Chapter 18 Tingyuxuan
Capital city.
The Dali Temple’s case handling efficiency never disappoints.
The Xue family case has come to light.
Lu Feng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was jealous of General Xue because of a conflict they had in their early years, so he colluded with the underworld gangsters Qingshezhai to attack the son of the Xue family.
Not only that, the Xue family also found evidence that Lu Feng had instructed the Green Snake Village to kill imperial officials and abduct and sell people.
When the news came out, Chang'an was in an uproar.
All those involved in the case were sent to prison, and Lu Feng committed suicide in prison before the verdict.
The Dali Temple, under the order of the Emperor, searched everywhere for Xue Yucheng's only son, but could not find any trace of him.
The emperor was so gracious that he conferred upon Xue Yucheng the title of Marquis of Zhenbei in order to appease him.
Everyone sighed. What was the point of the Xue family having a title if they had no son?
Those branches of the Xue family that had no connection with the Xue family at all had come to visit frequently recently, all hoping to have good luck and have their children and grandchildren adopted by Xue Yucheng.
Some distant cousins also came to visit, hoping to have their daughters brought into the house, perhaps giving the Xue family a chance to have more children in the future.
A rosewood carriage passed by the gate of Xue Mansion.
The carriage was followed by guards in front and behind. The horses pulling the carriage had shiny coats. The roof was covered with colorful brocade, and the lotus flowers embroidered with gold thread on it sparkled. Small silver bells were hung on the four corners of the carriage, and they made small and pleasant sounds as the wheels rolled.
Murong Wan sat in the carriage, looked out of the window, and saw the scene in front of the Xue Mansion.
"Mom, the Xue family lost their son, why is there so much noise outside the door?"
He Yan supported her forehead with one hand, leaned on the carved table and closed her eyes to rest:
"Because it doesn't matter whether Young Master Xue is dead or not. What matters is whether there is someone to inherit the Xue Mansion."
Murong Wan: "But isn't Young Master Xue the heir to the Xue Mansion?"
Murong Wan had a little impression of Xue Che.
I have seen him several times at palace banquets before. He was very silent and didn't look like a child from a military family at all. He looked sickly and not very likable.
There were many children at the palace banquet, all of them fair and pretty. Murong Wan paid little attention to those silent peers and never spoke to them.
He Yan did not answer her daughter, but asked:
"Is Wan'er doing well at your grandparents' house these days?"
Murong Wan stayed in the He Mansion for a few days. He Yan was free today, so she went back to the He Family in person to pick up her daughter and take her back to the palace.
Murong Wan nodded: "Grandfather and grandmother both like Wan'er, and my cousins also take Wan'er out to play."
Then she asked, "Mother, is my brother at home?"
He Yan gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Murong Wan had an older brother, Murong Ming, who was the same age as her.
He Yan: "Ming'er has been summoned to the palace to accompany the prince."
Murong Wan looked down at the soft carpet under her feet, and after a while she suddenly said:
"Mom, I saw my grandfather and my third uncle arguing. My grandfather was very angry and said that my third uncle was imitating others."
He Yan slowly raised her eyelids:
"Your third uncle has lost his mind, and no one can wake him up."
The carriage slowly drove through the streets and stopped at the gate of the palace.
He Yan got off the carriage with her daughter.
When Murong Wan got off the carriage, she was not paying attention for a moment and stepped on the hem of her skirt, causing her body to fall forward.
Chunyue, the maid who came to support her, was so frightened that her face turned pale and she quickly used her body to catch Murong Wan.
Chunyue was only twelve or thirteen years old and was very thin. She was pushed down by Murong Wan and her arm was scratched by the gravel on the ground. A string of bright red blood beads emerged from the wound.
Murong Wan stepped on Chunyue's hand and managed to keep her balance.
Nanny Lin, who was serving the princess, stood up and scolded Chunyue:
"You can't even help the princess get off the carriage? The princess is delicate. If she gets hurt even a little bit, how many heads can you afford to pay for it?"
Chunyue hurriedly got up from the ground and knelt, sweating profusely:
"Please forgive me, Princess!"
He Yan pulled her daughter with concern. Seeing that she was fine, she glanced down at Chunyue:
"Go and get twenty lashes."
"Thank you, Princess." Chunyue fell to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
Murong Wan pursed her lips and said nothing.
She looked down at the hem of her peach-pink skirt, which was stained with blood from Chunyue's hand. She was afraid that it could not be washed off.
This skirt was newly made this year, and it was ruined when I wore it for the first time today. I can't help but feel unhappy.
But her mother had taught her not to show anger easily in public and not to argue with servants.
"Mother, I'm going to pay my respects to father." Murong Wan didn't want to look at Chunyue any more.
Murong Wan and He Yan walked into the mansion and saw the housekeeper coming to greet them.
"Princess, Princess." The butler lowered his body and bowed to Murong Wan.
Murong Wan: "Where's my father?"
The housekeeper glanced at He Yan's expression and hesitated:
"The prince is in Tingyuxuan and has ordered that no one in the palace should be disturbed."
He Yan's face suddenly became much uglier, her gentle expression disappeared, and she turned around and went back to her Qionghua Courtyard.
Murong Wan also walked towards her own Tinglan Courtyard.
Murong Xun is the emperor's seventh brother. His palace is built to the specifications of a prince, with numerous courtyards.
Although Murong Wan grew up in the palace, there were some courtyards she had never been to.
She remembered that Tingyuxuan was an enclosed courtyard where the late princess once lived.
Murong Wan once heard the servants discussing privately that her father had an original wife who died seven years ago without leaving any offspring.
Later, those servants were sent to farms in the countryside. No one in the mansion mentioned them again, and my father never mentioned them either.
But what is father doing in Tingyuxuan now?
Murong Wan didn't understand what was going on when she heard a woman's laughter coming from the front.
Murong Wan looked in the direction of the sound and found it came from Qunfangyuan.
My father has a strange habit.
I like to collect beauties, but I don’t spend the night with them.
From time to time, he would bring newly selected beauties back to his house, and all of them would be kept in the Qunfang Courtyard, without even the title of concubine.
Nanny Lin said that these women were nothing more than servants’ playthings, and they couldn’t bear children, so they were not worth even looking at.
But my mother was still very angry when she saw those beauties.
Murong Wan was lost in thought, and when she came to her senses, she was already standing at the door of Tingyuxuan.
…
Qionghua Courtyard.
He Yan drank three cups of cold tea, but the anger in her chest still didn't subside.
"It's been seven years, and he still can't forget that woman!"
"He didn't care about her when she was alive, but now that she's dead, he acts so affectionate. If I had known this, why would I have married him?!"
Nanny Lin quickly signaled for the servants in the room to leave and close the door:
"Princess, calm down. The prince only went to Tingyuxuan out of nostalgia. The past is in the past. Now you are the master of the palace's backyard."
Nanny Lin rubbed He Yan's temples and comforted her carefully.
He Yan clenched her handkerchief tightly and sneered unwillingly:
"A moment of nostalgia? Ha."
"Mammy, have you seen those beauties in the Qunfang Courtyard?
Look at their faces! Look at each of their faces! Look who they resemble!
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