Chapter 87

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month.

Since the first day of May, Qiao Jiaojiao had been feeling restless.

If the silly white sweet girl died, wouldn’t the Empress Dowager be heartbroken, and the Crown Prince devastated? Wouldn’t this be a huge flaw for the Second Prince?

Besides, when we exposed Di Zaiying’s misdeeds that day, the silly white sweet girl spoke up for her. Good people shouldn’t die young!

Now the problem is, who is the killer of the silly white sweet girl?

Qiao Jiaojiao scratched her head in distress, pondering until she summoned the Merit Mall.

“Last time, I had 60 merit points. I used 15 points to redeem the Mind Transfer Talisman. That means I still have 45 points. With so few merit points, can I save the silly white sweet girl?”

Qiao Jiaojiao was uncertain, thinking she’d first see what she could redeem with 45 points. When the time comes, she’ll face the challenge head-on.

“What the heck!”

“There’s a bug! The Merit Mall has a bug!”

Qiao Jiaojiao suddenly exclaimed in her mind, startling Mrs. Qiao, who was preparing for the family’s palace banquet.

Mrs. Qiao quickly turned her head and saw Qiao Jiaojiao propping herself up on the soft couch, looking like she wanted to stand up.

Especially with those big, shiny eyes, wide open in shock.

Mrs. Qiao was puzzled.

What’s the matter with the “bug”? Why did it startle Jiaojiao like this?

Qiao Jiaojiao sat back down in disbelief, her eyes fixed on the top right corner of the Merit Mall, where it boldly stated:

Merit Points: 165!

“Oh my god! 165 merit points! I’ve never been so rich!”

“What’s going on? How did I suddenly get an extra 120 merit points?”

Qiao Jiaojiao couldn’t figure out where these 120 merit points came from!

Mrs. Qiao, upon hearing this, was slightly stunned but had a suspicion.

This merit should be because she and her husband followed Jiaojiao’s advice and helped those children in the relief hall, right?

Yesterday, her husband mentioned that the children in the relief hall were very outstanding. They were diligent in their studies, martial arts, and crafts.

If it weren’t for Jiaojiao’s suggestion, she wouldn’t have thought of helping those children like this. Now their situation has changed greatly. Jiaojiao did indeed perform a great merit.

Qiao Jiaojiao racked her brains but couldn’t come to a conclusion, so she had to give up in the end.

Now she looked at the shiny number and couldn’t stop smiling.

“165 merit points! I can redeem so many good things!”

“That silly white sweet girl must have good luck. Is she related to the King of Hell? Otherwise, why did the Merit Mall have a bug at such a crucial moment?”

“It seems that the silly white sweet girl is not destined to die. I have to think carefully and make sure to save her!”

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Time quickly arrived at the fifth day of the fifth month.

The Dragon Boat Festival banquet was held every year. According to tradition, the banquet lasted from the hour of the Snake (around 10 am) to the hour of the Goat (around 2 pm).

By the end of the hour of the Dragon, the eligible officials and nobles in the capital had already set off.

The banquet was held at the Funning Palace, connected to the Chunhua Garden, also known as the Small Imperial Garden.

Within the Chunhua Garden were two lakes. One was the Chunshui Lake, with a water corridor and pavilion built on the west side, where ladies would often stay before the banquet.

The other was the Yuhua Lake, but few people went there.

Although the palace did not explicitly prohibit it, and there was only a wall and an archway between the two lakes, everyone tacitly stopped.

Because the origin of this lake was not simple.

At the beginning of its construction, this Yuhua Lake was not called Yuhua, but Minghua Lake.

It is said that many years ago, the Lady Yuliu, longing for her homeland, danced the Northern Jade Dance by the Minghua Lake. Her dance was graceful and enchanting, stunning all who beheld it.

The Emperor was enamored and ordered a statue of Lady Yuliu dancing by the Minghua Lake. Her face was veiled with a light gauze. From then on, Minghua Lake was renamed Yuhua Lake.

It is said that even after Lady Yuliu’s passing, the Emperor visited the Yuhua Lake several times to reminisce.

With such a backstory, there were very few fools in the capital. Over the years, during the Dragon Boat Festival banquets, not a single person dared to step forward.

The banquet had no distinction between men and women, and each household had a fixed number of attendees, seated according to their rank and position.

However, there were exceptions, like the Qiao family.

Qiao Zhongguo, currently a third-ranked censor, had been granted by the Emperor the privilege to sit as a first-ranked official at all court banquets.

Before the banquet began, everyone was mingling and chatting in the western area. The liveliest group was from the Xiao family.

Not long ago, the Miss Xiao was chosen as the Crown Prince’s consort, so everyone was trying to curry favor with her!

Although Qiao Zhongguo was favored by the Emperor, he was not good at socializing and often criticized others bluntly in court. Therefore, there were very few people who approached him.

He was content, proudly showing off to Qiao Jiaojiao.

“Old Han, my daughter!”

Han Mingzhe, Qiao Zhongguo’s prospective father-in-law, and the two were already seen as a match by outsiders, so Qiao Zhongguo did not hesitate to befriend him.

Han Mingzhe nodded approvingly, “Very nice, daughters are treasures.”

Qiao Zhongguo grinned in satisfaction. At this moment, a tall figure approached.

“Mr. Qiao.”

Qiao Zhongguo turned to see General Xiao Hongda strolling over. He had a calm expression, as if it were an ordinary greeting.

In recent years, Nali country had been obedient, so General Xiao didn’t need to stay at the border every month. He spent three or four months each year in the capital.

“General Xiao.”

Qiao Zhongguo greeted him politely. The two men’s gazes met, with hidden ripples.

Even the original story didn’t describe the relationship between Qiao Zhongguo and General Xiao Hongda, so Qiao Jiaojiao didn’t know that General Xiao and her father were as close as brothers.

“Wow, General Xiao is so handsome! No wonder he has two beautiful daughters!”

“Mr. Qiao, my wife told me about the incident at the Huguo Temple. Thank you for Mrs. Qiao’s help.”

When Qiao and Xiao met, all eyes were on them, consciously or unconsciously paying attention.

Qiao Zhongguo waved his hand casually, “It’s just a small favor, nothing to mention.”

Compared to the dignified and scholarly General Xiao, Qiao Zhongguo had a somewhat roguish and bold demeanor.

Xiao Hongda shook his head, “My wife is very grateful for Mrs. Qiao’s help. Mr. Qiao, if you don’t mind, may I invite you to a banquet to show my gratitude?”

Qiao Zhongguo’s eyes flickered slightly at the invitation, then he said casually, “If General Xiao is sincere in his thanks, why not accept my second son as your student?”

The courtiers nearby: ???

Why could Qiao Zhongguo always say things that others found difficult to mention?

This was asking to become his disciple! How much favor must one owe to become someone’s teacher?

Moreover, General Xiao was now the Grand General, with military power in his hands, and the prospective father-in-law of the Crown Prince’s consort. The prospective father-in-law of the Crown Prince himself! There must be countless people who wanted to become his disciple!

Qiao Zhongguo was truly adept at leveraging favors! It seemed like he was used to being unruly in the court, thinking that no one could control him!

General Xiao didn’t often attend court sessions, and his position was high and influential.

At this moment, all the courtiers had the same thought:

General Xiao, you must teach Qiao Zhongguo a lesson! Make him feel ashamed!

But to everyone’s surprise, General Xiao nodded with a pleasant expression:

“Like father, like son. Qiao Sir, your second son must be a remarkable person. Mr. Qiao, please call him over to let me see.”

All the courtiers: ???