"Тhаt wаs just mе teasing hеr." Наn Yаn smilеd. "The prinсеss is far morе illustrious than him." Наn Yаn nо lоngеr even сalled Zhuang Shiyang "fathеr." Оn onе hand, it wаs bесаuse еmоtiоnаllу and in tеrms of respоnsibilitу, Zhuang Shiуang had indeеd failed tо fulfill his duties as а fаthеr. Аnоthеr rеason wаs thаt, deер dоwn, Hаn Yan hаd subсonsciоuslу cоme to beliеve that Zhuang Shiуаng wаs not hеr biologicаl fаthеr. Thе infоrmаtiоn thаt thе deсеasеd Abi hаd inadvertеntly rеvеаled mаdе hеr fеel there wаs something suspicious аbout the mattеr. Thinking of this, Нan Yаn rеcаlled the embroidered handkerchief she had given to Fu Yunxi a year ago. At the time, after Fu Yunxi discovered that the handkerchief belonged to someone from the Tang Clan, there were no further developments. Later, Fu Yunxi went off to the battlefield, and the matter gradually faded from memory. But now, even though Fu Yunxi had returned, given their current relationship, he likely wouldn’t help Han Yan investigate this matter any further. So, she would have to look into it herself.
But how should she go about it?
"Miss." Shu Hong interrupted Han Yan's thoughts. "Let's go."
Han Yan nodded, picked up her bundle, and stepped out the door first. Strangely, she didn’t feel sad. There were many things she couldn’t judge clearly at the moment, but one thing was certain: sitting idly by and waiting was definitely not her style. If she didn’t get to the bottom of this and remained in the dark, only heaven knew what the consequences might be.
As she walked out the gate of the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion, Han Yan felt as though someone was silently watching her from behind. She turned around, but there was nothing there—only emptiness. Ji Lan and Shu Hong looked at her with puzzled expressions. Han Yan smiled. "Let's go."
Perhaps it was just her imagination—a vision of someone silently watching her leave, with a gaze so nostalgic it made her heart ache.
Inside the palace.
The Emperor sat high on his throne, his yellow robe embroidered with golden dragons trailing long on the floor. Compared to a year ago, his face bore more traces of hardship, and a heavy air lingered between his brows, as if he were facing some thorny issue with no solution in sight.
Kneeling in the grand hall was a silver-armored general. Cheng Lei kept his head bowed, kneeling in silence. With no movement from above, he dared not rise, remaining quietly on his knees. He didn’t know how long he had been kneeling before he finally heard a slow, deliberate voice from above: "General Cheng."
"Your humble servant is here!" Cheng Lei replied respectfully.
The Emperor spoke slowly. "I have heard that Zhuang Hanyan has voluntarily moved out of the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion."
Cheng Lei’s body trembled. So soon? But why would Han Yan take the initiative...
"She does have some self-awareness." The Emperor’s tone was unreadable, neither pleased nor angry. "I had thought she would wait until I issued an edict before leaving."
Cheng Lei did not reply. In truth, anything he said now would be wrong, so he could only listen silently. But the Emperor clearly had no intention of letting him off. Immediately afterward, the Emperor asked, "What do you think I should do with Zhuang Hanyan?"
"Your humble servant... your humble servant does not know!" Cheng Lei said. The Emperor’s thoughts had always been unpredictable, especially when it came to this one—Fu Yunxi’s brother, who was certainly no fool.
"You don’t know?" The Emperor sneered. "Has the Xuan Qing Prince not said anything? What does he want me to do with Zhuang Hanyan?"
"The Prince has never mentioned it to your humble servant," Cheng Lei replied.This statement was indeed true. Fu Yunxi had not intended to inform Cheng Lei about this matter, so Cheng Lei had no idea what he was actually thinking. However, given the current situation, Fu Yunxi's heart must not be feeling any better. But how could they have known back then that so many things would happen later?
The Emperor glanced at him, his tone turning somber: "I know you have always been close to the Xuan Qing Prince. From now on, keep an eye on his actions. If there is anything, report it to me."
These words were almost an explicit hint for Cheng Lei to become the Emperor's spy. Cheng Lei neither refused nor agreed. Instead, he suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, this humble general has something to say, but I am unsure whether I should speak of it."
The Emperor looked at him coldly: "If you know it shouldn't be said, then don't say it." Seeing Cheng Lei fall silent, he rubbed his temples in irritation: "Speak!"
Cheng Lei replied respectfully: "Yes!" Then he continued: "Your Majesty is acting out of concern for the Prince, but having followed him for so many years, this humble general knows that the Prince's temperament has never been one to be controlled by others. Even if he can be compelled to do certain things now, there is ultimately nothing in this world that can restrain him for long. What will happen when he breaks free in the future and becomes uncontrollable?"
These words were spoken with great subtlety, as if only the two of them understood what the other meant. Upon hearing Cheng Lei's words, the Emperor's expression darkened instantly. He said, "Are you questioning me?"
Cheng Lei replied, "This humble general would not dare."
The Emperor then said coldly, "This is not a matter for you to worry about. You may leave."
Cheng Lei gritted his teeth: "Yes." With a bow, he retreated. The Emperor sat high on his throne, his expression inscrutable. Cheng Lei's words were not without reason. Fu Yunxi was a man whose pride had always been as high as the heavens—what in this world could truly bind him? Yet, he himself had no choice. Even without this matter, that Zhuang Hanyan—they could not be together. Fu Yunxi liked Zhuang Hanyan; she was the first woman he had ever loved. Those in the imperial family were never meant to be overly sentimental. An infatuated fool among them was not necessarily a good thing. He let out a long sigh, a trace of melancholy flickering in his eyes. The emperor, who always held the power of life and death in his hands, revealed a rare moment of vulnerability. Mother, in doing this, am I right or wrong?
In the Zhuang residence.
The Clear Autumn Courtyard remained much the same as before, except that the rooms were covered in dust, indicating that the servants here had not spent any time cleaning. It seemed this place had been completely abandoned—or rather, she herself had been abandoned. Along the way back, although the servants of the Zhuang residence dared not say anything openly, their mocking expressions still made Ji Lan feel extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, Zhuang Shiyang was not in the residence today, having apparently gone to visit a colleague's home. This was somewhat surprising. Zhuang Shiyang's official career had almost been declared hopeless a year ago, so it was unexpected that a colleague would still invite him. This was truly a novel occurrence. Han Yan pondered thoughtfully—the timing of this colleague's invitation was just too coincidental. She had just returned to the Zhuang residence, and a colleague invited Zhuang Shiyang. Perhaps, she lowered her head, she had lived too peacefully for too long, so long that she had almost forgotten that there were still many people watching her closely.It took the entire afternoon to tidy up the Clear Autumn Garden, and Zhuang Shiyang had not yet returned. The sky had already darkened into evening. Han Yan then had the kitchen prepare a few simple dishes. After eating casually, she brought out a rattan chair to drink tea in the courtyard.
In truth, she didn’t really want tea—she just couldn’t sleep. The cool breeze outside helped clear her mind a little. She had many things to do. In just two more days, it would be the day of her bet with Yang Qi. Heavy rain would fall, floods would spread, and once Yang Qi believed her words, she could pry many pieces of information from his mouth.
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