Chapter 29, "Luring her to sleep + People from Nanqiong arrive..."
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Early Winter ==
The news quickly spread throughout the capital. Su Wanyue was stunned for a long time after hearing the news. It had been more than half a year since she had seen her family. The scene of last year's New Year's Eve was still vivid in her mind.
Su Wanyue's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingers also trembled.
Qin'er was clearly very excited. Among the royal family, the Crown Prince was the one who cared for the Princess the most. At this moment, the Crown Prince must already know that the Princess had replaced Princess Weiyang in marriage. So, the Crown Prince's visit might bring the Princess news of the Prince. Although the Princess did not say it, Qin'er understood that the Princess always cared about Nanqiong's family.
As the year drew to a close, the Emperor was in high spirits. He smiled and said to a few of his men, "The arrival of the Crown Prince of Nanqiong is a momentous occasion. On that day, Minister Xie and Minister Mu shall go to the city gate to greet him."
Xie Cheng and Mu Ziyi stood up at the same time, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your humble servants obey the imperial decree."
"Step down."
Once the Hall of Mental Cultivation returned to quiet, the Emperor suddenly remembered something: "How many days until the Seventh Prince returns to the capital?"
As the Seventh Prince returned to the capital, news arrived at each post station. Eunuch Zhou smiled and said, "The Seventh Prince has arrived in Fuzhou and should reach the capital in about half a month."
The Seventh Prince is mature beyond his years and possesses exceptional martial arts skills. He has once again rendered great service. Upon his return to the capital, the Emperor will surely reward him according to his merits. If the Emperor is in a good mood, it is not impossible for him to bestow upon the Seventh Prince the title of Prince of the County. Eunuch Zhou can foresee how lively the capital will be after the Seventh Prince returns.
As Zhou Gonggong predicted, ever since the Seventh Prince led his troops to repel the bandits of Qingzhou, all the major aristocratic families had been planning to marry their daughters to him. What did it matter if their maternal families were of low status? As long as they could be valued by the Emperor, that was enough.
Snowflakes were falling, and a thick layer of white covered the eaves and treetops. The ground was slippery, making it difficult to walk.
Xiao Yu, dressed in a purple robe with gold patterns and covered with a dark fox fur cloak, stepped down from the carriage with his tall and elegant figure. Qingyi followed him to the Zixia Palace.
Just then, a maid from Zixia Palace pushed open the door and saw Xiao Yu. She quickly bowed and said, "This servant greets Your Highness."
Inside, charcoal burned brightly, and Xiao Yu walked in slowly. He hung his fox fur cloak on a wooden rack. "Your elder brother will come to the capital around the fifteenth of the month. Father has sent Xie Cheng and Mu Ziyi out of the city to welcome him."
Both men came from prominent families and were young court officials. The Emperor ordered them to go to the city gate to greet the Crown Prince of Nanqiong, firstly to show his high regard for the Crown Prince, and secondly to demonstrate his respect for the Xie State Duke's Mansion and the Dingguo General's Mansion.
Su Wanyue already knew about this, but she was afraid of appearing too happy, so she just nodded slightly.
But as perceptive as Xiao Yu was, how could he not see her joy? Xiao Yu looked at her with his long, narrow, auspicious eyes and asked, "Do you want to go that day?"
Su Wanyue immediately forgot her pretense and asked softly, "May I go?"
She made no attempt to hide her desire to go, and Xiao Yu smiled gently, "If you want to go, then I will accompany you."
Su Wanyue's eyebrows and eyes were bright and clear, her almond-shaped eyes were filled with a smile, and her voice was much lighter, "This concubine thanks Your Highness."
"Only verbal thanks?" Xiao Yu asked calmly and unhurriedly.
Perhaps it was because his voice sounded slightly off, but Su Wanyue blinked and met his ambiguous gaze, which made her think of something else. The charcoal fire in the hall was already burning brightly, and now her cheeks felt even hotter. She softly reminded him, "Your Highness, it is still daytime."
Xiao Yu's lips curved slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared on his jade-like face. "What are you thinking, Your Highness? I just want Your Highness to pour me a cup of tea."
Su Wanyue: "..."
This person is definitely doing this on purpose. Su Wanyue's eyes were filled with anger as she poured him a cup of tea. "Your Highness, please."
Xiao Yu's fingers were long and slender, like a piece of beautiful jade. As he took the tea, he kissed her delicate, fair hand, giving her a tingling sensation. Su Wanyue's hand burned, and she quickly pulled it back.
Over the past few months, she could sense the difference in his attitude towards her, but it was precisely because of this difference that Su Wanyue felt uneasy, because there were some things she couldn't give him, nor should she give them to him.
The snow in the capital had been falling for several days, and the snow on the ground was getting thicker and thicker. Su Wanyue hadn't left the Zixia Palace for several days. Perhaps because she had slept too long during the day, she was not sleepy at all at night. That night, the couple played chess until midnight. They had just lain down when they heard rustling noises beside them. The woman felt something was wrong and opened her eyes. She saw a tall, slender man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist tidying his robes.
The man noticed the noise and walked over to her in a few steps. "Did I wake you up?"
Su Wanyue asked instinctively, "Is Your Highness going to court?"
As soon as she said it, Su Wanyue realized something was wrong. It wasn't even the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) yet, so how could he go to court?
Xiao Yu seemed amused by her words, and said in a gentle voice, "Something has happened in the palace, I'll go there first."
Su Wanyue: "Then Your Highness, please be careful."
Xiao Yu nodded slightly and called her maid to come in and take care of her. Then he left the Prince Cheng's residence under the cover of night. The night was quiet and still, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation was brightly lit.
The Crown Prince and several important court officials had arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation long ago. Xiao Yu was the last to arrive. Eunuch Zhou was still waiting outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Upon seeing Xiao Yu, Eunuch Zhou hurriedly said, "Your Highness."
Xiao Yu asked Eunuch Zhou a question, and Eunuch Zhou quickly replied, "This old servant doesn't know what happened either. I only know that the Seventh Prince was assassinated when he left Fuzhou and was seriously injured. His Majesty was furious when he learned of this and set the Yangxin Hall on fire."
That's not just about getting furious. Putting aside the fact that the Seventh Prince defeated the bandits in Qingzhou and made a great contribution to the court, the fact that His Majesty's son was assassinated on his way back to the capital is enough to anger His Majesty. Not to mention that the Crown Prince of Nanqiong is about to enter the capital. If the people of Nanqiong knew that Beili was not peaceful, who knows what they would think.
As soon as Xiao Yu entered, Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei glanced at him. There were fragments of blue and white porcelain on the expensive carpet, which were obviously smashed by the Emperor in a fit of anger.
His Majesty's expression, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura. He glanced at Xiao Yu and Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei, "The Seventh Prince has rendered great service in repelling the bandits of Qingzhou, but he was ambushed on his way back to the capital and his life hangs in the balance. I am deeply troubled and have summoned you all here tonight to ask you one question: Do you think this assassination was deliberate or a coincidence?"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. At this critical juncture, to plot against the Seventh Prince must have been a deliberate act, perhaps even the Crown Prince himself. Now that the Seventh Prince had returned to the capital after making great contributions, who would be the biggest threat to him? It would be none other than the adult princes in the court.
However, among all the princes, if the other princes wanted to harm someone, they would definitely think twice and not dare to reveal any evidence. But if the Crown Prince wanted to make a move against someone, he would definitely do it directly, because no matter what the Crown Prince did, the Emperor would let it go easily.
Regardless of what the court officials thought, Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei remained calm and composed, even enjoying the tea in his hand.
The ministers harbored their own schemes, but dared not reveal them. The Emperor's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Xiao Yu. "Yu'er, what do you think?"
The ministers found it ironic. Clearly, if one of the princes was plotting against the Seventh Prince, then His Highness the Crown Prince would be the most likely person to kill him. Yet, His Majesty bypassed the Crown Prince and asked Prince Cheng.
His Highness Prince Cheng truly disdains doing such a thing.
Perhaps because the Emperor bypassed the Crown Prince and asked Xiao Yu directly, Xiao Ruofei was somewhat dissatisfied. He stared intently at Xiao Yu, who remained composed and noble. "Your subject does not know either, but I think the most urgent task is to send the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Imperial Physician to Fuzhou. After investigating, we will know who is behind this."
"Do as Prince Cheng wishes." The Emperor gave Xiao Yu a deep look, then said to Xie Cheng, "Minister Xie, immediately take the imperial physician and five hundred personal guards to Fuzhou. You must find out who is behind this and bring the Seventh Prince back to me safe and sound before New Year's Eve."
Xie Cheng: "Your humble servant obeys the decree."
Once His Majesty made his decision, none of the ministers voiced their thoughts. Of course, with His Highness the Crown Prince sitting there, they dared not speak either, for they did not wish to offend His Highness the Crown Prince.
As the group emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the sky was shrouded in mist, barely bright. Xiao Ruofei deliberately lagged two steps behind the other ministers, placed his hands behind his back, and asked Xiao Yu with a smile, "Third brother, who do you think is behind this assassination attempt?"
Xiao Yu's expression was extremely cold, his eyes sharp. "Your subject does not know."
"There are still things in this world that my third brother doesn't know." Xiao Ruofei opened his folding fan and smiled playfully.
The two were talking at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Eunuch Zhou politely relayed to the Emperor the exact words spoken between Xiao Ruofei and Xiao Yu.
After listening, the Emperor remained silent for a long time. "Who do you think did this?"
Anyone who dares to openly assassinate a prince in the Fuzhou area must either be an enemy of the Seventh Prince or a prince who doesn't want the Seventh Prince to return to the capital.
His Majesty must have some suspicions in his heart, but he simply doesn't want to think about them.
Eunuch Zhou lowered his head and said, "This old servant thinks we should wait for Lord Xie to investigate before we know."
The assassination attempt on the Seventh Prince caused a great stir in the capital. Upon learning of this, the Seventh Princess immediately went to Prince Cheng's residence to find Su Wanyue. "Sister-in-law, you have no idea that my Seventh Brother was assassinated on his way back to the capital and was seriously injured."
Qin'er stepped forward to serve tea to the Seventh Princess. Upon hearing this, she paused. The end of the year was approaching, and yet this had happened. Bei Li truly had many princes, and many conflicts. This matter was very likely related to the Crown Prince.
The Seventh Princess did not notice Qin'er's expression. She simply held Su Wanyue's small hand and recounted to her how well the Seventh Prince had treated her when they were in the capital. Besides her own brother, the Seventh Prince was her favorite brother.
Su Wanyue didn't know much about the Seventh Prince of Beili, but from what others had mentioned, he seemed to be a good person.
Su Wanyue comforted the Seventh Princess, saying that the imperial physician had already gone there and the Seventh Prince would surely return to the capital safely.
The Seventh Princess felt a little better then. "Sister-in-law, who do you think did this?"
The only people who would dare to assassinate the Seventh Prince, besides his enemies, are...
But without evidence, Su Wanyue certainly wouldn't mention that person rashly. Su Wanyue changed the subject, saying, "Father has already sent people to investigate, and we'll definitely know if there's any news."
"I'm afraid it'll be the same as last time, with someone just scapegoating us and the matter just blown over," the Seventh Princess muttered, pouting.
Last time, when the matter of Guimin Temple came up, Father didn't handle it. He simply pinned all the blame on the martial arts figures of the Yan Gui Sect, and then it was left unresolved.
Fortunately, after the imperial physician went to Fuzhou, the seventh prince's health improved significantly. However, he was not suited to travel, so the emperor issued an imperial edict ordering the imperial physician to continue to stay in Fuzhou to take care of the seventh prince, and the seventh prince did not need to return to the capital for the time being.
As for who was behind this, everyone had their own guesses, but dared not say it.
Besides the assassination attempt on the Seventh Prince, another major event was the imminent arrival of the Crown Prince of Nanqiong in the capital. Because Xie Cheng was investigating the assassination attempt on the Seventh Prince in Fuzhou, the person who went to the city gate to greet the Crown Prince of Nanqiong, Qin Jue, was replaced by Luo Qi.
But Xiao Yu had promised Su Wanyue that he would accompany her to the city gate that day. The night before Qin Jue arrived in the capital, Su Wanyue couldn't sleep for half a day, her mind filled with thoughts of what had happened before.
It wasn't until strong, firm arms pulled her into their embrace that Su Wanyue snapped out of her daze. Meeting the man's dark, inky eyes, Xiao Yu asked in a soft voice, "Nervous or unable to sleep?"
Su Wanyue wasn't nervous, but she had some trouble sleeping. She tentatively asked, "Did I disturb Your Highness?"
"This has nothing to do with the Princess." Xiao Yu noticed her nervousness, gently rubbed the corner of her eye with his fingertip, and got up to pick up a book. Seeing him come over with a book, Su Wanyue was a little surprised. What was he going to do...?
Immediately afterward, Su Wanyue knew what he was going to do: he was going to tell her a story.
He spoke calmly to Su Wanyue about the principles of governing a country. When Su Wanyue was studying in the Imperial Study of the Southern Qiong Palace, the Grand Tutor also taught them the principles of governing a country, which Su Wanyue enjoyed listening to. But listening to the principles of governing a country in the middle of the night...
A wave of drowsiness washed over her instantly, and Su Wanyue could barely keep her almond-shaped eyes open as she let out a soft yawn.
After reading a single page, Su Wanyue closed her eyes, her breathing steady and even. Xiao Yu casually tossed the book aside and then pulled his wife into his arms.
The last time he heard her murmur "Second Brother" in her dream, the man thought she had a better sibling relationship with her second brother, but now he realized that wasn't necessarily the case.
The next day, Su Wanyue woke up early. As soon as she woke up, Xiao Yu woke up too. Xiao Yu pressed down on her struggling body and reminded her in a hoarse voice, "It's still early, sleep a little longer."
Su Wanyue could only close her eyes, thinking that she would get up after the man went to court. But when she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. The sun shone in through the window, and much of the snow outside had melted. Qin'er picked a few red plum blossoms and put them in a jade vase. Then she smiled and helped Su Wanyue with her hair and makeup. "His Highness said that he would pick up the Princess Consort at the city gate after court and told the Princess Consort not to worry."
Because she was going to see Nan Qiong today, Qin'er made Su Wanyue's makeup more glamorous than usual. The woman's cheeks looked even more rosy than a blooming peony, her face was delicate, with red lips and white teeth, and a plum blossom-shaped flower decoration between her eyebrows. She was beautiful and refined.
After she finished dressing, the servants busied themselves serving breakfast. The breakfast was plentiful and exquisite. Su Wanyue ate a few pastries and drank a bowl of porridge. Qin'er was worried that she couldn't calm down, so she suggested that she go for a walk with her.
At this moment, Prince Qin Jue's entourage was also approaching Chang'an. Qin Jue was flipping through the book in his hands, but hadn't turned a single page for a long time. This was the first time he had been so absent-minded. A hint of helplessness appeared on Qin Jue's elegant face. He put down the book in his hands and asked, "How much longer until we reach the city gate?"
"Your Highness, we should arrive in about half an hour," the guard outside the carriage replied hastily.
Qin Jue hummed in agreement and continued flipping through the book in his hand. There was a slip of paper tucked inside, with two names on it. Qin Jue recognized one of them, and Zhou Heng had mentioned the other. He was Prince Cheng's study companion. The situation in Beili was delicate at the moment, and the one who would ascend the throne in the future might not necessarily be the Crown Prince of Beili.
If such a thing were to happen in the future, Nanqiong would certainly choose to assist Prince Cheng, both morally and logically. However, if necessary, this assistance could be used as a bargaining chip, a chip to protect Wanwan.
At this moment, Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi had already led their soldiers to the city gate. The general guarding the gate greeted them respectfully and told Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi that His Highness Prince Cheng would also be arriving later.
Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi exchanged a glance. This guy really knows how to make the princess happy. "We understand."
The two waited at the city gate for about half an hour. The procession slowly came into view in the distance. Luo Qi and Mu Ziyi's servants hurriedly reminded them, "General Mu, Lord Luo, Crown Prince Qin has arrived."
Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi had already seen it, and the two quickly went forward to meet them. The first person to come face to face with them was Liu Ying, Qin Jue's most capable bodyguard.
As the convoy came to a stop, a pair of pale fingers lifted the curtain, and then Qin Jue, with her elegant appearance and noble bearing like a snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, appeared in everyone's sight. Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi's first impression was that Princess Cheng's appearance was not very similar to that of Prince Xiang of Nanqiong, but she did resemble that of Prince Crown Prince of Nanqiong. They were truly worthy of being siblings.
"Your humble servant Mu Ziyi greets the Crown Prince of Qin."
"Your humble servant Luo Qi greets the Crown Prince of Qin."
"You two sirs, please don't stand on ceremony." Qin Jue's voice was clear and melodious, as pleasant as flowing water.
Mu Ziyi: "Your Majesty has ordered me to come and meet Crown Prince Qin. His Majesty said that Crown Prince Qin must be tired from his journey, so why don't you go to the post station to rest first, and then His Majesty will hold a banquet to welcome Crown Prince Qin on New Year's Eve."
"Then thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Qin Jue smiled gracefully, then quickly changed the subject, "I wonder if my sister is doing well in Bei Li?"
"Princess Consort Cheng is doing well." Mu Ziyi and Luo Qi were about to tell him that Prince Cheng and Princess Consort Cheng would be coming later when they heard a soft, gentle voice, "Brother."
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