Chapter 73: Everyone Wenrou discovered was dead.
Shen Xingwan was led by a little palace maid into the bedroom of Concubine De.
The light in the hall was dim, and heavy curtains were hanging, locking in the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
In the purple gold auspicious beast incense burner in the corner, the soothing frankincense was burning. The wisps of smoke drifted lightly in the air, but still could not hide the dead silence and desolation in the hall.
Empress Defei, dressed in plain clothes, leaned on the chaise longue. She looked thin, haggard, and withered, no longer as graceful and elegant as before.
She seemed to have no strength to sit up straight. She half leaned on the couch, her fingertips tightly grasping a small golden lock. Tears silently fell and hit her palm.
Shen Xingwan sighed inwardly, stepped forward lightly, and bowed: "I hope your Majesty the Virtuous Concubine is well."
Concubine De suddenly looked up, as if she had just seen who was coming.
Her eyes were dazed for a moment, and then she suddenly reached out and firmly grasped Shen Xingwan's wrist.
"Princess Shen, this golden lock..." Her voice trembled: "This golden lock is Li Yue's personal belongings. She has been wearing it since she was a child and never takes it off. How come it is in your hands?"
As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly think of something. Her whole body trembled, and fear and despair appeared in her eyes. Her throat seemed to be blocked, and she trembled so much that she could hardly form a sentence: "This palace, this palace heard that... the northern border was suddenly attacked by the Yan Kingdom, and Liyue she...she..."
She couldn't say any more, and suddenly covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't stop shaking, and murmured in grief: "Is it... Is it that Liyue has already..."
Her voice choked and she suddenly burst into tears, nearly fainting from grief.
Shen Xingwan rushed forward to support her weak body, held her cold and trembling hand, shook her head slightly, and whispered to comfort her: "My lady, don't panic."
She glanced at the palace maids guarding the hall, narrowed her eyes slightly, and signaled Defei to pay attention to others.
Defei had lived in the deep palace for a long time and was very good at observing people's words and expressions. Her eyes moved slightly, and she suppressed her grief and ordered all the palace servants to leave.
The palace door slowly closed, and silence finally returned to the bedroom.
Shen Xingwan then whispered, "Please rest assured, Princess Guang'an is safe."
"What did you say?"
De Fei suddenly raised her eyes, with a mixture of surprise and doubt in her eyes. She looked at her in disbelief, her voice trembling, "Li Yue... is she still alive?"
Shen Xingwan nodded with a serious expression.
"Yes, my brother Shen Yunchao was assassinated in the army, so he took the opportunity to pretend to fall off a cliff and sneak into the northern border to rescue the princess."
"The princess is now safely settled in the Shen Mansion. Don't worry, the princess is doing well."
Concubine De was stunned on the spot, unable to recover for a long time, as if she could not digest this sudden news for a while.
She suddenly grasped Shen Xingwan's hand, her eyes filled with ecstasy, "What you said... is it true?"
Shen Xingwan nodded seriously.
"Absolutely."
Defei's tense body finally relaxed, and tears burst out again, but this time, they were tears of joy after surviving the disaster.
She nodded repeatedly, almost fidgeting with excitement.
"Okay, okay... Yue'er is still alive... She is really still alive..."
She was so emotional that she couldn't calm down for a long time.
Shen Xingwan just looked at her quietly, waiting until she slowly calmed down from her ecstasy. Her originally sad eyes finally regained the shrewdness of her former position as the mistress of the harem.
Concubine De sat up straight and looked at Shen Xingwan with a dark look.
After a long while, she spoke slowly, "Well, you could have just told me that Yue Er was safe, but you also told me about your brother's fake death. What do you want me to do for you?"
Shen Xingwan lowered her eyes slightly and smiled faintly, without hiding or beating around the bush: "It's great that it's effortless to talk to a smart person like the queen."
Concubine De sneered, her eyes sharp: "I hate being used by others the most in my life."
She glanced at Shen Xingwan, picked up the teacup on the small table beside her, scraped off the foam with the lid, took a sip, and said slowly, "But the Shen family saved Yue'er, and I must accept this kindness."
Shen Xingwan's lips curled up into a determined smile, his eyes calm, he leaned close to Concubine De, whispered slowly into her ear.
The candlelight flickered in the hall, reflecting on Concubine De's slightly furrowed brows in thought. The room was silent and the atmosphere was subtle.
When Shen Xingwan came out of Concubine De's palace, it was almost dark.
The afterglow of the setting sun is like soft brocade, spreading between the red walls and golden tiles, dyeing the palace road with a layer of gorgeous warm light.
She walked slowly, but her mind was still immersed in the secret conversation she had just had with Concubine De.
As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, a little palace maid came forward and reported respectfully in a low voice: "Princess, the regent has been waiting for you for a long time."
Shen Xingwan paused slightly and looked up at the sky.
She nodded, then took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Feiyun who was attending her.
"You can deliver it to the princess in person so that she can feel at ease."
Feiyun understood, took it respectfully, and quickly retreated.
Shen Xingwan then turned around and followed the little palace maid towards Yan Jinghuan's place.
The palace road was long and silent. A breeze blew by, lifting a strand of black hair on her temples. Her clothes fluttered and her steps were graceful. She actually felt a sense of security that someone was waiting for her gently.
As soon as she opened the door and before she raised her eyes, she heard Yan Jinghuan's low voice: "Just do as I tell you, and leave."
She glanced sideways and saw an official with an anxious look on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is very important and urgent. Please..."
Yan Jinghuan glanced at him with a smile, his eyes were leisurely and his tone was lazy but unquestionable.
"I have more important things to deal with right now. Please withdraw."
The official was stunned for a moment, as if he wanted to fight for it again, but he didn't dare to say anything more to anger Yan Jinghuan. He could only bow and retreat in fear.
Shen Xingwan was stunned there, feeling a little bit of a dilemma for a moment, and looked at him apologetically: "Since you have something important to do, go and do it. I will go back to the mansion and not disturb you anymore."
Yan Jinghuan just smiled faintly and walked towards her.
The sunlight from the sky fell obliquely, through the lattice on the door, and scattered on his body like broken gold. His black robe with gold thread trim wrapped around his tall and lean body, making him look tall and slender and his demeanor elegant.
He walked up to her, raised his hand and held hers, his palm was warm, his fingertips slightly tightened, and his casual tone was filled with a bit of doting smile: "Let's go, let's go back home together."
Shen Xingwan was slightly startled, and looked up at him, "Isn't there something important?"
Yan Jinghuan chuckled, then suddenly put his arm around her slender waist and walked forward with her, "What could be more important than accompanying you?"
Shen Xingwan was stunned, and her heart seemed to be gently touched by something, causing ripples.
She wanted to make fun of him, but when she looked up and met his deep, smiling eyes, she could not say anything.
She did not struggle, nor did she say anything else. She just lowered her head with a red face, and walked out with him in her arms.
As the night deepened and the palace lanterns came on, the evening breeze was slightly cool, but the person beside me was passing on a steady stream of warmth.
Shen Xingwan lowered her eyelashes and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
The two returned home and had dinner together. After washing up, they lay down on the soft brocade couch together.
The hall was filled with soothing, sleep-inducing benzoin, which curled up in the air, adding a lazy and cozy atmosphere.
Yan Jinghuan lay with his eyes closed, one hand on the back of his head, the other hand holding Shen Xingwan, his warm palm gently stroking her back, as if he was coaxing a restless kitten to sleep.
Shen Xingwan saw that there were still faint bruises under his eyes and he looked a little tired, obviously he had not had a good rest in the past few days.
She nestled in his arms, feeling the warmth from his body, but her mind was always swirling with various things, her thoughts were in a mess, and she couldn't fall asleep peacefully.
She tossed and turned for a long time, and finally couldn't help it. She said softly and hesitantly: "Well...my brother has returned to Beijing."
Yan Jinghuan did not stop his hand movements, nor did he lift his eyelids, he just said "hmm" softly.
Shen Xingwan blinked, and seeing how calm he was, she added, "He... also brought Princess Guang'an back with him."
Yan Jinghuan remained calm, as if he had expected all this, and said calmly, "I know."
Shen Xingwan was completely stunned, with doubts filling his mind.
She wanted to test his reaction, but he was not surprised at all.
She couldn't bear it any longer, so she turned over and looked up at him.
"They are all living in the Shen Mansion right now. If they are discovered...what should we do?"
Yan Jinghuan finally opened his eyes. The dark color in his eyes was as calm as the sea, without the slightest ripple, only undisguised certainty.
“No.”
Shen Xingwan opened her eyes wide.
"There are so many people in the capital watching them, how could they not notice them? I'm worried..."
Yan Jinghuan suddenly chuckled, his voice was very light, but it made people feel cold: "Anyone who found it is dead."
Shen Xingwan's body trembled slightly, staring at him blankly, and it took a long time for him to find his voice, and he murmured: "It's you..."
Yan Jinghuan closed his eyes calmly, and no emotion could be heard in his tone.
"Um."
Shen Xingwan's heart was shocked, and he suddenly understood a lot.
Yes, if Yan Jinghuan hadn't helped secretly, how could his brother have brought the princess back to the capital from the northern border alone?
There was such a big commotion at the gate of the Shen Mansion last night. If someone had been watching them, the whereabouts of my brother and the princess would have been discovered and spread. But today it was so calm. It was obvious that Yan Jinghuan handled everything behind the scenes.
Noticing her stiffness, Yan Jinghuan paused his hand that was gently stroking her back.
"You think I'm cruel?"
He sighed softly, with a rare hint of helplessness in his tone.
"I didn't intend to tell you, but since you asked, I don't want to hide it from you."
After a pause, he lowered his head and stared at her, his eyes as dark as ink, surging with emotions she couldn't understand.
"Are you scared?" he asked her softly.
Shen Xingwan met his gaze and her heart trembled slightly, but she did not retreat at all.
Of course she knew what kind of person Yan Jinghuan was. He was decisive and ruthless and never showed mercy.
But he treated her very gently.
She didn't answer, but just shook her head gently, slowly got into his arms, stretched out her hands, and hugged him tightly.
Yan Jinghuan chuckled, tightened his grip on her, lowered his head and kissed her forehead, "You're so good."
The night was quiet. Shen Xingwan rubbed against his arms and finally calmed down.
Yan Jinghuan hugged her tightly, his movements gentle and affectionate, as if he was hugging the most precious treasure in the world.
The night is long, hiding all the beauty of spring.
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