Having frightened everyone, Xiao Xin went out to throw the insect away, while Xu Rong stood in the room gathering his energy—he wasn't really angry, but he wasn't entirely unsatisfied either.
I still have the urge to grind my teeth.
Xiao Xin returned quickly. In the deep twilight, his hands were half-hidden in his sleeves, as if he were holding something again.
Xu Rong squinted and felt the anger level steadily rising.
Are you coming again?
She won't tolerate it anymore if it happens again.
She had planned to launch her attack ahead of time. Xiao Xin stepped into the main room, extending his right hand with a small, blooming flower at the tip of his finger.
Pale yellow, two flowers close together, slender stamens, trembling slightly with his movements.
Xu Rong: "...cough."
She suppressed a laugh, turned to her and instructed the maid, "Fetch water for the second young master to wash his hands."
After saying that, seeing that Xiao Xin's hand was still outstretched and he refused to put down the flower, she reached out and took it, placing it on a corner of the tea tray on the table as decoration. Then she glanced at him and said, "It seems that the Second Young Master's studies are not heavy enough."
They still have the energy to keep playing pranks on people.
Xiao Xin said, "It's alright."
Xin Cheng came over with a basin of water and bent down to wash his hands.
He really didn't hold back. Xu Rong warned him, "I've already told the teacher on your behalf."
Xiao Xin glanced at her and asked, "Does an official do such a thing?"
Xu Rong couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Xin Cheng was also secretly laughing to himself.
After having dinner in a relaxed atmosphere, Xu Rong then said, "Second Young Master, I have something to ask you."
Xiao Xin stopped walking towards the east side room and followed her to the warm pavilion.
Not wanting to take up too much of his time, Xu Rong sat down and asked, "Second Young Master, how much do you know about Prince Qing?"
She herself knew almost nothing, except for one thing that Xiao Xin had told her before.
When she transmigrated, Prince Qing had already been living in Pingliang Prefecture for over a decade, and few people in the capital remembered that he was such a person, so naturally, he was not mentioned in public.
Xiao Xin hesitated for a moment, then instead of asking why she asked, he asked, "What aspect do you want to know?"
Xu Rong noticed a hint of surprise in his tone: "Does the Second Young Master know so much?"
This is strange, because Xiao Xin is quite old, and he shouldn't have any memories of Prince Qing's glorious days, unless he specifically inquired about it later.
Xiao Xin said, "Sir, you have been talking about current affairs of the dynasty, and you have just reached this point in the last two days."
Good man!
Xu Rong was filled with respect and hurriedly said, "Then tell me all about it."
It wouldn't be too much to talk about everything.
The most noteworthy parts of Prince Qing's life—or more accurately, the parts that Mr. Su should mention—are concentrated in the first twenty-two years.
Prince Qing's mother was the late emperor's favorite concubine, which meant that Prince Qing received more favor from birth than the current emperor. The late emperor was so biased that he suppressed the eldest son and delayed bestowing any title upon him. As a result, the court officials on both sides were locked in a tug-of-war for many years. Among them, the civil officials mostly supported the eldest son, while the military officials, seeing the late emperor's opinion, supported Prince Qing more.
The two camps were not entirely pure, and each had its own rebellious elements. For example, the father of Consort Ruan, a Hanlin scholar, drafted a memorial requesting that the mother of Prince Qing be made empress. Meanwhile, the Duke of Yingguo, a member of the military, finally sided with the current emperor after a long period of silence. Once the Duke of Yingguo made his stance clear, the Marquis of Changxing, who was related by marriage, and other aristocratic families who were on good terms with him followed suit. While the military lost a powerful ally, they were unable to gain an equally significant amount of support from the civil officials. The two forces gradually shifted in strength.
Perhaps it was fate, but the late emperor's headaches worsened at this time. He thought it was a warning from heaven and felt fear and helplessness. Finally, he gave in to his court officials, made his eldest son the crown prince, and carefully selected Luoyang Prefecture in Henan as the fiefdom for Prince Qing.
Less than a year later, the late emperor passed away, and the current emperor ascended the throne.
Throughout the year, Prince Qing did not go to his fiefdom. He stayed in the capital under the pretext of serving the late emperor. The late emperor loved him and could not bear to send him away. As a result, Prince Qing did not stay in his prosperous and wealthy fiefdom for a single day and did not manage to build any power. Later, he fell into the hands of the current emperor, who promptly changed his fiefdom and sent him to Pingliang Prefecture.
"Too much love can be harmful," Xu Rong sighed.
Henan is located in the heart of the Central Plains, and Luoyang is the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, but Prince Qing still looked down on it. The late emperor also indulged him, which resulted in him eating sand.
“It is said,” Xiao Xin glanced at her and lowered his voice, “that Prince Qing’s refusal to leave is a last-ditch effort.”
Xu Rong exclaimed, "He wants to rebel?"
In today's peaceful times, it's hard to believe that nearly twenty years ago, it was almost a chaotic era—and the reason I say almost is because Prince Qing obviously failed to rebel; otherwise, he would have faced more than just the sandstorms on the frontier.
Xiao Xin nodded: "It is said that he recruited some people who wanted to gain merit by following the emperor. He was favored by the late emperor and had more convenient access to the palace than the emperor who was already the crown prince at that time. However, the emperor was one step ahead. In the year before the late emperor died, he suffered from frequent headaches and was unable to manage affairs. The emperor appointed the crown prince to oversee the country. He not only controlled the affairs of the court, but also gradually gathered and eliminated the people in the harem who belonged to Prince Qing's faction. On the night the late emperor passed away, Prince Qing was delayed in receiving the news and did not even have time to see the late emperor one last time."
"King Qing has fallen behind and knows there is no way to reverse the situation, so he has given up."
Xu Rong hesitated for a moment: "This—isn't easy either."
The victor is certainly worthy of praise, but the determination to pull back from the brink is by no means simple. Turn the pages of history, and you'll see many people who, even when faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, still chose to crash into it.
Xiao Xin nodded: "The master also said so. The best thing Prince Qing did was not to actually rebel."
A light rain was falling outside the window, and people's minds calmed down. Xu Rong put together the information he had received and pondered for a while before looking up and asking, "Second Young Master, you just said that your household supported the current emperor in that power struggle?"
Xiao Xin: "Yes. My grandfather was still alive at that time."
In other words, the person in charge at that time was the old Marquis Xiao. Marquis Xiao was only in his early twenties at the time, and he probably couldn't make any decisions regarding the future and fate of the entire family.
Lord Xiao undoubtedly chose the right side by siding with the Duke of Ying, and thus reaped rich rewards, ensuring the family's continued prosperity to this day. In contrast, the two Hanlin scholars who chose the wrong side were unfortunate, and were nearly wiped out by the reckoning that followed.
Xu Rong thought for a moment and found another angle: "What about the Duke of Zheng's mansion?"
“The Duke of Zheng’s mansion did not make a clear statement at the time,” Xiao Xin replied. “However, the Duke’s heir—who is now the Duke of Zheng—became too close to Prince Qing and was tied up and beaten by the old Duke of Zheng.”
Xu Rong nodded slowly, which was tantamount to making a statement. This beating would at least prevent him from incurring the Emperor's displeasure, so the Duke of Zheng's mansion remained safe and sound. After the past was buried in time, the Duke of Zheng was even able to take charge of the capital's guards.
Overall, the older generation of dukes and marquises had first-rate vision and intuition, while the younger generation was a step behind. Duke Zheng was beaten by his father before he turned his back on his ways. Marquis Xiao may not have done anything when the struggle for the throne was at its most intense, but when the current emperor ascended the throne and began to purge, he went to rescue Concubine Ruan. His lack of clear thinking was even greater than that of Duke Zheng.
but--
Xu Rong tapped his finger on the table. Did Lord Xiao really not do anything?
Putting everything else aside, his affair with Aunt Ruan must have taken time to develop, and that time must have been before the Ruan family was destroyed.
Two long, slender fingers reached out and tapped next to her finger.
Xu Rong snapped out of her daze and looked up to see Xiao Xin slightly raise his eyebrows, his eyes conveying a "it's your turn" message.
He only asked now whether it counted as being able to tolerate it, but Xu Rong still hesitated. She didn't expect that a simple case of her fiancé's infidelity would become so complicated, like digging potatoes, digging out one after another, and finally pulling out a whole string of them. Moreover, who knows which one is actually not a potato, but a landmine disguised as a potato, which will explode and cause a whole bunch to explode.
Her ultimate goal was simply to take her dowry and leave; she didn't want to get involved this deeply.
Moreover, she used to be just an ordinary citizen, and she might not be able to handle such a high-level situation where one wrong move could lead to her utter ruin.
"Did you hear anything while you were outside today?" She didn't answer, so Xiao Xin asked directly, "Was it with your sister-in-law? Was it related to Prince Qing?"
All correct.
It wasn't difficult to deduce these things from her question. Xu Rong sighed and could only say, "Actually, it's nothing."
She recited the conversation between Master Chang and Chang Shuyin.
Even now, when she thinks back on it, she still doesn't think it was anything special; it was just an ordinary conversation between family members. The only thing that made the situation seem unusual was Chang Shuyin's reaction.
Things that could be said freely by the bustling lakeside, could not be heard by her—or rather, Chang Shuyin believed that she should not be heard by her.
Master Chang's behavior was perfectly normal.
This can only lead back to the point of conflict between her and Chang Shuyin. Chang Shuyin was so frightened, was it because it resembled a certain scene being replicated?
The same conversation, the same person mentioned, and she stumbled upon it in the same way—
However, that time, it was with Xiao Lun.
Then a new question arises: Chang Shuyin took the opportunity of going on a spring outing to bid farewell to her brother, and it was normal for her to mention Prince Qing when talking about her brother's journey. She and Xiao Lun had a private rendezvous, and they didn't talk about romance. Why would they suddenly talk about Prince Qing?
Going a step further, we can talk about it. Prince Qing was just defeated, not turned into Voldemort. We can't even mention it. Why were we so scared?
"You suspect that my family had a past relationship with Prince Qing?" Xiao Xin didn't retract his finger; it remained beside her. He pointed again, automatically stating the final conclusion that all the clues pointed to without her having to explain.
Xu Rong glanced at him silently.
I feel like he's gotten smarter and harder to fool. It's true that studying hard makes a difference.
Xiao Xin narrowed his eyes slightly, straightened his fingers, and just as he was about to touch her fingertips, he curled them back, but his gaze deepened: "I guessed right?"
What else could Xu Rong say but nod?
Is there a reward?
Xu Rong: "...?"
She was immediately filled with questions.
"Second Young Master, what are you thinking about?" she couldn't help but ask. "If something really goes wrong, you'll be in danger too!"
She instantly felt as if Xiao Xin and she were from different dimensions. She was on one side of the turbulent court politics, while Xiao Xin was on—somewhere else, on another boat. She was worried about the boat capsizing, while he found the gentle waves pleasant.
Xiao Xin put on a stern face: "Oh."
His facial expressions were convincing, but his voice lacked sincerity.
Xu Rong was speechless. Seeing his hand placed to the side as if he was about to make a move—or rather, he was itching to do something—she casually flicked her finger and tapped the back of his hand: "Alright, I know you're in a good mood now."
Mr. Su is truly capable; he's such a good teacher.
Xiao Xin withdrew his hand after being tapped by her, but instead of doing so, he smiled, looking calm and satisfied: "Don't be afraid, we are not the ones who should be afraid the most."
This point is now accurately grasped and understood.
Xu Rong regained his composure and nodded.
She discussed the matter with Xiao Xin for a few more minutes and concluded: "Second Young Master, your studies should be your priority. This matter is important, but there's no rush."
The fact that it has survived so many years peacefully suggests that the possibility of a sudden explosion is unlikely.
With only two months left until the county examination in June, this is the most urgent task and their real goal. It is not worth being interrupted by any distractions.
Xiao Xin looked at her and said, "I know."
His voice was serious this time.
He has already envisioned his future and secured his reward; no matter what happens, he will not stop.
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