A few days in the temple was enough for Kong Xuzhe, not to mention the constant presence of Yun Ruoxing, who kept trying to get close to him. Even putting aside her status as a concubine's daughter, her pretentious and coquettish demeanor was enough to make one nauseous. Kong Xuzhe finally understood why he had fallen for Xiao Yuan after just a few encounters. Xiao Yuan was truly innocent and naive, and her attitude wouldn't change based on her status or position.
People like Yun Ruoxing pretend to be simple and kind when they see people of status and position, but act as if they are unattainable when they see ordinary people or servants.
Kong Xuzhe wanted to find Yun Yichen to ask how long it would take him to return to Beijing. Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away, and he had to go back and remind his family not to forget to send holiday gifts to the Xiao family. He should pick out some rare Lingnan specialties and also collect some delicious and fun things. That girl would definitely be very happy.
Kong Xuzhe met the Queen Mother's maid at the corner of the wing room, hurrying towards Yun Yichen's room. Did something happen? Kong Xuzhe quickened his pace. As soon as he reached Yun Yichen's door, he heard the maid's voice, slightly sobbing, pleading pitifully.
"Prince, please, can you go and look for the County Lady and Miss Han? If they don't come back in a while, we might die." She cried and kowtowed, and soon blood oozed from her forehead.
"Go down! I'll send someone to look for her." Yun Yichen sat alone at the table playing chess, repeating in his mind, "Playing chess is such a simple thing! The little girl is so worried. I will teach her well after we get married."
"Can you please be quicker? I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will wake up from her nap and look for the County Lady and Miss Han." Although the palace maid was trembling with fear at Yun Yichen's aura, she had no intention of stopping talking.
"Zhao Hai, Tang Qianli." Yun Yichen frowned and threw away the chess piece in his hand. He hated being disturbed when he was thinking about something, especially when he was thinking about Xiao Yao. He always felt like he had fallen from heaven to hell.
"I'm here." Two burly figures appeared in the room in an instant, followed by Kong Xuzhe, who had been eavesdropping in the corner for a long time.
"Bring more people to search around here carefully. If you find the two people, bring them back safely." Yun Yichen glared at Kong Xuzhe. Was his own lively scene really that interesting? Seeing the gloating expression on his face that he couldn't hide, if it weren't for the fact that he helped him, he really wanted to punch him and send him flying out the door.
"Prince, you... don't plan to go in person? There are ferocious beasts on the mountain behind, and the road is difficult to walk on. What if the county lady and Miss Han get into trouble, it won't be appropriate with only a few guards there!" The palace maid thought to herself that she had done so much but the prince was still unwilling to go in person. It seemed that those two people were worthless in his eyes and heart. But if this happened, how would she explain herself when she returned?
"Tsk, you're worried about the County Lady and Miss Han being in danger, but aren't you worried about the Crown Prince encountering a wild beast? Prince Jing only has this one son. Or do you think they're more important than the Crown Prince? The Queen Mother values her granddaughter more than her grandson, right?"
Kong Xuzhe felt that Han Yueting had reached the end of her rope, resorting to such a crude method. Doesn't this mean that her return to Beijing is not far away? I hope Yun Yichen can withstand the final test and maintain his innocence. Uh! He didn't know whether he was innocent or not, so he would leave it for the beauty of the Xiao family to check.
The palace maid was filled with hatred in her heart, but she had to pretend to be humble and courteous. She was just a lowly servant and had to listen to the teachings of any master.
"If you want my help, this is the only way; if not, go somewhere else!" If Yun Yichen hadn't been concerned about the fact that Yun Ruoxing was from the palace, and if he hadn't been indifferent for the sake of his grandmother, how could he have cared about this matter? He might as well have read some military books with that kind of time!
Not long after, the sound of things being thrown was heard in Han Yueting's room. Yun Ruoxing stood aside and suppressed her anger.
Yun Yichen is too much. I am his biological sister, but he doesn't care about me at all. It's really outrageous. He deserves to be alone for the rest of his life since he is almost twenty years old and still hasn't married.
"What's wrong with me? Is there anyone in Kyoto better than me? Why doesn't he choose me?" Han Yueting's hands were busy, and she kept muttering to herself over and over again, almost like a madman.
There are many people in Kyoto who are more beautiful than you. Is the Han family's identity still worth mentioning? Now, if others hear the words "Han family", they will probably just take a detour! In Yun Ruoxing's heart, the status of the Han family has plummeted. The reason why she hopes that Han Yueting will be the prince's consort is simply because she can't find anyone more suitable than her.
After venting her anger, Han Yueting sat there panting in frustration. She didn't look like a lady from a noble family at all. If she changed into plain clothes, she would be no different from a shrew in the street.
Yun Ruoxing didn't want to get into trouble at this last moment, so she sat quietly beside him. For a moment, the room became silent, with only the sound of heavy and light breathing coming one after another.
"Did you hear it wrong? The prince... I mean, your brother doesn't have a fiancée at all, because he doesn't look like one!" Han Yueting asked doubtfully. She had been living in the temple with Yun Yichen for a few days, and no valuable information had been reported back from either them or the secret guards. Could it be that her aunt and cousin had heard it wrong?
Yun Ruoxing really wanted to just say she didn't believe it. If she was the only one who heard it, she might have misheard it, but how could the mother and daughter hear it at the same time?
Now she was wondering who that person could be. If it was Yuan Ying, it would be a little unbelievable. Yuan Min's age was obviously more suitable for Yun Yichen, so why did the palace choose the younger one? If it wasn't her, the most likely candidates would be the Xiao sisters. And if Yun Ruoxing were to choose one of the Xiao sisters, she thought it would definitely be Xiao Yao.
It had to be said that among the people in Kyoto who were most compatible with Prince Jing, Xiao Yao was the most outstanding. Her only disadvantage was her age, not being from a truly well-established aristocratic family. Beyond that, there were no other obvious flaws.
If a man really wanted to marry a woman, as long as she was outstanding and of acceptable status and position, it would be fine. Besides, the Xiao family was now a marquisate, and they had a princess as their daughter-in-law. Most officials were reluctant to offend their family, and compared to the Han family, they were in a completely different league.
"It's time for the Empress Dowager to get up. Let's go and pay her our respects! By the way, tell her that our plan has failed." Yun Ruoxing didn't know if her guess was right, and she didn't want to listen to Han Yueting's self-righteous words, so she changed the subject.
Queen Mother Han had long anticipated that the two girls would fail, and now she had only one last option left. If successful, Han Yueting could enter Prince Jing's mansion. If unsuccessful, her youngest son and grandson might become increasingly distant from her.
The next night, Empress Dowager Han kept all four children and told them that they would be leaving for Beijing in two days and that they should have a reunion dinner together. Since the elders had said so, Yun Yichen and Kong Xuzhe had no choice but to agree.
Yun Yichen quickly sat down below Empress Dowager Han, and Kong Xuzhe also reacted quickly and sat down next to Yun Yichen.
This was like treating the two girls like a contagious plague. Yun Ruoxing snorted angrily and had a chair moved to the other side of Queen Mother Han. After these past few days, she had finally figured it out. Kong Xuzhe avoided her when he saw her, which meant he had no affection for her at all. So why would she stick around? Compared to her brainless sister and some of the other girls in the Han family, Yun Ruoxing was relatively self-aware.
After dinner, Yun Yichen and Kong Xuzhe walked back to their own room. Just as Kong Xuzhe was about to open his door, Yun Yichen stuffed a pill into his hand and wrote the word "eat" on his palm.
Kong Xuzhe believed Yun Yichen wouldn't harm him. He put the pill into his mouth under the pretense of coughing. A refreshing feeling instantly washed over his body, and his mind became clearer. Kong Xuzhe knew that his bet was right. What he had just eaten must be good. He decided to trust Yun Yichen unconditionally from now on. This guy must have a lot of good things.
After making sure her grandson was far away, Empress Dowager Han first sent someone to observe him for any unusual reactions. Then, she dismissed all the servants in the room and whispered to the two girls, "Everything has been arranged. The master has calculated that it will rain on the day we return to the capital, so we will stop at the villa for a while. The rest of the arrangements will be made by the nanny."
Han Yueting lowered her head shyly, uttered an inaudible "hmm", and rubbed the hem of her skirt with her hands in a tangled manner.
"I don't." Yun Ruonan had previously believed that all her grandmother's actions were intended to bring Yun Yichen and Han Yueting together. She hadn't expected that she, too, was being schemed against her. If Kong Xuzhe really liked her, it would have been worth the sacrifice. But now, anyone with eyes could see that he had no such intentions.
"You kid." Queen Mother Han noticed that her granddaughter had some affection for Kong Xuzhe. She planned to take this opportunity to help her granddaughter and niece get together. She didn't expect that she, a concubine's daughter, would be willing to give up such a good opportunity. It was really puzzling.
Another peaceful day passed. On the morning of the day I returned to Beijing, there was a cool breeze and dark clouds overhead. This kind of weather was definitely a sign of an impending storm.
Yun Yichen advised Queen Mother Han to set off later, but Queen Mother Han said that the clouds might soon disperse and the sky would be clear, and insisted on hurrying on.
In desperation, Yun Yichen had to urge everyone to speed up and try to get into the city before it rained.
I don't know where Empress Dowager Han found this master, but he was very accurate in predicting the celestial phenomena. As soon as the convoy entered the royal villa, it started to rain. Looking at the dark sky and hearing the rolling thunder, you know that a heavy rain is about to come.
"Let's go to the villa to avoid the rain!" Queen Mother Han showed a long-lost smile. With this kind of weather helping, if her niece seizes the opportunity, maybe she can get the position of the Crown Prince's Consort!
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