Reborn, I am doing involution on Jinshan

Cuixiang, the servant, bowed deeply to her and said happily, "Miss, you seem to have lost weight. We brought a lot of delicious food."

"Yeah, thank you for your hard work, Cuixiang."

"It's not hard." She smiled and shook her hand.

At this time, the tanned girl stepped forward, clasped her fists and saluted, saying, "My name is Sima Xiaotao. I have long heard of Princess Ruiyue's name."

Xiao Ruiyue looked at her with some confusion. Dongfang Huang explained, "Didn't you say that learning martial arts alone is lonely? Sima Xiaotao is a servant carefully selected by the king. Her parents are both military officers. She is two and a half years older than you. She knows some martial arts and can protect you. If you like her, stay."

Little Ruiyue's fox eyes sparkled, and the corners of her mouth could no longer be suppressed, raising a beautiful arc. She didn't mind her inappropriate gift, and circled around Sima Xiaotao, looking her up and down, and said excitedly: "Okay, okay, I like it! We will be good sisters from now on."

Sima Xiaotao's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a faint smile.

Li Jing smiled and nodded: "In that case, Sima Xiaotao will stay in the Taoist temple to accompany Xiao Ruiyue and that little girl."

"Thank you, Master, for taking us in." The two servants, who understood the ways of the world, said in unison.

"Father, that's great. Master, let's go out for a walk."

"Go ahead, Shen Shi remember to come back."

"Little Ruiyue took Sima Xiaotao's hand and said happily, "Sister Sima, I'll take you to see the fun places in the Taoist temple."

As soon as the two of them walked out of the library, they ran into Yan Shilong, the fat boy. When Yan Shilong saw Sima Xiaotao, his eyes widened and he stammered, "Xiao Ba, who... who is she?"

Xiao Ruiyue said proudly: "This is Sima Xiaotao. She will be my good sister from now on and will accompany me to learn skills."

Yan Shilong scratched his head and said with a red face: "Hello...Hello, my name is Yan Shilong." Sima Xiaotao nodded politely: "Hello."

Xiao Ruiyue pulled Sima Xiaotao forward and began her "tour guide" journey. The Taoist temple became more lively again.

After the three of them left, Li Jing's face darkened. He casually cast a barrier and said coldly, "What's wrong with your concubine? Is the Cui family getting more and more outrageous? If Li Ge'er comes back, can you guarantee that she can tolerate a brother and a sister?"

Dongfang Huang was terrified and frowned. "After receiving intelligence from my uncle, my nephew immediately placed her under house arrest in the backyard. With so many children, Cui's behavior has become increasingly arrogant and overbearing. In the past two years, she has truly changed so much that I can't even recognize her."

There was a brief silence between the two, and then Li Jing said, "Did you bring Li Ge'er's portrait?"

"Brought it."

"Murong Xi, come in." He called out, and a guard in black clothes and armed with a sword brought a schoolbag, gently placed it next to the desk, took out two calligraphy and paintings from it, and then stepped aside.

Li Jing took a closer look and found that the young man in the painting had cold features, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He looked three parts like Dongfang Huang and two parts like Xiao Ruiyue.

"Don't forget, our surname is Alexander. If I had asked you to take that position, how could you be in such a miserable situation now with your wife and children separated from you? You are really so foolish." His eyes were red with regret, and he stroked the boy in the painting like the hand of an old tree.

"dare not"

"This time, only success is allowed, not failure."

"Everything is determined by fate. We have no control over it." Dongfang Huang lowered his eyes, a gloomy look on his face.

"Time flies. I can't believe my son is already 16. I don't know if he's doing well. He was only six when he passed away. I guess if the siblings bump into each other, they won't recognize their brother."

The atmosphere in the room was a bit depressing and heavy, with everyone thinking about their own things.

After a brief silence, Li Jing picked up the teacup and took a few sips.

"Murong Xi, are your people sure he is still alive?" Li Jing's lips trembled slightly, trying hard to restrain his inner excitement.

"Master, he's still alive!"

He paused and continued, "Our people have always taken care of their personal servants. My nephew was also undercover next to them two years ago. There will definitely be minor hardships, but major ones can be avoided."

"Li Ge'er is still stationed at the Khitan Great Buddha Temple. She is free to move around during the day, but she will be monitored by secret guards at night."

Dongfang Huang nodded sadly: "Now, I just have to wait and see if Zhong Shuo is willing to exchange."

Li Jing sighed softly, "Jong Suk is already at the age of getting married and having children. He should return to the secular world and complete his spiritual practice."

The three of them discussed their next plan, their faces solemn. Dongfang Huang clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening, and said in a deep voice, "If you refuse to give up Zhong Shuo in exchange, we will forcibly take him away, even if it means making enemies with the entire royal family." A flicker of determination flashed in his eyes, as if he was ready to burn his boats.

Murong Xi frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness, this is too risky. Dongfang Yu also has a mysterious group of secret guards with deep roots in the martial arts world. If we offend them rashly, we will probably cause a lot of trouble. We still have to think of a foolproof plan that can both bring back Zhong Shuo and the eldest son without causing chaos in the martial arts world."

Li Jing pondered for a moment, his eyes deep in thought. He then spoke slowly, "Perhaps we could first send someone to negotiate with Dongfang Yu, treating him politely and explaining our original intentions and difficulties. Perhaps, out of consideration for their past friendship, they would be willing to let Zhong Shuo go with us. The Khitan Kingdom is no pushover either. They've been looking for a reason to start a war for a long time and are already unhappy that Shuo'er has been a hostage for so long. Isn't the ten-year agreement coming up soon?"

"Uncle, there are still 40 days." Dongfang Huang snorted coldly, "Those stubborn old men like Dongfang Yu are always stubborn. Will they agree so easily? I'm afraid they will think we are wishful thinking and hope that my son will never come back."

Murong Xi patted Dongfang Huang on the shoulder and said, "Your Highness, how can we know if we don't try? Besides, we don't have a better solution right now. We have no choice but to make things clear. After all, it's written in black and white that the exchange will last for ten years. If negotiations fail, we can find another way. I believe that the incompetent emperor Lao Yu doesn't want to face war and become a sinner of Wumeng Country."

Dongfang Huang nodded helplessly, reluctantly agreeing to the proposal.

Afterwards, Li Jing wrote a letter of intelligence, called a trusted disciple, and whispered, "You must go to Dongyan Palace immediately to find Dongfang Yu. Be sure to be respectful and polite, and convey our intentions to the royal family. First, I remind you, remember, don't act rashly." The disciple took the order and left quickly.

The three of them paced the room, waiting. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating. Time passed slowly in the tense atmosphere. No one knew what the outcome of this negotiation would be, and where their fate would be pushed...

"Cui, don't keep us here any longer. Gold is the foundation of our Wumeng country, and we can only please our own people." Li Jing glared at his nephew and threw out some evidence that Cui was colluding with the Chu State and even kept a gigolo.

There was a vast grassland above his head. He might be helping someone raise a child. Dongfang Huang felt both guilty and angry. He said guiltily, "Okay, she hasn't changed her ways despite repeated warnings and has spoken rudely to the princess. I'll go back and arrange for someone to send her back to her parents' home."

"As for what happened on the road, it has nothing to do with our royal family." Li Jing gritted his teeth and said, "Look at your behavior. It really disappoints me."

"No." Dongfang Huang had a murderous look on his face.

At 3 p.m., a girl's clear voice could be heard from outside the Taoist temple: "Hey, why is there still a barrier blocking it? Could it be that they are not inside?"

The voice of Xiaoliu Yanshilong could be heard again. It was unclear what they were talking about. Then, Xiao Ruiyue's cheerful laughter could be heard. The gloom on Li Jing's face dissipated a little. "This Taoist temple hasn't been so lively for a long time. When Li Ge'er comes back, it will definitely be more lively."

Dongfang Huang's mouth corners also rose slightly, "Yes, family reunion is the best."

Li Jing waved his hand to unlock the barrier and said in a friendly manner, "Little Ruiyue, come in."

As soon as Xiao Ruiyue and the other two entered, they felt the atmosphere was a bit oppressive. She secretly glanced at her father, but seeing his chapped lips and gloomy face, she didn't dare to ask. She wasn't afraid, but she had always felt a slight sense of alienation from her father in recent years.

When his mother, Princess Xinyue, was at home, they had the most harmonious father-daughter relationship in the world, and Dongfang Huang was the happiest daughter. As long as she wanted to know something, Dongfang Huang would always solve the problem for her from the bottom of his heart.

Dongfang Huang's forehead has a lot of flying hair, and little Ruiyue would imitate her mother, dip the comb in clean water, and help straighten the hair on her old father's forehead.

Now, seeing that his lips were chapped, Xiao Ruiyue poured a glass of water for her father and also poured a glass for herself.

Frightened, Cuixiang quickly took the kettle and said, "Miss, let me do it."

Xiao Ruiyue had no choice but to let her do as she pleased. She noticed the portrait spread out on the desk and walked over curiously.

"Who is this?" she asked doubtfully.

"Your brother, Dongfang Lige."