Suspect
"My lord, it is already dark. The prince is worried that you will be too tired, so he has asked you to stay at Yunxiao Pavilion tonight."
Jiang Yan had already come to her senses, but after hearing Huang Ying repeat herself, she was filled with panic.
"No! We have to go back!!"
She had no desire to stay in Yunxiao Pavilion and lie in Shangguan Zeyu's bed!
Putting aside the possibility that Shangguan Zeyu might scare her to death if he were to share a bed with her, even the next day, the spittle from Xiao Yiqing, Wang Qianqian, and Wu Lanyu would be enough to drown her.
She doesn't want to compete for favor!
I don't want to become their target!
She just wanted to feign affection to get Shangguan Zeyu to fulfill her demands, that's all!
Jiang Yan noticed that her legs were trembling slightly. She threw off the covers, put on her shoes, and prepared to return to Pear Blossom Residence.
Huang Ying tugged at her right arm: "My lady, the prince has already said so, this..."
Jiang Yan was anxious, fearing that Shangguan Zeyu would return at this critical moment, so she hurriedly and seriously said, "You don't want me to end up like Shen Qianqian, do you?"
The oriole was startled and froze for a moment.
Jiang Yan didn't say anything more, grabbed her left arm, and ran out of Yunxiao Pavilion.
Inside the study, Shangguan Zeyu, dressed in a white robe, sat at the table reading a book.
The warm orange light gently bathed him, softening his otherwise austere profile.
"Your Highness, the Consort has returned to Pear Blossom Residence."
Shangguan Zeyu was surprised. He paused for a moment, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"This only makes me more curious!"
Zhang Qin paused for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, Prince Su has been staying close to the Empress Dowager these past few days."
"What's the Emperor's attitude?" He then picked up his book again.
"The Emperor acted as if he knew nothing about this."
"Then let's pretend we don't know anything about this and not act rashly."
"It's the Prince. And..."
"......"
Zhang Qin was in a dilemma. He glanced at Shangguan Zeyu several times but couldn't bring himself to say what was on the tip of his tongue.
"Zhang Qin! You've been by my side for quite a while now, haven't you? Do you want me to guess what's on your mind?"
Zhang Qin quickly lowered his head: "Your Highness, please calm down. The truth is... Master Liu sent someone to inquire about... the marriage of the second young lady of the Liu family." He lowered his head even further.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Zeyu was indeed enraged.
"Hmph! He dares to ask! Doesn't he know what happened that day? I didn't punish him, yet he uses this to try and control me!!"
Zhang Qin didn't dare to say a word.
Shangguan Zeyu put down the book he was holding in his right hand and slowly stood up.
He stared sharply in Zhang Qin's direction, but didn't look at Zhang Qin directly; instead, he looked elsewhere through Zhang Qin's eyes.
He remained silent for a long time before letting out a slight sneer: "It seems the rumors are true. Liu Xiangyi really does favor his youngest daughter, disregarding the feelings and position of her own eldest daughter."
Only then did Zhang Qin dare to ask again, "Your Highness, Master Liu and Prince Su are so close, why not marry the second young lady of the Liu family to Prince Su, instead of wanting to marry into Prince Duan's mansion?"
"Of course, they want to plant spies around me again."
"Your Highness, if Consort Liu is a spy planted by Prince Su by your side, wouldn't the second young lady of the Liu family pose a great threat to you if she were to enter the manor again?"
Shangguan Zeyu didn't care at all and was very confident.
"Whether Consort Liu is a spy or not, I am not yet certain, but it is absolutely impossible for the second young lady of the Liu family to marry into the Prince Duan's mansion!!!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Have your men continue to keep an eye on the Liu residence. Do not take action unless absolutely necessary, so as not to alert the enemy."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
Zhang Qin left, and Shangguan Zeyu stared at a certain spot in front of him, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.
Jiang Yan was in a panic and took Huang Ying back to her Pear Blossom Residence.
"There's no place like home! My Pear Blossom Abode is so much better, so peaceful." With her hands behind her back, she walked casually into the room. "At least she's back safe and sound. We'll deal with the rest tomorrow!"
Huang Ying followed behind her, her face full of worry and confusion.
After following her into the house, she finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Master, I don't understand."
Jiang Yan was already sitting at the round table. He poured her a cup of cold tea and she drank it.
She gestured for her to continue.
Huang Ying: "Why are you so afraid to stay in Yunxiao Pavilion? The Prince is not angry, nor does he blame you."
Jiang Yan sighed, looked at her, and said.
"Huang Ying, didn't I say before that I don't want to stay in this era forever?"
"Mmm." Huang Ying nodded obediently, her eyes still showing loneliness and regret.
Jiang Yan saw it and felt very sad, but she couldn't respond to her or give her hope.
"I don't want to fall in love with someone in this era! And I especially don't want to have children!!"
The oriole still lowered its head and obediently nodded.
Jiang Yan felt a tightness in her chest. After all, she and Huang Ying had spent so much time together, and they would continue to spend time together in the future. It was impossible for her not to feel sad and reluctant to part with her.
But she was ultimately not a person of this era!
Unable to adapt to the subservient lifestyle of this era where "men are superior".
"The efforts we're making now, besides seeking justice for your young lady, are also preparing for my departure from here. I used to think that I wouldn't offend others unless they offended me, but as you've seen, many times, many things are simply unavoidable if I don't get involved. Since that's the case, then I'll join the ranks of those vying for favor, but it will only be insincere, not for any real reason. So I don't want to do anything unnecessary."
"Master, I understand! I understand all these things!!" Huang Ying raised her eyes, which were now clear and firm.
Jiang Yan guessed that she must be thinking of her poor but kind young lady, Liu Ruyi, so she stood up and gently patted her shoulder, "It's getting late, go to rest."
Just as Jiang Yan had feared, the news that she had slept in Yunxiao Pavilion yesterday and left Yunxiao Pavilion at night spread throughout the entire palace overnight.
Early in the morning, Jiang Yan's heart started pounding as soon as she heard the news Huang Ying had found out from the kitchen.
She guessed that within an hour, Xiao Yiqing would definitely send someone to invite her to Peach Blossom Village, or Wang Qianqian and Wu Lanyu would definitely come to cause her trouble.
She had no appetite, ate a little bit, and then sat at the round table, waiting for the trouble to come.
She waited for almost an hour before Wu Lanyu arrived, but she didn't come to cause her any trouble; instead, she came to bring her food.
Jiang Yan was very puzzled, but even more so, he was wary!
"Why isn't my sister enjoying the cool air in the courtyard today?"
Wu Lanyu is truly an "oddball"!
Sometimes she can be like a well-mannered and refined lady, polite and cultured, but other times she can be like a sharp-tongued, troublemaking madwoman, making her want to avoid her at all costs.
Just like now, she is taking such good care of her, pouring her tea and handing her the delicious food she brought, urging her to try it. She is very confused and puzzled, and does not know how to respond.
"Madam Wu, there's no need for that. I'll do it myself."
But Wu Lanyu's hands, which were busy arranging the pastries, showed no sign of stopping.
She said, "Sister, these pastries are really delicious! I especially love them. I brought some for Princess Consort and Princess Consort, and they both tried them and said they were delicious." She then handed one to Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan doesn't really like eating pastries, which are soft, crumbly, and sweet, but when she's hungry and there's nothing else to eat, she forces herself to eat some.
Last time, she pretended to be kind and brought her some snacks, but after eating them, she didn't want to smell anything sweet for a long time!
Jiang Yan glanced at the green pastry with a "福" (fortune) character imprinted on it that Wu Lanyu had handed her, and managed a weak smile.
"No, I don't want to eat anymore."
Wu Lanyu's expression changed slightly, but it changed so quickly that Jiang Yan hadn't even figured out what it meant before she smiled sweetly and innocently, just like at the beginning.
“If my sister says she’s not eating anymore, then she’s not eating anymore. I think my sister must still have something to do, so I won’t bother her.” With that, she picked up the round, half-sized bamboo basket she had brought and left.
Jiang Yan was overjoyed. She stood up, looked at her slender back, and pretended to ask her to stay a little longer, "Sister, won't you sit a little longer?"
"......"
"Hmph! You're crazy! Are you deaf?!"
Jiang Yan found the sweetness overwhelming and poured herself three cups of tea, drinking them all before discussing with Huang Ying why Wu Lanyu had sent her the snacks.
It's quite common for the sisters to exchange gifts, but she had never done so before, so she didn't think there would be any problem with the pastries. Besides, she had already eaten the pastries that Wu Lanyu had given her before, and nothing happened to her.
"My lady, I think Madam Wu's enthusiasm today is too strange."
“I also think there’s something wrong, but she seems to be like this all the time, sometimes good and sometimes bad, which is hard to figure out.”
“My lord, when Madam Wu was watching you eat your snacks, I was observing her the whole time. I noticed that the way she looked at you was… very sinister. It was the kind of look that seemed to be maliciously mocking someone, and it made me feel very uncomfortable.”
Jiang Yan thought Huang Ying was overthinking things and smiled dismissively: "You're taking things too seriously, aren't you? I didn't see anything."
“My lord, I can assure you that I did not overthink it, nor did I misjudge it.”
Huang Ying was very serious and determined, which made Jiang Yan's back break out in goosebumps, and his stomach also seemed to hurt slightly.
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