Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 118
“Shen Zhen, I won’t have anyone else.”
The sound of wind suddenly became louder, the curtains were lifted up, and the soft moonlight poured onto the little girl’s face.
Those bright eyes were completely stunned.
As they stared at each other, the evening drum sounded, urging people to leave.
Lu Yan patted her hand and said, “I still have work to do, please go back early.”
After saying this, the man bent down and got off the carriage.
After he left, Shen Zhen came back to her senses as if she had suddenly realized something. Qingxi was just lifting the curtain and preparing to come up, so Shen Zhen ran down.
“Wait.”
Shen Zhen’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to stop the man who was about to push the gate open.
Lu Yan turned around slowly, fine snowflakes falling on his shoulders, making him look tall and handsome in the dim sky. The man stared at the girl who was a few steps away from him, and couldn’t help but raise the corner of his mouth.
Shen Zhen walked towards him quickly and grabbed his sleeve.
“My Lord.” Shen Zhen whispered.
Hearing her address, Lu Yan subconsciously raised his eyebrows.
It seems to be saying, look, the word “Lu” has been removed.
“Say it again what you just said.” Shen Zhen looked up at him.
There was a big difference in height between them, so when they were sitting they could barely look at each other, but when they were standing she could only look up at him.
Lu Yan lowered his eyes to look at her and whispered, “I told you, I will only say those words once.”
“Please?” Shen Zhen’s eyes were like washed grapes.
Lu Yan continued to look at her, pursing his thin lips, not even trying to go along with her.
Shen Zhen held his hand again and tickled his palm, “Just once.”
Lu Yan asked again: “What did you call me?”
Shen Zhen bit her lip, thinking of Qingxi behind her, so she mouthed to him.
Lu Yan didn’t buy it at all, “Third Miss, do you think I have superhuman hearing?”
Shen Zhen could only call out “Darling Third” in a low voice.
Lu Yan looked down at the girl who was seven years younger than him. He put his lips next to her ear and spoke again in a deep voice.
Shen Zhen held his hand tighter and tighter.
“If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to leave.” Lu Yan grabbed her with his backhand.
Shen Zhen immediately pulled her hand back and said, “I’m leaving now.”
After a long day, Shen Zhen returned to the Shen Mansion. Before she hurried into her courtyard, she was caught by Shen Shu and she asked, “Where have you been?”
Shen Zhen said nothing.
Shen Shu asked, “Did you go to see Lu Yan?”
Shen Zhen looked up instantly, “Sister, can you keep your voice down?”
However, after looking at each other, Shen Shu realized something was wrong. Why did her eyes become red and her face had traces of tears?
Shen Shu asked: “Did you cry?”
Shen Zhen said: “No.”
Shen Shu pulled her into the room, sat on the couch and asked, “Did he make you cry?”
Shen Zhen hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s just some misunderstandings, sister, it’s okay now.”
Shen Shu stared at her for a while, and seeing that she was unwilling to speak clearly, she did not force her. She just held her hand and whispered, “If there is anything, remember to tell me.”
Shen Zhen nodded, “Got it.”
After a while, Shen Shu walked out the door and called Qingxi, “Qingxi, do you know what happened to her today?”
Qingxi frowned and said, “It seems that the young lady had a quarrel with the heir apparent today.”
Shen Shu frowned, “Quarrel ?”
Qingxi said, “At first I only heard Miss crying… I was standing far away, so I couldn’t hear clearly, and I don’t know what the Heir Apparent said later, and then, she was fine again.”
Shen Shu curled her lips and said, “Okay, I understand.”
What else can she say?
Shen Shu knew that no matter what the two of them had been upset about, with Lu Yan’s cunning, how could he not be able to coax a girl? Lord Lu, who had a mind as full of tricks as a hornet’s nest, would never be led around like an ordinary man.
Indeed, Shen Shu was not wrong in saying that Lu Yan was cunning.
If you carefully think about what he said to Shen Zhen, you will understand. How could there be no trickery here?
——
Early November, Anhua Palace.
Empress Xu held the letter handed over by her maid in her hand, snorted coldly, and then threw it on the table, “Ye’er, is this what you meant?”
“Empress mother also said that the coming of all nations is our last chance,” said the Sixth Prince.
Empress Xu picked up the cup and took a sip, “Continue.”
“The position of the Eastern Palace is getting more and more stable, His Majesty is using him, and there is also the Zhenguo Mansion and Shen Wenqi. If this continues, this son will have no chance of success…”
Before the Sixth Prince could finish, Empress Xu picked up the letter and threw it at him, whispering, “You knew that the Eastern Palace is in a good momentum, but you still wanted to assassinate the Emperor?”
The Sixth Prince said in panic, “Mother, be careful with your words. The walls have ears.”
Empress Xu said, “What are you afraid of? Every word you and I say in this Anhua Palace is a capital crime.”
The Sixth Prince clenched his fists and asked, “What does the Empress Mother mean?”
Empress Xu added some more salt to the tea and said, “Have you ever thought about what would happen if the assassination failed? In your eyes, which of Marquis Changping’s military achievements, Lu Ya’s official position, as well as Yao Bin’s and others’ official positions fell from the sky?”
The Sixth Prince said, “Now that we have come to this, this son has no way out.”
Empress Xu slammed the table and stood up, “What about the Xu family? Ye’er, don’t retreat. The Xu family has been a family for hundreds of years, and there are hundreds of people serving in the Jin Dynasty. Do you know what it means to punish nine generations of a family for a crime?”
The Sixth Prince gritted his teeth and asked, “Then why did Mother ask me to send that actor to the court of state ceremonial?”
Empress Xu raised her eyes and said, “To kill the Crown Prince.”
The Sixth Prince laughed and said, “Empress Mother once said something. Do you remember it yourself? If one Crown Prince falls, there are countless more standing up, do I really want to fight them one by one?”
“Judge the situation, understand?” Empress Xu looked him in the eyes and said, “Whether you succeed or fail in dealing with the crown prince, I can cover it up.”
The Sixth Prince asked, “When the Crown Prince is dead, how is Empress Mother going to cover it up?”
Empress Xu looked at the Sixth Prince and said, “The Emperor is not unaware of what the Xu family has done in the past few years. Let me ask you, why did your father turn a blind eye?”
The Sixth Prince said, “The Emperor wants to take advantage of the situation.”
Empress Xu nodded, “Not bad, what else?”
The Sixth Prince added: “The Xu family had the merit of following the dragon back then.”
Empress Xu nodded again, “What else?”
The Sixth Prince was tired of Empress Xu’s tone, so he simply said, “Mother, please speak frankly.”
Empress Xu shook her head and said, “That’s because you didn’t touch His Majesty’s people.”
Empress Xu stood up and paced slowly in the room, stroking her bulging belly. “You clearly have the knife to kill His Majesty, but you only took the life of the Crown Prince. That’s enough, Ye’er. If you can’t get the upper hand, you must learn to take things step by step and not cut off your own retreat.”
The Sixth Prince took a deep breath and said, “This son is stupid and acted impulsively.”
Empress Xu looked at the Sixth Prince tiredly and said, “Go now. Mother needs to rest.”
The Sixth Prince took a look at Empress Xu’s belly and said, “Mother, please take care of yourself.”
Empress Xu waved her hand.
After the Sixth Prince came out of Anhua Palace, his subordinate whispered, “Your Highness, do you want to follow the Empress’s arrangements?”
The Sixth Prince paused and glanced at his subordinate sinisterly, “No, just kill one more.”
The subordinate said in panic: “Your Highness, please be careful. What the Empress said just now is not without reason.”
Hearing this, the Sixth Prince couldn’t help but laugh, “How many years can I waste in my lifetime? What Lord Song said before is right. No matter who inherits the throne, she will be the Empress Dowager.”
The subordinate asked, “Has Your Highness made a decision?”
The Sixth Prince nodded, “Ever since my mother became pregnant, she has become indecisive and is now a completely different person. If she can’t make up her mind, I will make it for her.”
The Sixth Prince shook his sleeves and got on the sedan chair.
