Leng Ruo Li, accompanied by Ling'er and Ye Ying, went to a teahouse to listen to opera.
"Consort, don't you dislike listening to operas the most? Why are you interested in coming to a teahouse today?" Ling'er asked with surprise.
"This consort does dislike listening to operas. I came here to gather information," Leng Ruo Li said, patting Ling'er's shoulder to enlighten her.
"Gather information? How can you gather information in such a noisy place?" Ling'er was still confused.
Yin Chen, upon hearing this, raised his hand and flicked Ling'er's forehead with his fingertip. "Fool! People who frequent opera houses and flower houses are all sorts of people. It's easiest to gather all kinds of information in such places."
After Yin Chen flicked her forehead forcefully, Ling'er immediately cried out in pain. "Consort, Yin Chen is bullying me again!"
Ling'er immediately complained to Leng Ruo Li, her teeth gritting together in anger, clearly showing how upset she was.
Seeing their small interaction, Leng Ruo Li shook her head. She already understood, but to defend Ling'er, she still chided Yin Chen a bit.
"Yin Chen, if you want to get closer to a young lady, you can't be so rough, or you'll scare her away. Quickly apologize to my Ling'er," Leng Ruo Li teased.
Upon hearing this, Yin Chen knew that his thoughts had been seen through by his consort. He awkwardly cupped his fist to his lips and gave a slight cough.
"Cough cough!"
"I, I..."
Yin Chen stuttered for a long time, unsure of what to say, his face looking rather awkward.
"Ling'er, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just now," Yin Chen apologized readily.
"I'll forgive you this time, but you can't flick my forehead so hard in the future," Ling'er said with a pouting, aggrieved expression.
Leng Ruo Li was also speechless. How could all of Jun Mo Han's subordinates be such simpletons?
Is this how one chases a girl?
Sigh...
Leng Ruo Li grumbled a few words in her heart.
Afterwards, she asked Ling'er and Yin Chen to sit down and have tea with her.
They had only been seated for a while when they heard several men at the next table discussing gossip.
Jia Yi: "Hey, did you hear? Duke Lin was released from the palace yesterday after his punishment, and he contracted a strangely itchy and unbearable illness. Duke Lin's mansion has invited all the doctors in the capital to examine him, but not a single doctor could diagnose his condition." 138Reading.net
Jia Er: "Yes, I heard about this too. They say Duke Lin was tortured terribly, and he scratched his buttocks until they were raw."
Everyone: "Haha..."
After speaking, the group burst into laughter.
Yi Yi: "The Empress Dowager's birthday is next month. According to inside sources, this year's celebration will be very grand."
Yi Er: "Yes, even the Northern Chen Kingdom and the Southern Zhao Kingdom have sent envoys to offer their congratulations."
Yi San: "That's not all. I heard that even the heir of the five-hundred-year-old reclusive Xie family, Xie Yichuan, will come to the capital to wish the Empress Dowager a happy birthday."
Yi Si: "Really? Xie Yichuan will really come to the capital? I heard that the Xie family's heir, Xie Yichuan, is a dragon among men – not only learned and talented, but also exceptionally wise, powerful in martial arts, and moreover, a handsome young man of extraordinary appearance and elegant demeanor."
Yi San: "Isn't that right? Xie Yichuan, His Highness the Cold King, and the Sovereign Master of the Crimson Moon Tower are all said by the world to be the three unparalleled beauties of this continent – Xie Yichuan is gentle and refined, His Highness the Cold King is cold and proud, and the Sovereign Master of the Crimson Moon Tower is charming and alluring."
"..."
As the men sat together, their gossip intensified. They first commented on the envoys sent by various countries to attend the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, then on the young concubine recently married into the Liu family, and then on the top courtesans of the Hundred Flowers Tower and the Yi Chun Tower. In short, they discussed all the gossip in the capital.
"Yin Chen, are there still reclusive families on this continent that have been passed down for five hundred years?" Leng Ruo Li asked Yin Chen, looking at him with a face full of confusion after hearing the men's words.
"Consort, from what this subordinate knows, there are two major reclusive families that have been passed down for five hundred years on this continent. One is the Xie family they just mentioned, and the other is the Hua family. However, for centuries, the world has not known their exact place of residence," Yin Chen told Leng Ruo Li truthfully, sharing the information he knew.
"Have people from these reclusive families ever come out?" Leng Ruo Li asked again.
"Yes, but they rarely come out to interact with ordinary people, so very few people have seen them," Yin Chen explained to Leng Ruo Li.
"Then how do they know Xie Yichuan is the heir of the Xie family?" Leng Ruo Li asked with great curiosity.
"Several years ago, Xie Yichuan served as the chief judge at the Wenwu Conference in Shaoyang City. His identity was then revealed to the world, and people learned that he was the heir of the Xie family, Xie Yichuan," Yin Chen recalled.
Hearing this, Leng Ruo Li nodded.
Afterwards, Leng Ruo Li changed the subject. The three of them sat in the teahouse for an hour and heard gossip for an hour.
However, they collected a lot of information from these people, such as: Mu Rong Qiansong and Mu Rong Shaolan of the Northern Chen Kingdom were executed by the old emperor of Northern Chen for rebellion, and their maternal uncle Jing Dehai's male family members were all beheaded, while the female family members were sent into the military's red tents.
At noon, Leng Ruo Li, Yin Chen, and Ling'er emerged from the teahouse. They did not take a carriage but instead strolled leisurely along the street.
At this moment, Ling'er became very interested in a small wooden carved doll sold by the roadside and pulled Leng Ruo Li towards the stall.
Seeing Ling'er so happy about the small dolls, Leng Ruo Li couldn't bear to refuse her and accompanied Ling'er to look.
As the two approached the stall, a boy of about seven or eight years old suddenly rushed past them, knocking over the stall selling small dolls. The wooden dolls that were neatly displayed on the stall rolled onto the ground. The boy ran off without even apologizing, enraging the stall owner, who started yelling at him on the street.
However, the boy was also very unlucky. He hadn't run far before he was caught.
But he was defiant, raising his dirty little face proudly and shouting at the person who caught him: "You dare to catch me? My elder sister is the Consort of the Cold King. If she finds out you bullied me, she will kill you."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"If your sister is the Consort of the Cold King, then my sister is the current Empress."
Everyone mocked him.