Xie Yuancheng placed the lantern aside and said that Qimen Dunjia and the illusion technique sound similar, but there is still a big difference between the two.
We walked with him through two corridors and a garden to a very secluded thatched hut. The Prime Minister's residence actually had such a place—was this to encourage himself, or to remind himself of his original aspirations?
"Yuancheng, is Uncle Cui here?" I was a little worried.
"He's playing games with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he doesn't have time to see us. You've met the people here before, don't worry, let's go, let's finish this quickly, we still need to go back."
Xie Yuancheng led me along a grassy area; it was truly rudimentary. Xie Yuancheng knocked three times before pushing the door open and entering. Inside, someone was sitting.
She was a girl, and she was really beautiful. She was pleasing to the eye at first glance, and her features really resembled the Prime Minister's. She was very kind.
"Brother Yuancheng, you've brought your new sister-in-law?" Her voice sounded strange, as if she were holding her breath.
I looked her over carefully; she really was a likable girl, just a little odd. She smiled at me; her eyes were slightly upturned, but it suited her perfectly.
“Ying’er, she is Lü Yan. You argued with me for a long time about this last time.”
"Lvyan?" Isn't that Li Ruowei's former name? How could it be the person in front of me?
“My real name is Lü Yan. I shouldn’t have come back, but my mother found me and brought me back. I’m the Prime Minister’s wife you met this morning.”
Lü Yan said that after Li Ruowei was sent to the palace as her, the current Prime Minister's wife, who should have drifted away with the river, was found from somewhere.
The person who later found her and brought her back naturally became the current Prime Minister's wife. She, too, was hidden in a secret room. Originally, this matter was to be kept secret forever, but the Crown Prince somehow got wind of it and insisted on searching the place.
"How long have you been here?" Even though Green Research was pitiful, I couldn't help but ask.
“Ying’er, you mustn’t be rude.” Xie Yuancheng pulled me back: “My wife doesn’t think before she speaks, don’t take it to heart.”
"No, Yuancheng, you're overthinking it."
Lü Yan has a beautiful smile, but after looking at her for a while, I felt a sense of sadness. I wonder if it's because of what happened to her as a child. When I heard what she said, I was really shocked.
"It's alright. I've been here since I was fifteen. Sister Ruowei is a little older than me; she entered the palace at seventeen."
“I was really reckless. You guys talk, I’m listening.”
I sat down to the side and watched them talk. Xie Yuancheng came over and pulled me, saying, "Ying'er, let's talk and then go back. Don't make a fuss!"
"Yes, new sister-in-law, I'm leaving now, and I wanted to see you both before I go. I've heard my father talk about it a lot in the past two years; he said your wedding was quite a big affair."
"No, no." I felt my face burning when I heard about the marriage. I wish I hadn't thrown a tantrum back then.
"I won't say much more. I met your son today. He's such a handsome child, just like Brother Yuancheng when he was little."
"You saw this when you were little?"
"Yes, when he came to the capital, the only one I could see was so small and cute, like a little adult."
"Is she exactly the same as Yu'er?"
“Yes, his name is Yu’er. It’s a really nice name. It’s definitely him.” Lü Yan covered her mouth with her handkerchief. “Father told me to give this to you.”
My health isn't very good, so I'll need your help taking care of my father from now on. This house is being demolished today too.
"Why would it be demolished?" I was about to ask more when Xie Yuancheng tugged at my hand, so I changed my mind and said, "Don't worry, Yuancheng will take good care of Uncle Cui."
"Brother Yuancheng, you really scared your new sister-in-law." Lü Yan suddenly coughed a few times: "You guys should leave now, we'll see each other again sometime."
"Little sister, get some rest. We'll see each other again someday."
"I understand." Lü Yan covered her face with her cloak and went inside. I felt particularly sad and wanted to go in and talk to her, but Xie Yuancheng dragged me away.
We went out the way we came from. He didn't say a word along the way. After opening the back door, we got into the carriage and drove around the alley behind us. We drove around three times and then got into another inconspicuous carriage.
"Yuancheng, why did you take the long way around?"
"To avoid leaving any traces," he said, pulling me close and hugging me. "Ying'er, you can't say too much in front of Lü Yan in the future, or she'll overthink it."
"Huh? Is she really Uncle Cui's biological daughter?"
"Yes, didn't your father-in-law tell you back then? That's when he found out too. Uncle Cui kept it a secret very well. He only told me this time because he was sending Lüyan to Linyang and then from Linyang to the countryside where he had arranged things."
"So pitiful." I leaned against Xie Yuancheng's chest, feeling sad. I still remembered what my father had said back then, that she was only twelve or thirteen years old.
"If we meet again in the future, you must never mention the name of the Crown Prince, and you must never say that you are leaving for a while."
"Why?"
“When you were in the accident, she thought you were the one she remembered most clearly. When you were found, your voice was ruined, but your lower body wasn’t. You can only survive on medication.”
I hugged his waist tightly. Luckily, my family raised me as a boy, so I have a special fondness for men's clothing. The Crown Prince and the Ji family have always been at odds. He was only a teenager at the time, how could he do such a thing?
"However, the person at that time was not the Crown Prince, but someone else, but Uncle Cui refused to say. It just so happened that the Crown Prince was in the mansion at the time, and he sent those strange children to search the Prime Minister's mansion in order to clear himself of suspicion from that year."
"Someone else?" I ignored the group of people of unknown origin and looked up at him. Xie Yuancheng said he didn't know either, so this matter became an unsolved mystery.
I rested in his arms while he read a letter; his relaxed brows quickly furrowed.
"Is this a good thing?"
"Of course, I'm going to meet the Emperor tomorrow to tell him about what happened back then."
"Will you be alright? I'll pretend to be your follower and go in with you."
“If you go, you won’t be able to escape the matter of the fake prince consort. You’d better stay in the manor and wait for me to come back. If something happens to me, you won’t be able to escape either. You might as well come with me for a stroll in the dirt.”
"Don't talk nonsense~" I tugged at his belt: "Tell me what the letter said, or you'll lose your belt."
“Perfect timing. My little courtyard is not far away. Let’s go in for a walk and go back later.”
"Ugh~ Just tell me, or I'll show you myself~"
Xie Yuancheng tossed the letter aside: "No, if Ying'er sees it, I won't be able to give you a surprise. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"You're always like this. If I were a man, I would definitely show my wife what she wants to see."
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