Chapter 101: A Message Transmitted Across Time.
Chapter 101
Perhaps it was his piercing gaze that made Shen Suining feel inexplicably guilty.
She coughed lightly to cover it up, then stiffened her neck and snorted, intending to walk right past He Hansheng. However, as she passed by him, He Hansheng, who had been keeping to himself these past few days, suddenly reached out and blocked her way.
The aisle was already narrow, and with his hands braced against the bookshelf opposite him, he could almost completely envelop Shen Suining. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the bookstore today, and no one paid attention to what was happening at the end of the aisle.
"do what?"
"You smile broadly when you talk to others, but become harsh and stern when you talk to me," He Hansheng raised his chin, gesturing to the letter in her hand, "I should be asking you, why are you in such a hurry to chase after me?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Suining raised an eyebrow and waved the letter in her hand. "Now, even if I want to speak to someone else, I have to report to Young Master He first?"
Are you still angry with me?
"How dare I be angry with you?"
After a moment of stalemate, He Hansheng sighed and softened his tone first, "Ningning, I'm very worried about you. You can be angry with me or resent me, it's up to you, but if you suffer any injustice in the Eastern Palace, you must tell me, okay?"
Shen Suining turned her head away and ignored him.
He Hansheng looked at her left shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Does the injury on your shoulder still hurt?"
He wouldn't have asked if he hadn't asked, but this question immediately made Shen Suining both angry and aggrieved. She pushed He Hansheng away and said, "I won't die, it's none of your business."
Shen Suining strode out of the bookstore, casually grabbing two ancient books from the shelf. As she passed Fang Ye, she didn't stop, waving the books behind her back, "He'll pay."
"..." Fang also silently looked at He Hansheng, who looked helpless behind the bookshelf.
Jiang Yuchu waited outside the bookstore for a while. When she saw Shen Suining come out, she hurriedly jumped down from the carriage and respectfully went to greet her, "Madam, you've come out so quickly?"
"Stop grinning at me!" Shen Suining glared at Jiang Yuchu, who immediately stopped smiling and shut her mouth.
Recently, the lady and the marquis have been at odds, which can be described as a battle between gods and a disaster for mortals. Even passing dogs get kicked. Since Shen Fengyu is not here, Jiang Yuchu does not dare to offend Shen Suining. She simply put down the stool and respectfully gestured "please" from the side.
Shen Suining glanced at him, and just as she stepped onto the horse stool, she suddenly noticed something was amiss.
"Madam?" Jiang Yuchu also noticed and immediately asked Shen Suining for her opinion.
Shen Suining turned her head and nodded. Jiang Yuchu immediately followed the direction of the person who came, while Shen Suining sat outside the carriage and casually flipped through the ancient books she had just taken from the bookstore.
A moment later, He Hansheng finally emerged from the bookstore.
Perhaps not expecting Shen Suining to wait for him, He Hansheng paused for a moment, then asked gently, "It's cold outside, why don't you go inside and wait?"
"How can you give others a chance if you're hiding?" Shen Suining closed the ancient book, stuffed it into the carriage, jumped down, put her hands behind her back, walked up to He Hansheng, looked up at him with a half-smile, and said, "You took a little too long to pay the bill, and almost missed a good show."
Her expression was calm, her posture languid, and she had lost the arrogance she had shown when arguing with him earlier. It was hard to tell whether she was testing him, reminding him, or simply getting angry quickly and calming down just as fast.
He Hansheng smiled, reached out and pulled the person closer to him, and replied calmly, "It's not too late now."
The two waited in front of the bookstore for a short while, and things began to progress.
"Young Master."
"My lord."
Ling Rui and a somewhat unfamiliar man appeared in front of the two almost at the same time.
Upon seeing Shen Suining, the man paused for a moment, then immediately nodded respectfully and said, "Your subordinate, Bai Yu, greets Madam."
Shen Suining nodded, not asking any further questions, and only looked at Ling Rui: "Lost them again?"
“It’s not good to fight in the street, so I really couldn’t defend myself,” Ling Rui said, bowing her head in self-reproach. “Although we fought several times, the other party always managed to escape quickly and didn’t linger with us for long.”
"Moreover, his swordsmanship is very advanced. I have exchanged a few moves with him, and his swordsmanship," Bai Yu continued, picking up where Ling Rui left off, "is something I have never seen before."
"I do find it somewhat familiar, but..."
Ling Rui wanted to say something more, but Shen Suining interrupted her: "Alright, don't talk about this in the street. Where is Jiang Yuchu?"
Logically, if both sides were chasing the same group of people, Jiang Yuchu should have run into them. However, Ling Rui and Bai Yu have been back for quite some time now, but Jiang Yuchu has yet to appear.
As Shen Suining was filled with doubt, He Hansheng glanced at Bai Yu and said to Shen Suining, "Let's go back first."
They returned to the Yong'an Marquis's residence just in time for dinner, and as was customary, the two of them were to accompany the eldest princess.
He Hansheng went to the Eldest Princess first, while Shen Suining used the excuse of going back to her room to change clothes to call Ling Rui over and continue questioning her about the details.
"Your swordsmanship is the best in Bifeng Hall. Now that we've exchanged blows, what are the tricks to your opponent's swordsmanship?"
Shen Suining frowned. If it was the swordsmanship that Ling Rui was familiar with, then it couldn't be a swordsman from the north. She was worried that it was an enemy from Shuyu Manor coming to her door.
Ling Rui countered with a question to Shen Suining: "Does the young master remember a chivalrous figure from the Huizhou region named 'Ziyu Mountain'?"
Shen Suining's expression froze instantly.
Shen Fengyu, who was standing to the side, did not notice anything unusual and simply continued, "Ziyushan has been wandering the martial world for many years and his whereabouts are unknown. However, his Yushan Sword Technique is praised by everyone in the martial world and is a martial arts manual that swordsmen cannot obtain. Although I have never heard of him having any disciples or establishing a sect, there should be quite a few people in the martial world who have learned his moves."
“Others can only learn the basics of Yushan swordsmanship at most, but his famous move ‘Red Dragon Emerging from its Cage’ is not something that just anyone can master,” Ling Rui offered a different perspective.
Shen Fengyu fell into deep thought, "Could it be that during the years that Ziyu Mountain has been in seclusion, he has secretly taken on some disciples?"
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes both turning to Shen Suining.
"Now that we have a clue, go back and ask around the people from Qianji Pavilion. Don't confront them head-on again." Shen Suining had already collected her thoughts and her expression remained normal. She had the two of them give her a change of clothes so as not to arouse He Hansheng's suspicion.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Suining still added, "You all know what's going on here. Whether Father or He Hansheng asks, don't say anything."
"yes."
When Shen Suining arrived at the Princess's residence, all the dishes on the table were already served, and the mother and son were sitting around the table chatting.
The princess changed her clothes and got out of bed today, which was rare for her. Her complexion looked much rosier. She was not wearing a single hairpin, but she still exuded an innate dignity and nobility.
Everyone says that He Hansheng looks most like his father, but Shen Suining has never met He Changxin and thinks he looks more like the eldest princess.
"Ningning is here," the princess said, her eyebrows lifting involuntarily as she saw Shen Suining. She reached out and pulled Shen Suining to sit down beside her. "These are all your favorite dishes. Come and try them and see how they taste."
"Okay." Shen Suining agreed with a smile, but her gaze somehow met that of He Hansheng sitting opposite her. The two looked at each other and then looked away, feeling quite awkward.
The eldest princess sensed the subtle tension between the two and sighed softly.
The meal was eaten in silence, with only the soft clinking of chopsticks against bowls and a few casual remarks from the eldest princess. In the past, when she asked one question, Shen Sui would answer ten, never letting the atmosphere become awkward. But today, she seemed to have something on her mind and was unusually quiet.
Across the dining table, He Hansheng glanced at her, picked up a piece of yam from the plate in front of him, and put it into the princess's bowl. "Mother, please eat more."
"..." The eldest princess glanced at him, a hint of resentment in her eyes, but she still put down her chopsticks and asked Shen Suining, "I heard that Ningning went to the East Palace today? Did the girl from the Ouyang family cause you any grievances? Don't worry, if the people from the East Palace really caused you any grievances, your mother-in-law will definitely seek justice for you."
Shen Suining responded with "No," and after thinking for a moment, she told the Princess everything that had happened in the East Palace in front of He Hansheng.
After hearing this, the eldest princess sighed deeply, with a hint of disappointment in her son, "You know, Prime Minister Ouyang was an upright man all his life, how could he have raised such an incompetent son? He even came up with such a foolish idea. If others heard about this, they would definitely laugh at the Crown Prince."
Shen Suining nodded in agreement, thinking that Ouyang Lan had already used even more outrageous tricks, so she wasn't surprised.
"Perhaps the Crown Prince is already at a disadvantage in the court, which is why he's so anxious," Shen Suining said casually, glancing at He Hansheng with a knowing look.
The two tacitly used the eldest princess to convey messages, yet neither was willing to speak directly to the other.
He Hansheng didn't respond, but quietly put food into the princess's bowl. Before long, the food in the princess's bowl was piled up into a small mountain.
"As long as you weren't wronged, that's good. People from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion are not to be bullied by others." The princess picked up her chopsticks, looked at the bowl that was suddenly piled high with food, and immediately lost her appetite.
"Why did Mother stop eating?" He Han asked knowingly.
The eldest princess complained, "You've put so many on my plate all at once, which one should I eat first?"
"..."
The dining table fell silent for a moment, and Ming Le and Ming Xi, who were serving the meal, stopped what they were doing.
"Ahem, well..." Shen Suining coughed twice to break the silence, "Mother-in-law, you should eat more first. It's rare to see you with such a good appetite today. The young lady from the Xu family sent over some pastries earlier, including several kinds of flaky pastries that you usually like. Unfortunately, they don't keep well. I was thinking of asking the young lady from the Xu family for some more when you feel better."
The eldest princess glared at He Hansheng, but when she looked at Shen Suining, her expression softened. She smiled and said, "What cakes and pastries? We're all tired of eating them every day. Why would you need to ask someone else for them?"
“Mother-in-law, you don’t know this, but the pastries made by Madam Xu are better than those in all the pastry shops in the capital. I passed by her house today and wanted to shamelessly ask for her recipe, but Madam Xu’s mother said that she has caught a cold recently and that it would be better to visit her in a while.”
The eldest princess looked at Shen Suining meaningfully.
After spending half a year together, the Princess knew that Shen Suining was definitely not the kind of person who would make a fuss over a few pastries. She repeatedly mentioned Madam Xu, whom the Princess also knew. She had heard that the Crown Prince had once asked the Empress Dowager for this girl, but she didn't know why it had come to nothing.
The eldest princess recalled that Shen Suining had visited the East Palace earlier that day, and realized that it was not accidental that she had suddenly mentioned this person. However, this was clearly not a question she could answer, so she turned her gaze to He Hansheng.
As expected, He Hansheng spoke softly the next moment, as if speaking to the Princess: "Mother, have you forgotten? The imperial examination will be held in a little over a month. Xu Yong is an upright and honest man, and at this crucial time, he is most reluctant to have anyone visit him. In previous years, at this time, the Xu family would claim illness and refuse visitors early on. Apart from their normal teaching duties at the Imperial Academy, they would hardly see anyone else."
“But Mother-in-law, I did see Madam Xu today. She didn’t seem to be pretending to be ill and refusing visitors. Oh, of course, that’s not that important. What’s important is that I just happened to pass by the Xu family’s gate today and I inexplicably ran into Ouyang Lan. He insisted that the Crown Princess wanted to see me, so he took me to the East Palace.”
"The Ouyang family and the Xu family have been at odds for a long time, so it's normal for Ouyang Lan to keep an eye on the Xu family's movements. In the past, any official or family that showed even the slightest sign of goodwill with the Xu family would either be immediately suppressed by the Ouyang family or inexplicably be won over by the Ouyang family and become the Crown Prince's henchmen. Now that the court situation is tense, the Ouyang family is naturally desperate and is keeping a closer eye on things."
"But……"
"alright!"
The two chatted back and forth, and after enduring it for a long time, the princess finally couldn't help but raise her hand to interrupt.
She let out a soft breath, glanced at He Hansheng, then at Shen Suining, and shook her head helplessly. "You two, are you treating me, your mother, like a mouthpiece or an invisible barrier? I won't fall for your tricks anymore. We've almost finished our meal. If you have any issues to discuss, you two can talk them out face to face."
"..."
Ignoring the embarrassment and discomfort on their faces, the eldest princess reached out and let Mingle help her to her feet, preparing to return to her room and giving the two of them enough space.
Halfway there, the princess remembered something, so she turned around and softly called out, "Asheng, your birthday is in a few days."
She smiled, her eyes softening. "Since your father passed away, you've insisted on observing mourning for the past few years, refusing to hold a birthday banquet, and even your coming-of-age ceremony was quiet and uneventful. As your mother, I've become increasingly overwhelmed and haven't been able to properly celebrate your birthday with you in a long time. This year, Ningning is here—"
The eldest princess paused for a moment, then said earnestly, "You have someone to celebrate your birthday with; you should cherish that."
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