Chapter 135: Not a Single Good Soul

At high noon the following day, Li Yi set out from his residence accompanied by Yue’er. They followed in the carriage behind Li Jing, heading toward the palace to attend the banquet.

When the carriage reached the main gate of the Taiji Palace, Li Yi and his maid, Yue’er, disembarked with Li Jing and prepared to enter the palace grounds. Unexpectedly, a familiar, boisterous voice suddenly rang in Li Yi’s ears:

"Brother Bo’an, you’ve come too?"

Hearing the rough voice, Li Yi raised an eyebrow and saw Cheng Chumuo and Luo Tong walking slowly toward him from beside their carriage. Li Yi gave them a look of mock annoyance and curled his lip, saying, "If you can come, why can’t I?"

"..." Cheng Chumuo and Luo Tong stopped in their tracks, their lips twitching slightly. Cheng Chumuo realized that one needed a strong heart to converse with Li Yi; otherwise, one might find themselves choked with frustration at any given moment.

"Ahem..." Clearing his throat awkwardly, Cheng Chumuo changed the subject with a grin. "Brother Bo’an, we’ve arrived, but look—someone even dragged his sickly self here today."

"Who?" Li Yi asked, blinking curiously.

"There, look." As he spoke, Cheng Chumuo gestured slightly toward the carriages belonging to Zhangsun Wuji’s household.

Li Yi looked up and immediately spotted Zhangsun Chong. At that very moment, Zhangsun Chong, who had been scanning the crowd as if searching for someone, locked eyes with Li Yi. His expression turned fierce, filled with resentment and anger—as if Li Yi owed him a debt he had refused to pay for years.

Li Yi offered a helpless smile and looked away, choosing to ignore him.

Just then, Luo Tong tugged on Cheng Chumuo’s arm and offered a reminder: "Brother Chumuo, we should head into the palace with your father so as not to be late and incur his displeasure. We can chat once we are seated inside."

Reminded of his father, Cheng Zhijie, Cheng Chumuo felt a jolt of alarm. He immediately smiled at Li Yi, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Bo’an, let’s all sit together later!"

"Since you are so insistent, Brother Chumuo, I shall not decline," Li Yi replied with a bow and a wry smile.

Cheng Chumuo and Luo Tong bowed in return and returned to Cheng Zhijie’s side. Meanwhile, Cheng Zhijie glanced over at Li Yi. Li Yi quickly bowed to him in greeting.

***

Cheng Zhijie adjusted his sleeves and led his son and Luo Tong into the palace. Li Yi followed behind Li Jing, but before he had walked far, he spotted Fang Yizhi in the crowd. Fang Yizhi noticed him as well, excused himself from his father, Fang Xuanling, and walked straight over to Li Yi.

"Sanlang, I was looking everywhere for you! I never expected to find you right behind me," Fang Yizhi said with a smile. His gaze then drifted to Yue’er behind Li Yi, and he paused in surprise. He hadn't expected Li Yi to bring a maid into the palace. Wasn't he worried about offending the Emperor?

"Sanlang," Fang Yizhi whispered, "why did you bring a maid from your household?"

Li Yi looked at him, puzzled. "What’s wrong? Is it against palace regulations?"

"Not exactly," Fang Yizhi shook his head, gesturing to the surrounding crowd. "But look around—is there anyone else here with a maid in tow?"

Li Yi scanned the area. Indeed, he was the only one, standing out like a crane in a flock of chickens. But he reasoned that if his father, Li Jing, didn't object, why should he worry? Besides, Emperor Li Shimin had personally invited him.

"It’s fine, Brother Yizhi," Li Yi said with a nonchalant wave. "Yue’er is my personal bodyguard. I’m physically frail, so I need someone to look after me, don't I?"

"I believe you," Fang Yizhi rolled his eyes, then added, "...not!"

Li Yi smiled and changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Yizhi, why didn't 'Er Gouzi' come today?"

"Ah, him..." Fang Yizhi shook his head. "The Emperor did send an invitation for him to accompany Uncle Du to the banquet, but as you know, Uncle Du needs to rest, so he didn't let him come."

"I see," Li Yi nodded. "Indeed, Uncle Du needs his rest. It’s better he skips such a boisterous occasion."

Fang Yizhi’s eyes twinkled with mischief. "I say, Sanlang, Uncle Du is about to become your father-in-law. Why are you still calling him 'Uncle Du'?"

"If I don't call him Uncle Du, what should I call him?" Li Yi blinked.

"Father-in-law!" Fang Yizhi said with a straight face.

"Ah, my dear son-in-law, no need for such formalities. In broad daylight, we should keep things low-key," Li Yi replied, waving his hand with a solemn, mocking smile.

Fang Yizhi’s mouth twitched. He wanted to retort, but decided against it. He had intended to tease Li Yi, but instead, he had let Li Yi take the upper hand. To make matters worse, Li Yi and Yue’er were both stifling laughs right in front of him.

"Hmph! Neither of you is any good—you're both full of mischief!" Fang Yizhi grumbled indignantly.

Li Yi: "..."
Yue’er: "..."

They silently wondered how they had managed to get caught in the crossfire so inexplicably.

The three of them entered the Qilin Hall and took their seats. Fang Yizhi, Cheng Chumuo, and Luo Tong swapped seats with others to sit near Li Yi, and the four of them began to chat. They failed to notice that Zhangsun Chong’s expression had turned dark and sullen.

***

Meanwhile, the representatives of the Japanese mission had arrived at the Hanyuan Hall. After presenting their tributes, they were escorted by palace eunuchs to the Qilin Hall, where they took their designated seats.

However, when Inugami no Mitasuki, Yakuni, and Inugami no Toshini saw Li Yi, they furrowed their brows, their faces visibly clouded with resentment.