Chapter 527: Granted Marriage
Xiao Yan casually stuffed the sachet into his sleeve. He would have to have someone hand it over to Feng Lai later, so that he, the loyal eunuch, would not suffer when Emperor An had a headache.
Tang Ning and Xiao Yan were talking in low voices outside. The door of the Imperial Dragon Palace was opened and the prince walked out with a gloomy face.
He was followed by two guards in full armor. When the prince reached the outer room, they slammed the palace door shut and stood in front of the door with swords in hand, looking vigilant.
"You!" The prince's face turned pale.
The two men had no expression on their faces: "Your Highness, please."
The prince shook his sleeves fiercely, snorted angrily, turned around and left angrily, then saw Xiao Yan and Tang Ning standing side by side at the bottom of the stairs.
He strode towards them, anger still visible on his face: "Why haven't Governor Xiao and Princess Xiangning left the palace yet?"
Xiao Yan replied, "We are worried about Your Majesty, so we came to check on him."
He looked at the tightly closed palace door on the platform:
"How is His Majesty?"
The prince's smile instantly faded: "Commander Liu is guarding inside, no one is allowed to approach. Even Eunuch Feng was blocked to the side, and I couldn't get close."
He was filled with indignation as he spoke:
"That Liu Tong'en is completely out of his mind. He ordered his men to surround the entire Imperial Dragon Terrace and not allow anyone to enter or leave. Even Imperial Physician Sun and his companions who came to see my father were constantly watched and not allowed to leave the terrace."
"I just wanted to go over and see how my father was doing, but he chased me out."
Liu Tong'en used to be quite humble and was mostly friendly to the princes and court officials, but it was not known whether they had a falling out in the Zichen Palace before.
When he entered just now, Liu Tongen's attitude towards him was extremely bad. He didn't take him, the prince, seriously at all, and his words were full of offenses.
The prince was furious: "In the past, I thought he was honest and loyal. Although he held the position of commander of the imperial guards, he rarely interfered in the affairs of the palace. Now I know that he is arrogant and rude."
"The fact that Cui Lin and his men were able to bribe the Imperial Guards is most likely related to Liu Tong'en. He is more valued by the Emperor than Yu Yanfeng. Furthermore, you previously said that Liu Tong'en sent someone to investigate Madam Zhao."
"Keeping this person here is a serious threat, do you want to..."
The prince became furious and gestured downward with his hand.
Xiao Yan frowned and looked at the prince: "Your Highness wants to kill Liu Tongen?"
Seeing the Crown Prince remained silent, he continued, "A commander of the Imperial Guards who never held any power was able to disrupt the four camps outside the capital at a critical moment and lift the siege of the Forbidden Garden right under my nose. Your Highness, do you think that the reason His Majesty values him so highly is because of his contribution to saving the Emperor?"
The prince was stunned when he heard this: "What Governor Xiao means is..."
"As for rescuing Your Majesty, I don't know how many times I've saved His Majesty, but do you think Your Majesty has ever shown me mercy?"
Xiao Yan said, "Your Majesty becomes suspicious whenever someone in the court makes a few idle remarks. Previously, Cui Lin framed me for a few things, and he didn't hesitate to kill me. Such a cold-blooded person, why do you think he would treat Liu Tong'en as an exception, just because of his merit in saving the emperor, whose authenticity is unclear?"
Seeing the change in the Crown Prince's expression, Xiao Yan said, "If Liu Tong'en was capable of being moved, this Governor would have captured him long ago. Why would he have been allowed to come to the Imperial Dragon Terrace? If Your Highness the Crown Prince wishes to secure his position as Crown Prince, it is best not to touch him."
"But..." The prince hesitated: "Is this the Imperial Dragon Terrace?"
Xiao Yan said, "Since Commander Liu is so concerned about Your Majesty's health, let him stay with you. With the Imperial Physician watching over you, nothing will go wrong. Commander Yu will handle the Imperial Guards. However, Your Highness, although Your Majesty has issued an edict appointing a crown prince, not everyone in the court is convinced."
"You also know how this imperial edict came about. Court officials like Commander Liu, as well as the other princes and members of the royal family, may not truly accept the decree. And there are also the princes of various regions. If His Majesty comes to his senses and feels remorse, then Your Highness's position as Crown Prince..."
Xiao Yan didn't say much, but it was enough to make the prince look extremely ugly.
Emperor An didn't like him, and he had made him lose face tonight. If Emperor An were to come to power again, he would never forgive him, and cutting him into pieces would be the least of his worries.
The prince looked back at the Imperial Dragon Palace and clenched his palms little by little.
Now that he has become the crown prince, no one can pull him down.
Liu Tongen is not good enough, and my father is even less good enough!
When the prince looked at Xiao Yan again, he was obviously much more eager. Now he could only hold Xiao Yan tightly. Only he could protect him and his future throne.
His gaze paused, and when it fell on the blood-stained hands of Tang Ning and the bandaged wound on Xiao Yan's arm, his expression changed.
"Speaking of which, I rarely saw Princess Xiangning before. It was only during the crisis in the palace just now that I realized that Governor Xiao and Princess Xiangning really have a good relationship."
"You two..." the prince asked tentatively.
Tang Ning blushed when asked, and lowered her eyes shyly, too embarrassed to speak.
Xiao Yan, however, directly held Tang Ning's hand.
The Crown Prince suddenly realized, "So, Governor Xiao is attracted to Princess Xiangning?"
Xiao Yan nodded: "Yes."
"Then you..." The prince looked back and forth at the two of them.
Xiao Yan said softly, "It was I who wronged Tang Ning."
The Crown Prince understood: "Lord Xiao is planning a major event, so naturally he has many concerns. Princess Xiangning is gentle and virtuous, so she will definitely understand your concerns."
"Now that the He family's injustice is about to be redressed, you don't have to continue to pretend to be a palace eunuch. It's a pity that my father is not in good health. Otherwise, after the He family's affairs are investigated, Governor Xiao will take on the title of Marquis Xuanyi, and then let my father arrange a marriage for you two, which would be double happiness."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is the king, and the prince is also the king. Why does Your Majesty need to grant us a marriage? I wonder if Your Highness is willing to grant us a marriage?"
"Brother."
Tang Ning's face was burning hot, and her eyelashes were trembling. She shyly pulled his hand and said, "The capital is still in chaos right now. We don't need to rush our affairs..."
"You are not anxious, but I am."
Xiao Yan said softly, "Before, your identity was unknown, so I didn't dare give you a chance to be criticized. Now that the He family has been cleared of all charges, I will naturally let the world know that you are my beloved."
He looked at the Crown Prince and said, "The results of the three-judicial trial will be known in the next few days. I hope Your Highness can grant me a marriage with Tang Ning then."
"Lord Xiao is truly impatient."
It was the first time that the Crown Prince had seen Xiao Yan's expression so revealing. He laughed heartily and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder:
"Don't worry, I will naturally help you. You and Princess Xiangning are a match made in heaven, talented and beautiful. You have shared hardships and life and death together. If you can be together, it will be a great joy. Once the results of the three-court trial are out, I will grant you a marriage. I only hope that you will live happily and happily together until old age."
Xiao Yan quickly bowed, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Tang Ning's face flushed, but she still bowed shyly: "Thank you, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince asked the two to stand up before saying, "Lord Xiao, the two lieutenants of the Dragon Court Guard..."
Xiao Yan said, "They won't stay in the capital for long."
The prince was surprised: "They are going back to the northwest?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
