Chapter 43: Advice It seems that this girl cannot be kept. …
The scorching sun was burning the earth mercilessly, making the people who were seeing them off feel a little anxious and unbearable.
At the gate of the Shen Mansion, military flags fluttered and roared in the wind, as if telling of the heroic spirit of the upcoming expedition.
There were crowds of people all around, and everyone's gazes were like dense silk threads, interweaving and weaving, tightly wrapped around Shen Yunchao.
Shen Yunchao rode on a tall horse, his posture straight as a pine tree. The sunlight outlined his resolute figure. The silver-scale armor shone with a cold luster in the sun, making him look particularly heroic.
He dismounted swiftly and walked slowly and steadily up to Tang Lin'er.
He lowered his eyes and clasped his fists, saying earnestly: "Thank you, Her Majesty the Crown Princess, for coming to see you off on behalf of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I am very grateful to you."
Tang Lin'er's disdainful look towards everyone softened instantly, like ice and snow melting, all the tiny icicles in her eyes melted away.
She lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, her eyes full of pitifulness, her wet pupils like a deer.
She gently raised her hand, reached into her collar and took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom. With a bit of ambiguity and expectation, she gently put it into Shen Yunchao's palm.
She slowly raised her eyes to look at him, and said in a sobbing voice: "Brother Chen, we are going to the border, the mountains are high and the road is long, you must take care of yourself, I... hope you return safely day and night."
This scene, like a sharp arrow, pierced straight into Princess Guang'an's heart.
A gust of wind blew, lifting Princess Guang'an's goose yellow skirt, making a rustling sound.
It was as if an evil fire rushed straight to her head, burning her mind away.
She didn't care about her manners and walked hurriedly towards Tang Lin'er.
Princess Guang'an walked up to the two of them, reached out to pull the handkerchief out of Shen Yunchao's hand, and then let it fall to the ground.
"Tang Lin'er, you are the Crown Princess, but you act so frivolously. How can you be so frivolous?"
She raised her eyes and looked at Tang Lin'er. Her voice was not quite steady, and it seemed that she was trying hard to suppress her anger.
"Don't forget your identity!"
Tang Lin'er's pretty face instantly turned cold, with undisguised provocation in her eyes.
She slowly raised her head and stared at Princess Guang'an, a mocking smile appeared on her lips, and she said slowly: "Your Highness...what are you so angry about?"
"It's just a silk handkerchief, just to express the Crown Prince and I's best wishes to Brother Shen."
She turned to look at Shen Yunchao, and in an instant she put on that weak look again, her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly: "Brother Shen, I really was just sincere, but I didn't expect to make Her Royal Highness the Princess so angry."
"In that case, I will...I will apologize to Her Royal Highness the Princess right now."
She was about to cry and was about to bow to Princess Guang'an.
Shen Yunchao was sandwiched between the two of them, with a layer of fine beads of sweat oozing out of his forehead, sparkling in the sunlight.
He had never been involved in love affairs, so how could he handle such a difficult matter?
Seeing the situation was so stalemate, Shen Xingwan wanted to step forward to help him out.
But just as she took a step, her arm was tightly held by someone. She looked back and found that it was her father who secretly held her.
Prime Minister Shen frowned slightly and whispered to Shen Xingwan: "Don't be impulsive."
"The relationships involved are too complicated. If you rush forward rashly, not only will you fail to resolve the situation, but you may also cause unnecessary trouble. Trust Yun Chao and let him handle it himself."
Shen Xingwan pursed her lips and looked at Shen Yunchao worriedly.
She understood that what her father said made sense, that matters of the heart could not be interfered with by others, but she couldn't bear to see her brother caught in such a dilemma!
Shen Yun frowned, raised his arms and clasped his fists, and said, "Your Highness, Princess, Your Highness, the Crown Princess, today we are going to the battle, the war is very important, the two nobles must not argue about this, or they will miss the important matter."
The atmosphere was still tense and neither of them was willing to give up.
Shen Yunchao sighed helplessly, bent down and picked up the silk handkerchief thrown away by Princess Guang'an on the ground.
He gently shook off the dust on the silk handkerchief, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Today I will go to the border to defend my country."
"This handkerchief is a token of love from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Princess. It must not be damaged or neglected at will."
After saying that, he slowly raised his head and looked at Tang Lin'er deeply.
He put the handkerchief in his arms and straightened his clothes.
Princess Guang'an's face turned pale, she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and her eyes were instantly filled with tears.
She never thought that Shen Yunchao would actually accept Tang Lin'er's handkerchief.
Tang Lin'er raised her head slightly, a barely perceptible hint of pride flashing in her eyes.
"It would be great if Brother Shen is willing to accept this gift. Lin'er... will wait for your triumphant return."
She gently wiped the corners of her eyes, wiping away the non-existent tear marks, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Seeing that the auspicious time for departure was about to pass, there was no time for delay.
Even though Shen Yunchao felt helpless, he could only suppress it for the time being.
He looked at Princess Guang'an and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to her, but Princess Guang'an turned her head away and refused to look at him.
Helplessly, he could only clasp his fists and bow to everyone, and said loudly: "The military situation is urgent, Shen will say goodbye!"
After saying this, he mounted his horse again, his eyes fixed on Princess Guang'an for a long time.
Princess Guang'an did not respond, nor did she look at him again.
He pursed his lips, retracted his gaze, and waved his hand. The whip made a crisp "crack" sound in the air, like thunder, and led the soldiers behind him to gallop towards the distance.
The dust raised by horse hooves gradually blurred everyone's vision.
The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves fluttered down and, under the sunlight, looked like a golden mist, gradually covering up the bleak farewell.
When Shen Yunchao's figure completely disappeared at the end of the road, Princess Guang'an could no longer suppress the evil fire in her heart.
She turned and glared at Tang Lin'er, "What on earth did you mean by being so hypocritical just now?!"
"You are already the Crown Princess, why are you still acting so frivolously in front of Yun Chao and deliberately doing such an ambiguous thing!"
Tang Lin'er sneered and glanced at her sarcastically, her eyes full of provocation.
She raised her chin slightly and said slowly, "What do you mean? It's what you think in your heart."
"Why, Your Highness the Princess cares so much, could it be that you have fallen in love with Shen Yunchao?"
“Heh…” She sneered, “It’s a pity that some people, even if they are princesses, may not be able to get it.”
After saying this, she glanced at Princess Guang'an with contempt, and walked away leisurely, her eyes full of pride.
Seeing how arrogant she was, Princess Guang'an was so angry that she trembled all over and could no longer tolerate it.
She rushed forward, grabbed Tang Lin'er, and insisted on arguing with her about right and wrong.
"Don't leave! If you don't explain it clearly today, I..."
"What's wrong with you?"
Tang Lin'er didn't even raise her eyelids, she just sneered, "You killed me?"
She brushed away Princess Guang'an's hand, turned calmly, and got into the carriage surrounded by servants.
The carriage started slowly, raising dust all the way, leaving Princess Guang'an, with a flushed face, behind.
As the sky gradually darkened, the setting sun turned blood red, illuminating the streets.
Tang Lin'er leaned against the carriage, her eyes moving around like a fox hiding in the darkness, flashing with cunning light.
She leaned back on the cushion and slowly closed her eyes, letting the carriage gallop all the way back to the palace.
Inside the palace, the lanterns were just lit, and the dim lights swayed in the wind, like candles in the wind, as if they would go out at any time, or like countless pairs of prying eyes, silently watching everything in the darkness.
She got off the car and was led by the nanny beside the empress dowager towards the empress dowager's palace.
The Queen Mother had just woken up from a short nap and was sitting leisurely on the couch with a cup of tea in her hand. The hot steam was rising in the quiet hall.
The bedroom was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. When the Queen Mother saw Tang Lin'er step into the room, she raised her eyelids slightly, revealing a bit of laziness, and asked, "Have you made any progress on the method you mentioned before to bring down the Shen family and Yan Jinghuan?"
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Tang Lin'er coldly, her eyes like a sharp dagger, and then added: "The position of Crown Princess has been given to you. If you can't think of a way, don't blame me for changing someone."
Tang Lin'er's expression did not change, and she still had a faint smile on her face, but that smile did not reach her eyes. The coldness in her eyes was quietly rising, like a bottomless cold pond.
She bowed politely and said slowly, "Of course there is a way, but you know, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. This matter needs to be done slowly."
When the Queen Mother heard this, she immediately became angry and said impatiently, "Take your time? How can I have so much time to take my time?"
"I wish they would die immediately without a burial place!"
A gust of wind blew by, making the window paper rustle.
Seeing this, Tang Lin'er smiled even more brightly, like a cunning fox, "If that's the case, then let's get rid of some of their help first. I heard that the north seems to be in turmoil recently?"
The Queen Mother frowned slightly. "Why are you talking about these irrelevant things for no reason?"
Tang Lin'er lowered her eyes and began to calculate, "The war in the west is getting intense, and the north is taking advantage of the chaos to invade. The northern country of Sheng is stronger than us, and now we don't have extra troops to fight against the north."
The Queen Mother snorted coldly and interrupted Tang Lin'er before she could finish, "General Zhang's military power has been taken away, why are you still talking about this? I want you to overthrow the Shen family, why are you bothering about fighting!"
Tang Lin'er was not in a hurry. She still smiled gently and said slowly, "Don't be anxious, Queen Mother. Just listen to me."
"Instead of wasting military strength in war, it is better to take the initiative to make peace and send my concubine to protect the country. I don't know where to use the general."
The Queen Mother was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then slowly asked: "Who should be sent to marry?"
The candle flames in the hall jumped suddenly.
Tang Lin'er's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. She looked up at the Queen Mother and said word by word, "Of course it was Princess Guang'an who was a traitor and helped Shen Xingwan to slander the Crown Prince and the Imperial Concubine."
"If she hadn't secretly helped, how could Shen Xingwan and the others have succeeded so easily?"
The Queen Mother slapped the armrest, and a crisp "pa" sound echoed in the quiet bedroom, shaking the air slightly.
She gnashed her teeth and said, "Yes, if it weren't for this girl interfering, how could General Zhang lose his military power and let Zilin suffer the pain of imprisonment."
"It seems that this girl can't be kept."
The Queen Mother's chest heaved violently, and she was obviously very angry.
Tang Lin'er echoed softly, "Queen Dowager, please calm down. Princess Guang'an's behavior is truly treasonous."
"This marriage..." She rolled her eyes slightly, "It can not only relieve the danger in the north, but also punish her. It really kills two birds with one stone."
Tang Lin'er lowered her head slightly, with an indescribably sinister look on her face, and continued, "However, this matter still needs to be carefully considered. After all, Princess Guang'an is of noble status and is deeply loved by the emperor. If we act rashly, something unexpected may happen."
The Queen Mother snorted coldly, lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea, "The more noble she is, the more she should marry. As a princess, she is supported by the people and should devote herself to the country."
"But what you said does make some sense. We really can't rush this matter. Tell me, how should we arrange it?"
The Queen Mother sneered and slowly raised her head to look at Tang Lin'er.
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