The palace servants were more polite to Chen Yan than before. They used to be in awe, but now their every move and gesture revealed a hint of flattery.
Fang Shan walked beside him proudly, saying softly, "It's all thanks to me."
Chen Yan's lips moved, but Fang Shan waved his hand before him: "You're welcome."
Green willows and red walls, apart from the gloomy atmosphere, the plants in the palace are growing vigorously, and the tall trees seem to have a sign of passing through the city walls.
Fang Shan was admiring the scenery and asked casually, "Where is Concubine Li's sister?"
The palace maid following behind them shuddered, and only when Fang Shan gave them a sharp look did she hurriedly say, "It seems they are cooling off in the pavilion over at Yuxuan Palace."
Fang Shan smiled and said, "He's just fallen into the water and is so careless. What if he catches a cold?"
With every word he spoke, the palace maid's heart sank a little. The news that Concubine Li's sister was pestering the Crown Prince had spread throughout the palace, and she hoped that the future Crown Princess would not vent her anger on him.
Fang Shan naturally would not vent his anger on a little girl for no reason. He said, "Lead the way." The palace maid felt relieved and walked forward with her head down.
Fang Shan didn't shy away from the presence of others and began to talk to Chen Yan about the girl who had thrown herself into his arms: "Empress Li is truly willing to give."
No matter how beautiful she is, it is still unknown whether she can please the prince. With the title of the second most beautiful woman in the capital, if she does not enter the palace, she may be more useful if she marries a minister in the future.
Chen Yan said calmly, "Empress Li's sister was adopted."
Fang Shan let out a light exclamation and searched the original owner's memory to confirm that it was unclear.
"She was originally the daughter of Li Shan, the deputy general in the army. Li Shan and Concubine Li's father were good friends. Later, Li Shan's family suffered a disaster, so Concubine Li's father adopted the girl."
"Even if a family member suffers a disaster, isn't it usually handed over to other relatives in the clan for care?"
Chen Yan: "Even before Li Shan became wealthy, his relationship with his clan was strained. Later, on his way back to Beijing, his family was attacked by bandits, and only his youngest daughter survived."
Fang Shan raised an eyebrow. His death was a bit too bizarre. The lieutenant general was killed by bandits. Logically, the emperor should be furious and conduct a thorough investigation.
The figure sitting in the pavilion could be seen from afar. Chen Yan dismissed the palace attendants and spoke in a very low voice, "Li Shan tried to attack me on the battlefield, but there was insufficient evidence."
Fang Shan: "Did you cause his death?"
"Murdering a court official is a crime," Chen Yan shook his head. "So I went to the emperor in tears and filed a complaint."
"..." Fang Shan was briefly shocked, then narrowed his eyes: "Your Majesty trusts the general enough and is also ruthless enough."
In the end, only one person was left alive in the family.
Chen Yan: "It's a warning to scare the tiger out of the mountain, to prevent others from having the same idea in the future. Actually, Your Majesty is quite merciful, at least he left one person alive."
Fang Shan, however, heard another implication from this. Sometimes, those in power only need to make judgments. The so-called evidence is just auxiliary to them. "Does Concubine Li's father know about this?"
A sarcastic smile appeared on Chen Yan's lips.
Fang Shan laughed: "Most likely I don't know."
The emperor was the murderer of that girl's father, so how could he possibly let her stay with the prince?
Chen Yan: "That girl's status is a bit awkward. It's not acceptable for her to marry down, but it's hard for her to become the legal wife if she marries into a wealthy family."
After weighing the pros and cons, it would be better to send her to the palace.
Fang Shan sneered, "If Concubine Li's father knew the real cause of Li Shan's death, he would probably regret it."
Chen Yan also found it amusing: "He adopted the orphan to gain a reputation for being loyal and righteous, but he didn't realize that he was actually shooting himself in the foot."
As they were talking, the two of them had already walked out of the pavilion.
The girl who was sitting with her back to them turned around when she heard the footsteps, revealing a pretty face.
Fang Shan saw ambition in those clear eyes and couldn't help but smile at Chen Yan: "I originally thought that the flowers that would grow in this environment would be self-pitying daffodils. I underestimated it."
Chen Yan glanced at him and said, "The people of the Li family are all born to be rebellious."
He had saved Li Shan's life, but the other party stabbed him in the back without hesitation on the battlefield.
When Fang Shan was observing the person opposite him, the latter was also observing him: he was wearing red clothes and had black hair, and every blink of his eyes was full of charm.
A very delicate beauty, and the kind that men cannot resist.
A hint of displeasure flashed across the girl's eyes. No wonder after this person appeared, she fell from being the most beautiful woman in the capital to the second.
Fang Shan: "I want to talk to Miss Li alone."
The girl thought he wouldn't dare to do anything, so she asked the palace maids around him to move away.
Fang Shan took a few steps forward, revealing an overly bright smile. He picked up the girl with one hand and threw her into the pool before she could even scream.
Even Chen Yan was caught off guard by the smooth and efficient movement.
Fang Shan walked out of the pavilion and squatted on the shore, watching the person struggling in the pool. "Are you surprised? If anything happens to you, I will be blamed. So you feel so safe and bold to be alone with me?"
He paused and said, "Unfortunately, the most difficult people to deal with in this world are lunatics who defy reason and logic."
“Help, help!”
Chen Yan came from behind and sighed: "Pull the person out."
“She knows how to swim.”
Chen Yan was stunned.
Fang Shan moved his fingers: "You don't understand women at all. Even if it's a scheme, they won't easily get involved."
In the end, Chen Yan did not lend a helping hand. Seeing that they were really not prepared to rescue her, the girl suppressed her anger, swam ashore by herself with her arms swinging.
Chen Yan, who was originally skeptical, smiled coldly: "You are quite accurate in your calculations."
"Some women are born to act," Fang Shan patted his chest. "To be on the safe side, the general can find someone like me."
Chen Yan thought about it and decided that he would rather go to Chentang.
"Miss Li, are you okay?" Fang Shan asked with pretended concern.
The girl stared at him intently, unable to speak because of the violent coughing.
Fang Shan: "If you want to file a complaint, go ahead, but I'll say you jumped down on your own to frame me."
With a wave of his sleeves, he was about to turn and leave gracefully. Suddenly, Fang Shan thought of something and turned around and asked, "Miss Li, I don't know your full name yet."
The girl didn't answer and kept coughing.
Fang Shan: "Tell me so I can carve a tombstone for you next time."
“…”
Without waiting for an answer, Fang Shan asked Chen Yan to leave.
"Isn't this a bad idea?" Chen Yan said after walking a distance away, "If she really complains, you won't get away with it."
Fang Shan: "It will become a confusing account."
Chen Yan was helpless: "But His Majesty will have a problem with you. If the Crown Prince hadn't known you for a long time, he would probably think you were jealous."
Fang Shan stopped and asked, "General, what good impression do you think His Majesty has of me now?"
Chen Yan thought about it seriously and admitted that Doctor Zhang had no need to worry about this.
Fang Shan wasted some time before leisurely going to see Wei Sushen. After meeting him, he only said one sentence: "I will ask someone to check if there are any dog holes in the palace."
Wei Sushen looked at him with a complicated expression: "You don't think I will run away from marriage?"
Fang Shan looked at him carefully and said, "Just make sure everything is safe."
The speaker didn't mean anything. Chen Yan, pretending to be invisible, frowned, and suddenly realized that the prince rarely called himself "Gu" in front of Doctor Zhang.
·
Thin clouds spread out neatly in the sky, and the sunlight gilded everything, indicating that this was a good day for marriage.
The entire street was immersed in a sea of red. Fang Shan was sitting in a big red sedan, chewing an apple. He could probably hear some of the people talking outside, but when he tried to listen more closely, the sounds were drowned out by the sound of gongs and drums.
The palace was also decorated in a festive atmosphere.
Fang Shan and Wei Sushen stood side by side, each holding his hand as the other accepted the ministers' congratulations and respect. The sound of ritual music continued in their ears, and Fang Shan took the opportunity to slip a fruit core he had gnawed into Wei Sushen's hand.
Wei Sushen's expression remained unchanged, but he gave him a warning look.
Fang Shan relied on the red veil covering her face to look straight ahead.
The complicated rituals were carried out in an orderly manner. When it was the turn to pay respects to the parents, Fang Shan could clearly feel the satisfaction in Emperor Chengyuan's eyes.
More than just relief, Emperor Chengyuan felt fortunate at that time. He had been worried that there would be many unexpected problems at the wedding, but now everything was going well.
After three bows, many people breathed a sigh of relief.
Wei Sushen was still holding the fruit shell that Fang Shan had stuffed into his hand. He couldn't find a chance to throw it away, and the sticky feeling on his hand made him feel helpless.
"Is the host hungry?"
"Fortunately, I was smart enough to eat an apple to fill my stomach."
The mumbling sound was very faint, but Wei Sushen, who was standing next to him, could hear it clearly.
Emperor Chengyuan only had one prince, so there was no need for many details of greetings and interactions. Fang Shan was sent to the bedroom early, and after taking off his heavy headdress, he felt much more relaxed.
There was no matchmaker, and the maidservants were guarding the door. There was a cold atmosphere in the bedroom.
There was a lot of noise outside. Judging from the time, Wei Sushen would not be back for a while. Fang Shan rolled his eyes, snapped his fingers, and disappeared from the room the next moment without anyone noticing.
He didn't go far, intending to wait on the road where Wei Sushen would pass, ready to catch him off guard. Unexpectedly, he saw an unexpected figure under the tree, who immediately laughed and said, "Miss Li?"
The girl turned around, looking extremely shocked: "Why are you here?"
"walk."
No one would believe such a reason as taking a walk on the wedding night.
Fang Shan walked over and stood face to face with her: "It seems that Miss Li is preparing for a romantic encounter."
Being exposed in front of her, the girl inevitably looked a little embarrassed.
Fang Shan noticed that her left cheek was slightly swollen, but it was well concealed by makeup.
"Were you beaten?"
The girl thought he was going to make a sarcastic remark, so she gritted her teeth and said nothing. Concubine Li had recently been furious with her, accusing her of being useless and unable to seduce the prince.
"I will avenge you."
The expected verbal abuse did not appear. The girl was stunned and asked, "What?"
Fang Shan was possessed by a sense of drama, and looked at her with a look of pity: "Woman, I am the only one who can bully you."
“…”
Her almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise. Fang Shan felt that her reaction was a bit too much. The corners of her mouth curved up, and the next moment, she heard the girl's voice trembling, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Fang Shan subconsciously straightened up and stiffly turned his head, meeting Wei Sushen's gaze. The man stood under the green willows, his stern face forming a sharp contrast with his red dress.
The young eunuch following behind wanted to poke out his eyes to see what he had seen. Would he be killed by the prince when he turned around?
Wei Sushen walked slowly with an expressionless face, his gaze wandering between the girl and Fang Shan. The girl trembled and said, "Please listen to my explanation..."
Before she finished speaking, Wei Sushen walked forward, completely ignoring her words, and asked Fang Shan: "Is it fun?"
Fang Shan nodded calmly, and was just about to speak when Wei Sushen lifted his chin with his index finger, suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. Finally, he put his arm around Fang Shan's shoulders and said to the girl, "He belongs to me."
“…”
The author has something to say: Fang Shan: What is the host doing?
Wei Sushen: Cooperate with your performance.
Fang Shan: ...
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