Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Miss Ren, tomorrow is your coming-of-age ceremony. Perhaps it's not appropriate for you to go to the palace at this time?"

Ignoring Gu Canyang's teasing, Lu Feng tentatively asked.

After all, he was not mentally prepared to meet his father-in-law on his first visit to the palace.

"What's wrong with that?"

With her hands on her hips, Consort Ren Xuan once again displayed her usual carefree attitude. "Oh well! We'll have to meet sooner or later anyway. Besides, with your talent and strength, you might even gain Father Emperor's favor."

"Uh, this..."

Lu Feng was speechless for a moment, but then he felt a chill run down his spine and whirled around, shouting, "Who?!"

"Such keen insight, young friend, you are indeed no ordinary person."

As a deep, aged voice echoed, a figure in black robes appeared, his face calm as he looked at Lu Feng. It was none other than Han Lao, one of the experts under Ren Xuanfei's command.

"Mr. Han, have you finished?"

When Ren Xuanfei saw Old Han appear, she was also stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to act so swiftly.

"As the princess entrusted us, Li Gang and the others have all been executed."

Nodding slightly, Old Han shifted his gaze back to Lu Feng opposite him, seemingly quite interested in this young man as well.

After all, the other party not only gained the appreciation of his master, Consort Ren Xuan, but also possessed considerable strength. At just over twenty years old, his cultivation had already reached the third level of the Spirit Soul Realm, making him a peerless genius!

"Junior Lu Feng pays respects to Senior Han."

Lu Feng also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, a gesture he habitually performed.

Although the other party was only Ren Xuanfei's personal bodyguard and they weren't close, as the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face, so basic courtesy was still necessary.

"Young friend Lu, you're too kind."

With a flick of his sleeve, Han Lao gestured to Lu Feng that there was no need for him to be so polite, and then continued, "Although I am merely an old servant under the princess's command, I have served her for many years and know that she has always been a person of her own mind."

"Therefore, the princess must have her own plans for inviting young friend Lu to the palace."

Mr. Han's tone was meaningful.

Seeing this, Consort Ren Xuan also stepped forward and interjected, "Old Han is right. Moreover, my coming-of-age ceremony will be held outside the Qianqing Hall where Father Emperor usually holds court. You will meet sooner or later."

"Lu Feng, you're usually quite bold, so why have you become so timid? Are you afraid to enter the palace because you're stage fright?"

After saying that, Ren Xuanfei crossed her arms and looked at Lu Feng with a provocative expression, clearly using a goading tactic.

"When did this girl learn to use reverse psychology?"

Seeing this, Lu Feng felt helpless but had no reason to refuse, so he immediately nodded.

After all, the word "fear" has never existed in his dictionary.

As for Lu Feng's initial reluctance to enter the palace, it was only because he did not want to cause trouble for Consort Ren Xuan. After all, she was the eldest princess of Dongyun Kingdom and the most beloved daughter of the current emperor, Ren Tianxing, while he was just an unknown rogue cultivator. The difference in their status was huge!

"Hehe, that's more like it!"

Seeing Lu Feng finally nod, Ren Xuanfei grinned, revealing a long-lost smile, as if her scheme had finally succeeded.

...

The next morning at dawn, outside the Qianqing Hall of the Imperial Palace...

Although it was just dawn, a large crowd had already gathered outside the palace. Most of them were high-ranking officials, nobles, and important court officials. The lowest-ranking among them was a fifth-rank official, and there were also many scions of aristocratic families. There were hardly any easy people among them!

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, glancing occasionally toward the Qianqing Hall across the hall. Their faces were filled with excitement, as if they were waiting for some important figure to appear.

"I've heard that His Majesty will be attending Princess's coming-of-age ceremony today. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true! That's His Majesty's most beloved Princess Luochuan. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that Her Highness is a woman, His Majesty would probably have even passed the title of Crown Prince to Princess Luochuan...!"

"That makes sense! After all, Princess Luochuan's treatment within the royal family is unparalleled, far surpassing even that of the Crown Prince, let alone the other princes born out of wedlock..."

"Hey! If I, this young master, could win the favor of Her Highness the Princess, I dare not say I would rise to the top overnight, but at the very least I would rise rapidly in rank, second only to the Princess!"

"Dude, I advise you to stop daydreaming. Who is Her Highness the Princess? Even the son of the current prime minister and the young master of the Yun family look down on her, let alone a toad like you?"

Outside the hall, a crowd of people had come to offer their congratulations, and their discussions were incessant. Lu Feng was also among them.

However, compared to the group of high-ranking officials, nobles and scions of aristocratic families around him dressed in gorgeous clothes, Lu Feng was wearing a gray robe, which was not only very ordinary, but also had no servants with him, making him seem somewhat out of place.

At this moment, some officials and noblemen in the crowd noticed Lu Feng, who was dressed simply and looked unremarkable. A hint of contempt appeared on their faces, and their eyes were full of disdain as they looked at him.

"Where did this poor kid come from?"

"Strange, how did a poor boy of unknown origin manage to sneak into Princess Luochuan's coming-of-age ceremony?"

"I think those Imperial Guards are a bunch of good-for-nothings. As the Imperial Guards protecting the capital, they're letting even the most insignificant Tom, Dick, and Harry in. If they accidentally disturb Princess Luochuan, those good-for-nothings will probably lose their heads!"

Whispers arose again among the crowd, with most of the officials and noblemen looking at Lu Feng with disdain and mockery, as if they regarded him as a commoner who had accidentally wandered into the area.

Despite the disdain and contempt of the people around him, Lu Feng did not react at all. He remained standing still, his gaze fixed on the Qianqing Hall not far away, as if he were oblivious to everything around him.

"Hmph! Where did this poor country bumpkin come from! This is the forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace, not a place for commoners like you to set foot in. Now get lost!"

Seeing that Lu Feng was still standing with his hands behind his back, pretending to be an expert without saying a word, a young man in brocade robes in the crowd frowned slightly and immediately stepped forward and angrily rebuked him.

However, Lu Feng ignored the young man's rebuke without turning his head.

"You little brat! How dare you ignore me, you're asking for death!"

Seeing that Lu Feng had ignored him, the young man in brocade robes was also furious. He immediately raised his hand and grabbed the man's neck with a claw, clearly intending to kill him!

"That poor kid is doomed!"

"How dare this mere commoner provoke the son of the current Minister of Justice? He must be tired of living!"

"Unexpectedly, Princess Luochuan's coming-of-age ceremony hasn't even started yet, and a death has already occurred. This is going to be interesting..."

Seeing the young man in brocade robes suddenly attack, a murmur arose from the crowd outside the hall. Most of them looked at Lu Feng with schadenfreude, as if he were already a corpse.

After all, the young man in brocade robes was not only quite strong, having reached the sixth level of the Meridian Opening Realm, but his father was also the current Minister of Justice, a high-ranking official of the second rank. He was not someone that Lu Feng, a small, unknown rogue cultivator, could afford to offend!