stonecrandall Chapter 1175 An Invitation That Was Expected!
Chapter 1175 An Invitation That Was Expected!
Pushing open a carved wooden door, the interior came into view. It was a spacious bedroom, with a thick cashmere carpet on the floor that made no sound underfoot. In the center of the room was a large rosewood bed, draped with a moon-shadow gauze curtain, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere. By the window was a soft couch, with several open books scattered on it. The most peculiar thing was one wall, entirely made of glass, clearly reflecting the night view of Kyoto outside the window, yet making it impossible to see anything inside from the outside—this was one-way glass that Gao Yao had brought back from some technologically advanced world.
Gao Yao gently placed Lü Zhi on the bed, and the gauze curtains automatically fell, enveloping the two in a private space. The candlelight filtered softly through the curtains, casting a faint glow on Lü Zhi's face.
“Husband,” Lü Zhi gently stroked Gao Yao’s face, “when do you plan to bring the other sisters over?”
Gao Yao held her hand: "No rush. This world is too complicated. Emperor Qing, Chen Pingping, Li Yunrui, Fan Xian... all kinds of forces are deeply intertwined. I will bring them over when the situation becomes clearer. For now, having you by my side is enough."
These words warmed Lü Zhi's heart. She knew Gao Yao was speaking from the heart—although he had many lovers, he was never promiscuous and treated each one sincerely. This was also the reason why she was finally able to let go of her inner turmoil.
"Then what about cultivation..." Lü Zhi asked again.
Gao Yao took out a jade bottle from his bosom: "This is the Nine-Turn Qi-Nourishing Pill that I obtained from the 'Tianlong' world. Combined with the cultivation method I taught you, it will be enough to help you successfully establish your foundation. Once you establish your foundation, your lifespan can be increased to two hundred years, and the aging of your appearance will be greatly delayed."
Lü Zhi accepted the jade bottle, her eyes filled with gratitude. She knew the value of these resources; even in the Great Xia Empire established by Gao Yao, they were top-tier treasures. Yet Gao Yao had given them to her without hesitation.
"Thank you, honey," she said softly.
Gao Yao shook his head: "There's no need for thanks between us." He paused, then said seriously, "But we need to plan carefully about Chen Pingping's matter. He wants to use someone else to do his dirty work and shift the blame elsewhere, so we might as well play along."
"Oh?" Lü Zhi's eyes lit up.
Gao Yao lay down and pulled Lü Zhi into his arms. The two stood side by side, gazing at the myriad lights outside the glazed tile walls. "Chen Pingping wants us to draw attention, so let's stand openly in front of the stage. I already have some plans for Li Yunrui, and this is a good opportunity to push them forward. If Emperor Qing comes to test us, we'll let him see what he wants to see, and also what we want him to see."
Empress Lü Zhi pondered, "Does my husband intend to... feign weakness to the enemy? Or is he using a mix of truth and deception?"
“A combination of the real and the illusory,” Gao Yao laughed. “We’re new here, and our foundations are still shallow—that’s a fact. So, on the surface, we’re just businessmen cooperating with Li Yunrui. We have some skills, but not enough to threaten the imperial power. As for the secrets…”
He gestured in the air, and a faint light screen appeared out of thin air, displaying complex star maps and lines. "I have already planted seventy-three spies in Kyoto, infiltrating sixteen key government departments. Chen Pingping thinks he is using us, but he doesn't know that we are using him too. This network of the Surveillance Bureau can certainly be used by me."
Lü Zhi stared at the light screen, her heart filled with shock. She knew Gao Yao possessed extraordinary abilities, but she had no idea that he had laid such a deep trap in the Qing Kingdom in such a short time.
“Then Fan Xian…” she said hesitantly.
Gao Yao's eyes deepened: "Fan Xian is both a variable and a key. I helped him fake his death to escape, both to make a good relationship and to plant a pawn. Chen Pingping wanted to avenge Ye Qingmei, and Fan Xian did too. As for Emperor Qing..." He sneered, "Emperor Qing thought he was in control of everything, but he didn't know that everyone around him could become his gravedigger."
As night deepened, the lights outside the window went out one by one. Kyoto slumbered, but the game of power had only just begun.
Nestled in Gao Yao's arms, Lü Zhi gradually drifted off to sleep. Before falling asleep, she murmured, "Husband, whatever you do, I will be with you. From youth to old age, from this world to the next."
Gao Yao lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Sleep well, my wife."
Empress Lü's guess came true. This was not merely a premonition, but an intuition honed through years of court intrigue. Three days, neither long nor short, were enough to bring the undercurrents in the capital to the surface. As the sun rose on the fourth day, the constables of the capital's government surrounded the Gao family's restaurant like wolves.
It was early morning, just as the streets were opening and the restaurant staff had just taken down the door panels, preparing for the new day's business. The head of the yamen, a clerk surnamed Zhou, was in his forties, with a fair complexion and no beard. Holding a vermilion official seal and documents, his voice was loud but lacked warmth: "Gao's Restaurant is suspected of illegal operation, falsifying accounts, and tax evasion. Upon verification, it is to be shut down immediately!"
Having said that, without waiting for the restaurant owner to explain, he waved his hand, ordering the constables to affix the crossed seals. The constables moved with practiced ease, clearly used to this kind of task. The vermilion seal of the Kyoto Prefectural Government on the seals was particularly glaring in the morning light, attracting whispers from the shop owners on both sides of the street.
Lü Zhi stood by the second-floor window, quietly watching this scene. She had deliberately worn a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today, simple yet dignified. Gao Yao stood beside her, his face calm and composed, as if it weren't his assets that had been seized. Their hands lightly touched within their sleeves, conveying a message only they could understand.
“Registrar Zhou,” Gao Yao said slowly as he descended the stairs, his voice low but clear, “who has filed this complaint? Is there any solid evidence?”
Clerk Zhou's eyes flickered for a moment, then his face hardened: "The prefectural government handles cases according to the law. If Boss Gao has any objections, he may appeal to the prefectural government in three days. However, for now, Gao's Restaurant must be temporarily closed!"
Gao Yao smiled slightly, a smile devoid of any warmth. He didn't press further, but simply turned and nodded to Lü Zhi, gave a few instructions to the innkeeper, and then calmly led Lü Zhi away. Their luggage had already been packed in advance, and important items had been moved to another courtyard in the west of the city via a secret tunnel.
The real test only began after nightfall.
At the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM), an inconspicuous blue-canopied carriage silently stopped at the back gate of Gao's Restaurant. The carriage had no insignia or markings, and the horses' hooves were deliberately kept low, clearly indicating that the driver was highly skilled. After the carriage came to a stop, a middle-aged man in gray got out, knocked three times gently on the door, paused for a moment, and then knocked twice more.
At this moment, Gao Yao was bidding farewell to Lü Zhi at the entrance of the tunnel. The tunnel had been secretly dug half a year ago, and the exit was in the backyard of a cloth shop two streets away. When Gao Yao built it, he hadn't thought it would be used so soon; he was just habitually leaving an escape route for important strongholds—a habit he had developed over many years in the Qin Dynasty palace.
"If I don't return within two hours, then leave Kyoto as planned," Gao Yao instructed in a low voice.