Raiders of the Duke and Duchess

Chapter 12: It's Better to Walk With Someone Than Alone
"However, after a few days, the gossip that the crown princess was a virgin until her death has spread, and there is no way to stop it."

The fingertips tapping on the table suddenly stopped, hanging in the air, Ji Wuyan's voice trembled, "This rumor...is it true?" It was as cool as the autumn night wind.

Shen Luoxin moved the lid of the cup again, her voice stuck in her throat, "...really." She didn't dare to raise her head, she just stared at the shadow on the ground.

The light from outside the window came in, and Ji Wuyan's shadow hit the ground, shaking faintly.Shen Luoxin didn't know if it was her illusion, she seemed to hear the other party's voice of relief, but if she said she was relieved, she wasn't.Taking a quick peek, the other party's eyes were cold and dark, with a frightening gloom.

It should be gloomy.

The deeply affectionate prince couple, married for half a year but never consummated their marriage, this incident became a secret joke in the city of Yanjing, and even the imperial doctors in the imperial hospital began to study the secret recipe of how to make people shine overnight.At that time, the so-called "one glance at ten thousand years, not marrying a non-qing" now seems to be a complete joke.

Shen Luoxin couldn't bear to look at her, she lowered her eyebrows and picked her nails, then she heard the other party ask again, "Didn't you spread the word?"

"Of course not!" Shen Luoxin raised her head eagerly to explain, "Don't say that I'm not such a gossip person, just say that it's not that I don't know what's involved!" Before her mother could do anything, her wrist was injured. If this matter gets publicized... I'm afraid I don't know how he died unexpectedly.

Compared to the other party's emotional agitation, Ji Wuyan was calm and a little weird. His fingertips hanging in mid-air gently fell back to the table and never lifted up again.His eyes fell on the other party, with a little understatement and indifference, "So, who else was there at that time?"

"……unmanned."

Even though he didn't want to admit it anymore, there was really no third person present at that time.

Although Xu Siniang is a coward, she is nominally the wife of the official censor, the official matchmaker, and was even supposed to be married by imperial order, but her mother didn't want to, she just said it was a burden.But even so, the mother's words still have some weight in some trivial matters. As we all know, there will never be a third person at the scene of the mother's autopsy except for the occasional "boy" who will accompany her.This is also the protection of his own daughter.

well known...

"It's really a good plan." Ji Wuyan's expression became more and more cold.Because no one was present, no matter how much the rumors spread, the royal family would only blame Xu Siniang.As for Xu Siniang... she couldn't argue with her.

"Maybe my mother has also noticed that she seldom goes out recently, and even the two kitchen knives she carries with her have been sharpened again and again..."

In addition to being a "female maid", Xu Siniang is also well-known as a "hagsha", who always carries two kitchen knives with her, and is tough and brave in her words and deeds.

A moment of silence.

Only then did Ji Wuyan get up slowly, walked to the window, raised his head slightly to soak in the summer light, and squinted, "Since Miss Shen's matter to be investigated is in the same direction as me, why don't we go together... Someone is with me... The road is better than walking alone in the dark and cold night. What do you think?"

Ever since the first day she set out on the road, she never thought of finding even one companion in Yanjing City. She was already mentally prepared to spend a long enough and lonely time.

But Shen Luoxin...the rare clean material in this big dye vat is not as...ordinary as she seemed at first.

But a man laughed softly, his voice was low and sweet, and it fell in his ears like the sound of a guqin, and then he saw a man in a lake blue robe with his hands behind his back, his arms were imposing, and his eyes were stained with the scenery of the moon, " Unexpectedly, our little girl met a new friend just a few days after her arrival... If the old lady knew, she would be at ease."

Ji Wuyan was taken aback for a moment, the coldness in his eyes disappeared, "Ancient house."

……

It is better to be accompanied by others than to be alone.

The midsummer rainy night in the capital of the Northland is as cool as water.

In the daytime, the magnificent palace is always somewhat indescribably permeatingly desolate after nightfall, and the crowing of frogs from far or near echoes around, like a nursery rhyme that follows one's heart.

Ning Xiuyuan followed the father-in-law carrying the lantern in silence through the crepe-swept corridor and entered the heavily guarded palace.

The emperor Fang was middle-aged, he looked older because of his calm demeanor, he called out to Ning Xiuyuan who was stepping in, "Come, sit down."

There is no distinction between monarch and minister.

After Ning Xiuyuan sat down, the emperor raised his chin, casually, seemingly gossiping, "What do you think of the prince?"

"A man of talent, with a dignified appearance."

The emperor choked and snorted coldly, "I want you to say this?"

"Then what is His Majesty asking for when he called his ministers into the palace late at night?"

This guy... the emperor gritted his back teeth, the initial casualness had already been broken, and he said every word, "Are you going to pretend to be a fool with me again?"

He lowered his head and chuckled, but he didn't look at him anymore, and looked at the emperor with his chin propped up, "You are the crown prince you have chosen against all opinions.

"Ning Xiuyuan!"

"Don't worry... Weichen hasn't finished yet." Comforting the emperor who had already exploded, Ning Xiuyuan changed to a more comfortable sitting position and looked at the emperor lazily. It is indeed beautiful and thoughtful, and has already surpassed the level that he should have at his age and experience."

The emperor's eyes froze.

"I think His Majesty summoned a humble official into the palace to listen to the truth, so the humble official told the truth... After all, the crown prince is not what His Majesty used to be. He grew up under the stars and the moon, and his prudence is only superficial. Just to make everything 'beautiful', the thinking is not careful enough, and the opinion of the people is not well understood, and..."

I didn't say anything about the latter.

But the emperor understood - plus the leftist behind him.

The prince is the eldest, but not the first son.His mother, noble concubine, came from Zuo Xiang's family, Zuo Xiang made great contributions to the master, and now he is becoming more and more rampant under the influence of the prince, and he does not know how to restrain himself. The emperor has long wanted to suppress Zuo Xiang, but Zuo Xiang had already reached its peak in the period of the first emperor. The mansion has already become a huge monster that cannot be easily shaken, and it cannot be easily moved...

The emperor grinded his back teeth, and heard Ning Xiuyuan ask, "So, why is Your Majesty in such a hurry to establish a crown prince..."

Ah.

Why?

All the self-cultivation of the emperor disappeared, and he slapped the rosewood table in front of him, "Isn't it just to help you get on the throne!"

The Left Prime Minister is powerful, and the party is united against dissidents. If you want to suppress the Left Prime Minister, you must support another force, and the Ningguo Palace is what the emperor intends to support.However, Ning Xiuyuan was too young after all. At that time, the leftist party strongly opposed it, and the emperor had to make concessions...

"Oh." Ning Xiuyuan rubbed his nose, thinking about Shun Shun's hair, "Speaking of...in the past few days, I found an interesting person in the city..."

(End of this chapter)