could call him by his given name.Feng Changqing looked down on Qin Xiao from a height. Qin Xiao was very popular among soldiers, and all the imperial guards around him were trained by Qin Xiao himself...Chapter 30: A Very Handsome Taoist Priest - Premier on 17K

In the imperial garden, musicians were intently playing new compositions and accompanying them with newly arranged dances, all to please one person.

Xiao Ran sat beside Feng Changqing, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, but unable to hide the hatred in his eyes.

He handed a bowl of peeled grapes to the black-robed woman, who flirtatiously smiled and with her slender hand accepted the crystal-clear grapes before carefully placing them into Feng Changqing's mouth. Xiao Ran watched it all unfold; this black-robed woman was one of Emperor Feng’s favored concubines recently bestowed with the title of Beauty, named Jadeite.

After the dance concluded, Little Ning hurriedly presented a wooden box to Feng Changqing and whispered something in his ear before stepping back. Xiao Ran curiously observed the wooden box, presuming it contained yet another treasured gift from one of the imperial consorts.

But unexpectedly, Feng Changqing smiled slightly, opened the box, and took out an envelope along with a string of unfamiliar red fruits.

All the empresses and concubines watched in confusion as Feng Changqing handled these items; none could identify the red fruit. However, they knew that Feng Changqing was happy because he had rarely shown his teeth while smiling since Xiao Ran had last seen him.

The letter was penned by Qi Lin herself.

In her letter, Qi Lin recounted what she had witnessed initially and honestly reported meeting Chi Yuan in the process. She also mentioned local folklore about ghost shadows, but emphasized the significance of figures like Chi Yuan, simultaneously addressing the current state of the common folk and ingeniously suggesting ways to address issues such as food scarcity and medical care through the invention of sugar-coated haws.

A mere hundred words long, Feng Changqing read the letter three times over before carefully refolding it into its envelope and tucking it away in his robes. He then picked up the mentioned sugar-coated haw from Qi Lin's letter to examine it closely.

"Your Majesty, what is this" Jadeite asked curiously, "I've never seen such a thing."

“Ice sugar-coated haws,” Feng Changqing replied.

He bit into the first crabapple, the tart flavor of the fruit spreading through the juice encapsulated in the syrup to tickle his taste buds. The balance of sour and sweet was surprisingly delightful, with each bite leaving a lasting impression of tartness despite being slightly too sharp.

Nonetheless, Feng Changqing was quite satisfied with Qi Lin's creation.

"I never thought such an acidic wild fruit could make something so likable. Big sister, you're really amazing." Chi Yuan held the sugar-coated haws that Qi Lin had made for him and expressed his gratitude, "I initially believed big sister to be nothing more than a gluttonous auntie, but it turns out you’re quite clever."

"What I am naturally intelligent. How could I merely be a glutton or an old lady What are your eyes even for" Qi Lin retorted with a string of sugar-coated haws in her hand, "After all, we're sisters."

"Isn't that what you said What does being a glutton mean anyway" Chi Yuan asked confusedly.

Qi Lin gazed up at the sky and said, "This is an adult world. You wouldn’t understand."

Squeezing Chi Yuan's head affectionately, she continued, “By the way, have you heard anything new about ghost shadows”

On one hand, Qi Lin provided Chi Yuan with a means to make a living, and on the other, asked him to investigate the folklore of ghost shadows. She hoped he could find out from the people why these shadowy figures appeared and who was behind them.

"Mm, there are quite a few arrogant Taoists in the city now," Qiyuan glanced at the sky disdainfully and continued, "They're selling blessed water at high prices. Wealthy families even specially invite Taoists to reside in their homes, it's said that since they've had Taoists around, they haven't been bothered by spirits knocking on the door."

Qi Lin frowned slightly; she certainly didn't believe that Taoists could do anything effective, but they must have done something to avoid encountering ghosts.

"Big Brother,"

Qiyuan suddenly called out in delight, making Qi Lin's ears buzz. She looked up and just saw Mu Qingfeng walking towards them.

"Big Brother!" Qiyuan happily ran to Mu Qingfeng's side and cheerfully reported on her day’s accomplishments "I sold more than half of my stock as soon as I left the house this morning, also, Mother is almost recovered, she asked me to thank you."

Mu Qingfeng patted Qiyuan's head with a smile and said, "As long as everything is fine."

After saying that, he smiled at Qi Lin. Qiyuan quickly turned his eyes and said, "Brother and Sister, I'm going to sell some candied haws now. You two should take this chance to get acquainted. Hehe."

"Smelly brat, what nonsense are you talking" Qi Lin raised her hand as if she were about to hit him; Qiyuan darted away and Qi Lin could only give up and clap her hands saying "Don't listen to that boy's nonsense."

Mu Qingfeng merely smiled slightly, quietly looking at Qi Lin.

Qi Lin was rather puzzled as she sized Mu Qingfeng up, touching her face awkwardly and asking, "Is there something on my face"

"No."

"Then why are you staring at me"

"Nothing much." He just felt happy; even after entering the palace, Qi Lin hadn't changed. She was still the frank and sincere Qi Lin he had known.

Later on, Mu Qingfeng took Qi Lin to walk around the city. Indeed, those Taoists were being quite arrogant, nearly as much as Rindong's poker face. Furthermore, those commoners seemed to trust the Taoists greatly, even showing them respect when they met; thus, there were many Taoists who were eating at others’ expense along the way.

Qi Lin had almost walked through every street and alley with Mu Qingfeng except for the Drunken Flower Tower area. It seemed that Mu Qingfeng knew what she was thinking and deliberately avoided it.

Mu Qingfeng told Qi Lin he accepted an invitation from a business acquaintance, Jia Yifang. He wanted to take Qi Lin with him to visit this person's house. Originally, Qi Lin didn't want to participate in the discussions between merchants, but she happened to hear Jia Yifang mention that they had invited a hermit immortal to reside at their home for protection; today was an occasion welcoming the immortal. This caught Qi Lin’s interest and she agreed.

Upon arriving at Jia's residence, upon entering the large courtyard, one could see a tall and lush jujube tree—unlike other residences. After walking in further, they saw a small path paved with black pebbles; both sides were planted with yellow forsythias, white magnolias, and hawthorns, neatly arranged in layers, presumably at great expense to hire flower slaves.

Entering the main courtyard, several small paths covered in black pebblestones came into view. The rest of the area was paved with translucent star stones; interspersed between them were small-leaf purple sandalwood trees. This layout reminded Qi Lin of a Japanese garden.

Seeing them approach, Jia Yifang smiled as he walked out to greet them, giving them due respect.

In the main hall, Mu Qingfeng was invited to sit on the first seat on the left; Qi Lin obediently knelt behind him because she appeared there today dressed up as his maidservant.

Qilin had some knowledge of the hierarchy of ancient times, where the most prestigious position was the first one on the right side. However, at this moment, that vacant spot remained unoccupied.

During their conversation, Ji Yifang and Mu Qingfeng only briefly discussed business matters, avoiding any mention of the ghostly figure's name. Meanwhile, Qilin's legs were starting to ache, wondering how much longer they would have to wait.

Suddenly, a servant ran in and whispered something into Ji Yifang’s ear. Ji Yifang immediately stood up and adjusted his attire before gesturing for Mu Qingfeng to follow him.

Qilin then followed Mu Qingfeng as they accompanied Ji Yifang to the main entrance, where a grand red carpet was laid out with musicians standing on both sides. This setup seemed to be in preparation for someone important.

At that moment, an ornate carriage pulled by four sweat-inducing blood horses slowly arrived, flanked by about sixteen people holding banners of praise. The scale of this reception reminded Qilin of the time when Drunken Flower Tower held a sacrificial ceremony to heaven.

The carriage stopped at the entrance, and a Taoist novice quickly ran over to place a stool beside it.

Another novice walked up front and announced loudly, "Taoist Master Shen Tong has arrived!"

Taoist Master Shen Tong

The moment the announcement was made, firecrackers were lit at the entrance.

Qilin instinctively flinched and saw a figure before her. It turned out to be Mu Qingfeng; Qilin smiled gratefully toward him before turning her gaze back to Taoist Master Shen Tong.

"Ji’s humble abode welcomes the arrival of Taoist Master Shen Tong with honor," Ji Yifang said cheerfully, awaiting a response from Taoist Master Shen Tong.

The carriage door opened. Qilin had already envisioned an image of a bearded old man with a mischievous look in his eyes but was now completely taken aback by the reality before her.

But how could this be!

The moment Taoist Master Shen Tong stepped out of the carriage and stood before everyone, Qilin’s mind kept repeating "How is this possible!"

He was simply too good-looking; truly, he was way too handsome! He looked like a man with a fair complexion and piercing black eyes reminiscent of cold stars in the dead of night. His prominent nose exuded an air of masculine beauty that left Qilin momentarily speechless at how well his grey-blue Taoist robe suited him.

"No need for formalities,"

Qilin carefully observed Taoist Master Shen Tong, who responded to Ji Yifang’s greeting without looking directly at him but instead cast a glance toward Mu Qingfeng, who nodded in acknowledgment.

The rest of the time, Ji Yifang continued to flatter Taoist Master Shen Tong, who remained indifferent, whereas he seemed more inclined to converse with Mu Qingfeng.

Unfortunately, their conversation was all about flowers and plants, mentioning flower demons and tree spirits, none of which Qi Lin understood.

"Regarding the matter of the ghostly figure,"

Qi Lin perked up instantly, pricking her ears, finally reaching a critical point in the discussion.

"What is Senior Daoist Spirit Path's expert opinion" Mu Qingfeng raised his hand as if to seek advice.

Senior Daoist Spirit Path brushed aside his long hair smugly and said with a lifted corner of his mouth, "I don't have any profound insights, but Holy Talismans and Sacred Water should be enough. Such low-grade ghostly figures are nothing to worry about."

"Then we’ll rely on Senior Daoist Spirit Path," Ji Yifang immediately interjected upon hearing the solution.

However, Qi Lin’s impression of this Senior Daoist Spirit Path plummeted; he was merely a pretentious Taoist with a long beard!

The summit swiftly shifted its focus to the young lady behind Mu Qingfeng. "She looks like she's under the high auspicious influence of stars, so it is assumed that she sleeps soundly at night."

Caught off guard by this sudden accusation, Qi Lin was momentarily at a loss and looked questioningly at Senior Daoist Spirit Path, pulling her lips into an awkward smile. Mu Qingfeng didn’t seem to have any intention of responding.

"Uh... Thank you for your concern, Senior Daoist," Qi Lin smiled slightly and said politely, "I am just a common woman who happens to be under the care of Mr. Mu tonight, so I sleep well."

"Does that make Mr. Mu an auspicious star"

Uh Qi Lin inwardly panicked; Senior Daoist Spirit Path's target was always Mu Qingfeng.

Mu Qingfeng suddenly laughed and said, "I have never envied the stars in the sky."

"Does Mr. Mu mean he doesn’t believe in the existence of ghostly figures" Senior Daoist Spirit Path smiled back mockingly. "Or does he not trust this lowly Taoist Believing that everything I say is nonsense"

"Mr. Mu, how could you say such things" Ji Yifang was immediately displeased upon hearing this, even though Mu Qingfeng was the first wealthy merchant; now their lives were at stake.

At this moment, Qi Lin understood that Senior Daoist Spirit Path intended to tarnish Mu Qingfeng’s reputation in business circles.

This was absolutely something she couldn't allow.

"Of course...,"

"Of course not."e forcing out a few tears. "That day after I read the imperial edict, I spoke without thinking twice about it. Perhaps Your Grace the Queen Consort misunderstood me Your Majesty, I have served you for...