Chapter 100. The Lady of Yong'an Marquis, what a coincidence...
Chapter 100
Shen Suining encountered Ouyang Lan near the Xu family's residence.
He seemed to recognize Shen Suining and ran straight towards her on the street, bowing and nodding with a smile that concealed a knife, "Lady of Yong'an Marquis, what a coincidence."
Shen Suining twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself that it was an unfortunate coincidence, but still bowed to him out of respect for his status, "Lord Ouyang".
Ouyang Lan laughed twice, looked Shen Suining up and down, and said, "Since the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet, I have often heard the Crown Princess mention you, Madam, so I suppose she has quite a good impression of you. It just so happens that I am going to the Eastern Palace to speak with the Crown Prince today. If you have no other plans, Madam, why don't you come with me to the palace?"
This person clearly had ill intentions. Just as Shen Fengyu was about to speak, Shen Suining stopped her with a gesture.
“Okay.” Shen Suining readily accepted Ouyang Lan’s invitation.
...
Ouyang Lan has always been arrogant. Whenever he goes out, he is always accompanied by several people. This time, when he went to the Eastern Palace, he also made a great entourage.
Shen Suining followed behind Ouyang Lan like a prisoner being escorted. Ouyang Lan seemed to disregard her, not exchanging a single word with her throughout the entire process.
Upon arriving at the East Palace, Ouyang Zhiqing was greeted early by palace servants in front of the hall. Her slightly tired face finally broke into a smile when she saw her father, her shallow dimples appearing and disappearing.
"Daughter greets Father." Perhaps she had suffered some injustice in the palace, for Ouyang Zhiqing's eyes were filled with suppressed tears. However, Ouyang Lan merely snorted with his chin tilted to the sky, showing no concern whatsoever, and stepped into the hall on his own.
Ouyang Zhiqing had no choice but to swallow her bitterness. Only then did she see Shen Suining, who had come with Ouyang Lan, and her expression changed.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Shen Suining greeted her politely, her gaze lingering briefly on Ouyang Lan's retreating figure before returning to Ouyang Zhiqing's face with a composed expression.
Ouyang Zhiqing's face turned pale, and she raised her chin, asking warily, "What are you doing here?"
Shen Suining: "I came here after being warmly invited by Lord Ouyang on the way."
As they were talking, Ouyang Lan, who had already entered the hall, turned back and walked to Ouyang Zhiqing's side. The two of them stood on the steps, looking down at Shen Suining.
The servants and guards who had followed her all the way had somehow formed two rows and stood neatly beside Shen Suining, seemingly intending to surround her.
Shen Suining calmly raised her eyes, looked directly at Ouyang Lan, and chuckled: "So this is your sincerity, sir."
Ouyang Lan chuckled twice, stroking his beard and shaking his head. "I know Madam He is from a military family and her men are no match for you, but this is the Eastern Palace! Before you make a move, Madam He had better consider whether the current Marquis of Yong'an can contain you!"
"Your Excellency has confined me to the East Palace to lure He Hansheng here?"
"good."
Unexpectedly, Ouyang Lan admitted it so quickly. Shen Suining was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
However, on second thought, given Ouyang Lan's intelligence, it's not surprising that he would come up with such a foolish and underhanded trick as to set a trap for an innocent woman at a banquet in the imperial palace.
Thinking of this, a hint of sympathy appeared in Shen Suining's eyes. She relaxed her body and moved slightly, immediately alerting the guards on both sides.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I won't fight you," Shen Suining looked at Ouyang Lan with a somewhat speechless expression. After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help but remind him, "The Yong'an Marquis's Mansion has always remained neutral and has no grudges against the Ouyang family. He Hansheng is also the Crown Prince's cousin. They are brothers, and their friendship is still there. Isn't it a bit... uh, not very wise for Lord Ouyang to make such a big fuss?"
“Brothers? Ha,” Ouyang Lan said coldly, “The Crown Prince is the ruler, and we are all subjects. How can we be brothers? Besides, speaking of brothers, isn’t Prince Zhao also a brother of Marquis Yong’an?”
“…Fine,” Shen Suining laughed, too lazy to argue with this person anymore, and said, “Then could I ask you to give me a seat? I’ve been walking all this way and I’m quite tired.”
Ouyang Lan snorted twice, probably not wanting to make things too difficult for Shen Suining, and ordered the people from the East Palace to give Shen Suining a seat, while Ouyang Zhiqing, who was standing to the side, seemed to be invisible.
Xinghui glanced at Ouyang Zhiqing secretly, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Ouyang Zhiqing's face turned pale, her lips almost bleeding from being bitten. Her hands clenched tightly beneath her wide sleeves. After a long while, she finally stepped forward and ordered the servants and people from the Eastern Palace who had come with Ouyang Lan: "All of you, step back!"
Her sharp shout instantly brought everyone back to their senses, but because Ouyang Lan had spoken first, they hesitated and did not take any action.
"The Crown Princess tells you all to leave! Don't you understand!" Xinghui deliberately emphasized the words "Crown Princess," and the crowd exchanged glances before obeying and leaving.
Ouyang Lan narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Xinghui's face, clearly displeased.
“You should leave too,” Ouyang Zhiqing said to Shen Suining, trying to control her emotions. “Today, I will pretend that my cousin-in-law never came to the East Palace.”
This place is not suitable for lingering, so Shen Suining didn't say much.
As soon as she stepped out of the East Palace gate, she heard a crisp slap behind her.
Shen Suining paused, subconsciously turning around, but her view was blocked by the high palace wall. In the cold winter, the branches extending from inside the wall were bare, and even birds were unwilling to build nests on them, only quickly passing over the branches before flying towards the wider sky.
She stood there stunned for a moment, but didn't linger.
Not far from the East Palace, Shen Suining encountered Jiang Yuchu rushing over in a carriage. He Hansheng was in the carriage, along with Crown Prince Li Yichuan.
Both of them had solemn expressions, but their expressions eased slightly after seeing Shen Suining.
Shen Suining bowed to Li Yichuan, who nodded and asked awkwardly, "Azhi...didn't make things difficult for my cousin-in-law, did she?"
Shen Suining exclaimed "Huh?" and looked at the two of them in confusion before realizing what was happening.
She smiled and countered, "The Crown Princess isn't an unreasonable person, is she? Besides, what have I done that would make things difficult for the Crown Princess?"
Li Yichuan opened his mouth, then shook his head bitterly, "If my cousin-in-law has been wronged, you must tell me. I... I will stand up for you."
After speaking, Li Yichuan didn't wait for Shen Suining to respond. He simply nodded slightly to He Hansheng and walked towards the East Palace on his own.
As Shen Suining followed her gaze, the curve of her lips gradually disappeared.
Despite being the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor, Li Yichuan's silhouette conveyed an indescribable sense of fragility and loneliness.
She sighed and muttered to herself, "The Crown Prince seems gentle and kind, but I never expected him to be so calculating."
He Hansheng paused, and after watching the Crown Prince walk away, he finally spoke: "You..."
But before he could finish speaking, Shen Suining suddenly turned her head, as if she had realized something. Her expression changed instantly, she snorted heavily, and turned away, ignoring him.
He Hansheng: "..."
However, despite the cold war, Shen Suining didn't want to make things difficult for herself. In the dead of winter, she didn't want to walk out of the palace, so she bypassed He Hansheng and Jiang Yuchu and got into the carriage.
"Um..." Jiang Yuchu glanced at He Hansheng, then chuckled awkwardly and asked Shen Suining in the car, "Is Madam going straight home or..."
"Go to Linjiangfang."
Linjiangfang is located in the south of Huadu City, near the city moat.
Although this area is some distance from the city center, the housing prices are relatively low and the living conditions are convenient. It can be considered the quietest place in the entire capital, and many scholars who came to the capital to settle down or participate in the imperial examinations chose to settle here.
Therefore, many private schools and bookstores in Huadu were located here, and literati and artists often gathered here to make friends through calligraphy and painting.
The bookstore that Shen Suining had asked her older brother for was also located here. Since she didn't have many skilled people to run it, she continued to use the original shop assistants, and the young scholar Chen Zui often helped out at the bookstore.
The bookstore was named "Wuzhijingzhai" and its owner was Fang Ye, a scholar in his forties with a gentle temperament and a shrewd businessman.
As Shen Suining stepped into the shop, Fang Ye called out, "Please come in, sir! Classic books, rare originals, antiques and calligraphy—our shop has it all!"
After shouting, Fang Ye finally saw who it was. He paused, then turned to the side and lowered his voice, "Young Master, what brings you here today..."
Shen Suining glanced at him but didn't say anything. Fang Ye immediately understood and simply said a few words as if he were greeting an ordinary guest.
He Hansheng came with Shen Suining. Fang Ye actually recognized him, but hesitated for a moment and did not acknowledge him. He was simply treated as an ordinary customer and invited in.
The bookstore was small, with bookshelves neatly arranged with different categories of books. The aisle was just wide enough for two people to pass, but if someone as tall as He Hansheng was, they would have to step aside to let him pass.
Shen Suining was looking for a book. She hadn't said a word to He Hansheng the whole way, and now she treated him like he wasn't there.
There was a teahouse at the end of the passageway. It was a quiet place where scholars often sat with a book and tea. However, the timing wasn't right today, so there weren't many people there.
As Shen Suining walked to the end, she glanced over and saw two legs sticking out from the tea table. She took a closer look and immediately burst out laughing.
"Chen Qianche, you were the one who insisted on going down the mountain to the capital back then, how come you're slacking off now?" Shen Suining picked up the book that was covering Chen Zui's head and casually placed it on the table next to him.
Chen Zui slowly opened his eyes, his gaze blank. He seemed to be half asleep, and there were ink marks on his fair face.
"Um, it's Sister Chen," Chen Zui said, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, her voice muffled. "Why are you here?"
Chen Zui has only been in Huadu for about two months, but he no longer seems to have the youthful spirit he had when he dared to argue with Master Zhang at Fanpu Academy.
Shen Suining frowned slightly, glancing at the densely written paper on the table out of the corner of her eye. "What is this?"
After saying that, Shen Suining reached out to take it, but Chen Zui, who was still in a daze, suddenly became like a frightened bird and immediately pressed down the papers with his arm, smiling guiltyly: "It's nothing, I just wrote it randomly when I was bored."
Before Shen Suining could ask any more questions, Chen Zui hurriedly folded up and put away everything on the table, his movements frantic, as if afraid of being seen.
Shen Suining raised an eyebrow, rested her hand on the table, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at Chen Zui's face, a half-smile on her face: "Tsk, you've got your own little secrets so soon? Back in the mountains, you didn't have so many little schemes."
"No, I didn't." Chen Zui avoided Shen Suining's gaze, stood up with a flushed face, and went out with the stack of papers she had put away.
In his haste, he still managed to drop a small piece of paper on the ground. The handwriting on the paper was Chen Zui's, but the signature was an unfamiliar name.
"Zhuo Wenbin?"
Shen Suining picked up the letter, her brows furrowing slightly. She was about to go find Chen Zui to ask him what was going on when she turned around and saw He Hansheng standing steadily by the bookshelf, looking at her.
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