Chapter 259: The Imperial Concubine holds a banquet

It was already dusk, and it was early spring, and it was dark early. The lights had already lit in the Huaqing Palace. Two palace maids held lanterns in their hands and guided Li Qing'an in front.

"General Li, please go here!"

In the huge building complex of Huaqing Palace, Li Qingan had gone around for countless turns and through the doors. His head was a little dizzy. The two palace maids wanted to take him to take him to take a shower and change his clothes. With a warm and humid breath coming, the two palace maids pushed open a door.

"General Li, we're here!"

This is a hot spring room with dim lights. A huge white jade screen separates the room into two. There are two beautiful palace maids waiting to bathe in the bathroom. They have received the order in advance. When they see Li Qing'an coming in, they immediately stepped forward and gave a gentle salute, "General, please change your clothes!"

It would be okay if he was serving himself with a poem or painting, but the two strange palace maids served him very uncomfortable. He nodded and said, "I'll do it myself, you guys can step down!"

"Yes!" The two palace maids' faces turned slightly red. After flashing to the screen, Li Qingan looked at the bathroom. There was a lotus-shaped bathtub inside the screen, which was steaming hot, and there were vaguely bubbles rolling on the water surface. The spring water was clear and the water flowed out of the bathroom from a small ditch. There was a fragrance in somewhere, and a rich sweet fragrance filled the entire bathroom.

He marched thousands of miles apart, and as soon as he arrived in Chang'an, he rushed to Huaqing Palace without stopping. Li Qing'an was really exhausted. He immediately took off his military uniform and jumped naked into the bathhouse. The hot spring water filled his shoulders. All the 36,000 pores were comfortable. He narrowed his eyes so comfortably.

Suddenly, he felt two delicate hands smearing cold and smooth liquid on his shoulders and neck. He was shocked and found that there were two women standing behind him. They were only wearing small underwear, and their delicate bodies as white jade as mutton fat appeared in the heat.

"General, this is the flower dew brewed by the imperial concubine himself, and it is also equipped with ambergris juice, which can best drive away fatigue. The emperor said that the general was traveling thousands of miles and was tired, so he ordered us to serve him well. The general would relax his body and let us loosen his muscles and bones for you."

Although she was a little uncomfortable, there was no need to make a fuss. This was their business. Li Qingan simply relaxed and enjoyed the service of the two palace maids.

After taking a shower, he wiped his body dry and put on a clean new robe. Li Qingan suddenly felt refreshed all over. The two palace maids combed his hair for him again, and then he smiled charmingly and stepped down.

"General, please follow me! The emperor and the empress are already waiting." An old eunuch smiled at the door.

"Okay! Lead the way forward."

Two palace maids were lanterns in front of them. The old eunuch led Li Qing'an to the Baicao Hall where they were eating. Guards stood outside the hall. Teams of eunuchs and palace maids were busy serving meals like shuttles. Entering the Baicao Hall, the lights were as bright as daytime, and the sound of silk and bamboo. A group of dancers were dancing gracefully. Above the jade steps, there was a large table, and the table was filled with various delicious dishes. Today, Li Longji invited Li Qing'an to dinner in the form of a family banquet. Li Qing'an did not set up another table under the jade steps, but shared a table with Li Longji and Yang Guifei. This was also a way for Li Longji to win over the ministers. There were no more than ten ministers who could eat with them.

More than a dozen palace maids were serving each other. Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan sat on the upper head and a woman in the lower head, with her clouded temples combed, and her back was facing Li Qing'an, as if she looked familiar.

When Li Longji saw Li Qing'an coming, he smiled and said, "As the general, it is a family banquet, not a court, so there is no need to restrict etiquette and law."

"Thank you, my Majesty, thank you!"

Li Qingan bowed and smiled. He nodded slightly to the woman next to him, but was stunned for a moment. He thought he was a concubine of Li Longji, but unexpectedly it was Yang Huahua.

Yang Huahua's face was faintly smiling, and she bowed slightly to Li Qing'an, "General, we haven't seen each other for a long time."

Li Qingan also smiled and said, "Yes! We haven't seen each other for almost two years! The third lady is younger and more handsome."

Yang Huahua covered her mouth and smiled, "What else can I talk about when I'm young? I'm already old."

Since the incident in the Imperial Study of the Ming Palace, the relationship between Yang Yuhuan and Yang Huahua sisters has been frozen for a while. Later, the elder sister and the second sister came forward to mediate, and the two sisters reconciled again. Yang Yuhuan also forgave Yang Huahua's hurt to her and treated her affectionately as before. After experiencing that incident, Yang Huahua became much more honest and did not dare to seduce Li Longji easily. She usually lived in seclusion, but as the Yang family gained power again, Yang Huahua began to show off again. She invested in business and opened more than a dozen large shops, cabinets, jewelry, and silk in Chang'an. She intervened in all the money-making industries.

She came to Huaqing Palace for a trip three days, and today she happened to meet Li Qing'an. After Li Qing'an was imprisoned last time, Yang Huahua's hatred for Li Qing'an became much weaker. As time went by, Li Qing'an gradually became blurred in her heart. Although she still had some regrets, this regret made it difficult for her to have any more troubles.

"How much time will General Li stay in Chang'an this time?"

"There is no decision on the specific situation. I may spend a little longer in Chang'an this time."

At this time, Yang Yuhuan next to him smiled and said, "General Li, sit down first, let's talk slowly."

A eunuch prepared a bedding for Li Qing'an. Li Qing'an sat down. He glanced at him and still didn't see Gao Lishi. He understood a little in his heart that Gao Lishi had fallen out of favor.

"General Li, I'm going to officially marry Mingyue when I'm back this time!"

Whenever women are concerned about these issues the most, Yang Yuhuan has been paying attention to this matter. In her opinion, Li Qingan is already twenty-eight years old and Mingyue is nineteen years old, so their marriage cannot be delayed any longer.

A trace of jealousy flashed in Yang Huahua's eyes and said, "General Li, Miss Mingyue is the second most beautiful woman in Chang'an after the Imperial Concubine. If you just keep her in the capital alone, aren't you afraid of long nights and dreams?"

Li Qing'an looked at her gaze and said disdainfully: "The third lady is joking. Mingyue is a person of Xianshu. I have nothing to worry about. There is a saying among the Sogdians that they say that flies never bite seamless eggs. Although they are rough, they are not without reason. What does the third lady think?"

Yang Huahua heard Li Qing'an's sarcasm, and she felt anger in her heart and gritted her teeth and replied, "What if someone wants to smash this egg?"

"Then I have to ask whether my sword agrees!" Li Qingan replied coldly.

Li Longji's face changed slightly and disappeared in an instant. He laughed and said, "Don't talk about these unpleasant things, come! Let's drink."

A maid came up and poured wine into Li Qing'an's cup. Li Qing'an picked up the glass and stood up and said, "Today, your Majesty and the Empress invite me to enjoy the family banquet. I will remember your grace in my heart. I will respect Your Majesty and the Empress first. I wish you good health and longevity. I wish you a long and beautiful woman forever! I will do it first!"

He drank three large glasses of wine in one breath. Li Longji and the other two clapped their applause. They each drank a glass of wine. After drinking one glass of wine, a rosy glow appeared on Yang Yuhuan's pretty face. She chuckled and said, "General Li has not answered my question yet! Are you going to get married this time?"

Li Qingan smiled and said, "Report to the Empress, Mingyue has been waiting for me for several years, so I should give her a name. When I come back this time, I do want to get married. If possible, I would like to invite Your Majesty and Empress to the wedding."

Yang Yuhuan was in high spirits and quickly pushed Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, let's go to General Li's wedding!"

Li Longji stroked his beard and smiled: "Okay! If conditions permit, we will definitely go."

"General, why don't you invite me?" Yang Huahua asked sourly.

"Haha! The third lady is willing to enjoy the glory, so of course I welcome it. I am afraid that the third lady will be too busy and have no time."

"What am I busy with? It's just a small business. Besides, no matter how busy I am, how can I not attend the General's wedding? Then I will definitely give you a generous gift."

"Okay! If the time is set, I will definitely give the third lady an invitation."

The atmosphere at the table became lively, and everyone drank a few more glasses of wine. Li Longji suddenly remembered something and said with a smile: "During the last battle of Shibao City, my dear gifted a recipe for Thunder. The previous month, An Lushan asked me for this recipe, saying that it was a weapon to deal with the Khitans. I remember that it seemed to be stuck in a book at that time, but I couldn't find it now. I thought, since this weapon is beneficial to the Tang army, my dear gift might as well copy another copy to An Lushan."

Li Qing'an's heart was thundering. An Lushan had an idea of ​​gunpowder. The thief's eyes were cruel. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the recipe for this thunder is a bit complicated, and I can't remember it. When I go back and look for it, but this thing hurts the heavens. I suggest that I try not to use it. If I use this thing, it will be difficult for me to buy the hearts of the Khitans again. I think that when dealing with foreign races, we should be lenient and kind education as the best and killing is the best. Moreover, once this thing is leaked, the foreign race will deal with the military and civilians of the Tang Dynasty, it will not be worth the loss. I think that being cautious should be the best. Please think twice."

Li Longji just asked casually, and he didn't really take the gunpowder to heart. Although it was because he had never seen the power of gunpowder, he could not imagine it. On the other hand, as an emperor, he was more concerned about the outcome of the war than the process of the war. However, Li Qing'an's polite education was quite in line with his appetite. He nodded and smiled: "I just forwarded An Lushan's request. If my beloved thinks it is inappropriate, I can refuse to give it to you. I won't force you."
Chapter completed!