Chapter 272 Aunt Yang

It has to be said that Li Huaiyan's skill in coaxing girls is really first-rate. I don't know what kind of magic potion he gave to Miss Zheng. Her eyes were almost glued to Li Huaiyan throughout the entire banquet, and she was shy and timid, which made Shen Anan, a girl, feel itchy.

When the girls from other families saw this situation, those in higher positions breathed a sigh of relief, while those in lower positions were very disappointed.

Until the end of the banquet, Li Huaiyan personally sent Miss Zheng to the carriage.

Shen Anan looked at his face, which could even show a three-point romantic smile to a dog, and the corners of his mouth twitched fiercely.

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Zheng family.

"Miss." The servant stopped Zheng Yue at the archway with hanging flowers. "The master ordered that you go to the study room when you come back. There are distinguished guests here."

Zheng Yue's curved brows paused for a moment, and she followed the servant to the study.

Before entering the door, she glanced at her maid and warned in a low voice, "I don't need to teach you what to say and what not to say."

"Yes." The maid responded with lowered eyebrows.

After she opened the door and walked in, Lord Zheng immediately called her with a smile, "Come, Yue'er, come and meet Minister Shen and Master Chen."

Zheng Yue'er took small steps forward and knelt down to salute as her father wished.

Shen Yunbai glanced at Zheng Yue'er and said calmly, "I heard that Miss Zheng went to the Li Guogong Mansion to attend the banquet?"

"Exactly."

"The Duke's Mansion has no female relatives. Duke Li is probably holding this banquet to choose a wife. I wonder which girl he chose?"

Zheng Yue paused and said slowly, "I just went there to make up the numbers. I don't know which girl Duke Li is close to."

Lord Zheng laughed cheerfully at the side, "Okay, stop standing there, go pour a cup of tea for Minister Shen and Master Chen."

Zheng Yue frowned and glanced at her father imperceptibly.

The yard is full of maids, and you want her to pour tea? Although she was complaining in her heart, she still walked slowly forward and poured a cup of tea for the three of them.

When it was Chen Tianshi's turn, she glanced at him for a few breaths. She had never seen this Young Master Chen before, but he was treated with such courtesy by her father. She didn't know which official family he was from.

Her little action fell into the eyes of Lord Zheng and Shen Yunbai. Lord Zheng's smile deepened and he gave Chen Tian a flattering smile.

Chen Tian's expression became even paler, he lowered his eyes and drank tea, as if he knew nothing.

"It's getting late, so we won't bother Lord Zheng any more. I hope you will consider carefully what we have discussed today." Shen Yunbai stood up.

"That's natural, that's natural. Your Majesty, I will obey your orders."

Lord Zheng respectfully escorted the two men out of the yard before stopping.

Zheng Yue'er looked puzzled, following Lord Zheng's gaze as they left. "Dad, even though the position of Minister of War is higher than yours, you don't have to be so humble to please him, right? After all, he is just a person without any family background or foundation."

"What do you know?" Lord Zheng turned around and glanced at his daughter, "Dad is not trying to please Shen Yunbai, but..."

He stopped talking halfway.

"And what??"

"Girl, why are you asking questions like that? Don't attend banquets anymore. Just stay home and prepare for your wedding."

Zheng Yue'er almost thought she had heard it wrong, her eyes widened, "Prepare to get married? Preparing for what marriage? When did I marry someone?"

"Dad has already found one." Lord Zheng's voice left no room for doubt.

"Dad, you are not going to marry me to Shen Yunbai, are you?" Zheng Yue'er was struck by lightning. She asked, why did you ask her to come to the study to meet people and serve tea and water? It turned out that this was your idea.

"I won't marry. That man looks very elegant and respectable, but he always looks cold and gloomy when he looks at people. He is definitely not a good man. You are at least a third-rank official. Why are you selling your daughter to please the emperor's ministers?"

Lord Zheng wanted to cover her mouth, "Shut up, marriage is a big matter, it's not your turn to comment, why don't you go back."

＊

After returning from Duke Li's mansion, Xiao Yuan went to the study to get busy. Shen Anan didn't want to move much today, so she sat in the yard admiring the flowers she had brought back from Li Huaiyan.

Although they are not famous products, they are still valuable. Li Huaiyan was heartbroken when he moved them back.

Mo Xiang and Mo Ran were busy watering and fertilizing the potted plants.

When Xiao Yuan came back, it was already evening, and Shen Anan was still sitting in the recliner in the yard.

The familiar scene made Xiao Yuan's heart choke. Fear surged like a tide, almost drowning him, causing him excruciating pain.

He staggered and ran towards the recliner.

"You're back?" Shen Anan tilted her head and smiled at him, only to then realize that his face looked wrong. She raised her hand and touched his face, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Yuan closed his eyes and shook his head gently. He didn't even have the strength to speak. Cold sweat soaked his back at that moment.

"Why, sitting here?"

"Appreciate the flowers." Shen Anan pointed to the peonies and crabapples in the courtyard and said with a smile, "The things that Li Huaiyan snatched back with great pain, of course we have to appreciate them."

Xiao Yuan loosened his sweaty palms, took a long breath, and nodded.

"It's cold at night, it's not suitable to sit for a long time, let's go back." He naturally bent down and picked up Shen Anan from the recliner by the waist.

"The maids and servants are all watching, what are you doing?"

Xiao Yuan said nothing, lowered his eyes to glance at the recliner, and ordered in a cold voice, "Throw this chair out."

Shen Anan was a little confused, Qingan had already walked over, picked up the recliner with one hand and walked out.

"It's a good recliner, why throw it away?"

"It's old. I'll give you a new one." He said in a gentle voice, as if coaxing a child.

After dinner, Xiao Yuan came out after bathing and changing his clothes, and saw Shen Anan sitting on the couch, reading a book in her hand. When she saw him come out, she immediately put the book away.

"What are you looking at?"

"Idle book." Shen Anan turned over and got off the bed, took the handkerchief from his hand and helped him wipe his hair. Xiao Yuan was afraid that she would get tired standing on tiptoe, so he sat in front of the bronze mirror.

"What happened to Miss Zheng today?"

Xiao Yuan put one hand around her waist and looked at her through the bronze mirror without blinking. "Do you still remember what happened with Lord Liu?"

Shen Anan nodded, "This happened very suddenly. The imperial edict that was requested two years ago was only brought out this year. It's really strange. Feng Lun and Chen Tian are somewhat similar. I initially suspected that it was the emperor's handwriting."

"It's him." Xiao Yuan said calmly.

Shen Anan paused, and understood something in a flash, "Is the emperor using Lord Liu as a scapegoat? That Miss Zheng is also famous for speaking for Lord Liu, is there any connection between the two?"

Xiao Yuan stroked her little hand and nodded slightly, "Although the Zheng family is not the backbone, Lord Zheng has some real power and can still have a say in the court."

"The Emperor wants to marry Miss Zheng to Chen Tian?"

"Yeah." Xiao Yuan nodded slowly, his eyes slightly cold.

When he got married that day, he made all kinds of calculations. In order to deal with him, he did not hesitate to harm An An's grandmother, just to make the two of them a pair of resentful lovers so that he could give him a fatal blow! !

He thought that the royal family was heartless by nature, but he didn't expect that he also had the heart of a kind father and would pave the way for his son and make all kinds of calculations.

Shen Anan noticed his change, put down the handkerchief, and gently hugged him from behind, "It's all over, you have me, don't you."

"Yes, I still have you." He curled his lips, holding her wrist and pulling her into his arms.

"Since she has the title of the Crown Prince's Consort, would Miss Zheng give it up and choose a playboy like Li Huaiyan?"

"That can't be helped. After all, I have you. It's impossible for me to join the game myself. Ling Chenyi is not a man who can please girls. Only Li Huaiyan is suitable."

And today, it seems to be going very smoothly.

Shen Anan frowned slightly, “I can’t get involved in government affairs, but isn’t it a bit mean to take advantage of a girl’s feelings?”

"I'm saving her." Xiao Yuan stroked her black hair, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a few white strands out of the corner of his eye, and his hand paused.

Shen Anan raised her eyes to look at him, "What's wrong? Why don't you say anything?"

Xiao Yuan withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. "Lord Zheng abused his power and committed many evil deeds. He will inevitably die. If Miss Zheng is willing to cooperate, the women of the Zheng family can be treated leniently."

Shen Anan was surprised, "Are you going to do it?"

Xiao Yuan held her in his arms and went to the bed. "It's not a good idea to keep wasting time like this. It's better to fulfill their wishes and let Chen Tian enter the court."

As long as they can afford the price, he doesn't want to wait any longer. It would be too passive to just be on guard without eradicating the problem.

He placed Shen Anan in the quilt, raised his hand and hooked the gauze curtain down. The transparent gauze curtain fell to the ground, and a shadowy figure could be vaguely seen floating inside...

＊

Shen Anan was woken up by the noise. There seemed to be a woman crying softly in her ears, which was sad and desperate.

She narrowed her eyes, sat up and looked outside, making sure the sound came from outside.

"Princess, are you awake?"

Shen Anan stepped on the floor barefoot, “Who’s outside?”

"I don't recognize him either. He looks even more miserable than if he had fled from famine. He said he is an old friend and wants to see my son-in-law with a token of gratitude."

Mo Xiang said as she put on Shen Anan's shoes, changed her clothes and washed herself.

The woman outside never stopped crying. "It's my fault. If I had discovered those people's evil intentions earlier, your Majesty would not have died. Young Master, I deserve to die."

Shen Anan paused, frowning slightly.

Your Majesty, Young Master, is that woman related to Concubine Shu?

She sat there without moving, listening quietly.

Outside, Xiao Yuan looked expressionlessly at the woman kneeling on the ground. After years of hiding from place to place, her originally pretty face had been worn down to the point of looking unrecognizable.

His face was cracked and flaking, his hair was yellow and dry, and he was wearing clothes not much different from a beggar's. But his eyes were still looking at him with clear and loving eyes.

"You said that my mother was murdered, then how did you survive?"

The woman seemed to have remembered something terrible, and her body trembled slightly. "I...I was asked by the queen to see Lord Shen off in prison, and that's how I escaped."

Lord Shin, Shin Yoon-baek's father.

Xiao Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but the look in his eyes faded a little.

"My young master, I was brought into the palace as a dowry by the Empress from the Qi family. I have been with the Empress for many years and we are as close as sisters. I dare not lie."

She hit her head hard on the ground, and soon it turned bright red.

"Back then, the Emperor was obsessed with that woman. Your Majesty was heartbroken, but she couldn't bear to see him taking away someone else's wife and breaking up lovers. In addition, that woman came to your Majesty several times to beg for mercy."

"Young Master, do you still remember that the Queen would stay at Xiangjue Temple every month for the past two years? In fact, it was to help that woman reunite with her husband and son."

Xiao Yuan's eyes darkened instantly, but he said nothing and continued to listen to the woman's story.

"The Emperor clearly knew everything, but he did not stop it, because the woman was trying to commit suicide every day in the palace, and only with the consolation of the Empress could she live in peace for a few days. He was afraid that the woman would really commit suicide, so he could only acquiesce."

"Later, the woman became pregnant. After the child was born, the emperor thought that since she had a child, the woman would no longer think of leaving. The long-suppressed anger and jealousy completely erupted. He took advantage of the queen's kindness and slandered the queen and Lord Shen. As a result, Lord Shen was killed, and the queen could not withstand the public opinion..."

She seemed unable to continue speaking and fell to the ground, sobbing.

Xiao Yuan clenched his hands into fists on his knees, his face extremely cold, "If that's the case, why are you saying it now?"

"I am a timid servant. After I learned of the death of the Empress, I did not dare to return to the palace. I hid from place to place until I learned that you, my young master, were capable of competing with the emperor. Only then did I dare to come back and report to you. My young master, the Empress was kind-hearted, but she was treated like this. You must avenge her."

"I am willing to go to the court and confront the emperor. I have physical evidence and can also serve as a witness!!"

Xiao Yuan looked at her quietly for a long time without saying anything.

"My young master, this is the only wish I have while I am alive. Please fulfill it. Even if I die in the Golden Throne Hall, I will expose that man's ugly face!"

"Qing'an," Xiao Yuan finally closed his eyes and spoke, "Help Aunt Yang up, ask the housekeeper to find a courtyard to settle her down, and then call the imperial physician to take her pulse."

"yes."

Qing'an stepped forward and helped Aunt Yang up.

Aunt Yang said, "My young master, I will follow you to the Golden Palace tomorrow and die as a warning to you."

Xiao Yuan waved his hand and asked Qing'an to take the person away.

Shen Anan was frightened when she heard this. She waited until there was no movement outside before she got up and came out. Seeing Xiao Yuan sitting in the chair with his eyes downcast, she felt a little heartbroken.

"Xiao Yuan."

"Did I wake you up?" Xiao Yuan stretched out his arms, and Shen Anan walked over naturally and was held in his arms.

"Do you believe what Aunt Yang said?"

Xiao Yuan was silent. Just when Shen Anan thought he would not speak, he suddenly said softly, "My mother has a soft temper. It was okay when I was loved by my father a few years ago. Later, that woman entered the palace and my mother fell out of favor. Those palace ladies who used to flatter me and smile at me have changed their faces. Especially after the Qi family fell into poverty, it became even more difficult."

"Xiao Ze has a strong maternal family. Even without the favor of the emperor, he still lives a good life. I was young and couldn't beat him, so I was often bullied. Every time, it was Aunt Yang who helped me escape, but I was beaten all over by Xiao Ze and almost died several times."

Listening to his calm narration, Shen Anan's heart tightened.

She turned around and hugged his waist tightly, "I know what you mean."

Xiao Yuan smiled and stroked her hair again and again, "After all, I have some feelings for her."

Shen Anan thought, if the death of Concubine Shu was really as Aunt Yang said, then the emperor was the culprit!