Just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, the announcement of the guards rang out from outside the door:
"Your Highness, the Commander of the Hu Cavalry from Kaiping is here with his men. He says he has a way to relieve Your Highness's pressing problem."
Except for Song Yinghuai, the other three people in the room were almost stunned.
They did wait for someone, but they never expected it to be Sheng Jiangli!
However, looking at Song Yinghuai's expression, it seemed that he had long guessed who was coming.
He put down the Buddhist scriptures in his hand and said calmly, "Let them in."
The study door was swung open, and Sheng Jiangli swaggered in, looking straight ahead. His eyes only fell on Caiyu.
Behind him were two Hu cavalrymen, escorting a bearded man dressed like a Hu merchant.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan." After Sheng Jiangli stood still, he didn't even glance at Song Yinghuai but still fixed his eyes on Caiyu.
Such blatant attention was impossible to ignore.
Caiyu immediately felt as if she had needles on her back and wished she could dig a hole to hide herself.
Zhu Xiao was furious. He endured it for a while but finally couldn't help snorting.
If it weren't for the fact that the old princess needed the antidote from the person in Sheng Jiangli's hands, he would have dug out the eyes of this rude and dissolute man and soaked them in wine!
Song Yinghuai's eyes darted back and forth between him and Caiyu. A sharp look flashed across his brow, but that momentary sharpness disappeared in an instant. He slightly raised the corner of his lips and said nothing.
"I heard that General Sheng has someone who can relieve my pressing problem. Is it this Hu merchant below?"
Time was pressing. Concubine Yao couldn't wait any longer. Moreover, the look in Sheng Jiangli's eyes on Caiyu made him very unhappy.
So Song Yinghuai got straight to the point as soon as he opened his mouth.
Sheng Jiangli gave a soft laugh. "Your Highness is straightforward. Yes, the Hu merchant you're looking for is in my hands. Last night, I heard that there was trouble in your mansion. To prevent this scoundrel from running away after hearing the news, I sent people to the black market first and caught him. I've brought him here especially for Your Highness."
No one in the room believed this.
The man had been caught last night, but he had been held back for two hours and not presented.
He only showed up at the critical moment.
Everyone knew Sheng Jiangli's malicious intentions.
Song Yinghuai motioned for Caiyu to step forward and refill his hot tea.
Caiyu stepped forward with the teapot. Feeling Sheng Jiangli's burning gaze following her like a shadow, she couldn't help groaning inwardly. The teapot in her hand was trembling slightly.
The tea was poured into the cup, and the curling white mist blurred Song Yinghuai's handsome face.
A gentle smile always hung on his lips. "Let's not beat around the bush. What does General Sheng want?"
Hearing the question, Sheng Jiangli's eyes became even more burning. Perhaps because he had lived outside the pass for a long time, he didn't like to beat around the bush. He directly pointed at Caiyu and said:
"I want—her!"
Caiyu's hand holding the teapot trembled. The tea in the spout tilted slightly and splashed on Song Yinghuai's tiger's mouth.
A small red swelling spread on the back of his hand.
Caiyu was startled and immediately put down the teapot and knelt down. "This slave deserves to die!"
Sheng Jiangli frowned. Before Song Yinghuai could speak, he preempted, "Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, is the God of War of Daye. A minor scald like this shouldn't be taken to heart. Why punish a delicate maid?"
Caiyu knelt on the ground, and her eyebrows throbbed wildly.
She knew that Sheng Jiangli and Song Yinghuai were political enemies now. It was okay for him to annoy Song Yinghuai, but please don't drag her into it!
Song Yinghuai's eyes fell on the red swelling on his tiger's mouth. Although the tea was hot, with his deep inner strength, it didn't actually cause any harm.
But Sheng Jiangli kept using Caiyu to provoke him. What was his intention?
Song Yinghuai looked down at Caiyu.
From his angle, Caiyu's long and curly eyelashes were trembling violently at the moment, indicating her uneasiness and excitement.
Just like every time he provoked this girl to an excited state, her crow-feather-like eyelashes would tremble uncontrollably.
But what was she uneasy about?
Although Sheng Jiangli's words were bold, Song Yinghuai, who was experienced in intrigue, could see that there wasn't much lust in Sheng Jiangli's eyes when he looked at Caiyu.
There was more admiration and nostalgia in his eyes...
Admiration?
Nostalgia?
Song Yinghuai's back tensed, and his fingers tightened silently. His dark eyes contained a violent and destructive aura.
This definitely didn't look like the look of someone meeting for the first time!
What was the relationship between these two before?
Sheng Jiangli was on the Crown Prince's side. So was Caiyu related to the Crown Prince...?
Did Sheng Jiangli come to the capital this time to get in touch with Caiyu or simply ask for her because he knew her?
Song Yinghuai's eyes were extremely deep. His black pupils were like a bottomless dark river, dim and unclear.
"Get up." He moved his thumb on his tiger's mouth. The skin was a bit sore, but it couldn't compare to the inexplicable soreness emerging from his heart.
He slightly curled his lips and looked at Sheng Jiangli. "General Sheng went to the Biansha black market in the middle of the night with great fanfare just to exchange a little maid from me?"
A hint of frivolity flashed in Sheng Jiangli's eyes. "Your Highness is a Buddhist practitioner. After years of practice, you've long forgotten the seven emotions and six desires. But I'm different. I cherish and love beautiful women."
He put his hands behind his back and paced lightly, with a smile on his lips. "Seize the day when the flowers are in bloom. Since Caiyu has been sent to my room, she's mine. To save the beauty from trouble, I had to make this trip no matter what."
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, exchanging a maid for your mother's life is such a profitable deal. You won't refuse, will you?"
Sheng Jiangli's deal seemed very profitable.
For a moment, everyone in the room tensed up.
Jiang Jinyue, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't hide her joy and blurted out, "Cousin has always been filial. Daye also highly values filial piety. For the sake of Auntie's life, cousin will definitely agree, right?"
She looked at Song Yinghuai eagerly.
It was really a turn for the better. She thought she was the unlucky one, but it turned out to be Caiyu!
This Sheng Jiangli was really a timely help. He not only saved her life but also got rid of the thorn in her side for her.
Zhu Xiao glanced at Jiang Jinyue.
He had never seen such a stupid and vicious woman. If she had just kept her mouth shut all night, maybe she could have died more quickly. But she always couldn't help hurting others.
Song Yinghuai gave a soft laugh, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He looked at Caiyu. "Very well. General Sheng took a fancy to my maid as soon as he entered the mansion... This is a trivial matter, but the Buddha said that we shouldn't force things, and everything is empty."
"Caiyu is my most personal maid. Not to mention taking care of my daily life, she also takes care of me when I get up and go to bed, and when I wash and bathe. She knows all my privacy. So I give her the right to choose. Whether she wants to go with you or not depends on Caiyu's own will."
Song Yinghuai said it lightly, but Zhu Xiao could hear a faint hint of jealousy.
What was his prince saying?
Caiyu was the most personal.
She took care of his washing and bathing.
She knew all his privacy...
He had seen the drama of two men fighting over a woman. They always bickered like this.
Caiyu looked up in surprise and looked at Song Yinghuai.
Such a domineering man actually gave her the right to choose?
She met Song Yinghuai's half-smiling eyes and felt a chill down her spine.
Based on her understanding of Song Yinghuai, this man was just testing her loyalty.
Sheng Jiangli's request was already beyond her expectation. For the sake of the mission, she couldn't agree.
Even if Song Yinghuai agreed, she would cry and plead to cancel the order.
Otherwise, she would never be able to gain Song Yinghuai's trust again.
But if she refused, what about Concubine Yao's life?
Song Yinghuai's voice was gentle and slow, but it sounded like a death knell in Caiyu's ears.
"Caiyu, after being master and servant for so long, I give you the right to choose."