse. Are you not going to fish anymore?”

Shi Xiangyun was a little embarrassed. After thinking for a while, she answered, “Play the zither first, and then go fishing.”

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said to Zijuan, “Bring me my zither.”

Zijuan: “Yes.” She answered and turned to walk out.

Shi Xiangyun suddenly remembered: “I vaguely heard Nanny Wang say ‘Tanghulu’. My dear sister, I want to eat Tanghulu too.”

Lin Daiyu blushed and said, “You heard wrong. The red fruit is not ripe at this time. It is so sour that it makes your teeth fall out. Who would eat this?”

Shi Xiangyun was startled at first, then looked at Nanny Wang, as if to say: Did I really hear it wrong? !

Nanny Wang suppressed her laughter and said, “Perhaps the young lady heard it wrongly.”

Shi Xiangyun didn’t care. She took Lin Daiyu’s hand and said with a smile, “Good sister, I have a lot to say to you.” Then she leaned over and whispered in Lin Daiyu’s ear.

Nanny Wang smiled. Ever since Li Hu laughed at her for eating too much, Lin Daiyu felt embarrassed whenever she heard the word “candied haws”.

Seeing Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun talking in private, Nanny Wang nodded to the other maids.

Everyone backed out.

A small charcoal stove was spitting out green flames, boiling the medicine in the medicine pot. White steam rushed straight to the lid of the medicine pot resting on two chopsticks, making a faint clicking sound.

Xianfei was standing in front of the medicine pot herself. When she opened the lid, a large amount of white hot air spread in the bedroom. She blew away the white steam gently, then used tongs to pick up a few pieces of red charcoal from the stove, and then placed the lid of the medicine pot on the chopsticks placed across the medicine pot, letting the low fire slowly boil the medicine in the pot. Then, she stood up with the hand of the palace maid and walked towards the bed.

The second prince lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Xianfei sat down on the chair beside the bed, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, sighed, and then said to the second prince: “Your uncle is right, this is already a great favor from the emperor.”

The second prince still looked at the ceiling without saying a word.

Concubine Xian: “Your uncle said that they will definitely take revenge on the Zhou family. Your father demoted your uncle to the prefect of Yanzhou and asked the Zhou family to leave the capital within three days. This is a means of protection. That place is the Kong family’s territory, and no one dares to mess around.”

The second prince’s eyes moved. Concubine Xian sighed deeply: “Not only your uncle, but also officials who were friendly with the Zhou family were implicated and banished from the capital.”

The Second Prince’s face was already pale, and it became even paler after hearing Concubine Xian’s words.

The virtuous concubine wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said, “You are too reckless! If anything happens, what should I do?” As she spoke, she began to cry.

The second prince just opened his mouth but no sound came out.

Xian Fei swallowed a breath and said, “Listen to your mother, take good care of yourself, and don’t make your father angry again, ah!”

Seeing that the Second Prince remained silent, Concubine Xian continued, “Your father said that when you recover from your illness, he will hold a banquet to apologize to the Crown Prince.”

Fire flashed in the second prince’s eyes.

Concubine Xian hurriedly signaled him not to speak, glanced outside, and then said: “As a prince, you should have a broad mind. Besides, the prince is your elder brother.”

The second prince felt a tightness in his chest and then started coughing loudly.

Concubine Xian: “Medicine! Bring me the medicine!”

The maid hurried towards the small stove.

Outside the door, a red-robed eunuch from the Imperial Household Department was listening quietly with his ear tilted.

The main hall of Huitong Hall was filled with noise.

The servants were coming in and out, carrying trays and cups.

The glasses were flowing and everyone was a little drunk.

He Shen drank another large glass of wine in one gulp, then said with a smile: “Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. I didn’t expect that General Li is not only good at leading troops in battle, but also has a lot of experience in ‘making money’. I really feel like I met you too late.”

Li Hu smiled, picked up the wine glass and took a small sip.

Jia Yucun, who was accompanying him, swallowed his saliva. How could one be so greedy for money?!
Heshen: “It’s well worth General Li’s guidance.” He raised his hands and clapped.

Two Jurchens came in carrying something covered with red cloth.

The hall immediately became quiet, and everyone looked over.

Heshen smiled and said, “I didn’t know General Li’s taboo, so I gave him a vulgar thing.” Then he lifted the red cloth.

A golden God of Wealth, shining brightly and dazzling!
Jia Yucun subconsciously looked at Li Hu.

Li Hu looked at He Shen, then turned to Jia Yucun and asked, “I heard that Jiangxi suffered a disaster?”

Jia Yucun was stunned for a moment and replied, “Yes.”

Li Hu raised his glass and stood up, saying loudly: “He Zhushi has done a great deed by donating a pure gold statue to the disaster victims in Jiangxi. Let’s all toast to He Zhushi!”

Officials from the Ministry of Rites stood up and raised their glasses to Heshen.

The Jurchen officials all turned their eyes to Heshen.

The smile on Heshen’s face froze, then he laughed and said loudly: “General Li is the one who truly has done immeasurable merits.” He then raised his glass and stood up, “Let’s all toast to General Li.” He drank it in one gulp.

Those Jurchen officials also stood up and did it.

Jia Yucun and the officials from the Ministry of Rites looked at Li Hu.

Li Hu smiled and said, “Then let’s pay our respects to the master.” Then he did it.

Jia Yucun worked with everyone else.

Li Hu smiled and stretched out his hands to greet people: “Please sit down, please sit down, everyone please sit down.”

Everyone sat down again in a scattered manner.

He Shen smiled and looked at Li Hu: “Although General Li is young, his words are not young.”

Li Hu took a bite of the food and slowly looked at him: “The contract hasn’t been signed yet.”

Jia Yucun had a sip of wine in his mouth and started coughing violently.

Heshen smiled faintly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Li Hu blinked and asked in a low voice: “I heard that Fu Kang’an is the illegitimate son of your emperor?”

With a “bang”, the wine glass in Heshen’s hand fell to the ground.

The hall fell silent again, and everyone’s eyes turned over again.

Li Hu laughed: “It’s just a joke.” He said to everyone: “Everyone continue!”

(End of this chapter)