Chapter 59 Different Identities
Before Su Bin finished her words, Wen Yao already knew what she was going to say.
"Ever since I entered the palace, I've missed my father and mother. But compared to the time I fled to Bianliang, I prefer the present life." Su Bin's eyes were open, her expression dazed, and she was lost in memories of the past: "Why did my family end up being torn apart? My father was clearly an upright official, unlike others. Because he didn't hold power, he was loyal and passionate, but that's why he died an untimely death. I don't want to be slaughtered by others anymore. I can't be lucky every time. In the future, there may never be another you to save me."
"What do you want to bet on?" Wen Yao forcefully pulled her to sit down at the table, placing a hand on her thin shoulder. "You want your child to sit in that position too? You're so confused! You actually think that's a good thing."
Nearing noon, everything outside the window was quiet. The eunuchs and palace maids guarding Yunjin Pavilion were escorted away by Hong Shu. Thin smoke curled from the incense burner at the foot of the house, twisting and fading.
Wen Yao looked at the girl she had rescued and sent to Jiutai, and said seriously, "So what if he sits on it? Given the current situation, if your child really sits on it, he will be half dead in the fierce competition. If you really love him, you might as well ask for the title of a leisurely prince for him, so that he can live a rich and carefree life."
With tears in her eyes, Concubine Su looked at Wen Yao and shook her head gently, "How can things in this world be so simple? In the eyes of outsiders, the only ones who can sit on the throne are Prince Yong and Prince Qin. If it's Prince Yong, it's fine. The Empress will at least show her leniency and won't treat the concubines harshly, even for the sake of courtesy and face. But if it's Prince Qin... Putting aside my father's feud with the Qin faction, even Concubine Feng's arrogant and domineering personality. If she were to sit on the throne of Empress Dowager, I'm afraid none of the late emperor's concubines would survive."
"Besides, water flows to the lowest places, and people strive for the highest places." Supin wiped away her tears, suddenly smiled again, and said sadly, "I am not someone who is indifferent to fame and fortune and never fights for anything. Even if I entered the palace and got pregnant, how could I not want to fight for it! Losing means death. Winning means that the country will be completely transformed. No one will be able to use their power to humiliate or destroy the one I love."
Wen Yao did not expect her to be so clear-headed and resolute.
"Miss Wen, even if it's for Prince Yan's sake, you might consider my words." Concubine Su grabbed Wen Yao's wrist. She hadn't removed her armor, and the hard, cold metal branded Wen Yao's flesh, causing a slight sting. "Since ancient times, emperors have been known to be estranged from their brothers. Moreover, in the important cities of western Sichuan, the reduction of vassal states is common. I'll tell you the truth. Your Majesty may not be able to hold out for much longer. If the next emperor dislikes Prince Yan, not only will he be imprisoned, but General Gao and his men will also be implicated."
"If Your Highness supports my son, and I have no foundation for ruling from behind the scenes, Your Highness can use this opportunity to secure your position. I dare not speculate on what will happen a hundred or two hundred years from now. Within two generations, Sichuan, western Sichuan, and the imperial court will be like one family. Isn't that good?"
"Perhaps you've said these words too early." Wen Yao lowered his head and said after a long while: "If the baby is a girl——"
"No." Su Bin interrupted Wen Yao with a heavy tone, emphasizing each word: "This child will only be a boy."
Wen Yao understood instantly, and she looked at Su Bin, shocked.
Supin said softly, "Why are you looking at me like that, young lady? Aren't there enough cases of true and false thefts in the imperial palace?"
"Wait a minute." Wen Yao shook his head and said, "I need to slow down."
Concubine Su released her hand and said, "Young lady, you can take your time to think about it... I'll ask Hong Su to pack up some of these snacks. That's all I have to say today. I hope you can persuade His Royal Highness Prince Yan to give me a firm answer."
In the end, Hong Shu packed not just a few snacks, but a whole three-layer food box.
Wen Yao walked to the Lingyu Guard carriage, carrying a heavy mahogany food box in one hand. Before she could get in, the door opened from the inside, and Zhao Xuanxu leaned out, extending his hand to her: "Ayao."
Wen Yao, holding her clothes and with a heavy heart, climbed onto the carriage and repeated to Zhao Xuanxu what Su Bin had just said.
"Ayao, do you think she's right?" Zhao Xuanxu opened the lunch box and casually picked up a piece of cake with his right hand, which had healed a lot. "Ayao, if you want to help, then help."
"She reminded me today. If you just let me give up and leave, what will happen to Shaoshan Qianying and the others?" Wen Yao sat beside him, his right hand tightly grasped by Zhao Xuanxu, pressing it against his leg. "The same goes for Zhang Yun. After all, they are not you, and a minister should not fight with his king. I always find Prince Yong strange, and I can't say I like him. Prince Xiang is acceptable, but unfortunately, he has no ambitions here and doesn't seem to be pretending - have you ever considered these things before?"
"Oh." Zhao Xuanxu listened to her talk, but his hands were busy, squeezing several flower-shaped snacks in a row: "No."
He was not as calm and stable as he is now before. He was sick every day and had no mood to think about these things.
"well."
Wen Yao sighed.
The carriage started moving.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu suddenly thought of something and threw down the cake. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands casually. He walked towards Wen Yao and said, "Jiang Qiaosheng is at home. She's too annoying. I don't want to go back. Let's go to Fanlou for dinner today."
"Fanlou?"
Ever since the Prince of Xiang pointed out that there was a Prince Chu in Bianliang City, Zhao Xuanxu went back and investigated the person thoroughly.
He looked at Wen Yao frankly and said, "Didn't you say earlier that you had something to discuss with the Ghost Market Master? It just so happens that my status is different now, so I should meet Ayao's friends."
He kept on talking about one thing after another, and turned the originally heavy topic of intrigue and deception into another direction.
Wen Yao was caught off guard. Zhao Xuanxu leaned in quite close, his long, raven-feather eyelashes almost brushing the side of her face. All she could see was the dignified, elegant face of His Royal Highness Prince Yan. She was stuck and almost stuttered, "Okay, okay. But I don't know if Chu Yutang is in Fanlou right now."
"It's okay to take a look." Zhao Xuanxu squeezed half of his chest between the car wall and Wen Yao's shoulders, and pulled out his arm to carefully place it on her lower back. He covered most of her body without touching her wound. "If you're not here, please come over."
Inside the huge carriage, the two of them snuggled together, very close to each other.
Zhao Xuanxu reached over with his other hand, crossed in front of Wen Yao, and opened the window on her side a little. Wen Yao leaned against his chest, feeling the vibration of his chest, and said to the outside, "Turn around and go to Fanlou."
The Feather Guards outside responded, and then the carriage changed direction and headed towards Donghua Gate.
Fanlou is located in Jingmingfang, directly opposite the Donghua Gate of the Imperial Palace. Its five three-story towers, connected by a pearl corridor, can accommodate a thousand people. Unlike Qiongyulou, Fanlou has private rooms on the top floor and a gate and horse path below. Both high-ranking officials and ordinary people can enter Fanlou. It is brightly lit day and night, and except for the Cold Food Festival, the gates are never closed.
Wen Yao had been in Bianliang for quite some time, but this was his first time back to Fanlou.
No matter where they go, as soon as the Lingyu Guard God of Death arrives, His Royal Highness Prince Yan will naturally be the most pompous.
The bustling corridor fell silent. The people who were originally toasting each other gathered their gazes and watched Prince Yan leisurely get off the carriage. Even the shop assistant who was attentively welcoming the guests was stunned.
The waiter at Fanlou was also used to seeing important people. He quickly reacted and walked over with a few people. He bowed deeply to Zhao Xuanxu and said, "Your Highness, Prince Yan!"
Zhao Xuanxu looked up and saw that the seats downstairs were scattered, and most of the people sitting down to eat were ordinary people. Seeing the legendary King of Yan and the big swords slung at the waists of the Feathered Guards, everyone tightened their necks and showed fear.
"Pick a private room facing the street." Zhao Xuanxu turned his back to Wen Yao, his chin slightly raised. It was hard to tell what expression he had, but it certainly wasn't friendly. "Is your boss here?"
"Boss?" The waiter subconsciously looked at the manager who walked out from the long counter on the side.
Wen Yao sighed, walked up, and said, "It's not him. Where is your Boss Chu? I have some friendship with him. If he is in Bianliang, please tell him that I invite him to dinner at Fanlou."
The Chu family was a vast and complex business with a strict hierarchy. The clerk had no idea who 'Boss Chu' was and was stunned by the words of the woman in black.
But the manager who walked behind him knew. Hearing these three words, his face became more cautious and said carefully: "I don't know the girl's name——"
"Wen Yao." Wen Yao said, "If he has nothing to do, tell him to hurry up. Today is one of his few chances to make a killing from me."
"Okay, okay." The manager realized who Wen Yao was and nodded repeatedly. He personally led the two out and rode quickly towards the Ghost Market. The waiter swallowed his doubts and led Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu to the best private room on the third floor, asking if they wanted to order now.
Wen Yao said, "Wait until your boss comes before ordering."
The waiter agreed, then led others to serve fruits, cakes, and drinks. The bowls, plates, and wine jugs were all silver, intricately patterned and intricately decorated, and certainly worth a fortune. Jiangnan silk served as tablecloths, and hollowed-out pink vases were piled in the corners. The opulence in the private room seemed to flow like water.
Fanlou, which has been famous throughout the world since the previous dynasty, is indeed different from other places.
The person hadn't arrived yet. Zhao Xuanxu poured sweet syrup for Wen Yao and asked casually, "How did Ah Yao and Boss Chu know each other?"
This was an ordinary sentence, and Zhao Xuanxu's expression was also ordinary, but there was a faint sense of wariness and sourness floating around.
Wen Yao rubbed her nose. Listening to her boyfriend's jealous tone, she felt a little uncomfortable, but also wanted to laugh. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I knew him before I knew Lou Chengyi, Jiang Qiaosheng, and you. I have no parents, and I started out doing odd jobs in a caravan to make a living. Later, when I became more capable, I started escorting. His family has been merchants for generations, and it was his caravan that first took me in."
No matter where or when, once people have money, they will have more troubles at home.
Chu Yutang, born into the Chu family, should have been a wealthy young master, living in luxury. Unfortunately, his parents died when he was eight, and several uncles, finding excuses to send him off to join a caravan, were sent on a whim. This was supposed to be training, but in reality, it was exile, waiting for an opportunity to appropriate Chu Yutang's share of the family fortune.
Coincidentally, Chu Yutang came with the caravan that Wen Yao was in at that time. They were traveling along the Xiangbei Ancient Tea-Horse Road and were particularly inconspicuous among the huge business team of the Chu family.
The caravan didn't know Chu Yutang's exact identity, but they all knew he was a remarkable figure, revered as a bodhisattva. Chu Yutang wasn't as talkative back then, staying in his carriage and rarely emerging. Wen Yao helped the cooks, butchering fish and selecting vegetables. Aside from a glimpse of the young master in embroidered attire dismounting his white horse from afar, through the crowd of onlookers, the two never had any other interactions.
I just didn't expect that this intersection would be so intense once it happened.
Once when they were in a valley, they stopped there for the night. Wen Yao drank a lot of noodle soup and got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
She took a longer detour, but unexpectedly saw a man holding a dagger against Chu Yutang in the misty wilderness. The young master, who was as aloof and indifferent as a god during the day, was covered in mud and tied to a tree with thick hemp ropes, his mouth tightly gagged, unable to scream, and he looked extremely miserable.
Wen Yao was standing in the bushes. The person had her back to her, but Chu Yutang saw her first.
An extremely strong emotion suddenly burst out in his eyes. He stared at Wen Yao, gnashing his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and bloodshot eyes.
The prayer was mixed with hatred and unwillingness, as well as some fear.
He doesn't want to die.
The one holding the dagger was a bodyguard from the caravan, and he wanted to kill Chu Yutang for some unknown reason. In Wen Yao's eyes, Chu Yutang was just an eleven or twelve-year-old child, perhaps a little introverted and afraid of others.
After standing for a while, seeing that the man was about to stab Chu Yutang's neck with a dagger, Wen Yao picked up a rugged stone covered with mud on the ground and walked quietly behind the man. He raised his arm high and knocked the man to the ground with the stone!
Blood oozes out from his skin, the man groans, and falls to the ground like a dead dog.
Wen Yao threw away the stone, squatted down, touched him calmly, and after making sure he was still breathing, he stood up and untied Chu Yutang.
The man had strong hands and tied the rope tightly. The hemp rope was stuck on Chu Yutang's body. Wen Yao had to work very hard to untie the rope.
She threw the rope to the ground, took a step back, and said, "What should be done with this person--"
Chu Yutang suddenly rushed over and hugged her.
Boys develop later than girls. He is shorter than Wen Yao. His fragrant hair is as precious as he is, and it rests against Wen Yao's chin.
He was shivering slightly, but his arms were warm. He squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "Don't be afraid."
Wen Yao was stunned.
Chu Yutang thought Wen Yao had killed someone. He raised his eyes, his eyes clear and fixed on Wen Yao. He was obviously scared to death, but he still assured her: "No one will arrest you, you will be fine, don't be afraid."
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