“Mrs. Liu, my wife doesn’t like crowded places, so I would like to ask you to book a room on the third floor for her to enjoy the breeze.”
"Yes, yes, this way please, sir." The madam was very respectful to him, fawningly leading him upstairs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the way Bai was looking at him. Was she planning to kill two birds with one stone? The legendary Bai, whose dance could captivate a city, had actually taken a liking to him.
But I've fallen for it myself.
As soon as I entered the room, I noticed that the madam had changed; she no longer looked like a woman of ill repute.
Wearing a human skin mask, she bowed to Xie Yuancheng and said, "My Lord."
This girl looks to be in her early twenties, with delicate features; it's truly a pity she became a madam.
“After half a cup of tea, the news about my wife and me was spread.”
"yes."
"Yuancheng." I tugged at Xie Yuancheng's sleeve. What are they up to?
"Ying'er, this is Xiao Ling. She was originally a secret guard in the Ninth Prince's mansion. You can look for her anytime from now on."
"A bodyguard? She's so young, could she have been a bodyguard for the Prince's mansion since she was just a few years old?"
Xiao Ling laughed out loud: "Madam really knows how to make me happy. I'm more than a decade older than the Prince. I'm thirty-five this year."
I was stunned. How did she maintain her youthful appearance? "Sister, you're so good at taking care of yourself. You look like you're only in your early twenties. You have to teach me sometime." If her beauty regimen were in modern times, I wonder how popular it would be.
If Xie Yuancheng and I retire from public life in the future, I can still make money from this.
Xie Yuancheng put his arm around me and chuckled, "Ying'er, don't be so cute, I don't want to leave."
"I told you not to go, but you insisted on going."
“My father-in-law and sworn brother are in trouble, so of course I have to step forward.”
"All right."
I had completely forgotten about this. He's well-informed; he knows things that even the court doesn't.
"My lord, the prime minister will be here shortly. I will escort him in through the secret passage."
"Okay, you can go now."
Xiao Ling's figure is light and graceful, and her face is so delicate. I'm so envious.
"Ying'er, stop looking, or I'll get angry."
"Yuancheng, this older sister is amazing! I want to learn from her often in the future."
"Suit yourself. From now on, just come in from the backyard. No one will notice."
"I've discovered that you've laid out a lot of networks in the capital."
"These are just basic things, nothing to brag about."
It's nothing to brag about, but for someone his age, he already has such cunning.
"Then you'll stay in the palace." Considering I often went to his place without being discovered, he must have already made arrangements.
"I wouldn't let you take the risk without cover. But don't climb over the wall again. Although I'm very touched, nothing will happen if you use the front gate."
"Ah~ then all my translation work was for nothing. Tell me quickly, is there someone you've planted in the palace?"
That rascal is really good at keeping secrets from me. If he hadn't brought it up today, I would still be completely in the dark.
"You don't know the others, but there are two you definitely know."
"Tell me quickly, you're making me so anxious."
"Anxiang and Granny Zhang."
I was stunned. How could those two be in contact with Xie Yuancheng? Zhang Mama even told me to stay away from him.
"When Zhang Mama first took you to Consort Ji's place, she deliberately took that road. But I didn't expect you to grow up to be so beautiful, so I changed my strategy afterward."
"You schemed against me the very first time we met, humph."
"Ying'er, I was wrong. I just happened to be looking at you, but you're so beautiful that you've captivated me."
"Pah, all you do is talk a good game. And what's with Anxiang? I haven't seen you say a word to her."
“Anxiang grew up in the Ninth Prince’s mansion. She saved me back then, so I recognized her as my sworn sister. Later, it was she and the Prime Minister who helped my sister and me escape.”
Anxiang is his sworn sister; she's only sixteen or seventeen years old.
"She, she's so young, how could she possibly save you?"
"Ying'er, have you forgotten the mask you were wearing earlier?"
I was completely shocked. How old was he when he started plotting this? He even managed to plant people around Li Zhaole.
"Ying'er, what's wrong? You can't scare me and then dislike me. I had no choice."
I covered his outstretched hand: "How could that be? It's the first time I've heard of it, and I was stunned. I feel both sorry for you and love you."
"That's good." His change of expression was so smooth that I didn't even need to say anything.
Just then, a knock came from the wall.
Xie Yuancheng pulled me up, touched the wall, and the wall opened.
Xiao Ling came out with a person who looked highly respected.
The man who arrived looked to be in his forties or fifties, dressed simply but in a good fit. He must be the prime minister.
Xiao Ling stood to the side and began pouring tea. Xie Yuancheng invited the Prime Minister to sit down, then took the tea from Xiao Ling and asked me to kneel down with him.
"Prime Minister, this is tea that my wife and I are offering to you. Please drink it."
The Prime Minister probably didn't expect him to do this, and hurriedly told him not to get up, but Xie Yuancheng insisted on waiting until he had drunk his tea before getting up.
"Sigh, okay. Don't do that again next time, I can't take it."
"Prime Minister, if it weren't for your intervention back then, my brother and I would be gone long ago. I'm about to embark on a distant expedition, so this tea is served at just the right time."
After the Prime Minister finished his tea, Xie Yuancheng pulled me up. No matter how cunning he was, he was very clear about everything. I guess the only one who could break his plan was Ji Ying. Beauty really does lead people astray.
“Yuancheng, I heard that your wife is unable to speak. What will happen to her in Linyang? Why not bring her to the Prime Minister’s residence?”
The prime minister is truly thinking of him wholeheartedly; he even thought of his wife.
"Prime Minister."
"Alright, this isn't outside, so just call me Uncle Cui. I hear that title every day, and I'm sick of it."
“Uncle Cui, Ying’er can speak. I’m just trying to avoid being seen. Besides, she’s in the Ji residence and Heqing Palace, so she won’t be in any trouble for the time being.”
The Prime Minister suddenly looked at me, his eyes filled with surprise: "Heqing Palace, is she Ji Ying?"
I'd better let Xie Yuancheng do it. The Prime Minister has sharp eyes. Although he's a good person, I'm still afraid.
"Ying'er, quickly call Uncle Cui."
"Uncle Cui, I am Ji Ying." Sigh, Xie Yuancheng really wanted to announce to everyone he knew that the current imperial consort was his wife.
The Prime Minister stood up. He had a bit of a beard and his eyes were filled with disbelief: "I was wondering at the time, how could Brother Ji suddenly have an adopted daughter when he only has one son, Ji Ying? I see."
But his smile was kind, which put my mind at ease.
“Yuancheng, you didn’t marry Xin’er back then because of Ying’er, right? Now it seems that she is indeed a better match for you. I always thought Ruowei was very beautiful, but after meeting Ying’er, I realized that all beauties are beautiful in their own way. Now it really is the world of you young people. I agree to this marriage.”
The prime minister's image changed from a tall and imposing figure to that of an ordinary parent; it seems that appearances can indeed be deceiving.
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