As night fell, the bustling street, which had been lively and noisy during the day, returned to tranquility. The two stone lions in front of the Prince of Yan's mansion stood tall and majestic. The mansion gate was pushed open, and the Earl of Yunyang walked out unsteadily, reeking of alcohol.
He waved his wide robe, embroidered with luxurious gold thread, his cheeks flushed, and let out a hiccup, refusing any assistance. He bowed to the advisors of the Prince of Yan who had seen him off, saying, "Mr. Sun, please wait. We'll meet again another day."
Mr. Sun had been a follower of the Prince of Yan for many years. As he grew older, he grew two wisps of goatee and had a short-sighted, cunning look on his face.
Uncle Yunyang pushed away the servant's support, his steps as he descended the steps were almost unsteady, swaying from side to side. Only when the sedan chair was out of sight did Mr. Sun finally reveal a look of disdain.
He waved his hand, leaving behind only the lingering, pungent smell of Yunyangbo's alcohol. The stench was nauseating, ruining the peaceful atmosphere of the night.
When he returned to his study, the Prince of Yan's hands were wrapped in white bandages, his palms slightly red and stained with blood. He shook his head slightly: "Your Highness, why bother? It's not worth it for a girl."
To reveal his long-hidden ambitions and expose his true colors for a lowly earl was, in Mr. Sun's view, not worth it at all.
In his view, a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Changping's family, with Miss Fu becoming the Princess Consort of Yan, would be an asset to the Prince of Yan's family, as would Consort Fu in the harem and the Marquis of Changping's family in the court.
Consort Fu doesn't have any princes of her own, yet she dotes on her niece so much. When Princess Chunhui gets married in the future, her husband will be another asset to Prince Yan.
Qin Ying sat in the main seat, and he must have already washed and dressed, as the smell of alcohol wasn't too strong. The sachet he wore emitted a delicate, mesmerizing fragrance.
He squinted at Mr. Sun, his expression almost obsessive: "It's worth it, it's absolutely worth it."
"The Marquis of Changping's mansion is Consort Fu's backer. Because the Emperor only has Chunhui as his daughter, the Consort brought her niece into the Pixiang Palace. The Consort has been pleading for a title for Miss Fu for several years, but the Emperor won't even agree to a title of Lady of the County."
“Sir, a young lady from a fallen noble family has come to the capital and has the Rongguo Duke’s mansion as her backer. She has even been granted the title of Princess of Yichang County. What a shortcut this is for me.”
"What a pity, she doesn't value the position of princess, and even looks down on the position of empress."
His eyes held resentment, but not the regret that revealed his true feelings.
Mr. Sun shook his head: "What about the Earl of Yunyang? The Earl of Yunyang's mansion is now in decline. By the time of the Earl of Yunyang's son, the title has reached its limit. If it is taken away any further, it will be gone."
Qin Ying put his hands on his hips, raised his chin, and looked confident: "Don't worry, sir, I, the Earl of Yunyang, will be of great use to you."
Just as Qin Ying was determined to succeed, the Earl of Yunyang probably never imagined that the silver he had just acquired would almost become his death warrant.
When the Earl of Yunyang saw Xu Yunci in the capital, he couldn't utter a word when he saw the coldness in Xu Yunci's eyes.
Xu Yunci did not hide these things from Li Shiyue. On the contrary, Li Shiyue received the news after Yunyang Bo was arrested and taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
In the small attic of Chengyu Pavilion, Xu Lingzi sat beside her, and was surprised to see her indifferent appearance.
Chang Shun left, and Li Shiyue didn't even raise her head, focusing entirely on sewing the sachet in her hands. She chose a bamboo-green brocade, the same color as the jacket she was wearing today.
She's been particularly fond of the color blue lately, even choosing sky blue and bamboo blue for her new clothes.
Xu Lingzi's gaze was too direct for her to ignore. She put down what she was holding and said helplessly, "Looking at me like that, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish embroidering the sachets today."
"I was just curious too. If I had known that something like that would happen in the palace, I would have stayed with you no matter what." Xu Lingzi was the only one in the Xu family who knew what had happened. These days, she had been living in Chengyu Pavilion almost every day, as if she was afraid that she would be kidnapped. She wanted to keep an eye on her at all times.
Her eyes were filled with resentment: "I used to think the Prince of Yan was a gentleman, but it seems he's nothing special. What kind of person can be so good as to associate with someone as pampered as Princess Chunhui?"
“My second brother is a good man. If I had to chop off his hand, I would do it to avenge you. He prays that you will be safe and sound in the future, and if you ever get sick, I will blame it on him.”
She spoke readily, but hesitated on the surface as soon as she finished speaking. Li Shiyue understood what she was thinking; it was undoubtedly about her father being arrested and taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
“My cousin said he would spare Father’s life. I’m worried that Father will take advantage of the situation, and my cousin will be in a very difficult position.”
For now, the only option is to wait. Xu Yunci was considering her every step of the way, and she couldn't let a moment of anger ruin all of Xu Yunci's plans and hold him back.
Xu Lingzi put down the brocade in her hand and looked at Li Shiyue with suspicion: "You really believe your second brother's words so readily?"
“Yes, my cousin wouldn’t harm me, and neither would my cousin.” Li Shiyue had no doubts and did not notice the special emotion in Xu Lingzi’s eyes.
It was no secret that the Earl of Yunyang had been arrested and imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture. The fact that he was allowed to remain in the capital city as an exception meant that he was already seen as a thorn in the side by many.
Now they're involved in the corruption case in Huayuan County, and most people are just watching the show, especially since the Rongguo Duke's mansion has a cousin who is the daughter of the Yunyang Earl.
The presiding judge was none other than Xu Yunci, the heir of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Such a relationship aroused the curiosity of even the common people.
The Prefect of Jingzhao was surnamed Song. Because of this relationship, Xu Yunci didn't even show his face throughout the entire process, completely following Prefect Song's orders, since Prefect Song was also one of the Crown Prince's men.
Contrary to Qin Ying's expectations, the Rongguo Duke's mansion was not in chaos. Instead, he heard that Li Shiyue and Xu Lingzi had learned needlework today, accounting yesterday, and went boating on the lake the day before yesterday. Surprisingly, Li Shiyue showed no signs of worry at all.
Li Shiyue wasn't in a hurry, but Qin Ying was.
A letter was delivered to the Rongguo Duke's mansion without a name, but Xu Yunci was wary. The messenger was followed by Chang An and was from the Yan Prince's mansion.
The message inside meant that he wanted to meet with Li Shiyue.
He wants to see his little cousin? Does he even deserve it?
Xu Yunci glanced at the letter, placed it on the candle flame, and then tossed it aside, letting it burn to ashes.
"How has Chengyu Pavilion been these past few days?"
Chang Shun replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I have people keeping an eye on things every day. Besides, the Sixth Miss has been with the Cousin every day and hasn't left Chengyu Pavilion."
Xu Yunci breathed a sigh of relief and simply got up and walked towards the backyard. The bushes on both sides were lush and green, neatly trimmed by the servants, and the stone steps under his feet led to the long corridor.
They stopped walking, and faint sounds of arguing could be heard from ahead.
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