Chapter 43: Water (1) [VIP]
He simply lowered his gaze and replied coldly, "Everyone is selfish. I, too, have selfish desires."
"What is your selfish desire, sir?" Chu Qingluo, amused by his elegant words, suddenly asked, "To embrace a beautiful woman? Or to die beneath a peony?"
"I'll tell you some other day." His expression turned stern, and he didn't want to joke with her. He straightened his robe and walked towards the gate of the mansion.
They had already wasted nearly half an hour, and there was no time to waste. Chu Qingluo hurriedly followed his steps, imitating the humble manner of a palace servant as she walked to the master's side. "If you don't leave now, the princess will really hold a grudge against you."
The night was like a curtain, and the lanterns under the eaves were bright as fire. The moonlight covered the long and short streets, and the sound of royal bells could be heard from the bluestone road.
The streets of Daning Capital have always been bustling, especially at night. The East Market is bustling with people, and the shops on both sides are filled with shouts, making it noisy and bustling everywhere.
In a corner of the city, in Shuxue Tower, music and singing were everywhere, and the banquets were filled with jade cups, and the birds were singing and dancing. It was extremely lively and made people indulge in a dream.
A private room in the attic was quite quiet, with two figures reflected in the bright window.
Mu Xiao stared at the person in front of her, her fingertips touching the cup and shaking it lightly, causing ripples to form in the tea in the cup as she moved.
For some reason, the gentleman had clearly agreed, but he hadn't come yet. Mu Xiao felt annoyed and opened his mouth without any hesitation.
"Your Highness summoned me to this teahouse for no reason. Tell me what it is that you are summoning. Please tell me directly."
"Is Princess Muxiao still angry about that?" Crown Prince Chu Yanjing narrowed his eyes and looked at the heroic figure in front of him. He snorted coldly, his face showing extreme contempt, "I remember that I paid the price back then."
After a pause, the prince chuckled and teased, seemingly intending to humiliate the princess: "The princess has been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and her body is not delicate and noble. If I really touch you, wouldn't it be a blessing for the princess?"
Mu Xiao was immediately furious and wanted to stand up and spill all the tea on the prince's face before leaving indifferently.
Just when he was filled with anger, the door of the private room was slowly pushed open. Mu Xiao turned around and saw an elegant figure in snow-white clothes walking in. His movements froze.
"I'm deeply sorry that Qu is late."
Qu Hanjin sat calmly, expressing his apologies calmly and respectfully.
Seeing that the princess had called someone else, Chu Yanjing frowned instantly and looked at the heroic woman with even greater anger.
"I only called the princess, why did she bring irrelevant people with her?"
Seeing this, Mu Xiao calmly returned to his seat and replied to the Crown Prince in a cold voice, "Your Highness never said you couldn't bring anyone else with you. When I heard we were going to a teahouse, I thought it would be a great place to have some tea and chat. Bringing along an old friend to reminisce about the past is a good idea."
The Grand Master of Music of the Palace repeatedly ruined his plan. Chu Yanjing's thoughts were instantly disturbed by the visitor and he felt angry.
Thinking of the fact that this man had a group of women in the Music Bureau, the prince began to have evil thoughts and laughed.
"I have been accustomed to seeing mediocre women recently. When I thought about Mr. Qu being bored all day in the Ministry of Music, I thought of a way to have the best of both worlds." Chu Yanjing leaned leisurely on the mahogany chair, a smile on his face, and said meaningfully.
"I have suggested to my father that I listen to some zither music to relieve the boredom of studying. Sir, do you think this is difficult?"
He was originally planning the major palace banquets, and the dance and music enjoyed by the royal family in their spare time had nothing to do with him. The prince's words were undoubtedly an insult to him, and he was treating Mr. Qu like a slave.
Unmoved by the words, Qu Han bowed respectfully and replied impeccably: "If it is your Majesty's will, I will obey your command."
Well, this Mr. Qu has always been indifferent to other people's affairs, has no integrity, and has never interfered in the struggle for power in the court. Chu Yanjing slammed the tea table and said bluntly: "The Grand Music Master of the Ministry of Rites considers himself noble and has never participated in the struggle for power in the court. I will speak frankly."
"Sun Zhong died a violent death. I don't care who did it, but that deputy general Xue Chen was my ninth brother's man." The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed, and his gaze returned to the princess. "My father intended to promote him, and I cannot let him go."
Your Majesty favors Xue Chen, and no one can change that. So why is the Crown Prince doing that... Mu Xiao pondered over it, not understanding the deeper meaning behind it. He replied coldly, "Since that's Your Majesty's intention, how can I change it? I can't help you in any way."
"Your Highness has often fought in the northern borders with Sun Zhong, and you know Xue Chen's character well. If you advise your father that Xue Chen is unfit to shoulder the heavy responsibility of a general, your father will reconsider."
The words fell calmly, Chu Yanjing's eyes darkened slightly, and the meaning of the words was fully expressed.
Finally understanding what the Crown Prince was up to, Mu Xiao suddenly felt it was absurd. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, you want me to do something against my will. What's the benefit?"
The prince lowered his voice and said solemnly to the princess, "When I come to rule the world, you will also enjoy great splendor. I will give you anything you desire."
By colluding in this way, the prince wants to win over the princess's power and make both sides benefit from it. It can be a good game of chess.
.
The princess is definitely not someone who covets fame and fortune, and she would probably look down upon those rewards.
Thinking that the princess was feeling very uneasy at the moment, he felt that the time was ripe and he could withdraw.
Bowing respectfully beside the teacher, she politely suggested, finding an excuse to ask the teacher to leave the building: "Qin Ji in the mansion is still waiting for you to give a lesson. I'm afraid we can't delay at this time."
"Thanks to your reminder, Qu almost forgot."
Qu Han understood what he meant, and he stood up and bowed to the prince, walking out of the private room calmly and confidently in the same pace as when he came in.
"It just so happens that this princess has other things to do, so I'll take my leave first." After Mr. Wang walked away, Mu Xiao didn't want to stay for long. He said something perfunctorily and followed him away.
"Your Highness's implication is clear to me. This princess needs some time to consider it."
Chu Yanjing was unwilling to miss this opportunity, so he frowned and raised his voice and said, "My lady, if you stand in the wrong position, you will find it difficult to find a place to stand in the future."
Fearing he would be stopped by the guards on the corridor, Mu Xiao continued, then quickly descended the stairs: "Sitting in this private room is so suffocating and short of breath that I can't stay even a moment. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."
After leaving Shuxue Tower, Shizi and Chu Qingluo leisurely followed the master.
She curled her red lips, threw the stone lightly, and then walked together into the depths of the alley.
When the teahouse was far away, Mu Xiao suddenly stopped. Not wanting to involve the gentleman anymore, he said goodbye.
"I would also like to thank you, sir, and Miss Chu for rescuing me today. This princess owes you a favor."
Qu Hanjin returned the greeting coldly, his eyes as deep and unwavering as usual: "You are too polite, my lady. I am sorry that I was unable to help you much."
"I feel at ease with you, sir. I still have some matters to attend to in the mansion. Mu Xiao, thank you for your farewell."
The princess did not say a word about the prince's teasing just now. She walked away in a dashing manner and probably would not mention it again.
The alley was dark and quiet. Suddenly, two or three people hurriedly passed by, shouting something.
Qu Hanjin originally wanted to chat with the beautiful woman next to him, but when he heard the loud shouts of the passers-by, he suddenly turned around and saw the raging fire in Shuxue Tower.
The flames shot up into the sky, as bright as daylight, and the burning force seemed to engulf the heaven and earth.
"There's a fire! There's a fire in Shuxue Tower!"
Suddenly knowing who had done this, Qu Hanjin looked back in disbelief, staring intently at the woman disguised as a maid, and suddenly realized why she had followed him.
She had thought of a plan, so she couldn't wait to follow him to the teahouse. She was... planning to murder the prince.
"You..." He paused for a moment, and finally revealed her plan, "You still want to attack the prince..."
"You are so arrogant..."
With these words spoken angrily, Qu Hanjin pushed the figure in front of him to the wall of the alley, fiercely grasped her shoulders, and said coldly: "Do you know what the consequences will be if you attempt to murder the Crown Prince in Shuxue Tower..."
Seeing this, Chu Qingluo arched her brows slightly, glanced nonchalantly at the teahouse in the distance, and said with a faint smile, "Sir, there's no need to be angry. Look, isn't the fire out?"
Looking back again, he really saw the fire gradually dying down, and the prince's entourage and the passers-by around seemed to have put out the fire.
The fire broke out and went out in less than half a minute, so no one should have been injured.
"When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leaves the palace, he must be protected by palace guards. How can a mere fire take the Crown Prince's life?" She curled her lips into a smile, her phoenix eyes raised slightly, and her gaze fell on Shuxue Tower.
"It's just that after this fire, the teahouse needs to be renovated."
She originally intended to destroy the teahouse, not to assassinate the prince...
Qu Hanjin suddenly understood a lot, and the emotions she had mentioned seemed to sink deep into his heart. He loosened his grip on her shoulders and murmured, "You're not going after the Crown Prince, you're going after Shuxue Tower."
"Not entirely, sir, you are very clever, you can guess again."
The smile in her eyes became even brighter, and she looked at the young master with a look of interest.
Besides destroying Shuxue Tower, she also had other intentions...
After thinking deeply for a few moments, Qu Hanjin still didn't understand what she meant and didn't know what she was planning.
It wasn't until two men in plain clothes walked by the road, whispering about the fire that had just started, that he had some idea.
One of the men, still terrified, sighed a few times and spoke to his companions, "It's said the fire was caused by an assassin, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already apprehended him."
Hearing this, he suddenly felt safe and sound. Another person whispered back, "I knew it. How could a fire start out of nowhere? If it was really intentional, we'll just have to catch the assassin."
"But when he was captured, the assassin had already died, and the prince could not get anything out of him..." The two men gradually walked away, and the sound of their idle chatter disappeared in the alleys, and the rest of their conversation could no longer be heard clearly.
When there was no one in the alley, Chu Qingluo raised her eyebrows and smiled, looking back meaningfully at the young man standing elegantly in front of her.
"Sir, what do you think the assassin's identity is?"
"Or in other words, who does the assassin belong to?"
The only one who could rival the Crown Prince in the current dynasty was the Ninth Prince. He seemed to have just woken up from a dream and suddenly understood what she was trying to do.
Taking advantage of the fire incident, the arson was framed on the Ninth Prince, causing the two to suspect each other, thus intensifying the court dispute.
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