Chapter 47
Yun He disappeared silently for several days, and suddenly appeared in Yuluan Palace one morning. He truly came and went without a trace.
She had left the palace to investigate something at Ling Huanchen's behest, and upon completion she returned to report. She made a trip to Xiancheng and reported her findings to Ling Huanchen. There were two witness statements: one from the pharmacist and one from a young palace attendant who had escaped.
Ling Huanchen held the confession in his hand and glanced through it. "Where is that palace attendant now?"
"I have placed him in a small house, under guard, ready for deployment at any time."
Ling Huanchen nodded, "Ah He, you've worked hard this time."
Yun He nodded, "This servant is willing to share the master's worries."
There was a lot going on for Princess Lin Ran's visit to Youcheng. If she were smart, she would have retreated. In her previous life, this princess hadn't caused any unrest, so Ling Huanchen didn't want to make her pay the price. He simply wanted her to return to Xiancheng and out of sight, out of mind.
In his previous life, it was Yu Xi who had sent someone to investigate Princess Lin Ran, uncovering her secret dealings and sending her back to Xiancheng, effectively slapping the King of Xiancheng in the face. Now, Ling Huanchen had other plans: he wanted Princess Lin Ran to return to Xiancheng on her own initiative, and Yu Xi had nothing to do with it.
"Sister Ah He!"
When Xiao Qi saw Yun He, his eyes lit up and he walked briskly. "Sister He, where have you been these past few days? What mission did you go on so quickly? Is it some secret?"
Yun He raised an eyebrow and flicked his forehead, earning a cry of pain. "Shut up! You know it's a secret, yet you're still asking questions."
Xiao Qi covered her forehead and complained to Ling Huanchen aggrievedly, "Master, look at her. She just came back and she's already doing something bad to me."
"Alright, you two." Ling Huanchen smiled gently, as if he was watching two children playing together. "Pack up, I'm going to hold a banquet in Yuluan Palace."
Xiao Qi was surprised and asked, "Master, who are you going to invite to the banquet?"
Ling Huanchen put away the confession, "Princess Lin Ran."
"Huh?" Xiao Qi opened his mouth wide enough to swallow an egg after hearing the answer. Seeing that Ling Huanchen was unmoved, he quickly put away his silly expression and said anxiously, "Master, that princess is not a good person. Look, even the little princess doesn't like her. Children are very sensitive, so she must be very bad."
"I know she's not a good person." Ling Huanchen sighed softly, "What does this have to do with me inviting her to a banquet?"
Besides, this is a Hongmen Banquet.
Xiao Qi looked bewildered, "Master, Xiao Qi doesn't quite understand." As he spoke, he was hit on the head again. He covered his head and looked at Yun He, "Sister Ah He, why did you hit me again?"
Yun He glanced at him and said, "Less talking, more doing. If the master asks you to prepare, then go and prepare."
Xiao Qi looked back and forth at the two of them, sniffed, and said, "Oh."
The palace servant sent by Yuluan Palace quickly came back to report, and Princess Lin Ran agreed without saying a word.
She could have made excuses to refuse, but Ling Huanchen knew she wouldn't. As long as she still had any intentions, she would inevitably have to meet him. Furthermore, most people in the palace were competitive and would never allow themselves to fail. If they did, they would demand revenge.
When Lin Ran arrived at the Jade Luan Palace, she changed into a bright red silk gown and wore a pearl hairpin with a black bird on her head. The black bird was a symbol of good fortune in Xiancheng and was usually only worn at important banquets. Lin Ran's outfit was clearly meant to bring the atmosphere to the fore.
"It was indeed me who frightened the little princess that day in the Imperial Garden. Lin Ran apologizes to His Highness here." Lin Ran raised the wine glass, smiled, and drank it all in front of Ling Huanchen.
After the previous two encounters, Ling Huanchen was obviously not the kind of person who would be roundabout in greeting others, but this time he took the initiative to show his friendliness to her. Even if she was stupid, she could sense that something was wrong.
Ling Huanchen picked up the wine glass and took a sip in response, "The child is just shy, Princess, don't take it to heart."
Lin Ran noticed that he seemed to be in a good mood today, so she struck while the iron was hot, "I was not considerate enough before, I hope Your Highness will not hold it against me. Your Highness and I hit it off right away, I'm sure we can become friends."
He didn't know whether they could become friends, he only knew that Princess Lin Ran would not be able to stay in Youcheng until tomorrow.
Ling Huanchen put down his wine glass and smiled faintly, "My Lord, that's not true. I heard that the one who was supposed to come to Youcheng was not Princess Lin Ran, but your half-sister. But because she suddenly fell ill, you came instead. Is that true?"
Lin Ran's expression changed slightly, but she still forced a smile, "It's true. My sister suddenly fell ill, so I took her place."
Ling Huanchen nodded and took out the two confessions and handed them to Yun He. "Princess, come and take a look. Are they true?"
Yun He walked over to Lin Ran and unfolded the confession one by one, but did not let her touch it. Lin Ran was horrified after reading the confession and was about to rush forward to snatch it, but she was no match for Yun He. Not only did she not touch it at all, she also fell flat on her face.
"It seems that what was said above is true. Princess Lin Ran is quite a master. In order to come to Youcheng, she even drugged her own sister."
Lin Ran struggled to stand up. "This is nonsense. Your Highness, you can't slander me! Who knows who found someone to write this? It must be someone Your Highness found."
A cornered dog will bite back. Ling Huanchen had already expected her to do so.
"If the princess feels that I have wronged you, we can find a witness to confront her. Whether it's the doctor in the pharmacy who provided the medicine, or the maid who once served the princess's sister, I can find them for the princess."
"You..." Lin Ran's initial confidence gradually faded. She took a step back, still gritting her teeth and persevering.
Ling Huanchen poured himself a drink, savoring the fine wine alone, and said slowly, "Princess, think about it. If the old prince knew about this, would you still have a place to stay? You may think that as long as you stay in Youcheng, you will be protected by the King of You. But I can tell you with certainty that the King will not let you stay."
If Lin Ran had any illusions before, they were now completely shattered. She knew in her heart that what Ling Huanchen said was true. She did not get the favor of King You, and now she had no time to fight for it.
After a long silence, Ling Huanchen spoke softly, "Princess, do you know what to do?"
Lin Ran's face was ashen, and she was no less afraid of Ling Huanchen than she was of Yu Xi. "I, I understand."
That day, before dusk, news arrived from the palace that Princess Lin Ran, ill, had requested to return to Xiancheng. The request was submitted to Yu Xi, and the approval came much faster than the negotiation of trade between the two cities. Lin Ran, accompanied by her maid, hurriedly packed her belongings and boarded a carriage before dark. She fled as if some ferocious beast from Youcheng were chasing her.
When Yu Xi returned to Yuluan Palace, Ling Huanchen was still playing the piano. He couldn't bear to disturb him, so he listened to the song quietly before slowly walking into the room.
"Your Majesty?"
Yu Xi motioned him not to stand up, and sat down beside the zither. "I really didn't give this zither to the wrong person. I heard that Huanchen is holding a banquet in Yuluan Palace today. I wonder what method Huanchen used to make that Princess Lin Ran run so fast."
Ling Huanchen had no intention of hiding anything from him, so he told him everything about Yunhe's investigation. Yu Xi's face lit up with joy after hearing this, "Our Huanchen is truly an expert at investigating cases."
He had no interest in investigating the case. "I just wanted to relieve the king of some of his burdens."
"but……"
Before he could finish, Ling Huanchen took the initiative to cover the back of his hand and said with a smile, "But you have to put yourself first, I know."
Yu Xi had no choice but to go along with everything, "It's good that you know." It didn't matter what Ling Huanchen did. If there was anything that was not handled properly, he would clean up the mess.
"Your Majesty, the Prince requests an audience."
Ling Huanchen knew without hesitation that Yu Zhao had come for his eldest niece, Qi Xian. Sure enough, after Yu Zhao entered the room, he greeted the two and then went to find Qi Xian. Ling Huanchen knew that his uncle truly loved his niece, so he ordered someone to bring Qi Xian up.
The number of people in the room increased from two to four in an instant. Yu Xi used to look forward to her brother entering the palace, but now she felt that he was a bit of an eyesore.
When Ling Huanchen played the piano by himself, he often played tunes like the sound of flowing water in the mountains. When Qi Xian was around, he changed to a lighter one.
"This song is very nice. Huanchen, please teach me how to play it."
The music of the piano stopped, and Ling Huanchen looked at Yu Xi. If he remembered correctly, Yu Xi could play the piano.
"I heard that teaching piano requires hands-on instruction." Yu Xi grabbed Ling Huanchen's hand and placed it in her own, "Let's get started."
When the sound of the piano rang out again, Ling Huanchen was still a little confused, but seeing that Yu Xi was sincere in wanting to learn, he began to teach seriously.
Yu Zhao held Qi Xian in his arms, the two of them, one large and one small, looking at the two of them playing the zither together with their fingers intertwined. He shook his head slightly and exclaimed in admiration, "The zither and the qin sound in perfect harmony."
These days, the envoys who came to the palace to discuss trade were all from Xiancheng. Lin Ran accompanied them to the palace to discuss the marriage, but the prince of Xiancheng was the only one not there.
As the fifth son of King Xiancheng, Lin Shuluo was spoiled and domineering, a playboy with a penchant for roaming around with beauties from all over the world. King Xiancheng had always indulged him, not only failing to discipline him but also arranging things for him, making him even more fearless.
He came to Youcheng under the pretext of studying with the envoy, but in reality, he couldn't find a beauty that suited his taste in Xiancheng, so he took this opportunity to come to Youcheng to look for one. Apart from a single appearance at the palace, he was never seen in the court again.
Lin Shuluo would hang out outside the palace every day, and could be seen in restaurants and dance halls. Whenever he appeared, he would always be accompanied by a group of beautiful women, regardless of gender.
As soon as Lin Ran left, he was dragged to the palace by the envoy to discuss political affairs. It was so boring that Lin Shuluo got tired after listening for a while. He ran out of the palace and wandered around. He accidentally heard the sound of a piano and couldn't help but stop.
He followed the sound of the piano to the direction of the Imperial Garden, but it was guarded by guards, so he could only look at it from afar. But just one look made him not want to leave.
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