"Lady Nong Yu greets you, young master."
Nong Yu, unaware of Xiao Feng's wild thoughts, gave him a slight bow.
"Lady Nong Yu, there's no need for formalities."
Looking at the gentle and lovely Nong Yu before him, Xiao Feng immediately dismissed the idea of acting as a tyrant. He smiled and raised his hand slightly, saying, "I heard of Lady Nong Yu's fame long ago when I was in the State of Qin. It is said that your zither skills are so extraordinary that they can attract the phenomenon of birds gathering. Today, I finally got to meet you in person."
"Young master, you flatter me."
Nong Yu smiled modestly, sat down with her zither, and gently plucked the strings with her slender, jade-like fingers.
There was no denying that Nong Yu's zither skills were indeed extraordinary!
Although Xiao Feng was not well-versed in playing the zither, he could still discern the quality of the music. The sound of the zither was melodious and graceful, like a mountain stream, clear and delicate.
As the music flowed, Xiao Feng felt as if he were in a magical dream, captivated by the poetic and picturesque melody. Unconsciously, he closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly to the rhythm of the zither.
"Bang!!!"
Just as Xiao Feng was immersed in the beautiful music, feeling as if he were in a trance, the door of the elegant room was suddenly thrown open violently.
"Everyone, get out!"
A middle-aged man with a full beard and reeking of alcohol pushed away the maidservants blocking his path and walked into the room with a belch.
The drunken middle-aged man before him was Liu Yi, the current Left Minister of War and one of Ji Wuye's loyal dogs.
Some time ago, Ji Wuye orchestrated the "Ghost Soldiers' Robbery," stealing one hundred thousand taels of gold meant for the border. However, it turned out to be a trap set by Han Fei, causing Ji Wuye to lose the gold and become mortal enemies with Han Fei.
Upon learning of this, Liu Yi tried to ingratiate himself with Ji Wuye by finding ways to deal with Han Fei. Because Han Fei was one of the nine princes of Han State, Liu Yi couldn't openly confront him, so he pretended to be drunk and caused trouble at Purple Orchid House.
According to the information Liu Yi gathered, Han Fei had a close relationship with the owner of Purple Orchid House and often frequented the place. Liu Yi planned to create a big scene, forcing Zinu to ask Han Fei to intervene. Then, Liu Yi would seize the opportunity to pull Han Fei into the conflict, preferably to fight him.
If Liu Yi could manipulate the situation from the shadows, rumors about a Han State prince and a high-ranking official fighting over a woman would spread quickly throughout Xinzheng City. If the Han State King heard about this, he would be furious, not only reprimanding Han Fei but possibly also removing him from his position as Minister of Justice.
Liu Yi knew that this strategy would likely displease the Han State King, but as long as he could win Ji Wuye's favor, offending the king a little wouldn't matter.
"Roar—"
Just as Liu Yi was about to touch Nong Yu, a dragon's roar suddenly came from behind him.
"Bang!!!"
Before Liu Yi could react, he was forcefully thrown out of the door by a tremendous force. He rolled on the ground several times before barely stabilizing himself and shouted angrily, "Who? Who dares to hit me?"
"It was me!"
Xiao Feng snorted coldly, "I was enjoying the music, and you barged in and interrupted my pleasure. Don't you deserve to be hit?"
"How dare you! Do you know who I am? I am the Left Minister of War!"
"How dare you!"
Xiao Feng slapped the table forcefully, his face as cold as ice. "Even Ji Wuye wouldn't dare act so presumptuously in front of me. Who do you think you are?"
Liu Yi's expression changed drastically. He looked at Xiao Feng with a mixture of suspicion and fear. He knew that Ji Wuye wielded immense power in Han, even the king feared him. Ji Wuye was also Liu Yi's superior. Although Liu Yi suspected that Xiao Feng was bluffing, he feared that Xiao Feng might indeed have some significant backing. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to speak of Ji Wuye so recklessly, as such words reaching Ji Wuye would mean certain death.
"Please calm down, both of you, please calm down~"
As Liu Yi found himself in a difficult position, a charming voice suddenly rang out. A beautiful, cold, and alluring woman with purple hair walked over, swaying her hips like a snake.
Zinu turned to the two maidservants who were with Liu Yi and pretended to scold them, "What are you standing there for? Can't you see the Left Minister is drunk? Hurry up and help him rest!"
"Master, let's go rest~"
"Master, walk slowly."
Taking advantage of the situation Zinu created, Liu Yi quickly played along and, pretending to be drunk, left with the maidservants.
However, this incident was far from over!
Liu Yi would definitely try to probe Ji Wuye's thoughts the next day. If Xiao Feng indeed had a significant background, Liu Yi would accept his bad luck. If Xiao Feng was bluffing, Liu Yi would make him pay dearly for mocking him.
"I am Zinu, the owner of Purple Orchid House. Greetings to Young Master Xiao."
After sending Liu Yi away, Zinu bowed slightly to Xiao Feng, "I apologize for the disturbance tonight. It was our fault at Purple Orchid House. Please forgive us."
"No matter, it was just a small matter."
Xiao Feng waved his hand, "If you truly feel apologetic, stay and drink with me."
"I am not good with alcohol, so please be gentle with me, young master."
Curious about Xiao Feng's background, Zinu readily accepted his invitation. However, to her surprise, Xiao Feng didn't get drunk no matter how much he drank. Her plan to intoxicate Xiao Feng and gather information failed before it even began.
For the next several hours, Zinu not only failed to obtain any useful information but also found herself taken advantage of by Xiao Feng.
It wasn't until midnight that Xiao Feng, reeking of alcohol, left Purple Orchid House, satisfied, under Zinu's resentful gaze.
As Xiao Feng was about to board his carriage, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and looked back at Purple Orchid House.
On the fourth floor, near a window, two figures were standing, looking down at him. One of them, dressed in purple robes with a handsome face and a playful expression, was the ninth prince of Han, Han Fei. The other, dressed in a black and gold robe with short white hair and an imposing appearance, was one of the disciples of Ghost Valley, Wei Zhuang.