On the day Minister Liu departed for Pingjin, no one wanted to see him off.
Only Xu Nian, with Da Bao and Er Bao, stood on the city wall. Watching the young man, a man of great talent, gradually walk away, they witnessed his success in the imperial examination.
He entered the imperial court as an official at the age of twenty-two, and the Liu family was one of the most prominent families of the time in the capital.
Liu Ru'an was even more popular back then than Gu Zhan is now.
All the wealthy and noble ladies wanted to marry him, but he followed the last wish of the man in the album and married Madam Liu, who was famous in the capital at the time.
The two lived a respectful but distant relationship for many years, but their families arranged for Liu Ru'an to take several concubines. This further weakened their already fragile bond.
I've heard that during the years Lord Liu was sent on assignments abroad, he always took his concubines with him.
Lady Liu stayed in the capital because she was pregnant and could not bear the sandstorms of the Northwest.
When Lord Liu returned, his daughter was already three years old. Meanwhile, his concubine's son was two. As the first son in the family, he naturally received more attention.
Looking into the distance in another direction, one could see the location of the nunnery where Liu Qingmei was imprisoned.
"You two must never settle for whatever comes your way in the future. If you do marry, it should be someone you truly love, understand?"
The two children seemed to understand, but they still nodded.
To be honest, sometimes I feel sorry for Liu Qingmei.
There's always a reason why someone is pitiful.
If she had been a little smarter and hadn't forced her way into the morning court session, perhaps her fate would have been different.
"When Liu Qingmei did everything, she never thought about her family. Now, she is reaping what she sowed and will spend the rest of her life with a Buddhist lamp and a Buddha."
If someone familiar with Xu Nian were present, they would notice that although her eyes and brows still radiate a lively spirit.
But there's an added sense of composure and responsibility in them.
In the live stream, the white-bearded old man, who had been silently watching, stroked his beard. He nodded with considerable satisfaction, knowing that the ordeal was not about losing a lot of money or causing his apprentice to suffer.
Instead, it allows these children, who have grown up in the Taoist temple since childhood, to experience the hardships and joys of life.
"Princess Fu'an? I've long admired your name."
Once Liu Ru'an's figure was out of sight, Xu Nian was about to leave with her two children when she noticed someone standing behind her.
Wearing a moon-white robe and a jade and silver crown, he still looked somewhat young.
When those eyes looked at her, the scrutinizing gaze was undisguised. It was an extremely rude, even somewhat offensive, look.
As Gu Zhan had once told her, this fifth prince displayed an unusually timid demeanor, much like a hamster, in front of ordinary people.
He shielded Da Bao and Er Bao behind him and said, "Greetings, Fifth Prince. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. Farewell."
"etc."
Jiang Yuanche made a mistake and blocked Xu Nian's path. "I have heard that Princess Fu'an is a famous ghost-catching Taoist priest in the capital. Her magic is so powerful that even the vengeful ghosts of Xiangyang Prefecture are no match for her. I have always wanted to see for myself. Does Princess Fu'an have the time?"
"Everyone says that the Fifth Prince is timid and soft-hearted. But his actions now are quite different from what has been said about him."
Xu Nian smiled coldly, her hands behind her back already forming hand seals, ready to unleash a heavenly lightning bolt to strike this person dead if he made a mistake!
Ignoring her sarcasm, the Fifth Prince's expression remained unchanged. "These are just rumors; they shouldn't be taken seriously. Princess Fu'an, please."
Xu Nian: "When did I agree to go with you?"
Jiang Yuanche didn't answer, he just clapped his hands.
Instantly, the people who had been guarding him surrounded Xu Nian and the others. They were all menacing-looking, ready to pounce at any moment if she made the slightest mistake.
"Jiang Yuanche, do you really think that without the Crown Prince and without Jiang Yuanlang, this capital is your domain?! Daring to kidnap a court lady in broad daylight, I think you have a death wish!"
Jiang Yuanche spread his hands, looking quite innocent. "What are you saying, Princess? I just wanted to invite you to my residence for a cup of tea. I was afraid you would refuse, so I resorted to this tactic."
"Is that so?" Xu Nian suddenly relaxed her body, her eyes softening. "It's not that I can't accompany Your Highness, but my two younger brothers have to go to their teacher's in the afternoon. If we're late, and the Grand Tutor in the palace complains to the Emperor, that's something neither you nor I can afford to take responsibility for."
She wanted to see what this Fifth Prince was really up to.
idiot!
Jiang Yuanche's disdainful gaze swept over Da Bao and Er Bao. Without exception, he sensed their fear and dread.
What can two children who don't even know what's going to happen to them?
He waved his hand, and after feeling relieved, his face became calm again. "What's so difficult about that? We'll just escort your two younger brothers to the palace gate when we return."
Jiang Mingyun had long ago ordered people to send Xu Nian's two younger brothers in to serve as the prince's study companions.
He would often take this opportunity to summon Xu Nian to the palace to perform divination and fortune-telling for him, and to predict good or bad fortune. After hearing that Xu Nian was also quite skilled in medicine, he would sometimes even ask Xu Nian to take his pulse.
Because she considered it a private matter, she rarely sent Eunuch Wang to deliver the imperial decree to invite people. Instead, she usually sent a message to her two children to deliver to Xu Nian.
That's exactly what he did yesterday.
But for some reason, Xu Nian did not come over even after waiting for a long time. "Perhaps he was delayed by something. Should this old servant make a trip to the General's Mansion now?"
Jiang Mingyun had been in low spirits for the past two days. He put down his brush and said, "No need. I happen to have nothing to do, so I'll go to the Imperial Study and ask those two boys what's going on."
Jiang Yuanche didn't dare to do anything to Xu Nian, as they had no past grudges. Although there had been some recent conflicts, he assumed Xu Nian was unaware of them and had no grounds to cause trouble.
Once the person was brought to the Fifth Prince's residence, they could only stay there with good food and drink. However, the burly men who had initially brought Xu Nian here did not leave.
He stayed by Xu Nian's side, not letting her have even the slightest thought of escaping.
"Fifth Prince, you seem to have quite the leisure. Why don't you go and attend to more important matters? I, the Princess, have other urgent business to attend to and cannot keep you company any longer."
Jiang Yuanche disagreed, "The princess has no real position, what important business could she possibly have? It just so happens that I also have a Xuan Master in my household, whose cultivation is profound. Why don't you meet him, princess? He has always wanted to have a match with you."
Xu Nian wanted to say it, but she couldn't say it outright. "What does Your Highness take me for? A folk performer? You can just grab anyone off the street and I'll have to compete with them?"
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