Chapter 869: Facing Bigger Storms

"Duke Chengguo, you are here."

When Nan Yan heard that Wu Yingqiu wanted to see her, she immediately asked someone to invite him in. As expected, when Wu Yingqiu walked in, he was holding a scroll in his hand.

It was the copy of the painting that she had asked Wu Yingqiu for when they were at Jinlou Villa in Hecheng.

He brought it.

Wu Yingqiu walked in and politely bowed to her: "This old minister pays homage to the Imperial Concubine."

"You are so polite, Duke. Please take a seat."

Nian Qiu, who was standing by, invited Wu Yingqiu to sit on a chair nearby.

Wu Yingqiu sat down, then raised his head and smiled at Nan Yan, saying, "Back in Hecheng, I promised the Imperial Concubine that I would send a copy of the painting to you. However, I've been so busy with worldly affairs these days that I've been putting it off until now. I hope you won't blame me."

Nan Yan smiled and said, "You are too polite, Duke. It was originally my request that was excessive, and I am embarrassed that you agreed to give it up. How can I blame you?"

"My lady, please don't say that."

…

Although the two of them had no idea how many times they had bitten each other behind each other's backs, and even Nan Yan knew how many times Duke Cheng and his daughter had attacked her, they were still smiling and polite as they sat face to face.

Come to think of it, aren’t all officials so hypocritical?

Wu Yingqiu said a few more polite words and then presented the scroll in his hand.

"I hope Your Majesty will not find my paintings ugly."

"Not at all."

Nan Yan winked at Nian Qiu, and Nian Qiu stepped forward, took the scroll, and walked in front of Nan Yan to unfold it.

Nan Yan looked at it carefully.

She had a relatively good memory, and especially because this painting was very important, she paid special attention to it when she saw it in the Golden Building.

Looking at this copy, it is indeed almost identical to the original.

So he nodded to Nian Qiu, and Nian Qiu immediately put the painting away and placed it in the inner room.

Nan Yan smiled and said, "Thank you, Duke."

Wu Yingqiu smiled.

Then, he picked up the teacup on the small table next to him and took a sip.

Nan Yan raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him.

Originally, the two of them had nothing to talk about. After all, they all knew each other's attitudes. Even if Wu Yingqiu was willing to give the painting this time, it was because of Concubine Nan Yan's identity, which was indeed a burden on them.

However, Nan Yan was a little surprised that he still sat there and didn't leave after giving her the painting.

Does he have anything else to say?

Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Wu Yingqiu laugh and said, "By the way, when I came here this time, I also heard that the King of Wei seemed to have written some anti-government poems and was thrown into prison."

“…”

I don't know why he suddenly brought this up.

Nan Yan smiled calmly: "That's right."

"But later on, it seems that the Empress ordered a thorough investigation of the case and discovered that it was Concubine Ning who was behind it?"

"That's right."

"But why did Concubine Ning do this?"

“…”

Nan Yan raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Wu Yingqiu: "What the Duke means is..."

Wu Yingqiu smiled and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I just find it a little strange. There seems to be no reason for Concubine Ning to act like this. Framing the King of Wei and ultimately getting herself imprisoned does her no good at all."

“…”

"I don't know, is there any other hidden story behind this?"

Nan Yan's face showed a hint of displeasure, but she still smiled. "Could it be that the Duke believes that Concubine Ning was wrongly accused, and that the real culprit is the King of Wei?"

"This—I didn't say that."

“…”

"This old minister just has doubts in his heart."

Nan Yan smiled and said, "This case was indeed thoroughly investigated by me. I found evidence that Concubine Ning imitated the handwriting of Prince Wei to forge anti-government poems. As for the specific interrogation, it was conducted by the Emperor himself."

"oh……"

"As for the reason behind this, I don't know."

“…”

"Perhaps, the Emperor didn't make her scandal public in order to preserve Concubine Ning's dignity, but the matter has been concluded, and the Duke should not doubt the Emperor's judgment."

“This, is, yes!”

Wu Yingqiu nodded repeatedly: "Your Highness is right."

After saying this, he stood up and said, "I have been bothering you for a long time and have caused your Majesty trouble. I will take my leave."

"Goodbye, Duke."

Nan Yan also stood up and gestured to see him off, but Wu Yingqiu repeatedly told her not to and turned to leave Yiku Palace.

When he walked out, Ran Xiaoyu walked in from outside.

He watched Wu Yingqiu's back as he walked away with a vigilant look on his face, then walked to Nan Yan's side and asked, "My Lady, what is he doing here?"

"Come and bring me a painting."

"Then why did he stay so long? I just saw him coming from the Imperial Garden."

"Because he also asked about the previous case involving King Wei."

"The King of Wei's case?"

Ran Xiaoyu frowned: "Why is he asking this?"

Nan Yan smiled softly as she said, "He seems somewhat dissatisfied with the 'truth' of this case that I have thoroughly investigated, and insists on believing that it was the King of Wei who wrote the anti-poem."

Ran Xiaoyu's expression became even uglier: "What does this have to do with him?"

"It matters a lot."

Nan Yan slowly rose from her chair, and Ran Xiaoyu hurried over to support her. As the two of them walked towards the inner room, Nan Yan slowly spoke, "Because the previous case has been investigated, the Emperor has restored the reputation of the Prince of Wei, and has also given him some of the powers he previously held as regent."

“…”

"This is already very obvious."

"What?"

Nan Yan turned her head and glanced at her, knowing that she hadn't realized it yet, so she smiled faintly: "The position of the crown prince."

Ran Xiaoyu opened her eyes wide: "The Emperor wants to -"

"The Emperor should have made preparations to appoint a new Crown Prince."

"This, this is good."

Ran Xiaoyu smiled subconsciously, but immediately looked at Nan Yan carefully.

Nan Yan smiled faintly and said, "You don't have to worry about me. In fact, I also think this is better. The King of Wei is a good child, and I am full of confidence in his future."

"Your Majesty..."

"But this makes some people feel uncomfortable."

Ran Xiaoyu immediately came back to her senses: "Duke, and—Concubine Kang?"

Nan Yan nodded and said, "Concubine Kang is trying her best to become the most powerful concubine in the harem and give birth to a prince for the emperor."

Ran Xiaoyu said coldly: "It also requires the emperor to pay attention to her."

Nan Yan smiled and said, "Yes, it's okay that the emperor doesn't want to pay attention to her, but the more important thing is that the Prince of Wei was raised by the Queen. If he becomes the Crown Prince, it will not benefit the Duke's family at all."

“…”

"Not only is it of no benefit, it's even—"

"Even what?"

"The Queen's family has always been very cautious, trying their best to restrain themselves from expanding their influence, so as not to be branded as a foreign relative. But if the Prince of Wei is appointed Crown Prince, and the Emperor moves the capital north, her family will surely grow stronger."

"That's true."

"And in the North, having one big family is enough."

Ran Xiaoyu said, "What the Queen means is that even if the Duke doesn't want the crown prince, but only wants his own family, he can't let the King of Wei become the crown prince."

"That's right."

Nan Yan took a deep breath and said, "From the fact that he actually came to ask me in person this time, it can be seen that he cares about this matter for more than just a simple matter."

“…”

"I think he's getting a little anxious."

“…”

"I'm afraid that King Wei and his men will have to face even greater storms from now on."

Hearing this, Ran Xiaoyu frowned and looked a little worried.

She said, "Since Your Majesty knows this, would you like to remind the King of Wei?"

Nan Yan glanced at her and smiled, "It's not my turn to talk about this kind of thing. I've already told the emperor a lot about the King of Wei. If I say more, it will become like the harem interfering in politics."

"Well--"

"Besides, the Emperor has already made plans to appoint a crown prince. Wouldn't he protect his heir?"

"That's true."

"More importantly," Nan Yan said, "King Wei."

"King of Wei?"

"He's grown up now. If he wants to be the crown prince, that is, the emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty in the future, he can't always hide under the protection of others. He needs to be able to detect danger and protect himself."

“…”

"Some things should be faced by him alone."

Ran Xiaoyu nodded: "Your Majesty is right."

Nan Yan then smiled. At this time, they had already walked into the inner room.

She also knew in her heart that although she might still find a way to help King Wei when the time came, it could only be help. The main problem needed to be solved by King Wei himself.

And now is not the time for her to worry.

Now she has to worry about one thing -

I raised my head and looked at the painting hanging on the wall of the inner room.

Nian Qiu had just received the scroll sent by Duke Chengguo and was asked to bring it in, but she actually hung the painting up directly.

However, it’s better to hang it up.

Nan Yan walked over slowly and looked up at the painting.

It was no different from the original painting I had seen in Jinlou Garden before. It depicted several people sitting upright in the hall, discussing something.

To be honest, although Duke Chengguo is not a very good person, his painting skills are really good.

There are so many people in the painting, the main and the secondary are clearly distinguished, the atmosphere is just right, and even the expressions on everyone's face are portrayed vividly.

It can be seen that this scene was a very deep memory for him.

Therefore, the entire scene can be restored on the drawing paper with almost one stroke.

Nan Yan's gaze naturally turned to the familiar figure among them——

Marquis of Bowang.

This "uncle" is so hard to figure out and has so many mysteries hidden in him.

Is he really his uncle?

Or, is there some other, deeper bond with me?

What Nan Yan was more concerned about was a person who was not depicted in the painting.

Concubine Qin.