Mighty and mighty
Cong Lan waited at the city gate for a long time but did not see Xun Wang's figure. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed together, and her peach blossom eyes were full of indifference.
"My lord, the lady has sent a message." Qiu Shi, Cong Lan's subordinate, whispered in Cong Lan's ear.
After listening, Cong Lan smiled indifferently and turned to the accompanying officials, saying, "It's noon. Gentlemen, why don't you come with me to Yunlai Restaurant for a meal?"
The officials exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. "The Prime Minister is so generous; shouldn't we have a few drinks today?"
"Yunlai Tower is just so-so. I wonder which restaurant in Chang'an you think is the best?" The official laughed heartily. He secretly considered himself a member of the Conglan faction, so it was natural for him to tease him.
"Perhaps it was done by the head of the family; you are not fortunate enough to have that."
"Nonsense, we won't be able to shut you up when we eat." Although Cong Lan was smiling, her smile was clearly cold, and the adult who had spoken shut his mouth awkwardly.
Xun Wang hurriedly finished eating, straightened his clothes, and muttered to himself about Sui Zhixu, "Where did this fierce little girl come from? She almost killed me!"
He looked up and met the smiling Cong Lan and the officials accompanying her.
Cong Lan bowed and said, "Your subject Cong Lan greets Prince Xun."
"Huh?" Xun Wang looked Cong Lan up and down, cursing Sui Zhixu inwardly. So she was the Prime Minister's daughter. Wasn't she the one who ruined his plans?
Damn it, she fooled me again!
“Xun Wang, please.” Cong Lan stood tall and straight, opening his arms to signal Xun Wang to go first.
"snort."
Cong Lan didn't care at all about Xun Wang's anger, and even thought that a fool is a fool. If Xun Wang didn't have Sima Xian behind him, he probably wouldn't even be able to transport the disaster relief funds.
Just as he was about to turn around, he looked up and saw Sui Zhixu leaning on the railing on the second floor, her arms swinging over the railing. He instantly smiled, his peach blossom eyes narrowing into crescents, and waved to her.
He indicated that he was leaving.
The young woman stood at attention, her hands resting on the railing, seemingly not quite understanding. Her face was blank, as if she was greeting someone. Cong Lan pointed to the door again, and she leaned back down, waving her hand casually.
It's perfunctory, but cute.
Cong Lan laughed from the bottom of her heart, which made Xun Wang even angrier, as he hadn't gone far.
Before leaving, Cong Lan glared at Fan Lingzhang, but ultimately said nothing.
Sui Zhixu leaned against the railing, puzzled, and asked, "Why is Father glaring at you?"
Fan Lingzhang rested his chin on her shoulder and said in a low voice, "The Prime Minister is a scholar and the head of all officials. Perhaps he prefers a son-in-law who has read extensively and achieved official rank?"
He was implying something.
Sui Zhixu: "Hmm? That's possible."
"Do you like it?" A large hand wrapped around her from behind, his voice low, his warm breath brushing against her ear.
It's a little itchy.
Sui Zhixu touched her ear, then turned around and grabbed his face, saying, "Don't suddenly talk in my ear, it tickles."
"Hmph, I want it." Fan Lingzhang took advantage of the situation, picked up Sui Zhixu, and brought her into the house.
Dan Hong's face darkened, and she turned her head away from them, focusing only on teasing the silent Liu Lü.
Fan Lingzhang placed Sui Zhixu on the soft couch, but he didn't let go of her. Instead, he pressed down on her, staring into her eyes: "You like that kind of guy? Someone who looks gentle but is actually full of bad intentions? Why do you like that kind of guy? What's so good about him?"
He asked too many questions, leaving Xu Zhixu dazed. She seized on the "he" in his words and asked, "You mean Puyang Kai?"
His expression darkened further, and he nudged her head with his own, whimpering softly.
"He's from the Immortal Clan and is also Aye's disciple. Aye simply has high hopes for him. What does that have to do with me?"
She scratched his chin, her clear, almond-shaped eyes meeting his gaze. "Are you jealous?"
"Why should I be jealous? I haven't even talked to him much."
Fan Lingzhang didn't speak, only letting out a hum. Sui Zhixu sighed helplessly and patted his head, "Do you want me to coax you?"
"Little Hibiscus is very pretty, don't be angry." She felt she wasn't very good at comforting people.
"So lovely. A beauty like her is unforgettable. If I don't see her for a day, I miss her terribly. To have her is my greatest fortune."
Sui Zhixu found a suitable position for her chin and hugged him tightly.
Two hearts, one on the left and one on the right, vibrated continuously in the chest cavity, as if they were one.
Sui Zhixu remembered that Dan Hong sometimes talked about strange topics, and that some people's hearts were naturally located on the right side.
For them, embracing each other felt like having a second heart on their right side.
The lingering tenderness is embodied in every wisp of jasmine fragrance; jasmine, perhaps, is a metaphor for separation.
—
Cong Lan hurriedly sent Xun Wang to a separate courtyard, ostensibly to serve him, but in reality to place him under house arrest.
"Please wait patiently. Although the Lu family is the maternal family of Consort Lu, you are, after all, His Majesty's younger brother, and His Majesty still cherishes brotherly affection."
Cong Lan stood with his hands clasped in the post station, looking at Xun Wang with a forced smile.
Xun Wang cursed him inwardly, calling him an old fox who spouted nothing but lies. He said his words sounded impressive, but they were completely useless!
"After all, you are here to receive His Majesty's teachings. You have been in Xuzhou for many years and should not forget the royal teachings. Therefore, His Majesty has arranged for several palace tutors to teach you. He hopes that you will study day and night and will teach you when the imperial examination comes."
"What did you say? You summoned me from Xuzhou to Chang'an just so I could study?"
Cong Lan smiled, "Of course, you are twenty-seven years old this year and still do not have a princess consort. His Majesty plans to arrange it for you this time."
"I!"
"I hope you can stay here with peace of mind."
Cong Lan beckoned, and a row of neat palace servants stood before Prince Xun, each recounting their daily duties, what they taught him, and expressing the Emperor's expectations for Prince Xun in these areas.
The palace servants surrounded him completely, leaving no room for escape.
Seeing this, Cong Lan instructed the post station staff to take good care of Xun Wang, and then left with a group of people.
A naive and brainless child.
Did he not have any advisors to guide him?
Cong Lan hurriedly returned, and snow began to fall from the sky on the way.
Snowflakes, like goose feathers, fell on the steps of Yunlai Tower. Conglan looked up at the sky, which was covered with a layer of gray.
My wife hasn't come back for a long time.
"It snowed quite early this year."
"That's right, I remember it was two more days later in previous years."
"A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest; perhaps something good is about to happen."
...
Cong Lan listened quietly to their conversation without interrupting. He had no idea what his wife was doing; she had just been leaning lazily against the railing, ignoring him like a kitten.
He found it amusing, thinking that if his wife were here, she would be very happy.
She must be heartbroken too.
Upstairs at Yunlai Tower, after three rounds of drinks...
The officials under his command all flattered Cong Lan, "Congratulations, Prime Minister! This move was truly brilliant. You took down the Lu family without lifting a finger. You are indeed His Majesty's trusted minister."
He waved his hand, indicating that both the Emperor and he knew from the beginning that the Lu family was involved.
When the ledger was leaked, he secretly investigated and discovered that the disaster relief funds had been switched on the way. He found Xu Zhou's men among them and guessed that they were Xun Wang and the Lu family.
Your Majesty, he and Duke Pei decided to play along and see what their next move would be. Sure enough, that old Lu fellow was very petty and immediately turned against Old Pei.
The Pei family case was all a trick by the Emperor. Princess Chaoyang figured out the Emperor's intentions and deliberately rejected A-Xu.
As someone involved, he couldn't say anything. Ah Xu was initially focused on Sima Xian, which surprised him at the time. After all, he and the Emperor had only speculated that there was someone behind Xun Wang, but they hadn't specifically considered Sima Xian.
In order for the play to continue, he must guide Ah Xu to first save the Pei family and then bring down the Lu family.
Let's also see how Ah Xu is doing at Yueling and Shanhai Academy.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Kai chose to help A Xu and even told her the information he got from him with a lame excuse.
There were some setbacks at the end, but overall it went smoothly.
Cong Lan smiled and clinked glasses with them, saying, "His Majesty is wise and resourceful; I am at most an assistant."
The compliments once again filled his ears. He drank a glass of wine and looked out the window at the swirling snowflakes.
For some reason, the snow made him feel uneasy.
After the dinner, Cong Lan planned to pick up his young mistress and go home. He asked a servant at Yunlai Tower to find Sui Zhixu.
"Ah Xu, it's getting late, let's go home with Ah Ye."
Cong Lan stepped into the room and saw Fan Lingzhang standing by the window watching the snow. He looked somewhat displeased. Before he could ask anything, Xu's voice came from inside.
"Father?"
Her voice was groggy, with a touch of coquettishness and obedience, sounding like she had just woken up.
"Danhong, hurry up and help your wife get up so we can go home early." Cong Lan turned around and called to Danhong, then walked out of the private room. Seeing that the person by the window was not moving, she became even more displeased.
He said sternly, "Why aren't you coming out right now? What kind of behavior is this?"
Even knowing they were once husband and wife, he couldn't accept that his beautiful young wife had been arranged to marry by that damned villain without his or Sui He's knowledge.
He found Fan Lingzhang hard to like, but thinking about how obedient Fan Lingzhang usually was to Ah Xu, his expression softened considerably. Oh well, he wouldn't live long anyway.
"Prime Minister Cong." Fan Lingzhang bowed to him, and Cong Lan accepted the bow quietly without saying a word.
The only conversation he ever had with Danhong was on the pleasure boat two years ago. In fact, according to Conglan's recollection, that night on the pleasure boat, A Ling, who was disguised as a dancer, killed someone. Afterwards, he investigated and found that it was a spy planted by Sima Xian.
Looking back on those conversations now, every word seems like a knife to the heart.
A moment later, Danhong opened the door for Sui Zhixu. She looked puzzled. What were the two of them doing standing at the door like stone blocks?
Cong Lan smiled and asked her, "Shall we go home? Your mother might have written to us."
Sui Zhixu nodded, then glanced at Fan Lingzhang. "I'm going home now. I'll come find you again tomorrow."
Fan Lingzhang looked at her with reluctance, and finally leaned on the railing, waving goodbye to Sui Zhixu at the door.
Cong Lan glanced at it, her manner affected.
"Let's go home." Cong Lan quickly pushed the person onto the carriage. He was a little drunk and, like last time, kept rambling on and on with Sui Zhixu.
"It's been half a month, your mother should have written back by now. Little Black is probably playing with my calligraphy brush in the study right now. I'm telling you, Little Black is probably not well-behaved either, always putting on airs in front of your mother. You must train your gyrfalcon properly, they are all very annoying."
“My lord, Xiao Hei is very powerful. The gyrfalcon clan is the king of the grasslands. It is already very impressive that it has been tamed by the Immortal Clan to the point of being able to deliver messages. My wife’s gyrfalcon was specially prepared by the Immortal Clan. It is the fiercest and most majestic gyrfalcon in the entire Immortal Clan, and also the most loyal and obedient. You cannot blame our gyrfalcon for being heartbroken by Xiao Hei.”
Danhong muttered to herself, and then Zhixu pinched her earlobe. "Danhong is right. Xiaohei is very playful, especially with Father. Maybe it's because in their eyes Father is Mother's partner, which is also a sign of Xiaohei's approval."
"……rational!"
Her pale, peach-blossom eyes showed a hint of helplessness; she seemed even more drunk than last time.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Du Yun, who was anxiously pacing at the gate of her courtyard, rushed over to her and said, "The master's gyrfalcon was injured and left in your courtyard. Puyang Langjun translated the gyrfalcon's message, and it seems that something has happened to the master!"
Sui Zhixu's face darkened. After Cheng Zhijie's wedding, Sui Chuke returned to Luoyang. Although Puyang Kai was a member of the Immortal Clan, he was not the one specifically responsible for training gyrfalcons.
Something happened?
How could something have happened to my mother?
Where are her bodyguards? Where are the people from the Military Household Bureau?
When Cong Lan heard that Sui He had an accident, he sobered up considerably. He staggered down from the carriage but accidentally sprained his ankle. The sound of his joints cracking was crisp, and he was completely sober. He limped after the flustered woman.
Upon seeing this, Du Yun quickly called for someone to support Cong Lan. Qiu Shi, who was beside him, reacted and caught up with the fast-moving man, carrying him on his back and rushing towards Jianjia Pavilion.
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