The woman called "Palace Mistress" was a beautiful young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Qiao Xiuyu. If one did not look closely, one would certainly not be able to tell the difference.
But if Shang Shaoyan were here, she would definitely smile knowingly: "So it's...Teacher Xie."
That's right, the one referred to as "Palace Master" is Xie Huayin.
Xie Huayin raised her hand, and then the people kneeling on the ground stood up one after another. They didn't even dare to raise their heads when facing her, and they all froze in place.
Xie Huayin walked towards the young woman, waving a round fan in her hand: "Su Ling, how can you be so useless?"
Su Ling's face immediately turned pale with fear. She knelt down again and kowtowed obediently: "Su Ling has failed in her duties. Please punish me, Palace Master."
Xie Huayin curled her lips into a slight smile and said, "Get up. When did I say I was going to punish you?"
She looked in the direction Qiao Xiuyu had left, raised an eyebrow, and said meaningfully, "This person actually bears a resemblance to me..."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How is Su Yan doing?"
Su Ling bowed her head respectfully and said, "Su Yan sent a message ten days ago, saying that the Prince of Nan'an had sent assassins to follow Shang Shaoyan, but so far there has been no news of Shang Shaoyan's death."
Just then, a pigeon landed on Xie Huayin's shoulder. Xie Huayin casually teased the pigeon with her knuckles, and then took the note from her leg.
"Heyang is seriously ill and may not live much longer."
She smiled, a slight smirk playing on her lips: "I'm afraid they've already succeeded, but Shang Yunlan has suppressed the news."
Then, Su Ling saw a hint of nostalgia flash across Xie Huayin's eyes, and she was somewhat shocked—it seemed that the Palace Master had a past connection with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
However, this was not something she should be thinking about. Su Ling quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any further, and continued, "Su Yan sent another message, saying that the Prince of Nan'an has been acting crazy lately and has tried to commit suicide several times, saying that he wants to go down and keep Shang company to relieve his worries."
Xie Huayin raised an eyebrow: "He's quite the romantic... but in the end, he's only touching his own heart. If he wants to die, who can stop him? Ha."
Su Ling lowered her eyes, not daring to reply.
...
After gaining favor with Chen Shu, Shang Shaoyan thought for a moment and then went to find Li Xuan.
The biggest difference between Li Xuan and Chen Shu is that the former is more likely to understand things. Whether it is being exiled to Shu Prefecture or accepting Shang Shaoyan's plan to rebel, he can understand it. He just can't quite accept the latter.
However, Shang Shaoyan is not worried about the latter for the time being. After all, in Li Xuan's eyes, no matter how smart he is, he probably can't subdue the Shang army in the Northwest.
In reality, it wouldn't be difficult for Shang Shaoyan to subdue the Shang army. She had been sending them money, weapons, and food recently, and the Shang army was already deeply grateful. Not to mention, Shang Shaoyan was exceptionally skilled and possessed superhuman strength. As long as Shang Shaoyan went to the Northwest, it would only be a matter of time before she brought the Shang army under her command.
Unlike Chen Shu, who was just beginning to experience the joy of a carefree life, Li Xuan had long harbored the desire to retire. He quickly accepted and adapted well to his time slacking off in Shuzhou.
When Shang Shaoyan approached Li Xuan, he was in a teahouse listening to a storyteller recounting tales of Shengjing, including Li Xuan's exoneration of a certain prince two years prior. The audience was captivated, frequently exclaiming in approval.
It must be said that this storyteller's eloquence was truly remarkable. Despite the complex and treacherous nature of power struggles, he made them sound dramatic and vivid, as if he were a chivalrous knight-errant wandering the martial world, bringing the sword fights and life-or-death crises from the shadows into the light.
Others might not understand the significance, but who is Li Xuan?
Having navigated the court for over forty years, he possessed keen insight and immediately recognized that this was not a story that a storyteller could write. It required not only superb writing skills and a sharp mind, but also keen observation of the world and a keen understanding of human nature.
I don't know which old friend who lived in seclusion in Shu Prefecture wrote it.
Li Xuan listened with amusement, but when he saw Shang Shaoyan approaching, he quickly suppressed his smile and sat up straight.
Shang Shaoyan's lips curled up slightly: "Lord Li seems to really like this story."
Li Xuan feigned sternness and said in a serious tone, "What's there to like or dislike? It's just something to listen to to pass the time." Shang Shaoyan said "Oh," and then sighed, resting his chin on his hand, "I was just saying I'd bring the storyteller to meet you, but since that's the case, forget it."
Li Xuan's eyes lit up immediately, but he quickly cleared his throat and straightened his posture: "It's not that we can't meet..."
Shang Shaoyan deliberately teased him, sighing, "But I can tell that Lord Li isn't very willing, so let's just forget about it. How can we force Lord Li?"
Li Xuan: "..."
He had always known that He Yang was a cunning and wicked girl, but he never expected that she would dare to tease him!
However, Li Xuan was not the kind of person who thought highly of himself or was petty. He felt more frustrated than humiliated, so he glared at Shang Shaoyan angrily and said, "Fine, I want to see him, okay?"
Shang Shaoyan immediately knew when to stop, and she said seriously, "I am the one who wrote the story, Lord Li. Are you surprised or not?"
Li Xuan: "..."
Li Xuan nearly choked on his breath. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief: "You wrote this?"
That's not right. No matter how smart Princess Heyang is, she shouldn't be this powerful!
Seeing this, how could Shang Shaoyan not understand Li Xuan's thoughts? She immediately sneered: "Lord Li is underestimating me too much. Not to mention that I can write such a story, even my maid Bai Lu is more learned than your grandson... Lord Li, if you don't believe me, this story is the best proof."
She stared intently at Li Xuan, making him subconsciously wipe the cold sweat from his brow. It was at this moment that Li Xuan truly realized that Princess Heyang genuinely wanted to rebel, and that she had the ability to do so.
Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Logically, he should have reported to His Majesty or informed the political enemies of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but... he himself was already disliked by His Majesty, and His Majesty would not listen to him at all. Even if His Majesty did listen, he could not outmaneuver Princess Heyang.
As for the political enemies of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
No matter how ruthless Li Xuan was, he still had a conscience. Putting aside how much the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had helped him along the way, all of the Duke of Zhenguo's enemies were treacherous officials like the Prince of Nan'an. He would be crazy to report such things to those people. Not to mention that after the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was destroyed, there would be fewer virtuous officials in the capital. Just consider the 100,000 troops in the Northwest. If the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wasn't keeping them in check, wouldn't they be in chaos?
However, by the same token, with these 100,000 troops in the hands of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Princess Heyang will rebel sooner or later.
Li Xuan's head throbbed with worry, and his gaze towards Shang Shaoyan changed.
Princess Heyang was forcing herself to accept this situation.
Or rather, she was forcing herself to make a statement.
Shang Shaoyan took a leisurely sip of tea and smiled gently: "Lord Li, rest assured, thanks to He Yang's efforts, the city of Shuzhou is as solid as a rock, not even a mosquito can fly in—nor can it fly out."
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