Want to go
Yan Sheng was reckless, dissolute, and audacious, and Xie Lingxi disliked him quite a bit. Upon hearing this, she lowered her voice: "Your Highness already has someone in mind?"
Logically speaking, a wife interfering in politics, especially matters of national importance that could change the world, should be criticized as "a hen crowing at dawn," but Xie Lingxi is not necessarily like that.
The princess is highly talented and capable; she is also fit to be the ruler of the country.
Yan Ying, however, had no such intention. "I only seek wealth and honor, not fame and fortune—I mean, I recently bumped into a young prince in the Cold Palace, about eight or nine years old, whose mother was a concubine who had recently died..."
"What would it be like if he became emperor?"
Another time in the cold palace.
Why does Yan Ying love picking up children so much?
Perhaps because of the brilliant example of Yan Yun, she had high hopes for the boy who was fighting with wild dogs for food, hoping that he would become a great talent and establish a great Yan dynasty.
After these words were spoken, everyone present remained silent for a long time.
The matter of choosing an heir requires careful consideration; to so readily elect someone as emperor is a reckless and hasty approach.
Xie Lingxi was speechless for once, "Have you figured out what kind of character this child has, whether he is literate, how much he knows about classics and strategies...?"
"Can a mere child really shoulder such a great responsibility?"
Yan Yun waved her hand. How could she not worry about these things? It concerned the affairs of the Great Yan Kingdom. If she wanted to live a life of leisure and elegance as a wealthy princess, this matter could not be neglected.
However, after careful consideration, the current royal bloodline is scarce. If we disregard the princes, we can only choose one from the offspring of the Prince of Pingnan and the Princess. She looked at Xiao Yin with a wistful expression: "Cousin?"
Xiao Yin glared: "My surname is not Yan."
He said, “The Prince of Pingnan has four sons, none of whom are of great talent. In particular, the Prince of Pingnan’s heir is arrogant and domineering. I had the good fortune to meet him and I will never forget it.”
"You Yan family, the wisdom and talent of your founding emperor are passed down to daughters, not sons?"
That's right.
Moreover, after seeing him in the secret passage of Fragrant Hills that day, I realized that this Prince of Pingnan was no benevolent person either, with his penchant for skinning beautiful women... If he were to truly be in power, wouldn't the entire city of Chang'an be in turmoil?
Yan Li has guarded Canglan Pass for decades, and now he is secretly extending his reach to Chang'an. Could it be that he really wants to be a loyal general who "serves the king"?
No.
"...Xiangshan? A military general?"
Xie Lingxi suddenly remembered something, and with a flash of inspiration, she looked up sharply, only to meet Liu Xu's downcast gaze.
The answer seemed obvious. She suddenly looked at the princess, who was gently shaking the peach-glazed cup, and asked, "What was Your Highness's purpose in going to Fragrant Hills that day?"
She knew that Yan Ying had never believed in Buddhism.
Yan Ying didn't hide anything, and chuckled lightly like a breeze: "Doesn't Third Sister know? Every word your husband heard is true—I went to kill someone and dispose of the body."
"And then, didn't you change your mind because you were thinking about Third Sister's illness?"
So he hurriedly left Fragrant Hills, and on the way, he sent Zhu Yu a sweet message to invite Cui Jue to the Qi Lou.
“Zhu Yu…”
Xie Lingxi pondered, "Is he one of your men? Or a wingman for the person you're working with? But I find the name 'Jade Chasing Gentleman' quite interesting—"
"Chasing jade, chasing jade, isn't that just chasing after Cui Jue, this fragile precious jade?"
Yan Ying simply said, "Whatever you say goes."
This woman is so meticulous; if she could guess everything, what would be the point of this chess game? Chang'an is boring, so we should take advantage of the situation to find some fun.
Seeing her expression, Xie Lingxi smiled subtly, realizing that what she said was true.
Now that she understood one thing, the second thing she cared about most was, "Who is the person who wants to kill Cui Sanlang? Will Your Highness tell me?"
The general was obviously not the Prince of Pingnan; if it were, A-Xu would certainly have recognized him. But she remembered that the Prince of Pingnan had a fierce general named "A-Qi-Luo," who was tall, strong, and powerful.
Was that martial artist him?
Xie Lingxi was about 70% certain.
Instead of discussing these important matters with them, Yan Ying spent a long time recounting the "great disrespect" of plotting to seize the throne, leaving much unsaid...
After thinking it over, she said, "Your Highness has done that person such a great favor; he must have promised you many benefits."
"There are no benefits, it's just a matter of each getting what they need."
It was lunchtime. Today was the fifteenth, and according to custom, Yan Ying should return to the palace to dine with the Empress. Without saying much, she straightened her clothes and bid farewell to the three of them.
“A gentleman keeps his word. I promised that person to keep this a secret. But you can guess who helped A-Yun take advantage of Yan Ji’s crushing defeat.”
After the princess left, the servants and maids of the Xiao residence brought out the dishes and two bottles of sake.
After talking all morning, the three of them were exhausted. Xiao Yin casually invited the couple to join him and poured himself a small glass of wine. "Lingxi, Chengzhi, don't stand on ceremony with me, let's eat."
Xie Lingxi's stomach was already empty, and now that she had picked up her chopsticks, she didn't know how to pick up any food for a long time.
Cabbage, radish, green onion...
Is this all you're going to eat?
She took a bite, but found it tasteless, wondering if some spice was missing. "You've been heartbroken, so you've switched to a vegetarian diet?"
Before Xiao Yin could answer, Liu Xu, seemingly lost in thought, picked up a large mouthful of scallion and put it in his mouth. He then let out a sob and forced himself to swallow it.
"Ah Xu, you don't eat scallions."
Xie Lingxi was taken aback. She grabbed Liu Xu's throat, trying to make him vomit. This young man couldn't eat even a single scallion; if he did, he would gag and vomit.
Fearing that the man might get sick from eating it, she used considerable force in her hand, but Liu Xu suddenly stuck out a bright red tongue and said, "I swallowed it."
Xie Lingxi said with heartache, "Don't force yourself."
She glanced at the dishes on the round table, then gently pressed the uninjured skin above the calf. "I'll make you some bone and lotus root soup later."
"My wife, you are so good to me."
"..."
The couple poured out their hearts to each other and exchanged a tender gaze. It seemed as if the river of love between the goddess and the king was flowing around them. However, the king was not only interested, but also had a very big heart.
After a long pause, Xiao Yin finally interjected, "Could you show a little consideration for those who are down on their luck? It's really going too far to welcome and send off people in front of me like this."
Xie Lingxi said, "So this bland soup and vegetarian food is to make Lady Lu feel sorry for you?"
Xiao Yin was gloomy.
"Alright..." She knew when to stop teasing Xiao Yin and instead offered him advice in a proper manner, "How can she see you acting so pitifully in the house? Why don't we buy some bone marrow and lotus root tonight and treat you to a meal?"
Seeing Xiao Yin looking over and showing suspicion, she repeated, "I never break my word. I will help you with your marriage."
Liu Xu then added, "It has to be Lady Lu?"
Xiao Yin clenched his fist, leaving red marks, "It has to be her."
...
Liu Xu only heard a few words from Xie Lingxi about Xiao Yin's affair: a dignified member of the imperial family was treated like a petty thief and thrown out of the back door, bag and all—in a most undignified manner.
Anyone would be driven mad if the woman they loved ran away.
Earlier, he had worried about the childhood friendship between Xiao Yin and Xie Lingxi, but now he had cast it aside as if it were nothing. He didn't care about others and only paid attention to Xie Lingxi. "Is this the map of Shanbei?"
The candlelight spilled out, and his wife was bent over the table drawing mountains and rivers, marking a red line between Yanmen Pass and Canglan Pass.
"Um."
"This is Canglan Pass, the territory guarded by King Pingban. It's located in the south and the north, so it takes quite a while to travel there and back."
Liu Xu understood that she was thinking about Yan Ying's words when she left, so he stepped forward, grasped her well-proportioned right hand, and drew a circle in a valley below Yanmen Pass.
Xie Lingxi recognized it: "It's that icy valley."
“In the past, this place was where the generals of the Wang and Xie families were stationed. Lingxi should know this better than I do.”
"Yes." Xie Lingxi nodded.
That was more than ten years ago. Later, when the emperor ascended the throne, he declared war on the Eastern Frontier. Some troops were transferred to the northern frontier, and the remaining troops disappeared without a trace due to the change of soldiers and the entry of the Wang and Xie families into Chang'an.
"I am not clear about the specific deployment in Shanbei over the years. According to my mother when she went to fight the enemy, it must have been at least more than ten years ago."
Could it be...
Yanmen Pass and Canglan Pass, one in the south and one in the north, stand like two unyielding steel walls, reflecting each other and guarding the Great Yan.
She was surprised: "You mean that the army here has been secretly raised by the Prince of Pingnan for several years, which is why it was able to be lent to Yanyun this time, allowing Great Yan to turn defeat into victory."
"Yan Ying killed Cui Jue simply to fulfill her promise to the Prince of Pingnan."
No wonder the princess said "each to their own needs," is this what "each to their own needs" means?
This is simply unbelievable...
Let alone where the Prince of Pingnan got his extraordinary ability to "traverse thousands of miles", how could the troops of these aristocratic families possibly be placed under the Prince of Pingnan's command?
Another spring night hangs in the air, and the lush, tranquil Xiangshan Temple of two years ago, lurked in the dim light, harboring wolves and tigers that spied upon the young man and woman. Now, like a man trying to find a lost sword by marking the boat, the bloodshed and secrets of that day are reenacted.
"……Jade?"
Xie Lingxi glanced casually at the broken jade fragments of Cui Jue in the handkerchief on the table and murmured softly.
It's jade again.
Cui Jue, whose real name was Qionglin Baoyu, was seduced by a young man named "Zhuyu," and ultimately met a tragic end, dying and shattering his jade.
Looking at this double-mouthed Pixiu now, it really doesn't seem to fit Cui Xiang's taste.
People's evaluations of Prime Minister Cui varied: whether he was radical or aloof, or even criticized him for marrying a new wife while his first wife was still alive. They might have called him amorous and immoral, but there was never any accusation of him being greedy or accepting bribes.
But that Prince of Pingnan…
The jade pendant she lost at Xiangshan Temple all those years ago! It fell into the hands of the Prince of Pingnan!
She had initially thought that the Prince of Pingnan was mad and couldn't recognize objects, so he mistook her jade for his fiancée's possession and was therefore infatuated with it. But now, upon reflection, it seemed that this was not the case.
Then, he looked at Liu Xu and asked, "Do you remember what the name of the Prince of Pingnan's fiancée is?"
Liu Xu: "Mianniang."
“Mianniang…yes, it’s Mianniang, that’s right.”
Countless names flashed through Xie Lingxi's mind. In both her past and present lives, she had never heard of any aunt or uncle in her family whose maiden name was "Mian".
Moreover, the Xie family has a history of over a hundred years and enjoys immense prestige. How could one of them be the humble, ordinary woman that the Prince of Pingnan spoke of?
Beside him, Liu Xu made the final statement: "Perhaps, this Mian Niang isn't using her real name?"
Not a real name...
"I see!"
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