Chapter 194: Old Friend
After leaving Youzhou, one has to pass through a wasteland before reaching Yecheng ahead. Compared with Jiang Lan's last visit, this road is much easier to walk on. Most of the swamps at this time of year have dried up, and the soil has become solid. The carriage can run on it without worrying about getting stuck. There are also stone tablets along the way to guide the direction, so there is no need to worry about taking the wrong road.
As the carriage passed through the wasteland, Jiang Lan parted the curtain and looked into the distance. The grass balls were rolled on the ground by the wind. Without the obstruction of her vision, the view seemed particularly vast and boundless.
"If it were two months earlier, the grass would be full of sparkles at night," Qi Wuhan said with regret as he looked at the wasteland in the distance. "I really want you to see it too."
"Then let's watch it together next time." Jiang Lan made a pinky promise with him, "A liar is a puppy."
"Okay." Qi Wuhan smiled indulgently, "Let's watch it together next time."
After resting in the city for a night, An Yue drove the carriage out of the city the next morning and passed through Jinzhou City, where the Fourth Prince Ning currently lived.
Ever since His Majesty graciously allowed Prince Ning to send Concubine Rong's remains back to her hometown, Prince Ning has been staying here to mourn for Concubine Rong. Apart from paying tribute at Concubine Rong's tomb, he rarely goes out on weekdays. The mansion he lives in is also secluded, and he lives a hermit-like life.
After entering the city, Qi Wuhan said he was going to visit an old friend and asked Jiang Lan if she was tired and if she wanted to find an inn to rest first. She shook her head and said she was not tired, so she went with him.
On the way, she asked him whether this old friend was a man or a woman and whether he was married. He kept it a secret at first and said she would know when she got there.
Qi Wuhan asked An Yue to turn right at the intersection ahead, then turn into an alley, and then turn from an alley into another alley. The surroundings became more and more quiet, and the noise from the street was gradually isolated outside the layers of courtyard walls.
After turning seven or eight corners, the carriage stopped outside a quiet mansion. There was no human voice around, and occasionally a clear bird song could be heard from the trees.
Jiang Lan saw the words "Jingyuan" written on the plaque above the door. It didn't look like an ordinary mansion, so she felt that the owner must not be an ordinary person.
After the door was knocked, it was opened from the inside after a while. Qi Wuhan took out a business card from his arms and handed it to the servant who opened the door. About half a minute later, a man who looked like a butler came over. He had a cheerful round face and a chubby figure. He looked amiable.
Seeing that the other person had a fair complexion and no beard, and spoke in a soft voice, Jiang Lan had a silent guess in her mind.
"Please come this way, my Lord. His Highness has always been thinking of you~"
When she heard the word "Your Highness", she was stunned for a moment, then realized that it should be the Fourth Prince, and at the same time, her silent guess in her heart was confirmed.
But why do the words "care about" sound so intimate, and I still care about them all the time...
She silently glanced at the handsome profile. Qi Wuhan turned to look at her. Seeing that she was looking at him with a somewhat suspicious look, his gentle peach blossom eyes showed a little confusion.
"What is your relationship with the Fourth Prince?" she asked with her eyes.
“.…..” He replied with his eyes.
"This must be the Madam, right? The Marquis is truly blessed to have married such a beautiful woman. She's clearly well-educated, well-mannered, and intelligent. The Marquis is truly blessed."
Jiang Lan found it very useful, so she decided not to discuss the relationship between him and the Fourth Prince.
After entering a courtyard, Jiang Lan saw the true appearance of the Fourth Prince for the first time.
I saw a chessboard placed under the ancient pine tree in the yard. A man in snow-white clothes was sitting under the pine tree, holding a white jade chess piece between his jade-white fingertips. He had not yet put it down, and there was a snow-white gauze wrapped around his eyes. From a distance, he looked like a banished immortal, spotless.
Qi Wuhan turned his head to look at Jiang Lan and coughed lightly. She came back to her senses and looked into his playful peach blossom eyes openly. She was just a little shocked and didn't have any bad intentions.
It turns out that there are such extraordinary people in this world, who don’t even look like real people~
After the white jade chess piece fell, it made a slight sound on the chessboard.
"Your Highness, the Marquis and his wife are here~"
King Ning turned his head and nodded in the direction of the two people standing, then raised his hand, and his snow-white sleeves lightly swept across the chessboard, making a gesture of invitation.
Qi Wuhan brought Jiang Lan over and sat down opposite her. She sat on a stool beside her and watched the game.
"Your Highness's chess skills have improved again."
Qi Wuhan took a look at the chess pieces on the board, then picked up a black jade chess piece and placed it next to the white chess piece. When King Ning picked up a white jade chess piece, Jiang Lan was really curious about how he could tell where the black chess piece fell. Did he use the sound to determine the position? But there were so many squares on the chessboard, how could he accurately tell which square it fell on?
"Your Highness has lived here for more than half a year, right?" Qi Wuhan casually brought up a topic.
Prince Ning nodded.
"Your Highness, do you know the situation in the capital?" Qi Wuhan asked.
Prince Ning replied, "I've heard some of it." His voice was as clear and cold as the snow on the mountains, untainted by dust.
"Has the Third Prince sent a message to Your Highness?" Qi Wuhan rubbed the chess piece as he picked it up, and glanced at the person opposite him.
Prince Ning shook his head.
"I wonder if Your Highness could do me a favor?" When Qi Wuhan put down his chess piece, he quietly picked up a white chess piece and hid it in his sleeve. Jiang Lan tilted her head and glanced at his sleeve, and he continued playing chess as if nothing had happened.
"What help?" asked King Ning.
"The governor of Jinzhou was once a disciple of the old duke, and the old duke is the grandfather of the third prince and your highness. If this governor sides with the third prince, it will be a bit difficult to deal with." Qi Wuhan said.
Prince Ning nodded slightly.
"Your Highness, have you thought it through?"
Prince Ning nodded slightly again.
When Qi Wuhan quietly put the white piece back to its original place, Jiang Lan glanced at him silently. He smiled at her gently, and her heart softened. She pretended not to see his little action.
After playing a game of chess, Qi Wuhan took Jiang Lan away.
After getting on the carriage, Jiang Lan asked him, "Why did you hide the chess piece just now?" Qi Wuhan smiled helplessly and said, "Your Highness's chess skills can be said to be the best in the world. If I hadn't hidden it, I would have lost before I even finished speaking."
Jiang Lan said "oh" and tilted her head to look at him, her eyes seemed to say "there is someone you are convinced of."
Qi Wuhan smiled indulgently and sighed, "If we were to encounter an opponent like the Fourth Prince, it would be much more difficult to deal with than the Third Prince." His eyes turned slightly colder, "If it were the Fourth Prince, he would have destroyed all the ways to survive in this chess game from the very beginning."
"I think the Fourth Prince is a nice person. He agreed to help as soon as you asked." Jiang Lan was a little surprised when Prince Ning nodded in agreement. She didn't expect the other party to be so easy to talk to. His image suddenly became approachable.
Qi Wuhan raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "How good is it?"
Jiang Lan raised her hands and held his face and said, "Not as good as you~"
"Is that as good-looking as me?"
"Forehead,"
She answered a little slowly, and he raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to say "It's hard to coax her if you answer wrong."
"No, you are beautiful, you are the most beautiful~"
…...
Before leaving Jinzhou City, Jiang Lan asked Qi Wuhan, "Is the Fourth Prince's eyesight truly incurable?" He replied, "Being blind isn't necessarily a bad thing."
His tone was somewhat meaningful when he spoke. Jiang Lan glanced at him and stood on the boat, watching the gradually receding Jinzhou City. She thought that perhaps it was a blessing for the Fourth Prince to be able to stay away from the vortex of power struggle...
......
It rained heavily last night and the air in the morning seemed particularly fresh.
Jiang Lan opened the car curtain and looked at the city gate ahead. She began to feel nervous. She took a deep breath of the cool morning air, which dispelled some of the nervousness. Qi Wuhan held her hand and asked softly, "Are you scared?" She shook her head, "No."
The capital is right before our eyes, and success or failure depends on this one move.
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