Chapter 128 Ballad
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The fourth prince’s study.
Ling Chenyi looked at the memorial sent back by Xuzhou at full speed, and was a little surprised, "Has the rain and snow stopped in Xuzhou?"
"Yeah." Xiao Yuan responded calmly.
Ling Chenyi put down the memorial and looked at his face carefully. "You plotted against the Duan family. Did you know that the rain and snow in Xuzhou would stop in the next few days?"
"Um."
Another indifferent response, Ling Chenyi frowned tightly, "This is a secret of heaven. Even the Imperial Astronomical Observatory can't tell when the rain and snow in Xuzhou will stop. How do you know?"
Xiao Yuan curled the corners of his lips but did not answer.
The capabilities of the Imperial Observatory are really not enough compared to Wen Yin.
The more Ling Chenyi thought about it, the more frightened he became.
So he had already started planning from the very beginning, and he thought that his earnest exhortations had some effect.
He sighed heavily, "You went through so much trouble just to cancel the engagement, Xiao Yuan, you really are...what can I say about you?"
The Duan family represents countless literary disciples.
But it must be said that this is much better than a head-on confrontation between him and the emperor.
"Let someone deliver the memorial to the palace."
Ling Chenyi picked up the memorial again, feeling helpless, "I'm afraid the situation in the court is going to change again. I wonder how many waves this move of yours will stir up."
After saying this, he left the study and handed over the task to his servant.
The memorial was handed to the emperor, but not through their hands. After all, Miss Duan San, who was about to marry Xiao Yuan, was the destined daughter of Daliang. The second prince and his party would be even more anxious after hearing the news, and they would probably not be able to sleep tonight.
When I returned to the study, I saw Xiao Yuan flipping through the booklet sent from the palace weaving workshop.
Above are all the wedding dresses available for selection.
He read it very carefully, flipping through it one by one. Perhaps he was not satisfied with any of them, so he frowned slightly, put the booklet back on the desk, and spoke in a low voice.
"They are all the same. I'd better give them to her tomorrow to choose from."
Ling Chenyi's eyelids twitched, and he felt that the gentleness on his face was extremely eye-catching. "Don't be too happy too soon. You have tricked this person. That person didn't say she wanted to marry you either."
Xiao Yuan's gentle face suddenly fell silent. He did not refute but just nodded slightly.
Of course he knew.
The Duan family is very calculating, and she is not easy to fool. He still needs to think about how to make her marry him willingly.
"But the Shen family is in a critical moment right now, so a little intimidation should work."
"By the way, the ballad that is popular among the people was also written by you, right? The phoenixes come to roost in the courtyard because of the phoenix tree. You are really very courageous."
"It's not me." Xiao Yuan shook his head, frowning slightly.
"Not you?" Ling Chenyi was slightly stunned.
His face was filled with a serious expression. "If it weren't for this song, this matter might not have been pushed to the current level. Have you sent someone to investigate? Don't make any mistakes, or let others take advantage of the situation and defeat you."
Xiao Yuan nodded, "I've already sent Qing'an there."
But he didn't take it to heart, because even if others didn't do it, he was planning to do it.
It was also by accident that I helped him. Since he dared to do it, he naturally had a foolproof way to end it.
"Let Li Huaiyan go to Xiangjue Temple. It's time for Wen Yin to appear." He whispered to Ling Chenyi.
"Oh, alright." Ling Chenyi's face was full of helplessness, "Anyway, you won't listen to anything we say, so this is the only way."
As they were talking, Qing'an opened the door and walked in. After bowing to the two of them, he said, "Master, I have found out that the person who first spread the rumor was indeed a wandering Taoist priest who never left his name. I have searched around but could not find any trace of him. I have only heard some information about the Taoist priest's voice and appearance."
Having said that, he raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Yuan, hesitating a little.
"What did you find?" Xiao Yuan asked calmly.
"I found that...the characteristics described by those people are quite consistent with one person."
Ling Chenyi and Xiao Yuan looked at him at the same time. Qing'an lowered his head and said, "Uncle Zhong, the driver that Miss Chen brought with her when she came to the mansion to look for her master that day."
They had come into contact with Uncle Zhong, especially during the previous assassination, so they had some understanding of him. Otherwise, if someone else came to investigate, it would be impossible to suspect Miss Shen for such an ordinary feature that could not be found even in a crowd.
I have to say that Miss Shen picked a very good person.
Just this move...
He glanced at his master's face cautiously.
Ling Chenyi's face was filled with disbelief. He glanced at Qing An, then at Xiao Yuan, "That girl is really vicious and cruel. Xiao Yuan, if you marry her, aren't you afraid that you will not have a peaceful life in the future?"
If it were him, he would definitely not dare to marry such a girl.
"I'm afraid that as soon as the emperor's decree came, she has already started to plot against the third daughter of the Duan family. This scheme is really... cruel."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yuan, who had always been calm and composed, now raised the corners of his lips and looked very happy.
"This just shows that we are in sync with each other and even use the same strategy."
He thought, given her bad temper, if she was willing to plot against Duan Mengmeng and compete with her, she must have him in her heart.
It's like a warm current sliding across my heart, or like sitting in a small boat drifting back and forth in the waves. The joy is beyond words.
Ling Chenyi's mouth twitched and he glared at him.
A woman with a cruel heart and ruthless hands had a different taste in his mouth.
Xiao Yuan was immersed in his own thoughts, and told Qing An, "We should hurry up and accomplish things before she does. The Shen family is in turmoil right now, and she doesn't have many people under her control. Don't let people get suspicious and find out anything."
The emperor will definitely investigate this matter carefully at this time and will never let him trace it back to the Shen family.
"Master." The door of the study was knocked again, and Qingfeng reported from outside, "The nanny beside the old lady of the Duan family is here, and wants to see the master."
Xiao Yuan immediately knew why they came, and asked Qingfeng to lead the person to the front hall and let Qingan receive him.
The old nanny was so anxious that sweat was all over her head. When she saw Qing'an, she asked hurriedly, "Where is the fourth prince?"
"My master is discussing important matters with Prince Ling in the study, and asked me to come and tell Madam Duan to go back and tell her not to worry. Since my master promised to make the Duan family a superior family, he will definitely not break his promise. Now it's just a small fluctuation, so Madam Duan doesn't have to be afraid."
"Oh," after hearing this, the old nanny felt relieved.
——
After a night, the folk songs not only did not stop because of the emperor's edict, but became more and more intense, because - the flood in Xuzhou suddenly stopped after Miss Duan San prayed to Buddha and chanted scriptures.
Even in Xuzhou, there are Taoist priests who pointed out that the rain and snow in Xuzhou will stop because of the help from noble people in the capital.
Even the officials in Xuzhou believed it without a doubt. They submitted three memorials in one day, asking the emperor to reward him with a daughter destined by heaven and to bring blessings to the people of Xuzhou.
Now, even the officials were unsure.
All the coincidences made the incident more serious. Now when people mention the third daughter of the Duan family, she is like a fairy descending to earth.
Some people even began to spread rumors that whoever gets the third daughter of the Duan family will be able to conquer the world of Daliang. It must be because the third daughter of the Duan family is about to marry into the royal family, which suddenly stimulated her phoenix physique.
For a time, Xiao Yuan's popularity among the people also soared, and he was recognized by the people as the next crown prince. Some people also began to go to the government office to beat drums, asking the emperor to allow the third daughter of the Duan family to petition on behalf of the people for a good harvest next year.
"The emperor didn't believe it at first, but the flood in Xuzhou did stop at this critical moment. In addition, the people were spreading rumors, so he would probably be a little wary."
In the Begonia Garden, Shen Changhe frowned and analyzed the current situation with Shen Anan.
Regardless of whether the emperor believes in ghosts and gods, when it comes to his kingdom, all previous emperors would rather kill the wrong person than let him go. Even if it is fake, it will be a thorn in his heart.
Shen Anan curled her lips lightly.
What she wanted was to make the emperor feel uncomfortable. He was still in good health, but Daliang had a girl who was destined to rule the world. It was easy to imagine what the result would be.
But she had never expected that the letter from Xuzhou would arrive so quickly.
"An An. How did you know that the rain and snow in Xuzhou would stop in the next few days?"
Shen Changhe looked at Shen Anan suspiciously.
The fact that the rain had stopped in Xuzhou had almost pushed public opinion to a climax, and confirmed Duan Mengmeng's identity as the man destined to be king.
If we hadn't known this long ago, how could it have been so foolproof?
"It's a bet." Shen Anan fooled, "It's been raining and snowing in Xuzhou for a month. It's time to stop."
But what she had planned was far more than that. As fate would have it, there was always someone one step ahead of her. It seemed as if someone was helping her all the time.
Shen Changhe knew that she was unwilling to say it, so he stopped asking.
"I heard that last night, the Emperor and the Second Prince's forces left the capital to investigate. Once they are sure that the rain and snow in Xuzhou stopped because of rumors, after Miss Duan San recited the sutra, the matter will officially begin."
Shen Anan held the tea, looked at the sky, and a smile appeared on her beautiful face, "I think it should be about time at this time."
She lowered her head and took a sip of tea.
This was the greatest gift she had ever given to Duan Mengmeng in her life, but for a lifetime of wealth and glory, she should be very grateful to her.
The brother and sister stopped talking and just sat there waiting quietly.
Half an hour later, the teapot was empty, and finally, Shen Changhe's servant came hurriedly to report.
"Sir, Miss, the officials of the Second Prince's party have all gone to the palace, saying that since the Third Miss Duan is the lucky star of Daliang, she should stay in the palace to pray for the people of Daliang and recite scriptures, and ask the emperor to cancel the marriage between the Duan family and the Fourth Prince."
Upon hearing this, Shen Anan's hand that had been tightly clenching the teacup relaxed slightly, and she looked at Shen Changhe, with a smile in her eyes.
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