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Chapter 94 Master Mo
"Let's talk about the politeness later. I've been standing outside for most of the day and my legs are sore. Take us to rest first, and then quickly bring the wine and food over." Lu Qing waved his fan at Liu Yueyao, signaling her to hurry up.

Liu Yueyao covered her mouth with the round fan in her hand and chuckled, motioning the two people to follow her.

Zhu Yu and Lu Qing followed Liu Yueyao through a moon-white curtain. The sound of stringed instruments became slightly quieter, and some noisy noises began to appear.

Zhu Yu discovered that the road ahead was divided into two different directions, upward and downward. The noisy sounds were all coming from the downward direction, and he could even hear the sounds of people playing drinking games.

Liu Yueyao led the two of them straight to the fork in the road, went up a flight of stairs, and came to another floor. It was much quieter here, with a faint fragrance wafting in the corridor, which was not so pungent.

There are many private rooms on this floor. Some of them have their doors open, and through the bead curtains or screens, you can see graceful women playing the piano inside. Others have their doors closed, and only the sound of the piano can be heard coming from inside.

The three of them walked straight inside and reached the end of the corridor. Liu Yueyao pushed open the door of the most secluded private room and used a round fan to help the two of them open the bead curtain in front of them.

Lu Qing walked in through the beaded curtain as if he knew the place well, walked around the screen inside and came into the room.

This private room was very spacious, divided into two parts by two ebony screens. Outside the screens were several cushions, on which five gorgeously dressed musicians sat. Some played the piano, some held the pipa, and some held the bamboo flute. When they saw Lu Qing coming in, they quickly stood up and saluted, and then began to play.

Lu Qing ignored them and took Zhu Yu directly behind the ebony screen. Behind the screen was a low table with some fresh fruits, two pots of wine and several wine glasses on it.

Liu Yueyao also quickly followed, walked around the coffee table, and nimbly helped lift the layers of silk curtains behind the coffee table.

Behind the curtain, there was a door.

Lu Qing pushed the door open and walked in, followed by Zhu Yu. As soon as they entered, they smelled a familiar cold fragrance. Looking closely, they saw smoke rising from an incense burner in the corner of the room.

It seems that he stayed here many times when he returned to the palace late at night.

Compared to the incense outside, this smell is much better, at least it makes me feel refreshed.

There was another table in the inner room. Lu Qing pulled Zhu Yu over to the table and asked her to sit down. Then he instructed Liu Yueyao, "Ask the chef to make all the dishes they are good at. Remove any that are too spicy, too bland, or have a strong fishy smell.

Bring up some cakes, fruits, and so on as well."

Zhu Yu glanced at him. He didn't expect that this person was not often in the mansion on weekdays, but he had already mastered his taste.

Liu Yueyao didn't react much. She bowed and was about to leave when Lu Qing called her back.

"Mr. Mo hasn't come today?" Lu Qing asked.

"I guess it will be soon." Liu Yueyao replied softly.

"Then ask someone to prepare his favorite foods, so that we don't have to go through so much trouble later." Lu Qing waved his hand and motioned Liu Yueyao to go down without giving any further instructions.

Liu Yueyao stepped back and didn't even look at Zhu Yu again from beginning to end, as if she had no curiosity at all about this stranger.

Zhu Yu had been busy all day and was starving. He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, sipping it slowly. A moment later, Liu Yueyao returned with a fruit plate and snacks. Zhu Yu grabbed a piece of milk and bean cake to fill his stomach, and was pleasantly surprised by the delicious flavor. The cake was incredibly delicate and melted in his mouth, with the aroma of milk and beans blending beautifully, creating a rich, yet not overly sweet, flavor.

After finishing one piece, she was still not satisfied and reached out to grab the second piece, but Lu Qing moved the plate of dessert a little ahead of her.

"The chefs at Yunyin Pavilion are very skilled. If you eat a belly full of cakes and pastries now, you'll regret it later." Lu Qing said as he took another piece and handed it to Zhu Yu. "Don't say I didn't warn you then."

"Then I would like to thank Your Highness for your hospitality in advance." Zhu Yu took the cake from him.

"Master Zhu, you don't have to be polite. You have worked hard today and a table full of dishes is nothing." Lu Qing's words were rarely so direct.

He took the initiative to bring up what happened during the day, and really attracted Zhu Yu's attention.

It seems that this is a place where Lu Qing can talk.

If that's the case, why should she be polite? It's really not pleasant to hold so much doubt in your heart.

"Your Highness, have you guessed that someone would cause trouble at General Cao's birthday party today?" Zhu Yu put the bean cake on the plate beside him, patted the residue on his hands, and asked.

"You think too highly of me," Lu Qing was amused by Zhu Yu's speculation, his shoulders shaking, "If I had the ability to predict the future, I would just go and make a fortune by fortune-telling, why would I bother being a prince?

But I do have some understanding of Cao Chenfeng's recent absurdity.

Speaking of which, I noticed you were paying quite a bit of attention to Xiao Tao'er and Xu Shan just now, but do you have any other thoughts?"

"That little maidservant and her brother Xu Shan are truly unlike ordinary servants in their courage." Zhu Yu recalled Xu Shan and Xiao Tao'er's behavior at the time. "To put it mildly, it's a bit disrespectful of our family to say that when Duke Yan launched an attack at the banquet, Madam Zhao and the others in the inner chamber were all panicked.

Even the servants in the inner house of the palace would lose their composure when encountering some troubles. Boss Zhuang was just a businessman, unknown in the capital. Not only did his servants have the courage to kill their own daughter and put the blame on Cao Chenfeng, they also remained unusually calm after the conspiracy was shattered.

For ordinary people, it is easy to survive but difficult to die. Even if you are caught doing something bad, you have to confess your crime and beg for mercy in the hope of saving your life.

But today, not only did Xu Shan behave with great vigor, he also openly admitted his crime of killing his master and even asked for death without waiting for the punishment from Lord Wu, the Jingzhao Yin.

Even Xiao Tao'er, a maid who looked so weak, couldn't help trembling when she was pulled out by Zhuang Zhi to be a witness. In the end, she was able to die with her brother. That kind of decisiveness and determination was definitely not something an ordinary maid could have.

In my opinion, these two people don't look like servants, but more like carefully trained assassins.

If we could successfully frame Cao Chenfeng this time, our plan would be a complete success. Unexpectedly, I became a variable, exposing Xu Shan. These two would rather die than risk their plan being leaked."

Zhu Yu frowned as he spoke, "But I can't figure out why they do this."

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(End of this chapter)