Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

There have long been rumors that the current empress came from an unseemly background and had wandered among the common people in her early years. Some even subtly implied that she had worked as a singer and dancer.

Zhao Pan'er had always thought that it was just gossip and not to be taken seriously, but judging from Zhou Feng's expression and attitude, the maid in the picture could be... the most noble woman in the court!

"This...this..."

Her voice lowered, and her expression showed a hesitant disbelief.

Although she had some guesses, she had absolutely no courage to reveal that person's name and identity, as that would be a capital offense... or even a crime that would lead to the confiscation of her property!

Zhou Feng looked at her: "You guessed it, didn't you?"

Upon hearing his voice, Zhao Pan'er suddenly looked up at him, then at the painting, and couldn't believe that such a bizarre thing could happen!

But if the maid in those words is that person...

The duties of a maid are not so simple!

The folds of the tent canopy, the slight curve of the bed, and the composition of the pipa casually placed at the foot of the bed—all these elements clearly hint at something!

This isn't a picture of a banquet; it's clearly a scene from the Empress's dark past!

If this painting were to be circulated and even used as evidence by the current officials to attack the Empress, it would not only be a loss of face for Empress Liu E, but also for the Emperor himself!

A cold sweat broke out on Zhao Pan'er's back.

This time, she truly believed what Zhou Feng had said back then, and even because of this painting, four hundred or even a thousand people were not a lot at all!

"How did you get this painting back?"

"Of course, we sent people to retrieve it from Minister Ke. Minister Ke hasn't even realized how important this thing is yet; a few men were enough to steal it back."

Seeing Zhou Feng's nonchalant tone, Zhao Pan'er's shock gradually subsided.

Fortunately, Zhou Feng got his hands on it. If it had fallen into the hands of someone else, those powerful figures above would have known that she had been involved...

Zhao Pan'er didn't even dare to think any further.

"Zhou Feng...this...this thing is way too hot to handle, you absolutely have to put it away carefully!"

"Don't worry, I'm just showing you this picture to explain the secret behind it. I'll hand it over to the authorities later."

Zhao Pan'er breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

She forgot that her husband was different from ordinary people; he could enter the palace at any time to meet the emperor.

With such imperial favor, a mere painting of a banquet wouldn't really have any impact on him.

Staring intently at Zhou Feng, Zhao Pan'er felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

Just when she thought she had seen through Zhou Feng, he would always reveal an unexpected side of himself, giving her a pleasant surprise.

From the moment she arrived in Qiantang, this young benefactor, who seemed to descend from the heavens, both powerfully and gently shielded her from all the storms of life, giving her a support she had never imagined.

Even this banquet painting, which was enough to lead to the confiscation of the property and extermination of most officials, was nothing more than a trivial matter in Zhou Feng's eyes.

She suddenly realized that all the self-reliance, planning, and business acumen she had developed over the years were practically useless in front of Zhou Feng, because he had already paved the way for her before she even made a move.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhou Feng waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Zhao Pan'er snapped out of her reverie, smiled, and said, "I was thinking... I think I really am going to marry someone extraordinary."

"Of course! If I weren't amazing enough, how could I be worthy of you, the leading lady?"

"A female-centric storyline?"

Zhao Pan'er frowned, keenly noticing the unfamiliar word.

Zhou Feng smiled somewhat awkwardly and quickly waved his hand, "It just means being independent and self-reliant. Come on, come into the room and make me a cup of tea."

The two arrived at the backyard, where servants brought over tea-making utensils, which Zhao Pan'er then prepared.

As she moved, she suddenly asked, "Do you think Ouyang Xu will come back?"

Now that Zhou Feng has retrieved the Night Banquet painting, her entanglement with Ouyang Xu can finally come to an end.

However, Zhao Pan'er was still somewhat unwilling and wanted Ouyang Xu to pay an even greater price.

Zhou Feng thought for a moment: "He will probably come back, but what his situation will be after he returns is uncertain."

He suddenly chuckled: "Ouyang Xu is now a palace official, while I am a living deity personally appointed by the Emperor. Guess who he serves?"

Zhao Pan'er was amused by Zhou Feng's winking expression and smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Then wouldn't he be easily manipulated by our Celestial Master?"

"Of course, don't worry, he won't appear in front of you again."

Zhou Feng had already made up his mind to let Ouyang Xu keep Zhou She company.

Not only Ouyang Xu, but even Uncle De, who had been captured and tortured by the Imperial City Guard, was brought back by Chen Xiao and is currently recuperating from his injuries. Once he recovers, he will also join the ranks of those contributing emotional value to Zhou Feng.

At this moment, Zhou Feng couldn't care less about anything else when it came to emotional value. He had even made a list of all the NPC characters who appeared in the original work, and he planned to arrest them all after the mission was completed.

Without affecting the governance of the Song Dynasty, everyone should contribute to it.

Zhao Pan'er remained silent for a moment, without asking for further details.

She found herself getting more and more used to Zhou Feng's way of making tough statements so casually. When others said such things, it might be just bluffing, but when Zhou Feng said them, it meant that something was bound to happen.

The two sat facing each other and drank tea for a while. As the sun gradually rose higher, the leaves of the sycamore trees in the courtyard rustled in the wind.

Zhao Pan'er suddenly reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Zhou Feng's hand.

"Thank you," she said.

Zhou Feng grasped her fingers in return: "What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for standing up for me." Zhao Pan'er looked at him earnestly. "From Qiantang to Tokyo, I've met many people. Some deceived me, some took advantage of me, and some tried to bring me down. Only you are the one who truly supports me."

Zhou Feng gently squeezed her palm: "It will be the same in the future. Just focus on doing what you want to do, run your teahouse, brew your tea, and do your business. Leave the rest to me."

Zhao Pan'er's eyes were slightly red, but she didn't let the tears fall.

She simply gripped Zhou Feng's hand tightly, then lowered her head to take a sip of tea, swallowing back the warmth along with the tears welling in her eyes.