Chapter 52 In the flower hall, lips and teeth intertwined; let's indulge even more thoroughly…
The people standing in the flower hall were all lost in their own thoughts. Chen Liangyu, who had rushed back from outside and was still some distance away, had clearly seen Xun Shuheng and Chen Luan's momentary loss of composure. She took a couple of steps while handing Xie Wenjun a hairpin, and carefully positioned herself between the two, concealing the embarrassment on Xun Shuheng's face. "Your Highness, His Highness Prince Shen will not return for another day. Please do not wait."
Xianyu said, "Miss, the dew is heavy, let's go back inside."
Xun Shuheng summoned the steward and head maid of the Prince's mansion and said, "After you have finished speaking, please make proper arrangements."
After Xun Shuheng returned to the inner courtyard, Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Chen Yuanqing and He Yunzhou were dead, and Chen Luan was still unaware of it. This was a family matter, and she didn't want it to be made public, even though Gu Xie was the only outsider in the flower hall.
"Second Brother."
Chen Liangyu called out, and Chen Luan bowed and followed her out of the flower hall to another place.
Only Gu Xie and Xie Wenjun remained in the flower hall.
After dismissing all the servants, even Rong Jun, Yuan Rong, and Dai Qing retreated to wait outside the flower hall.
The Flower Hall is a four-sided hall that stands independently within the Prince's Mansion, with several long windows and bamboo curtains hanging from them.
Gu Xie said, "I heard from my grandfather and elder brother that something seems to have happened in Yongdu. I have been worried about Your Highness. I went to Yongdu that day for two reasons: first, for A Yu, and second, to seek Your Highness's support for the revival of the girls' school and to serve Your Highness. Your Highness told me that the time was not right and asked me to return to Cangnan and wait. Now that Your Highness has come here, why didn't you inform me earlier? Although I am not very talented or resourceful, it is always good for Your Highness to have someone by your side."
Xie Wenjun sat in the main seat of the flower hall, gestured for Gu Xie to sit down, and said, "The situation is unclear, and I don't want to involve you too early."
“The situation is already very clear. The Crown Prince was assassinated, Prince Qi plotted rebellion, troops were dispatched to purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate Prince Qi’s faction. The throne will sooner or later belong to Prince Shen, but…” Gu Xie said, “Personally speaking, I would prefer that Your Highness rule the world.”
Xie Wenjun knew what Gu Xie was thinking. The ancient sages didn't promote women's education because those in power weren't women. Scholars who used the ways of the sages to establish themselves were merely using it as a means to curry favor with the monarch and seek advancement. If women were in charge, promoting women's education would create new paths to success for those seeking profit and fame. Then, wouldn't the path of women's education be incredibly popular?
She said, "Defense is insufficient, but offense is more than enough. When one is isolated and weak, one should conceal one's weapons to protect oneself and achieve complete victory."
Gu Xie listened and said, "Your Highness is right. A wise man keeps his skills hidden and acts according to the times. When one is outnumbered and weak, one should first conceal one's sharpness, hide one's shortcomings to protect oneself, and then wait for the opportunity to defeat the enemy. Has Your Highness read any military books?"
“I have read it. There was a woman who was well-versed in military strategy, so I also went to look for her.”
"Is this General Chen?"
Gu Xie realized she had asked too many questions. Xie Wenjun neither said yes nor no, showing no intention of answering. So she changed the subject and started talking about something else.
"Although it is said that a hidden dragon should not be used, Your Highness should not conceal your talents too much. To promote girls' education, you will inevitably be involved in court struggles. In addition to winning over the officials under the Crown Prince, you should also take this opportunity to cultivate your own people. Furthermore, there are many upright officials and independent individuals in the court. You can try to recruit them. If that doesn't work, don't offend them. Who will rule the country? Military power is of paramount importance. Civil officials are indeed the backbone of the court, but they cannot be without soldiers. Your Highness, Chen Liangyu is a good candidate."
Xie Wenjun said, "She is not someone who can be used."
Gu Xie said, "If possible, she would be the sharpest blade in Your Highness's hands."
Xie Wenjun said, "You don't understand her."
"This humble woman knows little about General Chen, and Your Highness may not have fully grasped her either," Gu Xie said. "Perhaps she finds it quite agreeable?"
Xie Wenjun remained silent for a moment.
“If Chen Liangyu cannot be used by Your Highness, then we must be wary of her. Although I am far away in Cangnan, I have heard that after the Battle of Dingbei, Chen Liangyu publicly asked the Emperor to grant her a marriage in the court.”
They spoke softly, and then Gu Xie lowered her voice even further, "It's not appropriate to say these things in Prince Shen's residence, but I would like to remind Your Highness that the person Chen Liangyu asked the Emperor to grant her marriage that year was none other than Prince Shen. Your Highness was young then, so you probably don't remember these things, right?"
A long window on the south side of the flower hall was open, facing a bamboo grove.
Chen Liangyu and Chen Luan were sitting in a pavilion under a bamboo tree, seemingly having a private conversation. Only two lamps were lit in the pavilion, the light was dim but not too dark. From Xie Wenjun's perspective, she could just see Chen Liangyu's profile.
That face was exceptionally beautiful; no matter which angle you looked at it from, it was captivating.
Xie Wenjun narrowed her eyes, glanced at Chen Liangyu, and said, "I have a vague impression of her!"
Gu Xie said, "If the two of them still have feelings for each other, Chen Liangyu might not stand on Your Highness's side."
"She won't."
Xie Wenjun's tone was so certain that Gu Xie swallowed back what he was about to say, turning it into a question, "Why is Your Highness so certain?"
From the moment Xie Wenjun stumbled upon the map of the academy in the library of the Marquis of Xuanping's residence, she knew they were kindred spirits. Even though Chen Liangyu didn't treat her well at the time, she was well aware that they would eventually walk the same path.
At that time, she also secretly hid the incomplete manuscript of "On Women" without telling her brother.
Xie Wenjun didn't explain much to Gu Xie, only saying, "She is someone who shares our views. You don't need to have any doubts about her, and you don't need to hide anything we discuss from her. What were you trying to say just now?"
Gu Xie said, "General Chen has changed the old system in the army and recruited new soldiers. The military expenditure is huge. Can His Highness Prince Shen raise this money? Once the army sets off, running out of supplies will be a dead end."
Xie Wenjun handed her a stack of papers, on which were written line by line the backgrounds of officials of all ranks in the southeast region. It was Qiu Renshan's pledge of allegiance.
"This hundred-mile stretch of fertile land is enough to cover military expenses by catching some fish and shrimp. Qiu Renshan rose from a commoner to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. During his many years in the Ministry, he had some leverage over every official of rank. Even after being demoted and losing power, he was still able to investigate these accounts, which shows he has some real ability. This man is not useless; it's just that staying in a high position for too long makes it easy to forget the difficult road he traveled to get here."
Gu Xie glanced at it briefly, then put it away again and handed it back to Xie Wenjun. "I have another question. The imperial edict has been issued, which is like a proclamation to punish the rebels. In recent days, many loyal and upright generals have led troops to Linxia or sent letters to express their willingness to follow Prince Shen in cleaning up the court of corrupt officials. Why are troops not being sent? Prince Shen and Chen Liangyu have set up heavy troops around Linxia. Could it be that they intend to establish their own independent regimes?"
"The Emperor is still in Yongdu, and there is also Consort Xian and the Xun family. If we start a rebellion, it will involve too many people."
Moreover, there is an extremely uncertain factor.
"The imperial edict was first sent to the southern border. Marquis Lu Ping, Heng Ji Nan, has not responded yet. Before raising an army, we must first resolve this worry from the rear. If he doesn't come, I will go to see him. There is one thing I need you to find out: where did the rumors of Third Brother's succession come from? Only by finding out this can we know what the intentions of those who are stirring up trouble behind the scenes are."
"I understand," Gu Xie said after a moment's thought. "It seems to have originated from Cangnan."
"Not Yongdu?" Xie Wenjun asked.
She also suspected that the news did not come from Yongdu, and that it would not benefit the Prince of Qi to spread such rumors.
"It must be him."
Chen Liangyu and Chen Luan also talked about this rumor. Chen Luan said, "I first heard about the assassination of the Crown Prince earlier than the rumors started circulating among the people. It was told to me by a person who was full of nonsense."
Chen Liangyu asked, "Is that person missing an arm?"
"Yes, a very strange old man, with only half of both arms remaining, claimed to be my father's fellow disciple and insisted that I become his apprentice. I thought he was crazy and not quite right in the head, so I gave him money but he refused and sent him away. He then said, 'The Crown Prince is dead, and your parents are dead too.' At first, I didn't believe it, but not long afterward, Princess Jiangning issued an imperial edict announcing the Crown Prince's death..."
He didn't dare to continue. Ever since he learned of the Crown Prince's death, he had been restless. Now that Chen Liangyu was sitting across from him, he desperately wanted to know the truth, but he was also afraid that his worst guess would come true.
"Second brother, Father and Mother... are gone."
Gu Xie had already left, and Xie Wenjun sat alone in the flower hall, gazing at the bamboo grove. One of the lamps under the pavilion had gone out, and the servants, fearing to disturb the conversation between the two people under the pavilion, did not dare to go up and add a lamp.
As she watched the rustling bamboo leaves and the shimmering moonlight, she could easily see that Chen Liangyu's expression was growing increasingly heavy and forlorn.
The door to the flower hall opened and closed, and a person walked in. Xie Wenjun looked down at the bamboo pavilion, but it was empty. Chen Liangyu had left the pavilion and walked to the flower hall at some point.
"Thinking about something?" Chen Liangyu asked.
Xie Wenjun looked preoccupied.
She didn't reply.
A breeze was picking up outside. Chen Liangyu walked to the south-facing window, lowered the curtain, and approached her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Xie Wenjun suddenly stood up, seemingly using all her strength to climb onto Chen Liangyu's neck, hug her tightly, and bury her head on her shoulder.
Chen Liangyu paused for a moment, then responded to her.
A force wrapped around Xie Wenjun's slender waist and back. Chen Liangyu had practiced martial arts since childhood, and her arms were very strong. With a slight pull, Xie Wenjun was pressed against her chest. The force was so great that it left her no room to breathe.
There were only the two of them in the flower hall. She had closed the only open window, sealing it off completely so they wouldn't be disturbed. It was so quiet that you could hear each other's breathing and heartbeats clearly.
A strand of hair brushed against the tip of her nose, and Chen Liangyu could smell Xie Wenjun's unique scent within it. It was like falling into a cloud of mist.
As if guided by some unseen force, she gently touched the ends of her hair with her fingertips.
Xie Wenjun suddenly tilted her head back and gently touched her lips and teeth.
Two thin lips lightly touched the corner of her mouth, their temperature seemingly burning her. Chen Liangyu's heart tightened suddenly, and her arms tightened around him.
After testing the waters, Xie Wenjun stared into her eyes for a moment, his gaze lingering on the spot where their lips had just touched, before pressing down on hers again.
As if eager to possess something, his tongue recklessly invaded between her lips and teeth.
Chen Liangyu clenched her fists, even wrinkling the fabric of Xie Wenjun's clothes on her back. Her mind went blank for a moment, and in her dazed state, she opened her teeth and gently met Xie Wenjun's kiss, which deepened with each kiss.
She had seen it all these past few days. Xie Wenjun had been holding on for a long time, and on the surface everything was normal. She hadn't even shown much grief. But even the strongest willpower has its limits, and she was about to break down.
Like a person dying of thirst who has traveled thousands of miles to finally find water, she desperately wants to grasp something, to leave something behind.
If this method can bring her some peace of mind, then indulging in it once wouldn't be a bad thing.
Chen Liangyu let Xie Wenjun run wild for a while, then tried to separate their intertwined lips and tongues, but inexplicably angered him. Xie Wenjun hooked his arm around the back of her neck and bit down, sending a sharp pain through her lower lip.
Feeling the pressure of her teeth biting against her lips, Chen Liangyu frowned. As the force slowly released, it felt as if something very important was about to slip away from her life, and a faint sense of loss lingered in her heart.
She has always been a person with strong self-control, but today she couldn't care less about anything and just wanted to follow her inner instincts.
Since we're going to indulge, let's indulge even more thoroughly.
Just as she was about to leave the humid heat, Chen Liangyu pulled her back, pinning Xie Wenjun against the main table in the flower hall, and once again entangled her, seducing and sucking her. Reason seemed to be overwhelmed by the tide, leaving her drowning and suffocating.
They were utterly defeated and abandoned.
Xie Wenjun braced herself against the table, her breathing becoming increasingly heavy as if she were deprived of oxygen. Her body reached its limit, and she instinctively struggled backward.
The table moved back an inch, making a sound, and Rong Jun's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, "Princess, what happened?"
"Don't come in!" Xie Wenjun took the opportunity to catch her breath, quickly calming herself down. "I'm fine."
The author says: [1] "Defense is insufficient, offense is sufficient": This comes from "The Art of War". The defensive strategy is adopted because of insufficient troops, while the offensive strategy is adopted because of sufficient troops.
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