"Shang Shaoyan was jilted?" Yan Xuening frowned, feeling uneasy. "What happened?"
The maids around Yan Xuening all seemed loyal, but in fact they were all Shang Shaoyan's people.
A maid then embellished the story, changing it from "Lady Cheng'en of the Duke's Mansion returning the betrothal letter" to "Lady Cheng'en of the Duke's Mansion felt that the county princess was not good enough for their family and wanted the county princess to be her concubine, but was kicked out by the heir apparent."
Yan Xuening can't stand the word "concubine" right now. Hearing that even a woman of such high status as Shang Shaoyan is facing the prospect of becoming a concubine, and thinking about herself, she suddenly felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She seemed to have thought of something, gritted her teeth, and said to the maid, "Go out and buy me something... understand?"
When the maid heard Yan Xuening ask her to buy something that sounded like an aphrodisiac, she barely suppressed the urge to curse and pretended to be troubled: "But this is not easy to buy. Nowadays, the Duke's mansion is being watched by many people. I'm afraid that I will be seen as soon as I go out."
Yan Xuening rubbed her temples, feeling somewhat irritated—she knew this principle, but if she didn't act now, it would definitely be too late.
Just then, Yan Xuening heard a commotion coming from the front hall. She had a bad feeling and quickly sent someone to inquire.
The maid rushed off and returned with a look of panic: "Miss, the young master... the young master was so angered by the Lady of Cheng'en that he suffered a heart attack and fainted!"
Yan Xuening did not doubt the truth of these words, because when she approached the front hall, she heard Shang Shaoyan crying.
"Brother, brother... what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician!"
Yan Xuening caught the fear in Shang Shaoyan's voice. It seemed that Shang Yunlan was indeed seriously ill... At this time, she definitely couldn't succeed in drugging him.
Yan Xuening was completely overwhelmed and confused, unsure of what to do next.
...
Meanwhile, after settling Shang Yunlan in, Shang Shaoyan set off for Old Madam Xie's place.
The thought of having a beautiful woman in his mansion whose mere appearance would brighten his mood filled Shang Shaoyan with joy.
The sedan chair slowly drove towards the west of the city. Shang Shaoyan originally wanted to take a short rest, but due to his excitement, he became somewhat restless.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
As soon as she entered the pastry shop, she saw Madam Xie talking to the musician.
Shang Shaoyan tiptoed, wanting to eavesdrop on what they were saying, but unexpectedly saw the old jade pendant on the young man's waist.
The jade pendant was of excellent quality. Yesterday, Shang Shaoyan only glanced at it and guessed that it belonged to a young man from a family that had fallen on hard times. But today, upon closer inspection, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and smile meaningfully.
The jade pendant is carved with flowing lines, depicting a phoenix, with the character "Cheng" faintly visible on its crown.
Others might not see anything amiss, but Shang Shaoyan has been here for almost a year and has read hundreds, if not thousands, of books, so he naturally wouldn't miss the meaning behind it.
The surname is Cheng, and the phoenix is used as a totem. Apart from the Cheng family of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, which produced three generations of empresses, there is no other explanation.
After several thought processes, Shang Shaoyan made a precise guess about the identity of the beauty who called herself a "music player".
Qiao Zhuo, the seventh son of Emperor Zhou and born to Empress Cheng, came to Southern Chen as a hostage five months ago.
While it's called a proton, that's not entirely true.
Ten years ago, the Southern Chen Dynasty was actually slightly stronger than the Northern Zhou Dynasty, but the current emperor is an absurd person who has been recklessly courting death since he ascended the throne a year ago.
It may take decades, hundreds, or even more years to bring a dynasty to its peak.
If a dynasty is pushed into decline, even a year or two would be too long.
The Zhou emperor sent a hostage, which greatly satisfied the Chen emperor's vanity. He truly believed that he could rule the world for another five hundred years, unaware that this was a test by the long-dormant Northern Zhou.
From this perspective, Qiao Zhuo's willingness to become his musician must have ulterior motives.
Thinking of this, Shang Shaoyan couldn't help but laugh. She walked in, lifting her plain dress, and raised her eyebrows, saying, "My lord is indeed punctual. It's cold today, and I was sleepy, so I'm a little late. Please don't be angry, my lord."
Qiao Xiuyu turned around and was stunned.
He knew that He Yang was beautiful, but today she was different from the playful and frivolous one he had met at first. Because it was during the mourning period, she was wearing a very simple light blue dress with a green brocade cloak over it. Her hair was loosely styled in a bun, adorned with white pearls, making her look utterly languid, which was the proper appearance of a noble lady from Shengjing.
"I'm not angry." Qiao Xiuyu smiled unconsciously, and his voice softened involuntarily. "Why would I be angry with the county princess? It's only natural for a gentleman to wait for a lady."
Shang Shaoyan looked at Qiao Xiuyu and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Young Master Lu has a really good temperament. I wonder what kind of family could raise someone like you."
Qiao Xiuyu remained calm and replied politely, "My parents are both deceased, and I was raised by my elder brother from a young age. I am not worthy of the county princess's praise."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
Both parents are deceased.
The family was overjoyed by the filial piety.
Shang Shaoyan felt that Qiao Xiuyu, as the youngest son of the Zhou Emperor and Empress, should be favored. Originally, she was wondering why he was the one held hostage in Nan Chen, but now it seems that no one else could be the best candidate.
She forced a smile and said, "Young Master Lu... you are truly magnanimous."
Qiao Xiuyu didn't notice the hidden meaning in Shang Shaoyan's words. He was secretly pleased with himself—the Princess of Heyang's parents had both passed away, and now she was living with her brother. He had made up such a backstory, which would surely evoke her sympathy! And now, she was even praising him?
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