"I have only received this piece of news, but I absolutely do not believe that he would be robbed and killed so easily." Duan Tingxuan said this, then he looked at Su Nuannuan solemnly and whispered, "Half a year ago, Lord Long came to me and said that he accidentally got a secret about the King of Xiangyang's early years in the palace from a case. He came to me to discuss what to do? Because he and I are good friends of the same age and have the same ideals; secondly, at that time, I was the only one in the court who was secretly investigating the King of Xiangyang because of your father's matter. I also asked him for help that day, so he guessed it. Because this matter is of great importance, I tried to help him get a position as the Imperial Censor of Jiangnan Road, hoping that he could secretly investigate this matter in Jiangnan. Unexpectedly, he was killed half a year later. I don't believe it's a coincidence at all. Hangzhou is rich, and there are few robbers. Long Pingzhang has always been smart. How could he put himself in danger easily? But now I am out of reach, and I can only wait for news from both the light and dark lines over there."
At this point, he suddenly stood up, clenched his fist and said angrily: "If he was really killed, I will go to Jiangnan myself and seek justice for him. Maybe I will have to meet the King of Xiangyang."
"Don't be impulsive, Duan Tingxuan. Impulsiveness is the devil." Su Nuannuan pressed Duan Tingxuan to sit on the chair and said seriously, "Just thinking about revenge is not enough. You are very popular in the court. If you want to go to Jiangnan, it will be too conspicuous. You dared to let Lord Long go to Jiangnan that day, which shows that he is smart and reliable. Since even he has been tricked, how can you guarantee that you will be safe? The King of Xiangyang has been operating in Jiangnan for more than ten years. Even if you are a strong dragon, you may not be able to suppress him, a local snake. Except for your status, you are not much better than Lord Long, right? What's more, the Jiangnan Dao Yushi was appointed by the emperor himself. In terms of status, he is not much worse than you."
Duan Tingxuan glanced at his wife, and after a long while he said in a deep voice: "My martial arts is better than his."
Su Nuannuan: ...
"Well, even if you are better at martial arts than him, don't you understand that two fists cannot defeat four hands? If the Prince of Xiangyang dared to secretly kill the Jiangnan Dao Censor personally appointed by the Emperor, what else would he not dare to do? This is strange. The consequences of this incident should be very serious. What on earth made the Prince of Xiangyang take the risk of killing him? Isn't he afraid of the Emperor's investigation? Is it a serious crime to be in the palace? Didn't you say that he was loved by the Empress Dowager in his early years? He often went in and out of the Cining Palace? Then the harem is like his home?"
“Ahem…”
Duan Tingxuan was interrupted by his wife's words. His anger eased a little. Seeing Su Nuannuan's puzzled look, he gently reminded her, "Wandering in the palace is different from what I said that day that he often went in and out of the Cining Palace..." Before he could finish, Su Nuannuan's eyes suddenly widened, and she first covered her mouth, then slowly lowered her hands and whispered, "Wandering in the palace. Doesn't it mean... Prince Xiangyang has an affair with the concubines in the harem?"
Duan Tingxuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly: This kind of thing should be kept to oneself. But he was really sad and heavy at the moment, and he didn't want to carry such a secret alone. Among the only people he could fully trust, Su Nuannuan was the only one who was suitable to confide in.
As early as when the couple secretly discussed the King of Xiangyang, the young marquis had given his wife all his trust. Even he himself found it incredible, but Su Nuannuan made him feel extremely safe and reliable. Only he knew in his heart that sometimes, he even regarded this woman as a support.
Everyone sees the unlimited glory of the prince of Anping Marquis's mansion, but he is also a human being, he will get tired and annoyed. For the prosperity and glory of his family, he has carried too many heavy things in his heart. Not to mention the distant past, just talk about the sudden prince fraud case last year. Although it was finally perfectly resolved with his mediation, everyone praised it at the time, but no one knew that he once ran to the wild and broke down crying and screaming in the most difficult time, and even tore a tiger apart with his bare hands in the mountains, at the cost of blood all over his body. Afterwards, everyone thought that he had a plan in mind, so he had the leisure to go hunting, but ended up in danger, but they didn't know that all this was the result of him seeking to vent because he couldn't bear the pressure.
In late spring this year, when he stepped into Meiyue Tower at dusk as the sun was setting, he still had many heavy things on his mind. The court disputes were endless, and the influence of the black hand behind the scenes was growing. Even the emperor and the prince had fainted. However, in the center of such a vortex, he managed to survive. No, it cannot be said that he managed to survive. It would be more accurate to describe it as being at ease.
All of this stemmed from the change in his mentality, and the reason why he was able to relieve the pressure was all because of the unique woman opposite him.
Su Nuannuan made him happy. It was she who released his unrestrained nature that had been suppressed for too long. It was like a ray of sunshine shining into his gloomy heart. In an instant, the gloom disappeared without a trace, his heavy heart regained its vitality, and he naturally got twice the result with half the effort.
"No wonder... No wonder Prince Xiangyang wanted to silence the witnesses. Such a big thing, even if the emperor favors him, he would never tolerate it, right?" Of course he couldn't tolerate it. No emperor in the world could tolerate someone cuckolding him, even if that person was his brother from the same mother.
"It's not just these that are important." His wife's strange power of soothing people quietly appeared again, and the young marquis's mood calmed down a lot. He took a sip of the already warm tea and said in a low voice: "Nuannuan, do you remember what we said that day that even if the King of Xiangyang harmed the emperor and the prince, the throne would never fall on his head?"
"Of course I remember. You said this was a puzzle that you could never figure out. That's why no one in the court, including the emperor, believed that the Prince of Xiangyang had any intention of rebelling. Because if he rebelled openly, he would definitely die. Even if he succeeded in assassinating the emperor and the crown prince, he would not be able to usurp the throne. There are still several outstanding adult princes behind him. It is not his turn to inherit the throne."
"But if one of these princes is his bloodline, then it would be different."
Duan Tingxuan's eyes were as deep as the sea, and after Su Nuannuan was stunned for a moment, she finally understood the meaning of this sentence. In an instant, the grandmother was struck by lightning, and then she did that habitual action again, raising her hand to cover her mouth before speaking. This was the third time she did this action tonight.
"Only you and I know about this matter. Perhaps the prince will also have some guesses, after all, Long Pingzhang is the prince's man." Duan Tingxuan knew that Su Nuannuan was a woman who kept her mouth shut and knew her limits, but he still gave her instructions, which shows how serious this matter was. Nonsense, how could it not be serious? It was related to the royal bloodline, which was a huge matter in feudal society.
Su Nuannuan nodded, like a frightened cat, which made Duan Tingxuan laugh. He stretched out his arm and pulled her hand down: "Okay, there's no need to be so scared. You keep saying that others are fragile. How good are you?"
"Nonsense, such a heavy secret." Su Nuannuan let out a long breath, then suddenly turned hostile and kicked Duan Tingxuan on the calf: "Asshole, you are harboring evil intentions, why are you telling me this? I just want to be a quiet foodie and don't want to know this life-threatening secret at all, okay?"
"What do you mean by life-threatening? You're exaggerating. It's only natural for a husband and wife to share the joys and sorrows. Now that I know it, I naturally won't hide it from you." The young marquis was still shameless. He tried to take credit with an expression of "I'm a good husband", but the result was that he was kicked in the calf even harder.
However, after being kicked twice, Duan Tingxuan quickly adjusted his mood. He stretched and leaned on the couch, holding a cup of tea and sipping it gently, while he said in a deep voice: "If my guess is correct, this matter is tricky. Currently, among the adult princes who are qualified to compete for the throne, there are only the crown prince, the second prince and the fourth prince. The fifth prince can barely be counted as one, but these brothers are all harmonious. I really don't want to think that there is someone with evil intentions among them. I can't accept it just thinking about it."
"Yes. When I read those legendary stories, what I hate most is the betrayal from the closest relatives. No matter what the ending is, it is always cruel and suffocating. It is simply torture to death. But you also said that this is just a guess. I hope your guess is wrong."
Duan Tingxuan smiled bitterly, "I hope more than anyone that my guess is wrong, but unfortunately, this wish may not come true. If the King of Xiangyang did not have such a backup plan, why would he be so determined to kill the prince? If it was not related to such a major matter, how could Long Pingzhang be killed? The Censor of Jiangnan Province was a third-rank official appointed by the emperor himself. Even if he died of illness, it would cause a stir in the court and someone would investigate. What's more, his death was so strange? If it was not a matter of life and death, no one would take the risk."
"Anyway, let's wait for the news from Hangzhou." Su Nuannuan sighed, not wanting to talk about this topic anymore, so she looked up and asked, "What do you want to eat for lunch? Thanks to you, I'm in a bad mood today, and I want to relieve it by cooking."
Duan Tingxuan smiled bitterly and said, "I am lucky enough to have a good meal, but after what happened, I really don't have the appetite to eat. I just want to eat something cold, otherwise I will be very angry. After saying that, he leaned forward and said, "Honglian, give me another bowl of ice cream, a big bowl."
"Are you courting death? Eating a big bowl of ice cream? You can't ignore your stomach just to calm your anger. What did your stomach do to offend anyone?"
Su Nuannuan scolded, but Duan Tingxuan didn't care. Who was he? A martial arts genius, if his stomach couldn't even resist a little ice cream, was he worthy of being his stomach?
Honglian knew from Duan Tingxuan's face when he entered the room that his master was in a bad mood today, and she did not dare to disobey his orders. Sure enough, she brought a big bowl of ice cream over. Duan Tingxuan picked it up and ate it. Hearing his wife say beside him, "You're asking for death," he scooped a spoonful and passed it to him, laughing, "Are you feeling sorry for me eating such a small amount of ice cream? Don't you think about how much cream I made for you..."
Before he could finish, Cong'er outside said, "Sir, Siping sent a message in saying that the emperor has summoned you. Eunuch Hong is waiting for you in the front hall."
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