Chapter 140 Nothing Can Be Hidden from the Marquis
The man seemed to be in great pain.
Wen Ning shook her head helplessly, "No! I, I... really can't..."
Her eyelashes drooped low, almost covering her sparkling peach blossom eyes, and she dared not look at the surging waves in the man's eyes.
His eyes, filled with lust, locked onto her fiercely. Xie Jinglan's voice was rough and hoarse.
"Good Ning'er...two hands..."
He guided her with difficulty, his hot hands covering her wrist.
Before he met her, he never indulged in desires and was so pure and unselfish as to be almost ascetic.
Even the self-relief that men often have is very rare for him.
Later, when she came into his life, he had to relieve himself during the days when she was away.
But at this moment, she is helping.
no the same.
Completely different.
The water surface near the pleasure boat suddenly began to produce circles of chaotic and rapid ripples for no reason, which violently crashed into the approaching lights.
The candlelight on the lantern licked the edge of the water-soaked petals in panic, and after struggling for a few times, it was able to barely stabilize itself.
Xie Jinglan lowered his head and leaned against her neck, which was filled with a faint fragrance. After a long time, his heavy breathing gradually subsided.
The man cleaned up each other neatly, then gently rubbed her wrist with one hand, held her in his arms with the other hand, and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
Wen Ning listened to the lingering drum-like rhythm and said in a muffled voice, "...Ning'er is here with the Marquis. Could it be...could it be that she is just using it to...vent her anger?"
Xie Jinglan seemed to be deeply hurt by these words. He suddenly loosened his grip and anxiously lowered his head to search her eyes. "No! That's not the case! How could Ning'er think that?"
He held her face, forcing her to look at him, his tone full of panic, "Ning'er doesn't like that, right? It's my fault, just now... I was inconsiderate and rude to you..."
He couldn't remain indifferent to Ning'er...
Before the man finished speaking, the person in his arms burst out laughing.
Wen Ning suddenly stood on tiptoe and pecked his tense jaw lightly, "Ning'er is willing. Ning'er does not blame the Marquis..."
She buried her burning face back into his chest and nuzzled it, "Ning'er misses the Marquis so much... I miss Xibao so much..."
Xie Jinglan's heart softened, and he tightened his arms around her, stroking her hair gently with his palm. He said in a deep voice, "I won't let Ning'er wait in the palace for too long."
Wen Ning raised her little face, her eyes gleaming with a faint light, "Your Majesty has been coming to Concubine Hui's palace quite often recently. He asked me many questions, and I told him a lot of old stories..."
"So, Ning'er insisted on keeping Xibao in the Marquis' Mansion, intending to reveal the truth to His Majesty one day and fight against the Empress and the Eastern Palace alone, right?"
Wen Ning was startled when she heard this, and then tears welled up in the corners of her red eyes. She sniffed, "Sure enough... nothing can be hidden from the Marquis."
She grasped the front of his shirt, and her always affectionate peach blossom eyes were now filled with a rare stubbornness and unwillingness. "My Lord, I want to clear my mother's name, clear my master's name, and clear my sister Yin'er's name. They are such good people, they shouldn't have ended up like this..."
Xie Jinglan gently wiped away the wetness with his fingertips, gazing at her deeply. "Silly Ning'er," he sighed, pressing her deeper into his arms. "I'm here, leave it to me, leave everything to me..."
"What is the Marquis going to do?" She grabbed his collar and tugged gently, fearing that he would do something dangerous.
Xie Jinglan's eyes suddenly turned cold, and all the previous plans quickly surged through his mind.
It would be difficult to make the emperor fully believe the old case based on the truth in the words alone.
Even if they believed it, it would not be easy to use it to completely shake the foundation of the Eastern Palace.
After all, the Crown Prince is the heir to a country's throne and is involved in a wide range of affairs. Without solid evidence and thundering force, Your Majesty will never easily depose or enthrone him.
What he needed was never just the emperor's suspicion.
What he wanted was to force the prince to lose his composure and bring about his own destruction.
The best way is to force him to rebel.
If the prince is to be forced to take the risk, he must first be made to clearly realize that he has completely lost the emperor's favor, his position as crown prince is about to be lost, and there is no room for maneuver.
Therefore, he needs to help Prince Chen take the throne.
In this case, we must first spread some rumors about the prince's crimes that cannot be made public.
It doesn't have to be too much, but it has to be enough to stir up trouble in the court.
Those officials who have long been attached to the Prince of Chen will naturally sense the direction of the wind, rise up in groups, and fight to the death to impeach him.
And ministers like the Xu family, who pride themselves on being upright and upholding justice, would never sit idly by and watch the prince commit evil deeds for the sake of the court's laws, even if they were not the prince.
By then, memorials from censors will fly into the palace like snowflakes, and important ministers of integrity will kneel before the palace to make remonstrations. Even if Your Majesty wants to protect him, how can he completely ignore the opinions of the court and the public?
More importantly, he knew very well that the prince had been secretly colluding with generals, secretly casting weapons and armor, and secretly recruiting assassins. All these secret activities had already paved the way for his rebellion.
Xie Jinglan knew better than anyone that given the Crown Prince's narrow-minded and sinister nature, and his secret plans for the military power in the capital, once His Majesty showed his intention to abolish the crown prince, or even if Prince Chen really showed signs of taking over the Eastern Palace, the crown prince in desperate situation would definitely fight to the death at all costs, giving up everything he had.
What he was waiting for was the moment when the prince could no longer hold back and raised the banner of rebellion.
By then, when the swords are used, the true intention will be revealed and there will be no turning back.
Under the crime of treason, all honors and foundations will collapse in an instant.
By then, the old case of Concubine Lu, which had been buried for many years, would be completely exposed to the light of day as the ship of the Eastern Palace capsized!
No one can hide or ignore the truth.
This case must be overturned even if you don’t want to!
Thinking of this, Xie Jinglan looked down at the soft and helpless person in his arms.
I just felt my heart soften.
However, he didn't want to tell Ning'er about this risky plan.
He alone is responsible for all the secrets, dangers and possible costs.
"Ning'er, you don't have to do anything, you don't have to think about anything, just take good care of yourself in the palace." He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath and hoarse voice drilling into her ear, "After all, the number of ninety-nine is still a long way off..."
…
The night breeze is cool, swaying the weeping willows on the shore.
Xie Jinglan watched the sedan chair steadily move away with Concubine Hui's procession until it disappeared into the night. Then he slowly turned around and prepared to leave the still bustling waterside.
After taking a few steps, he saw the prince standing with his hands behind his back, blocking his way, with a deliberate smile on his face.
"Lord Xie is in such a good mood! He performed a melody of qin and flute in broad daylight, which truly amazed everyone."
Xie Jinglan's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly, "Your Highness, you are too kind. This is just a work that was created to suit the occasion. I don't deserve the word 'stunning'."
The Crown Prince took two steps closer, his gaze casually sweeping across the pleasure boat. "My Imperial Sister Ning'er is truly blessed with a beauty that captivates the whole nation. It's no wonder... the usually aloof Marquis Xie is willing to offer his accompaniment."
He paused, a cold, calculating look flashing across his eyes as he continued, "It's almost time for the border states to come and pay their respects, and there will undoubtedly be all sorts of feasting and revelry. Those princes and envoys who have come from afar have always favored the beauties of our Central Plains, and each of them harbors the desire to find relatives and forge alliances."
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