Ping Zhao Lu

Before stepping into Chunfeng Street, Shang Jiu had already quietly sent a secret signal to his subordinates.

His instructions were very clear, requiring his men to tightly surround all possible escape routes in the area, ensuring that no one could leak out.

When he and Zhuang Yan walked into the famous Baihua Tower, they searched for the thief without stopping.

However, although they searched every corner, they still could not find any trace of the thief, as if the man had evaporated into thin air.

At the same time, the court guards who were responsible for the response outside also found nothing. They stared at all the exits with wide eyes, but the cunning thief did not show up.

At this moment, Shang Jiu and Zhuang Yan were surrounded by a group of gorgeous girls and could not escape for a while.

Shang Jiu was seen standing in the middle of this group of beautiful girls with a gloomy face and an expression that said "keep away from strangers".

Any woman who tried to get close to him would be met with a cold stare from him. If looks could kill, this place would have been a sea of ​​corpses long ago.

In comparison, Zhuang Yan on the side seemed much more at ease.

Faced with the girls' enthusiastic hospitality that came like a tide, he was not only not nervous, but handled it with ease. Whether it was sweet talk or jokes, he always responded to each girl just right, making people feel like they were in spring breeze.

"Oh, sir, you are so good at talking. You are more than twice as good as the wooden block next to you!" said one of the girls coquettishly.

"No, no, young lady, you are so sincere to me, how dare I not respond? If I act coldly, wouldn't it chill your passionate heart?"

Zhuang Yan held a folding fan in his hand and lifted the beauty's chin with it, his face full of playfulness. "It's a pity that I have a friend who is also eloquent. It's a pity that I couldn't let the girl see him.

Shang Jiu in the crowd looked unhappy, with a frown on his face, and seemed very dissatisfied with the situation before him.

He pushed away the crowd around him with all his strength and forced his way out of the encirclement.

The beauties were not affected by his departure at all. They still surrounded Zhuang Yan with sweet smiles on their faces.

One of them covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled softly, saying in a delicate voice, "Sir, this friend you mentioned is so good, why don't you bring him here next time to let us open our eyes?"

Zhuang Yan shook his head lightly, a helpless smile on his face, and responded, "I can't invite you, not even the gods can."

After saying this, he frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then continued, "However, there is someone you can let the girls see. This person is not only extremely beautiful, but also has many tricks that are astonishing. It's just that..."

Hearing this, the beauties opened their eyes wide and asked curiously, "Just what? Sir, please stop keeping us in suspense!"

"It's just that my friend entered the building before us just now, and it will be difficult for me to invite him in for the time being." Zhuang Yan looked embarrassed, and his words seemed to contain a lot of helplessness and troubles.

"That's easy. I'm very familiar with this building. If you can provide me with his appearance and figure, or a portrait, I'll definitely be able to find him." The beauty in red said excitedly.

She was genuinely curious about just how handsome that man was, and how many tricks he had. She had always been the one to greet and see off guests in the building, and all the guests she had met were either incredibly ugly or had terrible skills. But now, hearing that there was such a prodigy, she couldn't help but be moved. She had no intention of accepting any more guests until she found him today.

Zhuang Yan secretly rejoiced: How could this girl be so gullible? How many people in the world are so beautiful that they can shake the heavens and earth and make the gods weep? Besides, why would such a person come here? She has no shortage of people to serve her, let alone any tricks. Only this silly girl would believe what she said casually.

"Young Master? What's wrong with you?" The beauty saw Zhuang Yan smiling brightly but not answering her. His silly look made her feel a little scared.

"No...it's okay." Zhuang Yan came back to his senses immediately and hurriedly took out a portrait from his arms.

Just when he was about to hand the portrait to the beauty, he seemed to suddenly remember something important. He paused, then quickly turned around and, as if trying to cover up his own mistakes, hurriedly tore off the part of the portrait with the three eye-catching words "Wanted Criminal" marked on it.

The torn piece of paper floated in the air. Zhuang Yan was quick to grab it and stuffed it into his sleeve.

After doing all this, he took a deep breath, calmed himself down, then slowly turned around, put a smile back on his face, and handed the portrait to the beauty as if nothing had happened.

The beauty took the portrait doubtfully and looked at it carefully.

Her willow-like eyebrows slightly frowned, and she said hesitantly: "Young Master... why does this portrait look so familiar, as if it was an image drawn by the government when they were arresting someone? Moreover, this... although the person in this painting has a decent appearance, she is far from being so beautiful that it can anger both humans and gods..." As she spoke, she raised her head and looked straight at Zhuang Yan, as if she wanted to get a reasonable explanation from him.

Zhuang Yan quickly waved his hands, "That's not true. How could he be a wanted criminal? Don't be fooled by his appearance. He's an expert at disguises. The image above is definitely not his true appearance. He's too good-looking to reveal his true face. So, when you're looking for him, don't just stare at his face. It's not real. He's changed his face countless times. You have to look at his figure, okay? And also the way he walks!"

The beauty only half understood what he heard, "How do you walk?"

"Yes, he recently joined a theatre troupe, and the owner insisted he learn how to walk with a limp, so you have to pay special attention to his gait!" Zhuang Yan mumbled, "And his figure, too. He's tall and thin, with a slim waist..."

"Are you talking about him?" Along with a clear and sweet voice like a yellow oriole singing in a valley, another beauty gracefully stretched out her slender jade-like fingers and gently pointed behind her.

Zhuang Yan paused when he heard the voice, and subconsciously looked in the direction she pointed. He saw that Shang Jiu was holding a person tightly in his hand. Just as he described, he was forced to walk towards him.

Zhuang Yan was stunned for a moment.

While he wasted his time talking, his boss caught the thief quietly!

Shang Jiu glanced at him expressionlessly and said, "What are you standing there for? Come back with me."

Zhuang Yan looked disappointed, "Oh..."

*

Golden Palace

Chu Yunxiao took a nap in the afternoon. When he woke up, the sun had already set. There was no one around him, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.

He stood up and asked someone to change his clothes.

When it came time to tie the waist belt, the emperor frowned slightly, "Where is the waist belt that the queen gave me?"

The palace servants looked at each other in confusion.

Zhao Dequan quickly responded, "Your Majesty, it fell there when you were resting in Fengluan Palace a while ago."

Chu Yunxiao's expression softened upon hearing this, and the corners of his lips curled up, "I forgot. I think the Queen has already kept it for me."

Zhao Dequan was ashamed, thinking: Your Majesty has always had a good memory, how could he have forgotten this? It was a gift from the Queen...

Before he could figure it out, Chu Yunxiao spoke again: "The Queen said she won't be back for two days."

Zhao Dequan frowned, expressing his confusion.

Chu Yunxiao: "I have a severe headache."

Zhao Dequan: “?”

Chu Yunxiao: "The imperial physicians in the palace were unable to cure my headache, and the Empress was extremely worried."

Zhao Dequan: “…”

Now he finally understood.

The emperor was thinking about the queen, and at the same time he was showing off how good the queen was to him.