Chapter 683: Secret Meeting in Langyuan (I)

Noon, Langyuan, West Lake.

This is where Liu Xunyi first met Luo Ningyu and Lin Fangda. At that time, the two sides did not know each other through fighting, but unexpectedly, they formed an indissoluble bond from then on, and started a "journey in the world" that Liu Xunyi would never forget.

Today, when Liu Xunyi came to West Lake Langyuan again, times had changed and things and people were no longer the same.

Wearing a bamboo hat, Liu Xunyi walked on the busy street, looking around at the taverns and teahouses that were both familiar and unfamiliar. Past scenes involuntarily came to his mind, making him think a lot and feel a lot of emotion.

At this moment, he seemed to hear Lin Fangda's heroic speech in the restaurant again: "Beyond the mountains, there are green mountains, beyond the buildings, and the singing and dancing in the West Lake never stop. The tourists are drunk by the warm wind and mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou."

Thinking back to the past, it seemed like it was about this time, but unexpectedly three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

It was still early at this time, so although there were many people walking on the street, only a few of them actually patronized the restaurant.

Therefore, most of the bars and teahouses on the street are empty and very deserted. Some small shops even keep their doors closed and only open to welcome customers at dusk.

He walked forward in a low profile and headed straight to a restaurant he often visited. Today, Liu Xunyi did not sit by the lake like he did before, but went upstairs with his head down and sat in a corner on the second floor.

This is so for two reasons.

Firstly, Lin'an City is a mixed crowd right now, and there are countless gangsters wandering around the city, looking for Liu Xunyi's whereabouts. As the target of public criticism, he naturally dares not show up in a high-profile manner to avoid trouble.

Secondly, Liu Xunyi had an appointment with someone today, so he chose a secluded place on the second floor for a secret meeting.

"Is this your first time here, sir? What kind of wine would you like to drink?"

As soon as Liu Xunyi sat down, the waiter came up to him excitedly, wiping the table with a rag and chatting with Liu Xunyi with a flattering smile.

"Same old." Liu Xunyi took off his hat casually and blurted out at the same time.

"Same old?" The waiter was startled, staring blankly at the absent-minded Liu Xunyi, and said in astonishment, "Sir, what you mean is..."

Liu Xunyi suddenly realized that he had not been to the restaurant for three years. Even the waiters had been replaced by new ones and they didn't recognize him at all. How could they know what the "old same" he was talking about was?
"Little Second Brother, I want a jar of apricot blossom wine!"

"Okay! Please sit down for a moment, the best apricot blossom wine will be here soon!"

Looking at the waiter's receding back, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but laugh at himself, and then let out a helpless sigh.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a low sound of footsteps came from the stairs, which startled Liu Xunyi. His right hand subconsciously reached for the bamboo hat on the table, and his eyes stared at the stairs without blinking, as if he wanted to identify who was coming as soon as possible so that he could make the necessary response.

After a while, a slightly clumsy figure came slowly. The man stood at the stairs and looked around. Seeing that the second floor was empty with only a table of guests in the corner, he immediately showed joy on his face, and then walked towards Liu Xunyi breathlessly.

The person who came was none other than the "distinguished guest" that Liu Xunyi had an appointment with, the young prince Zhao Yu.

"Master, I finally found you."

As he approached, Zhao Yu ignored Liu Xunyi's greetings and sat down at the table. He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and complained: "All the restaurants and teahouses here are the same. There are no plaques on the door. I wandered around and went to the wrong ones."

"My Lord, please forgive me. I am in a dangerous situation and have no choice but to find a place like this where it is not easy for others to find me to meet you." Liu Xunyi apologized, "I deserve to die for making my Lord search for me in the hot sun."

"Hey!" Seeing Liu Xunyi being so modest, Zhao Yu was a little shy. "It's not your fault. It's all because of those servants who are good-for-nothings. They usually boast that they have walked through all the streets and alleys in Lin'an and know every nook and cranny. But when they are really used, they are like headless flies, just bumping around everywhere."

"Oh?" Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows and asked cautiously, "The young prince has brought his entourage?"

"Don't worry, we are all family." Zhao Yu knew what Liu Xunyi was thinking and comforted her, "I'll have them guard downstairs, so you and I can talk about the past without worry."

"So good!"

While they were talking, the waiter brought a jar of apricot blossom wine to the table, and then placed two wine bowls on the table, ready to pour wine for Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xie.

"Go down! We'll pour the wine ourselves." Liu Xunyi placed a silver ingot on the table and ordered, "I'll reserve the second floor for now. No outsiders are allowed to come up."

"Little understands."

The waiter's eyes lit up and he quickly picked up the silver ingot on the table, then ran downstairs happily.

"Master, I'll pour you some wine!"

Whether out of guilt or pity, Zhao Xie took the initiative to pick up the wine jar and wanted to serve Liu Xunyi wine.

"No! Absolutely not!" Liu Xunyi hurriedly grabbed the wine jar, "My young prince is worth a lot of money. If you pour me some wine, wouldn't that be embarrassing for me?"

After that, Liu Xunyi respectfully filled a bowl for Zhao Yu and carefully pushed it in front of him. "Master, what is the relationship between you and me? Why do we have to stick to these conventional etiquettes?" Zhao Yu was not polite either. He picked up the wine bowl and gulped down half of it. Then he wiped his mouth and said directly, "What do you want to talk to me about? Just speak frankly!"

"I want to thank the young prince in person!" Liu Xunyi said solemnly, "First, if the young prince hadn't arrived at Tianji Pavilion in time this morning, I would have been severely punished. Second, if the young prince hadn't pleaded for me in front of the marquis, I would never have been able to get my freedom."

"It's just a trivial matter, why bother about it?" Zhao Yu smiled awkwardly, "In fact, I suddenly rushed to Tianji Pavilion, not with the original intention of saving you, but I just happened to meet Zhao Yuan and Qiu Han who made things difficult for you."

"Oh?" Liu Xunyi showed curiosity, "Then who is the young prince..."

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me when I tell you this." Zhao Yu smiled. "When you left Prince Rong's Mansion last night, you looked very strange. I was worried that you would do something stupid because you missed Sister Xin, so I hurriedly chased you out and wanted to persuade you. But unexpectedly, your Qinggong was too good, and I couldn't catch up with you no matter how hard I chased you. In the end, I could only chase you to Tianji Pavilion. I met Xiao Dingzi, and he told me that you were in trouble. Then I saw many people in Tianji Pavilion, and many people were rushing to Qin Wei's residence in a hurry, so I asked Xiao Dingzi to lead the way to find you, and then I ran into Qiu Han who was aggressive..."

"So that's how it is." Liu Xunyi suddenly realized, and then his expression changed. He bowed to Zhao Xie again and thanked him, "Even so, it is a fact that the young prince saved me. I am very grateful."

"Hehe, it was just an accident!" Zhao Yu laughed, "But I did plead for you in front of Zhao Yuan with all my heart. It was bad enough that you were betrayed by Qin Wei and lost Sister Xin. If they restricted your freedom, wouldn't that be even worse? I couldn't stand it, so I said a few fair words."

"Your Highness spoke for justice and said what I wanted to say but didn't dare to say." Liu Xunyi thanked him, "No matter what, Your Highness has been kind to me, and I will never forget it."

"Master, you didn't think I was stupid and patiently taught me martial arts. Compared to your kindness to me, what is this little favor of mine worth?"

After that, Zhao Yu raised his wine bowl and toasted to Liu Xunyi, saying seriously, "Come on! Let's imitate those people in the martial arts world, drink big gulps of wine and eat big chunks of meat! After drinking this bowl of wine, you must tell me about your experiences in the outside world in the past two years. I am very curious about the things in the martial arts world."

"The young prince has ordered me to do what he has ordered." Liu Xunyi forced a smile, "It's just that... it's not the right time right now. When I have the chance in the future, I will report everything I have seen and heard to the young prince."

"Inappropriate?" Zhao Yu didn't seem to understand Liu Xunyi's implication. "Why? Do you have something else to do?"

"To be honest, I... do have an urgent matter." Liu Xunyi mustered up his courage and said hesitantly, "In fact, I invited the young prince here, in addition to thanking him in person, I also have... an unreasonable request."

"Unreasonable request?" Zhao Yu was stunned. After a moment's thought, he was immediately horrified. "Master, you don't want me to take you to see Sister Xin, do you? Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Regardless of whether I can do it or not, even if I can, I dare not help you. If I help you, it will be against the will of the emperor's uncle and the strict order of my father. At that time, not only you will be unlucky, but also the little king will be unlucky. Even Sister Xin... will not have a good ending."

"My Lord, you misunderstood!" Liu Xunyi said hurriedly, "I know your difficulties very well and would never force you to do anything."

"Are you serious?" Zhao Yu was skeptical. "I'm not smart, please don't lie to me."

"Really?" Liu Xunyi said solemnly, "This is a forbidden area in the imperial palace. How dare I trespass?"

"That's good!" Zhao Yu heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I feel relieved that you think this way. Otherwise, I would regret telling you the truth."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help feeling bitter and smiled miserably.

"Go ahead!" Zhao Yu put his hand on Liu Xunyi's shoulder and promised solemnly, "As long as you don't let me take you to see Sister Xin, I can agree to everything else."

"Really?"

"My uncle's word is as firm as nine, my father's word is as firm as eight, and as for me... at the very least, my word is as firm as seven." Zhao Xie joked, "Besides, given our relationship, how could I possibly refuse you? Hehe..."

"I want to ask the young prince, you..." Liu Xunyi thought over and over again, speaking incoherently and hesitantly, "You..."

"You what?"

"Can you see the princess now?"

"This..." Zhao Yu frowned and asked cautiously, "What do you mean? What if I see him? What if I don't see him?"

"I hope the young prince will speak frankly!"

Zhao Yu frowned, pondering Liu Xunyi's intentions in his mind. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly nodded: "According to common sense, I can't see it."

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Xunyi's face suddenly became much darker.

"But if I want to see her, there is still a way to see her." Zhao Yu said proudly, "After all, the little prince is the nephew of the current emperor, and the princess is my sister who grew up with me. Therefore, it is not impossible for me to meet her."

Liu Xunyi's expression changed, and an irrepressible joy burst out from the depths of his eyes.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu subconsciously withdrew his hand from Liu Xunyi's shoulder and asked tentatively: "Master, what... do you want to do?"

"Little prince!"

Before Zhao Yu finished speaking, Liu Xunyi suddenly straightened his expression and fell to his knees with a plop. In front of Zhao Yu's astonished gaze, he took out a letter from his arms and tremblingly handed it to Zhao Yu, begging: "I dare not ask to see Xin'er, but I hope that the little prince can deliver this letter to the palace and hand it to Xin'er personally... If so, I will die without regrets!"

……

(End of this chapter)