Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Madam actually doubts me like this. ...
Chapter 110
Although Xu Lanji agreed to meet with King Zhao, Shen Suining and she both agreed that the Linjiang Villa was not a good place to meet. Xu Lanji also knew that she was now the daughter of a fugitive "criminal official" and should not reveal her temporary residence to King Zhao before she was sure of his intentions.
So the meeting place was arranged to be another private residence, which was said to belong to King Zhao. The location was very secluded and not far from the Linjiang Villa.
He Hansheng had arranged this whole thing, so Shen Suining didn't ask too many questions. Only after Xu Lanji went inside did she finally ask him to confirm, "It just so happens that Prince Zhao has a house here?"
Her suspicious expression and questioning tone clearly showed that she didn't believe such a coincidence could exist. Besides, the Linjiang Villa was right next to the moat, almost at the city gate, and a hundred and eight thousand miles away from the imperial city and the Prince Zhao's residence. She simply couldn't believe that a prince would own a house in such a remote place.
He Hansheng glanced at her, "It's truly heartbreaking that Madam would doubt me like this."
"Stop being so pretentious, I'm asking you a serious question." Shen Suining frowned and patted his shoulder to express her displeasure, but he laughed and dodged it. Only then did she belatedly realize that he seemed to be in a good mood today. She felt like she hadn't felt such a relaxed atmosphere between them in a long time.
He Hansheng chuckled, but he truly stopped joking with her and said truthfully, "This is certainly not Prince Zhao's residence. In recent years, Prince Zhao's prestige in the court has risen steadily, and naturally, many people are keeping an eye on him, especially now that he has fallen out with the Empress Dowager. We had to go through several twists and turns to get rid of them before we could come here today."
“That’s true. Not to mention King Zhao, we’ve been on tenterhooks all day, afraid of being followed.” Shen Suining sighed, feeling a sense of shared misfortune as He Hansheng spoke.
He Hansheng looked her up and down: "Madam is already disguised like this, are you still afraid of being followed?"
Shen Suining rolled her eyes at him: "You're not bad either. You've been following me for the past six months, and aside from other things, you've learned quite a bit about how to deceive people."
Jiang Yuchu and Ling Rui stood outside the gate, looking at the two people inside. One was dressed in blue robes and carrying a sword, looking like a chivalrous knight-errant, while the other was dressed in plain clothes and a wooden hat, looking like a sickly scholar. Yet, there was a strange harmony between them.
Ling Rui was used to it, but Jiang Yuchu couldn't understand it. Clearly, these two faces were not entirely the faces of the Marquis and his wife, but when they stood together, he could immediately imagine their true appearances.
As for the two people involved, they stared at each other for a long time, not willing to back down, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Shen Suining: "He Hansheng, this persona doesn't suit you. You're too energetic. Others might be fooled, but seasoned veterans like us can tell at a glance that you're faking it."
“I’ll take it as a compliment from Madam,” He Hansheng coughed lightly twice, “but Madam’s outfit is quite suitable.”
"Then you see, this is Bifengtang's original business."
He Hansheng's expression froze almost imperceptibly for a moment. He could clearly sense that Shen Suining was not as carefree in the capital as she was at Shuyu Manor. Even the Princess had mentioned more than once that Ningning seemed much more preoccupied than when she first came to Huadu.
He Hansheng knew, of course, that he was annoyed that he had not only failed to shield her from the storms that she shouldn't have had to bear, but had instead made her share a lot of his burdens.
The night Shen Suining went to see He Bufan in prison, He Hansheng truly experienced what it meant to be restless for the first time. He didn't know why Ningning was willing to work for Li Bo, and he also knew that it wasn't a good time to kill He Bufan, but he couldn't wait even a moment longer.
He was afraid that Ningning would get into trouble if he panicked, and he was also eager to solve these troubles for her. That's why He Hansheng chose to take sides early on at this critical juncture.
Of course, his stance did not represent Ningning's stance, a point that He Hansheng had made clear to King Zhao long ago.
After chatting for a while, Shen Suining suddenly asked, "So you still haven't answered, whose house is this?"
It's no wonder Shen Suining is suspicious. Although the house looks uninhabited, its layout and renovation style are too similar to Linjiang Villa. Even the cypress bonsai in the courtyard are arranged neatly in one direction, and the leaves and grass are almost all trimmed to the same height, as if the owner of the house has obsessive-compulsive disorder. There is no elegance at all.
She thought, surely she couldn't possibly meet another person in the world with such severe obsessive-compulsive disorder as Shen Sui'an. But if Shen Sui'an was so generous as to give up her house to He Hansheng, Shen Suining felt that the former was more likely.
He Hansheng explained that the house belonged to a friend of his, but it was indeed bought and sold by the same manager as the original Linjiang Villa, only a little later. Even the renovation workers happened to be the same group of people.
"I see, that makes sense."
Shen Suining nodded, not thinking much about it. In her memory, He Hansheng and Shen Suian had no interaction. The only two times they met were not particularly pleasant. Shen Suian was always arrogant and looked down on people. He definitely wouldn't get along with a proud and aloof young master like He Hansheng. In Shen Suining's opinion, her older brother disliked everyone in the world equally, except for family and friends.
Having dispelled her doubts, Shen Suining finally remembered to get down to business.
“Speaking of which, He Hansheng,” Shen Suining glanced at the closed door behind her, leaned close to He Hansheng’s ear and whispered, “Is this Prince Zhao reliable? He doesn’t seem to be here to help Xu Zhen solve his problem today; he seems more like… a debt collector?”
King Zhao was always a reasonable man, but He Hansheng didn't know that his only irrationality was probably in Xu Lan.
Looking at the person he hadn't seen in a long time standing opposite him, Li Yicheng went from initial trepidation to feeling a little embarrassed upon seeing her, to becoming irritable, and now feeling as if his soul had been ripped out. He was completely at a loss, because Xu Lan immediately told him that she didn't remember what happened on the winter solstice.
Li Yicheng and Xu Lanji have known each other for so many years, yet she has always been so distant from him, always keeping a great distance, never being in the same space as him, and always standing far away when he sits down. In the past, Li Yicheng was able to keep his distance from her politely and respectfully.
But after the winter solstice, he didn't want to stop there; he didn't want to remain with her just as they had been before.
"Xu Lanji, please sit down." Li Yicheng persisted in trying to get Xu Lanji to sit down, even though his tone was somewhat harsh. "This is an order, are you not going to listen, cousin?"
Xu Lan sighed, "Did Your Highness come to see me today merely to order me to 'sit down'?"
"...Could you please sit down first before we talk business?"
"Why is Your Highness so insistent on me sitting down to speak? I'm standing here, it won't make a difference."
"Xu Zhen, I've discovered that you're incredibly stubborn! Do you think I'm going to eat you once you sit down?!" Li Yicheng completely broke down. He didn't understand why Xu Zhen insisted on this so-called "distinction between superiors and inferiors," especially since there was no one else around.
Seeing that Xu Zhen remained unmoved, Li Yicheng gritted his teeth and said, "You and your father are exactly the same stubborn people."
Upon hearing Li Yicheng mention his father, Xu Zhen finally showed some emotion, but he didn't rush to speak, seemingly considering his words. After a long while, he slowly asked, "Your Highness... do you believe that Father is innocent?"
"Otherwise what? You agreed to come see me because of your father's matter, right? Why are you being so polite with me?" Li Yicheng laughed angrily. He leaned forward slightly, and Xu Lan subconsciously wanted to step back, even though they were quite far apart now.
Xu Lanji didn't really like interacting with Li Yicheng. Although she had met several princes in the palace many times when she was young, Li Yicheng was the one she disliked the most because he seemed to have no sense of propriety in his speech and always said things that made her feel embarrassed, even if what he said was sometimes true.
Xu Lanji's background and upbringing instilled in her a strong sense of boundaries when interacting with others. She could only socialize within the boundaries she defined for herself, and it was difficult for her to accept either stepping outside those boundaries or letting others in.
Therefore, she dislikes people who are too aggressive, but Li Yicheng is exactly like that. When they first met, Xu Lan saw his aggressiveness, but at that time Xu Lan was still young and did not realize what it was. Later, he was very good at hiding his true abilities, so for a long time Xu Lan did not understand why she was reluctant to interact with him.
Just like now, Li Yicheng has so bluntly exposed her true feelings. Xu Lanji will naturally feel embarrassed, but instead of denying it with shame and anger as before, she clenched her fists and said with a bit of a "what's the use" attitude: "Since Your Highness knows my intentions, why don't you speak plainly?"
Xu Lan thought that it was probably because she had spent a lot of time with Shen Suining. That girl always spoke her mind and never beat around the bush. She liked Shen Suining's frankness and even envied her ability to do whatever she wanted.
Upon hearing this, Li Yicheng composed himself, sat up straight again, and stared at Xu Lanji for a long while. "Isn't my intention obvious?"
"Xu Lanji, if you're not blind or stupid, you should be able to see what I'm thinking, right? Otherwise, why would a prince who lives under someone else's roof and has a withdrawn personality, be following you around calling you 'sister, sister' for so many years?"
Xu Lan's face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously shook her head, "Your Highness..."
"Alright, you don't need to rush to reject me," Li Yicheng raised his hand to interrupt her, "Let's hear my conditions first."
“…Okay.” Xu Lan bit her lip. She knew that she seemed to have nowhere to go now. Apart from the person in front of her, no one could help her.
Li Yicheng sat upright, his expression tense. If you looked closely, you could even see his lips trembling slightly.
The boy's love had been suppressed in his heart for many years, burning fiercely yet humblely. In those unseen moments, he had silently loved her for many years. Now that she was finally within his grasp, he basely hoped that the one he was begging for mercy from was not himself, but the one in power in this relationship, the person in front of him.
So the words "be my wife" turned into "be my bed partner." Seeing Xu Lanji's expression change from shock and anger to shame and annoyance, and then to a helpless restraint, Li Yicheng shamefully felt a slight pleasure in humiliating her.
He looked at Xu Lanji with a mixture of joy and relief, probably knowing that she wouldn't be able to refuse because of her father. His expression was a mixture of expectation and indescribable pain and sorrow.
I hope this tough nut will back down, but I also feel sorry for myself for having to resort to such clumsy methods to prove that I'm not the loser.
Of course, this conflicted feeling didn't last long. As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence. The next moment, the door was kicked open, and before Li Yicheng could react, the tea on the table was splashed onto his face with a "splash".
After splashing Li Yicheng, Shen Suining slammed the cup down on the table with a bang. The whole action was so smooth and fluid that it left everyone speechless. The cup on the table slowly cracked into two pieces.
Li Yicheng, who was soaked to the bone: "..."
He Hansheng, who rushed in but failed to stop the person, said: "…………"
Xu Lan, who was still standing to the side, unable to recover from her embarrassment and anger, said: "………………"
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