Blackening starts from the golden years

After finishing the spicy soup and putting down the bowl, Yuan Xudong and Zhao Pan'er looked at each other. Under the bright candlelight, the shadows of the two people gradually got closer and closer. At this moment, a black shadow floated over. Zhao Pan'er jumped back with a start. She exclaimed in a low voice:
"Cat demon!"

"Cat demon?"

Yuan Xudong couldn't help but laugh. He followed Zhao Paner's line of sight and saw that it was just a moth flying towards the candle flame. Its shadow looked particularly large under the candle flame, so it scared Zhao Paner. Yuan Xudong said with a smile:
"It's a moth, where did the cat demon come from?"

Seeing that it was really a moth, Zhao Pan'er felt a little embarrassed. She had listened to Ge Zhaodi's startled story before, and coupled with the rumor that cat demons harmed people circulating in Tokyo, she couldn't help but have some imaginations in her mind, so that now she was a little speculative and was actually scared by the shadow of a moth.

Seeing Yuan Xudong making fun of her, Zhao Paner couldn't help blushing and said coquettishly:

"You are not allowed to laugh."

"Okay, I won't laugh anymore."

Yuan Xudong smiled, he stretched out his hand to hold Zhao Paner in his arms, let her sit on his lap and said with a smile:

"Were you scared just now?"

"Ah."

Nestled in Yuan Xudong's arms, Zhao Pan'er said in a tender voice:

"It's all Ge Zhaodi's fault. She told me about a cat demon that killed people to scare me."

"Don't be afraid. I'll teach her a lesson later. She dared to scare my Pan'er."

Yuan Xudong coaxed Zhao Pan'er in his arms very gently, just like petting a cat, gently caressing her body. Zhao Pan'er enjoyed it very much, she squinted her eyes and asked:
"Have you ever seen a cat demon? Is it a real demon or is it something fishy?"

Yuan Xudong stroked Zhao Pan'er and said with a smile:
"There are no real monsters in this world. It's just that some people have evil intentions. I've seen that cat monster. It's clearly a person in disguise. He can use gunpowder. He has excellent martial arts skills and can fly over rooftops and walls. Ordinary people don't know the truth and think he can really fly. Word spreads from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Plus, the person hiding behind the scenes fanned the flames, and rumors of the cat monster killing people and causing chaos spread. It's not surprising."

"Such cruelty, could it be related to politics?"

Zhao Pan'er guessed that due to her special experiences in her childhood, she had a special feeling for the officialdom of the Song Dynasty. In her eyes, most of those officials were ruthless people. They formed cliques, ganged up on dissidents, and protected each other. They would do anything for their own careers.

The official career is dangerous and the lives of ordinary people are just worthless.

"Well, do you remember what I told you?"

Yuan Xudong said:

"The ministers in the court are now divided into several factions. The emperor is weak and sickly, and the only prince is now only twelve years old and cannot supervise the country for the time being. The queen often reviews memorials on behalf of the emperor, which has also caused dissatisfaction among many old ministers in the court. Before, Taibai appeared in the daytime, and then there was the prophecy of the female ruler Chang. Now you should understand, right?"

Zhao Pan'er suddenly realized:

"I understand. Ancient books say that the frequent appearance of demons is a sign of the monarch's immorality and a warning from heaven. The emperor is a devout Taoist. This series of prophecies and cat demons are actually aimed at the queen. They say that she will repeat the fate of Empress Wu Zetian."

Yuan Xudong nodded and said affirmatively:

"Yes, the Queen is now in great power, and this prophecy and the cat demon are aimed at the Queen's party. From this, it can be inferred that it is probably the work of those hypocritical and upright people."

Hearing this, Zhao Paner asked in a low voice:

"Could it be related to the Night Banquet?"

"Yes, the Night Banquet Picture is the key."

Yuan Xudong looked at Zhao Paner and said:

"Let me tell you a little story. A long time ago, I don't know which dynasty or generation it was, there was a young lady in a small town. She was born beautiful, good at singing and dancing, but because her family was too poor, she had to make a living by playing drums and performing everywhere.

Perhaps it was fate, one day, a king came to this small town to hunt, and he fell in love with this young lady at first sight. He took her into his palace and made up a very decent family background for her. Twenty years later, the king's queen passed away, and because the young lady was deeply loved by the king, she was made queen.

The young lady should have been very happy to be the queen, but things were not perfect back then, so many ministers went to investigate her background. Finally, they found a famous painting that showed the governor of the small town holding a spring banquet. At the banquet, the governor invited many of his favorite female musicians to perform, and one of them was the young lady. "

After listening to Yuan Xudong's words, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but think of the current Queen Liu E. She looked up at Yuan Xudong and asked doubtfully:

"There are so many people who look alike in the world. How can you be sure that it is the young lady from before based on just this painting?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xudong explained:
"This famous artist had a habit of playing a riddle when he was painting. He wrote the name of every guest at the Spring Banquet that day on the folds of their clothes."

“No wonder, when I remounted the Night Banquet in Qiantang, I noticed that the lines were very strange.”

Having said this, Zhao Paner looked at Yuan Xudong and said:

"The Night Banquet Picture is still in Ouyang Xu's hands. Will something go wrong?"

"Are you worried about Ouyang Xu?"

Yuan Xudong asked with a smile. Rolling his eyes at him, Zhao Paner said coquettishly:

"Yes, I am just worried about Ouyang Xu. Are you satisfied?"

Looking at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"The Night Banquet Painting is not in Ouyang Xu's hands. He gave it to the demoted old master Ke as a birthday gift. I have sent someone to find old master Ke to retrieve the Night Banquet Painting."

"The Night Banquet Map is in your hands now?"

"Correct."

"What do you want the Night Banquet Picture for?"

"I want to help the Queen."

Looking at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"The emperor is weak and sickly, the prince is not the empress's biological son, and those ministers of the Qingliu faction all want to overthrow the empress. Tell me, is the empress in trouble? As a prince, should I help her?"

Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er didn't think much about it. She nodded and said:

"So how are you going to help the Queen? Destroy the Night Banquet?"

"No, I plan to keep the Night Banquet Picture. As for how to help the Queen, I can't tell you."

After saying that, Yuan Xudong hugged Zhao Paner and smiled softly in her ear:
"Pan'er, we should take a break."

Without waiting for Zhao Pan'er's response, Yuan Xudong carried her to sit on his lap, and then...

"Husband, um~~"

Zhao Pan'er couldn't stop crying. When no one was around, Zhao Pan'er was very wild, like a little wild cat. She was a lady in front of others, but behind others...

Therefore, Yuan Xudong enjoyed it very much. He just sat on the chair and looked at Zhao Paner...

……

At this moment, Ge Zhaodi pushed open the door and rushed into the study room holding a candy man. She looked at Yuan Xudong and Zhao Paner and smiled happily:
"My Lord, Sister Pan'er, I..."

"Ah~~"

Zhao Pan'er screamed in surprise and fell into Yuan Xudong's arms, her face flushed and full of shyness.

Ge Zhaodi was also startled. Her face suddenly turned red and she ran out of the study with the candy man.

The door of the study was open. Yuan Xudong stood up holding Zhao Pan'er and put her on the table in front of him. Then he...

"Ah~~"

……

After the storm stopped, Yuan Xudong and Zhao Paner walked out of the study together. Yuan Xudong was in high spirits, and Zhao Paner's face was blushing. She said coquettishly:

"It's so embarrassing. It's all your fault. How can I face Zhaodi in the future?"

"It's okay. Can't you and Zhaodi serve me together tonight?"

Looking at the shy Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong said with a wicked smile:
"Don't be fooled by Zhaodi's petite and delicate appearance. In fact, she is as wild as you."

"Pah, who's wild?"

Zhao Pan'er blushed with shame and said coquettishly:
"I'll go check on Sanniang and Yinzhang. You go find Zhaodi and ask her to sleep with you tonight."

"Okay, then I'll listen to you."

Yuan Xudong smiled and said that he also missed Ge Zhaodi a little. After all, she was the youngest concubine, and it was a different feeling.

After giving Yuan Xudong a blank look, Zhao Pan'er left to find Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang, while Yuan Xudong went to the garden where Ge Zhaodi lived.

……

In the evening, Yuan Xudong hugged Ge Zhaodi and sat in the garden looking at the stars and the moon in the sky. Looking at the Milky Way, Ge Zhaodi murmured happily:

"My Lord, I feel so happy now. Please continue to love me like this in the future, okay?"

"Okay, I will always spoil you."

As he spoke, Yuan Xudong looked at the little girl in his arms. Their eyes met and they were both moved. He slowly kissed her delicate pink lips, which were soft and sweet to the touch. He then grabbed her sweetness even more wantonly.

After a long time, the kiss ended. Looking at the little girl with a blushing face, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"It tastes so sweet. Is it the candy figurines sold on Suzaku Street?"

"Hmm~"

Ge Zhaodi nodded shyly. Yuan Xudong smiled, and he held her in his arms, continuing to kiss her delicate pink lips, her fair and slender neck, her sexy and delicate collarbone, and then...

"Prince, don't, not here, um~~" Yuan Xudong was unmoved. He pressed the little girl in his arms onto the stone chair in the pavilion. It was late at night and the world was quiet. The Milky Way was shining brightly in the sky and the ground was dotted with flowers. With the sky as a quilt, the ground as a bed and the pavilion as a boudoir, wouldn't it be wonderful?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty~~"

It was a night of romance.

……

As the days passed, Ge Zhaodi became friends with the maids in the mansion. Walking the dog, feeding the cat, fighting crickets, etc. were all her specialties, and she lived a very happy life.

At noon that day, the scorching sun was burning the Tokyo dock, and a woman dressed as a peasant woman got off the boat.

While queuing up to get on the diving board, she saw the person in front of her carrying a basket of red dates. She couldn't help swallowing and quietly took two handfuls and put them in her pocket.

While chewing red dates, the peasant woman asked people everywhere about Ge Zhaodi's whereabouts, but after asking for a long time she had no clues. She only heard from her fellow villagers that she was working at the docks in Tokyo and could earn a lot of money.

After searching for a while, she finally found Ge Zhaodi. She saw Ge Zhaodi wearing beautiful clothes and buying candy figurines at a stall not far away. She spit the date pit in her mouth on the ground, approached quietly, grabbed Ge Zhaodi's clothes and said with a smile:
"Ge Zhaodi, let's see where you can run this time. If you have the guts, run."

Hearing this familiar voice, Ge Zhaodi was suddenly frightened. She struggled hard and tried to escape back to the palace.

"Let me go quickly, what do you want to do?"

"Ge Zhaodi, I've caught you, where else do you want to run to?"

The woman said angrily:

"You heartless girl, you are living a good life in Tokyo while my family is starving and freezing in the countryside. You are an ungrateful bastard. Are you still a human being?"

As she spoke, the woman grabbed Ge Zhaodi's clothes and rolled on the ground, shouting loudly:

"Everyone, come and see, the unfilial daughter beat her own mother. She is living happily alone in Tokyo and doesn't care about the lives of our family."

"Let me go and stop screaming."

For a moment, people on the street looked over. Some people who were curious pointed and accused Ge Zhaodi of being heartless and unfilial. After all, she was wearing fine clothes, while her mother was in rags and had unkempt hair. If this wasn't unfilial, what was?
Ge Zhaodi felt very ashamed. The woman was still wailing:

"I was so pitiful that I carried you for ten months and gave birth to an ungrateful person like you. You are such a heartless girl. My whole family is starving to death, while you are living a carefree life in Tokyo, wearing gold and silver. I will not live any longer."

At this time, two guards were about to come over from the crowd. Ge Zhaodi shook her head slightly. Seeing that more and more people were gathering around to watch the fun, she couldn't help but said angrily:

"Stop yelling, don't you just want money? If you yell again, I won't give you any money!"

When she heard that there was money, the woman stopped making a fuss. She raised her head and looked at Ge Zhaodi with a smile on her face.
"Give it to me. How much money do you have?"

Ge Zhaodi took out her purse from her bosom, opened it, and dumped all the change on the ground. The woman hurriedly went to pick up the money, and as she did so she shouted:
"Don't grab it, this is my money."

While the woman's attention was drawn to the change on the ground, Ge Zhaodi ran away. By the time the woman came to her senses, Ge Zhaodi had disappeared without a trace.

The woman was not upset. She was counting the money happily. She came to Tokyo to capture Ge Zhaodi and wanted to sell her to a rich family as a concubine. She had agreed on the price with the other party, but Ge Zhaodi ran away, causing her to lose the money she had just earned. That was the betrothal money for her son to get married in the future. What should she do if this heartless girl ran away secretly and caused her brother to be unable to get married?

After asking the vendors around, they knew where Ge Zhaodi lived. When she learned that her daughter actually lived in the palace, the woman put the copper coins in her pocket and walked towards the palace. She thought her daughter should be a maid in the palace. Her daughter was beautiful and could be sold for 15 strings of cash in her hometown, and at least 30 strings of cash in Tokyo, or even more.

If the palace could pay more money, she could sign a slave contract with the palace and sell her daughter to the palace as a domestic slave. In order to save money for her beloved son's dowry to marry a wife, she would even dare to break into the palace.

On the other side, Ge Zhaodi ran back to the palace in a panic. She was very scared now. She was afraid that her mother would come to the house soon, and she was also afraid that Yuan Xudong would know about her family affairs, because she had lied to Yuan Xudong before, saying that all her family members were dead and she was the only one left. She fled to Tokyo with her fellow villagers. If Yuan Xudong thought she was a liar, would he still like her?

Ge Zhaodi returned to the backyard with a heavy heart. Seeing her coming back, Sun Sanniang asked curiously:

"Zhao Di, what's wrong with you? You look so bad, are you sick?"

"No, I ran into a fellow villager. She asked me for money, so I ran back."

Ge Zhaodi lowered her head somewhat guiltily. She had hidden many things in her heart and had been concealing them from everyone. The reason why she said that all her family members were dead was because she hated them. They actually tied her up and locked her up. Regardless of her crying and begging, they smiled and wanted to sell her to an old man as a concubine. Fortunately, she was not tied tightly. She broke free from the rope, smashed the window and ran away at night. She heard that there was work to be done in Tokyo, so she begged all the way to Tokyo, disguised herself as a man, unloaded cargo at the dock, and then by chance she entered the palace and became the prince's concubine.

After saying something to Sun Sanniang, Ge Zhaodi ran away in a hurry, for she was afraid that Sun Sanniang would ask her more questions.

……

In the afternoon, Ge Zhaodi's mother came to the palace. Seeing the magnificent palace, she did not dare to knock on the door. She could only wander in front of the door and wait for Ge Zhaodi to come out by herself.

In the backyard of the palace, Yuan Xudong inserted a white jade hairpin with tassels into Ge Zhaodi's hair and said with a smile:

"It's so beautiful, do you like it?"

"Yes, I like it."

Looking up at Yuan Xudong, Ge Zhaodi threw herself into his arms and said lovingly:

"My Lord, you are so kind. Zhaodi is willing to do anything for you. Can you please not leave me?"

"Silly girl, don't worry, I won't abandon you."

As he spoke, Yuan Xudong reached out and lifted Ge Zhaodi up horizontally from his arms, looking at her and smiling:
"I am going to take a bath, please help me wipe my back."

"Ah."

Ge Zhaodi's pretty face blushed slightly and she hummed shyly.

……

In front of the palace, a luxurious carriage slowly stopped. Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang and Zhang Haohao got off the carriage one after another. They were surrounded by maids and servants, as well as a line of palace guards.

Looking at such a grand ceremony, Ge Zhaodi's mother was full of envy and a hint of fear.

At this time, Zhao Pan'er and her two daughters were talking and laughing as they were about to enter the palace. They saw a ragged woman hiding not far away and looking at them, as if she wanted to come over but didn't dare to. Zhao Pan'er was kind-hearted, so she waved at her and asked her to come over.

Seeing Zhao Pan'er waving, Ge Zhaodi's mother bravely walked over slowly. When she got closer, Zhao Pan'er smiled and asked:

"Auntie, what can I do for you?"

"My dear sir, my daughter is a servant in the palace, and I am here to look for her."

Ge Zhaodi's mother spoke honestly, without any of the rogue spirit that she had shown before when she was throwing a tantrum on Zhuque Street. She looked like an honest and decent woman.

"What's your daughter's name?"

Zhao Paner asked.

"My daughter's name is Ge Zhaodi."

"Zhao Di?"

"seriously?"

"You're not lying to us, are you?"

Zhao Pan'er and the other two daughters were all surprised. They had all heard Ge Zhaodi talk about her life story. Her hometown had suffered a natural disaster and all her family members died. She was the only one left who fled to Tokyo with her fellow villagers. How come another mother suddenly appeared now?

Looking at Ge Zhaodi's mother, Zhang Haohao frowned and scolded:

"Sister Zhaodi said that her family members had died a long time ago. Are you a liar?"

"It's unfair, it's unfair to me. That heartless girl actually cursed our whole family to death. How could she be so cruel?"

Ge Zhaodi's mother burst into tears and said with a face full of grievance:

"That damn girl is enjoying herself in Tokyo, while my family is living a hard life in the countryside. Her dear brother is so pitiful, he can't even get enough food every day. How can her dear sister be so cruel?"

Listening to the accusation of Ge Zhaodi's mother, Zhao Pan'er and the other two daughters looked at each other in bewilderment. Logically speaking, no one would come to the palace to tell such a lie that would be easily exposed, right?
Could it be that what this woman said was true, and she was really Ge Zhaodi's mother? Then didn't Ge Zhaodi lie to everyone?

Zhao Pan'er frowned slightly, she looked at the woman who was still crying loudly and said:

"How about this, you come in with us, meet Zhaodi, and explain this matter to her face to face."

"it is good."

Ge Zhaodi's mother agreed immediately. She was secretly calculating in her mind, how much money should she ask for? Thirty strings of cash? Fifty strings of cash? One hundred strings of cash?

Seeing how magnificent the palace was, Ge Zhaodi's mother's appetite gradually grew. A beautiful young girl, in this prosperous city of Tokyo, shouldn't be too expensive to be sold for a hundred strings of cash, right?

Following Zhao Pan'er and the others into the palace, Ge Zhaodi's mother slowly made up her mind to sell it for 100 strings of coins. She would not sell it for even one string of coins less. She also wanted to pay for her round-trip travel expenses to Tokyo, which also cost one string of coins. All together, it would be 101 strings of coins.

At this time, Song Yinzhang looked at Zhang Haohao beside him and said with a smile:

"Good sister, your white jade hairpin is so beautiful."

"Like it?"

Zhang Haohao asked with a smile.

"I like it, good sister, where did you buy it?"

"I had this hairpin custom-made at Linglongfang, and it cost me more than two hundred strings of cash."

Zhang Haohao said with a smile:
"If you really like it, I'll give it to you."

...(End of chapter)