The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 356 Full of Tricks (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti asked, "Are you going to see A Zi?"

Azhu nodded: "This servant does indeed wish to go see my sister."

Zhao Ti said, "Then go, but do not believe a word she says, and do not reveal anything about yourself."

Azhu smiled and said, "This servant understands. This servant has already witnessed my sister's mischievousness and knows how to deal with it."

Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "Is it just being unruly? What I told you before doesn't count. Now you've heard and seen it with your own ears and eyes. Burning houses and destroying things, poisoning the lake water—what ruthless acts!"

Azhu's starry eyes flickered: "This servant will be careful. By the way, Your Highness, why is my sister so afraid of you?"

Zhao Ti said, "She bullies the weak and fears the strong. If you can control her, she will fawn over you. If you can't control her, she will try to take advantage of you."

Azhu smiled and said, "It seems that Your Highness understands your sister best, and only Your Highness can manage her."

Zhao Ti said, "I haven't figured out how to handle this matter yet. You go ahead."

As A-Zhu went out, many people were busy preparing for the banquet. A-Zi stood in the circle, looking around, her eyes constantly flashing, as if countless ideas were churning in her mind.

Chu Wanli stared intently at her from the side, not daring to blink, for fear that if he closed his eyes and opened them again, Azi from the circle would disappear.

Zhu Danchen sat on the roof of the room that Azi had destroyed earlier, his gaze also fixed on this place. He and Chu Wanli were originally responsible for guarding during the day and patrolling at night, but because of Zhao Ti's arrival, Duan Zhengchun sent someone to wake them up in advance so that they could come out and cooperate with Chu Wanli in guarding and preventing the spread of the virus.

Suddenly, Azi looked at Chu Wanli with a respectful expression and said, "Uncle Chu, I want to ask you something."

Chu Wanli said with a displeased expression, "Miss Azi, please don't call me that. I am unworthy of such a title. I am merely one of the four servants. How can I be worthy of being called 'Uncle' by Miss Azi?"

Azi's eyes held a half-smile, somewhat resembling Ruan Xingzhu's, but her expression revealed deep regret as she said, "Uncle Chu, are you angry with me? I was young and ignorant, and I spoke without thinking, spouting nonsense without even knowing what I was saying."

Chu Wanli's face twitched, and he said, "Does Miss Azi think I would believe that?"

He was a retainer of the Prince of Zhennan's mansion. After Azi went to Dali, he had more or less come into contact with the other party. He knew all the trouble Azi had caused in Dali City. This time, he followed Duan Zhengchun to Xiaojing Lake and witnessed the other party's wickedness firsthand. It can be said that he did not believe a single word the other party said.

Azi sighed, "Uncle Chu has a prejudice against me."

Chu Wanli remained silent, afraid of leading her astray. Seeing this, Azi continued, "Uncle Chu knows my background. I was abandoned as a child and grew up in a place like the Xingxiu Sect. It's a place that eats people alive. If you don't harm others, others will harm you. It's not easy for me to have survived to this day..."

Chu Wanli frowned as he looked at A Zi's pitiful appearance, thinking to himself that this was indeed true. The Xingxiu Sect's atmosphere was well-known in the martial arts world. The sect's actions were like raising poisonous insects, and they were ruthless and vicious in every way.

Azi glanced at him and continued, "As the saying goes, 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.' If you want to survive, you have to be ruthless and even collude with other evil people. What can a little girl like me do? I've developed this kind of personality since I was a child. If I don't, I'll die. But if I do, my father and mother will despise me. It's not something that can be corrected in a short time. Uncle Chu, you can straighten crooked saplings with sticks, but how easy is it to straighten a towering tree that's crooked?"

“That is true…” Chu Wanli saw that A Zi looked pitiful and spoke earnestly, and thought to himself that there was nothing wrong with what she said. How could one easily change a personality that has been formed since childhood?

Azi said, "I want to change, but I can never control myself. Every time I cause trouble, I regret it so much that I can't sleep for three days. But what can I do?"

Chu Wanli said, "Even so, Miss Azi should still try her best to change it, otherwise the more trouble there will be, the more difficult it will be for the Prince of Zhennan to handle."

Azi lowered her head: "So I thought, if I can't control myself, there has to be someone around to keep me in check. My parents feel sorry for me and can't bring themselves to punish me. It just so happens that the King is here. The King is a ruthless and heartless person. With the King around, I might be able to correct my bad nature."

“Your Majesty…” Chu Wanli knew she was referring to Zhao Ti, and shook his head, saying, “Although the young master is highly skilled in martial arts, he is not a heartless person. What kind of person is the young master? He is as lofty as a mountain and as radiant as the sun and stars. Miss Azi, please do not speak disrespectfully of the young master.”

Azi blinked and said softly, "By the way, Uncle Chu, what exactly is the King's identity? I've known the King for so long, and several times he's tried to bring it up, but each time he's changed the subject."

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanli immediately became alert and looked at Azi, saying, "What was Miss Azi's first sentence? Was it something you wanted to ask me about? It wasn't about your identity, was it?"

Azi chuckled sheepishly, "Uncle Chu, this is it."

Chu Wanli said in a deep voice, "Miss Azi has said so much, going through so much trouble, just to ask about this matter?"

Azi, observing Chu Wanli's serious demeanor, immediately adopted a nonchalant tone and said, "It's about this matter. Uncle Chu, please tell us so that His Majesty won't have to bring it up again later."

Chu Wanli's heart skipped a beat, and a fine layer of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. He thought to himself that he had almost fallen into a trap. This A Zi was really cunning. She had said so much just to try to trick him into revealing information.

He said, "I don't know about this matter. Miss Azi, you should ask the young master."

Azi looked slightly disappointed and said, "How could Uncle Chu not know? Do you still not believe me?"

Chu Wanli shook his head vigorously: "I really don't know, or perhaps Miss Azi should ask the Prince of Zhennan."

Upon hearing this, Azi's lips curled into a hint of anger, but just then, she saw Azhu approaching and instantly put on a docile expression, calling out, "Sister, where are you going, sister?"

Upon hearing the word "sister," Azhu's heart softened, and she stepped forward, saying, "I've come to see Miss Azi."

"Sister, you've come to see me? That's wonderful!" Azi looked Azhu up and down, feeling that something about her seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before.

Azhu smiled and said, "Miss Azi is really beautiful, she's a lovely girl."

"Really? Am I beautiful?" Upon hearing this, Azi was immediately delighted. Over the years, whether in the Xingxiu Sect or venturing out into the world alone, few people had ever praised her appearance.

"Indeed beautiful." Azhu nodded, looking Azi up and down, a hint of affection in her eyes.

Azi keenly noticed Azhu's gaze and wondered why the other party was showing such an expression. "Yes, yes, she must know that I am Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling's sister, and I can't afford to offend her, so she deliberately came to make friends."

"Sister is also very beautiful, but I wonder what her name is?" Azi asked.

“My name is… Yu’er.” A’Zhu smiled and said, “Miss A’Zi, would you mind if I called you ‘sister’?”

Upon hearing this, Azi couldn't help but wonder, why is she being called "little sister"? Her two older sisters, Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling, have both married the King. Does she also want to marry the King?

Could it be that she's using herself and Mu Wanqing as a show of force? Is that why she calls them both "sister"? Does she think she's no different from the other two?
But she didn't know those two women at all; they were like strangers. All this talk of "sister" was nonsense. They weren't even siblings, so she didn't acknowledge them. "No problem, no problem, of course not," Azi said with a smile. "I've always wanted an older sister like Yu'er since I was little, and I never expected to meet her today."

Upon hearing this, A'Zhu said happily, "Sister A'Zi, from now on I will call you sister."

Azi's eyes darted around: "Sister Yu'er, since we get along so well, why don't we become sworn sisters?"

"Sworn siblings?" Seeing the flicker in Azi's eyes, Azhu couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile and said, "But how can Sister Azi become sworn siblings in this circle?"

Azi hurriedly said, "That's easy! Sister Yu'er, go to the King and ask him to release me. Then we can become sworn sisters, right?"

A'Zhu said softly, "Young Master... may not listen to me."

Azi shook her head: "Sister, how will you know if you don't try? If you say a few good words for me in front of the King, he might be pleased and let me out of this circle."

Azhu glanced at the circle on the ground and laughed, "I saw that my sister even broke through the roof and didn't listen to the Prince of Zhennan. Why is it that a circle with no obstruction has trapped her? What's wrong with her just walking out?"

Upon hearing this, Azi's expression changed. She then glanced at the house where Zhao Ti was and whispered, "I dare not. The King is not like my parents. His methods are unparalleled. I'm afraid he will know if I make a move. If he uses punishment, I will suffer terribly."

Azhu nodded: "Then you can stay here for now, I'll go ask the young master."

Azi was overjoyed and said, "Sister, go and ask. Once I get out of this area, I will immediately become sworn sisters with you."

Azhu shook her head and said, "Young master may not agree. Even if he does, I think we don't need to become sworn sisters. We can just recognize each other as sisters directly."

Azi said, "Alright, alright, thank you for your trouble, sister."

Azhu then asked, "Is my sister thirsty right now? Let me bring her some water."

Azi was anxious and only wanted to get out of this circle as soon as possible so that she could escape when no one was paying attention. She had no mood to drink water: "Little sister is not thirsty, she is just waiting for news from her elder sister."

Upon hearing this, A'Zhu turned and walked towards the house. Inside, she saw Zhao Ti using his Illusory Yin True Qi to create an ice bowl, where the little silkworm was tumbling and playing.

She walked over and said, "Young master, I'm back."

Zhao Ti said, "I heard everything that Azi and Chu Wanli said, as well as what she said to you."

Azhu said, "My sister racked her brains to leave the circle, dealt with Guard Chu, and even wanted to become sworn sisters with me. I think she is very clever and intelligent."

Zhao Ti said, "She is cunning and will come up with any bad idea to achieve her goal. This is just to get out of the circle. If it were something else, she would do anything."

Azhu said, "I know she's cunning, but she's my own sister after all, and my heart softened after just one look at her."

Zhao Ti said, "We need to keep her locked up for a few more hours. We can't let her go right away. She has no memory; it doesn't matter to her whether she's locked up for a long or short time."

A'Zhu said, "Your Highness, it's already late. How can she rest in the outer enclosure..."

Zhao Ti glanced at A'Zhu: "What do you mean..."

Azhu nodded emphatically: "This servant wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with my sister. Judging from her words and demeanor just now, she has never confided in anyone. She has been like this since she was a child. And the fact that she doesn't trust anyone and harbors malice towards most people is also related to this."

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment: "Alright, I was originally worried about this kind of thing, but now that you have mastered magic, you don't have so many concerns. I'll give you the silkworm for close protection and to ward off poison, so there won't be any danger."

A'Zhu smiled and said, "Your Highness has considered everything so thoroughly. This servant thanks Your Highness."

Just then, Duan Zhengchun knocked on the door and invited the two of them to come in for dinner. Zhao Ti said, "Then let her out after dinner, and then I'll leave her to you to make arrangements."

A'Zhu should be right. Zhao Ti reached out and scooped up the silkworm from the ice bowl. With a gentle flick, the silkworm flew into A'Zhu's collar. It naturally recognized A'Zhu and did not resist, but instead lay still and hibernated.

The two went out to the waterside pavilion for a meal. As they passed by Azi, Azi wanted to ask how Azhu was doing, but seeing Zhao Ti's expressionless face, she didn't dare to speak and could only watch the two walk away.

The banquet was set up in pavilions on the water, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Guests could enjoy the lake view while drinking and making merry. Many lanterns and candles were lit, making it almost like daytime, and incense was burned to repel mosquitoes. The sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts could be heard far and wide.

As Azi looked towards the waterside pavilion from within the circle, her stomach rumbled loudly, causing her to grit her teeth and mutter to herself.

Just then, Azhu came over carrying a red tray. Azi's eyes lit up when she saw this: "Sister, sister brought me food?"

Azhu nodded: "How could I forget my sister? She must be starving. Hurry up and eat."

Azi took the tray, sat down on the ground, and began to eat. After eating half of it, she remembered that she had left the enclosure and asked, "Did Sister and the King say they would let me out?"

Azhu said, "I already said that the young master said he would ask my sister to leave the circle after the banquet, and then my sister and I would stay together tonight to talk and relieve our boredom."

"You can leave after the banquet?" Azi smiled broadly: "Great, great, great! It would be best to stay with you, sister. We hit it off immediately, and I have so much to say to you."

Azhu smiled, watched Azi finish eating, and then took the tray back to the pavilion.

As A-Zi watched A-Zhu walk away, a calculating look appeared in her eyes. She thought to herself that the other party didn't seem to know martial arts. She would just coax her to sleep that night and then quietly escape.

As for the other party noticing, it's not easy to harm them. After all, they are the king's people. The king is all-powerful. If they capture them, it will be terrible. They will surely cripple their martial arts and make them die a gruesome death.

Moreover, the other party treats me well; she's not my sister, but she's better than one. If necessary, I can just release some sleeping powder beforehand to knock her out before leaving.

She secretly made up her mind, but the banquet didn't end for a full hour or two. She was getting anxious waiting, and only when she saw the people at the table stand up did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just then, A'Zhu walked over again with a smile and said to the outside of the circle, "Sister, come out. The young master has given the order that you may go and rest."

(End of this chapter)