The neighing of a spirited horse echoed downstairs.
Sheng Jiangli pushed open the window and looked down.
Song Yinghuai, dressed in a moon - colored long robe, was riding a tall horse. The horse's hooves stamped restlessly on the ground below.
He came really fast!
As if sensing something, Song Yinghuai looked up and met Sheng Jiangli's eyes in mid - air.
His gaze was cold and sharp, like a blade cutting through the air.
Seeing that the person upstairs was indeed Sheng Jiangli as he had guessed, the joints of his hands gripping the reins turned white, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.
His dark pupils were surging with rage as he stared fixedly at Sheng Jiangli upstairs. The latter grinned wickedly and even provocatively waved the teacup in his hand.
Just then, the waiter was about to enter the building with a set of women's clothes in his arms when Song Yinghuai stopped him. "Wait. Are these clothes for the guest in Room Tianzi No. 1?"
The waiter met Song Yinghuai's gloomy and shifting black eyes. Seeing that the man was extraordinary in bearing, he nodded frantically in fear.
"Yes, yes, yes! That young lady's clothes were torn... The young master in the room asked me to buy a new set."
There was a "click" sound as Song Yinghuai's joints creaked.
He took a deep breath and said, "Go."
He took out a silver ingot and threw it to the waiter. "When the young lady is changing clothes, keep a close eye on the man in the room. If he dares to take a single peek, I'll dig out both your eyes and his!"
So cruel!
The waiter shrank his neck in fear and scurried upstairs.
He couldn't make head or tail of what was going on today.
The extraordinary - looking young master downstairs seemed like a cuckolded spouse coming to catch an affair.
The young master upstairs was also imposing, but he showed no sign of guilt.
Realizing the situation was turning bad, Han Fen quickly spurred his horse forward. "My lord, should I order the magistrate of the capital to send people to surround the restaurant?"
He felt that things were going to turn out badly.
Caiyu was alone in a room with Sheng Jiangli.
He could already imagine a field of green grass growing on the prince's head.
Wasn't this revenge a bit too extreme? The prince hadn't even met Concubine Lü yet, and he was already this jealous...
Song Yinghuai sat on his horse, his arm muscles clearly outlined through the fabric.
"No need. I'll wait downstairs."
Surrounding the restaurant would only attract more attention and make a bigger scene.
Sheng Jiangli was an unpredictable man. If provoked, he might do something like admitting in public that he had molested Caiyu last time.
It wouldn't do any good to anyone.
Song Yinghuai dismounted and strode into the restaurant. He found a seat in the main hall and then threw a token to Han Fen. "Send someone to the Censorate. Ask Xiao Rencheng to handle the matter of the grand preceptor's son."
Xiao Rencheng happened to have evidence regarding the case of the robbed birthday tribute of the grand preceptor back then. Since that birthday tribute was stolen silver, it was likely that the grand preceptor had embezzled a great deal of other stolen silver over the years.
It would be most appropriate to ask Xiao Rencheng to use this evidence to negotiate with the grand preceptor.
Seeing that Song Yinghuai was sitting downstairs instead of coming up, Sheng Jiangli raised his eyebrows, secretly admiring him.
He didn't charge upstairs aggressively to pick a fight. He could actually bear it. Truly worthy of being the Prince of Yan.
There was a knock on the door. Sheng Jiangli closed the window and opened the door.
The waiter held the clothes in front of him, looking straight ahead.
Sheng Jiangli took the clothes and was about to close the door, but the waiter blocked the door with his body. He said with a bitter face, "Young master, the gentleman downstairs has instructed that if you peek at the young lady changing clothes, he'll dig out your eyes and mine! So I have to stay with you."
Let the waiter stay in the room?
Or should he and the waiter both go out?
Sheng Jiangli didn't want to do either.
Why should he do as Song Yinghuai wished?
Sheng Jiangli paused for a moment and then smiled lightly. "How much silver did the gentleman downstairs give you?"
"One... one silver ingot."
Sheng Jiangli also took out a silver ingot. "Stand guard outside. When you go downstairs, tell him that I'm a gentleman who upholds his integrity and would never do anything wrong."
The waiter was dizzy from the sight of the silver.
What kind of good fortune had he run into today? Both of them were giving out such large rewards!
Sheng Jiangli closed the door and placed the clothes beside Caiyu. "Change your clothes first!"
Caiyu glanced around the room.
This wasn't the Ruixue Tower of the Prince of Yan in Yanjing. There was no inner chamber.
If she wanted to change clothes, there was no place for Sheng Jiangli to avoid seeing.
Sheng Jiangli knew what she was thinking when he saw her darting glances.
He turned around. "Is this okay now?"
Caiyu stared at his back and thought for a while. Brother A Li had always loved to play pranks, and his personality had become even more willful. Who knew if he would suddenly turn around.
Sheng Jiangli didn't hear any movement behind him for a long time, so he knew what she was worried about.
A look of hurt flashed across his jet - black eyes. He reached up to untie his hair ribbon and tied it over his eyes. "Don't you have any confidence in my character, Sister Shu'er?"
If he really wanted to take advantage of Lan Jinshu, he would have forced himself on her in Yandi or on the outskirts of Pengcheng.
Caiyu opened her mouth, suddenly feeling that there was an invisible barrier between them. She didn't know what to say.
She had indeed been worried just now.
She also knew that with Sheng Jiangli's ability, if he really wanted to do something to her, Song Yinghuai wouldn't be able to stop him in time.
The reason she dared to come out alone with Sheng Jiangli was that in the bottom of her heart, she still regarded Sheng Jiangli as family and believed that he wouldn't really hurt her.
After tying the ribbon over his eyes, Sheng Jiangli waved his hands in the air and asked, "Do I need to tie my hands too?"
"No!"
Caiyu replied quickly and then picked up the clothes and changed in a hurry.
Although Sheng Jiangli had his eyes covered, he could still hear the rustling sound of Caiyu changing clothes.
His ears twitched slightly, and involuntarily, he imagined Lan Jinshu's graceful figure in his mind. The eyes behind the hair ribbon suddenly became extremely dark.
He was really stupid!
He clearly knew that he was vulnerable in front of Lan Jinshu, but he still chose to stay in the room.
Thinking of her spending day and night with Song Yinghuai, taking off and putting on her clothes in front of that man every day...
A look of indescribable pain flashed across Sheng Jiangli's eyes. His fingers curled and tightened on the back of the chair.
When Caiyu finished changing and looked up, she saw the man standing motionless with his back to her. A sense of guilt welled up in her heart.
Her actions just now had hurt Brother A Li after all.
Hearing that the movement behind him had stopped, Sheng Jiangli took off the hair ribbon. When he turned around, his face had returned to its nonchalant expression. He smiled and said,
"The Prince of Yan is already downstairs. Sister Shu'er, if you have any instructions, hurry up and tell me to do them."
Mentioning the matter at hand, Caiyu heaved a sigh of relief and quickly asked,
"Brother A Li, you mentioned my eldest sister to me in Yanjing before. So you should know how she's doing in the Wen family, right?"
Sheng Jiangli's eyes flickered slightly. "Did you see Qin'er?"
Caiyu nodded. "I saw her take the hairpin that Father gave her for her coming - of - age ceremony to the pawnshop. She's the wife of the assistant minister of war, no, now the minister of war. How could she be so poor?"
She had thought that after the fall of the Lan family, it would be difficult for her eldest sister to get along with her mother - in - law in the Wen family. But Wen Zilong had been so obedient to her eldest sister back then!
Moreover, when her eldest sister got married, their parents had prepared a grand dowry for her.
How could her eldest sister be so poor?
Sheng Jiangli pondered for a while and then decided to tell the truth. "Qin'er was completely devoted to Wen Zilong at that time and had no defenses. She handed over all her dowry to Wen Linshi. Who would have known that the Wen family wasn't sincere at all."
"Wen Zilong was transferred to the Ministry of War with the help of my adoptive father in the first two years. Later, when my adoptive father got into trouble, the Wen family severed their relationship with the Lan family. Wen Zilong used Qin'er's dowry to curry favor in the officialdom and had a smooth career. However, the Wen family's attitude towards Qin'er became worse and worse."
"I heard that Wen Zilong took in a mistress two years ago. I just arrived in the capital and haven't had the chance to find out where the mistress lives."
"A mistress?" Caiyu was furious. "That Wen Zilong is really a scoundrel! When his father - in - law's family got into trouble, he actually added insult to injury, betrayed the Lan family, and betrayed my eldest sister... Bastard!"
She suppressed her anger and asked, "You've known this for a long time, but you didn't tell me... What else do you know?"