People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"That's right, but I wonder which disciple of Guigu it is."

As far as he knew, there were only two disciples of Guigu in this generation: one named Gai Nie and the other named Wei Zhuang. He knew nothing else about them.

Cao Ze and Han Fei continued to linger in the cold palace.

Wei Zhuang did not actually leave. He stood outside the main hall of the Cold Palace, coldly watching the hall.

He suddenly felt a sense of disgust.

He hates it when people come in and disturb him when he's alone and reminiscing.

What are they looking for?

Wei Zhuang's cold eyes narrowed slightly, wanting to see through the main hall what these two were up to.

He was very familiar with everything in the Cold Palace, and there was nothing worth looking for.

It's also possible that he overlooked something.

He pondered for a moment, then jumped off the roof.

An hour later, Cao Ze and Han Fei walked out of the main hall.

They conducted a cursory search and found hundreds of scrolls, but none of them had the words "Azure Dragon" on them.

Han Fei covered his burning forehead. "I can't take it anymore. I need to go back and take my medicine and rest."

Cao Ze had no choice but to leave temporarily.

As he passed by the Cold Palace Lake, he suddenly paused and looked at the peach trees on the small island in the middle of the lake, where not a single peach blossom remained.

He remembered that in the original novel, Wei Zhuang threw the "Azure Dragon" scroll he found into this lake, and then it was found by Mo Ya.

Could this scroll be the one Wei Zhuang found in the lake?

Cao Ze and Han Fei walked through the broken bluestone corridor and arrived at an empty square.

A person dressed in a black robe stood with his back to them on a tall stone pillar in the moonlight.

Han Fei whispered, "Brother Cao, it's that person."

Cao Ze said with a faint smile, "Let's go, let's ignore him."

Han Fei chuckled: "Good idea."

Wei Zhuang, holding his sword, stood atop a tall stone pillar and glimpsed the two men leaving.

A cold wind howled, making his clothes flutter loudly.

Cao Ze and Han Fei turned around and waved to Wei Zhuang on the stone pillar: "See you tomorrow, brother."

Wei Zhuang's angular face stiffened for a moment. He suddenly felt that he had been presumptuous. These two were complete idiots!

Did they recognize him, or were they just naturally oblivious?

……

The next day, Cao Ze rode his new love, Tasi, to the Han King's Palace to find Honglian.

Han Fei originally intended to be Cao Ze's third wheel, shining light on all sides.

Unfortunately, he had a headache, fever, and felt weak all over, so he could only follow Zhang Liang's advice, take good care of himself, and not go out unnecessarily.

They could only watch helplessly as Cao Ze reached out his evil claws to his sister, powerless to do anything about it.

"What a beast..."

Han Fei groaned as he lay on his sickbed, secretly vowing to stop his younger sister.

Cao Ze, a womanizer, is no good match for you!

Zhang Liang brought in the medicine and saw Han Fei looking utterly dejected. He asked curiously, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Han Fei pinched his nose and forced the medicine down his throat. "Sigh! What a miserable life!"

"Let's not talk about that beast anymore. Zifang, how much do you know about the old royal palace of Zheng, which is now that desolate cold palace?"

Zhang Liang, being a well-read man, shared what he knew upon hearing this.

After listening, Han Fei shook his head slightly, confirming that it wasn't much different from what he already knew.

Zhang Liang asked, "Brother, is there something you need?"

"It's okay, you go ahead and do your work, I'm going to sleep a little longer."

Han Fei did not readily reveal the matter of the Azure Dragon scroll.

If things go wrong, it could destabilize Xinzheng.

He now has mixed feelings of love and hate for Cao Ze.

He resented that he had to tell him about this thing; wasn't he just deliberately trying to pique his curiosity?

Cao Ze was unaware of his brother-in-law's resentment.

He is now enthusiastically telling Honglian a story from "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Honglian sat on the stone bench, her hands supporting her chin, listening intently to Cao Ze's story without blinking. Her facial expressions changed constantly, as if she were completely absorbed in the tale.

Cao Ze took a sip of tea and carefully examined Honglian, who was still savoring the memory.

A flowing pink dress, a beautifully styled updo with jet-black hair, and cherry-red lips.

Her long, thick eyelashes were clearly visible in her amber pupils.

"Your Highness, let's stop here for today."

Honglian shook her head vigorously, "No, no, tell me more, I want to see what happens next."

"Well... I need to go down and think about the rest."

Honglian said coquettishly, "Sir is the best. Just a little bit more, just a little bit more~"

Cao Ze firmly refused; he was not one to be seduced by beauty!

He knew very well that Honglian was now pushing her luck.

If they discover he still has a large amount of stock, they will not rest until they have completely wiped out his stock.

The good days are far from over; he has to take it slow and feed the little princess little by little.

Honglian tried everything she could, but Cao Ze remained unmoved.

She immediately sat down with her arms crossed, turned her little head to the side, and pouted so much her lips could hold a soy sauce bottle, "I'm never talking to you again!"

"Chapter Thirty-Six: Embroidered Mandarin Ducks foretell a Dream in Jiangyun Pavilion; Understanding Fate and Determining Love in Lixiang Courtyard."

Honglian's little head seemed to be forcibly held in place, straightened, and her eyes shone brightly.

"To be continued..."

"Ahhh!"

Honglian clutched her head in despair, her loud screams nearly killing Cao Ze.

"Oh! Princess Honglian, what's wrong with you...?"

Supported by a maid, Hu Meiren strolled in. Upon hearing Honglian scream in front of Cao Ze, she almost mistook Cao Ze for someone who intended to take advantage of Honglian.

Honglian was so angry that her rather large breasts heaved uncontrollably.

She glared fiercely at Cao Ze.

Cao Ze bowed to Lady Hu and said, "Greetings, Lady Hu."

In this era, "beauty" was a rank in the imperial harem; above "beauty" were only the queen and the consort.

After the Queen's early death, in the Han King's palace, apart from Lady Myungju, Lady Hu held the highest position.

Hu Meiren smiled sweetly and said, "Sir, are you telling Princess Honglian a story from 'Dream of the Red Chamber'?"

Taking advantage of her improved relationship with Honglian, she frequently visited her, trying to find an opportunity to befriend Honglian. Unexpectedly, she encountered Cao Ze here.

Honglian said with a frustrated look, "Telling only half the story is really unfair!"

Cao Ze chuckled awkwardly. He had originally intended to tease Honglian a bit, then give her a treat and continue talking. But who knew that Hu Meiren would come over and put him on top of her like that?

Hu Meiren chuckled and said sweetly, "Then, sir, could you please continue telling me and Princess Honglian some more, for my sake?"

Honglian looked at Cao Ze with eager anticipation.

"Respect is not as good as obedience."

Cao Ze cleared his throat and began to tell the story of "Dream of the Red Chamber" again.

Winter days are short, and soon the sky darkens.

Honglian really wanted Cao Ze to stay overnight and listen to stories all night, but due to the rules of the palace and the presence of Consort Hu, she could only reluctantly bid farewell to Cao Ze.

Cao Ze and Consort Hu walked out of the Red Lotus Palace together.

Hu Meiren stopped and suddenly said, "Sir, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Please speak, Miss Hu."

"I have an older sister, she..."

Chapter 244 Clouds Think of Clothes, Flowers Think of Faces

After hearing Consort Hu's request, Cao Ze smiled and said, "I have long heard that Your Highness and Madam Hu have a very good relationship. I will definitely help with this matter."

Hu Meiren smiled sweetly and charmingly: "Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."

Cao Ze, led by a palace maid, prepared to leave the palace.

He had not gone far from the Red Lotus Palace when he was stopped by another palace maid.

"Mr. Cao Ze, your wife requests your presence."

"Madam? Is it Madam Mingzhu?" Cao Ze recognized the palace maid as the one Madam Mingzhu had taken with her when she went to Consort Hu's place that day.

"Yes, please follow me, sir."

Cao thought back for a moment and realized that he didn't seem to have any grudges against Madam Mingzhu.

"Lead the way."