Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 736 The Most Important Thing (Second Update)
Squeak.

The gate was closed.

Long Jiu turned around, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes.

"Sir, this..."

Xun Cheng shook his head.

"Whatever she thinks, that's fine with her."

Long Jiu hesitated, then said, "But—"

Xun Cheng looked down at his legs.

He has indeed improved a lot during this period. He could only feel some slight pain before, but now he can feel a tingling sensation when he sits for a long time.

"Walk around more..."

He spoke softly, then chuckled.
"Since the doctor has said so, we should listen to his advice."

……

On the way home, Ye Chutang fell into deep thought and didn't say much the whole way.

Xiao Wu noticed that she was preoccupied, and couldn't help but step forward, sit down next to her, and gently shake Ye Chutang's arm.

Ye Chutang snapped out of her daze and patted her little head.

"Don't worry, my sister is just thinking about some things."

Xiao Wu gestured with his hand.

—Does my sister feel that this trip was fruitless and a pity?
Ye Chutang chuckled.

"You've noticed all this?"

Her sudden decision to seek out Xun Cheng was indeed to verify a certain suspicion in her heart.

Unfortunately, she did not receive a definite answer.

Xiao Wu nodded, then shook his head, somewhat puzzled.

—But isn't that Young Master Xun a friend of my elder sister? And he even helped my fourth brother before!
The older sister must have trusted him a lot to ask him for help in the first place.

Moreover, the older sister was willing to continue letting him drink for free!

Ye Chutang nodded, "He is indeed reliable and a trustworthy person. Moreover..."

She paused.

"Everyone in this world has their own secrets, and no one says that these secrets must be exchanged."

Therefore, she had never inquired about Xun Cheng's past.

As for today…

“Since he doesn’t want to talk about it, there’s no need to ask anymore. This doesn’t affect our relationship,” Ye Chutang said. “After all, this world is never just black and white.”

Xiao Wu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Ye Chutang composed herself, suppressing all her thoughts, and pinched Xiao Wu's soft little face.

"You didn't get to eat any pastries earlier, are you craving some?"

Xiao Wu shook his head with a serious expression.

—How could that be? She's a big girl now! Why would she be thinking about food all the time?

Ye Chutang: "I heard that Lanyuelou has launched a new rose snowflake pastry, which is very delicious."

Xiao Wu: "!!!"

She looked at Ye Chutang with longing eyes.

Ye Chutang suppressed a laugh and gave instructions to the driver.

"Let's go to Lanyue Tower."

……

Tai Chi Hall.

Emperor Muwu sat high at the head of the table, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

The atmosphere was solemn and dignified.

"Summon the Nanhu delegation to the palace!"

With a flick of his whisk, Eunuch Li began to sing loudly.

As soon as the words were spoken, the Southern Hu delegation, who had been waiting outside the hall for a long time, was finally allowed to enter. Everyone turned around, their gazes varying—some curious, some angry, and some looking forward to a good show.

On the surface, it was the Southern Hu bandits who rashly invaded Longcheng, and the Southern Hu delegation was here to quell the matter.

But many of the court officials present here today know that their true purpose in coming here is to ransom the prisoners of war.

—Tuoba Yu, the younger brother of the ruler of the Nanhu Kingdom!
It's easy to imagine that a fierce confrontation is about to unfold!

Tang Zhongli turned slightly to the side, turned back, and asked in a low voice,

"Your Highness, look, isn't that the Grand Master of Ceremonies and Minister of Justice from the Southern Barbarians, Ji?"

Shen Yanchuan followed his gaze and nodded slightly.

Tang Zhongli pointed behind him again.

"And the one following him to his right, the one with the most striking appearance... I don't think I've heard of him before? Judging from his clothes, he doesn't seem to be of high rank, and he's extremely young. Why is he also part of the delegation?"

Shen Yanchuan had naturally noticed that person's presence long ago.

He narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, then raised his eyebrows.

"To be entrusted with such an important task at such a young age, he must have some extraordinary qualities."

Tang Zhongli looked at Shen Yanchuan with some suspicion. "You don't know his identity? That's impossible."

Shen Yanchuan's thin lips curled slightly, "Does the Grand Master think I am omnipotent and omniscient? Since they come from the Southern Hu, it is normal that I do not understand them, is it?"

He had always followed Shen Yanchuan to guard the northern frontier and had indeed never set foot in the southern Hu.

Others might listen to this, but Tang Zhongli did not believe it.

"You little rascal, you even kept it from me..."

Now that they have arrived in the capital, there are no secrets left for Shen Yanchuan's Black Cavalry Guards.

Judging from Shen Yanchuan's reaction, Tang Zhongli became even more certain of his guess—that person's background must be extraordinary!
But... who exactly is it?
"Sikou Ji holds a high position and great power among the Nanhu people. Moreover, because he once served as the teacher of the current ruler Tuoba Shan, his status among the Nanhu people is extremely high. I didn't expect that it would be him who led the delegation this time... It can be seen how much Tuoba Shan attaches importance to this matter."

Tang Zhongli chuckled.

"If they were just ordinary bandits, even the Bureau of Justice probably wouldn't have sent them."

Sikou Ji led everyone to stand in the hall and bowed in respect.

"The Minister of Justice of the Southern Hu, on behalf of the King, sends his greetings to Emperor Muwu, wishing His Majesty good health and longevity."

Emperor Muwu raised his hand, a polite yet dignified smile appearing on his face.

That was the composed distance that belonged only to those in power.

"Lord Sikou, you have had a long and arduous journey. I am in good health these days. Thank you for your greetings, Your Majesty."

Sikou Ji presented a roll of brocade with both hands.

"This was written by our sovereign himself. We humbly request Your Majesty to open it personally."

Eunuch Li took small, quick steps over, received the document with both hands, and presented it to Emperor Muwu on his desk.

This brocade is exquisitely crafted, shimmering with light as it is turned, its surface sparkling and exceptionally luxurious.

Emperor Mu Wu slowly opened it.

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Si Kou quickly got down to business.

"...This incident in Longcheng was truly due to our momentary negligence, which allowed these bandits to commit such a grave error by rebelling against their superiors. Upon hearing this, the King was furious and has ordered the eleven border cities to purify the atmosphere and exterminate all the remaining bandits. The King is deeply sorry for the harm caused to the officials and people of Longcheng and other places, and therefore has sent us here to explain the situation to His Majesty, resolve the misunderstanding, and offer our apologies."

Si Kouji's words were sincere and heartfelt.

"Your Majesty's desire for good relations remains unchanged. As long as Your Majesty is willing to negotiate and let this matter rest, we are willing to do our utmost."

As he spoke, he took out another booklet.

"This is the list of compensations for this incident, to express our apologies. Please review it with your ministers, Your Majesty."

Many people looked at each other.

To be fair, they really humbled themselves and were very sincere.

It seems they are genuinely looking to reconcile!
Tang Zhongli stroked his beard. "No wonder he could become the Emperor's tutor; he certainly has a knack for it..."

Shen Yanchuan remained expressionless, showing no surprise, and simply smiled.

"It seems the rumors are true; the King of Nanhu is indeed very good to his younger brother."

This is truly a huge investment.

Sure enough, the next moment, Si Kouji asked the question he most wanted to ask.

"I wonder... where is that bandit leader who was escorted back to the capital now?"