Chapter 128 Amidst the Clouds (18) A little girl like you, how could I have scared you like this…

During the banquet last night, Sun Siren's attention was entirely focused on Marquis Wei, and he did not take in the splendor of the Song family.

As the banquet ended, he suddenly caught sight of Prince Wei walking with a handsome young man in front of the tent. His heart pounded with unease and his mind was in turmoil. After sending someone to investigate, he learned that the young woman was none other than the Fourth Miss Song, whom the Emperor had praised.

Sun Siren returned to his lodgings, his stomach rumbling with nausea, and he couldn't sleep soundly. As soon as dawn broke, he got up, packed his things, and left the tent.

Early that morning, the Crown Princess heard a report from outside: "Minister Sun requests an audience."

The Crown Princess and Sun Siren were born of the same mother and had a very close relationship since childhood. Unfortunately, in the seventh year of the Shuode era, the Empress disliked their close relationship and their interactions gradually became distant afterward.

The hunt was about to begin, but the Empress had not yet arrived. Sun Siren came to see her at this time. Did he have something to ask of her again?

A sense of unease crept into the Crown Princess's heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She had someone lure him over.

The palace was not far from the hunting grounds. His Majesty and the Crown Prince had just left, taking most of the palace retinue with them.

At that moment, there were hurried footsteps outside Jingyue Hall. The Crown Princess stood up from her seat and soon heard the announcement.

Sun Siren strode up to her, bowed, and she glanced at him indifferently, asking, "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Sun Siren kept glancing around, his movements small, but the Crown Princess found his appearance particularly irritating. She raised her sleeve and turned halfway to the side, saying, "You may all leave."

The maids responded and came out.

The Crown Princess said, "Speak, what is it?"

Sun Siren stepped forward, the fluttering hem of his robes mirroring the subtle twitching of the flesh between his eyes: "Your Highness, after the banquet yesterday, I happened to meet Lord Song's daughter, and her features... were remarkably similar to his..."

He spoke vaguely, his voice rising and falling slightly as he spoke. The Crown Princess looked at him suspiciously for a moment: "Is my brother confused? What are you saying?"

Sun Siren lowered his voice: "Your Highness, I was referring to Chang... Chang Yu..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a fleeting glint of light flashed in the Crown Princess's eyes.

He was a young general who became famous throughout the country at the age of seventeen. He was a prodigy and his career was smooth sailing.

But who could have imagined that the key to making this name disappear from public view was just a single sentence he uttered?

Inside Minghuang's palace, the Crown Princess paused for a moment, lost in thought, before turning her head to ask, "Which Lord Song?"

Who else could it be? Sun Siren replied, "The Minister of Works, Song Congzhao."

The Crown Princess raised her eyebrows slightly, remaining silent.

He continued, "Your Highness, His Majesty bestowed a bow upon his daughter at the banquet last night. Could it be...?"

"Brother, watch your words." Before he could finish speaking, the Crown Princess coldly cut him off.

She swept her sleeves and sat down on the couch, then looked up at Sun Siren again. There was no worry in her eyes, and she asked in a calm tone, "In your opinion, what should be done?"

Sun Siren frowned and said, "Your Highness, I believe that if we do not nip this in the bud, it will surely become a disaster when the spring breeze rises again."

A soft laugh was heard coming from inside the hall.

The Crown Princess's gaze lingered on his pampered and plump figure for a moment. In the past, she had felt a bit of disappointment in him, but now, looking at him again, she only felt impatient. She wrinkled her nose slightly and said, "You've scared a little girl like this. You don't look like a typical Sun family man at all."

The Crown Princess had been in charge of the Eastern Palace's internal affairs for many years, and her influence was profound.

Before the words were even finished, Sun Siren's chest heaved violently, his facial muscles twitching. He hurriedly bent his neck and said, "Your Highness, please calm down! I...I was out of my mind and spoke without thinking. Please forgive me."

Song Congzhao's identity was the reason he wanted to deal with her daughter. If he failed and revealed his true colors, it would only bring trouble upon himself. If he implicated her and His Highness the Crown Prince, she would have no face to plead with the Empress again.

"Let Song Lang investigate this matter. Isn't Song Congzhao his cousin? He's in a better position than you. Don't interfere anymore."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Unwilling to remain in the same room with him any longer, the Crown Princess waved her hand and said, "Alright, I still have books to read, so I won't keep you any longer. You may leave."

Sun Siren then took his leave.

Upon reaching the outside of the palace, he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. After boarding the carriage, he said to those around him, "Keep a close eye on the Song family. If anything seems amiss, report to me immediately."

Last night, Zhi Rou tossed and turned, and woke up late this morning. By the time Xing came back to call her, it was already broad daylight.

After finishing her breakfast, she practiced her martial arts in the tent for a while. As soon as she rested, Jing Yao's words to her kept echoing in her mind.

Did Sudu, who spent more than a decade on the grasslands, also view himself in this way?

Zhi Rou is slightly blunt in speech and manner.

For some reason, she kept thinking about him during the days he was away from Beijing. Could it be, as he said, that she was starting to worry about him?

My thoughts were in turmoil, and I ended up staying in the tent all day.

Two days later, on the return journey, the Imperial Guards stood in formation as before, accompanied by officials. The carriage, moving slowly, resembled a coiled golden dragon. Zhi Rou emerged from the fragrant clothes and swaying hair, approached Song Congzhao's carriage, and asked through the window, "Father, I have something I wish to discuss with you. May I ride in the same carriage as you?"

The windows were closed, and the carriage remained silent for a long time. Zhi Rou frowned slightly and was just about to step closer to the carriage when Song Congzhao's voice suddenly came from inside: "Get in."

A watery sheen washed over her face, and the carriage, shielded from the bright sunlight, held an indescribable tranquility.

Zhi Rou sat down on the right, glanced at Song Congzhao without revealing her expression, and said softly, "Father, I want to go to Qinyang. I will set off as soon as I arrive at the imperial palace tonight."

A single word is like a stone thrown into the ocean; it makes no sound whatsoever.

Knowing that her father wouldn't easily agree, Zhi Rou wasn't in a hurry. She simply placed her hands on her knees and waited quietly for him to speak.

She didn't have to wait long before Song Congzhao uttered two words: "As you wish."

Zhi Rou paused for a moment.

She had thought her father would ask her a few questions in detail, and she had even prepared her answers in her mind, but all she heard were two words.

Her gaze lingered, then she noticed something and lowered her eyelashes slightly: "Daughter has another request. Mother..."

"You can't even hide it from me, so how can you hide it from your mother? She probably already knows about your brother's departure from the capital."

Otherwise, how could he have foreseen Zhi Rou's thoughts today, and before the spring search, she had instructed him "not to interfere"? At that time, he still did not understand Ling Xi's meaning, but after learning that Su Du was not in the capital, he began to make a guess.

Outside, people were talking loudly. It wasn't time to set off yet, and several close officials were taking a break to chat.

Song Congzhao said softly, “If you wish to go to Qinyang, you may. I will send a team to escort you; in public, we will say that you are going to Jiangdong to visit the old lady.”

This journey may be in vain, and not only that, it is also fraught with danger. It is extremely inappropriate for a woman like her to go through all this trouble.

Song Congzhao gazed at Zhirou, his eyes filled with a mixture of dissuasion and support, as if he would stand by her side no matter what she chose.

At the banquet, Zhi Rou actually made eye contact with Song Lang. She had seen many scrutinizing glances before, but Song Lang's suspicious and wary demeanor seemed rather dubious coming from someone she had just met.

Zhi Rou suspects that the old case that led to his promotion three times in a year is related to the Chang family; and she also wants to meet the "Magnolia Prince" in the army.

Whether it was the Song family or the Ling family, she had something she wanted to investigate, but Song Lang was even more difficult for her to approach.

She had a win-win situation, so she had no reason to back down.

She softened her voice and looked up.

"I beg my father to trust his daughter."

It's unclear which words touched Song Congzhao, but his previously calculated retreat gradually subsided, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Young people inevitably speak with a certain unwavering conviction and fearlessness. And that's to be expected.

Song Congzhao nodded solemnly: "Be very careful."

By the time they arrived at the imperial palace, the moon had already risen. The imperial carriage stopped, and military trains and officials' carriages crisscrossed the road. The tassels under the windows spun slowly in the night breeze.

The officials and their families set up camp outside the temporary palace.

The tents, like a long, winding veil of lanterns, let out a soft glow, enveloping the whispers of people, some high, some low.

In the distance, the leaves rustled, and a woman in green robes passed through most of the tents and entered Sun Siren's tent. She delivered an urgent message: "My lord, Song Zhirou has left the camp alone and headed northwest!"

"At this moment?" Sun Siren's eyes, hidden beneath wrinkles, suddenly fixed on the woman who had come to deliver the message, like those of a wolf.

As soon as she saw Song Zhirou make a move, she returned to report to him, truthfully replying, "She rode away alone on horseback. When I left, I didn't see anyone accompanying her."

"Traveling alone at night? You've got some nerve." Sun Siren clicked his tongue meaningfully, then chuckled and said, "Pass on my order: tell them to follow the rules. Report back when the person dies."

The tent flap fluttered, and a rough hand entered the tent first, followed by a shoulder and body. Chang Huai strode towards Wei Yuanzhan.

"Master, the people from the Song family just handed me this letter, saying it was written to you by the Fourth Miss."