Chapter 33 "Your Highness, it's the Zilu County of the Southern Prince's Mansion..."
==Chapter 33: The Secret Revealed==
Every year on the night of the Lantern Festival, from princes and princesses to ordinary people, everyone likes to come out to release lanterns and pray for blessings. Tonight, Crown Princess Lin Ruohan also came out. Of course, she did not come out alone, but brought Princess Zhaoning with her.
Lin Ruohan spread out the portraits of the young masters in front of Princess Zhaoning and asked her which one she liked. Little did she know that Princess Zhaoning didn't like any of them. She glanced at them casually and was about to leave.
Lin Ruohan's face darkened, and she immediately tried to stop her, "Zhaoning, where are you going?"
Princess Zhaoning was not one to be restrained. Even when facing her elder sister, she was not afraid at all. Princess Zhaoning pouted and said, "Elder sister, I want to go out for a walk."
"That girl." Before Lin Ruohan could speak, Princess Zhaoning left with her maid. Lin Ruohan shook her head helplessly.
On the table were portraits of many young gentlemen from the capital, all of which Lin Ruohan had carefully selected. Lin Ruohan withdrew her gaze.
Seeing her sigh, the maidservant was afraid that it would affect the baby in her womb, so she quickly advised, "Princess Consort, don't worry too much. There are many excellent young men in the capital. You can take your time to choose."
Lin Ruohan's smile was somewhat sarcastic. She wasn't worried about her sister not being able to get married, but rather about Zhao Ning causing trouble again. The last time Zhao Ning stayed temporarily at the Prince Cheng's residence, it had already sown the seeds of disaster for her.
Princess Zhaoning strolled around with her maid. As they wandered, they came to a narrow alley. This alley was secluded, with no vendors and close to the painted boats. It was a place that most people would not have noticed. Princess Zhaoning had not noticed the place either, but she heard a familiar voice. It sounded like the voice of the bitch who had bullied her in the Prince Cheng's mansion. It seemed to be the personal maid that Princess Cheng's wife had brought from Nanqiong.
Princess Zhaoning became cautious and secretly peeked over. Because the alley was very dark, she could only vaguely see the figures of three people, but not very clearly. However, Princess Zhaoning could vaguely see the figure of a tall man, which was enough for her.
Princess Zhaoning's heart pounded, and she covered her mouth. She... she had cheated on her husband.
Afraid of being discovered, she hurriedly pulled her maid back to a crowded area. Like a thief, she looked around and asked her maid, "Was that Princess Cheng just now?"
As the principal wife of a prince and a royal consort, she actually had a secret rendezvous with a strange man on the night of the Lantern Festival. She clearly didn't care about the reputation of the Prince Cheng's residence or the royal family. How could such a shameless woman still have the nerve to be the principal wife of a prince? She truly disgraced His Highness Prince Cheng.
The maid hadn't actually seen clearly either, but since Princess Zhaoning had already said so, the maid naturally echoed her words, "Your Highness, that person is indeed Princess Cheng."
On the Lantern Festival, in the dead of night, a royal princess was secretly meeting with a strange man. If this got out, she would probably lose her position as the legitimate wife of the Prince of Cheng.
She had to tell her elder sister about this so that she could catch the Princess Cheng in the act. Once she lost her position as Princess Cheng, she would have her chance.
It was no secret in the capital that Princess Zhaoning admired Prince Cheng. She had wanted to become his concubine for a long time, and now that she finally had this opportunity, she was overjoyed and didn't know what to do. She grabbed her maid and went to find her elder sister.
There were no lights in that alley, and the maid wasn't sure if the person was Princess Cheng. Princess Zhaoning just pulled her over there like that. The maid was a little flustered and tried to stop Princess Zhaoning, but Princess Zhaoning was already obsessed and wouldn't listen to her.
It's me...
The familiar, gentle voice from her memory reached her ears, and Su Wanyue trembled violently. She almost dared not raise her head in panic, but wanted to shed tears.
Before the arrival of the Bei Li wedding procession, Su Wanyue and Lu Qingchen's last meeting was at the Nan Wang Mansion. During that time, Princess Weiyang's emotions were fluctuating due to the marriage proposal, and she would either cry or make a scene. Su Wanyue was exhausted from trying to comfort Princess Weiyang. When Lu Qingchen learned of this, he came to the Nan Wang Mansion immediately.
Seeing the girl's low spirits, Lu Qingchen comforted her with a gentle smile, "The Prince of Beili just turned 18 this year, and he is about the same age as Princess Weiyang. Moreover, as far as I know, the Prince of Beili has a very good temper and will definitely be able to tolerate Princess Weiyang, so don't worry too much."
Su Wanyue frowned in distress, "But my cousin said she doesn't like Prince Cheng of Bei Li."
Lu Qingchen smiled gently, his tone full of doting affection, "Princess Weiyang doesn't have anyone she loves in Nanqiong, does she? Relationships need to be nurtured. How do you know that Princess Weiyang will definitely be unhappy after marrying into Beili?"
Moreover, Bei Li and Nan Qiong are evenly matched, so they would never bully Princess Weiyang.
Su Wanyue still frowned, her watery eyes looking like a bullied little white rabbit. Lu Qingchen was already somewhat helpless when he saw this. "Don't think too much about it, Wanwan. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
However, Lu Qingchen did not come the next day because he had appeared on the list of brides sent to Bei Li and needed to discuss the details of the wedding with the Ministry of Rites.
During those days, Lu Qingchen did not appear in front of Su Wanyue. Instead, he had his servants send her various trinkets to enjoy every day, and each day was different.
At that time, Su Wanyue thought...
Then they met again when Su Wanyue was leaving Kunning Palace in her wedding dress, and he was the one who saw her off.
When the princess was suddenly taken away, Qin'er thought that bad people wanted to kidnap her. She rushed over in a hurry, but then she saw a familiar figure. Even though the person was wearing a silver mask, Qin'er recognized him. She subconsciously stopped and called out in a trembling voice, "Second...Second Young Master".
Nanqiong sent someone to say that only His Highness the Crown Prince was coming, so why is the Second Young Master here as well?
"What did you say? Princess Cheng cheated on her husband?" At that moment, Princess Zhaoning had already gone to find Lin Ruohan. Lin Ruohan could hardly believe her ears. She looked at Princess Zhaoning with a serious expression and said, "Zhaoning, there are some things you can't say carelessly."
The relationship between Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng is so harmonious and deeply affectionate. In all of Bei Li, in terms of appearance, demeanor, ability, and strategy, who can compare to His Highness Prince Cheng? Why would Princess Cheng, who comes from the royal family of Nan Qiong, not like His Highness Prince Cheng?
Furthermore, Princess Cheng lives in a secluded inner courtyard, where she has no opportunity to interact with men. Who could she possibly meet in secret? Lin Ruohan thought that Princess Zhaoning was just saying it casually, but because the other party was her sister, Lin Ruohan had no choice but to listen.
Lin Ruohan was pregnant and already in a bad mood. Accompanying her younger sister tonight had exhausted all her energy, and now her sister was still rambling on and on, making baseless accusations. Lin Ruohan was so angry that she was about to explode.
The old woman patted Lin Ruohan's chest to help her catch her breath and shook her head at Princess Zhaoning, signaling her to stop talking. But Princess Zhaoning wouldn't listen at all. She shouted, "But I clearly heard the voice of Princess Cheng's personal maid. If Princess Cheng isn't here, why is her personal maid there?"
"You might have misheard."
Princess Zhaoning retorted that her ears could not have misheard, and stamped her foot in frustration, "Since elder sister does not believe me, then I will go to Prince Cheng."
Lin Ruohan would never allow her to go see Cheng Wang alone. "Then what do you want to do?"
"I want my elder sister to accompany me to expose her true colors and let everyone see how His Highness Prince Cheng's wife secretly meets with a man during the Lantern Festival." Princess Zhaoning's eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke righteously.
Lin Ruohan didn't believe Princess Zhaoning's words at all, and she knew that they wouldn't be able to catch anything if they went now, but she still agreed to her sister's request, hoping to make her give up.
But by sheer coincidence, just as they stepped off the painted boat, they ran into the handsome and distinguished Prince Cheng and Prince Qin Jue of Nanqiong.
A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Lin Ruohan's heart, and she hurriedly spoke before Princess Zhaoning could speak, "Your Highness Prince Cheng, Crown Prince Qin."
Qin Jue greeted her with a smile, but before Lin Ruohan could speak, Princess Zhaoning looked at Xiao Yu excitedly and said, "Your Highness Prince Cheng, I have something to say to you."
Xiao Yu frowned slightly, his beautiful expression showing a hint of displeasure.
Qin Jue glanced at the man indifferently, as if to say that he had quite a few admirers.
As soon as Princess Zhaoning spoke, Lin Ruohan's heart pounded. She quickly pulled Princess Zhaoning back and said with a smile, "Zhaoning is young and doesn't know any better. I'll take her back first."
Xiao Yu and Qin Jue didn't take Princess Zhaoning seriously at all. Seeing that the two were about to leave, Princess Zhaoning immediately objected and hurriedly called out to them, "It's about Princess Cheng."
Xiao Yu paused, his voice deep, "What happened to her?"
Qin Jue's smile, which had been on his face the whole time, faded, and his eyes became menacing. "What's wrong with my sister?"
Princess Zhaoning suddenly fell silent, instinctively hiding behind Lin Ruohan. She vaguely regretted her actions, wishing she had confirmed it again or shouted to attract everyone's attention. That way, the slut would have no way to deny it. These two people of noble status were protecting that slut. What if they saw the slut cheating later and still protected her?
But since the words had already been spoken, she couldn't take them back. So Princess Zhaoning said in a trembling voice that she had seen Princess Cheng and a man in an alley doing something.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruohan felt dizzy and wished she could slap him across the face.
Qin Jue's heart tightened, but his face remained impassive. He said coldly, "Does Princess Zhaoning not know that my sister was with the Seventh Princess tonight? Princess Zhaoning, are you deliberately framing my sister by spouting such nonsense?"
She's with the Seventh Princess...
Princess Zhaoning's eyes widened in an instant, "But I clearly just now..."
Princess Zhaoning was about to say that they would know when they got there, when a woman's gentle, melodious voice came over, "Your Highness, brother."
Princess Zhaoning looked over with a "ghostly" expression. Who else could it be but Su Wanyue and the Seventh Princess? Just as Princess Zhaoning was about to question them, Lin Ruohan suddenly grabbed Princess Zhaoning's arm and shook her head.
The Seventh Princess was in a good mood tonight. She glanced at Lin Ruohan and Princess Zhaoning and said, "The Crown Princess and Princess Zhaoning are here too."
Princess Zhaoning still felt something was amiss. She looked Su Wanyue up and down. Su Wanyue wore a snow-white fox fur cloak, her face was as white as snow, her eyes were bright, and there was nothing wrong with her at all, but...
Upon seeing the woman, Xiao Yu approached with a gentle gaze, his long, slender fingers gently tracing a strand of her dark hair, as if whispering in her ear, "Where did the Princess Consort go just now?"
Su Wanyue's eyes sparkled as she smiled gently, "I've been with the princess the whole time, but we got separated just now. The princess and I are going to release lanterns; would Your Highness like to come along?"
She smiled gently and gracefully, just like usual. But even someone as perceptive as Xiao Yu could see the slight redness in his wife's eyes; she had been crying.
Xiao Yu was certain that his wife had met with someone else.
He nodded impassively, and everyone except the Crown Princess and Princess Zhaoning went to the painted boat to release lanterns.
And there was one person who secretly watched them leave.
As the night grew darker, fewer people came to guess the riddles. The Seventh Princess excitedly dragged Su Wanyue to guess the riddles, while Xiao Yu and Qin Jue followed leisurely. Both of them were outstanding in appearance and had exceptional figures, which attracted the attention of many girls.
Su Wanyue was quite accomplished in poetry and prose, and she easily won a rabbit lantern. The Seventh Princess guessed several correctly, but also missed a few, so she bought a lotus lantern.
The Seventh Princess smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, let's go release the lanterns."
After the lanterns were released, it was almost 9 PM. Xiao Yu asked Su Wanyue if she wanted to take a ride on a painted boat, but Su Wanyue shook her head and said she was tired.
Qin Jue: "Then you and Your Highness should go back and rest early."
So Su Wanyue returned to the Prince Cheng's Mansion with Xiao Yu, Qin Jue returned to the post station in the capital, and the Seventh Princess returned to the palace.
Inside the carriage, Su Wanyue yawned frequently, her eyes glistening with moisture, as if she were truly sleepy. Xiao Yu glanced at his wife, then suddenly put down the book in his hand and abruptly pulled her into his arms.
Su Wanyue stiffened, instinctively trying to get out of his arms, but Xiao Yu restrained her fidgeting body, "Isn't the princess sleepy? Go to sleep."
Su Wanyue had no choice but to close her eyes gently. In fact, her heart was beating very fast and she couldn't fall asleep at all, but she had to close her eyes.
Her mind was in turmoil, and she was restless. She... hadn't expected him to come.
The couple arrived at Prince Cheng's residence peacefully. Xiao Yu carried Su Wanyue down in his arms, and at this moment Qingyi came forward, "Master, General Mu has something important to report to you."
In fact, Mo Yu returned early.
Mo Yu was sent to Bei Li to investigate on His Highness's orders. He had just repeatedly instructed him that the Princess Consort must not know about this matter.
Seeing Mo Yu's serious expression for the first time, Qingyi agreed.
Su Wanyue bowed gracefully to him, saying, "Then Your Highness may proceed."
Xiao Yu: "I will visit the Princess Consort later."
The study was brightly lit; this was the Prince Cheng's residence.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects." Counting the journey to and from the Prince of Cheng's residence, Mo Yu had been away for almost five months. He looked travel-worn and had become quite haggard. Upon seeing his master, Mo Yu quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
Thinking about what he was about to say, Mo Yu clenched his teeth and his breathing became labored.
At this moment, the study fell into a deathly silence. Xiao Yu stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his tall figure half hidden in the darkness, revealing his profound and unassuming nature.
Without his master speaking, Mo Yu dared not speak either. After a short while, Xiao Yu finally spoke in a deep voice: "Speak."
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I was ordered to investigate the relationship between the Princess Consort, Lord Zhou of Nanqiong, and the Second Young Master Lu. I discovered that neither Lord Zhou nor the Second Young Master Lu have any interaction. The only person who interacts with the Second Young Master Lu is the Princess Consort's cousin, Princess Zilu of the Nanwang Mansion." As darkness fell, the study grew quieter. Mo Yu didn't dare to breathe loudly and continued, "Because this Princess Zilu is the Princess Consort's cousin, I paid extra attention to her. Then I discovered that this Princess Zilu and the Second Young Master Lu are childhood sweethearts. The two families exchanged tokens long ago, but for some reason, a year has passed, and the two families have not yet finalized the marriage."
This is the strangest part. They have already exchanged tokens of love, so why hasn't the marriage been finalized yet? As the head of the secret guards of the Prince Cheng's Mansion, Mo Yu noticed something was wrong and quickly sent a message back. His master's reply asked him to investigate why the Prime Minister's Mansion of Nanqiong and the Prince of Nan's Mansion had not made a marriage agreement.
The master's decision coincided with Mo Yu's. One was a princess who had been in and out of the palace since childhood, and the other was the second young master of Lu who was deeply favored by the emperor. Was it really that difficult to arrange a marriage? There must be something wrong with this. Therefore, Mo Yu went undercover in the capital of Nanqiong and inquired carefully.
Regardless, the Prince of Nanqiong always maintained close ties with the royal family. The person his master was investigating was also related to their princess by blood. When Mo Yu was investigating, he dared not reveal his identity and only dared to mingle in various restaurants and teahouses to inquire. All he found out was how good the relationship was between the Second Young Master Lu and Princess Zilu. Later, Mo Yu finally found a clue: Princess Zilu of the Prince of Nanqiong's mansion had been unwell since the beginning of spring and had been recuperating at home. The Second Young Master Lu would visit Princess Ziluong at the Prince of Nanqiong's mansion every day. Once Princess Ziluong was fully recovered, the two families could get married. The man was boasting as he spoke, mostly about how deep the Second Young Master Lu's affection was. Mo Yu listened with a smile in his eyes.
Upon returning to his residence, Mo Yu immediately sent someone to inquire and discovered that, as the person had said, this Second Young Master Lu did indeed visit the Prince of Nan's residence every day. At that point, Mo Yu had completely dispelled his doubts, believing that he and His Highness had been overthinking things.
It was almost winter, and Mo Yu was preparing to return to Bei Li. However, on the night before he was to leave, he unexpectedly learned that the owner behind the No. 1 Restaurant in Nan Qiong was Qin Jue, the Crown Prince of Nan Qiong. The place where he received the information happened to be the No. 1 Restaurant. Mo Yu felt a chill run down his spine. Did that mean that someone had been watching him from the very beginning of his investigation? Were those messages deliberately misleading him and given to him on purpose?
With the road ahead shrouded in mist, and this matter involving the royal family of Nanqiong, Mo Yu decided after much deliberation to stay in Nanqiong to investigate. To this end, he created the illusion that he had returned to Beili to report back, and then stayed in Beili as an ordinary citizen.
"Having learned from the last experience, this time I dared not mingle in crowded places to gather information. I only wanted to sneak into the Prince of Nan's residence or the residence of Prime Minister Lu. I waited for more than half a month and finally got an opportunity. It was the Prince of Nan's fortieth birthday banquet. The crowds of people who came to offer their congratulations were huge. I took the opportunity to sneak in and saw the Prince of Nan, but I did not see Princess Ziluo."
If it's just a simple physical discomfort, then why didn't the only daughter in the family show up for her biological father's birthday? If it's not just a simple physical discomfort, but some serious illness, then it doesn't seem reasonable that her biological father and fiancé aren't worried.
Xiao Yu lowered his eyelids slightly, his long, narrow phoenix eyes dark and unfathomable, as black as ink and as cold as ice. "So what do you want to say?"
"Therefore, I sneaked into the Prince of Nan's mansion again late at night. The mansion was brightly lit at night, but there was no sign of Princess Zilu." Mo Yu gritted his teeth, his whole body tense. "So I suspect that Princess Zilu of the Prince of Nan's mansion has disappeared since March of last year."
The coincidence lies here: a princess of a nation, the niece of the Empress of Nanqiong, and the cousin of the Crown Prince, has disappeared without a trace, and not a single person has spoken out. Even the Crown Prince himself is helping to keep it a secret. So where has the real Princess Zilu gone?
That time happened to be the time when the prince married Princess Nanqiong Weiyang.
Mo Yu's meaning was already very clear: their princess was very likely Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion, and the real Princess Weiyang was probably still in Nanqiong.
He lowered his head, waiting quietly for his master's instructions; the study remained deathly silent.
After a long silence, Xiao Yu made a move. He lightly rubbed his fingertips together, and his gaze instantly sharpened like a knife.
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