Chapter 8 Power "Don't do this again. Don't do unnecessary things." ...
Mu Yan looked confused, not knowing what he had said wrong.
He was sure that he had followed Xiao Yunqi for many years and would not be unable to understand this. The cousin must be inviting the master to meet.
Mu Yan did not misunderstand.
But that was just what Xue Zhiying meant.
Xiao Yunqi thought for a moment and figured out the whole story.
"Did I ask you to go find her?"
Mu Yan explained, "My cousin's maid, Chuntao, is not very intelligent. I was worried that if I only told Chuntao, she might forget the incident after the banquet and my cousin wouldn't understand the situation, which would backfire."
If you kindly arrange a carriage for someone but end up making it impossible for them to find the carriage, isn't that just self-defeating?
Logically speaking, Mu Yan felt that he had handled this matter very appropriately.
But after he finished explaining, his expression became even darker when he looked at Xiao Yunqi.
What does it mean?
Mu Yan couldn't help but complain in his heart. Xiao Yunqi had always been clear-headed, calm and decisive in official affairs, but why did he become so capricious and unpredictable when it came to matters of the heart?
After a long while, Xiao Yunqi finally spoke: "She only has a mentally retarded maidservant by her side?"
Mu Yan was stunned, surprised that his master and cousin were so in love with each other and didn't even know about this.
But this doesn't seem surprising. No matter how outstanding its other abilities are, the iron tree that blooms for the first time is inevitably not delicate enough emotionally.
Mu Yan explained in detail, "My Lord, Chuntao was the personal maid that the old lady arranged for my cousin when she first moved into the Xiao Mansion. At that time, my cousin was young, and the old lady thought that although Chuntao was mentally retarded, she could be a companion for my cousin, so that she could adapt to the unfamiliar environment as quickly as possible. However, as my cousin grew older, the old lady probably forgot and did not arrange for anyone else to be by her side. As a result, Chuntao has always been the only maid she has had."
After Mu Yan finished speaking, he raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Yunqi's expression again.
The gloom on his face faded slightly, and he chuckled, saying with an ambiguous meaning, "You do understand her very well."
Muyan: "...?"
He knows nothing about the girl he likes and yet he still has the nerve to be jealous.
He knew who his cousin was doing it for.
Mu Yan said respectfully, "Master, you are too kind. I only know one side of the story, nothing more."
Xiao Yunqi suppressed all his emotions and said, "Don't do this again. Don't do unnecessary things."
…
After Xue Zhiying took her eyes off Xiao Yuanxiang, she stopped looking around.
She did not answer Xiao Yuanxiang's question about why she came to the banquet today, but she was always concerned about it in her heart.
There were many people at the banquet. She was sitting in the corner and could not see the upper seats where the distinguished people were sitting. Naturally, she could not see the distinguished person who had prompted her to come to this banquet today.
Xue Zhiying had no hope for the marriage arranged by Xu, but after learning about the banquet, she asked others about the King of Lin'an.
As expected, he was a man of that age who could be her father, and he was of noble status, with many wives and concubines at home.
Prince Lin'an was the youngest brother of the late emperor. He was still young at that time. In order to cut off his future development of power, the late emperor appointed him a prince at an early age and sent him far away to the north.
However, after the death of the previous emperor, he returned to the capital under the pretext of mourning his brother, and he never left. It has been three years since the new emperor ascended the throne, and this uncle, who is still in his prime, still lives in the capital.
As time went on, rumors began to spread in the court that the Prince of Lin'an was ambitious and was using the name of condolences to spy on the emperor. Although the emperor did not say it explicitly, his suspicion was growing day by day.
Xue Zhiying didn't know much about state affairs, nor did he care whether the King of Lin'an would eventually gain power or be suppressed.
She only knew that she had become an object of exchange for benefits in the Xu family.
Under the power, her wishes were irrelevant. Even if she resisted regardless of her chastity, Xu was able to protect herself from any impact, and she was the only one who suffered the consequences.
She could only comfort herself that it was not the final conclusion yet, she still had time and opportunity, she should endure today first, and then struggle to save herself.
Not long after, the banquet began.
Xue Zhiying heard the young marquis' voice speaking in the crowd, but it was too far away to hear clearly, and she could not see anything in the crowd.
She poked her head in, but quickly gave up in boredom.
Just as she lowered her head, someone suddenly called her from behind.
"Miss Xue."
Xue Zhiying turned around when he heard the voice and saw a strange servant.
The visitor stepped forward respectfully, bowing slightly. "Miss, how are you? I am an attendant of Prince Lin'an. The prince invites you to have a chat. Please follow me."
Xue Zhiying felt a little depressed and her face was stiff, so she didn't say anything for a while.
Until the man repeated it again without changing his expression: "Miss, please follow me."
Xue Zhiying came to his senses, stood up silently, and left his seat following the servant who led the way.
Even though she had been trying to comfort herself and stay calm ever since Xu told her about the banquet, she still felt heavy-hearted when the moment came.
She could imagine that since Prince Lin'an had promised benefits to Xu and Xu had given her such advice, it would not be as simple as just showing up at the banquet today. She might need to go and pay a visit to Prince Lin'an. However, she did not expect that Prince Lin'an would actually send someone to take her away from the banquet.
Where to take it and what to do?
Walking out of the garden of Marquis Rong'en's Mansion, the voices around him gradually faded, and the hustle and bustle of the banquet faded away behind him, but the servants leading the way showed no signs of stopping.
Xue Zhiying couldn't help but ask in a tense tone, "How far do we have to go?"
The attendant replied, "Don't worry, my lady. We are not far ahead and will be there soon."
Having said that, Xue Zhiying was not at all relieved.
After passing through a long corridor, the surroundings were completely silent, and not even a servant passing by appeared.
Even though Xue Zhiying himself could not disobey the orders of King Lin'an, he instinctively resisted as the scene before him became increasingly remote.
She paused, about to offer some mostly useless excuse, when the attendant leading the way also stopped and spoke before her: "Miss, we're here. There's tea and snacks in the wing. Please wait a moment, the prince will be here soon."
Only then did Xue Zhiying see that at the end of the path ahead was a seemingly normal room.
She moved her lips, and the words that were about to come out of her mouth fell silent for a moment.
The attendant took three or two steps forward, gently pushed open the door, and stood sideways respectfully: "Miss, please."
The room was elegantly furnished, with fragrant tea and fruit snacks prepared on the couch. However, behind a screen was a bed covered with a quilt and soft pillows. As far as the eye could see, there was even a connecting bathing room in the partition. The layout and arrangement of the entire room clearly showed that it was a bedroom for sleeping, rather than a hall for receiving guests.
There was a soft sound of the door closing behind me.
Xue Zhiying suddenly turned around and found that the servant who led the way had already left. Only the closed door was reflected in her eyes, and a sense of panic silently spread in her heart.
Did Prince Lin'an send someone to bring her here because there was no other suitable place for them to meet in his mansion, or did he do it on purpose?
For the dignified Rong En Marquis Mansion, the answer seems obvious.
Although Xue Zhiying was not so naive as to know nothing, his imagination of high positions and power was very limited.
Before coming here, she had never thought that such a thing would happen at such a crowded banquet, but now in the unfamiliar bedroom, even though she couldn't believe it, she realized belatedly that no matter what King Lin'an wanted to do, it would be like him sending someone to take her away from the banquet, without the need for a reason or consideration of consequences.
The surroundings were silent, and Xue Zhiying felt a chill on his back.
She didn't dare to think about what she might face, but she had to think about it.
Almost instantly, she felt a strong urge to escape.
Run away. No matter whether you are worrying too much or not, it is better than regretting it when things become irreversible.
Find a reason, find an excuse, no matter whether it will anger King Lin'an, just to escape the current disaster first.
All kinds of reckless thoughts rushed into Xue Zhiying's mind. Even things that had not yet been concluded had already been thought of in the worst possible way.
Xue Zhiying's eyes were filled with tears, and when she realized what was happening, she had already put her hand on the door.
The door opened and there was no one outside.
I don't know whether King Lin'an was confident that she would never dare to leave this place before he showed up, or he thought that no one would give up the opportunity to curry favor with such a powerful person as him, so he didn't send anyone to guard the place.
This did give Xue Zhiying the opportunity to escape, but the consequences of leaving remained.
Xue Zhiying froze in front of the door and hesitated for a moment.
Then she took a step and quickly left the room.
She kept walking along the way, but her mind was blank.
She drooped to the ground with a dazed look on her face, not even knowing whether she was heading back to the garden where the crowd was gathered.
Until she felt she was almost out of breath from walking so fast, she subconsciously looked up, her eyes sweeping across the familiar and lively scene before her, and the heavy stone in her heart was about to fall.
The next moment, a figure flashed past his sight, and a luxurious royal blue robe appeared before his eyes.
Xue Zhiying was stunned. When her eyes met the face of the person who came, she felt that the face looked familiar.
The man stood with his hands behind his back, looking at her gently with a steady demeanor and a smile.
"Miss Xue, why are you here? Are you lost?"
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