Green Water Town?
Ashina Yeting paused for a moment, then frowned and pondered before saying uncertainly, "I don't remember if that's the name. But the place is truly beautiful."
Beautiful mountains and clear waters?
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow—this was the third time she had heard someone describe a town as "beautiful with mountains and clear waters," and all of them were towns located at the border of Northern Zhou and Southern Chen.
Xie Huayin, Lu Shuangyi, Ashina Yeting... These three people seem to have nothing in common, but they have one thing in common...
Shang Shaoyan stroked the silver bracelet on his wrist, and had some guesses in his mind.
Seeing that Shang Shaoyan was deep in thought, Ashina Yeting stopped talking. He had said what he needed to say, and as for the truth of the matter... the Princess of Heyang herself said that she only believed half of what he said.
...
The Southern Chen Dynasty, the imperial palace.
Emperor Chen told Qin Ye about his plan to travel incognito to Hangzhou: "...I argued with those old fogies for a long time the other day, and they refused to let me go to Hangzhou, saying it was dangerous... Minister Qin, what do you think? Can I go to Hangzhou?"
Qin Ye, having risen to this position, naturally understood Emperor Chen's thoughts very well. Upon hearing this, he smiled humbly and said, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and you can do whatever you want. Why do you need to consult those people's opinions? This servant dares not offer any advice. If Your Majesty wishes to go, this servant will certainly arrange everything for you."
Emperor Chen was pleased with Qin Ye's attitude and laughed heartily, "Then I will listen to you."
Thus, the matter of Emperor Chen going to Hangzhou was settled. No matter how much the few loyal ministers in the court advised him, he would not listen. Annoyed by the noise, he punished the minister who was the most vocal, and the rest of them fell silent.
Emperor Chen was very satisfied with this, but he did not see the despair in the eyes of those loyal ministers—how could such a muddle-headed emperor, who could not distinguish between loyalty and treachery, lead the Southern Chen dynasty forward?
This time, they were truly heartbroken.
However, even if Emperor Chen knew their thoughts, he wouldn't reflect on them; he would only feel disgusted—these people just couldn't stand to see him doing well. He had finally become emperor and just wanted to enjoy himself. What was wrong with that?
Only Qin Aiqing and Shang Aiqing were sensible. Qin Aiqing told him to go and have fun, and to leave the important affairs of the court to him; Shang Aiqing volunteered to accompany him to Hangzhou, saying that she would introduce him to delicious food and fun activities...
This is a truly loyal minister!
Emperor Chen was deeply moved. In this emotion, his intelligence seemed to drop a few percentage points. He exclaimed, "Although Minister Qin is disabled, he is utterly loyal. Those people call him 'Nine Thousand Years Old' simply to sow discord between me and Minister Qin. I will issue an edict to bestow upon him the title of 'Nine Thousand Years Old' right now. Let's see what those people can say then!"
Qin Ye, upon receiving the imperial edict: "..."
Emperor Chen thought of Shang Yunlan, who had always taken him out for food and entertainment, and was even more moved: "Although Minister Shang is unlearned and incompetent, it is precisely because of this that he has a pure and innocent heart! These people call him a treacherous minister because they are jealous of my love and respect for Minister Shang. I will issue an order to make him a king of a different surname. Let's see what those people can say then!"
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Shang Yunlan was speechless.
Therefore, when Shang Yunlan and Emperor Chen embarked on their journey to Hangzhou, everyone they passed by addressed him as "Your Highness".
...
Meanwhile, Li Langxuan and Yan Xuening also set off. As for Li Langhuan, she had already set off ahead of Li Langxuan and Shang Yunlan's group, detoured to Hangzhou, and then disguised herself and embarked on the road to Yunnan.
...
Southern Chen, Hangzhou.
A special guest has been visiting Yuelai Inn these past few days. She seems to be the wife of a high-ranking official. She stays in her room all day and never goes out. Her meals are brought in and out by the maids who are always by her side.
The shopkeeper was also curious, but his employer warned him not to offend that lady, and even more so not to inquire about her whereabouts, or he could forget about continuing to live in Hangzhou.
The shopkeeper immediately understood that the woman was most likely the wife of Prefect Yan. Apart from Prefect Yan, no one else in Hangzhou could wield such power.
He had heard about the story of Prefect Yan favoring his concubine over his wife. The shopkeeper was disdainful, but it was, after all, a nobleman's family affair. How could a commoner like him dare to interfere? He could only secretly despise him in his heart.
The innkeeper shook his head and fiddled with the abacus. Just then, a couple who looked extremely wealthy walked into the inn. The innkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then eagerly stepped forward: "Are you two esteemed guests here for a meal or to stay the night?"
The young woman was pretty and delicate, but her beautiful almond-shaped eyes seemed to show signs of fatigue. She had a rather domineering air about her: "I'm here to find someone."
The innkeeper was taken aback for a moment, and then immediately thought of the prefect's wife who had been staying at the inn for five or six days.
He lowered his eyes, not daring to ask any more questions: "Madam, please come with me."
The young lady waved her hand and said, "Wait a moment, my husband has some things to take care of. Please look after that lady, I'll be right back."
The shopkeeper naturally had no choice but to comply.
The young lady, Yan Xuening, pulled Li Langxuan out of the inn and whispered, "Have my cousin and the others arrived yet?"
Seeing that Yan Xuening was finally not sad anymore, Li Langxuan breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his voice to say, "Yaochen and that person have both arrived—I've discussed it with Yaochen, so don't worry, I will definitely take care of this for you."
Yan Xuening let out a breath, smiled easily, and looked somewhat mischievous: "I'll wait and see what happens."
...
Inside the room, Madam Cheng was staring blankly at a bowl of medicine. Xue Rong, her eyes red, coaxed, "Madam, please drink it quickly. You'll get better if you drink the medicine, and then we can go to Shengjing to find the Duke."
Madam Cheng forced a smile and said somewhat reluctantly, "What do you want with the Duke? If Yao Chen finds out, he'll definitely tell Aning. Aning can't keep secrets. If this gets out, what will the son-in-law think? His wife, whom he's married less than three days ago, has a mother who was divorced..."
As she spoke, Cheng's eyes reddened.
She wasn't unaware that Prefect Yan was a wolf in sheep's clothing, a petty person who became arrogant after gaining power, but for A Ning's sake, she had endured until today.
Who knew this would lead to such an outcome?
Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly, which Xue Rong saw and felt distressed.
After a moment of silence, the two suddenly heard the innkeeper's voice from outside: "...That lady is staying here."
Cheng and Xue Rong exchanged a glance, both puzzled and frightened.
Who's coming from outside? Is it Prefect Yan...?
Just as the two were filled with surprise and doubt, a voice they knew all too well came from outside: "Mother!"
Madam Cheng was stunned, then came to her senses and quickly got up to open the door. Sure enough, she saw her daughter Yan Xuening, whom she had been thinking about day and night.
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