Miss Song is here
Lan Yunyi gazed at Shen Yao with a serene look for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "It's just a storybook; I don't believe them."
Shen Yao nodded.
Lan Yunyi took out a small copper coin from somewhere and held it in his hand. The silver ingot twirled and danced between his fingertips before he suddenly clenched it in his palm.
"A-Yuan." Lan Yunyi placed the copper coin in A-Yuan's hand, "Tell the shopkeeper that this is a tip from 'Me and the Princess' to them."
A-Yuan reached out and took it, but as soon as she turned around, Shen Yao suddenly said, "Stop."
A-Yuan stopped in her tracks.
In the past, he would never have obeyed Shen Yao's orders and would have turned around and left immediately. However, Lan Yunyi had told him not long ago that he should not disobey the princess's wishes and should just report everything to her.
The two suddenly disagreed, which put A-Yuan in a very difficult position.
Lan Yunyi's face darkened, and she looked at Shen Yao with a gloomy expression.
Shen Yao met his gaze directly and said, "You only gave a copper coin as a reward, and you have the nerve to use my name?"
She is always generous with her money. She gave a small tip, even mentioning her name. The shopkeeper would immediately understand Lan Yunyi and the princess's dissatisfaction.
The shopkeeper is not afraid of Princess Yao, but he will definitely fear Lan Yunyi, who holds great power.
But what was Lan Yunyi dissatisfied with? This matter was clearly closely related to him.
Lan Yunyi laughed: "I hate this storybook."
Shen Yao sneered, bluntly exposing his words: "It is easier to prevent people from talking than to prevent a river from overflowing. Since the general wants to release this flood, he should not be afraid of the rumors spreading."
Lan Yunyi showed no panic at the exposure of her lie; instead, her smile widened.
He reached out his hand to A Yuan, and A Yuan quickly placed the copper coin in his palm after realizing what was happening.
Then Lan Yunyi said, "You all go out."
Xia Guo glanced at Shen Yao, who met her gaze and said calmly, "Go out."
Xia Guo nodded and left the private room one after the other with A Yuan.
Lan Yunyi sighed, stood up, pushed the table aside with one hand, and then suddenly picked up Shen Yao and slammed her against the wall.
Shen Yao was startled and let out a muffled groan. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around Lan Yunyi's neck, but before she could react, Lan Yunyi sealed her lips with hers.
Lan Yunyi rummaged through it thoroughly, then said, "I don't care. I don't care who the princess wants to protect."
Shen Yao snorted coldly: "Nonsense."
Lan Yunyi also gave a cold snort and said, "There is just one thing that has been lingering in my mind and I can't let it go."
Shen Yao asked, "What is it?"
Lan Yunyi paused for a long time, but still didn't ask.
...
After leaving the private room, the two acted as if nothing had happened, except that Lan Yunyi's clothes were a bit disheveled, and she had a cut on her lip, while Shen Yao's face was a little dark.
After returning home, Shen Yao tried to break the awkward silence by chatting casually with him. Lan Yunyi touched the corner of his mouth in front of the bronze mirror and suddenly said, "Princess, have you been waiting for Emperor Sheng's reply lately?"
Shen Yao paused in her writing, the ink spreading across the paper into a dark blot.
Lan Yunyi dipped his finger in the medicine and pressed it to the corner of his mouth. He smiled and said, "...The other day, the Imperial Concubine mentioned the Princess's plan at the First Prince's 100-day celebration. The Emperor will agree to anything the Imperial Concubine approves of. Therefore, the Princess's plan is bound to succeed."
Shen Yao felt a sense of relief at the good news, but on the other hand, she couldn't quite put her mind at ease. She wasn't surprised that Lan Yunyi knew about this; Lingshan Temple was located within Lingshan Village, so how could Lan Yunyi let him be in the dark? She was just slightly worried that Chengxin might be affected by this.
She was worried about Chengxin all the time, seemingly going against Lan Yunyi. But if Lan Yunyi wasn't stupid, she wouldn't do something as brainless as "jealousy".
He was just using Shen Yao's philandering as a pretext to take the opportunity to eliminate Cheng Xin.
If Shen Yao backs down now and pretends not to care about Cheng Xin, Lan Yunyi will immediately have the opportunity to eliminate Cheng Xin under the pretext of "clearing the princess's name," which would be even more disadvantageous. In that case, Shen Yao might as well make it clear that Cheng Xin is someone she is protecting and that she will not allow Lan Yunyi to pose a threat to him under any circumstances.
As for whether she had romantic feelings for Chengxin, that was not an issue between them at all.
The crux of the matter is that Lan Yunyi had long wanted to kill Chengxin, while Shen Yao wanted to protect him.
This is the key to Lan Yunyi's anger.
Furthermore, the fact that Lan Yunyi knew that Shen Yao had communicated with the emperor also proves that he had people in Lingshan Temple.
Shen Yao picked up her brush and placed it on the inkstone: "Didn't the Prince Consort say he wasn't interested?"
Lan Yunyi smiled and said, "I care about the princess, so the princess's affairs are my affairs."
Shen Yao naturally didn't believe his nonsense, but she was very curious about his claim that his plan would definitely succeed.
She asked, "What did the Imperial Concubine say at the banquet?"
Lan Yunyi walked up to Shen Yao, sat down, and said, "There's nothing special about it. It's just that the princess didn't forget to strive for progress even in Xiliang, which is an honor for the royal family. The Emperor was overjoyed by the Consort's words and rewarded her with many things on the spot."
Shen Yao frowned. Lan Yunyi's words didn't contain any direct information, so she pressed on, "So it turns out the Consort wasn't aware of my plan, and the Prince Consort thought the Emperor would definitely grant my request. Why?"
Lan Yunyi gave her a deep look and smiled, "If I am ostracized by the princess, it will be exactly what many people want; and if the princess gets into trouble because of this, no one will suffer any loss. This game is definitely worth taking a gamble on."
Shen Yao stared at him.
Lan Yunyi said, "If Consort Lan finds out that the princess wants to establish a school in Xiliang, the Lan family will naturally find out as well. With so many people pushing the princess's plan forward, I'm afraid the court will soon appoint an important official to assist her."
If she could, Shen Yao would never want to get involved in these struggles.
Shen Yao said, "I've come this far, there's no turning back."
From the moment she transmigrated, she had to actively deal with everything, and she could not turn back no matter what the future held.
The same was true for Lan Yunyi. On the day he broke with his older sister, he came to Xiliang alone. From then on, he had no way out.
Either forge ahead bravely, or turn back and you'll face an abyss.
The two remained silent for a long time.
Shen Yao picked up her brush again to practice calligraphy. Just as she finished writing a poem, A Yuan's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, saying, "General, Miss Song has arrived."
Lan Yunyi was reading a book when he heard A Yuan's words and suddenly looked towards the door.
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, her movements unwavering, and said, "If the general wants to go, then go. I am not such a petty person."
“Princess…” Lan Yunyi glanced at her hurriedly, but Shen Yao was completely absorbed in calligraphy and had no time to think about him.
Lan Yunyi stood up angrily, pushed open the door, and said, "Send her back."
A-Yuan replied, "Your subordinate is incompetent; Miss Song is already at Liuxiang Pavilion."
Just as Lan Yunyi was about to say something, Shen Yao put down her pen again and smiled, "Since you're here, why don't you stay? It's already this late, and if Miss Song goes back to the manor, it will probably be past midnight. It's not safe."
Lan Yunyi turned to look at her, clenched her fist and said, "Even if it has to be by midnight tomorrow, I have to send her back. I have the princess, how can I let Miss Song stay in the general's mansion and get in the princess's way for no reason?"
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow.
She thought Lan Yunyi meant something like, "I'm afraid Miss Song might offend the princess."
For a moment, she felt that Lan Yunyi seemed to really look at her new wife, but then she suddenly remembered the storyteller in the restaurant and Lan Yunyi's background.
The Lan family forbids taking concubines, so Lan Yunyi, as the son of an illegitimate wife, must have heard plenty of unpleasant words. Shen Yao could almost picture the scene when little Lan Yunyi and his mother, dressed in rags, inadvertently appeared before the Lan family members, and the harsh words they uttered told them to "get lost and not show up unnecessarily to offend the madam."
Shen Yao closed her eyes briefly, then suddenly softened her voice and said, "You're not bothering me. I believe there's nothing between the General and Miss Song."
Suddenly, the drums of Lingshan Temple resounded, their sound long and drawn out.
In the distance, the sun was setting. Lan Yunyi leaned against the door frame, turned her head and glanced at her indifferently, as if she were sizing up Shen Yao's expression and the deeper meaning behind her words.
Why suddenly trust him?
Isn't she a jealous woman?
But Shen Yao didn't mean anything by it and lowered her head to pick up her pen and continue writing.
In the original novel, Song Qingqing is one of the few women who was not seduced by the male lead and has always loved Lan Yunyi.
Shen Yao understood very well that although she and Lan Yunyi were currently very much in love, they would eventually go their separate ways. Therefore, she would not drive Song Qingqing away, lest Lan Yunyi come looking for her and cause her unhappiness in the future.
She recalled the description of Song Qingqing in the original novel and couldn't help but laugh, "I heard that Miss Song is as beautiful as a lotus in clear water. Although she is not stunning, she is still very pleasing to the eye. I also heard that her father is a junior official in the Ministry of Revenue, and her elder brother passed the imperial examination this year and has unparalleled calligraphy skills."
Lan Yunyi frowned.
Shen Yao said, "After I finish writing this poem, I will go and meet this Miss Song. Perhaps I can even get a piece of her brother's calligraphy."
Lan Yunyi said in a low voice, "The eldest son of the Song family is exceptionally talented, but his appearance does not match his name. He is as ugly as Wu Yan."
Shen Yao didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Lan Yunyi turned around and said softly, "...I say, then it's entirely up to the princess's wishes."
...
Song Qingqing originally lived in Liuxiang Pavilion, so when she returned, she simply put her package down there.
Logically, since she was already there, she should have paid her respects to Shen Yao first. However, she had always considered herself the mistress of the General's Mansion and had never been very proper. So, she seemed to want to use this method to show her status, and she even specially invited Lan Yunyi to dinner.
Shen Yao didn't want to embarrass anyone. After all, no one was more powerful than the emperor, and why should she, a princess, bother with the daughter of a mere vice minister? She also had no possessiveness towards Lan Yunyi, and besides, she knew Lan Yunyi wouldn't dare to do so.
When Song Qingqing's maid came into the study to invite Lan Yunyi, Lan Yunyi was sitting next to Shen Yao watching her write. The two looked so harmonious and loving that the maid was momentarily stunned.
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