Chapter 40 The Willow Tree in the Breeze (Part 8) "He wants everyone to fawn over him..."

Lan Huaien awkwardly withdrew his hand just before she was about to unleash her power, but instead of sitting back down, he leaned against the car wall and glanced sideways at her straight back as she sat upright.

Perhaps because she had been underwater for too long, her face was still pale, and even her anger had lessened somewhat; she only felt stiff and cold.

He sighed softly, no longer daring to touch her. After a moment of silence, seeing that she neither reprimanded nor sent him away, he spoke softly, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I meant no harm..."

Yan Chao turned to look at him, unsure of what to say, and then lowered his eyelashes again.

She pursed her lips and after a long pause said, "Thank you."

“Your Highness has already thanked me,” Lan Huaien said with a gentle smile. He bent down and moved to the opposite side, placing his hands on his knees. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Your Highness has been the Crown Prince for a long time, and I have been a eunuch for more than ten years. No matter what we were like before, we are all fighting our own battles now. Over time, even the fake becomes real. Eunuchs are meant to serve others, so Your Highness need not be so polite.”

His words were subtle, yet he deliberately pointed out their identities. However, this time he seemed a little more sincere than before, and there was no more barb in his words.

Over time, even the fake becomes real. This sentence echoed in Yan Chao's mind once more, and upon careful consideration, it seemed to be true.

She remained noncommittal on the surface, then after a moment of silence, suddenly asked a trivial question: "Why are you drinking today?"

Knowing that he rarely had any leverage over others, Cheng Tai's tone suggested that he had even messed things up because of it.

Lan Huaien sniffed himself first, and still smelled a faint scent of alcohol. He frowned slightly and replied, "I was happy that Imperial Censor Xu's mother, Lady Feng, had died. I couldn't help myself and drank a few more cups. It is my fault for offending Your Highness."

Yan Chao was speechless for a moment. He sniffed, lowered his head as if admitting guilt, but seemed unconcerned, and said in a low and gentle tone, "Of course, it was my hand."

She asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Your Highness must have already guessed, and I dare not lie."

Lan Huaien's background was not a secret in the capital; in fact, many people talked about it openly and secretly. He hated the Feng family, and even more so the Xu family. He was wary of Xu Zhen in court, but it was not surprising that he would resort to other means in private.

A sense of sorrow welled up in Yan Chao's heart for no apparent reason.

Xu Zhen is Lan Huaien's only blood relative in this world. These two half-brothers are separated by a blood feud, and it is likely that they will not leave any room for each other in the future.

Another person has joined his ranks, fighting and becoming his enemy.

Does he want everyone to send him to hell?

As a close attendant of the emperor and in charge of the Eastern Depot, Lan Huaien had a residence outside the palace bestowed upon him by the emperor. However, he rarely returned to the residence, and although it was fully furnished with servants, it was still considered an empty house.

The carriage stopped outside the main gate for a while, and Lan Huaien instructed the driver to go in through the side gate.

Yan Chao slightly parted the curtain and happened to see that the place where the plaque should have been hung on the gate was empty.

She was a little curious, assuming that he didn't have a place to live because he didn't live there often, but she still asked him casually.

Lan Huaien was already prepared to go downstairs. When she heard her question, he replied, "I find it disgusting to name the house after Xu every day. I also find it inappropriate to name it after Lan, since I have little connection with my godfather. So I left it empty. It's just a house, and if you say it belongs to the Eastern Depot, everyone will recognize it."

Upon entering the inner quarters, Lan Huaien immediately sent someone to prepare hot water and had her change of clothes, temporarily using ordinary men's robes. Later, when he wanted to ask a doctor to examine her, he was refused, with the only words being, "It's alright for now; it's not advisable to cause trouble outside the palace." He had no choice but to give up.

When Lan Huaien saw Yan Chao again, she was as elegant as ever, her complexion much rosier, though there was a slight hint of melancholy between her brows. He suddenly realized that she rarely seemed to have a cheerful expression on her face.

Tea was brewed in the room.

Lan Huaien smiled gently and pushed the tea towards her: "Your Highness is always cautious, but this time you've stumbled because of the tea."

Yan Chao sat upright, which was considered an admission, and asked him seriously, "Master Huaiqing said you wanted to see me?"

He nodded: "Yes. I was a little drunk at the time, but I remembered that Your Highness wanted to ask me something, and since Funing Temple was nearby, I went in."

"You seem to know my whereabouts very well."

“Your Highness isn’t like this every year,” he looked up and saw the growing displeasure on her face, so he quickly changed the subject, “What were you going to ask again?”

Yan Chao stood up, looking down at him condescendingly: "Is the matter of the First Silkworm Altar related to you?"

.

The assassination attempt on the crown prince was no small matter, especially since it occurred right under the walls of the capital. When the news reached the palace, the emperor immediately dispatched the Imperial Guards to Funing Temple.

However, the Imperial Guards were a step slower than the Eastern Depot; by the time they arrived at the temple, all the assassins had already been killed. The mountains behind the temple were in complete disarray; what was once the most secluded and tranquil Buddhist temple had been thrown into chaos by the commotion. The three groups searched separately, but still could not find the Crown Prince.

Duan Shou happened to be sent away at the time, and by the time he returned, something had already happened.

Liang Lu was extremely anxious and grabbed a eunuch, asking, "Where is your Grand Eunuch?"

The eunuch shook his head, then thought for a moment and said that Lan Huaien had also gone to the temple, but there had been no further news of him.

Liang Lu's heart sank. If Lan Huai'en were to attack his master, the situation would become increasingly dire under the combined pressure.

When he sent people to investigate, they found that all the clues had been exhausted. Huaiqing, who had been in private contact with Yan Chao, had disappeared without a trace, and of the remaining twenty-odd assassins, all of whom except those who were killed had committed suicide.

However, the most urgent task is to find the person first.

He stood in the temple and called over all of Huaiqing's fellow disciples, asking them one by one. The result, however, was the same: they all knew nothing.

In the past, Yan Chao had never easily revealed his whereabouts, nor allowed anyone to follow him. Just as he was getting anxious, a eunuch came over and whispered a few words in his ear. Liang Lu's expression immediately changed, and he had no choice but to order someone to go ahead first.

He took a deep breath, temporarily withdrew the people from the Eastern Palace, and left Funing Temple.

Because the emperor sent people to welcome and protect him, the procession when Yan Chao returned to the palace was much larger than when he left.

Xiao Jiu, who was attending to him, whispered, "Your Highness, the Grand Eunuch has already returned to the palace."

Yan Chao responded, then asked, "Where is Duan Shou?"

Xiao Jiu suddenly hesitated and replied, "...Commander Qiu detained Guard Duan, saying he wanted to question him."

Yan Chao frowned, anger rising in his heart. He pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Go and tell Qiu Cong that the focus right now is on investigating the assassin, not the people from the Eastern Palace. Bring Duan Shou back with my decree."

Xiao Jiu did not leave immediately, but hesitated and said, "Then, Your Highness, what about those around you..."

"We'll be entering the palace soon. There's no need to worry about me here. Go quickly."

"yes."

Yan Chao went to the East Palace to change his clothes and tidy his appearance before going to the Emperor's presence. Coincidentally, Prince Xin was also there. Lan Huaien had already reported everything he needed to, and the Emperor had assigned him a task, so only Ji Weixian remained as the imperial eunuch.

When Prince Xin saw her enter the hall, he turned around and bowed, saying, "Is the Crown Prince well? Your father has been worried about you for a long time, and I am so glad to see you."

Yan Chao's gaze deepened slightly. Was this a sign that she was late? She had hesitated on the way there, wondering if she needed to return to the East Palace, but now it seemed necessary. Prince Xin was known for finding fault, and if she were to be accused of further misconduct before the Emperor, she might not be able to handle it.

She simply nodded in return, ignoring him, and first bowed to the emperor before apologizing, "Your subject is late, Father Emperor, please forgive me."

The emperor waved for her to rise, looked her up and down, and then said, "Lan Huai'en has already reported that the Crown Prince is injured. Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

She paused for a moment, then said, "Your subject fell into the water while fleeing in haste, but was not injured. Thank you for your concern, Father. Your subject is now safe and sound."

Prince Xin looked concerned and frowned as he asked, "Who on earth is this thief who could force my usually composed sixth brother to flee in such a panic? I heard that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has also gone to investigate, but I don't know how things are going..."

Yan Chao shook his head, then heard the emperor above him say, "As the heir apparent, the crown prince must be extremely cautious when leaving the palace. How can he travel alone so easily and treat his own safety as a joke?"

These words were indeed expected. She hadn't expected anything anyway, so she could only bow her head and say, "It was my oversight."

"You don't even have anyone with you. Duan Shou is in charge of the Eastern Palace guards, yet he allowed his master to encounter danger alone. He failed in his duty to advise the emperor, and I have already punished him. If you want to take him away, then take him away." The emperor pushed the teacup on the table and shifted his body, seemingly unconcerned.

Yan Chao's body stiffened instantly. Just as he was about to speak, Prince Xin interrupted, "Everyone knows that Sixth Brother is kind and tolerant towards his subordinates. Now, he can't even bear to punish Duan Shou, who put you in danger, yet he can watch his wet nurse, who has taken care of him for over ten years, die suddenly. This..."

“Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the will of Heaven, and it is difficult to defy it,” she said, turning to the side, her eyes filled with a clear sorrow that fell into his eyes. Her voice was low and deep. “Fourth Brother is not in the Eastern Palace, so how do you know that I watched helplessly? After Yingniang passed away, I never mistreated her elderly mother at home.”

Prince Xin paused for a moment, then chuckled dryly twice: "Perhaps the rumors are false..."

"Alright," the emperor interrupted the two, gave Yan Chao a deep look, and said in a low voice, "Empress Wenhui endured the separation of flesh and blood back then, which actually helped Ying Shi and the Crown Prince to be together. After Ying Shi's death, the Crown Prince gave her a grand funeral, so it can't be considered that he was ungrateful."

When the emperor suddenly mentioned Empress Cui, Yan Chao's heart sank.

Prince Xin responded with a low "Yes." A sly glint flashed in his eyes. The emperor had mentioned Empress Wenhui, so his goal had been achieved. He secretly pondered that this matter could actually be used again.

The emperor offered a few more lukewarm words of comfort, saying that the matter of Funing Temple would be investigated thoroughly.

After expressing his gratitude, Yan Chao took his leave and walked out of the main hall. It just so happened that it started to rain again. The raindrops fell obliquely to the ground. Standing on the steps and looking into the distance, the sky was not gray, but clean and clear.

Xiao Jiu watched her get into the sedan chair and then mentioned Duan Shou. Yan Chao nodded and instructed people to take good care of him.

Her eyes were slightly sore, and the chill hadn't dissipated, so she suddenly felt a bit cold. She gently clenched her hand in her sleeve, thinking to herself that she shouldn't be so delicate.

As the sedan chair was lifted, she glanced towards the main hall, moved her lips, but said nothing. Although her mother had been Empress for many years, the Emperor still only remembered her from that year's heavy snowfall when their flesh and blood were separated.

She happened to run into Lan Huaien returning to the palace halfway there. She glanced at him quietly and casually asked, "Has the Grand Eunuch investigated thoroughly?"

"I was just about to report back," Lan Huaien replied, then stepped closer and added, "Your Highness has been frightened and needs to rest well. If you are exposed to the wind again, you may catch a cold."

She responded and walked away from him.