Finally, they got rid of Mei Xiyuan and Lu Tianjiao, those two hot potatoes.
At this moment, both Xuanyuan Yue and Cheng Liang breathed a long sigh of relief.
Cheng Liang said to Xuan Yuan Yue beside him with a look of relief, "Fortunately, the princess arrived in time. I almost couldn't handle it just now. It's true that 'women and petty people are the most difficult to deal with. If you get close to them, they become disrespectful; if you keep your distance, they resent you.' I don't know when this eldest daughter of the Lu family became so close to the princess."
Xuan Yuan Yue gazed in the direction the two had left, sighed, and said with a lingering look, "These two extremely troublesome and cunning women are both incredibly difficult to deal with, and now they've even conspired together. If Yun'er is truly still alive, how unbearable her days will be after the Lantern Festival when she enters the Qin Prince's mansion! At this moment, I actually hope that if Yun'er is truly alive, she will never come back. Perhaps the wider, freer world outside would be more suitable for her."
Hearing Xuan Yuan Yue's words, Cheng Liang felt a pang of sadness. He frowned and said, "Has the princess considered my master's feelings? If Miss Yi is really dead, or if she longs for the freedom outside and never comes back, how much pain and suffering will His Highness feel? Over the years, no one has understood His Highness's heart better than the princess, has he?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue's absent-minded gaze suddenly fell on Cheng Liang's face. The two silently stared into each other's eyes, the lonely shadow of Xuan Yuan Han from the past occupying their entire being.
After a moment, Cheng Liang suddenly came to his senses and asked, "By the way, about the letter from earlier..."
Xuanyuan Yue explained, "A matter can be handled according to established principles or expedient means. That letter just now was merely Hao'er's petty trick."
"I see. It seems His Highness the Crown Prince has truly grown up!" Cheng Liang exclaimed.
After a long while, Xuan Yuan Yue did not say anything more. She simply raised her head and gazed aimlessly at the white clouds floating in the sky. Finally, she silently turned around and went back into the inner hall of Lin Yue Xuan alone.
After Xuan Yuan Yue turned and left, Cheng Liang also returned to the entrance of Lin Yue Xuan and once again instructed the two men guarding the gate, "Be alert and guard this place well. Don't let a single mosquito in!"
The guards bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Your subordinate obeys!"
After saying this, Cheng Liang walked straight towards his residence.
After several days of tireless official duties and long journeys in the south of the city, coupled with his worry for his master, he was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. At this moment, this mortal being desperately needed a moment of rest to recover his energy and continue with the even more arduous tasks ahead.
His master had no idea when he would wake up, and he had to handle everything else properly for his master.
As Cheng Liang walked, he pondered to himself.
In the past few days, in the direct confrontation with the Crown Prince of Beilie in the south of the city, it seems on the surface that they have won.
With Wanjiao Pavilion sealed off, the conspiracy hidden within it has been completely dismantled and destroyed. Currently, apart from the Northern Lie Crown Prince Tuoba Ze, who has managed to escape and whose whereabouts are unknown, all other Northern Lie enemies have been captured and brought back to the capital, and Yu Niang has been successfully rescued.
However, they paid a heavy price for this; their master remains unconscious, and the fate of Yi Shangyun is still unknown.
Thinking of this, Cheng Liang suddenly stopped in his tracks, and then his fists clenched tightly in an instant.
Then, he seemed to call out "Miss Yi" softly, as if in pain, followed by a hoarse "Ah..." and an extremely angry roar. He slammed his tightly clenched fist into a pillar by the corridor, startling a flock of birds in the nearby trees.
As soon as Xuan Yuan Yue entered Xuan Yuan Han's bedchamber, she immediately saw Xuan Yuan Hao laughing so hard he was rolling around on the warm couch by the window, clutching his stomach. She stopped abruptly and sternly stopped him, saying, "Hao'er, stop! What are you doing?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhao slowly sat up, propped his head up, and leaned against the edge of the couch, saying disdainfully, "Royal sister, is that proud young lady from Xi Qin Academy really that intelligent? She has known Uncle Qin for so many years, yet she still dares to say that even if she were reduced to ashes, she could still recognize Uncle Qin's handwriting. It's truly laughable."
Xuan Yuan Yue sat down next to Xuan Yuan Hao, pursed her lips, smiled and gently stroked his head, saying, "Lu Tianjiao, she truly lives up to her name. Arrogant and aloof, she seems to be born that kind of proud woman. But she has truly let down Lu Xian's wholehearted expectations of her. How much Lu Xian hoped that she could become a woman he could be proud of, like a gift from heaven."
"So that's what Lu Xian meant when he named her 'Tianjiao'!" Xuan Yuanhao suddenly realized.
Xuanyuan Yue smiled at him again and continued, "However, this time we really owe a debt to our Hao'er. If it weren't for your handwriting being so convincing, that Princess Dongning might have really barged in. In that case, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Xuanyuan Hao seemed a little embarrassed by the praise. He scratched the back of his head and then said, "Royal Sister, just now I saw that Princess Dongning really doesn't even know how to read Uncle's name. In this world, husband and wife should be the most familiar and intimate people. But this perfect couple lives together day and night, yet they are so unfamiliar with each other. Not only that, they have to guard against each other like thieves every day, and they also have to live under the same roof. How difficult must their lives be? Over the years, it must be an endless torment for both of them!"
“Who says otherwise?” Xuan Yuan Yue sighed softly.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Hao suddenly stood up and leaned against Xuanyuan Yue's shoulder, saying worriedly, "Royal Sister, will you live like this in the future? Will your future brother-in-law be as wary of you as Qin Shi Huang was of Princess Yongle? Will you not be able to read his handwriting?... Hao'er's heart suddenly ached so much, it ached for Royal Sister! Royal Sister is the person Hao'er loves most in this world, Hao'er can't bear to see Royal Sister suffer like this..."
At this point, Xuan Yuanhao seemed unable to continue. The two siblings leaned against each other quietly, recalling every happy and unhappy day they had spent together since childhood, those memories that belonged only to them. Their faces were unconsciously filled with tears.
Suddenly, Xuan Yuanhao wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. Looking into Xuan Yuanyue's eyes, he solemnly said to her, "Royal sister, why don't you not marry into the Dongning Kingdom for a political marriage? I will go back and plead with Father on your behalf. I am Father's only son and the only heir to the Western Qin Kingdom. I believe Father will grant my request."
Hearing his heartfelt and warm words, Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly pulled Xuan Yuan Hao into her arms, pressing her beautiful chin firmly against his forehead, and said meaningfully, "Hao'er, it's too late, everything is too late. In the long years to come, one day you will understand that as long as you meet that person, even if everything is just a fleeting illusion, and what lies ahead is only an abyss of no return, you will still willingly drink this poisoned wine. This is the fate and calamity that every mortal in this world cannot escape in their entire life. Yun'er is, my elder sister is, and he... is also..."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent. The siblings embraced tightly, their gazes both turning to the unconscious Xuan Yuanhan lying on the opposite bed.
"I'm so angry! I'm so angry! This is outrageous! It's one thing for her to throw a tantrum like a princess in her Fenghua Palace, but now she's even coming to the gates of my Qin Prince's Mansion to provoke me. It seems that as her elder, I, her royal aunt, must have treated her too well, which is why she sees me as a pushover, someone she can bully at will? How despicable, how utterly despicable!" Mei Xiyuan stormed back into Shaohua Pavilion, slamming her hand heavily on the armrest of the soft couch beside her, roaring with a ferocious expression.
“Anger is bad for your health. Sister, have some calming tea made with bodhi leaves and osmanthus flowers to calm your nerves.” Lu Tianjiao reached out and took the teacup from the maid who was trembling beside her and dared not step forward to serve tea for the second time, and advised Mei Xiyuan.
Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan did not accept the tea offered with a smile. Instead, she glared at her fiercely and cursed, "Useless! Truly useless! Why did you admit that the handwriting was His Highness's? Otherwise, wouldn't we have already gone in and seen His Highness? We would know whether His Highness was alright at a glance. Couldn't you see that Cheng Liang couldn't withstand my questioning? I really don't know what you're planning?"
“Sister: The princess, the crown prince, and General Cheng are all His Highness’s most trusted confidants. As the saying goes, ‘Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner.’ Offending them will not do you any good in the future; it will only damage the relationship between His Highness and you. Besides, what the princess presented was indeed His Highness’s own handwriting. His Highness’s handwriting is quite powerful. I dare to swear on my life that no one else in this world can imitate His Highness’s handwriting. I believe His Highness has only suffered a minor injury. Surely you wouldn’t insist on going against His Highness?”
Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan seemed to finally calm down. Seeing this, Lu Tianjiao smiled and offered tea again, which Mei Xiyuan slowly accepted with a slight pout and took a small sip.
"Perhaps my sister has been cooped up in the palace for too long lately, and is feeling depressed and suffocated. Why don't I accompany her out for a walk to cheer her up?" Lu Tianjiao suddenly said.
"Go out? Where to?" Mei Xiyuan's concept of the Western Qin Kingdom was still limited to a street market not far from the Qin Prince's Mansion. Thinking about how, without Lu Tianjiao, she would probably be stuck in the deep courtyard of Shaohua Pavilion forever, she was suddenly filled with anticipation.
Lu Tianjiao pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness is not feeling well, so how about... this time we go a little further and go to... the City God Temple in the south of the city. I've heard that it's the most popular place of worship there, and it has highly respected monks. The gods there are also the most efficacious; whatever you ask for, you'll get. We can use the excuse of praying for Your Highness's well-being to go out and have a stroll there. What do you think, sister?"
Mei Xiyuan felt a strong urge to speak after hearing Lu Tianjiao's words. She suddenly felt she had so much to say to the gods, and if her inner turmoil remained unexpressed, she felt she was on the verge of collapse. However, she hesitated, saying, "But, His Highness has confined me to my quarters. How can I leave?"
Lu Tianjiao said, "His Highness meant that you were not allowed to go out while he was away. But now that His Highness has returned, don't worry, sister. Leave everything to me. I will make sure you can get to the City God Temple in the south of the city."
Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan excitedly grasped Lu Tianjiao's hand tightly and said apologetically, "Then I'll have to trouble you, little sister. I hope you won't take my words to heart just now, which were spoken in a moment of anger."
Lu Tianjiao smiled sweetly at her, then turned and left Shaohua Pavilion.
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