Chapter 66 Sunken Eaves 2
After leaving Cuiyun Tower, Fu Yunxiu didn't rush back to the inn. The capital was far more luxurious than Yongzhou. There were countless strange and wonderful trinkets.
Since it would still be some time before Shen Yan came to his senses, he might as well wander around more and buy some unusual things to amuse Aman.
The master and servant walked forward, stopping and starting along the way. Soon, Mantou realized something was wrong.
"Young master, it seems someone is following us," Mantou whispered.
Fu Yunxiu glanced back and saw a figure dart behind the stall. Even he and Mantou could spot him; it seemed Shen Yan was testing him.
"It's fine, let him follow if he wants!"
Fu Yunxiu strolled around the streets all afternoon, with Mantou following him, eating and drinking along the way, and carrying a lot of little trinkets to bring back for Aman.
The two did not return to the inn until the sun had set.
"Gone?" Fu Yunxiu asked.
"Hmm." Mantou looked out the window and saw a figure hurriedly leave the inn and then disappear into the crowd.
Meanwhile, when Shen Yan returned from Cuiyun Tower, he received a report from the steward that Prince Qi had arrived and was waiting for him in the main hall.
Shen Yan hurried over and found that it was indeed him.
"Why has Your Highness come here?" Shen Yan was slightly surprised, and then immediately became alert.
"It's nothing. I was careful before I came; there are no eyes," Xie Chen said.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan nodded and walked over to sit down on the chair next to him. "Logically speaking, Your Highness should have entered the capital tomorrow afternoon. Why did you return early?"
"The caravan is too slow and the journey is boring, so let's go to the capital first and take a look around." His Majesty is seriously ill and the position of heir apparent is vacant. Prince Yu is quite anxious. Once he returns to the capital, he will inevitably be followed by a lot of people, which will be very annoying. So he must take this opportunity to take a look around.
As for the convoy, he left a double so that he wouldn't be discovered.
Considering his temperament, Shen Yan thought it made sense. Nodding, he asked again, "I heard that His Majesty personally appointed you to come to the capital to deal with his illness. What does Your Highness think His Majesty's intentions are?"
"Who knows?" Xie Chen smiled, looking like he didn't really want to talk about it.
The old man hadn't seemed particularly fond of him before. In fact, because of his supposedly cursed fate, he had raised him in a secluded garden since he was a child, and later sent him to the army camp, leaving him to fend for himself. Now that the old man was nearing his end, he had specially summoned him back from the borderlands.
Because of this incident, he was targeted by many people along the way.
He could almost imagine the upheaval that would ensue if he were to appear in the capital.
Xie Chen had lived for over twenty years, and this was the first time he had received such attention. He even reasonably suspected that the old man felt he was about to die and was deliberately getting close to him, hoping to drag him down with him.
How could Xie Chen possibly fathom the emperor's thoughts? He'd deal with whatever came his way; until the very end, who knew who would have the last laugh?
"Forget about that," Xie Chen sighed and then asked Shen Yan, "What about you? Didn't you say you were staying home to cultivate your mind and body? Why are you out again, and looking so serious? Did something happen?"
"No, I went out today to see Fu Yunxiu, the eldest son of Marquis Cheng'an." Shen Yan has never hidden anything from Xie Chen.
"Him?" Upon hearing this name, Xie Chen raised an eyebrow, vaguely recalling such a person.
Rumor has it that he was exceptionally intelligent, but fate was cruel, and he was destined not to live past the age of twenty-five. If I remember correctly, he is currently around twenty-five years old.
"How did you get involved with him?" Xie Chen asked.
“He found me, saying it was related to the incident where the Shen family army’s grain supplies were buried back then,” Shen Yan said.
Xie Chen remembered the events of that year perfectly. It just so happened that he was in Dingzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the same prefecture at the time, which enabled him to provide timely assistance and prevent the remaining Shen family army from being trapped in Longshang and losing their lives.
"Is it related to the third prince?" Xie Chen asked. It wasn't that he was being petty, but if there was anything fishy about what happened back then, it was definitely related to the power struggle within the royal family.
The second son has now been deposed and is now a commoner under lifelong confinement. If there is any connection, it must be the third son, King Yu.
“Yes,” Shen Yan nodded. “The escort officer in charge of transporting the grain back then was the younger brother of the beloved wife of the Earl of Yunyang. He was originally a small squad leader in the army camp, but suddenly he jumped up and became the grain escort. It was said that he was buried in the avalanche, but in fact, he is still alive.”
Even if Shen Yan didn't say it, Xie Chen could guess what was coming next.
The transport of grain supplies was related to the Earl of Yunyang, who was on good terms with King Yu. After Shen Yan disappeared, Liu Xun successfully took his place, and Liu Xun also had a close relationship with King Yu.
If what Fu Yunxiu said is true, then everything that happened back then was clearly a scheme to bring down Yanxia Ma.
"So, what are your plans?" Xie Chen asked. The Shen family army suffered truly heavy casualties back then, so he had no right to make a decision for Shen Yan, even if it would disrupt their plans.
"I don't know either." Shen Yan frowned. He didn't want those soldiers to die in vain, but he was also afraid that if he took any action, he would alert the enemy and ruin their original plan.
“It’s alright. Why don’t you go and find out if what this eldest son of the Marquis of Cheng’an said is true? If it is true…” Xie Chen’s handsome eyes flashed with a sharp light, “Perhaps it will become a step for us to bring down the third son.”
Now that His Majesty is seriously ill and the court is unstable, with the Third Prince eyeing the throne covetously, how could Xie Chen, as a prince, not want a share of the spoils?
At the same time, he also wanted to go up to that person and ask why, as his son, he was being treated so unfairly. Was it because his mother had died in childbirth?
He hates that he killed the woman he loved most.
But at that time he was just an infant, how could he have a choice?
If he had a choice, he would rather be born into an ordinary family, where at least the household would be harmonious and life would be peaceful.
The two analyzed the court situation for a while longer. As it was getting dark, the men sent to investigate Fu Yunxiu returned.
"You mean he's already found you, but hasn't shaken you off?" Shen Yan asked.
"Yes, I followed him the whole way, but Young Master Fu didn't shake me off. Instead, he kept me with him until we reached the inn where he was staying. I also checked the inn. In the room next to his, there was a man who had been given a muscle-relaxing drug and was being watched by two guards," the guard replied truthfully.
In truth, with his skills, he could easily have followed someone without being noticed. However, since the young master had instructed him not to conceal his whereabouts, he complied.
"That's interesting." Xie Chen stroked his chin. "Is he surrendering to you?"
But why would the other party do that?
Everyone knows that Shen Yan was on good terms with King Yu. What difference is there between him doing this and offering himself up for execution?
Shen Yan and Xie Chen exchanged a glance and understood each other's meaning. "In that case, go and inform him that you need to invite him to the manor tomorrow. I have something important to discuss with him."
"Yes." The guard accepted the order and left. Xie Chen stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor. After a long while, he finally spoke.
"If this is true, it would be a good opportunity." Coincidentally, he also had some suspicions that he needed to verify.
That night, Fu Yunxiu received an invitation from Shen Yan, which was not surprising at all.
After sorting and putting away the trinkets he had bought that day, Fu Yunxiu took out his bundle and carefully packed them inside.
Mantou frowned deeply. "Young master, aren't you afraid there might be a trap here?"
If we really want to talk about this, why can't we do it here instead of going to a place like the General's Mansion?
Those grand courtyards belong to other people; it might be easy to get in but difficult to get out.
"What are you afraid of?" Fu Yunxiu said, "Does he think he can eat me?"
Fu Yunxiu packed his things, carefully tied the bundle, and put it back in the cupboard. "If things go smoothly, we can leave for home the day after tomorrow. I wonder what Aman is doing right now?"
Seeing Fu Yunxiu's nonchalant attitude, Mantou was at a loss for words. He just felt that ever since the young master's leg healed, his actions had become increasingly unpredictable, making him impossible to fathom.
That night, a gentle breeze blew, and the moon and stars were few.
In the tranquil Wutong Garden, the sounds of bottles and jars clinking together were crisp and pleasant.
Aman carefully cleaned the rouge box and the bottle for holding floral dew that she had just brought back from the porcelain shop that day, arranged them neatly, and prepared to store things in them after they dried.
During her recovery period, she had to stop doing business. Now that she's fully healed and spring is in full bloom, she's determined to earn back the money she lost during this time.
Fortunately, she was the only one selling flower dew in Yongzhou, so even though she didn't set up her stall for more than a month, it was still packed with people.
The only thing that gave Aman a headache was the last time the Yunyang Marquis's mansion went to Wutong Garden to apologize in a grand manner, which made everyone know that she had a close relationship with the eldest son of the Fu family.
Moreover, everyone has been saying that the eldest son of the Fu family has recovered from his leg injury. Sure enough, as soon as Aman set up her stall today, someone came to her under the pretense of buying floral dew to inquire about the news.
Aside from their concern for the young master, they inquired about the number of women around him, explaining that their daughters, nieces, and nephews were all of marriageable age, admired him for a long time, and wished to serve him.
It's as clear as day.
Aman smiled on the outside, but in her heart she had already cursed the person a thousand times over. Incidentally, she secretly raised the price when the woman bought the floral dew.
The same scene played out daily at the Marquis's residence.
But this time it wasn't to find a concubine for Fu Yunxiu; instead, a matchmaker came to formally propose marriage for him.
Fu Yunxiu is twenty-five years old this year, which, to be honest, is past the best age for a man to get married in the Great Sheng Dynasty. But unfortunately, he comes from a prominent family, is handsome, and has first-rate talent.
Now that people have heard he's recovered, many wealthy families are asking matchmakers to arrange marriages for him.
For several days in a row, Madam Fu was quite annoyed, but she could only pretend to be.
On the one hand, she presented herself as a loving mother in public; on the other hand, Fu Yunting would be getting married in the future. Although she secretly believed that Fu Yunting would marry a noblewoman from a prominent family in the capital, she dared not offend her too much.
After all, matchmakers have a silver tongue; they can make even the worst things sound good. If you offend them, you'll only cause trouble for no reason.
After rejecting three marriage proposals, Madam Fu finally couldn't keep up the pretense any longer. She instructed the gatekeeper that if any matchmakers came to her door, they should say that she was away on a long trip and not at home.
But matchmakers never leave empty-handed; with Madam Fu absent, they turned their attention to Madam Liu.
The second son, Fu Changze, is twenty-two, a good age for marriage.
Although Madam Liu was happy that so many matchmakers came to propose marriage for her son, she still preferred to respect Fu Changze's wishes regarding the matter and did not want to hastily arrange a marriage for him. Therefore, after briefly entertaining them, she closed the door to visitors.
In this respect, the two ladies of the Marquis's mansion were surprisingly in agreement.
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