Firefly Journey

Chapter 289 The Storm is Coming (4)

Early in the morning, Lü Jianming jumped out of bed, dressed neatly, pushed open the door, and threw a punch at the sunrise on the horizon.

The guards outside the door were stunned. There was no court session today, so what could have caused him to be up so early on his day off?

The guards were unaware, and Lü Jianming wouldn't say anything; in any case, he was in a good mood. Back in his bedroom, Lü Jianming carefully looked in the mirror and combed his own hair.

When he was very young, Empress Jingmu was pregnant with Lü Hongxiu. Her greatest pleasure was to take Lü Jianming out of bed early every morning, place him in front of the mirror, and slowly comb his hair.

Lü Jianming learned from his mother from a young age and is now able to support himself.

After roughly braiding his hair, Lü Jianming casually picked up a jade crown from the side, gently inserted it, then tilted his head left and right, smiling with great satisfaction.

After doing all this, Lü Jianming paced back and forth in the room a couple of times before leaving the bedroom.

His long boots clattered heavily on the bluestone path of the East Palace as Lü Jianming hurried to the side hall of the East Palace.

That place just got a new owner yesterday.

Whether it was the side hall or the main hall, Lü Jianming completely transformed it. Every path and every flower bed was filled with seasonal flowers, all designed and laid out by the court garden masters of the Chu Kingdom to ensure perfection.

"I've met the prince."

The guards at the entrance of the side hall bowed.

"Hmm," Lü Jianming responded, "Have the people inside... gotten up?"

"This..." The guard in front of the palace didn't know how to answer.

They were guards, only responsible for security, and not allowed to go inside. How could they possibly know what was going on inside?

"I understand," Lü Jianming said to himself. "I'm going back. Just pretend I was never here."

With that, Lü Jianming moved and vanished in an instant.

It appeared as if he had left, but in reality he did not. He used the divine jade pendant to teleport a short distance, and his figure appeared on the other side of the side hall.

His gaze finally landed on a window.

The Eastern Palace was his territory; he knew every blade of grass and every tree inside by heart, and naturally, he also knew what was on the other side of the window.

He smiled slightly, and a breeze blew by, like an invisible hand gently pushing the window open.

Through the window, Lü Jianming could clearly see a girl lying on the large bed decorated with pearl ornaments.

"It seems I was wrong."

Lu Jianming had only met Fene once. Whether it was love at first sight or lust at first sight, it left a deep impression and a beautiful memory in his mind.

But that brief contact is not enough to figure out the other person's personality, for example, that the other person doesn't like to get up early.

Lu Jianming stood as straight as a pine tree, waiting outside the window for a full two hours.

Jamie knocked on the door of the side hall's main entrance: "Get up quickly. Chu is not like home. If you're late, you'll be considered impolite."

Hearing her cousin's voice, Finney groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, I'm coming."

Lü Jianming disappeared at just the right moment.

After Jamie woke up Finney, the two went to have breakfast together. Just then, Lü Jianming coincidentally appeared in front of them again.

"Father said he wanted to see you all, but yesterday's journey was too tiring, so it's been rescheduled for today. We'll go to the palace together later," said Lü Jianming.

Jamie still didn't look pleased and said impatiently, "I know, I know."

Finney asked with some anticipation, "When?"

Lu Jianming wasn't angry. Ignoring Jamie's bad expression, he said, "No rush, we'll go this afternoon."

"Okay, is there anything I need to do to meet him? I'd like to prepare in advance."

"No, and even if there were, I would help you sort it out." Lu Jianming gave you a reassuring smile.

Lu Jianming was quite handsome, and now he smiled. With the added enhancement of the "lover's filter," Fei's heart fluttered. Suppressing her slightly accelerated heartbeat, she said, "Give me a specific time, I don't want to be late."

"No rush." ​​Lü Jianming had no intention of leaving. "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit here for a while, and we can go together later."

"Okay."

Jamie couldn't bear to watch, gave Finney a meaningful look, and wisely walked away.

Jamie didn't know what they talked about while they were together, but when it was time to go to the emperor's bedchamber together, they were holding hands.

……

Just like when he went to Yunzhou last time, after completing his business this time, Lin Yuanran needed to report to Emperor Zhuang.

This time, Emperor Zhuang directly instructed that he did not need to attend court; he could simply go to the palace to see him.

Lin Yuanran didn't care. On the way to the palace, he ran into the Crown Prince and Finney, as well as Jamie, who didn't look too good.

He immediately guessed what was going on and went over to greet Jamie with a grin. Jamie was feeling down, but when Lin Yuanran came over, she chatted with him casually, avoiding looking at the two people beside her, otherwise she would feel annoyed.

The location given by Emperor Zhuang was a side hall. When the four arrived, the spacious hall contained not only Emperor Zhuang and his attendants, but also Princess Qingjia, Lord Duan, and an unfamiliar man in blue.

Inside the hall was a long table laden with tableware; it seemed that today was a banquet bestowed by Emperor Zhuang, so there was no need to stand.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Emperor Zhuang instructed them to take their seats, and then glanced at the man in blue.

The man in blue was already sitting on one side of the table, ignoring what Emperor Zhuang said and keeping his eyes fixed on Fine.

It's been like this ever since I walked in; it's as if they want to see right through me.

Faced with such a sharp gaze, Fine felt a little uncomfortable, while Lü Jianming looked helpless and led Fine to sit down to the side.

From the expressions of these people, Lin Yuanran easily determined the identity of the man in blue.

To have such respect in front of Emperor Zhuang and to like wearing blue robes, there is no one else but the Sword Saint.

After everyone was seated, Emperor Zhuang gave an order, and the waiters began to line up to serve the dishes.

Even Lin Yuanran, who had seen a lot in the original world, couldn't help but purse his lips as he looked at the dazzling array of dishes. It's good to be rich; these delicacies, rarely seen by ordinary people, they'd probably eat like pancakes.

Emperor Zhuang raised his wine cup and addressed Lin Yuanran, who was sitting furthest away, saying, "Mr. Morris, you've had a hard time on your mission. Here, I'll toast you."

Lin Linyuan had to appear very "apprehensive," so he stood up, holding his wine cup, and said, "Not at all! Thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, this mission went smoothly. It was all what I should do, and I dare not say it was hard."

"Haha, Mr. Morris is too modest!"

Having said that, Emperor Zhuang drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Yuanran drank a glass with him.

Fortunately, the alcohol content in this world is not high, and it is mostly consumed as a beverage. If it were real spirits, he wouldn't be able to finish even half a glass.

Following the Sword Saint, Emperor Zhuang finally set his sights on Fine.

“The person my son has been longing for day and night is indeed exceptionally handsome.”

Finney's ears immediately turned red.

It wasn't because Emperor Zhuang praised her for her extraordinary appearance, but because of the preceding sentence, which he used the phrase "longing for day and night."

Finney sat there blankly, unsure how to answer.

At this point, the eldest brother, Jamie, sighed and had no choice but to speak up:

"My sister is easily embarrassed and can't stand praise. Your Majesty, please forgive her."

Emperor Zhuang didn't mind, and simply remarked, "It's alright, she looks a lot like someone I know."

Upon hearing this, the Sword Saint, who had remained silent until now, picked up the wine cup that had been sitting for a long time, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The people of Chu and the people of the Empire looked very different; it was impossible for them to resemble each other. However, a person's temperament cannot be hidden, and there is no barrier to similarities in temperament.

Within minutes of meeting, Emperor Zhuang and the Sword Saint immediately understood why Lü Jianming had fallen in love with Fene at first sight.

The young Empress Jingmu was just as shy and innocent as she is now.