Calculation and entanglement
Miss Shen Wu originally wanted to exchange a few more words with Yan Chan. After all, this young marquis seldom attended banquets in the capital. Now that he was willing to come to her house, he must have taken a fancy to their Duke's Mansion.
But he never expected to hear the servants coming to report that someone had fallen into the lotus pond.
Miss Shen Wu's expression immediately changed, and she hurried towards the lotus pond.
Someone had an accident at her own table, how could she not be anxious? Isn't this a slap in the face of the Duke's Mansion?
The noble ladies who had followed Miss Shen Wu looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.
Yan Chan noticed that some people inside were still there to watch the fun and didn't know how to control their facial expressions. If someone with ulterior motives saw this, who knows how they would be framed.
Yan Chan didn't show any interest. If Lin Shuo hadn't insisted on taking her there, she wouldn't have wanted to go there.
What's so interesting about falling into the water? It's nothing more than a girl being tricked into falling into the water, and then a heroic boy rescues her, and finally they get married due to rumors.
“.......” This is what the storybook says, and this is also the version she heard.
Guan Zheng was originally walking slowly, and now that she was wearing thick clothes, she was caught up by Yan Chan and his group who were at the end of the group.
I don’t know if Lin Shuo did it on purpose, but he actually slowed down his pace and followed Guan Zheng at a leisurely pace.
Yan Chan glanced at Lin Shuo, and seeing that there was no expression on his face, she became suspicious again.
Just when Yan Chan thought she was overthinking it, Lin Shuo beside her finally couldn't help but speak.
"Second Miss Guan, what a coincidence." Lin Shuo smiled and greeted Guan Zheng.
"Mr. Lin?" Guan Zheng was walking in front. She only knew that someone was following her, but she didn't know who it was. After all, she had just arrived in the capital and didn't know many people.
As soon as she saw Master Lin running to her side, she quickly realized that the person following her was most likely the young marquis.
After all, she had just noticed that there were two people standing next to the young marquis. One was Mr. Lin, whom she met on the boat, and although she did not know the other woman, she could tell her identity after thinking about it carefully.
I think it’s the third daughter of the Lin family.
Everyone knows that there is only one young marquis in the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion, and he is the only son in the family.
When she thought of Yan Chan following her, Guan Zheng subconsciously tensed up, and rubbed the heater with her hands in a bit of a loss.
His steps became faster and faster, and his fleeing look made Yan Chan chuckle.
However, even though Guan Zheng was walking at her fastest speed, she was still easily caught up by several people.
"Second Miss Guan, please be careful with your steps or you might fall again." Yan Chan's voice sounded from behind Guan Zheng. Although it was clearly words of concern, Guan Zheng's ears blushed when she heard them.
The young marquis actually still remembered that he almost fell to the ground at the dock because he was not paying attention.
Lin Shuo looked at Yan Chan speechlessly. Could it be that she was still holding a grudge against the veil that hit her forehead that day and was deliberately speaking to scare him?
"Young Marquis, do you know me?" Guan Zheng quickly came to her senses from her embarrassment and realized that Yan Chan actually called her the Second Miss Guan.
"Don't you know, Second Miss, that I'm the young marquis?" Yan Chan spoke lazily, not intending to explain to her.
"I...I just heard about it." Guan Zheng pursed her lips, and her beautiful eyes glanced at Yan Chan.
"Oh~ I just heard about it too." Yan Chan said slyly with a hint of smile in his tone.
Guan Zheng suddenly recalled that Master Lin had called her just now, and realized that she seemed to be being too sentimental, and her face immediately turned red.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt, so she simply buried her face in her fur collar, leaving only the red tips of her ears exposed.
Lin Shuo looked at Yan Chan with disdain. He didn't expect that she would deceive him.
Lin Xunyan looked at this one and then that one, and each brother looked weird.
"My name is Lin Xunyan. What's your name, young lady?" Lin Xunyan didn't care about the weird atmosphere between them, but was rather curious about the beautiful girl in front of him.
Guan Zheng felt a hand around her arm and heard her voice again. She thought that this must be Mr. Lin's sister. A smile appeared on her lips and she replied, "Guan Zheng."
Yan Chan heard her voice and repeated the name over and over again in his heart.
It sounds nice and suits her very well.
Suddenly, a little maid ran over hurriedly and said that the marquis's wife was looking for Yan Chan, and asked Yan Chan to follow her quickly.
Although Yan Chan was a little confused as to why her mother was looking for her at this time, she still followed the little girl.
Lin Xunyan originally wanted to go and pay a visit to Mrs. Qin but was stopped by Lin Shuo.
Guan Zheng turned around, and all that was left for her was Yan Chan's hurriedly departing back.
The three of them continued to rush towards the lotus pond. They heard that the person had been rescued. It turned out that the person who fell into the water was the daughter of the Duke's family.
Walk around the winding corridor and pass through the rockery and plum forest.
Yan Chan also realized that she was being led to a remote place.
She recalled the plan she heard behind the rockery, which should not be directed at her.
But what is happening now?
Yan Chan did not stop. She also wanted to know who had lured her here in the name of her mother and what that person's purpose was.
"Young Marquis, please wait here for a moment." The little girl bowed, lowered her head and hurried away.
The little girl knew that Yan Chan must have noticed something was wrong, but since he didn't attack her, she should have known what was good for her and retreated quickly. She was just a little girl and couldn't afford to offend any nobleman.
In this quiet courtyard, Yan Chan was the only one there.
She thought that the man should be here soon, and might be hiding somewhere and watching her secretly.
She waited patiently for a while, but she didn't expect that the person who came was actually Mrs. Qin.
"Mom???" Yan Chan was full of questions at this moment. She looked behind Madam Qin and there was no one else.
"Why are you making such a fuss? Didn't I tell someone to tell you that I asked you to come?" Mrs. Qin touched the red nail polish on her hand and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard.
"I did say it, but things kept going astray. I thought someone was using your name to trick me out. Who would have thought it was actually my mother." Yan Chan looked embarrassed and spread his hands helplessly.
"Mom, what's the matter with you calling me here? And you chose such a remote place."
"Firstly, I want to get you out of the way. I don't want you to see what's happening in the lotus pond. Secondly..." Mrs. Qin kept it a secret.
"?" Yan Chan turned towards her curiously.
"It just so happens that I have a family... Madam insisted on seeing you, and I couldn't refuse." Mrs. Qin smiled.
"......" Yan Chan suddenly shuddered, "So, someone was secretly watching me over there just now?"
"Could it be that he wants to marry into our family?" Yan Chan reacted immediately.
"That's not the case." Mrs. Qin's words made Yan Chan breathe a sigh of relief, "But it's more serious than that."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Chan's heart began to beat faster again.
"What does this mean, mother?"
"That lady is the Imperial Concubine." Madam Qin suddenly turned to Yan Chan and looked at her with a serious look.
"Royal Concubine?" Yan Chan thought for a long time, but couldn't figure out why the Royal Concubine was looking at her. You know, the Royal Concubine only has the third prince.
Suddenly, she realized... "Is the Imperial Concubine already making plans for the Third Prince?" Thinking of this, Yan Chan's face darkened.
"She wants to win over the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?" Yan Chan looked around. Although she was alone here, she lowered her voice and asked, "But compared to other marquisates, our family is really not as good as others, right?"
"Besides, the Crown Prince is now the Queen's legitimate son, and his position is stable." Yan Chanchou frowned.
"How could I not know this?" Mrs. Qin sighed.
"Do you know why I didn't ask you to go to the lotus pond in front?" Mrs. Qin changed the subject.
Yan Chan did not respond immediately, but thought about it seriously, "Could it be that the royal family is also involved in this?" She felt a little scared after saying it.
Their own strength is still too weak, and even a big family like the Duke's Mansion can be manipulated by the royal family.
What's more, she is just a little loyal and brave marquis's son.
Thinking about it this way, we still cannot easily disobey the Imperial Concubine's wishes.
But if they really board the Third Prince's ship, there will be no turning back for them in the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery Mansion, and they can only go down this path to the end.
"The one who fell into the water today was the fourth daughter of the Duke's Mansion." Madam Qin pinched the handkerchief in her hand, "and the one who rescued her was the Second Prince."
The Duke's Mansion has always remained neutral and has never favored any prince. It seems that from today on, the situation of the Duke's Mansion will change.
"The emperor is now in his prime, how dare the Second Prince..."
"A blatant plot against Your Majesty?" Madam Qin finished what Yan Chan wanted to say.
Yan Chan nodded.
Everyone in the capital knew that His Majesty preferred the girl from the Duke's Mansion to be the Crown Princess, and the Second Prince's move really caught everyone off guard.
"Is he crazy?" Yan Chan took a long time to utter this sentence. She really couldn't understand whether the Second Prince was so bold as to say so.
"I didn't know the inside story at first, but fortunately the imperial concubine reminded me today." Madam Qin was not afraid of anything. Instead, she had the attitude of "fight the enemy with troops and block the water with earth."
"The Second Prince has a crush on someone, but she comes from a humble family. She was carried into the Eastern Palace in a sedan chair by her elders, and she's not even considered a concubine."
"Later, that girl was unlucky and died tragically in the East Palace."
"After the Second Prince found out, he even resorted to a violent fight with the Crown Prince, which really broke off their relationship." When Mrs. Qin said this, she sighed. It is really not easy for women nowadays.
"At the time, the only news circulating in the palace was that the Second Prince had committed a crime and was punished with confinement. I never imagined it would be something like this."
"This second prince... is really a man of temperament..." Yan Chan was speechless. He was too emotional.
"But when His Majesty found out, he was furious. However, the object of his anger was indeed the Crown Prince. Such a scene in the Crown Prince's harem was truly a disgrace to the royal family."
"I heard that a lot of dirty things were brought up." Mrs. Qin whispered in Yan Chan's ear.
"Not many people know about this. His Majesty ordered the news to be suppressed."
"Isn't the Second Prince afraid of His Majesty's punishment?" Yan Chan rubbed his eyebrows.
"The Second Prince's mother passed away long ago, and now the person he loves is gone too. He's all alone, so what is he afraid of? As the saying goes, those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. The worst that can happen is death."
Hearing this, Yan Chan's head hurt even more, "Mom, you really are open-minded, haha."
"Besides, he can now get the help of the Duke's Mansion, even though the Duke's Mansion is not very satisfied." Mrs. Qin said again.
This is more than just dissatisfaction, I'm afraid she's going to hate the Second Prince...
Yan Chan thought to herself that the Duke's Mansion was really unlucky.
Suddenly, I realized that my family was also neutral, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Should I really board the Third Prince's ship? This is treason...
If it succeeds, it's fine... If it fails, the whole family will be executed. Although she doesn't care about her own life or death, Yan Chan cannot help but care about Madam Qin's life or death.
Forget it, let's take it one step at a time.
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