The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

The carriage moved slowly along the road, and the steward, accompanied by several servants, brought a delicious feast to a carriage.

"Young master, lunch is ready. I'll have someone bring it to you right away," the steward said respectfully.

A lazy voice came from inside the carriage, "Bring it in."

The steward immediately ordered the carriage door to be opened. A stern-faced man sat reclining inside, toying with the flying sword in his hand, not sparing a single glance at the people outside.

The steward directed the servants around him to carry the dishes on the trays, one by one, onto the carriage. Every dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

The carriage door closed again. After walking a few steps, a servant asked his companion with some curiosity.

"Who is that man? He's eating even more lavishly than the old lady?"

During the journey, the old lady only had six dishes and one soup, but the people in the carriage had a full sixteen dishes.

The companion glanced warily at the butler walking at the front and whispered, "He is a distinguished guest of His Highness, and we must serve him with utmost care."

The servant curled his lip in disdain. "A distinguished guest? He's just a guest, yet he dares to put on such an air."

"Keep your voice down." His companion immediately nudged him with his elbow. "That guy inside is supposedly a martial arts master. He might be able to hear what you're saying."

The servant was quite dismissive. "So what if he heard? He's just some nobody from the martial world. How can he compare to the Zhen family?"

"Not to mention the local gentry and wealthy families, or even the imperial family and nobles in the capital, when they see our old lady, they have to respectfully call her 'Old Madam'."

"Only a rough and uncouth man like him doesn't understand any etiquette or manners."

"If he continues to act arrogantly, we'll teach him a lesson sooner or later."

The companion didn't speak, but shared the same thought.

The man in the carriage was far too arrogant and rude. Having lived in the Zhen family for so long, he had always treated Consort Zhen's grandmother and father with utter indifference.

Now that Consort Zhen enjoys the Emperor's favor, her family is being so disrespected by a mere commoner.

However, this person was a distinguished guest invited by His Highness, so we cannot be careless.

It's time to teach him a lesson.

So what if he's good at martial arts? There are so many of them, if they all attack together, they'll beat him to a pulp.

Wanqi'ai overheard the servants' conversation clearly, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

Those ignorant fools!

He was somewhat looking forward to these ants making their move soon; he hadn't killed anyone for several days, and his hands were itching to do so.

If you can't kill the people at the palace gates, then kill a few servants to ease the itch.

Having spent so many days at the Zhen family's residence, he had long since grown impatient. If it weren't for the leader's new mission, he would have already gone on a killing spree.

Now he has to sneak around to follow me to Beijing. Think about it, before, he could go anywhere openly and legitimately.

What could the local officials do to him?

He picked up a piece of beef and threw it into his mouth, a cold glint in his eyes.

Hurry up, you ants, don't keep him waiting too long.

The leader had instructed that no one could kill anyone at the Zhen family's residence, but if these ants made the first move, then there would be a reason to do so.

After all, he was forced to retaliate.

Moreover, with such high martial arts skills, it's quite normal for him to lose control of his strength and accidentally kill someone or two.

In a dense forest, Gong Shangjiao and Qi Yan'an waited quietly on horseback.

Soon, Jin Shu arrived from afar. Upon seeing Gong Shangjiao and Qi Yan'an, he only said one sentence, "Young Master Jiao, Your Highness, it's a success."

The drugging was much simpler than he had imagined. He was worried that getting too close would be discovered by Wan Qi'ai, but when he got closer to the convoy, he realized that his worries were completely unfounded.

Madam Zhen disliked the smell of cooking oil, so she cooked at the very end of the line.

After each meal was prepared, servants would jog to deliver it to the kitchen to ensure it remained warm.

It was truly a godsend opportunity to administer the drug.

Gong Shangjiao smiled with delight, thinking, "It's all settled."

Qi Yan'an's face lit up with joy, but he immediately suppressed his smile. "Shang Jiao, is the poison for Yuanzheng really okay?"

Although his subordinates had never fought against Wan Qi'ai, they had fought against Han Yike and Bei Xu, and he knew how strong those two were.

Wanqi'ai is one of the Four Demons, and his skills are not weak.

If Wan Qi'ai's internal strength remains intact, capturing him alive would likely be a fierce battle.

Gong Shangxia's expression didn't change much, and his tone was full of certainty.

"Your Highness, please rest assured, the poison used on my brother during the expedition will be absolutely correct."

A specially developed poison to eliminate internal energy was used to deal with Situ Hong.

Now, in order to deal with Wanqi'ai, Gong Yuanzheng has improved and enhanced the effects of the medicine.

Even though Wan Qi'ai's skill has improved considerably over the past ten years, it's just a matter of when the poison will take effect.

The Zhen family's convoy soon came into view.

A squad of Imperial Guards quickly surrounded the convoy, causing an immediate uproar.

The butler's face darkened. He strode to the front of the convoy, looked at the middle-aged man at the head, and shouted sternly:

"This is the Zhen family's convoy! Inside sits Consort Zhen's mother. Are you plotting a rebellion? How dare you surround us!"

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. "A reason delivered right to my door," he thought, saving him the trouble of finding an excuse.

He looked at the butler with a half-smile, "Surrounding you is considered rebellion?"

"Now that His Majesty is in the prime of his life and the Crown Prince is both talented and virtuous, how dare your Zhen family speak such arrogant words?"

"Then I really need to interrogate you all thoroughly. Did Consort Zhen and the Seventh Prince harbor rebellious intentions all along?"

The butler's expression changed drastically, and his voice trembled as he spoke, "Nonsense! You...you're...slandering the Zhen family!"

The middle-aged man's expression hardened. He stopped wasting words with the butler and said to his men, "Arrest them all!"

"Wait!" came an old voice from the most luxurious carriage.

An elderly lady, supported by her servants, stepped down from the carriage.

Despite her advanced age, she remained agile, and looked at the middle-aged man with a dignified gaze.

"Consort Zhen is devoted to serving His Majesty, the Seventh Prince has always been respectful to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and the Zhen family has absolutely no intention of disloyalty!"

Her gaze swept coldly over the steward. "My unruly servant misspoke; let him be dealt with as he sees fit, sir!"

The butler immediately turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

The old nanny beside Madam Zhen was also pale-faced. She wanted to plead for mercy, but when she met the old lady's eyes, she immediately shut her mouth.

She knew in her heart that even if the man in front of her let the steward go, Old Madam Zhen would not let him go either.

The steward's words just now undoubtedly dug a huge pit for Consort Zhen and the Seventh Prince.

The middle-aged man chuckled lightly, "Madam, it doesn't matter who said it, what matters is that someone has said it."

"Madam, you can tell us your grievances slowly when we get to the imperial prison."

Madam Zhen's expression changed drastically. The Imperial Prison? They were actually the Embroidered Uniform Guards!

In a flash, she immediately remembered the江湖人 (jianghu person) in the caravan.

Could it be that the matter has been exposed?

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and she appeared unable to stand.

She stood there trembling, trying her best to maintain her dignity as the mother of a noble concubine.

"Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot arrest people arbitrarily without evidence."

The middle-aged man smiled politely, "The old lady is right."

Madam Zhen felt a little relieved, but then she heard the man say, "If we arrest you, won't we have all the evidence?"

Before she could finish speaking, Old Madam Zhen had already been firmly restrained.

Madam Zhen secretly lamented her situation; her only hope now was that the martial arts man would leave the caravan as soon as possible.

As long as that person isn't caught, all the blame can be directly pinned on Wu Feng.

Wan Qi'ai's carriage was also approached by people, whose skills and aura were completely different from those of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

When they were still a foot away from the carriage, the entire carriage suddenly exploded. Everyone was caught off guard and was knocked down by the carriage fragments.

A lithe figure darted into the air.

At the same time, five figures immediately surrounded him.

It was Jin Shu, Young Master Yue, and the three elders.

Wan Qi'ai never expected to face five experts right after emerging from the scene.

For a moment, I was caught off guard and overwhelmed.

Having finally regained his footing and just as he was about to counterattack, he discovered something terrifying: his internal energy was dissipating at an alarming rate.

Young Master Yue swung his sword at Wan Qi'ai, who was unable to dodge in time and was struck in the left shoulder.

Young Master Yue immediately understood that Wan Qi'ai's internal energy had disappeared.

He immediately withdrew his knife and kicked Wan Qi'ai to the ground.

Today's objective is to capture Wan Qi'ai alive.

Seeing Wan Qi'ai fall to the ground in a sorry state, Old Madam Zhen closed her eyes in despair.

It's over! Consort Zhen, the Seventh Prince, the Zhen family is finished!

Wan Qi'ai stared at the five people who had surrounded him, his heart filled with shock and anger. "Gongmen! You are from Gongmen!"

"Gong Yuanzheng! It must be Gong Yuanzheng's poison!"

No one answered his question.

Jin Shu stepped forward and crippled his martial arts with a single palm strike, severing the tendons in his hands and feet at the same time.

Gong Shangjiao looked at Qi Yan'an with a smile, "Your Highness, am I right?"

Qi Yan'an smiled and bowed to him, "I underestimated Brother Yuanzheng. Brother Yuanzheng's poison is absolutely unmatched in the world."

Gong Shangxia's smile deepened. He didn't speak, but added in his mind:

His younger brother's medical skills were also the best in the world.