It was a special day for Qianlong in Yangxin Palace Hall because the distinguished guest he summoned today was not a royal noble, nor was he a prince or minister. This person was a commoner, a commoner that Qianlong rarely summoned once a year. Although this person was a commoner, he was quite a threat to Qianlong. In other words, this person was not safe for Qianlong. How could a commoner pose a threat to the emperor? Perhaps no one would believe it, but Bu Qingfeng was such a person.
Young Master Bu, have some tea." Qianlong picked up the hot tea that the palace maids had just served and said to Bu Qingfeng, who was sitting opposite him.
"Your Majesty is too polite. The three words 'Young Master Bu' are not worthy of Qing Feng's title. If Your Majesty doesn't mind, just call me by my name!”Bu Qingfeng finished his sentence with a smile and slowly took a sip of tea. Although it was his first time meeting the emperor, his face was not red and his hands did not tremble. In Qianlong's eyes, he really had the air of a general and was calm.
"Good tea, fragrant and sweet.”Bu Qingfeng praised.
"This tea comes from the Western Regions. Its fragrance and taste are naturally incomparable to ordinary tea.”Qianlong changed the topic and cut to the chase."Qingfeng, do you know why I summoned you?”Bu Qingfeng's face still had that calm smile.
"This commoner naturally doesn't know. This commoner is a martial artist and has never interacted with anyone from the royal family. This time, the emperor suddenly summoned this commoner, and this commoner is really uneasy and terrified!”Bu Qingfeng was just being polite, but that was not what he was thinking. Of course, he knew why Qianlong had asked him to come. Other than the so-called orthodox sects and evil sects, there were probably less than five people who could influence the entire martial arts world. However, Bu Qingfeng's Howling Moon Manor could definitely be ranked in the top five. The founder of the Howling Moon Manor was Bu Qingfeng's grandfather, Bu Zhennan. After three generations and several decades, it finally bore fruit in the hands of Bu Qingfeng, who was only 26 years old.
Bu Qingfeng had taken over the Howling Moon Manor from his late father when he was 22 years old. At that time, the Howling Moon Manor already had more than a hundred members. Although it was not powerful enough in the martial world, its influence and prestige could not be underestimated. In less than four years, the reputation of the Howling Moon Manor in the pugilistic world had increased by several times after it had fallen into Bu Qingfeng's hands. The current Moonhowl Manor had more than 300 disciples, and it had become an important character that could stir up a storm in the martial world. This was Qianlong's current worry.
It was rumored that Bu Qingfeng was both good and evil, and he was popular in both the underworld and the underworld. If Bu Qingfeng and his Howling Moon Manor could not be used by the imperial court, and if they colluded with unworthy people one day and rebelled, it would definitely cause great losses to the imperial court. Therefore, Qianlong summoned Bu Qingfeng today for two reasons. First, he wanted to meet this legendary figure. Second, he wanted to find a way to make this person join the Imperial Court and become one of his people. This way, he, as the Emperor, would have no worries.
"I heard rumors that you are an extraordinary big shot. Seeing you today, you really live up to your reputation.”Qianlong didn't compliment Bu Qingfeng. He spoke from the bottom of his heart. Regardless of Bu Qingfeng's appearance, just based on the way he spoke and the bearing he displayed, from his perspective as the ruler of a country, he could tell that this person was definitely not an ordinary person. He was definitely a talented general that people could look forward to.
"Thank you for your praise, Emperor." Bu Qingfeng raised his thick eyebrows and chuckled,""Please forgive this commoner's rudeness. This commoner thought that the emperor didn't summon this commoner into the palace to praise this commoner, right? If the emperor has something to say, please say it directly, this commoner is listening!”
Qianlong nodded and said,"Alright, then I'll be straightforward." Although today is the first time we meet, I feel like I've hit it off with you. Out of love for talent, I want to reward you with a position so that you can serve the court. What do you think?" Bu Qingfeng's expression changed, but he still replied with his usual calm smile,""I am truly grateful that the emperor thinks highly of me, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the emperor this time.”
" You mean..." Bu Qingfeng's tall body bowed to Qianlong and said,""Thanks to the emperor's love, this commoner should do his best and serve the court, but this commoner knows that he is not cut out to be an official. I'm a martial artist and I'm used to living a free life. I'll just be the owner of my Howling Moon Manor. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the emperor's expectations of being an official.”
"You're too polite and humble.”
Qianlong smiled." There will definitely be some areas that you won't be able to adapt to in the beginning, but I believe that with time, you will definitely be able to adapt very well." You're only in your twenties. Not only do you have a good appearance, but your martial arts are also first-class. I also heard that your knowledge is also very good. If a talent like you is buried among the people, it's not only my loss, but also the loss of the entire country!”Qianlong thought that since he was speaking to a commoner in such a humble manner, no matter how stubborn Bu Qingfeng was, he should at least give him some face.
However, Bu Qingfeng only smiled and said in a relaxed tone,""The emperor speaks too well of this commoner! Forgive me for being bold, but I hope the emperor can give up on this matter of being an official. Qingfeng believes that there are many young people who are more outstanding than Qingfeng waiting for the emperor to discover.”
" You..." Qianlong couldn't help but glare at Bu Qingfeng angrily, and his tone became stern,""I've been so sincere in recruiting you, but you're still unmoved?”Bu Qingfeng and Qianlong's eyes met without a trace of fear. He said in a clear and powerful voice,""I know that I have offended the emperor. If the emperor punishes me because of this, I will not say anything else.”After saying that, his tall body knelt straight in front of Qianlong. Qianlong glared at Bu Qingfeng but didn't say anything.
Of course, he could punish Bu Qingfeng. As the ruler of a country, he could decide whether Bu Qingfeng lived or died. However, if he really did this, how would he convince the masses and the people of the world? More importantly, he did not want to kill such a promising young man. Bu Qingfeng's existence might pose a threat to him, but the thing he was worried about had not happened yet. It might not happen in the future. If he died just like that, wouldn't it be a pity? He sighed and said helplessly,""Get up, I won't force you.”
"Thank you, Emperor!" Bu Qingfeng stood up, his expression calm as if he had expected Qianlong to do this. However, if he thought that Qianlong would give up so easily, then he was underestimating the young emperor.
Qian Long patted Bu Qingfeng's shoulder and said with a smile,""Although you rejected this one's good intentions, this one still loves you. I wonder if you can include this one in your list of friends?”Qianlong was retreating in order to advance. In any case, there was still time. He was confident that he could slowly subdue this stubborn stone. Qianlong's sudden request surprised Bu Qingfeng. He had thought of all kinds of possible situations, but he never thought that Qianlong would want to be friends with him. One was a noble monarch, and the other was an ordinary warrior. One of them was the Son of Heaven and the other was the owner of the villa.
Was it possible for these two people who were worlds apart to be friends? Bu Qingfeng stared at Qianlong with his probing eyes. There was only sincerity on Qianlong's smiling face, and not a trace of hypocrisy could be seen.
"Qing Feng feels extremely honored to receive the emperor's favor.”Bu Qingfeng said, convinced. In this round, he had won face, but he had lost inside. What a good Qianlong. He was convinced that he had lost.
" Haha!" Qianlong's happy laughter echoed in Yangxin Palace Hall.
"Alright, Qingfeng." He smiled and looked at Bu Qingfeng," I'll make you my friend. If I ever need to go out in civilian clothes, you'll be my best bodyguard." You can't escape. I must make you go with me.”
"Qingfeng understands, Your Majesty." Bu Qingfeng smiled on his face, but his heart was filled with bitterness. Qianlong seemed to be really happy. He smiled and said,"Accompany zhen to the imperial garden for a walk! Let me show off my beautiful garden.”
"Understood!" The imperial garden was always lively in the afternoon. In this mid-autumn season where it was warm and cold, although the flowers in the garden were not as numerous and beautiful as in spring and summer, they could still smell the fragrance of flowers everywhere. This scene was as beautiful as it could be. It was simply unforgettable and deeply intoxicated. The imperial garden would never be lonely with Qianlong's concubines, princesses, eunuchs, and palace maids around. At this moment, Qianlong's half-sister, the 16-year-old Princess Yunrou, and her maid of the same age were also in the imperial garden.
"Ge Ge, are you cold? Do you want to go back to the house?" The imperial jade that had been left by Yun Rou Ge Ge's side for more than three years was afraid that if the frail Ge Ge accidentally caught a cold, the empress dowager and the emperor would be heartbroken! Although Yun Rou Ge Ge wasn't the empress dowager's biological daughter, the empress dowager still treated the gentle and obedient Yun Rou Ge Ge like her own daughter and cared for her with all her might. The Emperor was the same, he was also very fond of his half-sister. Amongst the princesses, Yun Rou was undoubtedly the most important one. Even though she never fought with others, never liked to stand out, and was always so calm and indifferent, staying in the palace for many years and rarely showing her face, it did not affect her status and weight in everyone's eyes. Instead, it added a hint of mystery to her, making people even more curious about what kind of person this Ge Ge was. Yun Rou shook her head at Fei Cui, a calm smile on her beautiful face.
"I'm not cold. Instead, I feel very warm. Fei Cui, please let me stay here for a while longer!”
"Yes, Ge Ge." Fei Cui could only agree with Yun Rou's gentle smile and tone.
"Oh right, Ge Ge, didn't the empress dowager summon Ge Ge two days ago? What did the Empress Dowager say?”Fei Cui asked with concern. The smile on Yun Rou's face disappeared.
She said in a low voice,"Huangen Niang asked me if I had anyone I liked. She said she wanted to arrange a marriage for me."”
"What is it? "The Empress Dowager, she…" Fei Cui was also worried like her master. Having been by her side for so long, she knew that her biggest weakness was her shyness. She never dared to take the initiative to get close to the opposite sex. How could such a Ge Ge have someone she liked?
"Has the Empress Dowager gone senile? It was not like she did not know how shy Ge Ge was. How could she have someone she liked?!”Fei Cui couldn't help but scold the empress dowager.
"Fei Cui, how can you say that about the Empress Dowager?”The good-tempered Yun Rou couldn't help but scold Fei Cui. If others heard this, would Fei Cui still want her life? Fei Cui stuck out her tongue, knowing that she had gone too far.
"I'm sorry. This servant made a slip of the tongue, please don't take offense. This servant won't dare to do it again." Yun Rou couldn't help but laugh.
"If there's a next time, I think your head will be eaten by a dog.”
"Yes, yes. Ge Ge is right.”Fei Cui rubbed her neck and said,"Oh right, Ge Ge, how did you answer the Empress Dowager?"”"What else can I say?" Yun Rou said helplessly. Wasn't it just those words? I'm still young. We'll talk about this later. But Royal Mother, she…"
"But the empress dowager thinks that Ge Ge is not young anymore and wants her to pay more attention to her marriage, right?”Fei Cui shook her head and said, pretending to be old.
Yun Rou sighed deeply.
"That's it. It's making me so worried. Seeing that I'm about to turn seventeen, my mother will definitely bring up this matter again. At that time…sigh! Sometimes, I can't help but think, if only I could stay at sixteen forever, how good would that be?”
"Ge Ge, don't say that!”
Fei Cui comforted her master gently." With Ge Ge's precious body, golden branches, and jade leaves, and being so doted on by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, I don't know how many princes and concubines regard seeing Ge Ge as the most important and glorious thing in their lives!" Who knew how many people dreamed of marrying Ge Ge? She really didn't need to worry too much about this matter.”
Fei Cui was speaking the truth. In her eyes, Gege, who had a noble status and a beautiful face, was like a beautiful flower that grew on a mountain peak, unattainable and unreachable. Those who wanted to get close to her had to be extremely capable. Not only did they have to get past Ge Ge, but they also had to get past the emperor and empress dowager.
That was why she felt that Ge Ge did not need to worry about her marriage. With the emperor and empress dowager around, the person who could win Ge Ge's heart in the end would definitely not be an ordinary person. He would definitely be a top-notch figure, and only such a figure could match up with Ge Ge.
"Fei Cui, stop talking nonsense. I'm not worried about this!”Yun Rou blushed.
"Oh, then what is Ge Ge worried about?”
" Yes…" Yun Rou sighed again."You also know that I have always been afraid of unfamiliar men. I don't even dare to talk to them, let alone look at them. How can someone like me get married and have children?”Fei Cui nodded.
"Ge Ge is right." For a woman like Ge Ge, who had an inexplicable fear of men, it was already difficult for her to even talk to a man, let alone get married and have children. Based on the current situation, it was undoubtedly impossible. Fei Cui looked at Yun Rou's troubled face and suddenly thought of something."Ge Ge, could it be that you're afraid of men because you've never met someone you like? Yes, that must be the case!" Yun Rou opened her beautiful black eyes wide.
"Fei Cui, what are you talking about? Of course, I've never met someone I like, because I'm afraid of men…"
"If Ge Ge really meets someone she likes, she definitely won't be afraid. Yes, that must be the case. The reason why Ge Ge was afraid was that she had yet to meet someone she liked.”Fei Cui said confidently. Yun Rou looked at Fei Cui in confusion.
"Are you saying that if I meet someone I like, I won't be afraid of him?”
"Yes, I am!" Fei Cui nodded vigorously.
"That's because he's the person Ge Ge likes, and he's not an ordinary stinky man. Of course Ge Ge will see him differently!”
"Is that really the case?" Yun Rou didn't seem to agree with Fei Cui, her beautiful face was still full of confusion. Fei Cui, on the other hand, believed what she said. She nodded and said,"Yes, yes, it must be like this. " If Ge Ge doesn't believe me, next time…" Fei Cui didn't have time to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by a sudden commotion.
They heard someone shouting in front of them,""Assassins! Everyone, be careful. Those who hear this should leave immediately.”Assassins? In broad daylight? Yun Rou and Fei Cui stood rooted to the ground. When they thought that there might be danger and were about to leave, what happened next made them unable to move. A person wearing black clothes and black pants, with a black cloth covering his face, only revealing his two eyes, completely unable to see his appearance, rushed towards Yun Rou and the others at an extremely fast speed. This person's movements were shockingly fast. No one saw when or how he attacked. In the blink of an eye, Yun Rou was caught by this uninvited guest.
" You..." Yun Rou only said one word before her throat was grabbed. She found it hard to breathe. Seeing Yun Rou get caught, Fei Cui screamed,"Someone come! Ge Ge has been captured by an assassin. Come and save her!”
"Shut up!" As soon as the assassin finished speaking, his palm struck toward Fei Cui. The back of Fei Cui's head was hit hard, and she fainted on the ground without a sound.
"Jade!" Yun Rou exclaimed.
"What did you do to the jade? Jade, jade!"
"Don't make any noise. I'll knock you out if you make any more noise!”The assassin said in a low voice and was about to take Yun Rou away as a hostage.
"No, help! Who can save me?" Yun Rou struggled and shouted for help. Qianlong and Bu Qingfeng had just entered the imperial garden when they heard this clamor. When the two of them realized that an assassin had sneaked into the imperial garden, they both used their lightness skills to chase after the sound. Qianlong heard Fei Cui's cry for help before he reached the location where the assassin had appeared.
"Not good, Yun Rou is in danger!" he blurted out.”This thought made him run at full speed. When Qianlong heard the cry for help, Bu Qingfeng naturally heard it as well. He didn't know who Yun Rou was, but with the mentality of saving a life, he used his qinggong to save her. He and Qianlong had never competed in martial arts before, so he didn't know who was better. In terms of Qing Gong, he was definitely better than Qianlong because he had already left Qianlong far behind. He arrived before Qianlong and saw a man in black grabbing a girl in a checkered dress and about to leave.
He roared,"You audacious maniac, let her go!"”Then, he pounced on the man in black like a fierce tiger. He had expected a fierce battle to ensue, but he didn't expect that this unknown black-clothed man would actually push the young girl away and run away. He didn't know if he had heard his voice or seen him.
"Stop!" Bu Qingfeng didn't chase after her. One reason was that the man in black was as fast as the wind, and the other was that he had to catch a girl who was crashing into him. He knew that he would not be able to catch up to him if he missed the first opportunity. He steadily caught the girl who had crashed into his arms, and his sharp gaze shot toward the disappearing figure of the black-clothed man.
Although he couldn't see the man's face, Bu Qingfeng felt strange when he saw his back. He couldn't tell what was strange about it. He just felt that the person's back was not unfamiliar to him, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Forget it, there was no point in thinking too much. He had already left, so it was more important to get down to business. He told himself.
"Are you alright?" he asked the girl in his arms. The young girl shook her head, and the small face that she raised made him stunned for a moment. Her face looked like it had been carefully sculpted, and her exquisite facial features were so beautiful that it made one's heart skip a beat. She was so beautiful that it was like a dream, but she was so real in front of him. Perhaps his shock was not just for a moment, but for many moments! When he stared at the girl as if he was fascinated, the girl also blinked her clear eyes and looked at him. After an unknown period of time, someone finally spoke up to call back their consciousness.
"Yunrou, Qingfeng, are you okay?”
Yun Rou's flushed face turned to Qianlong and called out,"Royal brother, you're here too?" Qianlong looked at Yun Rou's red face with great interest and smiled."What do you mean I'm here too? If I hadn't heard Fei Cui's voice, would I have come?”
"Emerald. Oh right, where's the emerald?" Yun Rou thought of Fei Cui. Seeing that Fei Cui was still unconscious on the ground, she ran over anxiously and knelt beside her, shouting,""Fei Cui, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
"Let me take a look." Bu Qingfeng walked over and squatted down to check Fei Cui's pulse.
"She's fine. She just fainted.”As he spoke, he pressed hard on Fei Cui's body. Fei Cui slowly woke up and looked at Yun Rou with her lifeless eyes.
" Ge Ge, have the bad guys left?"
"Let's go, let's go!" Yun Rou was overjoyed that Fei Cui was safe. She smiled gratefully at Bu Qingfeng.
"Thank you for saving Fei Cui and me.”Bu Qingfeng looked at her smile and calmly said,""It's nothing. Ge Ge, don't take it to heart.”Yun Rou blushed even more and lowered her head shyly. At this moment, Qianlong, who had been silent at the side, could not help but laugh and say,"Alright, get up. It's really not presentable for you to keep squatting like this.”Qianlong's smile was filled with joy and surprise.
He didn't expect Yun Rou, who was always so scared in front of the opposite sex, to be so natural in front of Bu Qingfeng. Of course, she was still very shy, but compared to the situation where she wanted to run away whenever she saw a strange man in the past, it was much better now.
"Right, Qingfeng, what happened just now?”Qianlong asked Bu Qingfeng.
"Your Majesty, I saw a man in black holding Ge Ge, but he didn't fight with me. He let Ge Ge go and escaped when he saw me.”
"Is that so?" Qianlong fell into deep thought. There was actually an assassin in the palace in broad daylight. What was the purpose of this assassin? Was it for him? Or was it because of someone in the palace? He had to investigate this matter properly.
"Emperor, these servants deserve to die. Protector Emperor came late, please forgive us.”The guards who finally arrived at the scene knelt down in front of Qianlong.
Qianlong glared at the people at his feet and said angrily,""You guys deserve to die! Ge Ge was almost kidnapped. If it wasn't for Hero Bu, your heads would have been chopped off. A bunch of useless things!" When the guards heard this, they kowtowed and admitted their guilt.
"This servant knows my mistake. Please spare my life, emperor. This servant won't dare to do it again.”
Yun Rou couldn't bear to see this. She said softly to Qianlong,"Imperial brother, please calm down. I will plead with you on their behalf. Please spare them this time!”Qianlong's anger immediately dissipated by half. Since Yun Rou said so, let these people go! However, this was because Yun Rou wasn't hurt at all. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't forgive these useless slaves.
"Since the princess is pleading for you, I will spare your dog lives. Aren't you going to thank the princess?" The guards scrambled to kneel down to Yun Rou, some calling her princess, some calling her Gege. Everyone was grateful to this kind and beautiful Yun Rou Gege. This scene was strange to Bu Qingfeng. This "Princess Yun Rou" really couldn't be judged by her appearance. Looking at her weak appearance, no one would have thought that she could appease Qianlong with just a few words and even influence his decision. This time, his horizons were really broadened.
"Everyone, don't be like this. Get up quickly!”Yun Rou smiled.
"You heard Ge Ge. Hurry up and scram!”Qianlong said angrily.
"Tsk, servants, take your leave." After sending these guards away, Qianlong immediately introduced the two of them.
"Yunrou, this is the Moonhowl Manor's Manor Lord Bu Qingfeng. Qingfeng, she is my sister, Princess Yunrou. You can call her Princess or Gege. According to the rules of Qing Dynasty, as long as she is a daughter of the royal family, she will be called Gege.”
"Princess Yun Rou." Bu Qingfeng politely nodded at Yun Rou.
" Villa…Villa Head Bu." Yun Rou was shy and lowered her head to hide her blushing face. Qianlong laughed out loud. He was in a good mood because this was the first time he had seen his shy little sister show such a charming expression in front of an outsider. This is great! He had always been worried about Yun Rou. He was afraid that her shyness would ruin her marriage. Now, he didn't have to worry about this problem, did he? Look at the two of them. One was a tall and handsome young hero, while the other was a beautiful, gentle, and beloved princess of the royal family. Standing together, who would dare to say that they were not a golden couple?
Qingfeng, you've done a great job!" He patted Bu Qingfeng's shoulder and smiled happily.""Whatever you want, just say it. I will try my best to satisfy you.”
Bu Qingfeng shook his head and said,"I appreciate the Emperor's good intentions!" I've said it before, this is just a small matter. Please don't take it to heart.”
This person didn't accept the Emperor's reward? Yun Rou secretly looked at Bu Qingfeng from the corner of her eyes. She was not only impressed by him, but also curious.
" Okay…" Qian Long was not angry with Bu Qingfeng. He was more satisfied with him.
Although Bu Qingfeng was just a commoner and his status might not match Yun Rou, as long as he didn't mind, he could talk to the Empress Dowager. This pair of golden boy and jade girl would definitely become an immortal couple.
In this way, Bu Qingfeng would become his brother-in-law, which meant that he was on his side. He didn't have to worry about Bu Qingfeng rebelling. Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone?
He looked at Bu Qingfeng, then at Yun Rou, and couldn't stop smiling.# Daguan Review Passed: Daguan Time:1024201810:31AM
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