Chapter 28: The literary genius is afraid of the warriors writing literary works in a coquettish manner.

The small pleasure boat drifted down the canal into Taiye Lake, where the newly thawed surface was chilly. Wrapped in a mink fur coat, I warmed myself by the stove. The steed fumes from the stove inhaled a sudden drowsiness.

She was so exhausted from running around anxiously until late at night.

Xie Xuanlan sat across from her at the table, but he was as energetic as a donkey that could pull a mill all night. He felt inexplicably excited and kept talking to Cong Ying.

"This Xinlingchun is so rare, don't you really want to try it? It warms you up and relieves fatigue."

Congying was very aware of his own drinking habits and waved his hand firmly.

"You can have some tea, too. Here's some roasted chicken I packed from the restaurant. I'll heat it up for you and have something to eat."

This time, Cong Ying did not refuse. She was really starving. She took the chicken leg and took a deep bite.

In fact, the King of Jin had also invited her to have some cakes and tea, but out of courtesy, she only ate a few bites symbolically. Because the food was so delicious, she became even hungrier.

After eating the fruit, Cong Ying perked up a little, and saw Xie Xuanlan staring at her quietly.

The firelight from the furnace shone on his profile through the exquisitely carved and intricate hollow walls, like moving shadows on a revolving lantern, forming a fiery ray of light in his eyes.

Cong Ying felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him. She pinched the chicken drumstick in her hand and whispered, "Thank you."

Xie Xuanlan suddenly asked her, "Do you think the Prince of Jin is a strange person?"

Cong Ying paused: "Hmm?"

Xie Xuanlan: "He knows a lot about the Spring Examination cheating case. If he hadn't pointed out where Yu Wenzhong's wife and children were hiding, I would have had a hard time getting Yu Wenzhong to honestly retract his confession. This shows that he has an efficient and covert intelligence network in Yunjing."

Zong Ying recalled the moment when Prince Jin was looking for an opportunity to leave Chuigong Palace, and asked hesitantly, "What else did he say to you?"

Xie Xuanlan thought for a moment and said, "He also said that you appear to be strong but are weak, and that you are actually doing this for my own good."

From Ying: "...that's it?"

"No more." Xie Xuanlan chuckled and raised his hand to refill her tea: "Just give me a way out, otherwise, do you still want to go to heaven?"

Cong Ying felt quite guilty and whispered, "He's quite nosy then."

"The matters he's involved in aren't necessarily trivial," Xie Xuanlan said. "When he was away from the court, everyone treated him as a mere figurehead, almost forgetting that his status was actually higher than that of the Crown Prince. He's been secretly manipulating things, waiting for his opportunity, and now, with the Spring Examination cheating incident, his actions have been exposed. How could this be a trivial matter?"

Zeng Ying frowned, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice: "Do you suspect that Prince Jin wants to seize the throne?"

Xie Xuanlan: "He must be thinking about it, the question is how to take it away."

Cong Ying pondered for a moment, then tentatively offered an analysis: "Although the Prince of Jin is the heir, the court officials have a more favorable candidate for the succession, the Prince of Huai. The Prince of Huai is the nephew of Prime Minister Xie. Prime Minister Xie's struggle for power with your lord is actually a plan for the Prince of Huai's future. Could it be that the Prince of Jin intends to suppress the Prince of Huai by helping your lord?"

Xie Xuanlan curled his lips and smiled: "I just like chatting with smart people like you."

But Cong Ying felt something was not right.

Prince Jin's health was so bad that he coughed every two steps and fell ill every three days. His most important task right now was to stay alive. If he wanted to seize the throne, he had to at least survive Emperor Feng Qi...

Cong Ying bit her lip and hesitated, "But I don't think Prince Jin is someone obsessed with power."

Xie Xuanlan: I don’t like it now.

He earnestly advised Congying, "Don't be fooled by his frail appearance. Not only is he using your Lordship's hand to suppress the Prince of Huai, he's also trying to alienate me from my father. He's a man of deep thoughts. I think you should stay away from him in the future."

Cong Ying: "I have never been familiar with the King of Jin."

Xie Xuanlan sneered: "Is that so? As soon as he showed up at the Imperial Examination Hall, you abandoned me and ran off with him."

From Ying: "..."

Isn't this matter over?

The pleasure boat slowly drifted to the center of the lake. There was no one here, only the stars in the sky were shining brightly.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they sat at the head and tail of the boat, each leaning on their arms to look at the stars. The pleasure boat was swaying, and they felt relaxed both physically and mentally.

Xie Xuanlan, feeling the effects of the alcohol, actually broke into a rare literary rant: "I've read a lot, but I'm particularly drawn to a piece of writing. It says, 'With the laurel oars and the orchid paddles, I paddle the clear sky, following the flowing light. My thoughts wander, longing for the beauty in the sky.' Has Madam Jiang read this?"

It's more than just reading it; it's something that Ying really enjoys and has been an introduction to literature.

She smiled and said, "Hmm," "There's another line that's even more fitting for this scene: Lying together in the boat, we don't even realize the dawn has arrived in the east."

Xie Xuanlan secretly slapped his head and thought to himself, this is a good sentence. Why didn’t I memorize it in full at the beginning?

He coughed twice in a rather pretentious manner. "I'm not well-educated, so we shouldn't be sitting on opposite sides of the table like this, right? Actually, I think the stars on your side are more beautiful."

Not hearing any response from Cong Ying, Xie Xuanlan thought that she had gone too far, as if she was teasing him.

"I'm kidding."

Still no response.

Xie Xuanlan sighed deeply, searching his mind for words. He ran out of words to say, so he simply spoke his mind. "I was too frivolous before. I actually regret breaking off the engagement. Jiang Congying, what about you? Have you ever changed your mind?"

A stone thrown into the water should have an echo, but Xie Xuanlan's words disappeared one after another in the night fog.

He stood up and looked, and sure enough, Ying had fallen asleep under her cloak, with her eyelashes drawn back, as if she was soundly asleep.

Xie Xuanlan sighed again, feeling mixed emotions, not knowing whether to be disappointed or relieved.

He squatted down and raised the flame of the furnace a little higher, turned around quietly, went to the side of the boat to use the oar, and rowed steadily towards the shore.

Behind him, Cong Ying quietly opened her eyes.

The ripples on the water were reflected in her eyes, and a corner of red clothes fluttered in her peripheral vision, stirring up ripples in her heart that lasted for a long time.

It has never changed. Cong Ying answered him in her heart, but then she said silently: It's a pity that in this world, one can be free in heart but not in body.

＊

Congying was awakened by the sound of birds singing.

She opened her eyes and found that it was already dawn. In addition to the cloak, she was also covered with a bright red cloak. The owner of the cloak was wearing a single shirt and was adding charcoal to the stove with his back to her.

How did he really fall asleep? Cong Ying stood up a little embarrassedly: "Did the Third Young Master stay up all night?"

Xie Xuanlan turned his head to look at her. The morning mist made his eyebrows and eyes look particularly dark and smooth. His face was paler than usual, revealing a rare look of fatigue.

Cong Ying looked at him, subconsciously slowing down her breathing, secretly clutching a corner of her cloak in her palm.

Fortunately, Xie Xuanlan did not bring up the topic from last night. He just asked her, "Should I take you to Shopkeeper Ji to change clothes first, or should I send you directly back to the Jiang family?"

Cong Ying: "Actually, I can do it myself... Then let's go to Ji's house, thank you."

Xie Xuanlan lowered his eyes and hummed, then picked up his cloak and went to prepare the carriage. Suddenly, he turned around and pulled out a small box from his bosom and handed it to her: "By the way, this is for you, maybe you can use it."

…

Although the matter of the Spring Examination had been decided last night, the imperial edict had not yet been issued, and the Jiang family had not been rescued, so not many people knew the inside story.

After taking a shower and changing clothes at the place that Ying had borrowed from Ji Caibing, and having a fancy breakfast with her, he walked back to Jiang's house slowly, as if to digest his food. He saw that it was almost noon.

Everyone in the Jiang family was like a frightened bird. No one dared to sleep last night, and everyone had big dark circles under their eyes.

Only the younger sister Ah He was worried about her elder sister. When she saw her, she threw herself into her arms and burst into tears, releasing the emotions that had been suppressed all night. "Ah Jie, Ah Jie, have you been captured by the bad guys, or do you not want me anymore?"

Cong Ying touched her head to comfort her: "Be good, sister will not abandon you."

Ah He nestled in her arms and cried for a long time before gradually turning to sobbing. Wiping her tears, she paused, "I've already... I've memorized 'You Xue Qiong Lin'... I made a wish to the Goddess of Heaven that if I memorize it, you'll return my sister to me."

Cong Ying sighed, "I should have come back earlier. This time it's my sister's fault."

Behind Ah He stood his mother, Zhao, who looked worried. It was as if she had finally found a backbone after being in a state of panic. She half complained and half worried: "Why did you come back just now? What happened to you outside?"

Cong Ying shook her head slightly. Even if something really happened, telling her mother would only add to her troubles.

She asked Zhao, "Mother, do you know why our family has been in trouble this time?"

Zhao said, "I heard something in the eldest house, and it seems that your eldest cousin was framed in the imperial examination and accused of cheating."

"Framed?" Cong Ying deliberately exaggerated the situation. "Why frame him instead of someone else? Mother, do you know that the scroll he wrote contained private conversations between the Emperor and his subjects? He's guilty of the ten heinous crimes of disrespect. If they're investigated, his entire clan will be executed!"

Zhao's face turned pale instantly and her legs went weak. She had to be supported by Cong Ying before she could stand steadily.

She continued, "If I can't get away with it this time, Congqian will be executed too. If I can get away with it this time, with my eldest brother's stain on my head, I'm afraid Congqian won't be able to pursue the imperial examination again... Mother, we're all in this situation because of the eldest branch of the family. Do you regret it?"

Zhao was so frightened that she couldn't stop crying. "I regret it... I regret it, but what can I do? Is there any way to save us?"

Cong Ying sighed, raised his sleeve to wipe her tears, and showed a rare thoughtfulness and tenderness during this period: "I have a solution. You come with me to the eldest house and separate from them."

＊

"What? Splitting up the family?!"

Cai slammed the table and stood up, her tear-swollen eyes blazing with anger. "On weekdays, you call me uncle and sister-in-law affectionately, but when things get tough, you turn into monsters! Instead of helping me, you're trying to sabotage me from behind. I tell you, even if I break your bones, I'm still holding your tendons together. Even if you change your surnames today, you can't escape the punishment of your entire clan!"

Zhao's lips trembled as she looked at Congying. Seeing her nod with a determined look, she mustered up the courage to speak to Cai, "The Second Branch has never taken advantage of your First Branch. Instead, it has often been implicated. Regardless, this family is set to be divided."

Cai sneered, "Alright, then you three should get out of the Jiang family naked! Don't think I don't know that you're from the lowest class and don't even have a dowry of your own."

This sentence had never been taught to her by Ying, and Zhao immediately showed her fear: "You...you...you are going too far!"

After listening for a long time, the Jiang family's grandfather slammed his cold teacup down and said, "Shut up, everyone! There's still no news about A Jing. If you want to make a scene, go to hell!"

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Cong Ying straightened her sleeves, stepped out slowly, and after everyone's shouting, she said in a voice as soft as a bell: "Actually, I have news about my eldest cousin."

The old man from the Jiang family choked on a mouthful of cold tea, and after spitting it out, he coughed for a long time: "What did you say?!"

Cong Ying said, "I not only have news about my eldest cousin, but I also went to the Imperial Examination Hall and have evidence that he was framed."

The Jiang family's uncle's mouth twitched: "Stop talking nonsense here..."

If Jiang Congying can enter the tribute hall, he can even go to heaven!

But Cong Ying took out a wooden token from the Ministry of Justice first. Uncle Jiang looked at it carefully and found it was real. He couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Then she took out a piece of rice paper from her sleeve and unfolded it in front of Uncle Jiang.

"This is the original article I copied from my eldest cousin. Uncle, take a close look and see if it reflects your son's character."

After returning from the imperial examination, Jiang Congjing complained bitterly and shouted that he wanted to burn books and bury scholars. The uncle of the Jiang family comforted him for a long time, and after he calmed down, he asked him about the content of his article in detail.

Every sentence… every sentence fits. Grandpa Jiang's hands, holding the paper, couldn't help but tremble, as if he was holding his son's innocence and the lives of his entire family. He almost roared at Cong Ying, "Where's the original scroll! Where's the original scroll! Give it to me quickly, I need to report to the emperor!"

The original scroll was found by Xie Xuanlan from Yu Wenzhong's wife and children, and was handed over to Congying this morning. Congying left the original scroll at Ji Caibing's place, copied a copy and brought it back.

She curled her lips and said to Uncle Jiang, "I will hand it over to Uncle after the family is divided."