After I became a passerby, I saved the villain's family

After arriving in Beijing, envoys from various countries did not enter the palace immediately.

Emperor Chengren allowed them to rest in the inn for a day and then enter the palace the next day.

The next evening, Jiang Ruoli, as the county lord, entered the palace with her father and brothers.

After Jiang Ruoli entered the palace, she paid her respects to the Queen Mother and then went to Xiao Yuyao's palace.

"Li'er, you're here!"

Xiao Yuyao was sitting in front of the mirror, putting on her makeup.

Tonight is a palace banquet to entertain envoys from various countries, and as a princess she must treat it with great ceremony.

Xiao Yuyao tugged at her court dress, feeling a little annoyed.

This court dress and hair crown are very heavy. Every time I wear them, I feel like my neck is going to break.

Seeing this, Jiang Ruoli reached out to straighten her collar with amusement.

"Your Highness, please bear with it. It will only take an hour."

Xiao Yuyao curled her lips and hugged Jiang Ruoli's arm.

"Li'er, can you stay with me tonight? I didn't catch you at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet last time, so you are not allowed to run away again tonight!"

Xiao Yuyao likes Jiang Ruoli and has always been obsessed with bringing her into the palace.

However, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was under strict surveillance, and she failed several times.

"Good Li'er, stay here tonight..." Xiao Yuyao shook Jiang Ruoli's arm and acted coquettishly to her.

After hearing what Xiao Yuyao said, Jiang Ruoli's eyes flashed slightly.

She came to see Xiao Yuyao not only because she wanted to see her, but also because she wanted her to stay with her for a few nights.

In the original book, something happens to the Queen on the second night of the palace banquet, so she has to find a way to stay in the palace and prevent the tragedy from happening.

Unexpectedly, Princess Yuyao brought it up before she even opened her mouth.

Jiang Ruoli smiled and said, "Okay, I'll follow your instructions."

"what?"

Jiang Ruoli agreed suddenly, and Xiao Yuyao didn't react for a moment.

After knowing that she really agreed, Xiao Yuyao was so happy that she almost spun in circles.

"That's great, Li'er! Can you stay with me in the palace for a few more days?"

Jiang Ruoli responded with a smile.

"What about Duke Jiang..." Xiao Yuyao still remembered the rules of the Duke's Mansion.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will go and talk to my father in person and he will definitely agree." Jiang Ruoli said with a smile.

Xiao Yuyao was very happy to hear this, and suddenly felt that this court dress was not so heavy.

After Xiao Yuyao had packed up, the two of them went to the front hall together.

There were already quite a few people sitting in the hall.

In order to show Dacheng's attention to various countries, all the important officials of the court are present today.

However, there are not many female relatives. Apart from the Empress and Concubine Rou, the only younger ones are Xiao Yuyao and Jiang Ruoli.

After entering the hall, the two sat separately.

Xiao Yuyao sat in a seat at the top, next to Concubine Rou.

Seeing Duke Jiang, she winked at Jiang Ruoli.

Jiang Ruoli nodded slightly, indicating that she should not worry.

Xiao Yuyao laughed.

Zhang Huaiyun, who was sitting next to Jiang Ciyan, had been keeping his eyes on Xiao Yuyao since she came in.

Seeing her playfully playing charades with Jiang Ruoli, I couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Master Xiao Zhang, is there anything happy?" He was laughing so happily.

Jiang Ci Yan couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Huaiyun was startled, and his ears suddenly turned red, but his voice was no different from usual: "Nothing, Master Xiao Jiang."

But he couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yuyao.

Jiang Ci Yan followed his gaze and saw that it was Xiao Yuyao. Then he looked at Zhang Huaiyun's shy expression and couldn't help swallowing.

Lord Xiao Zhang versus Princess Yuyao?

It shouldn’t be what he meant...right?

Soon, a eunuch announced loudly:

"Your Majesty, the Queen, and the Crown Prince have arrived—"

Everyone stood up and knelt.

"Stand up." Emperor Chengren said with a smile.

He is in good condition today, and looks much more energetic than before.

Everyone stood up to express their gratitude and returned to their seats.

Xiao Yujing looked at Jiang Ruoli sitting obediently in her seat, and the corners of his lips curled slightly.

You are so well behaved today.

After everyone was seated, Eunuch Luo stepped forward and said to Emperor Chengren:

"Your Majesty, envoys from various countries are waiting outside the palace. Can we let them in now?"

Emperor Chengren smiled and nodded.

Eunuch Luo stood up straight and shouted loudly:

"Summon the envoys of various countries to the palace for an audience—"

As soon as the words fell, everyone's eyes turned towards the door.

"The envoys from the Southern Dynasty, the Holy Lady Lingjia, and the little prince came to the palace to see the emperor—"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange fragrance wafted in from outside the door, making people feel relaxed and happy, and comfortable all over.

A group of people from the Southern Dynasty appeared outside the door.

Leading the group was the envoy from the Southern Dynasty, with Saint Lingjia and the little prince Murong Chang following on both sides of him.

Four Southern Dynasty guards followed behind, carrying a box containing tribute.

As soon as the Holy Lady Lingjia appeared, she attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

She was tall, much taller than an ordinary woman. She wore a long white dress with a veil draped over her arms. She swayed gracefully when she walked, like a fairy descending to earth.

However, her face was hidden by a veil, revealing only a pair of deep blue eyes that emitted a cold light.

Everyone held their breath and watched her slowly walk into the hall.

The envoy from the Southern Dynasty came to the front and bowed low in salute.

"The envoys of the Southern Dynasty have come with tribute to pay respect to His Majesty the Great Cheng."

"No need to be polite." Emperor Chengren waved his hand with a smile on his face. "The envoy from the Southern Dynasty has come from afar. Thank you for your hard work."

The envoys from the Southern Dynasty just smiled and said nothing.

The Queen looked at the Holy Lady Lingjia and said with a smile, "I have long heard that the Holy Lady Lingjia has supernatural powers, like a fairy descending to earth. Today I see that she is indeed worthy of her reputation."

"Your Majesty is right." Concubine Rou echoed.

Others nodded.

The Southern Dynasty envoy stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the tribute that the Southern Dynasty brought this time is a rare herb unique to the Southern Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty will like it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards behind him opened the big box.

In an instant, hundreds of colorful butterflies flew out of the boxes and circled above the hall.

Everyone opened their mouths wide, staring at the scene in front of them in shock.

"Yesterday I heard that Saint Lingjia appeared at the city gate and attracted hundreds of butterflies to follow her. I didn't expect to see such a grand scene in the hall today. It's really amazing!" Concubine Rou said with a smile.

Everyone was full of praise.

When the butterflies dispersed, everyone's eyes fell on the big box again.

I saw that the box was filled with several flowers and lush grass.

These herbs were actually planted directly in the box!

Seeing the officials' surprised expressions, the Southern Dynasty envoy smiled and said:

"These are all herbs that can prolong life and beautify the skin, but they are rather delicate. They are most effective only when they are picked when they are in full bloom. In order to ensure their effectiveness, the saint transplanted the herbs into wooden boxes so that they would not wither due to the long journey."

It took nearly a month to travel from the Southern Dynasty to the capital of Dacheng. It must have taken a lot of effort to take care of these herbs so well.

Emperor Chengren was very satisfied with the intentions of the Southern Dynasty.

He said with a smile: "Saint Lingjia is thoughtful, reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Saint Lingjia nodded slightly.