Yan Shen nodded blithely and immediately pulled out a wooden token, handing it to Su Rong.
Without hesitation, Su Rong took it and asked him, "How many men?"
Yan Shen whispered,"Three hundred covert guards."
Su Rong nodded and complimented him, "His Highness, the Fourth Prince, is indeed capable—quite a large number of men."
Yan Shen said nothing more.
Su Rong asked again, "Where are they now?"
"Outside the Eastern Palace, once you leave the palace gate, snap your fingers three times and show the token. They’ll follow you," he said.
Su Rong was quite satisfied and turned to Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng expressed his concern, "Are you sure you want to go now, leading these men yourself? I’ll always worry about your safety. Shouldn’t we make some preparations? I’m a precious and rare jewel, aren’t you too?"
"By the time you finish your preparations, it might be too late, and the silver might be transferred away," Su Rong replied, "Don’t worry about my safety. It’s not just my own issue. When I leave this Eastern Palace, I will travel to the Duke’s Residence to fetch Ye Guixue to accompany me."
Ye Guixue’s martial arts are exceptionally advanced. With a light wave of his sleeve, he could make the tall Crown Prince stumble. I can also use his shadow guards. After all, our relationship now allows me to use his help with peace of mind."
Finally, Yan Huisheng agreed, "All right then. Do be careful."
He summoned Yun Ze and gave an order. Yun Ze glanced at Su Rong, and with a formal salute, accepted the order.
Su Rong gestured to Yun Ze, then began to walk away. After two steps, she remembered something and turned back. Reaching onto Yan Huisheng’s desk, she pulled two sesame cakes from a bag. She kept one for herself and handed the other to Yun Ze, then walked away, unconcerned about Yun Ze’s reaction, munching as she left.
Yun Ze could only follow her, holding the sesame cake.
The room door opened then closed. The room fell quiet after her departure.
Yan Huisheng realized he had lost interest in handling the affairs of the day. He asked Yan Shen, "Fourth Brother, you’re not leaving?"
Yan Shen remained seated, quietly asking, "Can I stay in your palace overnight? When I return to my residence alone, I can’t sleep."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "You can stay."
Yan Shen looked at his desk,"I never knew Third Brother had a habit of eating supper. When did you develop it?"
Yan Huisheng picked up a bag of food and passed it to him, "You didn’t have dinner?"
Yan Shen nodded. He didn’t feel like having dinner. He hadn’t even had lunch. Now he was hungry. Seeing Yan Huisheng handing him food, he hesitated before taking it and picked up a piece of pastry to eat.
Yan Huisheng, on the other hand, tore open the bag from which Su Rong had taken a sesame cake. There was still one left. He broke off a small piece and tasted it before answering Yan Shen’s question. "Ever since she came to the Capital, she brings me some street food every time she comes to see me. It’s still not a habit."
Yan Shen finally understood. The food had been bought by Su Rong.
Yan Huisheng had just eaten a chicken roll and couldn’t eat any more. He tasted a small piece of sesame cake and pushed the bag towards Yan Shen.
Yan Shen accepted it, took out the sesame cake, and started eating, commenting, "So this common street food is actually quite delicious."
A prince used to indulging in extravagant foods had naturally not tasted such simple, coarse food. Their servants were afraid of it being unclean and causing the princes to have an upset stomach.
Yan Shen had never experienced common street food until tasting it now at Yan Huisheng’s.
He had eaten his fill and noticed Yan Huisheng had gone to stand by the window, looking out into the night. Looking at Yan Huisheng’s back, Yan Shen was greatly relieved. His visit to the Eastern Palace had turned out to be the right move. Unlike his other brothers, who seemed to want to eliminate all their siblings to feel secure, the Crown Prince was merciful and wise, accepting his pledge of loyalty.
He didn’t dare disturb Yan Huisheng and quietly discarded the empty bag into the wooden bin, wiping his hands with a handkerchief.
After standing by the window for a long while, Yan Huisheng turned around and said to Yan Shen, "Join me for a game."
Yan Shen nodded.
Little Quanzi set up the chessboard, and the two brothers took their places across from each other. Yan Shen focused, playing a cautious game, doing his best not to lose too badly. However, despite this, Yan Huisheng was winning by a landslide within a few rounds.
Sweat started to bead on Yan Shen’s forehead, "Third Brother, I feel like I’m only holding you back."
Yan Huisheng paused, shaking his head, "No."
Truth is, he was just disgruntled that he couldn’t accompany Su Rong to Yingzui Cliff and had to release his pent-up aggression somewhere else.
Yan Shen understood, "Third Brother, there’s no need to hold back. Let me improve my chess skills by practicing with you."
Yan Huisheng nodded.
After leaving the Eastern Palace, Su Rong nibbled on her sesame cake as she rode to the Duke Residence.
Before she reached the Duke Residence, Fen Ling climbed into the carriage, gazing at Su Rong in puzzlement, "Sis, do we have something good going on? You’ve summoned me out of the palace in the middle of the night."
"Oh yes, a wonderful thing." Lowering her voice, Su Rong narrated the task assigned to her by the Fourth Prince.
Fen Ling was not just intrigued; she was thrilled. Her entire being seemed to glow with excitement. "Sis, you’re right. In matters like these, once you’re aware of them, you should act quickly to avoid complications."
Su Rong agreed with this viewpoint and nodded.
Urging the coachman, Fen Ling said,"Hurry, what’s with the dawdling?"
The coachman raised his whip, and the carriage quickened its pace.
In no time, they reached the Duke Residence. Fen Ling knocked on the door and announced to the gatekeeper, "Tell Second Young Master Ye that my sister wishes to see him."
The gatekeeper recognized Fen Ling and took a look at the carriage. When he saw Su Rong sitting inside, he nodded without delay and hurried off to convey the message.
Ye Guixue was preparing to retire for the night. When he heard that Su Rong wished to see him, he promptly left his chambers.
On reaching the gate, he saw Su Rong gesturing for him to join her in the carriage. He stepped up into the carriage and asked quietly, "Is something the matter?"
"Yes, there’s an important matter I need your help with." Su Rong leaned in and whispered the situation to him briefly.
Ye Guixue was surprised but agreed, "Okay, let’s go!"
Su Rong knew he was a man of his word. Smiling at him, she instructed Fen Ling, "Get a move on."
Fen Ling acknowledged with a joyful, "Yes," and climbed into the carriage. The coachman drove the carriage away from the Duke Residence, heading towards the city gate.
As Ye Guixue left the Duke Residence with Su Rong, his personal shadow guards stealthily followed behind the carriage.
At this time, the city gate was closed. But with Yan Huisheng’s token, Su Rong managed to exit the city effortlessly.
As she and Ye Guixue departed, all the prominent residences in the capital received news of their exit. Zhou Gu was the first to receive the news. He promptly sat upright, asking anxiously, "Is she planning to secretly leave the Capital City with Ye Guixue and return to Nanchu?"
It was understandable for him to think so. Where else would they be going in the middle of the night?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
