Yan Ning saw Yong Yan and tried to get up to greet him, but her body was simply too heavy. Before she could stand up, Yong Yan had already walked to her side and offered her a slight support. "Madam Fucha, there's no need for such formalities!"
Yan Ning, who was already unable to curtsy, stopped bowing when Yong Yan said this. She waited until Yong Yan was seated before taking Zhu Xiang's hand and sitting down herself.
Everyone in the palace was as transparent as a mirror. Yan Ning knew that Yong Yan knew her purpose for coming, so she didn't mince words with him. "Yan Ning has a favor to ask of the Fifteenth Prince, and hopes that the Fifteenth Prince can..."
Yongyan casually picked up the covered bowl on the table, gently blew away the steam, and said unhurriedly, "Do you know your husband's intentions? Have you discussed this matter with him?"
Yan Ning looked at Yong Yan, who was dressed in an emerald green robe, and looked directly into his eyes behind the white mist. "Yan Ning believes that the Fifteenth Prince can definitely ensure De Lin's safety!"
Yongyan slammed the covered bowl he was holding onto the table, his cloudy eyes meeting Yan Ning's, a hint of anger in his voice. "How do you know I can guarantee Delin's safety? Fukang'an opposes me at every turn, relying on his military merits and being Father Emperor's..." Yongyan stopped abruptly, then continued, "Fukang'an has never taken me seriously. Do you expect me to help him build his career by taking care of his child?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was deep and resonant, striking Yan Ning's heart.
Recalling Yongyan and Heshen's various attempts to pressure her, Yan Ning also felt a surge of anger. "The throne will be yours sooner or later, so why do you keep pressuring Fukang'an!"
Yongyan was startled; he hadn't expected Yan Ning to speak so recklessly. He glanced at his personal eunuch, Eroli, beside him. Eroli immediately understood and beckoned Xiao Luzi and a tea-serving maid to leave the hall.
Zhu Xiang glanced at Yan Ning, unsure whether she should leave. Yan Ning also felt that her words had been abrupt; if they reached the palace, not only the Fifteenth Prince's household but also the Fucha household would be implicated.
She looked at Zhu Xiang, gesturing for her to leave. Zhu Xiang nodded, her eyes immediately glistening with tears, and followed the servants of the Fifteenth Prince's residence out.
The servants in the room had all overheard things they shouldn't have, and Zhu Xiang knew in her heart that going out now would likely lead to disaster. She looked at the two servants who had come out with the Fifteenth Prince's mansion. She had met Xiao Luzi a few days ago, and the maid serving tea was about the same age as her.
There were no trees in front of the hall, only a large water vat with wisps of white smoke rising from it. The dry stone bricks were also steaming.
On a scorching summer day, a murderous aura swept over them, and the three men's faces turned ashen. They stood at the door, waiting for Oroli.
Before Oroli left, Yongyan gave him a murderous look. Oroli's eyes darkened, and he went out.
Yan Ning sensed something was amiss from the exchange of their eyes, but her concern for De Lin prevented her from considering anything else.
As Oroli stepped out of the hall, he said in a somber tone, "Come with me!"
Zhu Xiang and the other two reluctantly followed him. Although she was a servant of the Fucha family, this was the residence of the Fifteenth Prince, and the servants of the master were also the masters of these servants.
After the servants in the hall had all left, Yan Ning, holding onto the armrest of the chair, stood up and knelt down with difficulty in front of Yong Yan. There was an ice cube in the bronze cauldron in the hall, and a wisp of cool air seeped into Yan Ning's knees from the stone slab.
Yongyan was taken aback by Yan Ning's actions. A hint of heartache flashed in his eyes as he tried to help her up.
Yan Ning stubbornly refused to get up. De Lin was being raised in the Eighth Prince's mansion, and if she didn't bring him back now, it would surely leave a shadow on his heart when he grew up. Although he was a young master from an official family and would have to bear these things in the future, he was only four years old, and Yan Ning couldn't bear to see him become a pawn in the power struggle.
Her heartache for Delin turned into sorrow. "Please, Fifteenth Prince, let Delin return to the Fucha Mansion! I know that Eighth Prince will listen to your advice!"
The summer heat was intense, and Yan Ning, being unable to move easily, was prone to sweating. Therefore, she wore a white brocade cheongsam, which, with her prominent belly, made her appear even thinner. Her usual hairstyle was adorned only with two silver lily-shaped hairpins, which swayed with her tears.
Yongyan felt a pang of pity. He reached out and grabbed Yan Ning. She tried to pull away, but her hand was firmly held in Yongyan's grasp. He looked at her with affection in his eyes, and sighed with a hint of helplessness, "You also knew that this Prince would listen to you, didn't you?"
Yan Ning lowered her head, not entirely confident, but clinging to a sliver of hope. From the incident at the Empress Dowager's mourning hall, she could see that Yongyan was no longer the gentle and weak man she had first met; instead, he had become much more resolute and ruthless. Perhaps this was the change that power brought to a person.
That day, even though Yongyan had feelings for her, he still treated her as a pawn. On the way to the Fifteenth Prince's residence, she wondered if Yongyan, in his hostility towards Fukang'an, would show her any mercy.
Yongyan forcibly helped Yan Ning up, his emerald green robe sleeves overlapping Yan Ning's white brocade gauze. He had only met Yan Ning later than Fukang'an, yet he had missed her for life; only the highest power could take her away from Fukang'an. Since the throne was rightfully his, he was merely hastening the speed at which he grasped the imperial seal.
His hand slid through Yan Ning's hair, a seemingly tender gesture that startled her, causing her to take a step back. She was somewhat apprehensive; Fukang'an was currently serving in another post, and she was his wife; she couldn't allow him to suffer such humiliation.
Yongyan withdrew his hand, clasped it behind his back, and stood with his back to her. "Go back! After Eighth Brother reports to the Emperor, he will send someone to personally escort Delin back to his residence. You don't need to worry about Delin's safety; this Prince is not so ruthless as to not even spare a child!"
With Yongyan's words, Yan Ning's anxious heart finally settled down. He still cared about his feelings for her, but these feelings also filled Yan Ning with fear. What if, after Yongyan ascended the throne, he used his power to make her the second mistress outside the palace?
Yongyan's verdant silhouette appeared cool in Yan Ning's eyes, yet it sent a chill through her on this hot summer day. She curtsied to Yongyan's upright figure and said, "This concubine takes her leave!"
She slowly walked out of the hall, but couldn't find Zhu Xiang anywhere. She recalled the murderous look in Yong Yan's eyes when E Luoli left. She felt a little flustered and asked the people guarding the hall door where E Luoli had gone, but they all lowered their heads and shook their heads.
The courtyard was sweltering, making Yan Ning's worry and fear pound like a fireball within her. Supporting her pregnant belly, she turned and bumped into Yong Yan, who was leaving the house, falling straight into his arms. Her voice trembled with tears, "Let Zhu Xiang go, let her go! I spoke without thinking, please, let her go!"
The fear of Mingxin and Rongxi disappearing from the Fucha Mansion made Yan Ning unable to remain calm. She grabbed Yongyan's clothes and cried so hard that her makeup was ruined.
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