"He even made the outrageous claim that he wanted to marry Miss Qin and assist the Grand Tutor. My teacher immediately ordered his men to properly escort the guest out, and I have also carefully investigated the servants of the Grand Tutor's residence, and it is indeed so."
"Moreover, the rumors started after Young Master Fan left the Grand Tutor's mansion. You are a poor scholar, where did you get the money to bribe passersby to spread the rumors for you?"
"Could someone be behind this?"
As the prince spoke, the smile on his lips gradually faded, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Fan Heng had just looked up when he met the Crown Prince's gaze. He had never seen anything like this before and was already trembling with fear, terrified that the Crown Prince would punish him in his rage at any moment.
He had just looked up when he saw the Prince of Zhao, who was beside the Crown Prince, slowly pick up his teacup and glance in his direction before calmly looking away.
This gaze had already been noticed. King Zhao felt someone watching him, but he didn't panic. He calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip. He seemed to be burned by the hot water in the cup, and he frowned slightly and pursed his lips.
Xu Yunci kept his eyes fixed on King Zhao, not wanting to miss a single change in his expression.
King Zhao seemed oblivious, putting down his teacup and opening his folding fan. Perhaps due to the movement, a section of plain-colored cuff peeked out from the wide sleeves of his robe.
The plain color was different from the gold thread pattern embroidered on his outer robe, making them look somewhat strange together.
Fan Heng glanced at it, his expression, which had been changing, suddenly turned to despair, and he slumped back down and closed his eyes.
"It was done by a petty person. What difficulty is there in making money? A petty person can copy books for others or be a teacher. Naturally, there are ways to make money."
"Your Highness just wants to know why I did this. No one instructed me. I was just trying to curry favor with the powerful and influential, hoping to use the prestige of the Grand Tutor's mansion to get ahead and become an official."
"I confess my sins."
After saying that, Fan Heng slammed his head hard onto the ground.
"Since you've confessed, then it's simple. You've ruined the reputation of the young lady, disgraced yourself as a gentleman, and slandered the Grand Tutor of the court. Your crime deserves death."
The one who spoke was Xue Yue. The blush on his face had long since disappeared, and he had returned to his previous aloof demeanor.
Her tone was icy cold, and as she looked at Fan Heng's back, a hint of murderous intent appeared in her eyes.
He turned slightly to the side, shielding Qin Wanyin behind him, his hands clenched into fists, as if he could step forward and tear Fan Heng to pieces at the Crown Prince's command.
"Very good. Since you have confessed, it saves a lot of trouble. Send him to the Jingzhao Prefecture."
The Crown Prince's gaze held an unreadable emotion as he watched Fan Heng being dragged away. He then instructed, "Be careful, make sure nothing goes wrong on the way to the Capital Prefecture."
"Alright, the truth is out. But I'm sorry to both of you, the engagement should have been announced after the betrothal ceremony, but for now, this is the only way."
Xu Lingyu smiled as she looked at Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin. The two were quite different in stature; Xue Yue was tall and imposing, making Qin Wanyin appear petite and delicate next to him.
The more they looked at each other, the more well-matched they seemed. Since it was a marriage approved by the Emperor, it was natural that the Grand Commandant's Mansion could help Chonghua Palace.
Does this also indicate that the Emperor trusts the Crown Prince and has high expectations for him? If the Grand Tutor and Grand Commandant can be entrusted to Chonghua Palace, then Chonghua Palace certainly cannot fail to live up to the Emperor's expectations.
Li Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xu Yunci. So this was the solution he had come up with.
Today, once they left the Guo family mansion, within half a day, the rumors would spread that they had broken through the barriers. In their place came the news of the marriage alliance between the Qin family of the Grand Tutor's Mansion and the Xue family of the Grand Commandant's Mansion. This was also a declaration that the Emperor's heart was with the Chonghua Palace.
Xu Yunci kept his gaze fixed on the Prince of Zhao. Li Shiyue followed his gaze and saw that when the Prince of Zhao heard the word "Your Majesty," a crack finally appeared in his calm expression.
The King of Zhao looked on in disbelief, as if he was holding something back, and lowered his eyes to suppress the emotions that were about to surface.
However, he couldn't escape Xu Yunci's eyes, which were fixed on him. Seeing everything, Xu Yunci's gaze also changed.
The banquet continued, and Li Shiyue and Xu Lingyu went to the women's seats, where Madam Qin and Madam Xue were surrounded and offered their congratulations.
Even Xue Yue, who had returned to the men's section, couldn't escape it. Yang Ke even clamored for Xue Yue to drink more, since it was "a joyous occasion."
Inside the "Fan Garden", Qin Wanyin was also made to blush, and after finally managing to get away, she was pulled back by Xu Lingzi.
"Well, you're something else. We were all worried about you, and you're already getting engaged. We only found out now."
Li Shiyue smiled and let Xu Lingzi hold Qin Wanyin down. She even picked up a wine glass and handed it to her: "You can't escape this drink. You also have to tell us about this young General Xue."
Qin Wanyin had no way to dodge; the two people on her left and right blocked her escape route.
She raised her hand to cover her cheek, but couldn't hide her red and hot earlobes.
"Oh, it was just a family matchmaking, then Father and Grand Commandant Xue went to the palace, and the Emperor agreed, that's how it was."
"So you weren't just copying books all the time at home, were you?" Li Shiyue smiled slightly, put down her wine glass, and was very happy.
Qin Wanyin lowered her hands and nodded. Looking at the smiles on Li Shiyue and Xu Lingzi's faces, she couldn't help but lower her head and smile as well.
"Yes, Mother wants me to practice embroidery with the embroiderers at home. After the engagement, I will also embroider my own wedding dress."
Qin Wanyin spoke these words very softly, so Xue Jinzhao, who had just walked over, did not hear them clearly.
"Qin Wanyin will be my sister-in-law from now on. You won't have to worry about pretending not to know the county princess and Madam Guo anymore."
I know them, but we're not very close.
After all, the Grand Commandant's mansion had always kept a low profile. You could see members of the Xue family at banquets, but you rarely had any contact with them.
Xue Jinzhao chuckled and came closer. She was even more straightforward than Xu Lingzi. Only then did she notice that Xu Lingzi's skin was not as delicate as that of an ordinary woman, but rather looked like it had been exposed to wind and sand for a long time.
"I recently returned to the capital with my father and brothers. I've been living more comfortably on the frontier. Please forgive me if I've been careless with the rules."
Xue Jinchao sat down directly next to Qin Wanyin and tugged at her sleeve: "You're not angry with me, are you? I was just worried that you were being deceived, so I blurted it out in a moment of panic. Please don't ignore me because you're angry with me, brother."
“My brother is truly—”
"Oh dear!" Qin Wanyin raised her hand to cover her mouth, silencing her words.
Her face was flushed, clearly indicating that there was something they didn't know about what Xue Jinzhao hadn't finished saying.
"Could it be that General Xue himself proposed this marriage?"
As soon as Li Shiyue finished speaking, which was meant as a joke, Xue Jinzhao, whose mouth had been covered, became excited and broke free from Qin Wanyin's hand.
"Yes, yes, my elder brother knelt in the ancestral hall for three days before my father finally agreed to let him enter the Funing Hall to meet the emperor."
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