Chapter 102: When he embraced Mu Han, he felt her initiative, which made him even more...
*
"The Crown Prince of Xin has arrived! And the Heavenly Martial Guards are here too..."
"General Shen, Lord Mu, the Divine Martial Guards have also arrived!"
Exclamations of surprise rose from all sides, and the procession slowly came to a stop.
One group was led by the Crown Prince of Xin, followed by Feng Rong and others, as well as the Tianwu Guards. Another group was led by Shen Kunyao and Mu Wei, followed by a group of Shenwu Guards.
The crowd of onlookers was in an uproar, their heated discussions rising like boiling water, constantly bubbling and churning.
Suddenly, the boiling water started boiling again.
"Look, isn't that Commander Mu? Could the person she's escorting be Princess Luanhe?"
The two lines of people spontaneously parted to make way for the princess's procession, standing on either side of the road to respectfully welcome her.
Yu Jingliang stood beside the carriage, looking up at his former colleague, now the princess of the court. He felt a strange sense of destiny about this scene, just like the day they first met.
That day, they entered the Divine Martial Camp together, both being the lowest-ranking second-class guards. The first day in the camp was a competition, and coincidentally, he was facing off against Feng Chengying.
When he first saw Feng Chengying, who was delicate and had a small frame like a woman, he didn't take her seriously at all. He even muttered with some dissatisfaction, wanting to find someone else to be his opponent.
To everyone's surprise, Feng Chengying made a move that immediately gave him a hard time. When he was thrown to the ground, he looked up at her in the same way he did now.
From then on, he clashed with Feng Chengying, provoking him from time to time, sparring and exchanging blows with him. He fought on despite repeated defeats, becoming more and more enthusiastic with each battle. Many of his colleagues said he was asking for a beating.
A nostalgic smile, tinged with a hint of melancholy, appeared on his lips.
Now that my status is different, even if I wanted to get beaten up, I probably wouldn't have the chance.
Her smiling eyes, tinged with sadness, suddenly met Feng Chengying's gaze looking down at her. She first instinctively grinned to hide her guilty conscience, but then, remembering the difference between ruler and subject, she immediately changed to a respectful and serious expression, and awkwardly lowered her head.
Upon seeing this, Feng Chengying's expression subtly changed.
The crowd was layered upon layered. Shen Qinglu did not squeeze in, but she could still see the people sitting on tall horses, as well as the princess's entourage that followed.
Everyone dismounted or stepped off their carriages, and waited respectfully before the prince's high palanquin.
The clamor of discussion couldn't drown out the shouts of "Welcome back to the capital, His Highness Prince Chen!"
Many people craned their necks, trying to get a clear look at what His Highness Prince Chen looked like inside the high carriage.
The wind rustled the bright yellow curtains, revealing the figures behind them intermittently. Those who didn't know them would marvel at their glimpse, while those who did would be astonished.
"Ah Lin, am I seeing things? Why does His Highness Prince Chen look like your Ninth Uncle?" Yu Jingliang opened his mouth for a long time, then asked Mu Lin beside him in a low voice.
Mu Lin was no less surprised than him. Thinking back on the past, such as his father's high regard for his cousin, and his grandmother's hidden respect for his nephew, Uncle Jiu, as an elder, he had already made up his mind.
"You must not be mistaken."
"What did you say?" Yu Jingliang was even more shocked. "You mean... Prince Chen is your Ninth Uncle?!"
In the past, he would never have dared to make such a guess, but after the incident with Feng Chengying, he thought that even the most absurd things could very well be true.
If the Marquis's distant relative is a princess of the current dynasty, then why can't the ninth prince of the Marquis's family be a prince?
The thought struck him like a revelation, and he murmured, "Your house is truly a place of great feng shui."
A princess and a prince have both been living incognito in the Marquis's mansion for years.
Prince Chen did not dismount from his carriage, but continued on his way under the escort of the Tianwu Guard, the Shenwu Guard, and the Changming Guard who had accompanied Feng Chengying out of the palace.
Such a magnificent scene has attracted people to praise it.
Some people lamented that the current emperor had no son, and when they mentioned the previous rumors that everyone in the capital thought the future crown prince would come from the Prince Xin's residence, they speculated on another possibility.
"Do you think His Majesty has other plans in mind when he summons Prince Chen back to the capital at this time?"
"That's hard to say. Prince Chen was the late emperor's youngest son and was not only the emperor's favorite, but His Majesty also dotes on him. When His Majesty was still a prince, he often took him out of the palace to play. If you ask me, His Majesty may have already planned to wait for him to recover and return to the capital."
"Would Prince Xin agree to that?"
“If you disagree, then there’s only one option…” The person who said this looked worried. “Don’t forget what happened to the Demon King back then. Who knows, there might be another big mess in the capital.”
Hearing these words, Shen Qinglu slowly retreated to the side of the crowd.
Gu Shizhi held onto her tightly, her little face full of anticipation, "Sister Ali, who do you think is more powerful, His Highness Prince Chen or those people from Prince Xin's mansion?"
"have no idea."
She was telling the truth.
She was unsure of the strength of the Prince Xin's mansion and dared not draw any conclusions lightly.
Gu Shizhi pouted and sighed like a little adult, "I hope His Highness Prince Chen is even more powerful, preferably surpassing those people from Prince Xin's Mansion."
The rise and fall of a family is tied to the first person in the inner quarters of a prestigious household.
It's hard for her to have such worries at such a young age.
Shen Qinglu gazed at the departing procession, her dark eyes filled with gloom. "They are all princes. As long as we can coexist peacefully, there's no need for you to pressure me and me to pressure you."
"Sister Ali, don't you know?" She was slightly puzzled, thinking to herself that her aunt had said that Sister Ali was an extremely intelligent person, so how could she not know about the struggle for the throne?
Shen Qinglu's expression softened, and she raised her hand to tap her nose. As her gaze casually shifted, she caught a glimpse of an extraordinary-looking man not far away.
The man was middle-aged, with a handsome and refined appearance, possessing an innate nobility, yet he was also too leisurely and casual, looking like a scholar-official who was like a wild crane.
"You're so young, yet you worry about so much. This is someone else's family matter. They have a daughter, it's not like they're without an heir. It's not their place for brothers or nephews to take over the family business."
She covered her mouth, her almond-shaped eyes darting around, "Can women inherit things too?"
In ordinary families, if there are no sons, the daughter can find a husband to carry on the family line, but that is the imperial family.
“What’s wrong with that?” Shen Qinglu’s beautiful face remained calm. “There is no law that says a woman cannot take over the family business, and no one dares to assert that all women in the world are inferior to men.”
The middle-aged scholar approached at some point, having apparently overheard their conversation. He casually remarked to Shen Qinglu, "This young lady has unique insights, quite different from others, yet somewhat incompatible with worldly norms."
Shen Qinglu seemed to only just notice him. She first frowned, then her expression turned serious. "The world is ruled by people, rules are set by people, laws are set by people. People can conquer nature and change all the rules in the world."
His casual gaze suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at Shen Qinglu. "It's true that one can conquer nature, but it's much more difficult for a woman to inherit a family business than for a man. The larger the family business, the more obstacles there are, making it far less easy than for a man."
"Of all the things under heaven, from the small matter of making a living to the great matter of establishing a career, which one is easy? Those who occupy the position and accomplish their tasks will naturally receive divine assistance; what is there to fear?"
"What's there to fear!" He laughed, regaining his relaxed and casual demeanor, and turned to ask his white-faced, beardless follower behind him, "Do these words sound familiar?"
The attendant lowered his head slightly and replied in a soft voice, "This servant remembers that the Thirteenth Prince seems to have said the same thing."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinglu slowly lowered her eyelids, concealing the dark glint in her eyes.
What day is it today?
Dragons and tigers have all come out!
*
The news of Prince Chen's return to the capital swept through the entire city of Donglin like a powerful gust of wind.
With such a grand display, no one in the capital assumed that His Majesty was creating momentum for him, and that a magnificent palace banquet would inevitably follow to put Prince Chen in the spotlight. But what no one expected was that the birthday banquet of Madam Ning, the old lady of the Marquis of Yongyili's mansion, would come first.
On the day of the birthday banquet, the Marquis's mansion was bustling with activity.
The majestic stone lions guarding the mansion, too, seemed to share in the family's joy, adorned with bright red silk ribbons. The four characters "Loyalty, Courage, and Resoluteness" on the polished plaque shone even brighter.
Mu Wei and Jiang Yingshui greeted the guests at the entrance, and the guests were invited into the mansion one by one.
The entire Shen family came together, with Shen Kunyao and Gu Ruxu leading the way, followed by Shen Linlang, and then Shen Qinglu, Yu Jingxian, Yu Jingliang, and Shen Changting.
When Jiang Yingshui saw the Shen family, a hint of unease appeared on her face.
None of her family members attended the banquet held at the Marquis's residence this time; firstly, they were not invited, and secondly, they were too ashamed to face anyone.
After Jiang Xinyue was sent home that day, Ning Shi, upon receiving the news, immediately took Jiang Yingshui to the Jiang family. The Jiang family members, of course, tried every means to explain, saying that Jiang Xinyue was wronged and that those things did not belong to Jiang Xinyue at all.
The items were found by Mu Lin himself leading the search. Ning Shi would never suspect her own grandson, and Jiang Yingshui would not abandon her own son for the sake of her niece.
They all understood that even if Jiang Xinyue was wronged, it was because the Jiang family itself had problems. Either they had malicious intentions and were being taken advantage of, or they were not strict in their management and someone in the family had been bribed.
Regardless of the cause, the root of the problem lies with the Jiang family and Jiang Xinyue herself.
They couldn't possibly disobey Feng Chengying's words.
Although there were no outsiders present, Jiang Xinyue's disgraceful state after being poisoned by the drug was still unbearable to look at.
Jiang Yingshui blushed just thinking about how Jiang Xinyue acted like a madwoman, shouting and screaming, completely losing her composure. Especially when Jiang Xinyue tore all her clothes off in an attempt to escape, everyone turned their heads away.
If a young woman were to make such a fool of herself in public, how could she possibly survive?
If it weren't for the friendship between the Mu and Chen families, this matter certainly wouldn't have been resolved so easily.
Thinking about this, Jiang Yingshui felt increasingly ashamed in front of the Shen family, especially when facing Shen Linlang, her feelings were extremely complicated.
When Shen Linlang and she greeted each other, her expression was somewhat indifferent, but it was not very obvious.
Whether it's the General's Mansion or the Shen family, they're only concerned with the Marquis's Mansion's reputation; it has nothing to do with the Jiang family.
Even though the Jiang family hadn't come, the gifts had been sent, which couldn't stop others from speculating. Some people, oblivious to the situation or perhaps doing it on purpose, pretended not to know and asked her why no one from the Jiang family had come to such a joyous occasion as her in-laws' birthday banquet.
The one who asked this question was none other than Zhuang Lanyi's mother, Madam Zhuang.
Jiang Yingshui was so embarrassed by the question that she felt like she could disappear into the ground.
The festive atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
Ning snorted lightly and said indifferently, "It's all because the children are disappointing, making their elders lose face. If children are not taught, it is all the parents' fault. Madam Zhuang should also take this as a warning."
If Jiang Xinyue was framed, then who was the person who framed her?
Anyone with eyes can see it clearly, yet some people still treat others like fools and dare to sow discord!
Madam Zhuang didn't want Ning to speak so bluntly and lose face, so she could only try to save face by saying a few words about how difficult it is to be a parent and sympathizing with the Jiang couple.
Just then, a high-pitched cry of "The princess has arrived!" came from outside. Everyone was surprised but not taken it by surprise, and they all went out to greet her.
Feng Chengying stepped forward to help Ning Shi up, addressing her as Grandmother Ning as before.
Ning looked flattered and touched, murmuring, "Good child."
She had been living outside the capital for many years, and because she worked in the Shenwu Camp, most people present had seen her. Some people even had designs on her, such as marrying their illegitimate daughters to her.
Many people tried to get close to her, but she remained indifferent to everyone. Her behavior and demeanor were no different from when she was the commander of the Divine Martial Guard, but she had become more aloof.
Some people felt awkward and privately remarked, "This princess is different from ordinary girls; she might not be easy to get along with."
Others who had spotted her talking to Shen Qinglu disagreed, saying, "It depends on the person. I think she's quite casual with Miss Shen."
Her relationship with Shen Qinglu was more than casual; it was even intimate.
For a time, there were envious people and jealous people.
While many people were peeking at her, they were also secretly observing Shen Qinglu.
Dressed in fiery red, with a face like a lotus blossom, she was radiant yet elegant, delicate yet strong, beautiful without realizing it. Especially the touch of white pear blossom on her forehead made her appear even more exquisite and otherworldly.
Some people had ulterior motives and inquired about Shen Qinglu.
Zhuang Lanyi was filled with hatred upon hearing and seeing this.
No one from the Prince Xin's residence came; they only sent someone to give a gift.
The girls who used to fawn over her all seemed to be deliberately avoiding her today, and not one of them came near her.
She knew that those people were wary of Feng Chengying, after all, the Princess Fangfei behind her was just a princess, while Shen Qinglu, who was at odds with her, was on good terms with the princess.
Feng Chengying was never an easygoing person and had no interest in such gatherings of ladies and young women, so he simply took Shen Qinglu away from the table, saying that they were going out for some fresh air.
Ning had no reason to object, so she let her do as she pleased.
She had lived in the Marquis's residence for several years and did not need servants to lead the way. On the contrary, she could act as Shen Qinglu's guide.
They walked through the garden, and as soon as they left, gazing at the bamboo grove interspersed with new bamboo shoots in the distance, Shen Qinglu vaguely guessed what was going on. When she said someone was waiting for her, she wasn't surprised.
"Have you already guessed it?"
Shen Qinglu remained noncommittal, her strikingly beautiful face displaying a calm demeanor.
She laughed, exuding an air of arrogance and nobility, "You really can't hide anything from anyone. I've said it before, all the cunning of you siblings probably resides in you alone."
After saying that, he gave Shen Qinglu a push and winked, "Go quickly, don't keep people waiting."
*
The melodious sound of the zither spills through the bamboo forest, and amidst the old green and new green, a touch of white, like moonlight, descends upon the world.
The golden crown and jade belt were magnificent and dignified, and the silver-white brocade robe was embroidered with gold thread. The two colors of gold and silver exuded nobility, as if the snow between the pines had been put into goldware. The pure and aloofness that was untouched by the world had finally fallen into the world of wealth and honor.
Putting everything else aside, this person's appearance is truly exceptional.
Shen Qinglu thought to herself that she not only didn't lose out, but actually gained.
When the music ended, the person playing the zither looked up.
A hint of unease flickered in his deep eyes, but seeing no change in Shen Qinglu's gaze, the unease vanished in an instant.
In a short while, the person was standing in front of Shen Qinglu.
When did you find out?
Shen Qinglu's eyes were first blurred, then brightened.
Wealth and status are within reach, visible and tangible.
“My uncle treats you differently, and Lord Mu also values you highly.”
Mu Hanshi lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes fixed on her.
"You are very smart."
Therefore, this is the real her.
That sickly person who completely relied on and trusted her was never the real her.
This realization left Mu Hanshi somewhat disappointed.
His fist, clenched beneath his sleeve, knuckles white, betrayed his inner resentment and regret. He was resentful that after so many years together, he had never truly entered her heart; he regretted that time had flown by too quickly, separating them by death before they could fully understand each other.
"You agreed to my request, probably because you already knew my identity, but once I appear in the world, a storm is brewing in the capital. Aren't you afraid?"
"A way to survive is to seek it amidst danger."
It was a way to survive, not a path to wealth.
He lowered his eyebrows even further, as if trying to completely encompass what was in front of him. "You can keep me hanging for now, observe how things develop, and then decide whether or not to agree to my request."
Shen Qinglu was surprised and could hardly believe what she had heard.
Is this person serious? He's actually teaching her how to be a "green tea" (a manipulative, manipulative woman)!
No, that's not right.
It must be a test.
Her dark eyes stared directly at him, like a mirror reflecting the dark side of people's hearts. "I know that in your heart, I am not a good girl. I am scheming and my personality is not likable. But whether you believe it or not, I have always just wanted to live, nothing more."
The weather is getting warmer, with sunshine and a warm breeze mixed with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves.
Mu Hanshi felt his heart trembling, cold and painful.
His Azhu, it turns out, always wanted to live more than anyone else.
Why would someone who wants to live so much give up...?
Shen Qinglu sensed something was wrong with him and took a step back, only to fall into his arms.
He buried his face in Shen Qinglu's neck, his breath warm, "I won't let you die."
This time, they all have new bodies and new choices.
Shen Qinglu felt a strange sensation, and ripples appeared in her dark, jade-like eyes.
It was an unfamiliar embrace, but being held so tightly, as if I wanted to stay with her forever and never want to be separated from her, felt strangely familiar.
Like her brother...
She became dazed and, instead of pushing him away, wrapped her arms around his waist.
Mu Hanshi sensed her initiative and hugged her even tighter.
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