As for Xu, she bought a lot of perfume and also bought a lot of things from the jewelry and clothing stores on Zhuque Street, and finally returned home with a full load.

Sun Ping bought a house in Chang'an City and lived in this house every time he went to Beijing to report on his work.

He frowned at Xu's extravagant attire, and when he saw the servants bringing in the shopping, he couldn't help but scold her, "You've only been here two or three days, and you've already bought so many things and spent so much money."

Xu leaned against Sun Ping and said angrily, "Master, this little money is nothing. Anyway, we have..."

"Shut up!"

Sun Ping's voice became stern, and Xu immediately covered her mouth in fear. However, she had been spoiled for a long time and said unconvincedly, "Master, we are just talking in our own house, so what..."

Sun Ping slapped Xu in the face so hard that she fell to the ground, covering her face and not daring to say a word.

"This is the capital, not Longyou Road! If you ruin my plan, I will kill you! Your brother and the others will not be spared either!"

Xu finally got scared. She said in a trembling voice, "Master, I understand."

Sun Ping stared at her fiercely for a while before saying, "This won't happen again. Get up."

"Yes."

Xu was a little dazed. Was that devilish man the one who doted on her so much in bed? The master had thrown the mistress aside for her. She thought she had won his heart and could do whatever he wanted. She didn't expect him to change his face so quickly and kill her at will. It was terrifying.

Sun Ping took a few sips of tea and regained his affectionate demeanor. He asked, "You went to see the Queen. How did she treat you?"

Xu no longer dared to make trouble and told her what she had seen and heard in the palace, "Master, the Queen was very unhappy when she saw me and didn't pay much attention to me."

Sun Ping scoffed, "Of course she's unhappy that you, a concubine, are meeting the empress. However, she has to endure her unhappiness. After all, I am favored by the emperor."

His words were so affectionate that Xu felt his mood had brightened. She boldly said, "So what if the Queen's father is the Marquis of Zhenbei? He's still not as powerful as you, Master. When the Marquis of Zhenbei is gone one day, Master will be even more favored."

"Ha ha ha ha--!"

Sun Ping laughed for a while, then stopped abruptly and said contemptuously, "You know nothing! How can a woman like you understand the affairs of the court? It is precisely because of the Marquis of Zhenbei that the emperor is so polite to me. If he were gone, my situation would be even worse than his!"

Xu really didn't understand, but she stood out from the crowd of women and had her own strengths, which was that she was flexible and could understand men's minds very well.

She cursed the man in her heart, but said flatteringly, "Master, didn't you say you were going to attend the palace's night banquet today? I bought you a lot of clothes, shoes and hats, all popular in the capital. Come and try them on."

Men also like to be coquettish. Sun Ping was coaxed into choosing a set of clothes.

"This time the Emperor is holding a banquet next to the Xingqing Pond in the Taiji Palace. Family members are allowed to come along. You should come along too."

"Great, thank you, sir!"

Xu dressed up again and followed Sun Ping to Taiji Palace after 3 p.m., accompanied by Sun Ping's two adopted sons, Sun Xin and Sun Yuan.

The night banquets of Daqing Kingdom were very famous and were known to neighboring countries. Every palace night banquet started at the hour of You on the first day and lasted until the hour of Chen on the second day, a full seven hours.

During the night banquet, the emperor would appear with his concubines, princes and princesses, and the ministers would also appear with their wives and concubines. When the emperor was in a good mood, he would summon prostitutes to accompany his ministers.

There were special geishas in the palace who played music, sang songs and danced during night banquets. If folk singing and dancing artists could perform at the palace night banquet, they would become famous overnight.

Of course, banquets are inseparable from food and wine. At the palace night banquet, you can eat the most exquisite dishes in Chang'an City and drink the most mellow wine. Countless literati and poets were moved to tears after attending a night banquet and wrote poems that have been passed down through the ages.

Zhao Yuanqing brought Wen Xing to attend the banquet. Meng Jiu, Wen Qian and others all came from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, so bringing them here would inevitably arouse suspicion.

The night banquet was held around Xingqing Lake. The emperor and empress sat on a high platform, with concubines on their left and right. Below them were desks on both sides, where civil and military officials sat. In the middle was a stage, where more than a dozen musicians were playing musical instruments and singing. It was a very lively scene.

It was already dark, but the place was still brightly lit, with a tallow candle lit every five meters, making the Xingqing Pond as bright as day.

When Zhao Yuanqing saw this scene again, it felt like a lifetime ago. In her previous life, when she attended a night banquet, she was moved by the extravagant and magnificent scene. She always thought that the Daqing Kingdom would last forever. Who knew that it would be gone in just one or two years.

Many people came this time, many familiar faces, including the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, the Second Prince Zhao Heng, the Third Prince Zhao Yu, the Fourth Prince Zhao Ning, Princess Rongchang Zhao Baozhu, Princess Ninglin Zhao Yushuo, Hatalon, and Cui Hao and Cui Yi not far away. It was probably Zhao Baozhu who brought them in.

Civil officials and military officers sat on opposite sides and basically did not interact with each other.

Zhao Yuanqing sat on the side of the civil servant, looking for Sun Ping. She had only heard of this man but had never seen him in person, so she was very curious.

Having met Xu once today, Zhao Yuanqing quickly found Sun Ping, one of the three military governors. He was sitting in the first echelon of the military officers' area. He was in his forties, with dark skin, a strong build, and an honest look. His eyes were small but bright, and he was chatting with the person next to him.

Sitting next to him was Xu. She had changed out of her glittering golden clothes and dressed more conservatively, and it was obvious that she had restrained her arrogance.

There were two young men sitting behind Sun Ping. Zhao Yuanqing glanced at them, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked back. Wasn't that the man she had met before she died?

The man was sitting behind Sun Ping, wearing a sky-blue robe and a black turban. He was in his early twenties, with a cool and handsome face. He lowered his head slightly and was listening to Sun Ping's speech attentively.

Zhao Yuanqing was shocked. She didn't understand why she met this person here, and he was with Sun Ping. Could it be that she misunderstood Sun Ping and he was actually a good person?

Or is Sun Ping bad, and this person good? Or are they both bad?

Zhao Yuanqing was feeling a little confused. She whispered to Wen Qian, "Tell me, one person was killed, and another person ran towards him. Why?"

Wen Qian had an easy answer to this question. "Princess, if someone runs towards you on the battlefield, it's for one of two reasons: either to save you or to kill you. There's no other reason."

Zhao Yuanqing suddenly realized that she had fallen into a misunderstanding before. She always thought that this person was here to save her. But what if he was here to kill her? That was also possible!

Be wary of yourself again, don't trust anyone completely, because there is a truth behind the truth. Even if you saw it in your previous life, you can't take it seriously in this life.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and no longer looked at Sun Ping.

So, she didn't see the young man raise his head and pretend to glance at her unintentionally.

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