Chapter 171 Why is the door closed in broad daylight?
"Do as the princess wishes." Xiao Yuan annotated the last memorial at hand, closed it and put it aside, then slowly raised his head.
He also instructed the butler, "From now on, there is no need to report trivial matters. Just listen to the princess."
So that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable if she knew.
The butler immediately agreed. After he left, Xiao Yuan called Qingfeng in and said, "Tell me again in detail what you found out about Chen Tian that day."
Qingfeng immediately recounted the story and judging from the investigation results, there was indeed nothing wrong with Chen Tian.
"I have also asked the villagers nearby. They all watched Chen Tian grow up, so his identity is certain."
Xiao Yuan nodded, "Just to be sure, go to East City again."
There must not be any hidden dangers around her. The young man is quite clever. If he is not a problem and accompanies her to Jiangnan, maybe he can play a role.
At the same time, Shen Anan also instructed Mo Xiang to hand a letter to Shen Changhe.
"Send it to Big Brother today. There must be results in the next two days."
She didn't trust Chen Tian very much, but he was a citizen of Dongcheng and must know a lot about those people's methods and inside stories. Maybe she would gain something if she took him with her.
"Princess." Mo Xiang was a little worried. "That Chen Tianyi looks wild and undisciplined. Will it be dangerous for you to take him with you?"
If he really got stubborn and insisted that the princess was in cahoots with Lin Hengsheng, wouldn't that be a disaster?
"Don't worry, with Uncle Zhong and the guards he arranged here, Chen Tian won't be able to cause any trouble."
Judging from his appearance, Chen Tian is a noisy person. Generally speaking, the more noisy he is, the more simple-minded he should be.
But the fact that he instigated someone to be hit to death shows how cruel and cunning he is, and we must not take him lightly.
If such a person cannot be killed, keeping him by your side is a reasonable arrangement.
"Didn't you say you were going to the palace to pay respects? Where's the Fourth Prince? Hasn't he finished his work yet?"
Mo Xiang frowned, "I don't know either. Why don't you go and take a look, Princess? Maybe the son-in-law is waiting for you."
Shen Anan got up and was about to go to the study when she saw Xiao Yuan's tall figure slowly appearing from the corridor. His sturdy and strong body was wrapped in a brocade robe, which reminded her of the absurdity of last night.
"Aren't you going to the palace to pay your respects?"
Xiao Yuan glanced at her calmly and uttered two words, "No."
How willful!
Shen Anan was stunned for a moment, but Xiao Yuan had already walked into the house. Mo Xiang retreated very tactfully.
Shen Anan also turned back and went into the house, closing the door. Xiao Yuan glanced at her indifferently and said, "Why are you closing the door in broad daylight?"
"..." No matter how he listened to this, there was something else behind it. Shen Anan pretended not to understand and asked him, "Isn't it a rule for the prince to come to the palace to pay respects on the first day of the new year? Wouldn't it be inappropriate not to go?"
Xiao Yuan looked at her with a half-smile, "Why, Madam, do you really like going to the palace to practice Tai Chi with him? Or are you anxious to know the result of last night's calculation?"
"..." When Shen Anan and Xiao Yuan quarreled, most of the time they ended up being speechless.
No matter how stupid Xiao Ze is, he would never bring up his affair with Duan Mengmeng in public at this time. Even if she goes, she won't see anything good.
But the two of them had already...she thought they had reconciled last night.
After thinking for a while, she suddenly said, "I asked Chen Tian to sign a contract to sell himself, and I plan to take him to Jiangnan. After all, he is a citizen of Dongcheng, so he should know something about Gu Tan's methods, and maybe he can help."
Is this why you're unhappy? Shen Anan thought to himself that the housekeeper would definitely report it to him, so it would be better for him to say it himself.
Xiao Yuan still responded indifferently, and that was all.
Shen Anan didn't say anything. Since she wasn't going to the palace, there was nothing to do. She told Mo Xiang to call the housekeeper and distribute the reward money to the people under her.
He also took out the booklet of New Year gifts received and sent by the Prince's Palace and looked at it.
Xiao Yuan looked at her serious expression, his dark eyes were slightly gloomy. He was just sitting here sulking, so she could just treat him as air.
He walked over, suddenly took the book from her hand and said, "Madam, if you want to know something, you might as well ask me directly. I should be able to answer your questions better."
"..." How could Shen Anan admit it, "I was just taking a look."
"Really?" Xiao Yuan glanced at her coldly, bent down behind her, spread out the booklet, and pointed his finger at a certain place, "Madam, you must remember these people. They may be useful when you leave the day after tomorrow."
Shen Anan followed the name his finger moved and tried to remember it.
She gradually discovered that the officials Xiao Yuan pointed out to her were not from Beijing, but local officials who might pass by on the way to Jiangnan.
"Are these all your people?" Shen Anan asked in surprise.
Xiao Yuan nodded. "It will be troublesome if the preparation booklet falls into the hands of others, so you must try your best to remember what I told you. If anything happens, you can take my token and ask them for help."
Shen Anan pursed her lips and said nothing, but stared at Xiao Yuan's arms around her, without moving her eyes for a long time.
The list of followers is extremely important to a prince, and he just showed it to her so casually?
Suddenly, he was hit on the back of his head, and Xiao Yuan's unhappy voice sounded, "Did you hear what I told you? Why are you in a daze?"
She nodded immediately, "I remember everything."
If Xiao Yuan hadn't taken the initiative to point it out to her, she would have been absolutely unable to see any clues just by looking at the list of these holiday gifts.
"Safety comes first. It doesn't matter whether we can catch the person or not. I will go find you as soon as I finish the work on hand." Xiao Yuan reminded him worriedly.
Shen Anan immediately praised it.
"You are not allowed to meet people you shouldn't meet." He added at the end. Shen Anan thought about it and felt that he should be referring to Zhang Yeyang.
"Okay." She responded obediently.
Xiao Yuan hugged her from behind, closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
He really couldn't bear to let her go, and was worried about her. He didn't want her to leave, but he was afraid that the scene in his dream would happen again.
He had the same dream last night, holding her lifeless body in his arms, going mad and frantic, trying to save her.
He really didn't know how to love her.
"An An, when you come back from Jiangnan, can you tell me your dream?"
Shen Anan's body froze, and she didn't say anything for a long time. He tightened his arms around her a little.
"Let's have a frank talk, and when everything is over, we can be a loving couple."
He didn't care whether she loved him or not, or why she married him. As long as they were together and he knew what she was thinking, that was enough.
Wait until everything is over?
Since marrying him, Shen Anan knew that it would be impossible to retreat unscathed. She had to wait for the Shen family to escape, for her eldest brother to get married, for her grandmother's death to be avenged, and for him to achieve his great cause...
"If it continues like this, I will naturally agree to your request."
"Okay." Only when Xiao Yuan hugged her did the lingering fear he had felt for several days subside a little.
He thought that there must be something wrong with his body, and only Wen Yin could give him the answer to such a mysterious question.
The two stayed in the house for a whole day, and finally it was time to return home the next day.
Shen Wen and Madam Shen had already prepared everything and had been waiting at the gate of the mansion early in the morning. When they saw the carriage from the Fourth Prince's mansion appear, Madam Shen immediately stepped forward happily and helped Shen Anan down.
The mother and daughter forgot about the people behind them and returned home talking and laughing.
Shen Wen was somewhat helpless, but the fact that his daughter was so unrestrained just proved that she was living well in the Fourth Prince's Mansion.
"My little girl is reckless, please don't take it to heart, Fourth Prince."
Xiao Yuan performed a junior's salute before saying, "As long as she doesn't bully me, it's fine. How dare I care?"
Shen Wen became even happier upon hearing this, and hurriedly welcomed Xiao Yuan into the mansion.
He, Xiao Yuan and Shen Changhe were sitting together, which must be an important matter in the court. Madam Shen wanted to talk to Shen Anan alone, so after a few simple words, she pulled her to her yard.
“I heard that you are going to Jiangnan to investigate a case?” Mrs. Shen asked worriedly as soon as the door was closed.
Shen Anan nodded, "I will leave after the banquet at Yongning Marquis' Mansion is over tomorrow, but don't worry, mother, the Fourth Prince has sent people to protect me, and he will come to find me after he finishes his work in the capital, so there will be no danger."
Madam Shen's eyes were red, "Isn't it the job of the court officials to investigate this case? Why would the emperor let a woman like you investigate it?"
She didn't understand why the emperor had such a big opinion about the Shen family and kept making things difficult for them.
Shen Anan's eyes turned cold, and she said, "Maybe you are impatient to see that Xiao Yuan and I are in love and have a good relationship."
But even without the emperor's blessing, she would find a way to go to Jiangnan.
"Don't worry. I grew up in Jiangnan and am very familiar with the place. Now I am the Fourth Prince's consort. Xiao Yuan has already arranged everything for me along the way. I will not be in any danger."
"Even if I investigate the case, there will be local officials protecting me. I am just the one who gives advice behind the scenes. If I don't show up, I won't be in danger."
Madam Shen glared at her and said, "Look at you. You've been married for so long, but you still keep referring to Xiao Yuan. It would be terrible if the Fourth Prince heard it."
Shen Anan was speechless. What else should she call him? Husband? She really couldn't scream.
Madam Shen sighed again, "But from this we can see that he really cares about you. Mother knows that she can't stop you. You have to take good care of yourself and make no mistakes. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry." Shen Anan nodded heavily.
Madam Shen continued to teach, "The Fourth Prince has deep feelings for you, you can't just perfunctorily treat him like that. Even if it's the Emperor's will, he'll inevitably be unhappy if you separate right after your wedding. You should comfort him and don't let the couple be separated."
If she could break up so easily, then she and Xiao Yuan would have no feelings for each other anymore.
However, Shen Anan still agreed very obediently.
Madam Shen then began to teach her the ways of husband and wife, which were basically the husband being the backbone of the wife, and asked Shen Anan to be obedient, considerate, and be a good wife with a reputation of being virtuous and kind.
Finally, the topic of taking concubines came up again. Madam Shen said, "Not long after you got married, the Fourth Prince rejected Miss Li. As time goes by, there will be other girls. You should be mentally prepared."
Mrs. Shen felt uncomfortable, but her daughter was marrying a royal family, so this was essential.
"Mom, don't worry. I know what's going on. I finally came back, so I won't talk about these unhappy things."
Madam Shen shook her head and sighed. She was clearly worried that when she returned from Jiangnan, there would be new people in the prince's mansion, and the scene would be completely different.
As if she didn't understand, Shen Anan asked about the marriage between Shen Changhe and the girl from the Lin family.
"Now that the Lin family is under house arrest, no one can leave, and we can't get in either, so the wedding can only be postponed again."
Shen Anan patted Madam Shen's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, mother. When I come back from Jiangnan, Miss Lin will be able to marry in smoothly."
"I hope so." Mrs. Shen forced a smile and gave some more instructions.
When she went to the banquet hall for dinner, her eyes were still red, and she held Shen Anan's hand and was reluctant to let go.
Shen Wen got a promise from Xiao Yuan, and he felt much relieved.
For the first time, the family finished their meal happily without being disturbed by anything.
Xiao Yuan was in no hurry to leave, and went to the study to play chess with Shen Wen. Shen Anan stayed with Madam Shen until it was dark, and then left reluctantly.
In the carriage, Xiao Yuan looked at her red eyes and frowned, "If you can't bear to leave, don't go. Leave it to me, Father."
Shen Anan forced a smile and changed the subject, saying, "Tomorrow's banquet at the Yongning Marquis's Mansion is to choose a husband for Hua Sheng, right? Does the princess have someone she likes?"
Xiao Yuan stared at her deeply and nodded slightly, "He is a young man named Zhao, born in a poor family, but he has great talent and has made great achievements."
Isn’t that the person she pointed out to Hua Sheng a few days ago?
Yes, Hua Sheng said that day that the eldest princess and Ling Chenyi really liked that person.
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