Chapter 153
Inside the VIP room of Xianglou, the window is decorated with a thin gauze curtain that wraps around the pine beams, and the tea table is adorned with dragon scales and clouds that climb the mist. After a few hazy moments, a landscape sandalwood carving is enveloped in the mist.
A pot of cloud and mist tea, two exquisite cups.
His shoulder piece was a flowing, softly embroidered diamond-shaped blouse, and his inner robe, painted in ink wash style, unfolded like a scroll painting, revealing his hidden elegance and adding to his refined and graceful demeanor.
Yan Qizhen's eyes were shrouded in a misty, rainy light, and the vermilion on his earlobes shone with a rosy hue.
In recent days, Yan Qizhen's power has gradually stabilized. I heard that he has been given another lucrative position. Even though he was trying his best to hide it, he was still doing well in everything, and his expression of being in his element still revealed a hint of satisfaction.
"Fourth Prince, have things been going well for you lately?" Ying Ning raised her cup, her forehead adorned with a dark jade bead.
"Thanks to Your Highness, Qizhen has been doing alright these days." The elegant man, as handsome as an ink painting, looked at Yingning. His lips were very pale, and there was always a smile in his thin lips.
"That's good. Now that Your Highness has achieved your wish, please don't forget about me." Yingning gently presented the exquisite jade cup forward, which could be considered as a congratulation for his recent smooth sailing.
Yan Qizhen suddenly smiled, and as the smoke cleared, a pair of bright, watery eyes appeared, their gaze fixed on the rouge-colored figure in front of him. He then presented the jade cup in his hand to her.
The sound of jade cups colliding was crisp and clear.
"Of course I would never forget," he replied.
The two drank the Cloud Mist Tea before setting down their exquisite jade cups again.
Yan Qizhen seemed to have just remembered something and asked with some curiosity, "Why did Your Highness only come to keep your appointment today?"
"Qizhen sent the visiting card a few days ago."
The two had previously agreed to meet in the capital from time to time, so that "those with ulterior motives" could spread the news that the Western Region Princess was in love with the Fourth Prince, thus creating momentum for Yan Qizhen.
When he said this, it seemed as if it were just a casual question from a friend.
I didn't have any particular thoughts about it.
But then he saw Yingning resting her chin on her hand, and the silver bracelets on her fair wrist jingled together.
In an instant, Yan Qizhen's gaze was drawn to Ying Ning, his expression seemingly waiting for her answer.
“A few days ago, A-Chu pestered me, saying he wanted to learn about swordsmanship. He is still young and mischievous, so I couldn’t resist his temper and spent a few days with him.”
"I see." Yan Qizhen's doubts dissipated somewhat.
The matter of Yan Chaoji's affair with the officials' wives at the hunting grounds, which the Emperor had been secretly investigating, had been on Yan Qizhen's mind for the past few days. Hearing that there was no progress from the Emperor, he became angry again.
The woman connected to Yan Chaoji...
Who could it be?
For some reason, Yan Qizhen suddenly thought of Ying Ning.
But he felt that the possibility of this was extremely low.
The Regent's temperament is well known: cold and stern, he kills any invading enemy on the battlefield without mercy, and his sword has been stained with the blood of countless people.
If there were any woman who was involved with him, she would probably melt his heart with tenderness.
Princess Zhaoning has not been in the Min Dynasty for long, and besides, the only people accompanying her are Bai Chuning and herself.
He had no connection with Yan Chaoji.
How can time soften a heart of stone?
However, Yan Qizhen was meticulous and did investigate the matter of the hunting day. Since he was not good at swordsmanship, he did not go to the hunting grounds that day and just stayed in the camp.
All that was known was that Bai Yingning had just stepped out of the hunting forest that day when she hurriedly left because of Bai Chuning's matter, and there seemed to be nothing unusual about her.
Am I just overthinking things?
He pondered deeply, unaware that the person opposite him had read his mind perfectly.
Ying Ning, sensing Yan Qizhen's probing, didn't shy away from the topic but instead took the initiative to ask, "Fourth Prince, why are you curious about such a trivial matter?"
Yan Qizhen was momentarily stunned by her words.
He couldn't very well say that he suspected she had some connection with Yan Chaoji.
"Qizhen was just worried about the princess's health, so I asked without thinking. I hope Your Highness will not take offense." Yan Qizhen raised his cup, his watery eyes full of apology.
But the person on the other side seemed unwilling to let it go.
"I thought that the Fourth Prince was really fond of me."
"Perhaps this action was out of concern for Zhaoning." Yingning did not raise her cup, leaving Yan Qizhen to wait alone.
As she spoke, a dark light flashed in her dark phoenix eyes, making her somewhat unfathomable.
Yan Qizhen wasn't sure if she was joking or testing his feelings for her, so he simply withdrew his hand, smiled, and took a small sip of tea.
"If one day Qizhen has the opportunity to care for the princess, it would be something to celebrate."
"oh..."
"So it seems you were just showing concern for me." Ying Ning also tilted her head back and drank a cup, the silver bracelet on her wrist jingling for a moment, causing the person beside her to lower their guard.
When Yan Qizhen was interrupted like this, much of his suspicion disappeared.
The two spoke softly, yet their words carried a chilling undercurrent of tension. Just as Yan Qizhen was about to continue, a boastful voice rang out from among the people passing by the private room door:
"Come, come, have some tea with me."
He is the Prince of Annam.
Yan Qizhen intended to ignore his voice, but just as the door to the next private room was closing, he heard a word:
The Third Prince.
Yan Qizhen's expression suddenly turned cold as he thought of his elder brother, his face clouded with mist and rain, yet a hint of rain seemed to fall.
The Third Prince was born to Consort Ling, whose maternal family was prominent. The former head of the Ling family was the Grand Tutor of the previous dynasty, and had countless disciples during his tenure.
This third prince was eccentric, but he was also quite capable. With the power and connections of the Ling family, he had long since made friends with a group of court officials and had some prestige in the court.
If there is no crown prince, then the position of heir apparent may fall to the third prince.
My recent rise to power was due to offending my powerful third brother.
Therefore, Yan Qizhen suffered a lot of unpleasant losses recently.
"Was that An Lin who just passed by?" Ying Ning asked, having also heard that unforgettable voice.
"It seems to be him." Yan Qizhen raised his cup and took another sip of tea, but his mind was preoccupied with how An Lin had mentioned the Third Prince, and he didn't notice the gaze of the person opposite him.
"What he just mentioned...the Third Prince?"
"Is he the son of Imperial Noble Consort Ling?"
"Your opponent?"
Her words jolted Yan Qizhen awake. He immediately put down the exquisite jade cup and said urgently, "How could my Third Brother be my match?"
"Zhao Ning is overthinking it."
His eagerness to defend himself made the corners of his eyes tinge with a hint of petal-like color.
He had the body of a man, yet possessed a tender appearance that inexplicably made people want to destroy him upon seeing his face.
I want to see those broken petals, kneaded into mud...
What kind of scenery is it?
“Yan Qizhen, as a member of the royal family, I am certainly aware of your ambitions. There is no need for you to hide them from me now.” She stared at him with her phoenix eyes, her usually stern face showing a rare hint of seriousness.
"Since we're curious, let's find out."
She suddenly stood up and opened the window.
"You mean..." Yan Qizhen's words were abruptly cut off before he could finish asking.
The next second, Yan Qizhen felt his body suddenly lift into the air!
she...
She actually flew up to the rooftop, carrying herself with her!
They wanted to eavesdrop?!
And what's more, her hand...
it turns out....!
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