When I hear the name Xiren, I think of the snacks she made; they were really delicious.
"She's really pitiful. It's a good thing Li Zhaole didn't punish her, otherwise she wouldn't know who she would have relied on to escape this time."
"This girl is very loyal to Sister Zhaole. When we returned to the city, in order to attract the pursuit, she cut down the bridge she was crossing and jumped into the river herself."
"That's terrible." I held Xie Yuancheng's hand. She was about the same age as Wan'er. I still remember when she first entered the palace, and now she's jumped into the river.
"Don't worry unnecessarily, the river isn't flowing too fast, so Father has already sent people to search secretly."
"I hope she can live. She was captured by the Empress to serve the Crown Prince, and then she helped her sister in the Eastern Palace. Now she jumped into the river for Li Zhaole."
Did she help her sister?
"Yes, when my sister and Anshi got married, my sister told me that Xiren helped her fake her death in the East Palace."
"Then I won't hold your past with these palace maids against you. It seems that the men of Dazhao are sometimes not as good as these girls."
"You're so stingy. I didn't mess around with anyone. You're the one who seduced me."
“I was married into your family with great ceremony, and my parents-in-law both agreed. I have never been disloyal to you all these years.”
"You're smart enough to talk back to me. I'll kick you off the carriage."
"Come on, let me kick you."
Xie Yuancheng started acting like a scoundrel again, so I kicked his shin and leaned against the side to rest.
He left so quickly just now, I was almost scared, luckily it was about Chequ Kingdom.
Xie Yuancheng leaned closer with a sly grin, "Ying'er, if you had come back earlier, I would have taken you to the peach orchard in the east to see the flowers. The peach blossoms are in full bloom now, and they are especially beautiful."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?"
"That's right. It's good that we're at home, with Father and Mother taking care of us."
Xie Yuancheng's expression darkened slightly, and I quickly sat up straight: "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing much. My father-in-law mentioned to me last time that he wanted Yu'er to stay at the Ji residence for a while, since they are getting old. Uncle Cui has petitioned the Emperor and has agreed to give my father-in-law a sinecure and hand over his military power."
"The right to surrender troops? Would the Ji family do that?"
"No, with my elder brother on the border, me as your son-in-law in Linyang, and Consort Ji in the palace, and my father-in-law having several officials with strong connections over the years, it's just a matter of handing over military power. But if the border is invaded in the future, Father can still lead the troops to fight."
"That won't do. The Ji family relies on military power to maintain its position in the court."
“Ying’er, your father-in-law did this to curry favor with the Emperor, so that he could relinquish his military power at the height of his fame and fortune, thus ensuring the Ji family's longevity. Even with the matter of the imperial son-in-law, your father-in-law didn't cause trouble for the Crown Prince, thus avoiding offending either side openly, even though we secretly dealt a blow to the Crown Prince.”
"Dad's a sly old fox too."
"This is the imperial court. If you don't clash with people in the bureaucracy and don't steal credit, you can live a peaceful life."
"Why don't we all go to Linyang? Then we won't have to worry about our parents' safety anymore."
Xie Yuancheng tucked the hair behind my ear and said, "The Emperor wants my father-in-law under his watchful eye, so he won't agree to let him retire to his hometown."
"That's going too far, this old man isn't even doing that."
"His Majesty is not even fifty years old this year, and he is in excellent health."
I leaned on Xie Yuancheng's shoulder, feeling unhappy. My father didn't say anything, which was really tough on him. So how could I refuse to let Yu'er stay in the capital with them?
Anyway, Yu'er has already changed her name to Ji Yu. I peeked at Xie Yuancheng and asked, "So you agree?" If he agrees, I agree. At worst, I can come several times a year.
"Now we have three children, and we're facing challenges from all sides. Su Ling and Xi Zhi can't live without us, so we have to let our good son take on some of the burden. In that sense, we two as parents are really not up to par."
"My poor Yu'er~"
Yu'er always has to pull strings for us; he works so hard. I won't blame him if he doesn't like Xizhi anymore. Letting the siblings spend some time together is better than anything else.
The carriage stopped, and Lin Chao's voice rang out: "My lord, we've arrived."
Xie Yuancheng pulled me out, and as soon as we got off the carriage, we saw rows of men in black, a scene very similar to the one I saw in 2020.
"Lord Anle, this way please." A smiling but ruthless man led the way for us, and I felt a little uneasy.
“They’re all like that,” Xie Yuancheng said softly, patting my hand gently. I felt a little relieved.
At the end of the road, there was a young man sitting on a tiger skin. He looked to be over twenty-five years old, and he was probably the eldest prince of Chequ, Changze.
"Yuancheng, please sit down."
"Thank you, Crown Prince." Xie Yuancheng led me to sit down next to Changze on the left. As soon as I sat down, I smelled a strong milky aroma.
"Brother, I heard that Marquis Anle has arrived."
That was Cailu's voice. I turned around and saw that she was much more sinister than before, and even her once alluring expression had turned ruthless.
"Princess Cailu".
"Get up! Let's fight one-on-one!" Cailu trembled when she saw Xie Yuancheng. "You're still alive, and you have a wife who looks exactly like him. Today, I'm going to take your place and send you to the underworld."
I instantly realized that Cailu was collecting a debt for the prince consort!
"Princess Cailu, I have something to tell you." Xie Yuancheng has already suffered enough; I can't always let him bear the burden.
"Your voice?" Cai Lu was completely stunned.
"Ying'er, you're not allowed to go." Xie Yuancheng pulled me down to sit. "I'll have a good talk with the princess later."
"Stop pretending, I'll tell you. I am the imperial son-in-law who died last year in Da Zhao, and also Xie Yuancheng's legal wife!"
Xie Yuancheng suppressed a smile, and you could tell what was going on in his mind. He clearly liked it to death, but he was deliberately hiding it.
"Nonsense, the prince consort is a man!"
"I disguised myself as a man so that the Ji family would not be implicated and so that Consort Ji could have a smooth career in the palace. I know I offended the princess in the past, and I hope you will not hold a grudge against Yuan Cheng."
Changze was stunned. Cailu lashed out with her whip, but Changze, quick-witted and agile, managed to stop it.
"When collecting dew, one must not be impolite."
Xie Yuancheng pulled me down to sit: "I'll sew your mouth shut from now on, so I won't have to worry about you."
"They don't want you to be wronged. You always take the blame when something goes wrong. We can't let them misunderstand you and think you have character issues, so they won't cooperate with you anymore."
I was clearly thinking of him, but Xie Yuancheng still criticized me.
"Okay~ Of course I know Ying'er's feelings."
Just as I was about to laugh, I saw Cailu grit her teeth in anger, and Changze also looked displeased: "Yuancheng, what exactly is going on? Caiwei didn't come with you either."
"Your Highness, this is a long story. Let's find a quiet place and I'll tell you slowly."
Changze put away Cailu's whip and led us to the other side. Cailu followed, her face full of hatred, glancing back at me every now and then.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
