Chapter 230 I feel guilty
Xie Guanlan remained calm, "There are people guarding me outside, so no one will see us."
Wen Xingluo took a deep breath, lingering in the warmth for a moment, but still pulled his hand back.
She stood up and said, "I feel guilty."
She walked quickly towards the study door.
Xie Guanlan looked at her handkerchief that had fallen on the armchair. "The emperor will be visiting Chengdu soon. If nothing unexpected happens, your mother will return to Beijing with him. What about you? Will you go or stay?"
Wen Xingluo clenched his hands.
She knew her mother's calculations and ambitions.
As for myself...
Her voice was very soft, "I want to stand by my mother's side."
She opened the door of the porch, turned her back to Xie Guanlan, turned her back to the warm and bright light of the study, faced the ink-like night and the howling cold wind, and stepped out of the threshold without looking back.
A cold wind blew in.
Xie Guanlan silently picked up the handkerchief she dropped and slowly clenched it in his palm.
The next day.
Wen Xingluo and Xie Shi'an lay on the wall, and under the cover of the pine trees, they looked towards the courtyard where Prince Xie Xuchi was staying.
Xie Shian looked anxiously, "Ningning, are you sure your cousin was captured by the people from the East Palace?"
Wen Xingluo hummed in a muffled voice, his eyes wandering over the undulating buildings.
"Someone's coming."
Xie Yanchen, who was standing by the wall watching, gave a warning.
The two men hurried down the ladder and saw that the man was surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs. He had a black jade hairpin in his hair and wore a dark mink fur cloak, revealing his beautiful wheat-colored chest muscles. He looked arrogant and rebellious.
Xie Shian saw his appearance clearly and could not help but stay where he was.
He could barely find his voice, "Third... Third Brother?"
He was already able to remember things by the time Xie Zan left the mansion.
Even though they had not seen each other for several years and even though his appearance was blurry, he could still recognize his brother at a glance as long as he stood in front of him.
Xie Zan smiled ostentatiously, "I just took a tour of the palace. The scenery and furnishings are just like the year I left. However, our Xie Xiaosi has grown a lot taller."
"Third brother!" Xie Shian's eyes turned red and he rushed over to hug Xie Zan.
As his father and brother deliberately concealed the details of his third brother's departure from home, he was actually not very clear about the specific details.
All I know is that the third brother and the eldest brother were fighting for the position of the crown prince, and the eldest brother secretly poisoned the eldest brother. As a result, the secret was exposed, and the third brother was beaten. In anger, he broke off relations with his family and left Chengdu overnight.
My father felt ashamed of the family scandal, so he lied to others and said that my third brother had gone to the Western Regions to do business.
Xie Shian's voice was hoarse, "Third brother, I thought you would never come back!"
The young man who rushed into my arms was like a brave calf.
Xie Zan was knocked back two steps and patted Xie Shian on the back. When he lowered his eyes, there was a flash of tenderness and moisture.
"Third brother!" Xie Shian looked at Xie Zan excitedly before turning to Wen Xingluo, "Ningning, he is our third brother! Hurry and call for help!"
Wen Xingluo said nothing, as if he had seen something dangerous, and moved closer to Xie Yanchen.
Xie Shian was stunned, and then looked at Xie Yanchen again, "Second brother, third brother is back..."
Xie Yanchen also had a blank expression on his face and said nothing.
"You guys..." Xie Shian was puzzled, "What's wrong with you guys?"
In the long silence, Wen Xingluo whispered, "It was him who kidnapped my cousin. Fourth brother, he is now the prince's man."
The north wind blowing through the garden seemed even more biting than before.
Xie Shian looked at Xie Zan in shock, "Third brother?"
Xie Zan still had a smile on his face. "A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. My choice of the crown prince is my own business. Xie Xiaosi, our positions shouldn't affect our brotherly relationship, right? This time I came back, I brought you a gift."
The young eunuchs presented the tray respectfully.
On the tray was an extremely beautiful red tasseled spear and a box of silver bills.
Xie Zan said, "I heard that Xie Xiaosi has been playing with spears these past two years. This red tassel spear was made by the imperial court. The weapon forging technology is much more sophisticated than that of the southwest. As for this 100,000 taels of silver, it's pocket money my brother gave you. Xie Xiaosi, are you happy?"
Xie Shian stared at him closely.
The joy of reunion in their eyes completely faded, leaving only confusion and puzzlement.
He didn't look at the red tassel spear and the silver bills, but retreated step by step.
Xie Zan raised an eyebrow, "Xie Xiaosi?"
Xie Shian's eyes gradually turned red as he spoke each word with emphasis, "You are not my third brother."
Xie Zan was not annoyed, and his gaze turned to Xie Yanchen.
He studied him carefully for a moment and laughed, "I heard that Second Brother has been acting mad and unruly since returning from the capital, living in the cemetery all day, surrounded by corpses, insects and snakes. I remember when I was a student, the teacher praised Second Brother as having the whiteness of fresh snow, the soul of orchid, and the benevolence and righteousness in his heart comparable to those of ancient sages. If he studied hard, he would definitely become a famous prime minister in the future. How come Second Brother has fallen into such a state today?"
Xie Yanchen remained silent.
His snow-white clothes fluttered in the cold wind, and his face looked even more bleak than the wind.
Xie Zan chuckled lazily. "In my opinion, it would be better for my second brother to join me in submitting to the Crown Prince. Perhaps the imperial physician in the palace could cure my second brother's heart disease? When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, my second brother and I will be loyal ministers, and wealth, honor, and a title of nobility will be within our grasp. Why would my second brother continue to be a bastard of the Zhenbei Palace, living under the sway of others?"
Xie Shian was so angry that he was shaking all over. He cursed loudly, "Do you think everyone is as bad as you?! You knew who killed your mother, so how could you still be willing to stay by his son's side and serve his country?! Xie Zan, I misjudged you! You are no longer my third brother, never again!"
He angrily pulled Wen Xingluo and Xie Yanchen up, "Ningning, Second Brother, let's go!"
Xie Zan was left where he was.
Several young eunuchs hurried over to report, "Third Master, the gifts you gave to the Queen Mother of Zhenbei Palace have all been returned intact. The Queen Mother said...said..."
"say what?"
"She said that her grandson was doing business in the Western Regions, and that she had no grandson who had returned from the capital."
Xie Zan broke off a dead leaf.
Today the sky is covered with dark clouds and the sun is not visible. The sky is cold and white like frozen jade.
He lifted the dead leaf and examined it.
The veins on the leaves are crisscrossed, like crisscrossing roads.
We took different paths and will never meet again.
He remained silent and hid the dead leaves in his sleeves.
Returning to the courtyard where he was staying, Xie Zan opened the door.
The familiar sound of breaking wind came from directly above.
He dodged.
A huge axe fell from the sky from where he entered.
Just as he dodged the giant axe, his feet stepped on something with a "click" and a bucket of pepper spray poured down from above.
He expertly avoided the pepper spray.
He took a few steps forward, and his ankle touched the thin thread connected to the mechanism, and countless flying knives shot towards him from both sides.
A folding fan slipped out of Xie Zan's sleeve. He waved the fan to knock down the flying knife, then turned around to block the sword that suddenly attacked from behind.
Wei Ying failed to succeed and put away the sword indifferently.
Xie Zan chuckled, sat down at the round table, and poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot.
Just as he brought the teacup to his lips, he paused and poured the tea out.
The highly poisonous tea corroded the ground in an instant.
He said quietly, "Nine hundred and thirteenth time, the assassination attempt failed."
Wei Ying turned away with a cold face.
Xie Zan grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms without saying a word.
He buried his head in her neck, and in the darkness he opened his thin lips as if wanting to say something, but in the end he said nothing, and just kissed her neck silently.
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