Jun Wuzhou instinctively wanted to strike Jun Wuyuan, who had come close.
However, thinking of the pleasant night tour just now, he managed to hold back.
What if Shi Wei got angry again and kicked him out of the room tonight?
So, Jun Wuyuan, who had only intended to show off, saw Jun Wuzhou smiling at him like a ghost. He got goosebumps all over.
For some unknown reason, Jun Wuyuan didn't even want to give him a glance.
There was no other reason.
He just felt disgusted!
"An invitation to Lady Jiang Wang's birthday banquet?"
Fortunately, Yu Shiwei, the normal one among them, diverted the spark that had quietly flared up between the two men.
Ling Shan gave Jun Wuyuan and Jun Wuzhou a sidelong glance, then stepped forward and took Yu Shiwei's hand, walking towards Songyuan.
Not to mention anything else, Ling Shan had really felt relaxed and happy during these two days in Liangzhou.
Here, Jun Wuyuan was no longer the high - and - mighty emperor in the palace.
Jun Wuzhou was no longer the King Ding who galloped on the battlefield, and they were no longer concubines.
She had witnessed Jun Wuyuan's childish side that few people knew, and the worry and fear hidden in her heart had quietly dissipated a lot.
Maybe, even if true love was changeable.
Even if Jun Wuyuan no longer had true feelings for her in the future and had a new lover by his side, he might not treat her too badly.
At worst, she would step aside and let them be lovey - dovey. As long as the "break - up fee" was enough, she would disappear without a trace.
By then, with money in hand, why would she need a man?
With such thoughts, the dark clouds in Ling Shan's heart dispersed a lot.
She pulled Yu Shiwei and left, chatting and laughing together!
Yes, neither of them looked back at the two men behind.
Jun Wuyuan and Jun Wuzhou were both stunned.
They looked at each other, with a sense of shared misfortune. They quickly chased after them pitifully.
---
Time quickly came to the sixtieth birthday of Lady Jiang Wang, the mother of Jiang Qiming, the prefect of Liangzhou. She was from the Wang family of Langya and the half - sister of Grand Tutor Wang.
Using the name of Shen Jiulang, Jun Wuyuan got the invitation that night and took Ling Shan to the Jiang Mansion.
As the "local overlord" of Liangzhou, the Jiang Mansion was, of course, well - located, large, and magnificent.
Not only had it merged the two neighboring houses on the left and right on the basis of the original prefect's mansion, but also a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources had been spent to turn the mansion into a wonderland.
Even the Wang Mansion in Chang'an was not as imposing as the Jiang Mansion in Liangzhou.
It was obvious how "honest and clean" this so - called "very kind and caring for the people" Prefect Jiang was!
Ling Shan and Jun Wuyuan only brought a young servant and a maid this time. After passing through the magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, they were finally led by the servants into the flower hall.
Almost all the prominent figures in the officialdom and military in Liangzhou were sitting in the hall.
When Jun Wuyuan was led in, the conversation in the hall was in full swing.
The moment they saw him, it suddenly fell into a dead silence. Pairs of sharp eyes like those of a hawk looked over, sizing him up and down.
"I am Shen Jiulang of the Shen family in Jiangzhou. Greetings to all my lords."
---
On the other side, in the flower hall specially for female guests, Ling Shan showed only her face with Xiaoman by her side. Immediately, she caught everyone's attention in the hall.
Firstly, her face was too beautiful and delicate, and secondly, she looked too young.
Most of the ladies in the hall were middle - aged women with children. When they suddenly saw this young and unfamiliar woman, they stopped talking about rouge, powder, jewelry, and precious stones.
Under the gazes of so many people, Ling Shan showed no sign of timidity on her face.
She exuded an air of confidence and calmness. A closer look at her whole body and head ornaments revealed a touch of nobility.
"Greetings to all the ladies. I am the... wife of Shen Jiulang of the Shen family in Jiangzhou."
All the ladies: "......"
The more gentle and well - mannered ones were still willing to give Ling Shan a smile, but most of them?
They really weren't.
They had, of course, heard of the name of the Shen family in Jiangzhou.
However...
When did the wife of a certain young master from a small wealthy merchant family have the qualification to sit with them?
If it weren't for the high status of Prefect Jiang in Liangzhou, they would really have lost their tempers!
However, even if they didn't lose their tempers.
There were constant open and veiled sarcasm, disdain, and ridicule.
Ling Shan kept smiling throughout, showing no sign of embarrassment or other emotions.
Seeing this, the ladies felt as if they had punched cotton. They got bored and changed the topic.
Ling Shan held the tea cup and took a sip from time to time, silently filtering the information from their conversations.
Prefect Jiang had held this birthday banquet grandly. All the prominent figures had crowded into the prefect's mansion.
The whole prefect's mansion had been bustling all day. The sound of the opera had been continuous, and the servants with happy faces had been coming and going.
Under this happy atmosphere, the smiling Jiang Qiming didn't know that his Jiang family had fallen into a big net.
Jun Wuyuan had long made arrangements for Liangzhou. This birthday banquet was like adding wings to a tiger.
However, Jun Wuyuan had miscalculated one thing, which almost made him regret it for the rest of his life!
The sound of music lingered in the ears. Gradually, the birthday banquet entered the next stage.
Ling Shan seemingly quietly followed the crowd at a proper distance, but in her mind, she had already quietly planned the implementation of today's plan.
Although she could no longer hear Jun Wuyuan's thoughts, she roughly knew what the plan was.
Passing through the lush flowers and trees, from time to time, some ladies took a breath of fresh air in the garden and among the rockeries, on their way to the stage.
Ling Shan had no interest in listening to the opera at all. She planned to secretly collect information from the ladies' conversations and observe the layout of the mansion by the way, just in case.
"Can you contact the hidden guards? I can roughly confirm the existence of the secret passages and the secret room in the mansion. It's best to send the news out as soon as possible!"
The trip to Liangzhou had been in preparation for too long. If they couldn't solve the problem quickly, it would be troublesome.
Xiaoman bent down, pretending to wipe Ling Shan's head, but answered in a very low voice, "Don't worry, madam. I have my own way."
Ling Shan whispered the location, and soon Xiaoman sent the news out in the way the hidden guards used to communicate.
After strolling around the garden for another round, on the way to the stage supported by Xiaoman, Ling Shan suddenly noticed something strange.
The stage was located in the southeast corner. To the south was a dilapidated plum garden that had been abandoned for a long time. The shabby door was hidden behind the heavy rockeries, as if hiding something.
Most importantly, as soon as she walked into this rockery forest, Xiaoman, who had been standing closely beside Ling Shan, unexpectedly disappeared!
"Madam?!"
Xiaoman's voice seemed to be still very close, but in front of her was a vast expanse of white mist.
Ling Shan couldn't see clearly at all. Even after answering and walking towards the voice, all she touched was the rocks...
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Ling Shan closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths one by one.
Suddenly, she seemed to smell a delicate fragrance...