The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

As he spoke, his eyes rolled around and he lowered his voice, "But... there's a way. If you're willing to give me ten taels of silver, I'll turn a blind eye and let you slip it in at night."

Li Chengfeng was startled. A guard at a poetry gathering actually dared to accept bribes. How audacious!

The officialdom in Luodu is even more corrupt than he imagined!

Just as Li Chengfeng was thinking about how to deal with the two greedy guards, a clear voice suddenly came from behind him: "Brother, please don't give it to me!"

Li Chengfeng looked back and saw a handsome young man with a feather fan and a blue scarf, walking slowly towards him.

This man had a face as white as jade, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and he was dressed in a green robe, which made him look even more extraordinary, like a banished immortal.

"Who are you?" Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly guessing the man's origins in his heart.

Young Master Jun clasped his fists and bowed: "I am just an unknown person, who came to participate in the poetry gathering."

"Brother, you may not know that the guards of Qingshan Garden rotate three times a day."

He paused, then turned his gaze towards the two guards, his tone playful.

"By the time of the poetry gathering tonight, they'd already changed shifts. Even if you gave them the silver, it would be a waste of money. You still wouldn't be able to get in at night."

Li Chengfeng was stunned when he heard this. He hadn't expected there to be such a complicated situation.

When the two guards heard this, their faces immediately showed anger and humiliation as if they had been exposed.

"Who the hell did this pretty boy come from? How dare he ruin my good deeds! Come on, arrest these troublemakers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, guards who didn't know what was going on came running over and surrounded the few people.

The elite soldiers of the Zhenbei Army who were following Li Chengfeng in secret were about to show up to protect the emperor, but Li Chengfeng waved his hand slightly without showing any expression, and his mouth also showed that he didn't want to interfere.

He wanted to see who this guy was and who dared to mess things up in front of him!

Facing the guards' shouting, the handsome young man who had just spoken remained calm, as if he didn't take them seriously at all.

He threw a token from his sleeve and said in a cold tone, "I want to see who dares to arrest me."

The burly man stiffened his neck and shouted, "I don't care who you are! My wife's brother-in-law's third uncle is a guard at the Pingxi Palace. I think you don't want to live anymore!"

Young Master Jun sneered and threw the token to the ground, looking completely different from his previous gentle and jade-like image.

"Pick it up and see for yourself!"

The two guards couldn't help but feel nervous when they saw his imposing manner.

The burly man hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up the token. After just one glance, his face turned pale, and the token in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack".

Seeing this, the tall and thin guard quickly picked up the token. After taking a look at it, he was also frightened out of his wits and stammered, "Ping, Pingxi. Pingxi..."

"Can I come in now?" Mr. Jun interrupted directly with a still cold tone.

"Of course, Your Highness!"

The two guards hurriedly nodded and bowed, welcoming Li Chengfeng and Jun Gongzi in. They no longer had any of their previous arrogance.

Li Chengfeng walked past the two guards and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your help, brother. May I ask your name?"

"Your surname is Liu, and your given name is Feng."

Liu Feng nodded slightly and said with a faint smile: "It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."

Li Chengfeng's heart moved. Liu? This surname...

The King of Pingxi, Liu Zhenshan, is a native of the family, yet he is treated with such respect by the guards. The meaning behind this seems to be obvious!

"So it's Brother Liu. I'm so sorry."

Li Chengfeng bowed again, secretly complaining in his heart, how come it is such a small Luodu, but he can always meet these outstanding people wherever he goes.

Liu Feng waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother, you don't have to be polite. I see that you have an extraordinary demeanor. I believe you are also a fellow enthusiast who came to participate in the poetry gathering. As a fellow Confucian scholar, it is natural for me to help you!"

"Brother, although the poetry gathering tonight is lively, the noise is too much and it disturbs our enjoyment of the scenery."

"Why don't we go in now and enjoy this moment of peace alone?" The handsome young man waved his feather fan with a smile on his face.

Li Chengfeng was a little surprised. This handsome young man was so familiar...

He wanted to refuse, but then he thought that this man had a close relationship with King Pingxi. If he made friends with him, he might be of great use in the future!

Thinking of this, Li Chengfeng nodded and said, "That's great. I'll trouble you, Brother Liu."

The two of them walked slowly in two rows, and no one spoke for a long time.

The guest should follow the host's wishes, so Li Chengfeng had to force his attention to the quiet and elegant scenery.

The rockery, flowing water, pavilions, towers, exotic flowers and plants are really dazzling.

While admiring the beautiful scenery, Li Chengfeng observed the people around him calmly.

Liu Feng smiled and from time to time introduced the carvings left in the garden by previous generations, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

"Excuse me, my Lord, who is the owner of Qingshan Garden?"

Seeing that the conversation among them was getting heated, Li Chengfeng asked casually.

The purpose of this poetry gathering is to win over scholars and literati, and the identity of the organizer is the first thing he wants to investigate!

Liu Feng waved his feather fan, raised his lips and said, "This Qingshan Garden, to be honest, is actually the property of the Luodu Sima family."

He paused, as if observing Li Chengfeng's reaction: "You should have heard of the Sima family, right?"

Li Chengfeng nodded. He knew the Sima family's reputation.

The top families in Luodu have deep roots that can be traced back to the previous dynasty.

For hundreds of years, it has survived two dynasties and has become extremely powerful and wealthy enough to rival a country.

"It's truly well-known! They say the Sima family has excellent feng shui, which is why they have always produced so many talented people..."

"Rumors are unreliable. The Sima family's continued success isn't due to feng shui, but rather their keen political acumen and deep pockets."

Liu Feng smiled nonchalantly and said, "They always bet accurately, and no matter which dynasty or generation, they can always sit firmly on the Diaoyutai."

Li Chengfeng listened calmly, thinking to himself: Liu Feng knows so much about the Sima family, could it be that he has a relationship with the Sima family?

"However, although Qingshan Garden is the property of the Sima family, it has now been loaned to the Prince of Pingxi for a poetry gathering."

Liu Feng said meaningfully: "Speaking of which, this Pingxi King was once a student and former official of the Sima family, so it can be said that the wealth is kept within the family."

Li Chengfeng frowned. No wonder Qingshan Garden was so luxurious. It turned out that the Sima family was backing it.

It seems that the prince's party has close ties with the Sima family.

The two walked and talked, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed.

Although Qingshan Garden has beautiful scenery, it is not very large and it didn’t take long to return to the starting point.

At the garden gate, Liu Feng stopped and turned to invite him warmly, "Brother Li, we've enjoyed chatting today. How about I treat you to a meal at Zuixianlou? The drunken crabs there are a specialty in Luodu."