Upon seeing Duan Lan’s arrival, Princess Chaoyang collected herself a bit and scoffed, "If even Minister Duan can come, how can I not be allowed?"
Duan Lan’s arrival caused quite a stir among the crowd. After all, ever since Mu Houchu left the capital, the most renowned person was none other than Minister Duan. Previously, when Duan Lan had taken a wife, many women willingly became his concubines, and it was only natural that more people would start whispering now that his wife was dead. Hence, his appearance inevitably led to people talking in hushed tones.
"This humble official was just passing by and happened to witness the Princess’s heroic deeds. However, in this tranquil place of Buddhism, it would be better for the Princess to not overstep," Duan Lan advised indifferently, neither his tone nor attitude showing any real concern for Chaoyang.
Chaoyang widened her eyes and said, "What? What I’m going to do is none of your business!"
Duan Lan replied softly, "This humble official certainly won’t meddle in the Princess’s affairs. However, the Princess knows the current situation all too well. The common people are uneasy, and even the Emperor is extremely troubled. If the Princess keeps doing things that hurt the common people and make things even more difficult for the Emperor, I wonder how he would feel about that."
Upon hearing these words, Chaoyang’s eyes flickered, and some fear entered her heart. Her only support was the Emperor, and his attitude toward her was crucial. She knew the current situation in Da Qian too well: the Emperor was now furious about the whole affair, and due to the matter of Yu State’s secession, the other feudal lords were on the verge of unrest. The Emperor was extremely troubled, and if she displeased him right now, she would become the prime target.
She couldn’t bear the emperor’s anger.
Chaoyang bit her lip, glared at Duan Lan with resentment, and turned to leave. "Back to the palace," she ordered.
The little eunuchs immediately responded, "Yes!"
Duan Lan did not linger. Casting a casual, seemingly unintentional glance in Ji Xinhe’s direction, he turned and left.
This interlude had naturally drawn the crowd’s attention to Duan Lan, causing them to momentarily overlook Ji Xinhe, the civilian woman, and break into animated discussions.
"Minister Duan is truly formidable. With just a few words, he made the Princess back down. Otherwise, I don’t even dare think about how many people she was planning to kill to quell her rage," someone said.
"Indeed. But... were the words that lowly servant girl spoke earlier true?" someone couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
"Don’t recklessly speak, be careful!"
"Why can’t we talk about it among ourselves? I don’t know whether what that lowly servant girl said is true or false, but my sister once told me that the only person Princess Chaoyang has ever loved is the former Mu Xiang, now King Yu. At that time, everyone in the capital thought the Emperor would marry his daughter to Mu Xiang. However, the latter didn’t want the Princess but chose to marry the legitimate daughter from Le Yuanhou Mansion instead," another person chimed in.
"Speaking of the legitimate daughter from Le Yuanhou Mansion, it was said that she was actually a village girl who had been lost since childhood and was only found when she was over 16. At that time, it caused quite a shock throughout the country. After all, who would have thought that Mu Xiang would choose to marry a girl who grew up in the countryside, especially as the Le Yuanhou Mansion wasn’t of a high status."
As they were talking, someone seemed to be reminded of something. Looking at Duan Lan’s retreating figure, they lowered their voice and told the crowd, "You probably didn’t know this. Originally, Li Xinhe was engaged to Minister Duan. Later, it seemed that Mu Xiang stole her away, and Minister Duan became depressed for a long time."
"Really?!" The crowd burst into an uproar.
What started as a minor incident that sparked some gossip inadvertently ended up unearthing shocking pieces of news. Everyone was excited, as if they had uncovered explosive secrets, and couldn’t help but ask, "What kind of person is Li Xinhe, to have such good fortune?"
"I’m not sure about that. I’ve only heard that she’s stunningly beautiful. As for the rest, it’s unclear because she seems to be very low-key. She hardly ever leaves her home in Yu State, so very little is known about her." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
The crowd continued to discuss eagerly, creating a commotion. They seemed to have dug up a shocking scandal, and everyone was excited about it.
In the heat of the discussion, everyone had almost forgotten about Ji Xinhe, the civilian woman. She had already quietly slipped away.
Reaching a secluded pavilion halfway up the mountain, she saw Duan Lan standing there, seemingly waiting for a long time.
Ji Xinhe wasn’t surprised at all. He must have recognized her long ago. Back in Yu State, he had recognized her just by listening to her speak. How could he not have recognized her now with just a glance? If he hadn’t already recognized her, why would he have gone out of his way to help her?
Upon seeing Duan Lan, Shulan frowned and said, "Madam... "
Xin He said, "Wait for me here."
"Yes." Shulan Xiaoyu bowed and said nothing more.
As Xin He entered the pavilion, Duan Lan forced a habitual faint smile. "You did come after all."
Xin He asked softly, "How did Minister Duan know I was coming to the capital?"
Otherwise, with his temperament, he shouldn’t have found the time to visit Qingyuan Temple amidst his busy schedule.
With just the words "Minister Duan," she established a formal distance between them. Duan Lan’s eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips still held a smile, albeit with a hint of bitterness.
"I knew you would come," Duan Lan said with a smile.
With his understanding of her, guessing that she would come to the capital in person was not difficult at all.
Ji Xinhe looked at Duan Lan and pursed her lips. Having someone who understood her so well as an enemy was truly terrifying.
"I want to thank you for helping me avoid Princess Chaoyang’s questions today. I also hope that Minister Duan will keep his lips sealed in the future. I don’t think it would harm Minister Duan, as you should know why I came this time. It has nothing to do with Mu Houchu, I just want to save my dad," she said.
Duan Lan forced a smile. "I won’t say anything, Xin He. I’ve never been your enemy, and I never wanted you to suffer, not even a little bit."
After a moment of silence, Xin He replied, "Thank you."
Then she turned around and left without hesitation.
Watching her leave, Duan Lan’s heart wrenched with a sense of loss. How many times had he watched her walk away like this?
Xin He’s footsteps suddenly paused, and she turned to Duan Lan. "Duan Lan, some things cannot be changed. Let go of what should be let go. I used to regard you as a friend, and even now, I still hope that you can live a good life. Don’t trap yourself anymore."
With a steady gaze at Duan Lan, she left without looking back.
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