The next day, Aman ordered Sangkan to wait in the palace, and went to the palace alone to pay respects to his father and mother. Later, he took Yingluo to Shengtong Mountain.
The wealth of the ancient Wu Kingdom was the first among all the countries, with magnificent palaces, beautiful reliefs, gorgeous crystal lamps, and precious marbles covered with exquisite carpets.
In the gorgeous palace, the king and the queen sit on the throne. The brightly colored robes cannot cover the king's bloated figure. His long curly hair is draped over his shoulders, and his appearance is very ordinary.
The queen of the ancient Wu Kingdom was once the eldest princess of the Lan Kingdom, the most beautiful woman in the Lan Kingdom. She was well-kept, as if she was in her prime, with a mature charm without losing the beauty of a girl.
Her curved black eyebrows resemble distant mountains, her hair is as silky as willows, her graceful and slender waist, her unparalleled grace, her Western-style imperial concubine's appearance, her arrogance and stunning beauty that eclipses the cold plum blossoms and the shy peonies.
In ancient Wu, the royal family could only marry one wife. The king of ancient Wu was a very henpecked master and was almost obedient to the queen. The entire court was almost in the hands of the queen.
Aman walked into the hall, his temperament was different from before. It seemed that he had grown a lot in the past time. Yu Junning said to her husband: "Your Majesty, you see that Aman has really improved after going out. He is becoming more and more like the king when he was young. style.”
"This is all the Queen's credit."
On the side, Arnold saw the eyes of his father and queen looking at Aman full of expectation. Dieyi had already sent news this time, and the queen knew that Aman had failed in his mission. She seemed to have no intention of blaming her, but she would be punished for her failure.
Aman stepped forward and clasped his hands*: "My son, I pay my respects to my father, the queen, and my queen."
Yu Junning said lovingly: "Aman! Come up quickly and let the queen have a look."
Aman strode to the high platform, knelt on one knee and said: "Father, King! Queen! I haven't seen you for several months, and I miss you so much." His words were full of longing.
"You kid, you have lost weight and become stronger."
The king chuckled and said: "The food cooked by the cooks outside must not be to the taste. I will send some cooks to Prince Gu's Mansion soon."
"Thank you father for your kindness!"
Arnold strode forward, "The second brother has grown a lot in the past few days, and the eldest brother can't recognize him anymore. Why didn't Dieyi come back with the second brother?"
Dieyi belongs to his eldest brother. He had never thought of arguing with him before. Now he has the leverage in his hands.
"Brother, long time no see. Why don't you come to my palace for a few drinks."
Arnold said with a fake smile: "Of course!" Arnold made a double entendre, not only reminding Aman, but also reminding his mother that Aman failed in this mission.
"Okay, you two brothers don't be polite, call Aman and have a family dinner together later."
Aman didn't want to arouse his mother's suspicion. They hadn't had a family dinner together for a long time. It seemed that he could only put down the matter of going to Shengtong Mountain for now. He also wanted to negotiate terms with Arnold.
A Man is an indispensable part of the family dinner. Arnold is very scheming and has a strong sense of hostility. A Man is not very close to him, but they have always had a good relationship with the A Man siblings. They are of similar age and can play together.
Aman looked at Man'er with a sad face and a dejected look, and said as before: "Man'er, why are you so listless? You didn't even say hello to your second brother when you saw him."
"Second brother, you're back." He said perfunctorily.
Aman looked at his mother in confusion, "Mother, what's wrong with Man'er?"
Yu Junning's eyebrows were gloomy. Man'er was sent to the dungeon because of Amai. Amai made mistakes and was sent to the dungeon to reflect. Therefore, her daughter kept competing with her, "It's nothing? A girl's temper will be cured after a few days."
Man'er bit her lip angrily, "Queen Mother! Why are you so partial! Man'er and brother are also your children. If they fail in their mission, they will be punished. My second brother also failed in his mission. Why don't you punish him?"
Yu Junning's eyebrows were furrowed, and there was a sharp flash in his eyes, "Arnold! You told your sister, right?"
Arnold hurriedly explained: "The Queen Mother misunderstood."
"It's not the eldest brother. Now the second brother is still sitting here, and my mother is going to hold a banquet for him. Do you still use what the eldest brother told me? My mother has always been partial since I was a child!"
"Pa!" Yu Junning slapped him down.
Ah Man covered his swollen and sore cheek and ran out directly.
"Queen, why are you beating the child!" The king of the ancient Wu Kingdom moved his fat body and chased after him.
Ah Man's question reminded her of many unknown secrets, "Let's all go away!"
Aman felt a little happy in his heart. He still had something to say to Arnold, "Brother, let's find a place to talk."
The two of them found a warm pavilion and sat down. Aman did not show any pretense and dismissed all the guards. "Brother, you know that I am not interested in that throne."
Arnold was very surprised and said: "What happened to the second brother? Did the eldest brother do something to make the second brother misunderstand."
In the past, he was obsessed with research and his mind was not yet enlightened. Now he sees that his elder brother is really living a hypocritical life. "Brother should know what I mean. Please help me keep the secret."
"The second brother really loves beauty rather than the country, but I also want to remind the second brother that paper cannot cover the fire after all. Her identity is too special, and there is no guarantee that someone will come looking for her that day."
"This doesn't bother me. As long as I don't act rashly, no one can shake the crown prince's position."
After leaving the palace, Aman went straight to the palace, personally carried Yingluo into the carriage, and with only Sang Kan to guard her, he went straight to the city gate.
It takes four or five days to walk from Beidu to Shengtong Mountain. Hundreds of years ago, descendants of the witch tribe lived on Shengtong Mountain, using witchcraft to solve people's problems. Hundreds of years have passed, and there are only a few people who are proficient in witchcraft. It has been exclusively used by the royal family for hundreds of years.
Shengtong Mountain has one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, called heaven steps, which absorb the aura of heaven and earth.
I heard that there was a palace built by the royal family for witches on the mountain. Sang Kan carried the Yingluo on his back. The three of them had just climbed to the top of the mountain. They did not see any palace. When they arrived, they saw a clean and tidy small courtyard.
Aman is cold and hungry, and has run out of food and water. Regardless of whether this is the place where a witch lives, he needs to warm himself up and ask for some water and food.
Aman was wearing a blue shirt and walked into the courtyard. Sang Kan followed behind with Yingluo on his back, "Is there anyone there?"
After calling for a long time, no one came, so he pushed the door open and saw that the room was clean and tidy. A gray-haired old man had his back to him, as if he had been waiting for their arrival.
When Aman asked for help, he was naturally very polite, "Grandma! Are you a witch?"
The body of the woman who was carrying him suddenly trembled. Could it be that she looked so old? She turned around slowly, and Aman was surprised and silent.
The woman was dressed in white and had silver hair shawl, but she had the appearance of a very young woman. She was the so-called white-haired beauty. Aman felt inexplicably familiar and kind to her.
The woman looked at Aman carefully, with a strange emotion in her eyes, "My child, how have you been doing these years?"
Aman was puzzled by her abrupt words, "You know me."
"I recognize your mother."
This person who is familiar with my mother on Shengtong Mountain is undoubtedly a miko. "You are a miko!"
"You are not a great person. It's just a false name. I wonder why Your Highness is here?"
Aman said to the door: "Sangkan, bring Miss Ayin in quickly."
Sang Kan, already covered in sweat, walked in with Yingluo on his back and placed her on the wooden bed, "I came here just to ask the witch to wake this woman up."