Chapter 52 Please don't make a sound
It was only early March. Shen Panyan stood by the waterside pavilion of the Princess's residence, watching the crabapple blossoms in full bloom. The light pink petals fluttered in the wind and gently fell into the emerald green lake, creating a faint ripple, a scene as beautiful as a painting.
The scenery was beautiful, but she wasn't in the mood to appreciate it.
Shen Panyan didn't let Qingdai Zhuzhi follow her. She went around the rockery and avoided the noble ladies and gentlemen who were traveling together. She planned to find a quiet place to sit down, but because she was walking too fast, she didn't notice that someone was coming from around the corner.
Before she knew it, she bumped into the man's arms.
Shen Panyan was knocked off balance and stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground. An arm quickly reached out to support her.
Chen Panyan steadied herself and then looked up, "You...."
The newcomer was none other than Lu Yunqi, who had been sitting at the table earlier. He looked ashamed, took a step back, and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble subject was reckless and offended the princess. I beg the princess to punish me."
Chen Panyan: "..."
His tone of voice was really strange, just like Lin Xiao's, always apologizing.
Thinking of Lin Xiao, Shen Panyan's eyes softened. "I didn't see Lord Lu coming over just now, so there's no need for Lord Lu to apologize."
Having said that, she had no intention of staying any longer. She had come all this way to the Spring Festival banquet, and had given her father an explanation; it was time to return.
As Shen Panyan turned around, preparing to go back to bid farewell to Princess Nanhe, two people hurriedly walked towards her.
Before Shen Panyan could react, Lu Yunqi suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to hide behind a rockery.
“You…” Shen Panyan was stunned at first, then a hint of anger rose in her heart. But before she could finish speaking, someone covered her lips with a hand. His palm was cool, not warm.
"Your Highness, I will explain later." He lowered his voice, his breath tickling her ear. "Please don't make a sound."
Shen Panyan's cheeks were as red as blood. Apart from Lin Xiao, she had never been in such close contact with a man before. His embrace was warm and broad, his deep breaths fell on her ear, and her body was surrounded by a faint sandalwood fragrance, making her extremely uncomfortable.
Shen Panyan tried to move, but he held her tightly in his arms, unable to move her hands or feet, so she had no choice but to give up.
But when she was suddenly treated like this, even with her good temper, she couldn't help but bite him.
Feeling a dull pain in his palm, Lu Yunqi paused, lowered his head, and looked surprised, yet also amused.
He lowered his hand as if he felt no pain, and made a shushing gesture to his lips. Shen Panyan turned her head away, looking displeased.
She's perfectly capable of understanding; why does she need to be reminded again and again?
Shen Panyan held her breath, suppressing her impatience, and waited for the two people to pass by. However, the two people stopped at the corner, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then began to speak.
"Brother Xu, didn't you already promise me that you would come to my house to propose marriage in a while? Why did you drink that cup of wine during the banquet just now?"
As the woman's sobbing began, the man suppressed his impatience and said, "Yingying, don't overthink it. It's just a game. Everyone's just having fun. Don't take it seriously."
"But you promised me you would marry me. You shouldn't have come to this Spring Festival banquet in the first place. If you hadn't come, I certainly wouldn't have come either."
"This is Princess Showa's banquet. All the guests are prominent figures in the capital. Yingying, stop making a scene, okay? Do you know how much effort I put into getting to attend this Spring Festival banquet? It's all to network with these scions of noble families. I come from a humble background, and it's already difficult for me to enter officialdom..."
"I can help you!" the woman's urgent voice rang out. "Brother Xu, as long as we get married, my father will definitely help you."
“I know, but Yingying, your father has been wavering between the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. Your father and I are destined not to walk the same path…”
"But...but Brother Xu, you can't abandon me. Do you know, do you know, I'm pregnant..." The woman's voice choked, gradually becoming filled with fear and confusion, "I'm carrying your child..."
"If my father finds out about this, he'll definitely beat me to death, Brother Xu..."
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Upon hearing such a juicy piece of gossip, Shen Panyan's eyes widened, and she didn't dare to utter a sound.
Lu Yunqi, on the other hand, remained calm and showed no change in expression.
After a long while, sounds came from outside.
"You...you're pregnant?!"
"Yes, it's about last time, the time on the pleasure boat, when we... we were drunk. Brother Xu, I... I've secretly seen a doctor, and the doctor said... the doctor said my baby is over a month along. Brother Xu, could you come to my house this month to propose? Otherwise... otherwise my parents will find out..."
"impossible!"
The woman seemed stunned, and after a long while, she stammered, "Why...why didn't you say...didn't you say you loved me and wanted to marry me? Those words, those words...were you lying to me...?"
“Yingying, I’m not lying to you, but you also know my family’s current situation. I’m from a collateral branch of the family and an illegitimate son. I can’t get married before I’ve established my career.”
Upon hearing this, the woman burst into tears, crying, "If you won't marry me, what will happen to me? What will happen to the child in my belly...?"
"Don't cry, I'm trying to find a solution," the man said softly, coaxing the woman for a long time before she finally stopped crying.
"Brother Xu, what should we do now...?"
“My family is too lowly. Even if I were to propose marriage, your father wouldn’t agree. How about this, Yingying, you go and tell your father that you are pregnant with my child. Once he agrees, I will then propose marriage…”
"If my father knew I had a child out of wedlock, he would kill me. Brother Xu, if you come and propose marriage, I will beg my father to agree. He doesn't care about these things..."
"He doesn't care, but I do!" The man seemed to be losing patience. "I only have these two options now: either you go tell your father you're pregnant and marry me, or you give birth to the child and give him to me. I won't abandon the child; I'll raise him..."
"You're making my child an illegitimate child with no name or status? What about me?" The woman's heart-wrenching voice rang out.
"He's not an illegitimate child. Once I've achieved success in my career, I'll come to your door to propose marriage. If you're willing, we can continue our relationship as it is now. If you're not, then I'm willing to give you your freedom..."
"Smack!"
A crisp slap rang out.
The woman's voice trembled with anger, "You actually... you actually want me to be your mistress? I am the daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites! Even if I were to marry any Tom, Dick, or Harry, I would never be your mistress!!"
"What freedom? Ha! I've already come this far, what freedom do I still have?"
"Xu Yongyan, I thought you were talented, handsome, and of noble character. I never imagined you were such a complete hypocrite. You weren't unwilling to marry me at all; you just thought my father's official position was too low to offer you much help. That's why you kept delaying. I was so foolish to believe your lies..."
After saying that, Shen Panyan saw a pink figure crying as she walked away. Not long after, a man in a blue robe also walked out and gradually disappeared into the winding path.
Lu Yunqi finally let go of her, and Shen Panyan quickly came out from behind the artificial hill.
"Who were those two people just now? Why did you take me to hide from them?"
Shen Panyan frowned. That man was far too hypocritical. In her opinion, the slap was too light; he should have slapped her again.
Lu Yunqi stood there, looking at his light blue robe, his brows furrowed, as if he were disgusted.
"I asked you a question, why aren't you answering me?"
Seeing that the person behind her hadn't responded for a long time, Shen Panyan turned around, her already unhappy tone becoming even more unpleasant.
Lu Yunqi then raised his head, cupped his hands, and said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was just lost in thought."
"That man's name is Xu Yongyan. He is a son of a concubine from a collateral branch of the Xu family. Although he is a son of a concubine, he is quite learned and not unknown in the capital. However, as a son of a concubine from a collateral branch, he cannot receive the full support of the Xu family, and his career path is difficult. I suspect that he wants to curry favor with the Crown Prince and is deliberately trying to get close to the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites."
"Why would he deliberately try to get close to the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites?" Shen Panyan asked, puzzled. Suddenly, she remembered something and frowned. "Her surname is Chu?"
"Your Highness, her surname is not Chu, but Ning. She is the illegitimate daughter of the Right Vice Minister."
There are two vice ministers in the Ministry of Rites, one on the left and one on the right, who are of equal rank. However, calling them the left vice minister or the right vice minister sounds too disrespectful, so everyone usually refers to them as "Your Excellency, Vice Minister".
Shen Panyan nodded, and Lu Yunqi continued to explain: "This year, many scions of prominent families in the capital will be taking the imperial examinations, including candidates from the literary capital of Jiangnan. The scale is unprecedented, and they are all outstanding individuals. Although he has some literary talent, it will not be easy for him to pass the exams. If Xu Yongyan wants to curry favor with the Crown Prince, this imperial examination is his stepping stone to the Eastern Palace. This year, the chief examiner for the imperial examinations is the Right Vice Minister. In order to ensure the success of the examinations, we inquired about his preferences from the Right Vice Minister's daughter. Although this is somewhat presumptuous, it is not considered a violation of the rules."
Shen Panyan's lips parted slightly, first in shock, then in a frown. "Even if he did it for fame and fortune, he shouldn't have taken advantage of that girl's body. Such a hypocrite, even if he entered the court, would be nothing but a parasite."
This Miss Ning is pitiful; she was deceived by such a hypocrite.
Moreover, once this hypocrite makes the list and successfully ingratiates himself with the Crown Prince, entering the Hanlin Academy, he will undoubtedly receive the Crown Prince's support. Shen Panyan despises anyone who is affiliated with the Crown Prince.
A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's bite. High-ranking court officials are not easy to bribe, but it's a different story for the scions of noble families and other minor officials.
If the crown prince wants to cultivate his own power, he must start from when he is still in a very small position.
Although he is currently just a commoner without any official position, once he enters the officialdom, who knows how high he will climb in the future.
She wouldn't let him have his way in this matter.
"Thank you for informing me, Lord Lu. Farewell!"
Shen Panyan nodded, turned and walked toward the banquet, bid farewell to Princess Nanhe, and then took Zhuzhi and Qingdai with her and went straight into the palace.
She needs to tell her father about this.
Seeing Shen Panyan turn and leave, Lu Yunqi's originally gentle expression gradually turned silent. Only when her figure disappeared and could no longer be seen did 'Lu Yunqi' use his finger as a whistle and blow it between his lips. In less than a moment, a man in black appeared in front of him.
"Lord An Jiu, what is it?"
Lu Yunqi, also known as Lin Xiao, told the man in black everything he had just heard, urging him to return to the palace as soon as possible to report to Emperor Gan Ning.
"yes."
The man in black leaped into the air and vanished in an instant.
Lin Xiao looked at the snow-blue robe he was wearing, his brows furrowed deeply.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have worn the light blue robe when he went out today.
But Lu Yunqi himself happens to like cyan.
Helpless, Lin Xiao could only suppress his anger and strode towards the banquet.
Although His Highness has left, he cannot leave yet.
*
While things appear calm on the surface, turmoil is brewing beneath.
The real Lu Yunqi had secretly and ostentatiously left the capital a few days ago, drawing everyone's attention. Now, anyone in a high position in the court knows that the 'Lu Yunqi' currently in the capital is an imposter.
But it is precisely because of this that it makes it easier for him to act.
When Lin Xiao reported the matter of the private army, and was later ambushed by the Crown Prince's men, whose methods were not from the capital's secret guards but from Jianghu people, Emperor Gan Ning had already begun to secretly investigate the Crown Prince's power. This investigation uncovered many things.
The Crown Prince has a wide network of protégés, and almost half of the low-ranking officials in the court are his people. Moreover, during this year's imperial examinations, apart from candidates from Jiangnan and other places, there were many of his followers among the scions of prominent families in the capital. There were quite a few people like Xu Yongyan who wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince.
When rebels appeared in the capital on New Year's Eve, it appeared to be the work of the Grand Tutor, but in reality, the Crown Prince was also involved.
Emperor Gan Ning suspected that the Crown Prince was colluding with the rebels, which is why he sent the Crown Prince to lead troops to suppress the rebels. On the surface, it was because he trusted him and wanted him to establish himself in the court, but in reality, he was giving him a hot potato.
If he fails to eliminate the threat, it will naturally confirm Emperor Gan Ning's suspicions. Although Emperor Gan Ning will not take immediate action against him, all his supporters will be cut off, and he will gradually become a useless crown prince.
Therefore, the Crown Prince's move can only succeed; failure is not an option.
But if the Crown Prince succeeds, and the rebels are his people, it would be as if the Crown Prince destroyed his own wings. If not, that's fine too, since the rebels deserve to die anyway. No matter how you look at it, Emperor Gan Ning won't lose out.
The Crown Prince never expected to find himself in such a predicament. He was so angry that he almost lost his mind and, disregarding his status, attacked and killed a mere bodyguard.
However, his move revealed another flaw: his connections with people in the martial arts world.
The imperial court and the martial arts world have always kept to themselves, but the crown prince's involvement in the martial arts world is something Emperor Gan Ning would never tolerate.
The more information the secret guards sent back, the calmer Emperor Gan Ning became. But beneath that calm lay a terrifying undercurrent of turmoil.
Why would a prince of a nation, with his cronies throughout the court, collude with rebels, extend his influence into the martial arts world, and raise a private army, do such things?
Is he so eager to sit on his dragon throne?
In the past, he had always trusted the Crown Prince and never doubted him, but now he had no choice but to doubt him.
Was it forced or voluntary?
The Empress comes from the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion, a family with a history of over a hundred years. She is the Crown Prince's strongest support. It will not be easy to find out the truth about this matter. Not only is it fraught with danger, but it also requires someone who can be trusted completely.
After much deliberation, Emperor Gan Ning chose Lu Yunqi, the top scholar of the previous imperial examination.
He was raised in Yongning since childhood. The Lu family was a newly emerging noble family with no connection to or allegiance to other aristocratic families in the capital. They had no strong backing and could only rely on the emperor, making them the best candidate.
Therefore, Lu Yunqi accepted the order to leave the capital, firstly to attract the attention of the Crown Prince's faction in the court, and secondly to find out where the Crown Prince's private soldiers were hiding.
The secret guards can only do things in secret and act independently. They cannot openly appear to ask local officials for their cooperation. Therefore, it is more appropriate and safer for the imperial officials to investigate this matter.
As for the capital, after Lu Yunqi leaves, he can replace his own people and see how many things he doesn't know about this spring imperial examination.
Finding a bodyguard of similar stature to Lu Yun, who is intelligent yet not rigid, is not easy.
Most of the secret guards were used to doing things in a routine manner. Secret Guard One through Secret Guard Five had already been sent out to do other things, and there were no other secret guards available in the secret guard camp. Therefore, this task fell to Lin Xiao, who had just returned.
Playing the game with the Crown Prince is too dangerous. Even Emperor Gan Ning couldn't fathom his true strength. Lin Xiao originally wanted to inform His Highness, but the more he knew, the clearer he became about the dangers involved, and he hesitated.
This is a murky place; whoever steps in lightly will lose their life.
Sometimes, it's safer not to know.
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