The commander of the Khitan cavalry in Kaiping was a court official. It was bad enough that he molested a decent woman.
But he must have had a nerve of steel to actually molest a maid in the Prince of Yan's mansion!
This Prince of Yan was not only the young war god who had shocked the continent seven years ago. Just last night, when the officials received secret reports from their informants in their mansions -
The Prince of Yan had just entered the capital these past two days. With just fifty ragtag soldiers from Xinchang, he had single - handedly destroyed thousands of Feishui River pirates armed with firearms.
Just this news had kept many officials in the capital awake all night.
These were officials who sat comfortably in the capital, only good at giving advice. When they heard about the "rebellion" just eighty miles away, the spies in their households were scurrying in and out, reporting military news all night. It was even busier than the capital during the day.
It was only after they heard that the pirates had been completely wiped out that they finally lay down and managed to catch a little sleep.
At the same time, they couldn't help but sigh that the Prince of Yan was truly a divine being.
This also woke up many officials who had been wavering and didn't know which side to take.
Just when this divine being's glorious image was still fresh in everyone's mind, there was actually someone who dared to provoke him and openly come to molest his maid.
Was this guy asking for death?
Everyone was in a state of panic. They even forgot to question why Sheng Jiangli had appeared in the capital. Their minds were filled with only one question:
"General Sheng, which maid of the Prince of Yan's did you molest?"
At this moment, their gossipy souls were awakened. This was even more exciting than court affairs.
As soon as the grand scholar asked the question, the curtains of the carriages on the street were all lifted. The court officials of the Great Ye were all shining with excitement in their eyes.
Sheng Jiangli had just steadied himself when he was met with a bunch of eager looks.
He squinted his eyes slightly, a smile on his face.
So they were all here to watch the fun, huh?
The Prince of Yan was no different.
He must have just made a fool of himself, and now he was probably standing in the mansion, listening to what was going on outside.
Sheng Jiangli guessed right.
At this moment, Song Yinghuai was indeed standing just a wall away from him. Caiyu, Qingqing and a group of others were also there, eager to listen to the commotion.
It was usually Song Yinghuai who had headaches. Now it was Caiyu's turn.
She was just about to say something when Song Yinghuai preemptively sent Ji Ming out to add insult to injury for Sheng Jiangli.
Seeing Caiyu about to speak, Song Yinghuai took the initiative, "I've already spared his life. Are you still going to plead for him?"
Caiyu: "… This servant wouldn't dare."
She also understood that according to Song Yinghuai's usual style, he wouldn't easily spare an enemy.
Especially Sheng Jiangli.
He was not only a political enemy but also... well, a love rival.
This was just to ruin a bit of his least - cared - about reputation.
Caiyu thought gloomily. Anyway, Brother A Li seemed to be a well - known playboy in the love field. He probably didn't care about one more stain.
It was better for her not to provoke Song Yinghuai.
Looking at the man's cold and handsome face, she stretched out two delicate fingers and tugged at the cuff of his robe.
Outside the mansion, Sheng Jiangli was now surrounded and "cared about" by everyone. They were determined to find out some juicy gossip.
Sheng Jiangli turned his head and looked at the magnificent Prince of Yan's mansion. A sly smile flashed in his eyes.
So they wanted to see him make a fool of himself, huh?
"People say that General Sheng is the most handsome and romantic general in our dynasty. It's a pity that he has been far away at the border. We've never had the chance to see for ourselves. Now we finally do. General Sheng is truly a romantic general. He even molested the Prince of Yan's maid. He's made the prince so angry that he doesn't even care about the feelings of his colleagues..."
The secretary of the Ministry of Rites winked from inside the carriage, "General Sheng, you've really flown out of the nest. Tell us!"
"That's right. The Prince of Yan will probably stay in the capital for some time. We might as well take a look and see which maid has caught General Sheng's fancy and made the general and the prince fall out."
Suddenly, Sheng Jiangli let out a loud laugh, stared at the tall wall, and his voice rang out clearly, almost piercing the sky:
"I'm ashamed to say. I, Sheng, have fallen in love with Miss Caiyu, a maid of the Prince of Yan. Since I saw Miss Caiyu in the Prince of Yan's mansion in Yanjing, I've been smitten with her at first sight. I've been thinking about her day and night ever since. That's why I lost my composure..."
Qingqing had been listening with her ears pricked up. Her eyes were filled with shock, "He really dares to say that!"
She had thought that this man was just spouting nonsense when he said he was Caiyu's man.
She never thought he would be so bold as to say it in front of so many people!
Caiyu behind the wall: …
She had a bad feeling. Brother A Li never played by the rules. This situation might get out of control.
Song Yinghuai, who had been in a daze after Caiyu had tugged at his sleeve with two fingers, also came to his senses. He cursed inwardly for his miscalculation and already guessed what Sheng Jiangli was going to say next.
In the blink of an eye, his face darkened slightly. He flicked out several Buddhist beads in succession.
The Buddhist beads shot out from the top of the wall like shooting stars, leaving only a faint afterimage.
It was a pity that Sheng Jiangli's arm had recovered. He could still dodge a few beads.
While dodging subtly in front of the group of civil officials, he didn't stop talking:
"I originally wanted to ask the prince for her hand. I didn't expect that the prince would also bring Miss Caiyu with him when he came to the capital. I was so anxious that I followed him here. Please be kind, my lords... Please plead for me when you see the emperor!"
This not only linked Caiyu's name with his own but also gained a lot of sympathy.
Sheng Jiangli was on the Crown Prince's side. The Crown Prince was the most important son of the emperor and the queen.
If it was a matter of military or national affairs, there might still be many impartial officials standing up to oppose.
But this was a matter of love. They were all men. Who wasn't romantic? Who didn't understand each other?
Hearing this, there was a burst of laughter on the street.
"So General Sheng secretly entered the pass for a little maid in the Prince of Yan's mansion!"
"A hero has a hard time resisting a beauty! General Sheng is young and full of vigor. It's only natural that he can't resist."
"I wonder how beautiful this Miss Caiyu is. She can actually make our General Sheng violate the imperial edict and enter the pass secretly. I'm really curious..."
"Lord Hu is being too serious. A man is not a real man if he is not romantic. Which man doesn't love beauty? Even our emperor was a romantic figure back then. And the prince... Didn't he even fight with General Sheng because of a maid? This is just a small matter. We'll all plead for General Sheng. We mustn't let the general be punished."
Sheng Jiangli clasped his fists, "Thank you, my lords!"
The grand scholar had a shrewish wife at home. He was so envious that his eyes were red, "General Sheng, when I get the chance to see the prince, I'll plead for you and get that maid for you. That way, you won't have to miss her..."
Sheng Jiangli was extremely grateful, "The grand scholar is truly my bosom friend!"
"General Sheng, since you're already in the capital, why don't you go to court with us and plead guilty to the emperor in person? Don't worry. We're all here. We'll definitely plead for you!"
"Thank you, thank you..."
...
As the voices faded away, there was a dead - like silence in the Prince of Yan's mansion.
The man's face was a bit gloomy.
Qingqing and the others saw the situation was not good and quickly slipped away.
Only Caiyu and Song Yinghuai were left standing under the wall.
The two were silent for a while, being bombarded by the distant but lingering words of "shameless" from outside the wall.
After a long time, a trace of annoyance appeared on Song Yinghuai's usually calm face. His voice was full of apology:
"I really didn't expect him to be so thick - skinned..."
He pursed his lips, not knowing how to explain it to her.
It was hard for a prince to apologize to a maid. He didn't know how to start.
But the words of Empress Ma suddenly popped into his mind last night.
"A maid is also born of her parents. How is she different from us?
"You shouldn't look down on any life, especially when facing the one you like and the one who likes you."
Caiyu stared blankly at him, not knowing what the entanglement on his face meant.
It was just a bit of teasing about her. She was just a maid after all.
Once the matter was over, it was over. Which of those officials would remember her name?
However, Song Yinghuai suddenly said, "It was my lack of consideration. I dragged you into this."
Caiyu stared at Song Yinghuai in shock.
Was this... an apology?