Today was Wen Chengzi's birthday. She had specially visited a few days ago to send an invitation, and Wen Qianyue didn't want to decline her politely.
It just so happened that the Prince of Ling was now shrouded in suspicion, which saved her the trouble of making up an excuse.
Wen Chengzi had been waiting outside the mansion gate, craning her neck eagerly.
"Miss, I heard something happened to the Prince of Ling's mansion. Will Miss Wen still come?"
It was said that Meng Ruxue, the apple of Xie Yunxiao's eye, had been kidnapped and was only rescued after a huge sum of money was paid. The Prince of Ling's mansion had tried their best to cover up the matter, but there was no such thing as an airtight secret.
"Shut up!" Wen Chengzi was unhappy. "What does Meng Ruxue and Xie Yunxiao's business have to do with Miss Wen? If Miss Wen wasn't coming, she would have surely sent someone to inform us. Why do you have to talk so much?"
Even though she said so, she still felt a bit uneasy in her heart.
Thankfully, the carriage from the Prince of Ling's mansion soon appeared in sight.
Wen Chengzi put on a smiling face and stepped forward to greet them.
However, when the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, the person she wanted to see didn't appear. Instead, a little boy stepped out with a beaming smile.
After getting out, he stood still and busied himself around.
His expression and actions could only be described as obsequious.
Wen Qianyue also found it quite amusing. Seeing the little outstretched hand, she graciously placed hers on it.
Because of the hand warmer, it was warm. A Xie felt a bit embarrassed, lowering his head with a blushing face.
"Miss Wen, you're here." Wen Chengzi greeted her happily.
Wen Qianyue replied with a faint smile, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Not at all. I'm just happy that you're here." Now, Wen Chengzi didn't act as aloof as before.
Mainly because there were so many people flattering Miss Wen. If she didn't take the initiative, she was afraid she wouldn't leave any impression or gain any favor.
Wouldn't that be a loss?
Wen Qianyue noticed the snow on her head and knew she must have been waiting outside for quite some time.
"Please come in quickly." After finally waiting for the person she wanted to see, Wen Chengzi happily pulled her into the mansion.
Today, Concubine Jia had specially sought the Prince of Ling's approval to throw a grand birthday party for Wen Chengzi. Coincidentally, her birthday was close to Concubine Li's, so they were preparing for both together. The mansion was bustling and busy.
The servants were even busier than ever, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
If there was the tiniest error, weren't all the people in the mansion big shots?
When it came to taking responsibility, they, the servants, would surely be the first to bear the brunt.
No one could afford to offend them.
Today, Concubine Jia had also invited many young ladies from prominent families in Lingzhou. The courtyard was noisy, with the young ladies joking around together.
In the crowd, Wen Qianyue unexpectedly saw a figure that stood out among the young ladies.
Wen Chengzi noticed and followed Wen Qianyue's gaze.
"Oh, that's my father's advisor. He's deeply trusted by my father."
"Really?" Wen Qianyue lowered her eyes and continued to ask along with the conversation.
"Yes. He often has long conversations with my father in the mansion until late at night. In my opinion, besides Concubine Li, he spends the most time with my father in the entire mansion."
Wen Chengzi thought about it.
She only saw Zhou Liang looking in a hurry as he rushed towards the Prince of Ling's residence, as if there was something important.
"By the way, Miss Wen." Wen Chengzi suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask. Her eyes looked down at the little person who was not even half her height.
She asked in confusion, "Who is he? Why is he following you?"
A Xie opened his big eyes, full of anticipation, waiting to see how the beautiful sister would introduce him to others.
Wen Qianyue glanced at A Xie indifferently. "He..."
Then she sighed. "Speaking of which... the child's background is quite pitiful."
"Ah?" Wen Chengzi widened her eyes, waiting for the rest of the story.
The Princess Chang opened her mouth and said, "He is the son of one of my clan brothers. Unfortunately, his family was in great distress. His mother was a concubine outside the family, and his father had a bad relationship with his wife. In the end, the family was in turmoil, and he was the only one left."
"Ah?"
Such a heart - rending background was really sad for those who heard it.
A Xie didn't seem to care at all and stood there obediently.
Wen Chengzi sighed, "That's really too pitiful."
Now, even the look in her eyes when she looked at A Xie was filled with pity.
Such a young child had already lost both his parents...
The banquet began, and naturally Wen Chengzi couldn't always stay by Wen Qianyue's side.
Concubine Jia called her over to meet some people.
Wen Chengzi wasn't very willing. A group of ladies and young misses were all confined in a certain framework. It was extremely uncomfortable.
Before leaving, she specifically instructed, "Miss Wen, feel free to have fun here. I'll be back soon."
Wen Qianyue couldn't help but nod with a smile.
After Wen Chengzi left, Wen Qianyue remembered Zhou Liang, who had been so mysterious just now, and her mind was filled with all sorts of guesses.
She leaned over and whispered a few words in A Xie's ear.
A Xie was very smart and nodded with a smile. 'Don't worry, Sister Wen.'
After a while, A Xie disappeared.
Wen Qianyue then pretended to be surprised and deliberately looked anxious. She turned to Su Ye beside her and asked, "Have you seen A Xie?"
Su Ye shook her head. "I haven't seen him, miss. Maybe he saw something interesting and accidentally ran away?"
"Go look for him everywhere quickly. We don't want him to get lost or accidentally wander into some restricted area."
Wen Qianyue gave Su Ye a meaningful look.
The maids in the Prince of Ling's mansion knew she was a distinguished guest of the fourth young lady, so they naturally didn't dare to be negligent and followed Su Ye to look for the child.
After everyone left, Wen Qianyue found a small path and slowly walked away from the bustling area.
Following the path, she found the place where Zhou Liang had left, but there was no sign of him.
Remembering what Wen Chengzi had said, Wen Qianyue chose a general direction.
Last time she had walked around the Prince of Ling's mansion and had a rough idea of the layout, so she could more or less figure out the general location.
To avoid attracting too much attention, she deliberately took the small path.
Perhaps it was left for viewing, or perhaps the servants were lazy. The snow on the small path wasn't as well - swept as on the main roads. The snow was a bit deeper.
Strangely enough, she wasn't the only one who had walked on it.
The footprints in front hadn't been covered yet. They were messy and disorderly, obviously made by more than one person.
Wen Qianyue didn't intend to eavesdrop or disturb others, but it just so happened.
"You need to explain this clearly to me."
"..."
Wen Qianyue originally wanted to leave quietly, but as soon as she heard the voices, she stopped in her tracks.
Hey?
The voices... sounded a bit familiar.
"Wen Chengsi!!!" The woman was a bit anxious, with a hint of embarrassment and anger. "Are you ever going to stop?"
"No." The young man said coldly. "You haven't answered my question yet."
"..." There's nothing to say."
Wen Qianyue was a bit shocked.
Both of them were acquaintances. Standing opposite Wen Chengsi was none other than the Princess of Ling!
???
Wen Qianyue carefully searched her memory for relevant information.
Based on her general guesses and the way Concubine Li had treated Wen Chengsi in the past...
It seemed that Concubine Li didn't really like her own son, Wen Chengsi. She was even more kind to her nephew.
Could it be that... Wen Cheng'en wasn't the son of the Princess of Ling, but Wen Chengsi was?
The Princess Chang had grown up in the palace since childhood and could more or less guess about the affairs in the inner courtyard. This kind of trick was not uncommon in the palace.
Wasn't there even a story in the previous dynasty about replacing the crown prince with a cat?
However... Wen Qianyue always felt that there was still something wrong.