Chapter 137 Shangsi Festival
Xie Jinglan hadn't seen Wen Ning for more than ten days.
Ever since she moved into Concubine Hui's palace, the palace wall had been like an invisible natural barrier, completely separating the two of them.
Although Concubine Hui was kind and gentle, she still had to abide by the palace rules. Even though he was a marquis, there were fixed rules for the number of times he was allowed to meet with the concubines each month. Now that his quota had been filled, he could no longer set foot in the harem.
Yearning was like a vine, growing wildly and silently, wrapping around him until his heart felt tight.
He could suppress his emotions during the day while handling official duties, but in the dead of night, that slender figure would linger in his mind. He worried about whether she was adapting to the palace, whether she was used to the food, whether she missed Xibao, and whether she would be secretly saddened by the memories of the past...
All these thoughts made him feel uneasy.
…
On this day, at the Royal Villa Archery Range.
Xiao Jinyu just drew his bow and shot an arrow, which hit the bull's eye a hundred steps away. The arrow feathers were still trembling slightly.
At this time, Xie Jinglan walked over, his dark riding clothes making him look tall and straight.
He glanced at the still trembling arrow and said straight to the point, "What do you want from me?"
Xiao Jinyu unhurriedly handed the bow to the attendant beside him, took the hand towel and wiped his hands, then picked up an exquisite double-layered vermilion lacquer food box from the small table beside him and handed it over, "Here are the snacks for you."
Xie Jinglan frowned and didn't take it. "I don't like sweets."
"Oh?" Xiao Jinyu raised his eyebrows slightly, and was about to retract them. "Then give it to me. This snack was made by my sister herself and just brought back from Mother's Palace."
"Sister?" Xie Jinglan's eyes suddenly focused, and his gaze instantly captured the food box. "Ning'er? Ning'er made this? For me?"
Before he finished speaking, he had already reached out and grabbed the food box.
Xiao Jinyu looked at his nervous and anxious expression and couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't expect Miss Wen to be the daughter of Consort Lu. This prince suddenly gained a sister who looks like a fairy. It's a pleasant surprise."
Xie Jinglan ignored his teasing and asked with concern, "How has she been these days?"
"My princess has been coming to the palace to keep me company lately. Today, my mother and the other two made this snack together in the small kitchen."
Xie Jinglan nodded calmly, but inwardly he felt a little jealous of the princess.
After shooting arrows for a while, the two of them walked into the tea room next to the archery range, which was specially designed for rest.
After the servant brought two cups of freshly brewed Junshan Yinzhen tea, he bowed and left, closing the door.
Amidst the lingering aroma of tea, Xie Jinglan did not touch the teacup. Instead, he looked calmly at Xiao Jinyu across from him: "There's no one here, so I'll just say what I want to say."
Seeing his serious expression, Xiao Jinyu put away his previous nonchalance and asked, "What's the important matter, Lord Marquis?"
Xie Jinglan said frankly, "I know you want to compete for the throne."
Xiao Jinyu was stunned at first, but then he didn't hide it, "So what? Since ancient times, the virtuous have been in power, and the position of crown prince should be held by the capable."
Xie Jinglan picked up the teacup beside him, his eyes piercing through the curling tea smoke and locking onto Xiao Jinyu, "I want to open an old case."
He spoke concisely, detailing how the Empress had framed and coerced Consort Lu Zhaoyi and Cai Huichun, and how the Crown Prince's wife had coerced Cai Huichun into producing poison, even murdering her to silence her. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Over the years, I have secretly uncovered solid evidence that the Empress and the Crown Prince embezzled military funds and framed loyal officials. I'm sure Your Highness has quite a bit of this in his possession as well."
The air in the tea room suddenly became stagnant.
The relaxed look on Xiao Jinyu's face had long since faded, replaced by a deep solemnity.
He listened silently, and only raised his eyes slowly after Xie Jinglan finished speaking for a long time.
"You've never been one to get involved in factional disputes, yet now, for the sake of my 'sister', you're willing to personally enter the fray, even going so far as to reveal to me a secret that could overturn half the court?"
He leaned forward slightly, as if to remind, but also as a warning, "My Lord, you should be aware of the price you will have to pay for seeking the truth. Once you start, there will be no turning back."
Xie Jinglan met his gaze without flinching. "Of course I know, and Your Highness should know as well. Once the crimes of the Eastern Palace are exposed, the crown prince will inevitably change hands. I'm not negotiating a deal with you. I only want to ask you one question: will Your Highness accept this 'letter of surrender' or not?"
Xiao Jinyu stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly chuckled, "My Lord, for Ning'er, this is truly... a big deal."
He raised his hand and slammed the teacup onto the table. "Alright! I'll take this matter."
…
Xie Jinglan returned to the mansion and went straight into the study. He placed the vermilion lacquer food box on the desk and looked at it carefully under the lamp.
The pastries in the box are exquisite, and you can vaguely tell they are her work.
My fingertips brushed across the fine lines on the pastry, as if I could feel the warmth of that person's fingertips.
However, after searching through the box again and again, there was nothing else in it except the snacks.
There was not a single word, not even a note of greeting.
"Heh..." He chuckled, but a sweet and bitter sour feeling spread in his chest.
This little heartless guy.
He missed her so much that his heart ached and he couldn't sleep at night.
She was so good, she finally managed to hand over something, but she didn't even take the opportunity to tell him that she missed him.
Could it be that she was so happy in the palace that she had forgotten about him?
As soon as this thought came to mind, my entire internal organs were disturbed.
He picked up a piece of plum cake with resentment, put it into his mouth and bit it hard, and the sweet fragrance instantly spread between his teeth.
But at this moment, he suddenly remembered that her lips were much sweeter than the cake, with an uncontrollable softness and coolness.
Xie Jinglan's Adam's apple rolled suddenly, and he felt that the pastry he had just swallowed became tasteless in an instant. Instead, a burning fire of karma was aroused from the deepest part of his heart.
Fortunately, two days later, the emperor held a banquet at his palace on the banks of Qujiang River in the suburbs of Beijing.
Concubine Hui will definitely bring her along.
When Xie Jinglan thought about meeting her by the Qujiang River, he felt as if the restless fire in his heart had found an outlet, turning into a hot and concrete expectation.
…
The third day of March is the Shangsi Festival, which is a good time for purification rituals and outings.
As per custom, the royal family left the palace to celebrate with the people.
On this day, tents were set up on both sides of Qujiang River. Not only did royal nobles, civil and military officials come with their families, but also the common people of the capital came to enjoy the spring.
The winding water is as green as jade, and brocade mats are spread along the bank.
The royal family members and important ministers sat on both sides of the river according to their ranks, with laughter and apparel filling the air.
Xie Jinglan's gaze passed through the crowd of people playing and suddenly stopped at a spot not far away.
Wen Ning was sitting at the side of Concubine Hui, sitting at the same table with Princess Chen.
It was obvious that she had been carefully made up today, unlike her usual plain appearance.
She was wearing a rouge-colored palace dress with gold cloud patterns, which made her delicate skin look even whiter than snow.
Her black hair was tied into an elegant bun, with red gold and kingfisher feather hairpins shining brightly. A coral bead flower was pinned on the side of her head, and a pair of pigeon blood ruby earrings swayed gently on her earlobes, making her fair and slender neck look like the finest mutton-fat jade.
What made Xie Jinglan's heart beat hard the most was the bright red spot on her lips.
He rarely saw her wearing lip balm.
At this moment, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a jasmine flower that was always in bud, suddenly blooming proudly, so beautiful that it was breathtaking, as if a treasure that should belong only to him was suddenly exposed to the public eye.
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