Chapter 59 Your humble servant, the Princess, is honored by your invitation. ...
The moment this thought popped into her head, Yu Nie was stunned.
When you meet an acquaintance, even if the other person simply calls you by your childhood nickname, there's no need to feel your eyes well up with tears.
"Rong Yune, Rong Yune, aren't you being a little too sentimental?" A voice suddenly popped into her mind.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she could not reveal all her feelings. She could only turn her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips, and stroke the guqin, praising with a smile: "Lord Huan is truly meticulous, noticing even the smallest things. This princess likes it very much."
Huan Xun gazed at her, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant thanks Your Highness for your kindness."
After saying that, he turned around and sat back down in his original seat.
He deliberately revealed her identity, hoping to see her panicked or pleading look. Teasing her like this was merely a pastime for him when he felt like it.
But the person in front of him reacted unexpectedly. He had considered everything, but he never expected that her eyes would turn red.
"A bit boring." The thought popped into his head for a moment, but he quickly dismissed it.
For some reason, the amusing joy in my heart suddenly faded, replaced by a vague and inexplicable sense of unease.
It's like when you've cornered your prey in a hunting game, but just as the arrow is released, you see its moist eyes.
He pressed his thumb against the edge of the jade thumb ring until his fingertip was deeply embedded, yet he seemed not to feel any pain.
The summer sun blazed fiercely, and the heat was so intense that the floor was burning hot.
Yu Nie couldn't stand the heat, so he sent someone to bring in an ice chest.
Before long, several guards in white carried in a bronze enamel ice chest. Wisps of cold air seeped out, instantly reducing the heat inside the pavilion.
Song Ai then ordered the kitchen to prepare crispy mountain and ice cream, which were served to the four people in the hall.
The crispy mountain was drizzled with amber honey syrup, and Yu Nie drank it with great pleasure, as she loved sweets the most.
Putting down his spoon, Xiao Chengyan was very curious about what she did all day at the temple.
Yu Nie, feeling completely at ease, recounted her daily routine at the Taoist temple. Although she had never stayed in a temple before, they were all monks, and their daily schedules were basically the same.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengyan pressed on, asking, "Does my cousin have any favorite scriptures?"
She answered almost subconsciously: "The Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture".
As soon as she finished speaking, her heart tightened. It was reasonable for a Taoist temple to recite the Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing, but for Shunhe to speak of a Taoist classic while in a Buddhist sanctuary was bound to arouse suspicion.
Realizing her slip of the tongue, she remained composed, scooped up a spoonful of crispy pastry, and in the blink of an eye, had already prepared her excuse, her smile growing even gentler:
"Speaking of which, I often read Buddhist scriptures. Besides the Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing, I also really like the Shurangama Sutra and the Diamond Sutra."
Of all the answers she gave, she had only actually read the "Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing"; the other two were just made up from novels.
No one present thought much of it, except for Huan Xun.
Xiao Chengyan scratched his hair, a hint of embarrassment appearing between his brows:
To my shame, I have never read any classical texts, only the Four Books and Five Classics. Had I known this would happen, I should have studied more with my grandmother. Had I known I would be discussing the classics with my cousin today, I should have diligently studied with my grandmother. Now I realize how shallow I have been.”
“Cousin, you flatter me. Although I have read some books, I only know the basics. As the ancients said, ‘There is a sequence to learning, and each profession has its own expertise.’ Your strengths are precisely my weaknesses, and what I know may be beyond your knowledge. If you still humbly claim to be shallow, how can I bear it?”
She suddenly sighed softly, "It's a pity that time waits for no one. If it weren't for the need to go to the border to learn etiquette, my sister could have asked my cousin what the Four Books were about. We wouldn't be in such a rush, and we wouldn't even have time to learn from him. This is probably... fate playing tricks on us."
There is less than a month left before we head to the frontier.
She said these words in front of a hall full of guests, ostensibly as a humble statement, but secretly speaking to herself. This marriage arrangement needed to be broken up as soon as possible.
She doesn't want to marry an old man.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengyan, who was sitting behind his desk, unusually tensed up. He exchanged a glance with Zhao Yuntuan, but remained silent.
Huan Xun sipped his tea, remaining silent as well.
As a foreign official, he should not speak at this time.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Yu Nie thought he had said something he shouldn't have. He secretly glanced at Cuiwei, then changed the subject and asked Xiao Chengyan if he had been to the National Temple.
Xiao Chengyan said, "Since I came to Beiye, I have never been to Shuoyang Temple, but I have been to the outskirts of Jian'an City many times."
He replied to her, "The fortune-telling at Yongxing Temple is very effective. There is a thousand-year-old locust tree there. The abbot said that as long as you make a sincere wish in front of the locust tree, it will definitely come true."
It's quite unusual to enter a temple and make a vow to a tree instead of a deity.
The image of the locust tree from her hometown reappeared before Yu Nie's eyes. She didn't know if it was the temple's efficacy or if the tree was more able to understand human speech.
He smiled broadly and invited her, "Would you be interested in coming, sister?"
For Yu Nie, traveling with unfamiliar people was like sitting on pins and needles.
Just as she was about to respond, a series of light footsteps came from outside the hall. A eunuch bowed and entered, his high-pitched voice echoing in the hall: "Your Highness, Princess Linchuan and Princess Jingyi have arrived at the palace gates and have come to pay their respects."
Two more people whose names she had never heard of. Seeing her slightly startled expression, Song Ai realized that she was not familiar with these two people, and immediately understood. She lowered her voice and explained, "Princess Linchuan is the daughter of Consort Gao and is the same age as Your Highness. Princess Jingyi is one year older than the princess and is the only daughter of Consort Cui."
Upon hearing that someone had come to visit, Huan Xun and Xiao Chengyan exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word.
Xiao Chengyan said, "Since you have distinguished guests here, we will not disturb you any further."
As he spoke, he stood up first, cupped his hands and said, "Then it's settled that we agreed to meet at Yongxing Temple. I will come to pick up my cousin outside the temple at Shenshi the day after tomorrow."
Before she could refuse, Xiao Chengyan laughed loudly and strode towards the door.
Zhao Yuntuan nodded and followed him away.
Huan Xun's gaze swept subtly between Xiao Chengyan and her, finally lingering on her face for a moment before he lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant takes his leave."
“Zi…” In the entire Jian’an, he was the only person she recognized. Seeing that he was about to leave, she subconsciously wanted to stop him, but due to etiquette, she couldn’t bring herself to call out to him and had to swallow her unfinished words again.
She glanced around and could only straighten her face, saying, "Lord Huan, you may leave now."
Fortunately, she already knew where he lived. Watching his receding figure, she thought to herself that she had to find an opportunity to meet him privately.
More people, more help—it's always better than her racking her brains alone trying to figure out how to cancel the marriage proposal.
*
After leaving Hongzheng Pavilion, Huan Xun, Xiao Chengyan, and Zhao Yuntuan easily mounted their horses.
Zhao Yuntuan was already married. He had promised his wife that he would return home early that day. After exchanging a few words with the other two, he turned his horse around and headed east.
Xiao Chengyan watched his friend Zhao Yuntuan's departing figure, then turned to Huan Xun and asked, "Brother Huan, are you also in trouble?"
Huan Xun reined in his horse and headed towards the Imperial Secretariat: "If the Prince of Guangning is referring to official business, I do indeed have a few memorials yet to be reviewed."
Knowing he would say that, Xiao Chengyan followed him without caring whether he was alright or not.
The two horses rode side by side at a moderate pace.
The sun was blazing, making it difficult for Xiao Er to open his eyes. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight and squinted at the person beside him: "Brother Huan's gift today has far exceeded my expectations. I thought that since I dragged you here, you would just pick a random gift to get by."
In this situation, Princess Shunhe's status was indeed somewhat awkward. Although she was born into royalty, her mother was merely a lowly palace maid, and because of her unlucky fate, she was considered an ominous person from a young age. Within this royal family, she had no real power or backing; she was nothing more than a pawn about to be abandoned in the borderlands.
Who would present such a priceless guqin, "Luqi," as a gift to a princess in such dire straits?
Anyone who came here would think he was "crazy" for doing this, let alone Xiao Chengyan.
Huan Xun said calmly, "It's just a zither; it doesn't matter who gets it."
After hearing this, Xiao Chengyan shook his head, not to deny it: "Only you, Brother Huan, in the entire Beiye, let alone Beiye, even if you add Nanyin together, you can't find a second person like you. Fame and fortune, you seem to care about nothing."
Huan Xun turned his gaze, his smile enigmatic: "The most dangerous thing is to care about nothing."
Xiao Chengyan laughed twice but didn't reply.
He mentioned the invitation for the day after tomorrow and asked him, "Brother Huan, would you like to come along at Shenshi (3-5 PM) the day after tomorrow?"
Huan Xun seemed indifferent to whether he responded or not, replying, "It would be impolite for an outsider like me to disturb Your Highness and the Princess's gathering."
Saying it's not appropriate is actually a complete rejection.
In officialdom, sometimes it's best not to make absolute statements.
He needs Xiao Chengyan as a pawn, but that doesn't mean he has to get too close to him in everything.
A war between Bei Ye and Nan Yin is inevitable, and both sides are secretly planning it. Only Xiao Chengyan, a "hostage," still hopes that the two countries can maintain peace. His elder brother, Xiao Chengzun, has not sent anyone to invite him back for a small reunion for two years.
If he still couldn't see through the trickery, he truly felt that this person could only ever be a mascot.
But these are not the key points. The key points are natural disaster-like cruelty, ingratitude, and suspicion.
When he returned to Jian'an, he was essentially a "hostage." The supreme ruler, residing deep within the palace, was by nature harsh and suspicious, and he was most averse to seeing his subjects getting too close to the enemy.
His position is special, and there's no need to arouse his suspicion. Otherwise, what would be the point of his elaborate scheme?
Seeing that he wasn't going, Xiao Chengyan guessed, "Was it because you ran into Linchuan and Jingyi earlier that you thought about His Majesty's plan to bestow a marriage upon you? You didn't find either of them to your liking?"
He comforted him, saying, "There are no other women of marriageable age in the palace, but it was just a fleeting glimpse. Brother Huan didn't get a good look, and feelings can develop over time. Don't be discouraged too soon."
While Xiao Chengyan was talking, Huan Xun remained outwardly calm, but his mind was racing.
Rong Yunie transformed into Princess Shunhe, and this sudden change completely disrupted his plans.
His original plan was to find out the situation in Jian'an and then send someone to kidnap her.
The plan was never implemented, but it has already been nipped in the bud.
Which link in the chain went wrong?
It seems... he needs to find an opportunity to personally unravel this mystery of the real and fake princesses, to see which link in the chain went wrong.
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