Chapter 229 Should I call her sister or sister-in-law?
Although he couldn't see the man's face clearly, Wen Xingluo still instinctively sensed danger.
In the Eastern Palace, apart from Crown Prince Xie Xuchi, the most feared one is Mr. Xie San.
She probed, "Are you... Xie Zan?"
The man laughed softly, "Did your cousin tell you?"
Wen Xingluo tightened his handkerchief, "You kidnapped my cousin?"
"I just caught the disobedient bird that stole away and put it back into the cage." Xie Zan slowly emerged from the shadows, a smile etched across his wild and beautiful features. "I heard it was you who came up with the idea of restarting the tea-horse trade? Although your sister is young, she's quite clever. You're worthy of being considered a family member by even a vigilant Xie Guanlan."
He was getting closer and closer to Wen Xingluo.
There was a new wound on his neck, which was not bandaged and looked bloody.
A tall shadow fell down, almost covering the girl completely.
Wen Xingluo stepped back subconsciously.
Xie Zan said lazily, "Your cousin is very lonely at my place. I want to capture you and bring you back to keep her company. What do you think?"
Wen Xingluo: “…”
She doesn't think it's very good!
She swallowed and was about to run away when a net suddenly covered her from outside the corridor!
Seeing that she was at her wit's end, a powerful force grabbed her collar from behind and pulled her backwards.
The net failed to catch her, and she fell into a broad embrace.
Xie Guanlan's voice was calm, "Don't be afraid."
Wen Xingluo's panic almost disappeared. She stood firm beside him again, trying to breathe calmly, only her slender white fingertips tightly resting on his crimson cuffs, revealing the little bit of nervousness that was left.
She was afraid that Xie Guanlan wouldn't recognize Xie Zan, so she explained softly, "This man is the prince's most trusted confidant, his name is Xie Zan. He kidnapped my cousin."
Xie Guanlan didn't seem surprised and just said "hmm".
Xie Zan looked at the two of them.
After a while, he loosened the collar of his cloak and said playfully, "How interesting. Xie Guanlan, should I call her sister or sister-in-law?"
Wen Xingluo frowned.
What does he mean by this?
She looked at Xie Guanlan.
Xie Guanlan just stared at Xie Zan coldly, "Put on your clothes."
As winter approaches, it is already quite cold at night.
But Xie Zan was only wearing a mink cloak, which was half opened by him. He was wearing nothing underneath, revealing his strong and sexy chest muscles.
Looks a bit...
Improper.
Hearing Xie Guanlan's words, Xie Zan's smile deepened.
He deliberately opened his entire cloak and said, "I won't wear it."
He was only wearing a pair of loose robes and trousers.
The deep mermaid line is immersed in the winding belt, outlining the well-defined abdominal muscles.
Wen Xingluo's face turned red, and before she could react, Xie Guanlan covered her eyes.
Xie Guanlan's tone was tinged with impatience, "Don't make me say it a second time."
Xie Zan ignored her and stared at Wen Xingluo with interest, "It seems she is very important to you. Xie Guanlan, I want her."
Before Xie Guanlan could refuse, the young man's provocative palm wind was already in front of him!
Xie Guanlan put one hand around Wen Xingluo's waist and used the other hand to hold back Xie Zan.
The girl opened her eyes.
The moves they used in their fight almost became an afterimage. The palm wind was so strong and the biting coldness hit her face, scratching her cheeks so hard that it hurt.
After the two exchanged twenty moves, Xie Zan suddenly staggered back, holding his chest.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale, and raised his cynical peach blossom eyes, "Xie Guanlan, you are so cruel."
Xie Guanlan looked at him deeply before leaving with Wen Xingluo.
Xie Zan rubbed his injured chest and heard a chuckle behind him.
Prince Xie Xuchi came over at some point, holding a golden wine cup in his hand, leaning on a piece of intact railing with a smile on his face. When he saw him turn around, he raised his glass to him.
Xie Zan rolled his eyes and asked, "Are you happy to see your confidant being injured?"
Xie Xuchi took a leisurely sip of his wine. "There aren't many people in this world who can fight Xie Guanlan and escape unscathed. So, how does Xie Guanlan compare to what he was like back then?"
"Even better than before. In his hands, the Zhenbei Palace will only be more powerful than when it was in Xie Jing's hands."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xuchi took another sip of wine.
The winter night was cold, and the once warm liquor had long since gone cold.
He savored the spicy flavor between his lips and teeth, then said quietly, "I've heard reports from spies that most of the Zhenbei Palace's troops are trapped on the battlefields of the southwestern kingdoms. Shu County is now nothing more than an empty shell. Ah Zan, how true and false do you think this news is?"
"The Mu family is close to Yangcheng, but they can't even find out the truth for Your Highness, let alone me who is in the capital with Your Highness?" Xie Zan asked instead, "The only thing that is certain is that Xie Guanlan now has a fatal weakness."
"What do you mean by A-Zan?"
"Wen Xingluo."
Study.
Fushan and Yishui stood guard outside and did not let the servants in the mansion get close.
The study was elegantly decorated. Xie Guanlan lit the sheep-horn inlaid lantern, and the gentle and clear light and shadow instantly enveloped the small world in front of the screen.
Wen Xingluo sat in the armchair and looked up at Xie Guanlan's profile. "Who is Xie Zan?"
"Ningning already has the answer in her heart."
Wen Xingluo was silent.
Xie Zan, thank you Third Master.
The eyebrows and eyes look exactly like the fourth brother.
Sister, sister-in-law...
She said, "Didn't they say he was doing business in the Western Regions?"
Xie Guanlan sat down across from her. "That's just a rumor for the public. He severed ties with his family when he was fourteen and left the house alone, his whereabouts unknown."
Wen Xingluo clenched his handkerchief.
wrong.
She still felt something was wrong.
She remembered the birthdays of everyone in the mansion. She remembered that Xie Zan was born in the same year as her second brother, only a few days younger than her second brother.
Xie Zan went to the capital at the age of fourteen, and his second brother returned to Chengdu at the age of fourteen.
She looked at Xie Guanlan persistently.
But the young man's eyes were calm and reserved, and there was nothing unusual about him.
So she asked, "Why did he cut off ties with his family?"
"If I say that he wanted to compete with me for the position of Crown Prince but failed, and in a fit of rage he severed all ties with me and ran away from home, would Ning Ning believe it or not?"
Wen Xingluo didn't quite believe it.
The brothers in the Zhenbei Palace are all so nice, and the atmosphere in the palace is very harmonious and peaceful. How could they possibly compete for the position of the prince?
She didn't know what Xie Guanlan was up to, nor did she know whether Xie Zan was a good person or a bad person, but she knew very well that even if Xie Guanlan deliberately lied and concealed something, he must have his own reasons.
She stopped asking questions.
The winter nights in Chengdu are exceptionally quiet.
The chilly air climbed up through the cracks in the bricks, and the girl felt cold belatedly.
Xie Guanlan held her hands in his palms and blew away the hot air.
Wen Xingluo was startled and looked up at him.
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