Chapter 6 006 They've caught up!
"Your Highness, half an hour ago, the Crown Prince sent a message inviting you to a welcoming banquet at Yipinxiang. Would you like to go?"
"Go?" Shen Rongshi asked, troubled. "We just kicked his wallet out of the house. What if he tries to set us up for a trap? Should we make an excuse to cancel?"
The carriage was deathly silent.
After a moment, the young man glanced at him and asked, "Why don't you go?"
Shen Rongshi: "Alright, I heard that Princess Zhaoyi is also planning to host a welcome banquet for you. Are you going or not?"
"No, don't bother me with such a trivial matter."
Shen Rongshi chuckled: "Alright, alright, I thought that after spending more than a month with a woman in Bianzhou City in Jiangnan, you had finally come to your senses and started thinking about marriage. I didn't expect you to still be the same, still so clueless about romance."
Xie Huaiyuan looked at him silently.
Shen Rongshi continued with a smile, "The Crown Prince and Prince Jin have always been at odds. This time, you and I have offended the Crown Prince for the sake of Prince Jin. I'm afraid this welcoming banquet is not simple."
"Why don't you just agree to Princess Zhaoyi's offer? Everyone in the capital knows that Princess Zhaoyi is interested in you. It would be perfect to use her to defuse the situation."
Xie Huaiyuan lowered his eyes, his long, raven-feather eyelashes fluttering slightly, and when he spoke again, his voice was almost cold.
“Send a message to Prince Jin and reschedule for Yipinxiang Pavilion. We’ll have to meet sooner or later anyway. I haven’t seen this scene of brotherly affection in a long time, and I miss it very much.”
Shen Rongshi paused in her smile, then looked at him with admiration: "Absolutely brilliant!"
"..."
The carriage entered the city gate and continued forward.
Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves came from the end of the street corner, heading straight towards the city gate.
"Who goes there, daring to ram the prince's carriage?"
"Whoa—"
"I am Su Xuanhuai, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I greet Your Highness."
Inside the car.
Shen Rongshi shook his head repeatedly: "Sigh, you really shouldn't talk about people behind their backs. Look, the Crown Prince's lackeys have come looking for us."
A long, slender finger lifted the curtain, revealing the handsome, aloof face of the young man inside the car.
Su Xuanhuai dismounted and bowed, saying, "I have heard that Your Highness's disaster relief efforts in the south have been successful. I would like to offer my congratulations to Your Highness in advance."
Xie Huaiyuan: "Thank you. This is His Majesty's wise move. We are merely acting out of loyalty to the Emperor and relieving his worries. We dare not take credit for it."
Su Xuanhuai, with his sharp eyes, noticed that there was another person inside the carriage and said with a smile, "Lord Shen, it's been a long time."
Shen Rongshi had always disliked Su Su's petty tricks of always trying to trip him up while following behind the Crown Prince. Her smile didn't reach her eyes: "Haha, it's been half a year since we last met. I've missed you quite a bit, Lord Su. I wonder if the Crown Prince has any instructions for you to come here at this time?"
Su Xuanhuai smiled and explained, "No, it's just a small matter that my elders asked me to do."
As Shen Rong was about to ask another question, she noticed the rapid change in Su Xuan's expression across from her, his eyes filled with barely concealed surprise.
Su Xuanhuai's eyes suddenly brightened like stars, and the corners of his mouth turned up. He said urgently, "Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. Let's meet again another day."
"?"
Before they could react, Su Xuanhuai had already mounted his horse and galloped away.
Shen Rongshi: "Is he in such a hurry because he came here specifically to gather information so he can go back and complain?"
Xie Huaiyuan glanced sideways in the direction Su Xuanhuai had ridden off on horseback and said coldly, "You're overthinking it."
"He used to cause us trouble for the sake of the Crown Prince, so why is he being so kind today and coming over to say hello!"
After a few breaths of silence inside the carriage—
"He didn't come here specifically to say hello to us, so don't try to flatter yourself."
Having said all he wanted to say, Xie Huaiyuan closed his eyes and fell silent.
Shen Rongshi turned her head and looked out of the carriage, puzzled.
Not far away was the city gate of the capital, with a constant stream of people coming and going.
Su Xuanhuai rode his horse at full speed and stopped in front of the carriage that had just entered the city gate. The carriage had a sign that read "Lin".
Su Xuanhuai dismounted, handed the reins to the servant behind him, and stepped forward to ask tentatively.
"Excuse me, is this Lin Wan's carriage?"
Under the warm sun.
A slender, fair hand reached out from behind the blue cloth curtain, lifting it to reveal the face of the woman inside the carriage.
"That's right, and who are you?"
Su Xuanhuai smiled with delight and said, "Greetings, Cousin Lin Wan. I am Su Xuanhuai. My father mentioned that you would be coming to the capital today and instructed me to come here to welcome you back to the mansion."
Lin Wan thought about it and realized that the letter from the capital mentioned that her maternal grandmother had a cousin named Su Xuanhuai. It seemed that this was the person in question.
"I am well, cousin. Thank you for your help."
Su Xuanhuai was a few years older than Lin Wan. He had met her once many years ago and remembered her as a charming and adorable girl. Now, after many years, she had grown into a graceful and poised woman.
A snow-white veil concealed half of her face, revealing eyes as clear and bright as a deep pool of blue water, captivating anyone who looked at her.
A beautiful woman sat inside the carriage, while a handsome gentleman stood in front of it.
This scene was witnessed by Shen Rongshi, who turned around to investigate from a distance.
He clicked his tongue, as if surprised, and lazily gossiped, "Looking so happy, could it be that you've brought a confidante? I don't think I've ever heard of such a woman in the Su family."
However, the other person in the car had their eyes closed and ignored him.
The carriage continued on its way.
Just as Shen Rongshi withdrew his hand from lifting the curtain, he seemed to remember something and suddenly lifted the curtain again, this time leaning almost half his body out to look behind him.
My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but take a second look.
The woman with the veil...
Suddenly it dawned on her why she looked familiar—wasn't she the woman who saved the prince half a year ago?
Why is she still wearing a white veil on her face?
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Rongshi's eyes. He turned to the person inside the car and asked tentatively, "Did you just see the person Su Xuanhuai was going to pick up, so you said it wasn't for us?"
Do you know the woman he picked up?
Upon hearing this, Xie Huaiyuan pressed his fingertips to his forehead, somewhat puzzled as to why this person was so startled and repeatedly lifted the curtain to let in the bright sunlight. His eyes couldn't handle such bright and glaring light, so he didn't even bother to lift his eyelids and said without any emotion, "I don't know him."
Shen Rongshi's eyes were filled with shock, as if he were reconfirming the answer from the person in front of him.
Soon, Shen Rongshi understood, raised an eyebrow and smiled at him who was resting with his eyes closed, and said meaningfully, "It seems there's something interesting happening in the capital."
The Crown Prince has come to the capital to collect a debt of gratitude owed to him, and the person in question is a woman from an opposing faction.
—
Su Xuanhuai led the way on horseback, passing through the bustling streets.
Lin Wan sat in the carriage and lifted the curtain to look out the window.
The capital city was indeed incredibly prosperous, with shops lining both sides of the street, and brilliant sunlight shining down on the green tiles and red walls that filled the view.
Horse-drawn carriages passed by faces with varying expressions—some weathered, some youthful and energetic, some strangers from afar—a constant flow of carriages and people.
The teahouses and taverns were packed with people, and the sounds of hawking, selling, and laughter rose and fell in a continuous stream, creating a lively atmosphere.
After traveling for about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the carriage turned into a clean and wide alleyway made of bluestone.
The alley was wide and bright, with only four mansions located there.
Suddenly, two large lions crouched in front of a house on the east side, and a three-room, lacquered red gate with animal head decorations. An elderly steward was waiting in front of the gate, craning his neck to look ahead.
Upon seeing the carriage turning into the alley and spotting Su Xuanhuai, he hurriedly sent word back to the mansion: "Quickly tell the old lady that Miss Su has arrived."
Before long, the west gate of the mansion opened, and several servants came out. They stepped forward to help people get off the carriage, lead the horses, and carry luggage.
Su Xuanhuai: "Has Father returned?"
"Yes, yes, I've returned from the palace half an hour ago. I was asking if Miss Biao has arrived yet?" The steward replied respectfully while instructing the servants to get to work.
Lin Wan looked up at the plaque above the gate, which read "Su Mansion" in large characters.
The Su family mansion is magnificent, with pavilions and towers, flying eaves and green tiles, intertwined and interwoven. The garden is surrounded by mountains and water, with pleasant scenery.
Lin Wan lifted her skirt and climbed the steps into the mansion. After passing through the hanging flower gate, she entered the covered corridor.
Suddenly, the view opened up before me, revealing carved beams and painted rafters, exotic flowers and rare plants everywhere. A winding stream meandered through the covered walkway and flowed into a small pond full of koi.
The group walked through the covered corridor, followed the gravel path to the front gate of the east courtyard, passed a tall marble screen depicting ten thousand galloping horses, and came to the main courtyard with the three large characters "Yan Gui Tang" on the plaque.
The steward hurried forward, lifted the curtain, and called out, "Miss Biao has arrived."
As soon as Lin Wan entered the room, she saw a richly dressed, wealthy-looking woman helping an elderly woman with silver hair come forward.
She had visited her maternal grandmother in the capital with her mother when she was young, but she had vaguely forgotten about it because it was so long ago. However, she had a vague sense of familiarity and felt that this old lady must be her maternal grandmother.
Lin Wan slowly stepped forward, removed her veil, and bowed, saying, "Granddaughter Lin Wan greets her grandmother."
The old lady looked at the face before her, whose features resembled her deceased daughter so closely, her eyes reddening. She hugged Lin Wan tightly, sobbing, "My dear granddaughter..."
The lady beside her gently comforted her, and after a while, the old lady stopped crying.
“Good girl, I am your aunt. Not long after I married into the family, I happened to see your mother bringing you home. You were such a small and lovely child back then, and now you have grown into a great beauty.”
Aunt Meng led the people in the room to introduce Lin Wan to each of them.
"This is your cousin Su Xuanhuai, and this is your cousin Su Furong. Your uncle just said he has something to do and is currently in the study."
"There aren't many people in our household. You can play with your cousin on weekdays. That girl loves having lots of friends to play with."
It was the first time Su Furong had met her. She smiled and invited her to talk, but suddenly noticed the scar on her face: "Cousin, how did you get this scar on your face?"
At this moment, the old lady took a closer look at Lin Wan's face. There was a faint red scar on her beautiful face. Although it was covered by magnolia-colored makeup, it could be clearly seen upon closer inspection.
Lin Wan: "I was accidentally scratched last year and it left a scar."
"Oh dear, what should we do? Hasn't your father sought a doctor to treat you?"
Lin Wan smiled and said, "I've already seen a doctor, but the wound might be a bit deep, and the scar might not be able to be removed during the healing process."
Meng asserted, "Then it must be that the doctor's medical skills are not good. Here's what we'll do: since your cousin goes to the palace every day anyway, let him go and find the imperial physicians in the palace to get scar-removing ointment. It will definitely heal your scar."
The old lady was very pleased to see Lin Wan's obedient behavior, but she felt heartbroken when she saw the scars on her cheeks. Thinking of her most beloved daughter, who had died suddenly from a serious illness after marrying far away, she was filled with regret. She quickly came up with an idea, took Lin Wan's delicate hand, and said gently.
“In my previous letter to your father, I mentioned that you would stay at our house until next year to keep this old woman company, and then you would return home to hold your coming-of-age ceremony. You are such a good granddaughter. But now I want to change my mind. Let’s hold the coming-of-age ceremony in the capital next year. I will find you a suitable husband in the capital then. How about that?”
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com