Ten miles east of Tongcheng lies a continuous mountain range.
A light mist floats on the mountainside.
A light rain fell in the mountains late last night.
The ground was slippery, so the journey slowed down after we entered the mountains.
The mountain scenery is beautiful, with lush vegetation, babbling brooks, and unnamed wildflowers blooming along the roadside, their beauty captivating.
Yuan Yao sat in the arms of the Ninth Prince and said happily, "Father, the scenery here is really nice!"
The air feels so good!
Even the wind seemed to carry the sweet fragrance of flowers, grass, and trees...
The horse snorted occasionally as it walked on the slightly slippery road.
The voice of the Ninth Prince came from above.
"Does Xiao Yao'er like this kind of place? If so, when we return to the capital, Daddy will find you a scenic mountain and build you a house there."
Looking for a mountain to build a house?
Yuan Yao raised her chin and blinked: "To be a mountain king?"
The Ninth Prince smiled faintly: "It's not impossible."
Yuan Yao listened, gazing at the scenery along the roadside, her thoughts beginning to wander—
There is a large house nestled against the mountains and beside the water, where flowers are planted in spring and snow is enjoyed in winter...
In summer, you can go mushroom picking in the mountains; in autumn, you can pick wild fruits in the mountains...
Such days don't seem so bad.
However, it's not suitable for long-term stays...
The horse, with a "clatter," came forward.
Xie Ning stood side by side with the Ninth Prince, smiling gently and brightly: "Little Yao'er, would you like to ride your uncle's horse?"
Xie Ning, dressed in white with white hair, rode a tall white horse.
Even though the weather was somewhat gloomy, he still seemed to glow, his whole body enveloped in a layer of... holy white light.
Yuan Yao watched, her heart pounding with anticipation.
Suddenly, a large hand tightened around his waist.
The Ninth Prince coldly replied, "Mind your own business."
He held his own dumpling.
Despite being rejected, Xie Ning's smile remained: "Look, Ning, Xiao Yao'er really wants to ride my horse."
Yuan Yao: "..."
Before the Ninth Prince could get jealous, she opened her eyes wide and said innocently, "Uncle must be mistaken! Yao'er only wants to ride horses with Father."
Xie Ning chuckled.
He spurred his horse forward and simply rode ahead.
After walking along the road for a while, a high wall appeared in front of us in a mountain hollow halfway up the mountain.
The villa is nestled among the trees and has been renovated in a very low-key manner.
The high walls and gates, grayish-brown with a hint of green, could easily be mistaken for small cliffs on the mountainside from a distance, unless you looked closely...
Xie Ning dismounted and went to knock on the door.
After a few knocks, the door was opened a crack from the inside.
Two servants dressed in short clothes peeked through the crack in the door and quickly opened it completely.
One of them said, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency and Princess Yuan Yao."
The Ninth Prince's gaze was indifferent; he did not dismount: "Did your master give me any token?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a servant took out an envelope from his pocket, walked to the Ninth Prince's horse, and handed the envelope to him.
The Ninth Prince accepted the envelope, opened it, took out a piece of paper, and looked at it carefully with his eyes lowered.
Yuan Yao glanced at it casually and noticed that the back of the letter was faintly translucent.
The last word of the letter was an extremely complex character.
cloud?
What is the traditional Chinese character for "cloud"?
Isn't this the royal surname of the State of Chu?
Yuan Yao was surprised.
Or is it that the person who helped them has "Yun" in their name?
Just as Yuan Yao was completely baffled, the Ninth Prince leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Want to know?"
Yuan Yao whispered, "Father, you don't need to tell me this."
The Ninth Prince chuckled softly and said, "It is Yun Chan."
Yun Chan?
A little tiff?
Yuan Yao gasped.
She exclaimed in surprise, "How is that possible?"
How old is Yunchan?
He was the eldest son of the late empress, sickly since childhood, and constantly watched by others. Where would he get so much money to help them?
“He didn’t help me for nothing,” the Ninth Prince said in a low voice. “It was just a transaction.”
After speaking, he held the letter and envelope together in his palm.
When I opened my fingers again, the letter had turned to dust and scattered in the wind...
trade?
What kind of deal did Xiao Biao make with the Ninth Prince?
With his frail body?
Yuan Yao was taken away by Danqing.
The Ninth Prince flicked his sleeves and walked toward the two servants.
As he passed Xie Zhi, he said, "We don't have enough manpower, so we may have to trouble the young master."
After speaking, he had already stepped into the mountain villa.
Xie Zhi followed behind.
Yuan Yao nestled in Dan Qing's arms and said to Xie Ning, who was dressed in snow-white, "Uncle, shall we go take a look?"
Xie Ning tied up the horse and took Yuan Yao from Dan Qing's arms: "Come on, let's go find some water with your little uncle."
"They put too much salt in my side dish this morning, I'm so thirsty!"
As he spoke, he found the flower hall without needing any guidance.
Hot tea had already been prepared in the flower hall.
Xie Ning held Yuan Yao in one arm and picked up a cup of tea with the other. After drinking it all, he clicked his tongue and said, "Good tea!"
Yuan Yao: "?"
I feel like something's off.
Xie Ning seems quite familiar with this villa?
"Little Yao'er, are you thirsty?"
Xie Ning freed one hand and handed over a glass of water.
A fragrant aroma of tea wafts through the air.
Yuan Yao said, "Uncle, Yao'er can do it herself."
"Okay." Xie Ning placed her on the chair next to him and handed her the tea.
Yuan Yao held the cup and sipped her tea slowly.
As she drank, she looked around the flower hall.
This flower hall is very large, and the furniture and decorations inside look quite valuable. In addition, there are some uniquely shaped green plant ornaments displayed inside.
On the walls of the flower hall, there are also some landscape, flower and bird paintings...
It was deserted and quiet, with hardly any people around.
Look, there are very few people here on weekdays.
After finishing a small cup of tea, Yuan Yao put the cup down.
Xie Ning asked with a smile, "Want some more?"
Yuan Yao shook her head.
She thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously: "The owner of this estate probably doesn't come here to stay very often, does he?"
She wondered if this manor might also belong to Yunchan.
Furthermore, she also wanted to know if Xie Ning knew about this place...
Xie Ning poured himself another glass of water and casually said, "The mountains are deserted and have many inconveniences, so they are not suitable for long-term stays."
Yuan Yao nodded as if she understood, then blinked her big, watery eyes gently: "It would be great for hiding people and supplies!"
Xie Ning then glanced at her in surprise.
The little boy looked completely innocent yet very serious.
Xie Ning pursed her lips and said softly with a smile, "Just passing by, it's not bad as a temporary place to stay."
Temporary accommodation?
Yuan Yao stared intently at Xie Ning: "Uncle..."
There was a hint of resentment in her tone.
Xie Ning smiled, her eyes crinkling, and reached out to pat her head: "My dear Yao'er, what's wrong?"
Yuan Yao shrank back: "Uncle is lying!"
A scam?
Xie Ning paused for a moment.
When he wasn't smiling, he looked more and more like the Ninth Prince.
Xie Ning's lips curled up again and again until her eyes were only slits, and her smile became even brighter: "Nonsense, Uncle never lies."
“You have it!” Yuan Yao said seriously.
"No," Xie Ning replied.
Yuan Yao puffed out her cheeks, her little voice a bit cold: "Uncle, don't think I don't know that you didn't go to Changbai Mountain to find medicine, but to help Yun Chan!"
"Tell me, are you doing bad things behind my father's back?"
Xie Ning smiled, but the color in her eyes changed slightly.
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