Immortal Mansion: With mediocre qualifications, I have no choice but to live forever

Hearing Zhou Yiqiao's words that seemed to have a hidden meaning, Zhu Changfu's forehead suddenly broke out in sweat and he quickly shook his hand to deny it.

"Mr. Zhou, you are joking. It is impossible for a small official like Zhu to get close to the Crown Prince and the Sixteenth Princess."

"It is an honor for Zhu to follow the Third Princess."

Zhou Yiqiao raised a playful smile and said slowly.

"Master Zhu, don't be nervous. I just mentioned it casually."

Zhu Changfu let out a long sigh, secretly thankful that Zhou Yiqiao hadn't discovered anything.

However, Zhou Yiqiao's next words made him nervous again.

"But since Lord Zhu feels that it is an honor to follow that royal family member, then why don't you follow me and the Second Princess on this winter hunt?"

"After all, given Zhou's status, it's just a brief mention."

When Zhu Changfu heard this, his face froze instantly and his smile became uglier than crying.

He was arranged to follow the third princess, naturally not because of honor as he said, but because of complex political considerations and interest exchanges behind it.

The third princess was born to the Immortal Emperor and Concubine Yi, and was their only child. She received full support from the Rong family, one of the Eight Pillars of the State, behind Concubine Yi.

Although this woman has absolutely no chance of competing for the throne, the forces behind her have always been the target of various forces.

The reason why Zhu Changfu has been able to make a fortune as the prefect of Tiansheng Prefecture over the years is because of the protection of the Rong family and the secret help of various parties who want to win over the power of the third princess.

If he switched sides to the Second Princess's side because of Zhou Yiqiao's words, not only would Zhu Changfu be liquidated by the Rong family at any minute, but those forces that once helped him would also turn against him in an instant, putting him in an irretrievable situation.

Zhu Changfu was in great shock but he dared not show it on his face. He could only speak calmly.

"Mr. Zhou, for such an important event as the winter hunt, all of Zhu's arrangements were decided by His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and it is not something that Zhu can change without authorization."

Zhou Yiqiao seemed to have expected Zhu Changfu to answer like this. He put down the teacup in his hand and raised his hand to look directly at the sweat on Zhu Changfu's forehead.

After a long time, he finally opened his thin lips under Zhu Changfu's almost suffocating gaze.

"Mr. Zhu is right. It was I who was rude."

"In that case, we'll meet on the winter hunting day."

Zhu Changfu heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, but beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead. He forced a smile and bowed.

"Mr. Zhou is very generous. I am very grateful to you."

"On the day of winter hunting, we will be waiting for Master Zhou and the Second Princess to come."

After saying this, without waiting for Zhou Yiqiao's response, Zhu Changfu hurriedly said goodbye and left, as if there was a flood or a beast chasing him.

Zhou Yiqiao was the only one left in the houseboat again. He gently shook the teacup in his hand, his eyes looking through the sparkling water towards the hazy night in the distance, no emotion visible on his face.

"Winter Hunting Day... should be the last chance before Xuantian Secret Realm."

"In that case, the 'real mastermind' who stole the Ascension Pill should also 'surface'..."

As Zhou Yiqiao was speaking, tiny ripples suddenly appeared on the calm surface of the river outside the pleasure boat.

The ripples slowly gathered and turned into layers of waves. Then, a sudden heavy rain came, violently hitting the roof of the pleasure boat and the surrounding river surface, making crackling sounds.

The bustling night market in Tiansheng City became quiet and silent in a very short time due to the arrival of the heavy rain.

The hazy fog quickly spread, covering the entire river surface. The pleasure boat seemed to be in a huge water mist cocoon, completely isolated from the outside world.

"The storm is coming..."

Zhou Yiqiao drank up the spiritual tea in the pot, exhaled a puff of mist, with a deep black light flashing in his eyes, and muttered to himself.

After a long while, he disappeared in the pleasure boat...

......

Three days passed in a flash, and the once-in-a-century royal winter hunt of the Daxuantian royal family finally kicked off.

Led by the Immortal Emperor Luo Fengtian, members of the royal family, important officials of the court, and representatives of various forces, all dressed in luxurious hunting clothes and riding various spirit beasts, passed through the teleportation formation that had been opened early in Tiansheng City and arrived at Canglong Ridge, the royal hunting ground located in the northern border of the Great Xuantian Empire.

Canglong Ridge stretches for thousands of miles, with high mountains and dense forests. There are countless monsters deliberately raised by the Daxuantian royal family, and it is full of dangers.

Of course, the royal family would not joke about the names of so many royal nobles and court officials. The so-called danger was at most a fifth-order divine beast.

For young people like Luo Lishang who have achieved great success in cultivation, this royal winter hunt is more like a grand hunting game than a test.

In winter, Canglong Ridge is covered in silver and is pure white.

The sunlight shines through the thin clouds and shines on the white snow, reflecting a dazzling light.

Immortal Emperor Luo Fengtian rode a mighty snow-covered ice dragon and was at the head of the team.

He was wearing a golden dragon robe and an imperial crown, and he exuded an aura of majesty without even being angry.

Behind him were a group of royal family members, including Crown Prince Luo Xiang, Second Princess Luo Lishang, Third Princess Luo Ziyan, Sixteenth Princess Luo Shanhu and other royal relatives and nobles.

Behind them were the Eight Pillars of the State, court ministers, wealthy businessmen, etc. There were more than a thousand people in the group.

Zhou Yiqiao was dressed in an exquisite black hunting suit and riding a majestic tall horse. He was mixed in with the team of important officials in the court, and his eyes occasionally swept in the direction of the second princess Luo Lishang.

Today, Luo Lishang was wearing a silver-white hunting suit, with a long sword shining with cold light on his waist. He looked heroic, and there was a heroic spirit between his brows that could not be ignored.

She was riding a rare glacier snow leopard, which blended in with the surrounding snowy scenery, adding a bit of the cool and noble air of a high mountain flower.

Feeling Zhou Yiqiao's gaze, Luo Lishang turned his head slightly and happened to meet Zhou Yiqiao's smiling eyes.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Luo Lishang's lips, and then he quickly shifted his gaze away and focused on the hunting ground ahead.

"Prince Consort Zhou and the Second Princess are a perfect match. They are truly an enviable couple."

A minister nearby suddenly spoke with a bit of flattery and ridicule, which attracted Zhou Yiqiao's attention.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that a middle-aged minister in gorgeous official robes had appeared beside him.

This person was in the late Lianxu stage, had a round face, and his eyes showed a bit of shrewdness and sophistication. He was looking at him with a smile.

Noticing the confusion in Zhou Yiqiao's gaze, the middle-aged minister straightened his official robe and introduced himself.

"I am the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department. I have heard of the great name of Prince Consort Zhou for a long time. It is a great honor to meet him today."

Zhou Yiqiao was stunned for a moment, then politely responded.

"Master He, you are too polite. I am not married to the princess yet, so I cannot be called a 'prince consort'. Master He, please do not tease me."

Hearing this, He Qiyu's smile widened and he said indifferently.

"I saw all of the affection between Prince Consort Zhou and the Second Princess just now. Sooner or later, the title of Prince Consort will fall on Master Zhou, so it doesn't matter if you call him that earlier."

Zhou Yiqiao knew that there was no right or wrong in this matter, so he didn't dwell on it. He just smiled and changed the subject.

"Master He came to me, I'm afraid, not just to praise me, right?"

When He Qiyu heard Zhou Yiqiao's question, he was stunned for a moment, and then immediately smiled.

"Hahaha, I really can't hide it from Master Zhou."

As he spoke, he stuffed a note into Zhou Yiqiao's hand.

"As the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department, I am responsible for all matters concerning the Royal Hunting Ground. This is a detailed map of the hunting ground this year. Please accept it, Master Zhou."

Zhou Yiqiao nodded, put the note into his sleeve pocket, and then bowed to He Qiyu.

"In that case, thank you, Master He."

"No need, this is He's job."

After saying that, He Qiyu patted Zhou Yiqiao on the shoulder, squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and went forward to provide the hunting ground map to others.

Zhou Yiqiao looked at He Qiyu's receding back, stroking the hunting ground map as big as a table in his hand, a hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, he put the hunting ground map into the storage bag on his waist, or more precisely, into his unique moonstone space.

In the Moonstone space, Zhou Yiqiao is the most important person. He tries to do two things at the same time, using a wisp of his soul to split out an avatar for the purpose of building the foundation.

Since the clone is in the moonstone space, Zhou Yiqiao can use the power of his soul to control this foundation-building clone and manipulate all affairs in the moonstone space at will.

With a thought, he suspended the hunting ground map in front of his clone and scanned it continuously. After a while, he found a tiny crease in an inconspicuous corner.

Zhou Yiqiao operated his clone, carefully separating the hunting ground map along the creases, and pulled out a secret letter as thin as a cicada's wing and made of special materials.

There were several lines of words written in special cipher text on the secret letter. Zhou Yiqiao took some effort to decipher it.

"On the cliffs of the northern peak of Canglong Ridge...at midnight...when the moonlight is at its brightest...meet and discuss in detail."

After reading the secret letter, Zhou Yiqiao's eyes became more profound.

The content of this letter was obviously confessed by He Qiyu or the person behind He Qiyu.

But why was this person so sure that he would go to the appointment? And why did he choose to hold a secret meeting on the heavily guarded Canglong Ridge during the royal winter hunt?

Zhou Yiqiao was filled with doubts, but he showed no sign of it.

He temporarily left the secret letter in the moonstone space, restored the hunting ground map and put it into the storage bag, then he returned his mind to his body and continued to ride forward with the team.

As the team went deeper into Canglong Ridge, the surrounding scenery became more magnificent and pristine. Towering ancient trees reached the sky, and occasionally one or two low-level monsters could be seen shuttling through the woods, seemingly unaware of the upcoming hunt.

Everything indicated that they had entered the royal hunting grounds and the royal winter hunt would officially begin.