Paying a Visit

"Dongfang Shuo, you haven't done anything at all, have you?"

After leaving the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, Han Yan glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, still feeling somewhat indignant.

Han Yan felt that anyone who had been busy outside for a year and then encountered obstacles upon returning to the palace would inevitably harbor resentment towards that person.

The fact that he didn't openly break ties with Zhang Xuezhou at that moment already shows his exceptional composure.

"I've done some," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "I still need to go to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence to apologize, so please excuse me!"

"Apologize?"

Han Yan was surprised, unable to figure out how Zhang Xuezhou, with his cautious and conservative nature, could have offended the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion.

If Zhang Xuezhou does too well, it will make Han Yan jealous; if he does not, it will extinguish Han Yan's resentment.

"What did you do to offend them? Hey, say something to cheer me up!"

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou walking faster and faster, Han Yan called out, but ultimately did not chase after him to listen to the gossip.

"Young people these days are really fearless!"

Zhang Xuezhou could hear Han Yan's mocking voice, but he didn't care at all.

The clash between practitioners of fortune-telling techniques is an unpredictable event. Perhaps a small stroke of luck will crush a large stroke of luck, or perhaps a large stroke of luck will overwhelm a small stroke of luck. Zhang Xuezhou has experienced the former outcome many times, but in many cases around the world, the latter is more common.

He avoided the Empress Dowager when selecting subjects for his investigation to prevent any entanglement between them.

Inside the Weiyang Palace, Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly spoke up to avoid getting involved and causing trouble.

As for whether Han Yan's head is truly made of iron, that will only be known after he actually clashes with the Empress Dowager.

He muttered something to himself in frustration, then quickly put aside Han Yan's petty matter and began to worry about how to apologize to Princess Pingyang.

Zhang Xuezhou had previously given away a golden bowl from the Immortal Court to Princess Dou to resolve her troubles; now, he would never dare to give away those handicrafts as gifts again.

Not to mention that Dong Yan used the information about the golden bowl to come to his door, Han Yan also found out that the evidence used by the Empress Dowager was some items from the Immortal Court.

If he encounters someone who lacks discernment and knowledge, that's one thing, but if things are exposed, Zhang Xuezhou will inevitably be implicated, and even if he's not a cultivator from the Immortal Court, he'll still be tainted by their stench.

But he had very few gifts to offer as an apology.

Apologizing is different from giving gifts. Giving gifts is about being generous and choosing large and numerous gifts. This is why the new emperor and others sent carriages full of gifts to celebrate his wedding. Even if the gifts were not valuable, at least the occasion was impressive.

An apology, on the other hand, is a private gift, suitable only for small items, and not for making a big show of it, otherwise others might think it's a provocation.

Zhang Xuezhou fumbled around for a while, but all he found were the compass chariot and the yin-yang reversing wine pot that he had obtained from Empress Dowager Liang and Li Su.

The compass chariot is something one can use to gain leverage when trapped in a formation, while the Yin-Yang Reversal Wine Pot is a backup item that Zhang Xuezhou planned to use to harm people.

After thinking it over for a while, he had no choice but to take out the wine pot.

After turning the corner outside the East Sima Gate, Zhang Xuezhou could only go to the front courtyard and then asked to be informed.

"That seems to be Lord Dongfang. I heard he set fire to the latrine on his wedding night!"

"How long has this been piling up without being discharged? The smell from the fire can be smelled for miles around!"

"Our manor is located downwind, and we have suffered a great injustice this time!"

"We cleaned up last night..."

In the past, the Pingyang Marquis's residence was usually quiet with few people around. When Zhang Xuezhou came again, it was now crowded with gossipy women, and there were many people talking at once.

Zhang Xuezhou received good treatment upon entering the Marquis's residence; he was still arranged to travel in a sheep-drawn cart and did not need to run errands or accompany him, which showed that Princess Pingyang treated him very politely.

"Hey, what winds have blown the groom here from all directions!"

But when they entered the Marquis's garden, a sour remark came from inside, and Zhang Xuezhou felt that the crime was far more serious than just poisoning people in the middle of the night.

"This humble official was unaware that Her Highness the Princess had returned to Chang'an City. I apologize for the abruptness of your actions in the inner quarters!"

Zhang Xuezhou bowed and apologized, hoping to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

"It seems that as long as no one is in the Marquis's residence, Lord Dongfang will have plenty of freedom in the inner quarters!"

"This humble official dares not!"

Princess Pingyang glanced at Zhang Xuezhou with her eyes lowered, and felt that she indeed lacked an impression of Zhang Xuezhou in her memory.

Although the new emperor had mentioned that Zhang Xuezhou was a capable assistant, and Zhang Xuezhou had even visited Yangping County, she couldn't possibly remember all of that.

After making a sarcastic remark, Princess Pingyang stretched out her hand, gesturing for Zhang Xuezhou to raise his head so she could have a good look at him.

"I remember you were quite skilled at divination. Since you're willing to come and apologize today, then play a game of divination to amuse me. If you win, you pass. But what about if you lose?" Princess Pingyang paused before continuing, "The stench from this Marquis's residence has overwhelmed several people. Their health may require long-term care. Lord Dongfang will have to take responsibility for this indefinitely, and that won't just be a matter of two hundred shi of salary!"

"What kind of riddle-guessing game does Her Highness the Princess wish to play?"

Zhang Xuezhou let out a soft breath.

Although Zhang Xuezhou had deceived Hongku with the divination pills used by the new emperor these past two days, his skill in divination was only average.

He either relied on his observation skills or could only use the Person-Fixing Technique to probe memories; he was not a master of divination like Guo Sheren who could manipulate things.

Zhang Xuezhou quickly scanned the area around Princess Pingyang, observing everything as closely as possible to avoid being blamed by Princess Pingyang if he lost the guessing game.

"I know you'll guess. I won't set any questions today. Instead, I want to see how you set them and how you avoid being guessed," Princess Pingyang said.

"I'll give you the answer, you guess?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"Yes, you set the question, and you just stand there and answer it," Princess Pingyang laughed. "His Majesty has always praised your exceptional intelligence. I'd like to see just how intelligent you are, and how you'll make me fail at guessing!"

"Looks like today is just a coincidence!"

Zhang Xuezhou flipped his sleeve and placed the Yin-Yang inverted wine pot in his palm.

He guessed that he might lose at the guessing game, but as the one who set the questions, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't lose no matter what he said.

"I have a pot here, Your Highness. Guess what can be poured out of this pot?" Zhang Xuezhou said casually.

"Oh? You set the questions so quickly?"

Princess Pingyang exclaimed in surprise, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou had really just blurted out the riddle without any careful consideration.

To put it grandly, this shows Zhang Xuezhou's quick wit; to put it bluntly, it means Zhang Xuezhou completely looked down on Princess Pingyang's divination skills, believing that this method was sufficient to pass the test.

"Shooting" means guessing, "covering" means covering. Zhang Xuezhou's covering vessel is obviously a wine pot, and the hidden objects are the contents of the wine pot.

Princess Pingyang gestured to her maid to bring up the wine pot, and then kept looking around at it, even sniffing the aroma from the rim.

"Your guessing game was boring," Princess Pingyang said after confirming several times. "Even the faintest wine in the pot has a fragrance. You can tell what's hidden by the aroma. You've lost this round!"

"Since it's so simple, why doesn't Your Highness shoot?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "Are you afraid I'll make a mistake when I lift the cover?"

"You're quite confident?" Princess Pingyang asked in surprise, "Even a three-year-old wouldn't lose at this kind of guessing game. It's undoubtedly filled with wine; you bought it from the official brewery along the way, didn't you?"

"Since Your Highness has answered, then I will unveil the vessel!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't agree immediately, but instead had someone bring a wine vessel.

He silently pressed down on the vent of the inverted wine pot, and the water hidden inside was poured out.

Princess Pingyang dipped her hand in the water, licked it, and then sniffed the mouth of the wine pot. Her face quickly changed color.

There was still a slight smell of wine lingering at the spout, but only water was being poured out.

Clearly, she lost this seemingly simple game of guessing.

She felt extremely embarrassed, thinking that it would have been better if Zhang Xuezhou hadn't come at all.

"I'll also test you with a riddle," Princess Pingyang said with a forced smile. "So, guess whether I can afford to lose or not?"

She tried to save face and quickly threw Zhang Xuezhou a riddle she couldn't possibly lose.