Chapter 256: Ah Yan was willing to protect me
Wen Xingluo's eyes showed confusion.
According to the note, she was not familiar with the prince.
But the prince's attitude towards her was unexpectedly gentle.
She couldn't figure it out, so she bowed to Xie Xuchifu before leaving with Xie Zan.
As soon as the two stepped out of the palace gate, Wei Ying came to meet them.
She didn't wear a black outfit today, but a goose yellow chest-length skirt and a beautiful and neat single bun.
Xie Zan glanced at her, and seeing her carefully examining Wen Xingluo's body, he couldn't help but sneer, "Wen Ningning is not only your cousin, but also my sister. I naturally won't let her be murdered by Zhang Tingliu. What are you worrying about?"
Wei Ying glared at him.
Xie Zan seemed to enjoy being stared at by her. He casually threw the orange he brought out to her and said, "It's a tribute. I give it to you as a reward."
He swaggered to the front.
Behind the palace alley, Wei Ying peeled an orange and gave half to Wen Xingluo.
Oranges are sweet.
Wen Xingluo ate a petal and looked at Wei Ying.
If I guessed correctly, after she entered Concubine Zhang's palace, Pei Lin went to the East Palace to ask Wei Ying for help, because he knew that Wei Ying's backer was Xie Zan, and Concubine Zhang would give Xie Zan some face no matter what.
Wei Ying...
Wen Xingluo only knew that Wei Ying was her cousin, but the note did not say whether her cousin was worthy of her trust.
After slowly finishing the orange, Wen Xingluo whispered, "Cousin, are you hiding something from me?"
Wei Ying was silent.
She knew what Pei Lin had done to her cousin.
She also knew that this method was extremely secretive and should not be used on her cousin.
But……
Wei Ying wanted Wen Xingluo to be with her.
They are cousins and blood relatives. They should work together to restore the Wei Kingdom, and no one can betray the other.
So she acquiesced to Pei Lin's actions.
She replied, "No."
Wen Xingluo didn't say anything else.
Arriving at the Eastern Palace, Xie Zan sat in a rocking chair under the sycamore tree at the rear of the palace, slowly and methodically looking through the documents.
Wen Xingluo looked around.
There is a well in the open space in front of the sycamore tree, and a grape trellis is built beside the well. It is spring now, and the tender green vines are climbing along the old bamboo poles, and the curled vines are lush and verdant.
Beneath the arbor stood a long lacquered wooden table, piled with pitchers and clay.
It doesn't look like the East Palace, but more like a secluded farmyard.
Wei Ying invited, "Cousin, please have dinner with me tonight."
Xie Zan flipped a page and sneered, "And then, at the dinner table, I'm going to listen to you talk about the 101 ways to assassinate the Zhou Emperor?"
Wei Ying picked up the sickle hanging on the bamboo pole and smashed it at Xie Zan.
Xie Zan skillfully lowered his head to avoid the sickle, and leisurely turned a page of the book.
"Dinner's still two hours away," Wei Ying led Wen Xingluo under the grape trellis. "Since you have nothing to do, I'll teach you how to shape clay. What do you want to shape?"
Molding clay...
Wen Xingluo watched Wei Ying mix the mud with water.
For some reason, she felt that being taken by her sister to play in the mud was a happy thing.
Her gaze slowly moved to Wei Ying's face.
The spring sun shines through the grape trellis, and the girl's profile is pale and cold. She and she are cousins, so they look a bit alike, and looking at them makes one feel familiar.
Today, she found out that her cousin and Pei Lin were in cahoots. She originally thought her cousin was untrustworthy, but now she seemed to be treating her quite well...
"I'm asking you." Wei Ying raised her eyebrows at her.
Wen Xingluo came back to his senses and said, "I want to make a little clay figurine."
"Okay." Wei Ying agreed and gave her half of the clay. "I'll make one and you make one, and then we'll paint them."
Wen Xingluo imitated Wei Ying's technique, slowly kneading out a small clay figurine wearing a skirt, then took a carving knife and carefully carved out the facial features and details.
Wei Ying thought about it, placed the two little clay figures side by side, and let them hold hands.
Wen Xingluo looked at Wei Ying's skirt and dyed the little clay figurine the same color as hers.
Finally, the figures were ready. The two girls were leaning over the table observing them. Xie Zan's comment came from behind them, "These two little clay figures look a bit like you two."
The two little clay figurines are each wearing a light pink and light yellow chest-length skirt, holding hands. The one wearing the light yellow skirt is wearing a sword, while the light pink clay figurine is wearing a butterfly hairpin and has his other hand on his waist.
The two little clay figures raised their chins proudly, looking so domineering, as if they were the best sisters in the world.
"I sculpted my cousin, and my cousin sculpted me, so of course they look alike." Wei Ying took Wen Xingluo's arm as a matter of course, "I want to be like these two little clay figures and be with my cousin forever."
Xie Zan looked at the back of their round heads.
The two little girls are standing very close to each other, and their light yellow and tender pink complement each other in the spring.
It’s a very nice color.
The tender green grape vines swayed in the spring breeze, and the young man's eyes contained emotions that were even more gentle and silent than the spring breeze.
…
The other side.
Concubine Zhang sent someone to see off the ladies from the noble families, leaving only Xie Xuchi alone.
She stared at Xie Xuchi, covered her handkerchief with her hands and choked with sobs, "My prince only knows Kunning Palace now, but he doesn't know my Hanshuang Palace!"
Xie Xuchi lowered his eyelashes, a gentle smile on his lips, "I should go back to handle government affairs."
"You're not allowed to leave! You grew up in Kunning Palace, so there's nothing wrong with being close to Mei Chuyi. But why are you helping Wei Si's daughter today and humiliating me in front of those ladies?! Back then, Wei Si relied on her status as a princess to bully your mother in every way! The prince was clearly born from my belly, and mother and son are connected by heart. Why don't you know how to defend me in front of her bastard daughter?!"
Xie Xuchi's face remained expressionless, and he simply said, "When I was young, my orphan syndrome flared up, and everyone mocked and ridiculed me, and my mother never protected me."
"I knew you still remember what happened back then!" Concubine Zhang covered her handkerchief with her hands and sobbed bitterly again. "The competition for favor in the harem was so fierce back then, and I had no relatives outside the harem. It was already difficult for me to gain a foothold, so how could I protect you?!"
Xie Xuchi looked down at her with a cold gaze, "Back then, Ah Yan was just a hostage. It was difficult for him to gain a foothold in the capital, but he was willing to protect me. Your Majesty, if you don't love me, then you don't love me. There's no need to find other excuses."
He turned around to leave, but Concubine Zhang still refused.
She clutched his sleeve tightly, hysterically, "I'm your mother. I gave you your life! Besides, there's no such thing as an overnight grudge between mother and son. Why can't you understand me?! Now Wei Si and her bastard daughter are bullying Xiang'er and me in every way. My prince must stand up for us!"
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