The Counterfeit Madam Hou Chapter 13

Chapter 13
CMH 13 – The Banquet (First)

Tingshou Square is located on the northern side of the West Market . Liu Qinghuan follows along, together with the Qiuci Band, as they enters into the square and directly heads towards Merchant Zhou’s mansion .

The band members amused themselves by chatting and joking among themselves in Mongolian and Peng Peng joins in once or twice before looking over to where Liu Qinghuan is at . The closer they get to the mansion, the more unease he feels . His thick eyebrows scrunch up . He somewhat have a feeling that something bad is about to happen ———— This gut instinct, honed by the many years on battlefield, is always very accurate .

He walks up to Liu Qinghuan and whispers to her .

” Wu la la, I have a bad feeling . Maybe we should find a chance and just sneak away . ”

She looks over to him, her eyes glittering with amus.e.m.e.nt .

” Are you scared? ”
” Of course not! ”

He wouldn’t be if it is only him going on this mission but now, with the Marquise’s wife by his side… . The story about how the Marquise killed a leopard with a punch had spread all over the army, and he is really in no hurry to follow after General Speed’s footsteps .

As the team head into a small alley, Peng Peng continues to persuade Liu Qinghuan . With only the words ” Wu la la ” out of his mouth, a few person at the front of the line just drop down onto the ground .

Three figures flash pa.s.s and stand in the team’s way . Just as Peng Peng is about to push Liu Qinghuan behind him, another figure flash in and by the time she feels a chill on her neck, an exquisitely carved dagger is already lying there .

The person holding the dagger laughs, before pushing his face closer in to hers .

” Shh, don’t say a word, gorgeous . ”

His mandarin sounds choppy and he have a thick accent . Due to him back-facing the light, Liu Qinghuan can only make out a tall silhouette, as well as that very loud and colorful eagle mask on his face .

She pursed her lips, following his instructions and not making a sound . The man seems very satisfied with that

as the corners of his lips curls up . Peng Peng stand at one side stiffly . He can feel that man possess a higher martial arts background than him and as Liu Qinghuan is being hold up against, it would be inadvisable to move recklessly .

He slightly look to his left . In no time, the entire band has already fallen down to the ground . One figure sees Peng Peng and is just about to head over, he grabs onto his head, yelling painfully .

” Ah! And I’m down! ”

And he slumps down onto the floor like a corpse . The man holding the dagger glances at him, uninterested in what he sees, before turning back to Liu Qinghuan .

” You’re Anaye? ”

She nods .
He put a slight distance in between them as he keeps the dagger on her neck .

” We are going to replace this team in performing at the mansion but we are missing a Mongolian dance dancer . ”

He pauses, a smile dancing on his lips, his voice no longer as cold nor as proud .

” As long as you do your dance and nothing else, I promise we won’t hurt you . ”

Liu Qinghuan nods .

” Very good . ”

The man laughs as he releases his dagger from Liu Qinghuan’s neck . Letting out the breath she have been holding in, Liu Qinghuan sees them starting to strip the clothes off the fallen band member’s bodies . Her mouth twitches as she turns to the side, as the swishing of fabric continues on . Suddenly, the man in the eagle mask laughs, before instructing the others .

” Move faster, can’t you see the beauty is blushing? ”

Liu Qinghuan ” …… . ”

She continues to stare fixated on the wall, as the swishing of clothes is goes faster .

” All done . ”

The masked man gets hold of her chin through the veil as he turns her face back . Liu Qinghuan stares at him, her gaze deepening . He have already remove his mask and changed, but his collar have been turn upright, covering the lower half of his face . And his forehead is covered up by the turf of fur from the hat .

Only a pair of eagle-like eyes can be seen clearly .

This group

group of people moved the fallen band to a much more hidden spot and after finally gaining a conscious, they left their robes behind for them . They then pick up the instruments and walk out of the ally .

Liu Qinghuan swiftly throw a glance behind . She seen those robes before . On the priests of the Beseeching Fire Cult . But would they be that careless and leave their robes lying around just like that? Do they have someone backing them up or do they need some serious s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g back on done?

Peng Peng tugs on the robe covering his body as he watches Liu Qinghuan gets further and further, his heart crying . Sasamni, this time he is definitely on his way to the path of General Speed .

After walking out of the alley, they reach Zhou Jingjing’s mansion not soon after . The main hall is currently receiving guests . For the sake of showing off his《White Jade Orchid • Spring》, Zhou Jingjing have invited many scholars and officials from all around, as well as the bad company he often hangs out with .

When Liu Qinghuan and the fake Qiuci band walks in, a dancer has just finish her song . Some people rushes Zhou Jingjing to display the《White Jade Orchid • Spring》, but only for him to waves the gold-plated fan in his hand as he muses .

” I heard a new Mongolian dancer just arrives at our sh.o.r.es recently and her dance is just breathtaking . I specially invited her over today, to entertain everyone . ”

Although they are unable to appreciate the painting, at least they are able to appreciate a beauty, so none of the guests continued their racket and instead, quietly wait for the beauty to appear . Liu Qinghuan enters the main hall shyly, and almost freeze .

She heard nothing about Tang Zhibo attending this banquet .

She blinks her eyes swiftly, thinking that this banquet is going to be a lot more interesting than she thought .

The music starts up and she is stunned again . Who knows that those fake guys who take over the band can actually play? She stop looking at Tang Zhibo and begins flying around in circles according to the rhythm .

Her costume, originally thin and light, flies around her in a dazzling display of colors, stunning all eyes

all eyes in the hall . The bell worn on her wrists chimes, adding on to the overall effect .

Immediately, shouts of ‘bravo’ are heard all around, and the mood in the hall rises up to a feverish height . Even the gaze in Zhou Jingjing’s eyes changes . He never likes the features of a Mongolian, even though their sharp noses and fair skin is a breath of fresh air, the great tang ladies looks are more to his taste in the long run . But this dancer in front of him is like casting a spell that prevents him from shifting his eyes away, afraid of missing a glance that comes his way .

That pair of eyes doesn’t just attracts the gaze . It attracts the spirit .

Zhou Jingjing touches his fan, and remembers that he is still missing a 14th concubine .

After the song, shouts of ‘bravo’ fill the hall, everyone still deep in that image of the dance, having forgotten all about the painting .

But there would always be an odd one out .

A cold snort is heard coming from the left side of the hall, and it’s effect is like a big pail of ice cold water splashing onto everyone’s raging fire . Liu Qinghuan glances over to the perpetrator, and see a scholarly-looking young man in a turban .

Although Liu Qinghuan do not recognize him, anyone able to get invited to this banquet must be a presence in the city .

” Brother Jing, are you not satisfied with the dance? ”

Zhou Jingjing fingers his fan as he stares at the young man . Cao Jingren had just became a royal officer recently, and is the youngest ever to be one . It is heard that even the Emperor values him greatly . He had spend quite the effort in getting him to come and wouldn’t want to do anything that can offend him . If his eldest daughter can get betroth to him, even better still .

Cao Jingren glances at Zhou Jingjing, his tone of voice as cold and clear as before .

” I am unsatisfied with you . ”

Zhou Jingjing freeze, and before he can even say a word, he heard Cao Jingren continues .

” I am here today to study Jiading Maoxue’s《White Jade Orchid • Spring》 . If you really have it, take have it, take it out so I can study if it is the real deal or not . ”

At this, some starts scorning Cao Jingren for not reading the atmosphere . With all the intelligence and arrogant air behind him, Cao Jingren immediately refute back . Seeing the atmosphere getting tense, Zhou Jingjing hurriedly get one of his servant to get the painting .

The painting is stored in a high-grade silk cover and taking over it, Zhou Jingjing slowly and carefully opening it out and removing the painting from it . The painting slowly unravel in front of everyone’s eyes as they all stare at it, as if witnessing some form of a miracle . And when that snow white orchid appear fully, gasps are heard .

Liu Qinghuan too, crane her neck to get a glimpse of the painting . This painting is smaller than the norm, only about half the size . But the weirdest thing is, the painting is of a white orchid, yet the poem right beside is about the palm blossom .

The bustling hall is now deadly quiet, as all the talents of Chang-An city are now staring at this《White Jade Orchid • Spring》 . After the initial daze, praises begin to emerge and some even create a poem about the painting on the spot, to convey the greatness he feel towards the painter .

Zhou Jingjing’s friends have no idea about art nor poem, yet seeing how much he spend on this, it must be the painting of the century! Thinking so, they begin praising Zhou Jingjing, leaving only Cao Jingren staring silently at the painting .

Liu Qinghuan’s gaze lands on him, and she finds out that besides her, two other person are keeping their gaze on him as well .

One is Tang Zhibo, another is the masked guy who hold her hostage .

Cao Jingren stands at where he is for a while, before making his way over to Zhou Jingjing . Maybe it is his chilly aura, but everyone let out a path for him . He peer at the painting, before going on to view at it in several different angles . And finally, he touches the paper in all seriousness .

Then, under everyone’s gaze, he finally straighten up, and glances over to Zhou Jingjing .

” What good luck, this is authentic . ”

CMH 13 The Banquet First Tingshou Square is located on the northern side of the West Market . Liu Qinghuan follows along, together with the Qiuci Band, as they enters into the square and directly heads towards Merchant Zhou s mansion . The band members amused themselves by chatting and joking among themselves in Mongolian and Peng Peng joins in once or twice before looking over to where Liu Qinghuan is at . The closer they get to the mansion, the more unease he feels . His thick eyebrows scrunch up . He somewhat have a feeling that something bad is about to happen This gut instinct, honed by the many years on battlefield, is always very accurate . He walks up to Liu Qinghuan and whispers to her . Wu la la, I have a bad feeling . Maybe we should find a chance and just sneak away . She looks over to him, her eyes glittering with amus.e.m.e.nt . Are you scared Of course not He wouldn t be if it is only him going on this mission but now, with the Marquise s wife by his side . The story about how the Marquise killed a leopard with a punch had spread all over the army, and he is really in no hurry to follow after General Speed s footsteps . As the team head into a small alley, Peng Peng continues to persuade Liu Qinghuan . With only the words Wu la la out of his mouth, a few person at the front of the line just drop down onto the ground . Three figures flash pa.s.s and stand in the team s way . Just as Peng Peng is about to push Liu Qinghuan behind him, another figure flash in and by the time she feels a chill on her neck, an exquisitely carved dagger is already lying there . The person holding the dagger laughs, before pushing his face closer in to hers . Shh, don t say a word, gorgeous . His mandarin sounds choppy and he have a thick accent . Due to him back facing the light, Liu Qinghuan can only make out a tall silhouette, as well as that very loud and colorful eagle mask on his face . She pursed her lips, following his instructions and not making a sound . The man seems very satisfied with that as the corners of his lips curls up . Peng Peng stand at one side stiffly . He can feel that man possess a higher martial arts background than him and as Liu Qinghuan is being hold up against, it would be inadvisable to move recklessly . He slightly look to his left . In no time, the entire band has already fallen down to the ground . One figure sees Peng Peng and is just about to head over, he grabs onto his head, yelling painfully . Ah And I m down And he slumps down onto the floor like a corpse . The man holding the dagger glances at him, uninterested in what he sees, before turning back to Liu Qinghuan . You re Anaye She nods . He put a slight distance in between them as he keeps the dagger on her neck . We are going to replace this team in performing at the mansion but we are missing a Mongolian dance dancer . He pauses, a smile dancing on his lips, his voice no longer as cold nor as proud . As long as you do your dance and nothing else, I promise we won t hurt you . Liu Qinghuan nods . Very good . The man laughs as he releases his dagger from Liu Qinghuan s neck . Letting out the breath she have been holding in, Liu Qinghuan sees them starting to strip the clothes off the fallen band member s bodies . Her mouth twitches as she turns to the side, as the swishing of fabric continues on . Suddenly, the man in the eagle mask laughs, before instructing the others . Move faster, can t you see the beauty is blushing Liu Qinghuan . She continues to stare fixated on the wall, as the swishing of clothes is goes faster . All done . The masked man gets hold of her chin through the veil as he turns her face back . Liu Qinghuan stares at him, her gaze deepening . He have already remove his mask and changed, but his collar have been turn upright, covering the lower half of his face . And his forehead is covered up by the turf of fur from the hat . Only a pair of eagle like eyes can be seen clearly . This group of people moved the fallen band to a much more hidden spot and after finally gaining a conscious, they left their robes behind for them . They then pick up the instruments and walk out of the ally . Liu Qinghuan swiftly throw a glance behind . She seen those robes before . On the priests of the Beseeching Fire Cult . But would they be that careless and leave their robes lying around just like that Do they have someone backing them up or do they need some serious s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g back on done Peng Peng tugs on the robe covering his body as he watches Liu Qinghuan gets further and further, his heart crying . Sasamni, this time he is definitely on his way to the path of General Speed . After walking out of the alley, they reach Zhou Jingjing s mansion not soon after . The main hall is currently receiving guests . For the sake of showing off his White Jade Orchid Spring , Zhou Jingjing have invited many scholars and officials from all around, as well as the bad company he often hangs out with . When Liu Qinghuan and the fake Qiuci band walks in, a dancer has just finish her song . Some people rushes Zhou Jingjing to display the White Jade Orchid Spring , but only for him to waves the gold plated fan in his hand as he muses . I heard a new Mongolian dancer just arrives at our sh.o.r.es recently and her dance is just breathtaking . I specially invited her over today, to entertain everyone . Although they are unable to appreciate the painting, at least they are able to appreciate a beauty, so none of the guests continued their racket and instead, quietly wait for the beauty to appear . Liu Qinghuan enters the main hall shyly, and almost freeze . She heard nothing about Tang Zhibo attending this banquet . She blinks her eyes swiftly, thinking that this banquet is going to be a lot more interesting than she thought . The music starts up and she is stunned again . Who knows that those fake guys who take over the band can actually play She stop looking at Tang Zhibo and begins flying around in circles according to the rhythm . Her costume, originally thin and light, flies around her in a dazzling display of colors, stunning all eyes in the hall . The bell worn on her wrists chimes, adding on to the overall effect . Immediately, shouts of bravo are heard all around, and the mood in the hall rises up to a feverish height . Even the gaze in Zhou Jingjing s eyes changes . He never likes the features of a Mongolian, even though their sharp noses and fair skin is a breath of fresh air, the great tang ladies looks are more to his taste in the long run . But this dancer in front of him is like casting a spell that prevents him from shifting his eyes away, afraid of missing a glance that comes his way . That pair of eyes doesn t just attracts the gaze . It attracts the spirit . Zhou Jingjing touches his fan, and remembers that he is still missing a 14th concubine . After the song, shouts of bravo fill the hall, everyone still deep in that image of the dance, having forgotten all about the painting . But there would always be an odd one out . A cold snort is heard coming from the left side of the hall, and it s effect is like a big pail of ice cold water splashing onto everyone s raging fire . Liu Qinghuan glances over to the perpetrator, and see a scholarly looking young man in a turban . Although Liu Qinghuan do not recognize him, anyone able to get invited to this banquet must be a presence in the city . Brother Jing, are you not satisfied with the dance Zhou Jingjing fingers his fan as he stares at the young man . Cao Jingren had just became a royal officer recently, and is the youngest ever to be one . It is heard that even the Emperor values him greatly . He had spend quite the effort in getting him to come and wouldn t want to do anything that can offend him . If his eldest daughter can get betroth to him, even better still . Cao Jingren glances at Zhou Jingjing, his tone of voice as cold and clear as before . I am unsatisfied with you . Zhou Jingjing freeze, and before he can even say a word, he heard Cao Jingren continues . I am here today to study Jiading Maoxue s White Jade Orchid Spring . If you really have it, take it out so I can study if it is the real deal or not . At this, some starts scorning Cao Jingren for not reading the atmosphere . With all the intelligence and arrogant air behind him, Cao Jingren immediately refute back . Seeing the atmosphere getting tense, Zhou Jingjing hurriedly get one of his servant to get the painting . The painting is stored in a high grade silk cover and taking over it, Zhou Jingjing slowly and carefully opening it out and removing the painting from it . The painting slowly unravel in front of everyone s eyes as they all stare at it, as if witnessing some form of a miracle . And when that snow white orchid appear fully, gasps are heard . Liu Qinghuan too, crane her neck to get a glimpse of the painting . This painting is smaller than the norm, only about half the size . But the weirdest thing is, the painting is of a white orchid, yet the poem right beside is about the palm blossom . The bustling hall is now deadly quiet, as all the talents of Chang An city are now staring at this White Jade Orchid Spring . After the initial daze, praises begin to emerge and some even create a poem about the painting on the spot, to convey the greatness he feel towards the painter . Zhou Jingjing s friends have no idea about art nor poem, yet seeing how much he spend on this, it must be the painting of the century Thinking so, they begin praising Zhou Jingjing, leaving only Cao Jingren staring silently at the painting . Liu Qinghuan s gaze lands on him, and she finds out that besides her, two other person are keeping their gaze on him as well . One is Tang Zhibo, another is the masked guy who hold her hostage . Cao Jingren stands at where he is for a while, before making his way over to Zhou Jingjing . Maybe it is his chilly aura, but everyone let out a path for him . He peer at the painting, before going on to view at it in several different angles . And finally, he touches the paper in all seriousness . Then, under everyone s gaze, he finally straighten up, and glances over to Zhou Jingjing . What good luck, this is authentic .