"What holiday?" Qiu Tangshi asked immediately.
Xie Yun paused, looking disgusted. "Does this person not even have the demeanor of a high-ranking official? So gossipy and talkative!"
"It's just a girl's business, not worth mentioning. Let me tell you about yesterday. I received a message from Princess Jun saying that she wanted to find something for the princes to do, so she brought up the matter of Prince Xian. Finding something for the princes to do is just finding something for the Fourth Prince, isn't it? The Fourth Prince caused such a big commotion as soon as he returned to the capital. Princess Jun wants to teach him a lesson."
At this point, he made a point of mentioning, "I don't know if you've heard the news yet, but the Wei family's daughter was originally chosen as the Crown Princess, but she unexpectedly died. You should all take good care of your own daughters and not let them fall into other people's traps."
Yan Shiren and Qiu Tangshi exchanged a glance and both said that although Wei Zhongshi had secretly dealt with the matter, they still had their own channels and were well-informed.
"Lord Xie, do you have a son? Let's become in-laws," Yan Shiren said. After returning to the capital, he had been thinking about marrying Yan Ruyu off, but he hadn't found a suitable candidate.
Before he could even ask, Xie Yun quickly shook his head. "No, no." He knew all too well that Yan Shiren was a difficult person to please. If she really entered his Xie family, wouldn't the Xie family be thrown into chaos? Besides, judging from Yan Ruyu's adoration for Huo Baichuan, his son couldn't handle it.
Yan Shiren immediately became displeased, "Looking around the capital, is there any young lady better than my daughter?"
"Oh, I'm not happy with that. My daughter may not be talented, but she is dignified, virtuous, and graceful." Qiu Tangshi immediately objected, and the group began to compare their daughters.
As they talked, the topic turned to Zhao Bi's marriage to a concubine. "The Empress Dowager sent someone to the Yang family, and guess what happened?"
"What else could it be? Lord Yang hates the Fourth Prince to death now, tsk tsk, I wonder who the Fourth Prince offended," Yan Shiren said.
Qiu Tangshi shook his head. "You all think that the Fourth Prince offended someone and was framed?"
"That makes sense, otherwise he wouldn't be so stupid?" Yan Shiren expressed doubt. With Zhao Bi's intelligence, he couldn't possibly have done something so passive.
Xie Yun and Qiu Tangshi exchanged a glance, nodded to each other, and then Qiu Tangshi said, "The safest place is the most dangerous place. If a smart person wants to fight a desperate battle, he might do the opposite and it might be surprisingly effective."
"You mean to say that this whole thing was orchestrated by the Fourth Prince himself? What was he after?" Yan Shiren didn't think that putting himself in the spotlight was a smart move for this time of year.
Qiu Tangshi shook his head. “Old Yan, you’re confused. Let’s make an assumption: the Fourth Prince is the son of the Imperial Noble Consort, and the Emperor favors the Imperial Noble Consort, so he will favor the Fourth Prince. It’s been clear before that the Emperor seems to be using the Crown Prince as a rubbing salt for the Fourth Prince. When the Crown Prince left the capital, he was on the verge of death, mostly because the Fourth Prince was behind it all. He first had a tacit understanding with Prince Duan, Yang Zhong, the Wei family, and others, and then he had dealings with Prince Jing and others.”
"Without evidence, we cannot make a conclusion." Yan Shiren believed it emotionally, but rationally he did not.
Qiu Tang chuckled lightly, "No evidence is needed, we're just talking."
Xie Yun pondered for a moment and said, "I know a little about what happened back then. The Yang family was involved. Prince Duan and the Fourth Prince did have secret dealings, and Prince Jing, hmph, couldn't be more obvious."
"Alright, let's get back to the main point. If the Fourth Prince is indeed the son of the Imperial Noble Consort, it will have both advantages and disadvantages for him. The advantage is that the Emperor will value him more because of the Imperial Noble Consort's affection for him. However, the Imperial Noble Consort herself is in danger and the Emperor is also suffering from criticism. Therefore, the advantage is greater than the disadvantage. So he must find a way out. Since there is no one in the Gu family to use, he can only start with in-laws. He married a woman from the Sun family before and was about to get the full support of the Sun family, but he never expected that the Sun family would produce a Sun Yun."
"He came up empty-handed, so he turned his attention to the Wei family because Wei Caitao had disappeared, but some people didn't want him to harm the Wei family."
Qiu Tang began to analyze his thoughts one by one, and Xie Yun and Yan Shiren listened and both nodded in agreement.
However, Yan Shiren suddenly looked at Xie Yun, "So, this person who doesn't want the Fourth Prince to harm the Wei family is someone you've offended? So, you're trying to protect the Wei family?"
“If Marshal Wei gets the Wei family’s help, he will surely be even more powerful in the future, and the Wei family’s power will be at its zenith, which neither you nor I can compare to,” Yan Shiren said. It wasn’t out of jealousy; his foundation was in Jiangnan, and there was no need to compare it with that of the capital.
"Ah, that's right. Well, I'm going to find a way to save myself. Old friends, keep an eye on your daughters. If the Wei family's daughters aren't enough, he'll beat up the daughters of other families too." Xie Yun gave his final advice and left Yipinju.
After leaving Yipinju, he found a secluded spot, turned into a quiet alley, and made his way to the Sun family's house.
He knew Zhao Shu had returned to the capital; otherwise, Wei Tingsi's letter wouldn't have instructed him to personally inquire about Zhao Shu. He knew about Zhao Shu's departure from the capital last time, and if she were still by Wei Tingsi's side, Wei Tingsi wouldn't have said those things.
Recently, there has been no news of a master in the Yongwang Mansion in the capital, and Zhao Shu cannot be found in the palace either, so the only possibility is the Sun family.
After the gatekeeper relayed the message, they were let in shortly afterward.
Xie Yun's arrival put Sun Yun and Zhao Shu on high alert. These old bastards were not easy to deal with. Each of them had been through thick and thin. If you thought they looked old and frail, you were wrong. These people were very shrewd.
Zhao Shu did not go to see Xie Yun, but Sun Yun did. As soon as Xie Yun saw Sun Yun, he asked, "Where is Princess Jun? I came here specifically to see her."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu, who was hiding behind the screen, moved her eyes and stepped out. "What business does Lord Xie have with me?"
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