Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 734 Entering the Palace
The next day, a sedan chair carried Zhong Ling back to Qixiang Palace.

Early in the morning, Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing were waiting for Zhong Ling in the main hall. As soon as Zhong Ling entered Qixiang Palace, the two of them came out to greet her.

As Zhong Ling stepped out of the sedan chair, she said, "Sister Yu Yan, Sister Wan Qing, His Majesty has agreed to send my Lightning Sable to the palace."

Upon hearing this, the two pulled the smiling Zhong Ling into the main hall, dismissing the maids outside. Wang Yuyan asked, "Besides this, did His Majesty agree to anything else?"

"His Majesty has assigned me a post, and I have been appointed as the supervisor of the Yushu under the jurisdiction of the Taipusi (Imperial Stud).

"What about the others?" Mu Wanqing pressed.

"Today the king will host a banquet to entertain my parents."

"That's all?" Mu Wanqing asked.

"Oh, oh, and then there's Sister Yuyan. The King knows that she has a photographic memory and loves reading. He has appointed her as a scholar of the Jixian Academy, responsible for collecting and collating classic texts. She is also proficient in various martial arts and will serve as the deputy instructor of the palace's female guards. The imperial edict should be sent over soon."

"Sister Mu is highly skilled in martial arts, and what she has learned are all martial arts skills of short-range fighting and hidden weapons, which are different from the long spear and broadsword fighting skills of the army. Therefore, the king intends to appoint her as the deputy instructor of the female guards in the palace to teach the female guards martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Mu Wanqing asked, "Ling'er, did you fight for all of this?"

Zhong Ling seemed to have thought of something, her pretty face blushed, and she said in a low voice, "His Majesty knows the three of us very well and knows our preferences. As soon as I mentioned it, His Majesty assigned us duties."

Just then, Buddha's Hand brought an imperial edict with his men.

After reading the imperial edict, Buddha's Hand spoke again: "By the King's decree, a banquet will be held at noon today in the Qianqing Palace. Consorts Wang Yuyan, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing will attend the banquet."

After Buddha's Hand left, Mu Wanqing asked, "Ling'er, is this the leader of the King's guards?"

"Yes, this is Buddha's Hand, along with mint, rose, and osmanthus. They are both imperial concubines and personal guards in the palace. Liang and Dali are very different in every way; there are no eunuchs in the palace, only female officials."

"Besides the personal guards on duty, there is a unit of female guards serving in the palace every day. I specifically inquired about this for Sister Mu. These female guards are collectively called the [Azure Kite Guards], totaling eight hundred people. They are divided into four units: [Azure Banner Willow Leaf Unit], [Red Banner Daughter Unit], [White Banner Backing Mountain Unit], and [Black Banner Black Tortoise Unit]. The commanders are all the king's concubines. These women have all accompanied the king to the battlefield."

"Besides my two elder sisters being deputy instructors, Consort Chen [Female Flying Guard] Chen Liqing, Consort Tu Qiao [Horse-riding Beauty], Consort Ji Minghan, and Consort Ji Mingdan are also deputy instructors. The chief instructor is Consort Hu Sanniang [One-zhang-green] who commands the [Green Banner Willow Leaf Capital].

"So, these people are very skilled in martial arts?" Mu Wanqing asked.

"I don't know either, but I heard from the King that Consort Chen's [Pear Blossom Ancient Spear] weighs thirty-six jin. When Consort Chen wields the spear on horseback, water cannot penetrate it, and those who stand in its way are defeated. A [Tower Abyss Treasure Carved Bow] with the strength of three stones can be used to shoot left and right, hitting the bullseye from a hundred paces away."

Mu Wanqing retorted, "These are battlefield martial arts, different from our martial arts battles. If we were to fight without armor, I wouldn't be afraid of her."

Before noon, three sedan chairs appeared at Qixiang Palace and took Wang Yuyan and the other two to Qianqing Palace.

When the three arrived, Zhong Wanchou, who kills anyone he sees, and Gan Baobao, who is known as the "Pretty Yaksha," were already there.

Upon seeing the two, Zhong Ling immediately rushed into Gan Baobao's arms, "Mother, are you two alright at Huaiyuan Post Station?"

Gan Baobao looked at Zhong Ling and said, "I'm being served good food and drink, what's wrong with that? Ling'er, how are the three of you doing in the palace?"

"We're doing well too. Maybe we'll be able to leave the palace in a while."

Gan Baobao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Having been sent by Duan Zhengyan for a political marriage, the three of them were not allowed to bring their personal belongings into the palace, a fact that had filled Gan Baobao with worry. Now, judging from their expressions, and the allure in her daughter Zhong Ling and Wang Yuyan's eyes, it was clear they were already married.

The fact that he and Zhong Wanchou were able to enter the palace to visit their relatives also proved that the three of them were favored by the emperor, unlike what he had previously thought, that they would be imprisoned in the palace.

As they were talking, a small head peeked out from the cloth bag hanging on Zhong Wanchou's body. Upon seeing Zhong Ling, it immediately ran over, climbed into Zhong Ling's arms, and started squeaking.

Zhong Ling quickly picked up the Lightning Sable and giggled.

Gan Baobao said, "Besides Ling'er's [Lightning Sable], Miss Mu's longsword, ribbons, hidden arrows, and mount [Black Rose], as well as the books Miss Wang brought, have also been brought in."

"We were greeted by Lady Yuchi, the 'Stone Lady,' and Yan Dong'er, the 'Black Mountain Moth.' They told us that, except for Black Rose, which was to be sent to the Qiji Department's stables, the rest were sent to Qixiang Palace."

Mu Wanqing exclaimed happily, "The Black Rose has also entered the palace! That's wonderful!"

The five people chatted and laughed in the main hall. At noon, Zhao Zhen ended the court session and returned to the Qianqing Palace.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Zhen offered them seats.

Zhao Zhen sat at the head of the table and sized up Zhong Wanchou.

This Zhong Wanchou was extremely tall and thin, with a horse-like face, high-set eyes, and a large, round nose squeezed together with his mouth, leaving a large, empty space between his eyes and nose. His hands, large like small fans, were covered in prominent veins.

One look at him and you know he is a man of extraordinary strength.

Zhao Zhen nodded to Guihua. Upon seeing this, Guihua clapped her hands, and the maids who had been waiting brought out wine and dishes one after another.

Fine wines and delicacies, both meat and vegetarian, were served. Bear paws, shark's eyes, dried clams, dried shrimp, wind-dried goose, fresh oysters, live fish, turtles and crabs, snow lotus root, winter plums, silver bamboo shoots, pine nuts, and dozens of other dishes were presented on tall silver platters of about four or five inches in size. The food and tableware were exquisite and the feast was extremely abundant.

In the center of the main hall, there were also music and dance performances to entertain everyone.

After the banquet, the cups and plates were cleared away and replaced with tea.

Zhao Zhen said, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, you are both renowned figures in the martial arts world. Now that you have come to Liang, do you have any plans?"

Zhong Wanchou was already quite drunk, and upon hearing this, he immediately said, "I don't have any particular thoughts. Wherever my wife is, I will be there."

Upon hearing this, Gan Baobao scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm asking you something important."

"Whatever my wife says goes."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Since Father-in-law has no plans, why not wait until Liang Kingdom completes its agreement with Dali Kingdom, and then Father-in-law can open a martial arts school or a security escort agency in the city?"

Upon hearing this, Gan Baobao said, "A martial arts school? That's fine. There's always something to do there. As for a security escort agency, they're out there in all kinds of weather, and there are too many things to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen asked, "Mother-in-law, it seems you have a better plan. Tell me about it."

"Your Majesty, my husband Zhong Wanchou is known as 'Killing Anyone He Sees,' and besides that nickname, he also has the nickname 'Horse King.'"

(End of this chapter)