Chapter 76: Missing someone and being jealous
"The fate hasn't even started yet, but Commander Shen has already taken her into the Shen Mansion. Isn't it a little too early?"
Shen Wen frowned and said calmly, "It's the parents' order, the matchmaker's words, the horoscopes have all been matched, not to mention the first stroke, even the last stroke is almost done."
Xiao Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed, and a cold aura slowly spread out. He opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Changhe hurriedly stepped forward and stood in front of him.
"Fourth Prince, my father is old. He stood for too long in the morning court today and his waist is not in good condition. I will not talk to you. I will take my leave first."
Xiao Yuan stared at Shen Changhe deeply, tried his best to restrain his expression, nodded, and didn't care much about Shen Changhe's nervousness.
That woman even protected Shen Changhe, let alone her father. Even if he was angry, he didn't plan to do anything.
"General Shen, take care." He stepped aside to let the father and son leave.
Looking at Daliang, the first person who could make Xiao Yuan give in was Shen Anan, and the Shen family was the second. Even the emperor did not receive this treatment.
Even though Shen Wen was an old fox in the officialdom, he felt a chill on his back at this moment, as if he was being stared at by some tiger or wolf.
He couldn't help but start to worry, and waited until he was a long distance away from Xiao Yuan before saying, "Your sister and Zhang Yeyang's marriage must be settled as soon as possible. If you delay it any further, there will be more trouble."
It was not difficult to see from today's morning court that the Second Prince was no match for the Fourth Prince. With Xiao Yuan in power, it would only be a matter of time for him to take over the court. Now he could protect An An, but if Xiao Yuan became the king, it would be difficult for him to protect her.
He is a man more dangerous and resourceful than the current emperor.
"Don't worry, Dad. Prince Ling has already promised me to release him today. I will go there later and will definitely bring Zhang Yeyang back."
"Yeah." Shen Wen nodded, but the sadness on his face did not ease.
"My Shen family originally wanted to stay out of this, but today, the two princes are fighting, and we have no choice but to be dragged into the vortex. He'er, you must be cautious in handling this case and must not get yourself involved."
Shen Changhe lowered his eyes and nodded, "Don't worry, Dad. I know what's going on."
"Um."
The carriage stopped in front of the Shen Mansion. Shen Changhe helped Shen Wen down from the carriage and said, "I still have to go back to work on the case, so I won't be going back to the mansion yet."
Shen Wen nodded, "Don't forget what your father told you, and Zhang Yeyang, the day after tomorrow is the engagement day, remember to bring him back."
"Okay." Shen Changhe agreed, and waited until Shen Wen entered the mansion before getting on the carriage and leaving.
Ling Chenyi did not return home, but went directly to Xiao Yuan's house. Qing'an was ordered to wait for Shen Changhe at the back door. When he saw the carriage of Shen's house from afar, he immediately went to meet it.
"Lord Shen is here. My master and Prince Ling have been waiting for a long time."
Shen Changhe nodded, ordered the coachman to drive the carriage away from the vicinity of the Fourth Prince's Mansion, and then followed Qing'an in.
At this time in the Fourth Prince's study, Ling Chenyi was discussing with Xiao Yuan what happened in today's morning court session.
Hearing the footsteps in the yard, Ling Chenyi stopped talking and glanced at Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan seemed not to notice, and lowered his head, scribbling something on the rice paper.
Not long after, the study door was pushed open, and Shen Changhe walked in and bowed to Xiao Yuan who was behind the desk.
"The fourth prince."
Xiao Yuan raised his eyes and glanced at him calmly, with an imperceptible light hidden in his deep eyes, "Sit down."
Shen Changhe walked over and sat down next to Ling Chenyi. He did not mention Zhang Yeyang at the first moment, which made Ling Chenyi breathe a sigh of relief.
"Is the Fourth Prince handling Lord Zhang's case?" He asked directly. After learning the reason, he knew what he should do.
Without waiting for Xiao Yuan to speak, Ling Chenyi repeated what Xiao Yuan had told him at the palace gate.
Shen Changhe and Xiao Yuan were close friends, so he knew what Xiao Yuan was planning as soon as he heard it. "Did the Fourth Prince find evidence linking the Zhang family to the death of Concubine Shu?"
He was a little surprised. After all, the Zhang family back then was really not as good as the Qi family.
Ling Chenyi's tone was cold, "Among the bandits who killed my mother in Xiangjue Temple that day, there was the Zhang family."
Now that he had said that, Shen Changhe did not ask any more questions. "I understand, but... once the relationship breaks out, I'm afraid..."
There will never be peace in the court again.
"This day will come sooner or later." Ling Chenyi's eyes gradually became dark, and he patted Shen Changhe's shoulder hard.
None of the three spoke again.
After a long silence, Shen Changhe spoke again, "This is a big blow to the Second Prince. Without the help of the Wang and Zhang families, the Second Prince's party will certainly be greatly weakened. It is time for you, the Fourth Prince, to gather your forces."
Ling Chenyi nodded, "Once the Zhang family falls, the fence-sitter Duke Li will definitely turn against them. Huaiyan can take advantage of this opportunity to control Duke Li's mansion, which will be another great help to us."
Although Duke Li's Mansion has no real power, it has a strong foundation. With time, it can still gain a foothold in the court.
The two of them were discussing, but Xiao Yuan didn't say a word for a long time. He lowered his eyes and stared at the rice paper on the desk, wondering what he was thinking.
After sitting for a while, Shen Changhe left. Lord Zhang was still in prison, and he had to keep an eye on him for the next few days in order to catch the big fish behind him.
Before leaving, he glanced at Xiao Yuan's face and called Ling Chenyi out.
Xiao Yuan just glanced at the backs of the two people leaving, then looked away, his eyes so cold that they were almost devoid of any warmth.
In the courtyard, before Shen Changhe could speak, Ling Chenyi said, "I have asked someone to release Zhang Yeyang, don't worry, Brother Changhe."
Shen Changhe heaved a long sigh of relief, looked up at the study, and said, "Thank you, Master Ling."
Ling Chenyi shook his head, his eyes tinged with some meaning, "Brother Changhe, don't you think Miss Shen's marriage was arranged too hastily? How much does the Shen family know about that scholar?"
Shen Changhe frowned slightly, obviously hearing the hidden meaning of Ling Chenyi's words, "Does Master Ling know anything?"
"No, it's just a kind reminder." Ling Chenyi smiled faintly and turned back to the study.
Shen Changhe frowned and stood there for a while before he walked away from the Fourth Prince's Mansion.
"Has the person been released?" In the study, Xiao Yuan looked at Ling Chenyi with cold eyes and asked.
Ling Chenyi hesitated for a moment, nodded, and immediately said, "He will be released sooner or later anyway, you can't keep him in jail forever. The Zhang sisters are about to go to Beijing, right? It's better to let them solve the problem than for you to be the bad guy."
Xiao Yuan snorted coldly without saying anything, his expression obviously becoming much gloomier.
He has been busy these days and hasn't seen the woman for some time.
With a cold face for a long while, he called Qing'an in and ordered, "Have someone keep an eye on her movements and report to me if there is any news."
she? Who are you talking about?
Qing'an was confused for a while, and immediately shuddered when he met his master's heavy gaze. Ling Chenyi kindly reminded him, "Zhang Yeyang was released."
Qing'an reacted immediately. Zhang Yeyang was released. Miss Shen, who had not seen him for several days, missed him very much...
"Yes, I will send someone right away."
After Qing An left, Ling Chenyi sighed softly, "Xiao Yuan, what are you trying to achieve? Wouldn't it be better to just drag the Shen family into the game, marry her back and keep an eye on her under your nose?"
Xiao Yuan glanced at Ling Chenyi coldly and did not respond, "Are you free? Doesn't Li Huaiyan need help?"
"..." Ling Chenyi smacked his lips and slowly stood up, "Okay, then you can stay awake all night alone, miss me like crazy, and be jealous like crazy."
After saying that, he leisurely left the study. Xiao Yuan sat for a long while before he moved slightly. The rice paper on the table slowly gathered into a ball in his hands and turned into waste paper.
It doesn’t matter, he will tolerate the scholar for two days.
Xiao Yuan closed his eyes tightly, hiding the gloom and madness in his eyes.
"Master," Qingfeng knocked on the door, pushed it open and walked in.
He held a wooden box in his hand and carefully placed it on the desk. "This is a gift from the Imperial Concubine in the palace to the master. She said it was an inkstone bestowed by the Emperor to congratulate the master."
Xiao Yuan's eyes were fixed on the box. He raised his hand expressionlessly and opened it. Inside was an inkstone, which was obviously valuable just by its texture.
The imperial concubine knew that he had defeated Xiao Ze today, so she was trying to please him.
"Put it away." Xiao Yuan closed the box and leaned back in his chair tiredly.
"The eunuch who delivered the gifts is still waiting outside. Master, please let me know what reply you want to give to the imperial concubine." Qingfeng asked softly.
Xiao Yuan frowned, but managed to hold his temper. He said calmly, "Tell her that the Anshou Palace in the palace is closest to the Fengyi Palace, and is very suitable for her to spend her remaining years in peace."
Qingfeng was startled, looked up at Xiao Yuan, and quickly agreed. He went out and told the eunuch to take the message into the palace.
After hearing what Xiao Yuan said, Concubine Shen was delighted.
Aunt Yu smiled and said, "The Fourth Prince is telling Your Majesty that when he ascends the throne in the future, as long as it is our cousin who lives in Fengyi Palace, Your Majesty will be the Queen Mother."
"Yes." Concubine Shen smiled and raised her hand to signal the young eunuch to retreat.
"I underestimated that girl. She could have made Xiao Yuan fall in love with her."
Aunt Yu said, "My cousin is beautiful and has a stubborn temper. She is indeed unique, but..."
She paused for a moment, and said with some worry, "I heard that Lord Shen seems to be planning to marry Miss Shen to a new Jinshi this year."
"What?" Concubine Shen was shocked. "Brother, is he crazy? When did it happen? How did you know about it?"
Aunt Yu sighed, "Now it has spread everywhere outside, only the palace is closed to the news and has not heard about it yet."
Concubine Shen's face was extremely ugly. "Brother, has this Grand Commandant really had enough of sitting here? Can't he see the current situation clearly?"
When it comes to scheming, the Second Prince is nowhere near as good as the Fourth Prince. Even with the support of Concubine Ning in the palace, defeat is only a matter of time. Besides, Xiao Yuan still has feelings for An An. If he doesn't quickly cling to her, what are he waiting for?
"Your Highness," Aunt Yu frowned and spoke worriedly, "The Fourth Prince is a very cunning man. What do you think? If Lord Shen doesn't marry our cousin to her, but instead marries her to a poor scholar, will he bear a grudge and seek revenge on the Shen family when the Fourth Prince ascends the throne in the future?"
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