Chapter 52: Meeting with Someone in Secret
The carriage drove along the east rear, turning left and right, as if deliberately avoiding places where people might appear. After about a cup of tea, it stopped in front of an elegant courtyard.
Hongzhi jumped off the carriage and looked at the Crown Prince who had been waiting here for a long time. He walked forward and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the person has been brought here."
The prince withdrew his gaze from the carriage and said, "Arrange it neatly, and leave the rest to me."
"Yes." Hongzhi said, and then said: "Besides Xie Rongying, there are two maids in the carriage. What should we do?"
"Do you still need me to teach you?" The prince glanced at Hongzhi and said, "I'll arrange it as soon as possible."
"yes!"
After the prince left, Hongzhi walked towards the carriage. He got on the carriage and moved Dongxue and Yunniang aside, then dragged Xie Rongying out of the carriage. After dragging her out, he jumped off the carriage and carried Xie Rongying on his shoulders. During this process, Xie Rongying's head hit the wooden board of the carriage twice in a row.
Woke up from the turbulence.
As Hongzhi walked quickly towards the main house in the courtyard, Xie Rongying's vision gradually became clear from blurry. Thinking of the last scene before she fell into coma, she pulled out the silver hairpin in her hair and stabbed it towards Hongzhi's cervical vertebrae.
Only a muffled groan was heard, and Xie Rongying fell to the ground instantly.
Hongzhi took advantage of the situation and fell towards Xie Rongying.
Xie Rongying quickly stepped back when she looked at Hongzhi's frightened eyes.
Hongzhi's face fell to the ground, blood oozing from his mouth. He tried hard to raise his head, but only peripheral vision showed that the woman he had just carried on his shoulders had stood up.
Xie Rongying looked at the blood under Hongzhi's head, a fierce look flashed in her eyes. She walked forward and stepped directly on the silver hairpin that pierced Hongzhi's cervical vertebrae. The sound of the sharp blade piercing through the bone was crisp and clear.
I just felt the person under my feet tremble slightly, and then there was no sound.
"Girl!" When Gu Xun ran in, he saw Xie Rongying stepping on someone's head.
Xie Rongying came back to her senses and only withdrew her foot when she saw Gu Xun appear at the door.
"Have your subordinates keep an eye on Madam Xue. Besides a brief exchange at the stables, Madam Xue and the Crown Prince also met in the peach forest behind the stables." Gu Xun, still panting slightly, continued, "Madam Xue told the Crown Prince that she was going to the Princess to negotiate, leaving the rest to the Crown Prince. After Madam Xue left, the Crown Prince left without telling anyone what to do."
"Originally, I planned to continue following Madam Xue, but then I realized that both the Crown Prince and Madam Xue were dissatisfied with the young lady at the horse ranch. I wondered if the Crown Prince would send his men to attack her. Unexpectedly, when we arrived in front of Yunwu Manor, our carriage disappeared."
After several twists and turns, Gu Xun finally found the carriage in front of the courtyard. He rushed to the carriage, lifted the curtain and saw the unconscious Dongxue and Yunniang.
Gu Xun was afraid that the incident at Kaibao Temple would happen again, so he immediately walked into the courtyard.
When I rushed in, I saw what happened just now.
"Besides the brief exchange at the horse farm, the Crown Prince and Madam Xue also met in the peach forest?" Xie Rongying knew that the Crown Prince wanted to take action against the Xie family to express his dissatisfaction.
The prince has suffered a lot of grievances recently due to the changes in the court.
Because they could not win over Xie Jing no matter what, the Xie family became a thorn in the prince's side.
In addition, Xie Ting is getting close to King Wei, and now Xie Yi has gone to the border. If Xie Yi defeats the Jin people and returns to the court, the Xie family will surely become more powerful. The prince is unwilling to not be able to use his power, so he must embarrass the Xie family in some way.
It seems that Zhang Ran's provocation is not just to stand up for Zhang Ruru, but also has the prince's intention, such as teaching Xie Ting a lesson or taking Xie Ting's life.
However, neither Zhang Ran nor the prince expected that Xie Ting did not do as they wished, but Xie Rongying came forward instead.
No one expected that Zhang Ran would be humiliated by Xie Rongying and almost lose his life.
Xie Rongying deliberately brought up the Xue family's affairs at the racecourse in order to confuse Mrs. Xue.
He lost his composure and was so impatient to deal with her.
for example……
"It seems that Madam Xue and the prince have joined forces." Xie Rongying said calmly.
In desperation, Mrs. Xue had already decided to destroy Xie Rongying.
"Girl, what should we do next?" Gu Xun asked.
Xie Rongying pondered for a moment and said, "Since the prince has set up the stage, how can he watch the show if there are no actors?"
——
After Zhang Ruru came out of the wing room, she wandered aimlessly in the peach garden. She touched her cheek. Although the pain from the slap had long disappeared, when she thought of her father staring at her with such disgust, she realized that she was not as casual as she thought in the Zhang family.
Just as she was about to pass through the Moon Gate, she heard a conversation outside the Moon Gate, which made her stop.
"I don't know what Madam Xue is discussing with the Crown Prince. They both look so serious."
"I've heard before that the Duke of Ying wants to marry his eldest daughter to the Crown Prince, but I don't know if it's true."
"That should be the case. The Duke of Ying's Mansion is under the Crown Prince's command. If Miss Zhang marries the Crown Prince, the relationship between the two will be even stronger."
“Although it’s the intention of the big family, I don’t know whether Miss Zhang really likes the prince.”
"Aren't ladies from aristocratic families used to consolidate status and power? The Duke of Ying will definitely not allow Miss Zhang to have other thoughts."
Zhang Ruru listened to the conversation and quickly passed through the Moon Gate: "What are you talking about!?"
The two old women were startled by the sudden appearance of Zhang Ruru. When they saw who it was, panic flashed in their eyes and they wanted to run away. However, they had just taken two steps when they heard Zhang Ruru calling them.
"stop!"
The two old women really stood there.
Zhang Ruru walked up to the two women and asked in a cold voice, "What did you just say?"
"The servants said nothing."
"You just said it clearly..." Zhang Ruru's heart was filled with chills. "You said Madam Xue and the Crown Prince were discussing something, right?"
Seeing this, the two old women didn't dare to say anything more.
Zhang Ruruo asked again: "Where are they?"
Seeing that the two maids still kept their mouths shut, Zhang Ruru threatened, "Although I don't know which family you are from, it wouldn't be difficult for me to take you away from your master. If you fall into my hands, I will definitely not let you go!"
"I hear it from you," one of the maids said fearfully, "It's in the peach forest ahead. If you go there now, you might see it."
As the old woman finished her words, Zhang Ruru went towards the peach forest in front.
After Zhang Ruru disappeared on the path, the two old women looked at each other.
At this time, Gu Xun came out from the rockery, gave each of the two women a silver note, and said, "I hope you will keep your mouths shut."
"We won't tell, we won't tell." The two maids looked at the 100-liang silver note in their hands and said excitedly, "Don't worry."
After saying that, the two maids took the silver notes and left towards the Moon Gate.
When Zhang Ruru walked to the area where the crimson peaches were most densely populated, she indeed saw Madam Xue and the prince standing together.
"Since Madam Xue is on good terms with Jiang, you have to pay attention to Jiang. After all, if the mother-in-law sees her daughter-in-law committing adultery, she has the power to beat her to death." The prince said with a smile.
Madam Xue's worry that had just been in front of Zhang Huai disappeared because of the Crown Prince's words. She smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I will definitely do as you say."
"If the news of the King of Wei having an affair with my wife spreads in Bianjing City, I would like to see how those old foxes who used to follow the late emperor will defend the King of Wei. How can the King of Wei, who has such a bad reputation, climb to the throne!" The prince's mood became better and better as he spoke.
Madam Xue also echoed, "Your Highness can then bring this matter before the Emperor. I am also eager to see how Xie Jing will defend his daughter and how the Emperor will deal with the King of Wei who seduced my wife."
The prince was in a good mood and said, "Then we will each go about our own business."
Madam Xue smiled faintly and nodded: "Your Highness, take care."
The prince nodded in response and left.
Zhang Ruru, who was standing far away, saw the scene and was about to step forward to ask Madam Xue what she was discussing with the prince, but she stopped when she thought of Madam Xue's intentional or unintentional probing outside the horse farm just now.
She knew that the Zhang family wanted to marry Zhang Ruru into the Prince's Mansion. The Prince's Mansion already had a Princess Consort, and the Zhang family wanted Zhang Ruru to be a concubine, and Zhang Ruru also understood that.
However, Zhang Ruruo has repeatedly expressed her feelings, and the person she likes is King Wei!
In response to Zhang Ruruo's strong attitude, the Zhang family gradually suppressed that idea.
Zhang Ruruo still underestimated her family's desire to show loyalty to the prince.
Thinking of what Madam Xue said, 'Actually, the prince is not bad', Zhang Ruru stepped back, turned around and trotted out of the peach forest.
Mrs. Xue did see Zhang Ruru's leaving back and wanted to chase after her, but thinking that time was urgent, she ignored what Zhang Ruru was thinking at the moment.
Zhang Ruru ran out of the peach forest and headed straight for the crowded place. Since the maids around her were replaced by a wave, she felt very uncomfortable using them. She knew that they were people arranged by her family to keep an eye on her, so she got rid of those maids when she just left the room.
Even if she had to be a concubine, she would rather be the King of Wei's concubine.
Even if her reputation was ruined, the palace she wanted to enter was the Prince of Wei's palace.
She thought about how what Madam Xue had promised her before was just to appease her, and she felt a mixture of bitterness and anger in her heart. The thought of wanting to marry the King of Wei became clearer and clearer in her mind.
By the time she came to her senses, she was already standing in front of the courtyard where King Wei was staying in Yunwu Manor.
She knew that the King of Wei was in poor health and would always take a nap at noon.
"As long as we wait for him here, we should be able to wait for him." Zhang Ruruo murmured softly, and then walked towards the courtyard.
On the other side, in a pavilion in the peach forest.
King Wei and Xie Ting sat opposite each other, each holding a black and white chess piece.
King Wei looked at Xie Ting, who had been absent-minded since the beginning of the game, and directly put the black piece he had just taken out of the chess basket back.
He said, "You look so listless, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm not thinking about anything." Xie Ting simply placed the white piece in his hand on the chessboard, breaking up the chess game. "The Crown Prince has been eagerly looking for faults in you, Your Highness, lately. It's better to be cautious."
The King of Wei smiled faintly, "He is always trying to cause trouble for me, but his skills are inferior to his."
"But the prince seems to have been forced into a corner and even resorted to some dirty means." Xie Ting felt a surge of anger in his heart for no reason when he thought that Zhang Ran's provocation against him was fueled by the prince.
"His methods are certainly somewhat despicable, but if he ultimately becomes the winner, no one will care whether they are vile or not." The King of Wei raised his lips slightly as he spoke. "After all, we have the current example. He can learn from his father's methods."
When Xie Ting heard this, he was about to speak when Luo Ning walked into the pavilion and said to the King of Wei, "Master, someone from the Crown Prince's side wants to see you."
King Wei looked out of the pavilion calmly and saw Hongyu standing beside the prince not far away, as if waiting for him to summon him.
However, there was a hint of unpleasant emotion on Xie Ting's face.
"Let him come over." said the King of Wei.
Luo Ning said "yes" and walked out of the pavilion.
When Hongyu arrived at the pavilion, he bowed to the King of Wei and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince wants to discuss something with you. He is waiting for you in your Anshou Garden."
"Is there something you want to discuss with me?" King Wei looked at Hongyu doubtfully.
Hong Yu nodded: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that there are too many people here today, but they all know that no one will disturb your Anshou Garden, so they want to go to your place."
"In that case, then you go and tell the prince that I will return to Anshou Garden after I finish this game of chess." King Wei said and picked up the black piece again.
"Yes." Hongyu said and left the pavilion.
After Xie Ting watched Hongyu walk away, he said, "The Crown Prince wants to discuss something with you at this time. I'm afraid it's not a good thing."
"Since the Crown Prince has been so kind, if I don't go, it would seem that I can't tolerate him." The King of Wei kept his eyes on the broken chessboard as he spoke. He added, "You stay here and think carefully about how to break this game."
After he finished speaking, the King of Wei placed the black piece in his hand on the chessboard and stood up to leave.
Xie Ting stared at the place where King Wei had just placed the chess piece, his face solemn, and he fell into deep thought.
——
At this time, the manor at the top of the huge Yunwu Manor was filled with officials and their families.
No one expected that Princess Zhaozhen would come here today, and the biggest lobbyist for Princess Zhaozhen to come here was Madam Xue.
Princess Zhaozhen and the Empress Dowager sat side by side in the main seat, both of them with joy on their faces.
Madam Xue ranked below Princess Zhaozhen. All the nobles in Bianjing knew that Madam Xue was on good terms with the princess, so they were not surprised.
Princess Zhaozhen asked with concern, "Madam Xue, I just heard that your nephew was injured. Is it serious?"
The family members and officials who accompanied the Empress Dowager did not see what happened at the horse farm with their own eyes, nor would they mention things that were not related to them in front of the Empress Dowager.
However, Madam Xue had not yet arrived at the banquet, so Princess Zhaozhen asked a question.
Someone told the princess that the eldest son of the Zhang family was injured. It seemed that Madam Xue was worried about her nephew's injury and that was why she did not come.
"It's a bit serious." Mrs. Xue said this and then stopped talking.
The princess knew that Madam Xue was reluctant to talk about the Zhang family, so she said, "What's the problem? Tell me."
"Thank you, Your Highness the Princess." Mrs. Xue was very pleased.
At this moment, Xueqing trotted to the seat, hurriedly walked to Jiang's side, bent down and whispered something in Jiang's ear.
As Jiang's expression grew more serious, the conversations around him became less frequent.
The eldest lady also noticed it and asked, "Madam Yongyi, what happened?"
Jiang's face turned slightly pale, and she didn't know where to start.
Seeing this, Madam Xue glared at Xue Qing coldly: "What on earth happened!?"
Xue Qing was frightened by Madam Xue's words and blurted out, "It's rumored outside that the young lady and the King of Wei are having a secret meeting..."
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