"Ever since the provincial examination, a nobleman from the capital has sent me a letter inviting me to assist him. I didn't intend to believe him."
"But he left me a token, and the character 'Li' engraved on it is enough to prove his identity. I promised you I would buy you a grand mansion with three courtyards and three entrances, and that I would let you enjoy thousands of taels of gold, so..."
"Wait!" Meng Qingluan interrupted, "Li... what's that person's name?"
Meng Qingluan was filled with anxiety. A name had already surfaced in her mind, but she was still unwilling to give up.
"He didn't say that I've never met him."
"..."
Meng Qingluan nodded absentmindedly, signaling him to continue.
“He said to send me a message if I needed any help, and he also told me that the imperial court was making moves to suppress bandits, and that the mountain bandits in the vicinity were all restless, so I was planning to leave for those few days.”
"Unexpectedly, plans can't keep up with changes. They sped up their actions. I went out that day to guide them to pick you up, but I never expected..."
"..."
Meng Qingluan sighed and nodded to indicate that she understood.
What's meant to escape will inevitably come, and what's meant to happen will happen eventually.
Furthermore, considering the court, besides assisting Li Zhanjue, the other princes are even more unreliable…
The Crown Prince was weak and incompetent, the second, third and fourth princes died young, and the fifth prince, Li Zhanjue, was the only one who was somewhat upright.
Needless to say, the Seventh Prince is the main villain, a character who pretends to be weak while actually being strong.
As for the Sixth Prince… Meng Qingluan had heard of him, and he seemed to be a ruthless character, but he was only mentioned briefly in the text, and he didn’t get along well with Shen Yan.
Looking at the whole picture, it seems like only Li Zhanjue is left...
As the two were talking, a servant came to knock on the door.
Chen Yan leaned against Meng Qingluan, stubbornly refusing to move.
Meng Qingluan hurriedly urged him, "Get up quickly, what will people think if they see you like this?"
Chen Yan buried his face in her shoulder, somewhat resentful, pretending not to hear.
Meng Qingluan glanced at him, "Why don't you let them in? What if it's an emergency?"
Chen Yan reluctantly moved his head off her shoulder and said indifferently toward the door.
"Come in."
Upon hearing the permission, the maid inside opened the door and let the person in.
The guard hurriedly entered the house, knowing that Meng Qingluan was still resting, and stood outside the door to deliver a message.
"My lord, the Fifth Prince has come to pay a visit."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan frowned almost imperceptibly and refused without hesitation.
"Tell him I'm busy and ask him to come another day."
The guard said with difficulty, "The Fifth Prince said he came to check on the lady's health and brought some medicine for colds from the palace."
Shen Yan's eyes darkened, his dissatisfaction growing, and the coldness in his voice almost overflowed.
"No need."
"Hey, stop." Meng Qingluan raised her hand and covered his mouth.
She knew exactly what he was going to say, and of course she didn't want the two of them to meet.
But Li Zhanjue's status is what it is; no matter what, he is the son of the current emperor, the fifth prince.
What are those two? Shen Yan, no matter how capable he is, is still just a commoner.
They're not in love right now, and if you anger him, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.
Besides, it's always better to meet openly than to hide everywhere.
She was well aware of the despicable behavior of male protagonists in old-fashioned novels, whether they were pure love stories or romance novels.
They all become more interested the more they try to hide from each other.
She was terrified that Li Zhanjue might suddenly fall ill. She hadn't originally planned to like Shen Yan, but after being rejected time and time again, she got an itch to fall for him.
Meng Qingluan advised, "It's not appropriate for a prince to come and see you like this."
Shen Yan was not happy. "As a prince, he should have the demeanor befitting one. How can someone so petty be expected to amount to anything?"
Meng Qingluan's eyes widened in shock at his insubordinate words, and she raised her hand again to cover his mouth.
"Shh! Shh!" Meng Qingluan was frantic. "If your words get over other people's ears and are spread by those with ulterior motives, we'll be doomed!"
"..."
Shen Yan stared at her with his eyes open, making muffled sounds.
Meng Qingluan warned, "You can put it down, but you must go out and meet them immediately. Don't be shy or hesitant."
Although Shen Yan didn't want to, he had no choice but to reluctantly nod in agreement under her tyrannical power.
Meng Qingluan released her hand, and Shen Yan was just about to get out of bed when she called out to him.
"Wait, I'll go with you."
Meng Qingluan was still worried and made a suggestion.
Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Shen Yan's mind, and he rejected her suggestion almost without thinking.
"no!"
Meng Qingluan retorted, "Why not? I'm not interrupting your conversation, and besides, they already said they came to see how my health is."
She wanted to go, partly to stop the two from flirting and falling for each other, and partly because she was curious about what the legendary male lead actually looked like.
Shen Yan was silenced, and before he could say anything more, Meng Qingluan had already given him orders.
"Get me clothes and socks."
Chen Yan: "..."
Shen Yan, with a sullen face, still ordered the maid to bring in shoes, socks, and clothes, while he himself began to serve her.
After Meng Qingluan changed her clothes, she stretched out her legs, and Chen Yan immediately helped her put on her shoes and socks.
Meng Qingluan was already used to his cold-faced behavior of washing her underwear, so she sat on the edge of the tatami and enjoyed the service.
Inside the lobby.
Li Zhanjue sat in a chair, casually resting one hand on the table next to him, his fingers stroking the white porcelain teacup.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, I saw two figures walking together from the direction of the backyard.
One was tall and the other short. The man bent down and said something, while the woman just kept nodding, somewhat perfunctorily.
The two held hands tightly, which was eye-catching and could not be ignored. From a distance, they looked like a perfect match, a truly well-groomed couple.
Li Zhanjue tightened his grip on the teacup, withdrew his gaze, and looked into his eyes, which were shrouded in dark clouds, unfathomable.
The two quickly arrived at the main hall. Shen Yan gave a perfunctory greeting, but deliberately stood in front of Meng Qingluan, blocking her view.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Meng Qingluan pinched his hand in dissatisfaction, stepped forward to show her face, and greeted Shen Yan after he spoke.
Li Zhanjue quickly concealed the deep look in his eyes and placed the teacup steadily on the table.
He raised his head, smiled gently at the two of them, and then looked at Meng Qingluan to return the greeting.
"Third Sister Meng, it's been a long time. How are you feeling?"
"..."
Hearing the familiar voice, Meng Qingluan suddenly looked up and saw that familiar face.
this……
Young Master Yu?
Is Li Zhanjue the Jade Prince?
Meng Qingluan instantly withdrew her smile and silently retreated behind Shen Yan.
Then he stepped forward again, and looked up at the person in front of him uncertainly.
...?
It's still Young Master Yu's face, with that standard, punchable smile still on it.
Li Zhanjue's expression was gentle. "What? Has Third Madam Meng forgotten me?"
Meng Qingluan finally accepted the reality: Li Zhanjue had been impersonating the Jade Prince all along…
She shook her head and replied politely and distantly, "No, Fifth Prince, you are so handsome and have the appearance of an immortal. How could I possibly forget you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com