Chapter 44: Amid the year-end lantern festival, with its bright lights and bustling crowds, there is no...
Looking at Gao Lerong's departing back, Wen Ying half closed her eyes.
From what she just said, it can be judged that Gao Lerong admires her father very much, almost blindly.
And Gao Xuan's drastic change in temperament must be related to his father's death.
Did he kill him?
It was the arrows in the military camp that killed Lan Gen. He happened to return to Beijing at this time, carrying a full load of weapons. If he wanted to kill his father, what was the reason? To block his path to promotion?
No, I feel like there must be a deeper reason.
Is it a party dispute... ?
My father insisted not to participate in the fight for the throne and was only loyal to His Majesty. If my father is eliminated and Gao Xuan is promoted to the throne, who will be the ultimate beneficiary?
It’s the third prince.
The person who killed his father was Gao Xuan, and the mastermind behind it was the third prince.
According to this logic, the assassin in the paddock must have been the third prince who took the risk to get rid of the crown prince, but he did not expect her intervention.
Fearing that the matter would be exposed, he spread rumors in a hurry to pin the crime of assassination on "Wen Ying" and, by the way, get rid of the thorn in his side - Yan Jing, who had once helped "Wen Ying".
Things seemed clear and everything was in order, but she always felt that something was strange.
It was as if everything before her was what someone wanted her to see, a chess game carefully laid out in front of her, and she could even count the details of each chess piece's appearance.
Witnessing Lan Gen being killed, sensing the assassin's murderous intent, the bear attack causing a lack of manpower to deal with the assassin, rumors of collaborating with the enemy...
The development of all events seems to have a main thread, radiating around a core.
What is that core?
What do they have in common?
·
The Dali Temple headed by Wei Quan has always been resolute and vigorous, and has great prestige among the people. However, the rumor that originated from the nursery rhyme has shown no signs of stopping after several days, and has instead become more and more intense.
Seeing that no one was trying to stop them, many curious people gradually became bolder and all kinds of speculations about Yan Jing emerged one after another.
Some people say that the assassination was directed and acted by Yan Jing himself as a means to eliminate dissidents.
Some people say that since the eradication of the Suzaku Sect, Yan Jing has been stealing from the company.
There are many different opinions, and the bright moonlight has been completely demonized and shrouded in layers of dark clouds.
"How could that be!" Wen Ying slapped the table with a loud bang, almost cracking it. Suddenly she remembered that Gao Lerong lived next door to her, so she lowered her voice and added the second half of the sentence, "...That makes sense."
Chun Tao, who brought the above information, responded helplessly: "It is understandable that the people would think this way. After all, rumors about senior officials are usually dealt with very quickly, except this time."
Wen Ying frowned and said coldly: "That only shows that Wei Quan is incompetent."
Yan Jing easily approved Wen Ying's request to bring Chuntao, and asked her not to forget the [Year-End Lantern Festival] tonight.
Is Yan Jing crazy to take her to such a crowded place at this critical moment?
She didn't dare to think about how many people who didn't know the truth would look at her strangely.
Is it necessary to go to this lantern festival?
When she expressed her concerns to Yan Jing, the latter just frowned slightly, and before he said a word, Wen Ying had already compromised halfway.
"Miss, don't you want to go to the Lantern Festival with me?" Yan Jing's voice was soft, like a low sigh, "Yes, my reputation has been bad recently, I'm afraid it will affect your reputation, so it's better not to go out."
Damn it, who can resist the loneliness of a banished immortal?
She can't anyway.
Cursing inwardly that beauty can lead people astray, Wen Ying stepped forward and took Yan Jing's arm, opened her eyes wide and said innocently, "How could it be? Being able to visit the temple fair with Lord Yan is a blessing that I have cultivated for several lifetimes. How can I say that I am unwilling?"
Yan Jing lowered his dark eyes to the girl's cheek. The pure white rabbit fur scarf made her fair skin look flawless like jade. His lips, which were used to coaxing people, opened and closed, exhaling white steam as he spoke.
The bright smile is as eye-catching as the warm sun in winter.
The soft body unconsciously moved closer, he gently hooked his lips and said softly: "Okay, let's go."
Having said that, he took Wen Ying and walked in the opposite direction of the mansion gate.
Wait!
Wen Ying looked at the low wall in front of them that blocked the way, but Yan Jing didn't stop. She couldn't help but remind him: "Master Yan, are we... going the wrong way?"
Unexpectedly, Lord Yan smiled and said casually: "At this time, there should be many people waiting for me to go out tonight. Leaving the mansion gate is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth."
That made sense. Wen Ying nodded. A guess suddenly popped up in her mind. She asked uncertainly, "So what do you mean...?"
The moon was bright in the sky, and the man's face was coated with a layer of light, as ethereal as a fairy, detached from the world.
However, he smiled and said two words: "Climb over the wall."
"...Ah?" Wen Ying was stunned. Before she could recover from the shock of the exiled immortal climbing over the wall, she was picked up and jumped over the low wall, landing lightly in the dark back alley.
The mansion, which was originally far away from human habitation, was even quieter at this moment, with only the occasional bird passing by, leaving behind a string of melodious calls.
She originally thought that Yan Jing would choose a more elegant way to travel, but she didn't expect that the way of life is so simple.
Yan Jing gently put Wen Ying down, took out half of a gold-thread mask from his sleeve, and put it on his face.
The golden hollow patterns and the scarlet tassels of the earrings echoed each other, revealing a different kind of beauty, pulling him from the ninth heaven into the human world.
Feeling the gaze glued to his face, Yan Jing tilted his head slightly to the side, and seeing the girl's still somewhat dazed expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.
A bony hand was raised, across Wen Ying's sight, forcing her to come back to her senses. Suddenly, half a gold-thread mask appeared in the empty hand and was handed to Wen Ying.
"In order to avoid being disturbed by outsiders, I am sorry to trouble you, miss."
Is this the skill of “God Chuyang”?
Wen Ying held back her smile, took the mask, and ran her fingertips over the bumps on it. Suddenly, she felt it was somewhat familiar, and when she looked up again, she discovered a clue.
This half of the mask and Yan Jing's half just fit together to form a whole mask, forming a pair that complements each other.
Yan Jing looked towards the end of the alley, and after confirming that no one was passing by, he extended his hand to Wen Ying and invited her, "The road ahead is a little difficult to walk, Miss, please hold on to me and don't get lost."
"good."
Wearing a mask, Wen Ying handed her hand to the other person's palm. The emerald green bracelet and the ring on Yan Jing's thumb flashed the same light under the moonlight.
The girl looked up at the man's profile, and the peace locket swayed slightly with his movements.
At this moment, they both carried the tokens given by each other, as if they had exchanged a part of each other's soul, or like a rope wrapped around each other, connecting them closely.
Yan Jing took her through several unknown alleys, which took many more turns than the previous carriage ride, so that Wen Ying's fingers were warmed by the man's temperature.
The complexity of the route made Wen Ying a little dizzy, but Yan Jing was familiar with it, as if he had walked it countless times.
"I used to take this road to secretly go to the Lantern Festival." Yan Jing seemed to understand Wen Ying's confusion and answered her at the right time.
"Why can't Lord Yan just take the carriage?" Wen Ying asked curiously.
Yan Jing's eyes dimmed for a moment, and soon he smiled again: "When I was a child, my family rules were very strict, and I couldn't recite the books. My father didn't let me go to the Lantern Festival, so I went secretly."
"Master Yan can't recite a book?" Wen Ying smiled, "I thought Master Yan was a child prodigy with a photographic memory."
His fingertips quietly kneaded the girl's knuckles, and the corners of Yan Jing's lips rose a little more: "Thank you for your kindness, Miss. It's a pity that Yan is stupid. It's common to have no results after doubling your efforts."
"If Lord Yan is stupid, then are there any smart people in the world?" Wen Ying couldn't help laughing. "Lord, please don't underestimate yourself. Leave me some room to live."
The road to the Lantern Festival is longer than before, but Yan Jing will not let Wen Ying get bored on the way and always brings up topics at the right time.
As the noise in her ears gradually grew louder, Wen Ying tore her gaze away from Yan Jing's face, and the dazzling orange and bright red instantly came into her sight.
Stars lit up between the branches of the locust trees on the street, and several lotus lanterns floated down along the canal of the imperial city. The colorful silk gauze tied on the treetops by the water was half transparent due to the water vapor. A long breeze blew and fluttered across the sky, like flowing neon lights.
When I was a child, I walked with my parents. From my low perspective, I could only see pedestrians passing by in a hurry. The most profound memory in my mind was my mother’s smiling face.
Looking at it again now, I can clearly understand the meaning of the four words "fire trees and silver flowers".
Her hand was clenched a little tighter, and Wen Ying turned her head and looked up at Yan Jing. The man's face was immersed in a warm yellow halo, and his eyebrows and eyes, which were usually cold and distant, were exceptionally gentle at this moment.
The light reflected in Yan Jing's eyes, which seemed to be full of stars. He smiled and said, "Miss, there are so many people here, please don't get separated from me."
Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks became hot. Wen Ying subconsciously lowered her head, not daring to look at the affectionate eyes. She just followed Yan Jing's footsteps and walked slowly.
"Miss, would you like to eat something?" Yan Jing seemed not to notice the girl's shyness, and asked gently and concernedly, "You walked a lot tonight, do you need some energy?"
These roads were not even a warm-up for the generals, but Wen Ying could not say no and just nodded slightly when she heard it.
Yan Jing couldn't help but find it funny. He always felt that she would agree with whatever he said.
If only she could stay like this tonight...
Taking the roundest and plumpest bunch of candied strawberries from the street vendor's shelf, Yan Jing paid for it and handed it to Wen Ying.
Wen Ying took a bite of one, and the sweet taste immediately spread in her mouth, sweeping away all the negative emotions, and she couldn't help but smile.
Yan Jing lowered his eyes, a smile on his lips: "If I had known that Miss liked it, I should have sent you some every day."
"If you eat it every day, you're probably going to rot your teeth." Wen Ying joked with a smile.
"Ah, I didn't think of that." Yan Jing finished speaking, pretending to be in deep thought, "Then it's my fault. I'm willing to have my teeth rot with you to make amends."
Wen Ying raised her eyebrows slightly: "Isn't it too early to lose all your teeth now? Let's wait until we are old."
His eyes suddenly lit up, and after a moment Yan Jing whispered: "Miss, are you willing to..." go with me to that day?
"good!"
A sudden cheer came from a distance, interrupting Yan Jing's words.
Wen Ying's attention was instantly drawn there, looking at the area three floors beyond three floors.
Yan Jing stopped talking in time and asked, "Want to go and see?"
That was a close call…
Wen Ying responded, her almond eyes sparkling, nodding frantically: "I want to!"
Yan Jing chuckled, holding the girl's hand and walking through the crowd, walking against the light.
Amid the lights, wine and women, and the bustling crowds, no one knew their identities. They were just an ordinary couple in the world.
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