Wei Dongling's nose twitched, and tears welled up in her eyes. She rushed forward excitedly and called out, "Grandpa, I'm back!"
Old Master Su, who had been sitting on the soft couch sipping tea, was stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes. Staring fixedly at Wei Dongling's face, a mist gradually welled up in his eyes. He slowly rose to his feet, tears streaming down his face as he said, "Dongling... Is it really you?"
Wei Dongling nodded vigorously. She tugged at the male hair bun on her head, and her long black hair cascaded down. With red - rimmed eyes, she grabbed Old Master Su's hand and sobbed incoherently, "Grandpa, you scared me so much... It's good that you're safe!"
Old Master Su trembled his lips and cried uncontrollably, "Dongling, Grandpa thought he'd never see you again..."
Uncle Li stood behind, watching the grandfather and granddaughter hugging and crying. He coughed lightly and said seriously, "It's good that everyone is safe! Why cry on such a joyous and reunited day? It'll only make people laugh at us!"
Only then did Wei Dongling nod with tears in her eyes and comfort Old Master Su, "Uncle Li is quite right! We should celebrate our reunion!"
Murong Xuan nodded and smiled, "Since it's a day of reunion, you must stay for dinner tonight anyway! You two talk first. I'll send someone to make arrangements right away." With that, he very considerately left some space for the grandfather - granddaughter reunion.
After Murong Xuan learned of the death of the Fifth Princess before, he didn't dare to let Old Master Su know the slightest bit, for fear that the old man would be sad and cry. Fortunately, in the end, he finally waited for Wei Dongling to return safely!
Uncle Li sized up Old Master Su and nodded, "Prince Xuan is a friend worth making. We must visit him later to express our gratitude properly!" He had secretly hidden Old Master Su here without being discovered by others and taken such good care of him. Prince Xuan really spent a lot of effort.
Wei Dongling and Old Master Su deeply agreed.
At night, Murong Xuan had someone prepare a table of delicate dishes to entertain everyone. He also specially brought a jar of good wine that had been sealed for twenty years for Uncle Li. Uncle Li immediately beamed with joy and couldn't wait to open the wine. After a few rounds of drinking, he put his arm around Murong Xuan's shoulder and started chatting with him like brothers.
Murong Xuan's face was slightly flushed. He stared at Wei Dongling without blinking and asked, "What are your plans after returning to the capital this time? Are you going back to the palace?" Murong Xuan had heard about the deeds of the Fifth Princess after returning to the palace. Naturally, he was reluctant to let her go back and continue to be restricted by the rules in the palace. In his heart, his royal sister was most carefree and free when living as Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling shook her head and said, "Since everyone knows that the Fifth Princess is dead, I definitely don't want to go back."
Murong Xuan nodded and said, "That's good. The sky outside the palace is broader and freer. However, you probably can't go back to the Su Mansion. If you're discovered by someone with ulterior motives, it will cause you some trouble. How about you stay here for a while to accompany Old Master Su? I'll find a relatively safe mansion for you carefully and then you can move there." This place was quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle. It was okay to hide here for a while, but it might not be the case in the long run.
Wei Dongling pondered for a moment and sighed, "To be honest, after hearing the news that my father is seriously ill, I brought the Ninth Prince back to the capital this time."
"The Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen?" Murong Xuan was puzzled. Then, as if he had thought of something, he widened his eyes and exclaimed, "The current emperor's life is hanging by a thread. You don't mean to..." You don't mean to let the Ninth Prince ascend the throne, do you?
Wei Dongling said in a deep voice, "In my eyes, he is pure - hearted and kind, much more suitable than Murong Yunqian..." to sit on that throne!
Since she found out that Murong Yuchen was also poisoned, Wei Dongling had been extremely tormented. She really didn't want to see Murong Yunqian sit on that throne! She was determined to go to the palace to find out who the poisoner was and to detoxify Murong Yuchen.
Murong Xuan looked a bit embarrassed and sighed, "Dongling, Yuchen's personality seems a bit weak. If he sits on that throne, he may have to go through quite a lot of trials!"
Pin Hao beside him sighed secretly. Sure enough, the young prince was so euphemistic that he could say what he thought about Murong Yuchen's unworthiness so gently!
Wei Dongling lowered her eyes and said, "If the Ninth Prince sits on that throne, at least he will be a good emperor who worries about the country and the people. But if it's the Tenth Prince, it's hard to say. The Zhao family has always been ambitious, and there's also the Prince of Xiliang behind them giving advice. If he becomes the emperor, I'm afraid the people of our Celestial Dynasty will suffer..." Although Wei Dongling and the others had squeezed the value of the Prince of Xiliang dry, they couldn't guarantee that Li Mingyang wouldn't cause trouble in the Celestial Dynasty in the future! After all, there were high voices in the court supporting Murong Yunqian. There must be the Prince of Rui and the Prince of Xiliang behind it, fanning the flames.
Murong Xuan was silent for a moment and lowered his eyes, "Although my father has never said it clearly to me, he should support Murong Yunqian. I'm afraid he will become an obstacle to the Ninth Prince's ascension to the throne."
Wei Dongling already knew this well. She stood up, bowed with her hands clasped, and said, "Thank you, Brother Xuan, for your kind rescue! We can't make you caught in the middle. We won't stay here to bother you tonight!" After all, their positions were different from that of the Prince of Rui. How could they involve Murong Xuan?
Murong Xuan quickly reached out to support Wei Dongling's wrist as she bowed her head. Looking into her eyes seriously, he said, "Dongling, I will support whatever you want to do. Let me do something within my ability for you!"
Wei Dongling felt a warm current in her heart. He actually didn't need to do anything. Just this one sentence made her feel as warm as the winter sun.
Seeing the two of them looking into each other's eyes and remaining silent for a long time, Uncle Li stood up and laughed loudly, "Come on, girl. Hurry up and offer a toast to the young prince. All feelings are in the unspoken words!"
Wei Dongling grinned foolishly and quickly picked up the wine cup and drank it up first.
After the meal, Jingzhe and the others, who had received the news, brought the Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, over. Ruan Niang stepped forward to feel Old Master Su's pulse carefully and then felt relieved. When everyone saw that Old Master Su was safe, they all stepped forward to express their gratitude to Murong Xuan.
Late at night, Uncle Li made an appointment with Right - Supervisor Censor Shen to catch up and discuss matters. He took Ruan Niang and the Ninth Prince with him.
Pin Hao wanted to send the pear - wood guqin back to the prince's mansion for placement. He insisted on dragging the slightly drunk Wei Dongling with him. Cuihuan was a bit worried when she saw the backs of the two leaving. She left Jingzhe here to accompany Old Master Su and quietly followed them.
The two rode their horses all the way in the night wind. Wei Dongling shouted speechlessly to Pin Hao, "It's not appropriate for us to go to the prince's mansion in the middle of the night, right? How about coming tomorrow during the day?"
Pin Hao glared at her fiercely and said coldly, "Go during the day? How can we face the prince and princess crying over the loss of their beloved son?"
Wei Dongling was at a loss for words and had no choice but to follow him.
The two reined in their horses near the side door of the prince's mansion and climbed over the wall one after another.