Chapter Eighty-Three Watching the Play Together

  Yun Qian Yue gazed at Rong Jing's reflection in the mirror, her thoughts drifting away uncontrollably.

  Although Ye Qing felt uncomfortable in his heart, he thought that Yun Shangyue was also right. He looked at Rong Jing with a hint of jealousy as she slowly and elegantly combed through her black hair, thinking to himself that he must learn how to braid hair too, he couldn't be outdone by this weak beauty.

  Zhao's mother, Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu brought in the dishes, all of whom were shocked by the scene of Rong Jing combing Yun Shang Yue's hair. Zhao's mother, being older, quickly composed herself and hastily told Cai Lian, "Hurry up and go help Young Master Wang wash his face."

  Cai Lian let out an "oh" and turned around to run down.

  Listening to the snow and listening to the rain, they hastily put down their meals and retreated as well.

  From ancient times to the present, this is the first time they have heard and seen an unmarried young lady allowing a man to comb her hair. Qiqi thought that the young lady didn't know the rules, but she never cared about these things anyway. Unexpectedly, Jing Shizi also followed the young lady's lead in being reckless. However, because this person was Rongjing, they had some unspoken criticism in their hearts, but no one dared to speak out loud. Tingxue and Tingyu secretly thought that if only the young lady could marry Jing Shizi, it would be great. Looking at them like this, harmonious, standing and sitting, admiring themselves in the mirror, was truly a delightful sight.

  Coloured lotus flowers are not many, soon come clean water, night gently dyeing and washing sleeves and face.

  After washing and dressing up, the three of them sat around the table for breakfast.

  Yun Qianyue continued the topic from earlier, asking Ye Qingran, "What was the outcome of yesterday's situation? You haven't told me yet. How did the Emperor handle it? Did he only order you to investigate the murderer and not take any action towards Nanjiang?"

  "I had all the high-ranking officials, including the Crown Prince, summoned to the scene after you left yesterday. The sight was... haha. Later, I had those corpses placed in the Ministry of Justice's morgue and had my guards keep watch. Then, I went to the imperial palace and reported the matter to the Emperor. I also handed over the Líng Sōu Zhòu (Soul-Stealing Worm) that you extracted from the corpse. The Emperor said this was a serious matter and needed to be discussed with the senior officials first. Later, Cloud Grandfather and Cloud King Uncle entered the palace. I was eager to investigate the killer, so I took orders and went with Brother Mù Hán. It's now midnight, and someone reported that the Emperor has issued an urgent order for the King of Nán Jiāng to come to the capital to explain this matter. The King of Nán Jiāng will likely arrive soon. Don't worry, this matter is serious, especially since you and Weak Mei were stabbed in broad daylight within the imperial city. The person behind it all is also a threat to the Emperor, so he will definitely thoroughly investigate and won't cover up for the killer."

  "Hmm!" Yun Shangyue nodded and asked, "The body can only be kept for three days and must be cremated. Nanjiang is a thousand miles away from here, will they make it in time within three days?"

  "I learned a method to preserve the corpse with... and Ye Qian, so I can keep it for seven days. If someone comes from Nanjiang, seven days is more than enough." Ye Qingran seemed reluctant to mention Ye Qian's name, but had no choice.

  "Oh!" Yun Qian Yue smiled, "That's good! Since we can't find the person behind the scenes, let's wait for the King of Nanjiang to enter the capital! We will definitely get information about the murderer from the King of Nanjiang."

  "Hmm!" Ye Qingran stopped talking again.

  "Is the number one beauty of Southern Xinjiang as beautiful as Qin Yuxin?" Yun Shangyue glanced at Rong Jing, seeing that he was expressionless, and smiled to ask Ye Qian. Wondering if seven days later, the number one beauty of Southern Xinjiang, Ye Qian, would come with her father.

  Ye Qingyan glanced at Yun Shangyue and snorted: "None of you are as beautiful as me!"

  Yun Qian's eyes widened for a moment, and then she immediately beamed with joy. With her good hand, she patted Ye Qingchen's shoulder again and said with a smile: "This is what friends are for. In your eyes, I'm the most beautiful one, and in my eyes, you're also the most... uh..."

  Yun Qian's words were cut off halfway as a chicken feather was suddenly stuffed into her mouth, blocking the rest of her sentence. She turned around and glared at Rong Jing, pulling out the feather and scolding: "What are you doing?"

  "You talk too much. Eat without speaking, sleep without talking. Although you're injured, it's just your arm and not your leg or brain, so I think you can still go to class." Rong Jing said casually, not looking at Yun Shangyue.

  Yun Shallow Moon immediately shut her mouth, she had just managed to use the excuse of recuperation to not work or study and only eat, drink and have fun, and didn't want to go to the study room to attend some class. She muttered softly: "I know, can't I just keep quiet?"

  Rong Jing murmured an "uh-huh" and fell silent.

  Ye Qing's face turned red with anger as he glared at Rong Jing and scolded, "I've heard that your father, Rong Wang Shu, was a man of integrity and a humble gentleman, while your mother, Rong Wang Shu's wife, was a gentle and wise woman who knew her books and was a good wife and mother. How could they have raised a son as ruthless as you? I'm ashamed for you."

  "De Wang Shu and De Wang Shu with my father, the king, and mother, the queen, are not much different. Why would you have a son like you, with such a demonic temperament? I'm not even embarrassed for you, why should you be embarrassed for me?" Rong Jing glanced at Ye Qing Ran lightly and said slowly: "If Cloud Grandfather knew that you came to disturb her while she's recovering from injuries, he'd probably sweep you out the door. So, it's best if you behave yourself."

  The night was quiet, but in her heart, she was secretly grinding her teeth. She wondered what kind of soul-stirring potion this weak and beautiful person had fed to Grandfather Yun, making him so devoted to this ruthless man. And now he's even inviting him into Xiaoyu's boudoir - isn't that like inviting a wolf into the house?

  The three of them didn't speak again, and the only sound in the room was the aroma of food wafting through the air.

  Breakfast had only just begun when Yun Meng hastily rushed in from outside, his voice heard before he arrived, "Young Master Wang, Imperial Eunuch Lu has come to the Yun Prince's residence, the Emperor orders you to enter the palace immediately."

  Yè qīng rǎn kuàizi yī dùn, kàn xiàng wài miàn, "hé shì?"

  Translation:

  Night gently dipped chopsticks in a meal, looked outside, "What's the matter?"

  "Minister Lu didn't say much, just that the Emperor knows you've arrived at Yunwang Fu and orders you to enter the palace immediately. Minister Lu looks very anxious, it must be an important matter." said Yun Mengdao.

  Ye Qingran put down his chopsticks, glanced at Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing, Yun Qianyue nodded to him, and he turned around and strode out. Outside, Yun Meng saw Ye Qingran come out and hurriedly sent him away from the Shallow Moon Pavilion.

  The shallow moonlight in the house watched as Ye Qing left, and turned to ask Rong Jing, "What do you think the old emperor has planned?"

  "What he plans to do is not important, what's important is that someone has to take responsibility for this matter." Rong Jing continued eating, his voice calm.

  Yun Shang Yue nodded, recalling what the Empress had said about the old Emperor wanting to centralize power. She thought that this time, the person behind the scenes who openly assassinated her and Rong Jing in Tian Sheng City was indirectly provoking the old Emperor's authority. Although the old Emperor might have hated them so much that he wanted them dead, so that he could use this as an excuse to centralize power and deal with Yun Wang Fu and Rong Wang Fu, he still had to investigate the black hand behind the scenes. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked Rong Jing in a low voice, "Do you think the things that happened ten years ago were done by the old Emperor?"

  Rong Jing paused with his chopsticks and turned his head to look at Yun Qian Yue.

  Yun Shallow Moon winked at him, if she hadn't had this idea before, but after hearing her father's words that day and later eavesdropping on the conversation between the Empress and Ming Fei in the palace, she couldn't help but have such thoughts. Since the old emperor wanted to reclaim his scattered powers and concentrate imperial power in one body, wasn't it possible that the death of Rong Wangye and Wen Bo Hou Fu ten years ago was orchestrated by the old emperor? After all, Rong Wang Fu only had one direct heir, Rong Jingzhong, if he died, the side branches would fight for power, and the old emperor could take advantage of this to reclaim his powers, benefiting the imperial family.

  "Perhaps!" Half a beat later, Rong Jing withdrew his gaze, his voice as faint as it could be.

  Yun Qian Yue lowered her voice and said, "You think the aphrodisiac in Lingtai Temple is also related to the old emperor? After all, it's said that Lingtai Temple was built by the founding emperor, so wouldn't the imperial family have kept the blueprints for the secret room's mechanism? That day, I accidentally triggered the switch and fell into the hidden passage. I don't believe such a precise mechanism could suddenly open without someone tampering with it. Especially since Night Sky was there that night, and I was under the influence of the aphrodisiac."

  Rong Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't say a word.

  "That night, Ye Tianqing and Qin Yujing fell with me, if you hadn't appeared, it's imaginable what the consequences would have been. Those consequences must have been many, but I estimate none of them could be tolerated by me. In short, they were all harmful to me. Later, it was you who appeared and beat Ye Tianqing and Qin Yujing up, which led to the subsequent events. The Emperor only said to thoroughly investigate, but until now, no one has confessed, everyone knows that cases handed over to the Supreme Court for trial are always dismissed.

  Cloud Shallow Moon put down her chopsticks and continued, "Moreover, Qingyuan Princess had taken the Tianshan Snow Lotus Pill you gave her. Even if she was injured in the future and became infertile for life, it wouldn't have been enough to burn out her brain and leave her unconscious until now. This matter is suspicious, I won't believe it even if you beat me to death."

  Rong Jing still didn't speak, her gaze drifted out of the window, pale and colorless.

  Yun Shallow Moon spoke for half a while, but didn't get Rong Jing's idea. She pouted and nudged him with her arm, "You say something, what do you think? Do you think my analysis is correct or not?"

  "It may be, it may not be, nothing can be certain without solid evidence." Rong Jing withdrew his gaze from outside, avoiding Yun Shangyue, put down his chopsticks, closed his eyes and said lightly: "What you should think about now is to hurry up and recover from your injury. It won't be long before your coming-of-age ceremony. Don't think that being the only legitimate daughter of the Cloud King's Manor is easy, even if the Emperor doesn't marry you off to the Crown Prince's Manor, it's likely he won't let you escape the imperial family."

  Yun Jian's heart skipped a beat as she reached out and grabbed Rong Jing's arm, "Explain it clearly!"

  Rong Jing closed his eyes and remained still, no longer speaking.

  "Explain it clearly!" Yun Qianyue pinched Rong Jing's hand.

  Rong Jing opened his eyes, tilted his head to look at Yun Qianyue, his gaze as calm and serene as the sky after a spring rain in an empty mountain. His voice had a hint of cold desolation, "Do you really want me to spell it out? Dare I say that you yourself don't understand?"

  Yun Shallow Moon's hand trembled, staring dead at Rong Jing's eyes, Rong Jing's gaze didn't flinch. After a long while, she shifted her line of sight, lowered her eyelashes, slowly released her hand, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked to the window, standing with her back to Rong Jing, her voice had three parts cold ridicule and three parts nonchalance, "What's it to me? It's still up to me whether I want to or not?"

  Her gaze chased after the faint moon's shadow, only to see her standing still in front of the window, her slender waist straight, sunlight filtering through the lattice windows onto her body, mottled like starlight. Between light and darkness, she had an unyielding determination. He suddenly smiled and said softly, "If you're willing, would you marry into the imperial family?"

  "How is this possible?" Yun Qianyue scolded in a loud voice.

  "What if there's someone in the imperial family who can make you willing to make a decision?" Yung Jing asked again.

  Yun Qianyue felt that something was off about this remark. She turned around and looked at Rong Jing, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you referring to?"

  Rong Jing suddenly withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again, "No one!"

  Yun Qian Yue gazed at Rong Jing, not missing a single expression on his face. After watching for half a moment, his complexion remained as usual, pale and colorless. She pouted, "I want to marry the person I think is Rong Feng. Don't tell me that Rong Feng is the old emperor's son."

  "Rong Feng is a descendant of Wen Bo Hou Fu!" Rong Jing said.

  "That's it. The royal family, including Ye Tianqing and those princes, can't even show their faces. Only Ye Tianye is barely passable, but I don't have any feelings for him. Your statement doesn't hold water. Besides, the royal family is a heap of fire, I'm not foolish enough to jump into it knowing it's a pit." Yun Shangyue turned her head back and continued looking out the window.

  "Just remember what you're saying now." Rong Jing's face remained calm and collected.

  Yun Pian Yue's eyelids flipped, thinking that playing dumb riddles with this kind of person was a brain-twisting affair. Just as she was about to mock him, she heard the sound of light footsteps and the tinkling of a ring coming from not far away. She seemed to have caught a whiff of perfume, furrowed her brow in distaste, and shouted outwards, "Cai Lian, today Shallow Moon Pavilion is closed for business, no matter who comes, just say I'm recuperating from injuries, don't see anyone."

  "Yes!" Cai Lian echoed, and followed him hastily towards the door.

  Before long, the cloud shallow moon saw that someone had indeed arrived at the gate of the Shallow Moon Pavilion. The two people in front were none other than the Third and Fifth Aunts of the Cloud King. Behind them followed a group of women dressed in colorful silk fabrics, each holding gift boxes and other offerings. She withdrew her gaze, turned around, and walked back to the soft couch, where she lay down on her side.

  After a burst of chatter at the entrance of the Shallow Moon Pavilion, those people left one after another, and it finally quieted down.

  Before long, Cai Lian and others returned, everyone's arms were full of things, and several people came to the door with difficulty. Cai Lian said timidly: "Miss, the aunts said that they heard that Miss was injured and came to visit Miss. Miss needs to rest and they won't disturb her, but these things must be left by the slave. The slave didn't leave them behind, and they wouldn't leave either. So the slave brought all these things back. Miss, what do you think? Should the slave take someone to return all these things?"

  "Just bring it back then! What's the logic in not wanting something that's delivered to your doorstep? Why make a sad face?" Yun Shangyue glanced at the entrance and saw Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and others carrying big and small packages. She smiled and waved her hand, "Put them away, today we may be closed for business, but we'll still collect our things."

  "Yes!" Cai Lian was taken aback for a moment, then she and several others happily hugged their things and went downstairs.

  Yun Shallow Moon also closed her eyes, feeling that such a day of doing nothing but basking in the sun was really too good.

  Before long, footsteps came to the Shallow Moon Pavilion again. Cai Lian and others received Yun Shangyue's early instructions and hurried out to greet them. They saw Yun Meng bringing people and carrying a lot of things walking in. Cai Lian asked hastily: "General Manager, what is this for?"

  "These are the gifts sent by various officials from yesterday, wishing Miss Shallow Moon a speedy recovery." Yun Meng smiled and said: "The old slave just woke up and brought all these things to Miss."

  "So many?" Cai Lian asked in surprise.

  "This is only half, where's the other half? Not enough manpower, I'll bring someone to deliver the other half to Miss later. These are all things for Miss, naturally it's up to Miss to decide how to arrange them. They won't be stored in the main warehouse." said Yun Meng Dao.

  "That... let the steward come with the servants! The other day, Miss suffered a calamity at Lingtai Temple, and the gifts sent by the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and various princes have not been used much yet. Now they are all piled up in the small warehouse, and this time there are so many again. Where can Miss use them all?" Cailian's tone sounded a bit worried.

  "It can't be used up, so use it slowly. Who would dislike having more gifts?" Yun Meng said as he followed Cai Lian to the small storage room, mentioning who had sent what good things as gifts. Yun Shangyue listened as the footsteps faded away, and suddenly had an idea, asking Rong Jing, "Hey, is there still a gift for me when I come of age?"

  Rong Jing glanced at her and saw that she had a greedy look on her face. A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes as he nodded, "Yes!"

  "Ah, that's great, then I can sell the gifts others give me and make some extra money." Yun Shuoyue's face lit up with joy. She thought to herself that in ancient times, gifts were considered very important, so this was a good deal for her - she could gain something without putting in any effort. If she received many more injuries, wouldn't she be able to collect even more gifts?

  "Are you short of money?" Rong Jing looked at Yun Shang Yue. He couldn't understand why this woman was more enthusiastic about seeing money than her own father.

  "It's not that I don't have them, but money is a good thing. Who doesn't like having more money? Those things may be nice, such as jade, agate, and so on, but in my opinion, they're not as practical as silver." said Yun Qianyue.

  Rong Jing fell silent for a moment, nodded, and agreed: "Mm, you're right."

  Yun Pian Yue thought for a moment, thinking that if Cai Lian and Zhao Mama privately went to sell those things, it would be hard not to let people know and expose something, which would spread out and affect her reputation. Although she didn't care about her reputation, it was inevitable that there would be trouble. So she said to Rong Jing again: "Alright, I'll hand over my small warehouse to you. You're in charge of finding someone to sell everything inside that can be sold. Best if you can exchange them for silver tickets and give them to me."

  "Why should I help you?" Gong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  "What else can I do? Of course, it's compensation for the injury I suffered from blocking the dark weapon for you." Yun Shangyue raised an eyebrow and snorted.

  Rong Jing fell silent for a moment, his tone seemingly tinged with helplessness and sighs. "I don't understand when I became your storage warehouse. Don't you think this is a waste of my abilities?"

  Think of him as the number one prodigy in Tian Sheng, holding the power of Rong Wang Fu, and Rong Wang Fu is known as the richest family in Tian Sheng, so rich that it can rival a country. If people knew he was secretly selling things for silver tickets, you can imagine how many people would be shocked. This woman seems to have made him feel justified, without any self-awareness at all.

  "To me, this is your greatest use, money is supreme. With money, even ghosts can turn mills, without it, every step is difficult to take. You've never been poor, so you don't know the benefits of money. Gold and silver are more useful than those carved railings, jade pavilions, pearls, kingfisher feathers, and agate in your Purple Bamboo Garden." Yun Qian Yue snorted at Rong Jing.

  Her long eyelashes quivered slightly, and she suddenly smiled, saying nothing more, which was taken as her consent.

  Clouds were thinking that gold and silver are practical, especially can do many things besides wearing clothes and eating. For example, ammunition, for example, weapons, for example, bows and crossbows, for example, troops, for example, hidden guards, for example, dark stakes... If the old emperor really dares to lay hands on her, then she will have a day when she can use them.

  Yun Meng had gone back and forth to the Shallow Moon Pavilion twice, and finally moved all the gifts sent by various officials into Yun Shangyue's small storage room. When Cai Lian came with the bill to hand it over to Yun Shangyue, she said with a worried face, "Miss, our small storage room is full, we can't put anything else in. What should we do?"

  "It doesn't matter, the small warehouse will be emptied soon, and there's still room to put more things in." Yun Qianyue smiled and handed the bill to Rong Jing, also giving him the key to her small warehouse. She didn't have anyone to use it, but Rong Jing did, she didn't know how to quietly turn these things into silver, but Rong Jing knew.

  Rong Jing handed over the keys and bill, shouted out loud in front of Cai Lian, Xuan Ge responded and came out, the bill and keys were transferred to Xuan Ge's hands, Rong Jing instructed him a sentence, Xuan Ge twitched his mouth, looked at Yun Shu Yue with an eerie expression, took the keys and bill and retreated.

  Cai Lian heard clearly that the young lady wanted to exchange those things for silver, she was surprised and opened her mouth, but thinking that the young lady must have had a purpose, she couldn't say more and offend others, so she didn't speak up and quietly retreated.

  "This little girl is growing up too!" Yun Shallow Moon sighed as she watched Cai Lian leave.

  "It's not necessarily a bad thing." Rong Jing replied.

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded. From now on, the comfortable days she imagined were getting farther and farther away from her. The things she pursued must have been thorny all the way, so if the people around her continued to be so unspiritual and talkative, they would eventually become a disaster.

  "Miss, Old Master Wang and Master Wang have returned from the palace, please ask Jing Shizi to go over for a visit." Yun Meng went and came back.

  Yun Shangyue looked at Rong Jing, thinking that the old man was quite tactful not to invite her, and even if he did, she wouldn't have gone. Rong Jing glanced at Yun Shangyue, stood up, and slowly walked out of the room. Yun Meng saw Rong Jing come out and bowed to him, and the two left Shangyue Pavilion together.

  Yun Shangyue leaned against her forehead with her hand, thinking about what that old man had just returned from the imperial palace to find Rong Jing for. As she was thinking, there were footsteps outside again, accompanied by the sound of a folding fan opening and closing. She looked up and saw Nan Lingrui slowly entering the courtyard.

  Cai Lian blocked his way again. He had only taken two steps when Yun Qiu Yue spoke up, "Don't block him, let him in!"

  Cai Lian stopped in her tracks, thinking that the young lady had a different attitude towards this Nan Liang prince. She couldn't understand what was good about this Nan Liang prince, who was known to be a playboy. If it were Jing Shi Zi or Ran Xiao Wang Ye, she could accept that they were allowed to enter the young lady's room, because those two were different from other men. But this Nan Liang prince really had a bad reputation.

  "I just realized today that the little maids in Moon's courtyard are all celestial beauties!" Nan Lingrui caught sight of Cai Lian's unhappy face with a glance, and smiled with a charming and flirtatious air, full of springtime charm.

  Cai Lian's face turned even uglier, but she didn't dare talk back either. She lowered her head and remained silent.

  "Are you here to see me, or to see the little girl in my courtyard? If it's the latter, then I'll give them all to you. Let you have your fill." Cloud Shallow Moon looked at Nan Lingrui, who walked towards her step by step under the sunlight, handsome and elegant without a hint of a playboy. She suddenly smiled with deep meaning, thinking that an old saying was right - one can't judge people by appearance, for there are many hypocrites out there. Wasn't she one herself? If Nan Lingrui were truly as he seemed on the surface, then the position of crown prince should have been changed long ago, given how many sons the king had.

  "Miss......" Cai Lian's small face turned pale and she cried out in fright.

  "This crown prince may like beauties, but it also requires mutual affection. Look at your little maid, she sees me as if she's seen a ghost. This appearance originally had three points of beauty, but now not even one point is left. It's really nauseating, you'd better keep her for yourself!" Nan Lingrui spoke as he entered the room with an air of grandeur, his eyes falling on Yun Shangyue's wrapped arm, raising an eyebrow with a charming smile, "How does it feel to have a beauty save a hero?"

  "Not bad. Or else, next time you're in a tight spot, I'll pull you out to take the hit for you?" Yun Shang glanced at him sideways.

  "Whatever, this prince can't take such a beautiful favor! Let's leave it for Jing Shizong to use alone! This prince still wants to live a few more years." Nan Lingrui walked over and sat down beside Yun Qianyue with a plop, his body tightly pressed against hers. He lowered his voice and asked, "Did Jing Shizong stay here yesterday? Was it a spring breeze for one day? Were the mandarin ducks playing in the water? Was it a dragon and phoenix presenting auspiciousness? Was the moon hiding the stars?"

  "Why don't you just ask me if something happened between him and me?" Yun Qianyue suddenly interrupted Nan Lingrui's words.

  Nan Lingrui let out a snort, and his body, which had just sat down, became unstable, almost falling to the ground. He stretched out his hand to grab the soft couch's armrest, looked up at Yun Shangyue, and saw that her face was not red or flustered, as if what she had just said was as simple as eating and drinking. His mouth twitched, and he looked at her with a strange expression for half a moment, seeing that she didn't even blink an eye. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "This crown prince's trip to Tian Sheng City this time is indeed worthwhile! The rumors that Tian Sheng City has produced a new generation of talented people are truly not deceiving me! Especially after meeting Miss Shangyue's elegant demeanor, this crown prince's trip is not in vain!"

  Yun Shallow Moon blinked her eyelids and didn't speak.

  "Hey, are you a woman? Did I get it wrong from the start?" Nan Lingrui leaned in closer to Yun Shangyue and asked.

  "Do you want to verify it?" Yun Qianyue looked at Nan Lingrui with a smile that was not quite a smile, "I also want to know if you are a man, otherwise... let's verify each other?"

  Nan Lingrui suddenly shook his head and said, "Of course the Crown Prince is a man, otherwise the thousand beauties in the Nan Liang Crown Prince's mansion would have died from crying. Yue'er is naturally a woman, how could it be mistaken? Otherwise, someone would have cried."

  "Someone?" Yun Qian Yue raised an eyebrow and looked at Nan Ling Rui.

  Nan Lingrui's eyes blinked, and then blinked again, not responding to Yun Shangyue's words. Suddenly, she leaned in close and lowered her voice, saying: "Do you want to know what the Tian Sheng Old Emperor, your grandfather, and the civil and military officials said today in the imperial palace?"

  Yun Qian's heart moved slightly, but her face remained expressionless and silent. The Southern Liang was able to stand tall until now, transforming from a small vassal state of Tian Sheng into the second-largest country that, although still paying homage, no longer pays tribute. It's only natural that it wasn't made of tofu, and it's not surprising that Tian Sheng had secretly planted moles who could provide information at any time.

  Nan Lingrui waited for Yun Shangyue to ask him, but after waiting for a while, he didn't see her ask any questions. He turned his head to look at her and saw that she had an expression of "if you want to say something, say it; if not, then forget it". He moved the corner of his mouth and suddenly smiled, "This little girl, who says you're foolish? It turns out that you actually have a deep mind."

  "So you know all about it now. So the Prince of Nan Liang isn't as romantic as I thought!" Yun Shallow Moon glanced at him.

  Nan Lingrui covered her mouth and coughed lightly, then suddenly opened the folding fan with a "slap" sound. The jade girl's horizontal scroll painting of beautiful women unfolded before Yun Shangyue's eyes. He looked up at the eaves for a moment, then said in a low voice: "I came to tell you that it wasn't my doing that someone tried to assassinate you and Rong Jing."

  Yun Qian's fingers were placed on her lips as she gazed at Nan Lingrui, seemingly pondering the truth or falsehood of his words.

  She had thought that Nan Lingrui was the one behind the scenes, because Nan Liang was close to Nanjiang, and the two sides must have been secretly in contact, otherwise Nan Liang would not have allowed Nanjiang to sleep soundly by his side for so many years. According to Rong Jing's words, Nan Lingrui had known Ye Qian since childhood, and it was possible that Nan Lingrui knew how to use the soul separation technique or collude with Nanjiang to harm her and Rong Jing and cause chaos in Tian Sheng. However, she intuitively felt that it was not him, although Nan Lingrui had a reason to take action against her and Rong Jing, causing chaos in Tian Sheng, which would allow Nan Liang to take advantage of the situation, but the one who benefited the most was actually the old emperor.

  The Rong Wang Fu is gone, and the Yong Jing side branch will inevitably be in chaos. If she dies, her grandfather and father will definitely be severely affected and disheartened. The old emperor can take advantage of this opportunity to concentrate the power of the Rong Wang Fu and Yun Wang Fu in his own hands. Moreover, Xiaoqin Wang Fu's Leng Shao Zhuo is an only child and a useless person who cannot be used at all. Xiaoqin Wang Fu does not need the old emperor to take action. The De Qin Wang Fu is of the same clan as the imperial family and is the true descendant of the royal family. Therefore, as long as the Yun Wang Fu and Rong Wang Fu are cleaned up, the old emperor's centralization of power will have taken a successful big step.

  Nan Lingrui wouldn't be so foolish as to help the old emperor without gaining much benefit, and might even provoke the old emperor's power to grow stronger and turn against Nan Liang. So today she let him in, just to verify it, to see if Nan Lingrui would speak straightforwardly about this matter. As expected, Nan Lingrui was a clever person, not as indulgent in women as rumored.

  "What? You don't believe me?" Nan Lingrui asked after half a beat of silence, waiting for Yun Shuoyue's response.

  "What reason can you give me to believe?" Yun Qiu Yue looked at Nan Ling Rui.

  "The reason can't be taken out, but I can give you something." Nan Lingrui reached into his pocket and stuffed something into Yun Shuoyue's hand.

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was low, all she saw was a thread of silk. This thread of silk was extremely special, it was made by mixing several bright and vibrant colors. She shook the thread in her hand, raised an eyebrow and looked at Nan Lingrui, waiting for him to explain.

  "This was found in your house, at a corner of the eaves." Nan Lingrui gave an explanation.

  Yun Qianyu was taken aback, narrowing her eyes, "You say the person who put a hidden weapon on my back is a woman? Based solely on this single strand of silk?"

  "It's all because of this single thread!" Nan Lingrui raised an eyebrow triumphantly, saying to Yun Shangyue: "Take a look at your feet and then take a look at your clothes. You might discover something."

  Yun Qian's eyes fell to her feet, and she was taken aback. The embroidered shoes were adorned with a pattern made from this very silk thread, with a floral border added on top. She had never noticed it before, but the hem of her clothes also had an edge made from this same silk thread. She lifted her head and looked at Nan Lingrui, "What does this mean?"

  "This silk is woven and dyed with the secret recipe of Xianyifang, only produced by Xianyifang, and never sold outside. It's only used to make bespoke clothes and shoes, and the price is extremely high. Ordinary people can't afford it, it's either for sale in the palace or in large mansions. And most importantly, it's exclusively for women. This shoe was custom-made for you by Xianyifang according to your foot size, and so were your clothes. Do you think men would wear women's clothes and shoes?" Nan Lingrui said.

  Clouds shallow moon squints eyes.

  "This thing was hung on the corner of the eaves, obviously left behind by that person after setting up a hidden device and hastily leaving. The Crown Prince received the news and ordered my people to investigate the scene, and found this brought back. Night Qingran is such an idiot, searching the whole city for one night without any results, I don't know how Ye Qian fell in love with him, and even missed this evidence." Nan Lingrui sneered at Night Qingran.

  Clouds shallow moon heard the words, lowered her head and took another close look at the silk thread in her hand. The thread was not long, only a few inches, if you didn't look carefully, it would be hard to notice. Night light dye had just said that there was a piece of evidence that wasn't considered evidence, I wonder if this is it or if there's something else? She raised her head and stared straight at Nan Lingrui, "Since I also wear these shoes and clothes, doesn't that mean that as long as you have money, you can buy this kind of thing? In the capital, there are so many noble ladies, maybe one of them was playing around and got blown onto the roof and left this behind. Or maybe you just pulled out a broken thread to fool me. Why should I believe what you say?"

  "That eaves where the hidden weapon was placed, do you know whose mansion it is? That's the mansion of Lord Song of the Imperial Observatory. What the Imperial Observatory means, I don't need to say, and you're also clear about it. Which ordinary woman would dare to play on the eaves of the Imperial Observatory's mansion? Doesn't she want to live? If Lord Song of the Imperial Observatory doesn't impeach her to death, that'd be strange."

  Nan Ling raised an eyebrow, seeing Yun Shang Yue's small face with a thoughtful and calm expression that didn't match her age. He smiled slightly, saying in a charming manner: "Besides, I came here today just to tell you it wasn't me who did it. Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. And I'm not afraid to tell you, Tian Sheng and Nan Liang will eventually become enemies one day. The Crown Prince won't do things that would please the old Emperor of Tian Sheng."

  Yun Shallow Moon withdrew her gaze and looked at the silk thread in her hand, comparing it to her shoes and hem. It was clear that this thread had been scraped off from her shoe, because if it were scraped off from her clothes, given its tenacity, it would have definitely scraped off a piece of fabric, not just leaving behind this single thread. If the person who acted behind her back was indeed a woman, then this was an important clue - at least she hadn't thought that the one who had acted was a woman. She raised her head and looked at Nan Lingrui again, suddenly smiling, "Then let's just believe you for now! You can go!"

  "The crown prince wants to stay for dinner! I entertained the guest who came to visit you yesterday with great enthusiasm until late at night, and today I brought you such important evidence. You're driving me away after using me, isn't that too unfeeling?" Nan Lingrui sat still, thinking that Yun Shuoyue's smile was very beautiful.

  "Su Su girl from Yanliu Building... You like her so much, what if I help her redeem herself and send her to you?" Yun Shangyue asked with a tilted head.

  Nan Lingrui's hand, which was holding a folding fan, stiffened, and her face also froze. After a moment, she suddenly leaned in close to Yun Shangyue's ear and said in a low voice: "Indeed, those who are near ink will be stained black. You've learned this skill of threatening people very well from Jing Shizi! Tell me, if I were to ask the old emperor for his consent, and he were to marry you off to me to be the crown princess of Nanliang, do you think the old emperor would agree?"

  Go to Nanliang to be the crown prince's consort? Yun Shuoyue smiled and didn't answer, her eyes scanning to see Rong Jing entering the courtyard, thinking that this person had returned quite quickly.

  Nan Lingrui also saw Rong Jing enter the courtyard and did not retreat, but instead maintained an extremely close posture with Yun Shangyue.

  Her footsteps were still as light and elegant as ever, neither fast nor slow, and she arrived at the door in no time. Through the curtain, she saw the two of them very close together. Her footsteps paused for a moment, her eyes fell on Nan Lingrui's face, and she smiled faintly. "Does the Crown Prince still have the leisure to flirt here? Don't you know that Ye Qian, the number one beauty of Nanzhong, your childhood sweetheart, has already entered the capital?"

  The first beauty of South Xinjiang, Ye Qian, has entered the city? Yun Shallow Moon immediately went to see Rong Jing.

  Nan Lingrui's body stiffened, and he suddenly turned his head, looking at Rong Jing with suspicion. "You said she entered the capital? Didn't Emperor Tian Sheng just issue an edict to Nanjiang, how could she be so fast?"

  "Is the Crown Prince still going to deceive you? Ye Qian has indeed entered the capital. Currently, she is thirty miles outside the capital. Perhaps she had arrived in the capital early and is now pretending to have just arrived, or perhaps she was originally on her way to the capital and coincidentally encountered this matter. Since the Crown Prince and Ye Qian are childhood friends, you can go ask her why she came so quickly, wouldn't she be able to enlighten you more? Rong Jing lifted the curtain and walked in, seeing Nan Lingrui sitting motionless, his eyebrows rose slightly as he said calmly: "Ye Qingchen has just received the imperial edict and has already left the city to welcome her. If you don't go now, you will fall behind."

  Before Rong Jing's words had fallen, Nan Lingrui immediately released Yun Shangyue. The pearl curtain shook for a moment, and he had already disappeared from view.

  Yun Qian Yue thought that this speed was comparable to a swift arrow! Nan Ling Rui originally liked Ye Qian, but this man didn't understand what it meant to truly like someone. If he really liked her, why did he turn the Southern Liang Prince's Manor into a place where countless beauties resided? How could he let Ye Qian fall in love with Ye Qing Ran instead? She was quite interested in seeing what kind of woman Ye Qian was, thinking that this time she had come, and estimated that there would be a good show to watch. A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of her mouth.

  "Yè Qiàn has arrived and you seem very happy?" Róng Jǐng stood in front of Yún Qiǎn Yuè, raising an eyebrow at the corners of her mouth that were pulled open.

  Yun Shallow Moon heard the words and gave Rong Jing a big smile, nodding her head, "Hmm! It's very exciting. Two men fighting for one woman, this kind of plot is still very interesting to watch. Don't you want to see?"

  Rong Jing's smile was as bright and clear as the moon, without a hint of falsehood. His eyes sparkled like a fleeting cloud, spreading across the nine heavens. He clearly heard his own heart beating twice, and after a moment, he concealed the foolishness in his eyes, smiled lightly, nodded, and said in a warm voice: "Yes, it's quite interesting. Ye Qian, Night Light Dye, Nan Lingrui... let's watch the play together."

  Digression

  The monthly ticket on the first day of the month carries the momentum for the whole month, folks! Let's top up our monthly tickets, shall we? You guys give me strength, I absolutely won't slack off, and will definitely work harder to write more! (⊙_⊙)

  Thank you for the diamonds, rewards and flowers from everyone below!

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