Crawl...
It was tolerable for her to crawl in the Crown Prince's Mansion.
But now it was in front of Song Yinghuai.
Song Chengyuan clearly intended to embarrass her and test Song Yinghuai's true attitude.
Lü Baiwei's face turned as pale as paper. She looked at Song Yinghuai again for help, "No... I don't want to. Xuanyao, please save me. I don't want to!"
"Xuanyao, for the sake of my father, save me!"
Mentioning Lü, the junior grand preceptor, Song Yinghuai finally tightened his expression. He bent down and reached out his hand, pulling Lü Baiwei up from the ground. Then he looked at Song Chengyuan and said,
"She is the junior sister of both Your Highness and me. When our late master, Lü, the junior grand preceptor, was alive, he pleaded with us to take good care of the weak and orphaned daughters of the Lü family.
"Now that our junior sister has been taken under Your Highness's care and brought into the mansion, I hope Your Highness will remember your promise back then. Forgive when you can. Don't show your might on a weak woman just because of unfounded suspicions.
"As the saying goes, what goes around comes around. The gods are watching. How Your Highness treats the daughter of our late master, our late master can see it all. Aren't you afraid of retribution, Your Highness?"
The sun was shining brightly, and a dazzling golden light seemed to press down on Song Chengyuan's head.
The golden light shone on Song Yinghuai's back, making his appearance seem otherworldly.
Song Chengyuan couldn't help swallowing. He stared at Song Yinghuai and slowly said,
"Hehe, after practicing Buddhism for a few years, your killing intent and hostility have indeed decreased a lot..."
He turned his head and glanced at Lü Baiwei. "For the sake of the late junior grand preceptor, I won't argue with you today about why you were holding hands just now... Why aren't you coming over?"
Lü Baiwei bit her lips and secretly glanced at Song Yinghuai.
He had finally spoken up for her.
He still had feelings for her.
A glimmer of hope rose in Lü Baiwei's heart again. She walked over to Song Chengyuan slowly and sneakily glanced at Song Yinghuai from behind.
That day he had accepted her private seal but hadn't given a reply yet.
Based on her understanding of Song Yinghuai, if he hadn't replied for a long time, it meant he was still considering.
He was considering because he didn't know her current situation.
So she took this opportunity today to act pitiful and let him clearly see how miserable the person he had promised her father to take care of was living.
Sure enough, he had finally softened his heart and helped her.
Song Yinghuai keenly felt Lü Baiwei's gaze on him.
Calculation, scrutiny, assessment...
He scoffed silently in his heart. She never changed her ways.
He immediately turned around and left.
But Song Chengyuan's cold voice came from behind to stop him. "Putting aside this bitch beside me, I still want to talk to the fourth brother about Lan Caiyu."
Song Yinghuai paused and slowly turned around. His expression remained unchanged. "What else is there to talk about?"
It was clearly a tense confrontation.
But the atmosphere was incredibly quiet.
It was so quiet that even the flapping of the sparrows' wings on the tree could be heard clearly.
Song Chengyuan half - squinted his eyes and confronted Song Yinghuai. A sinister light flashed in his eyes.
Let it all come out!
Surprise him!
Song Chengyuan said, "Lan Caiyu, also known as Lan Jinshu, is the legitimate third daughter of Lan Yuanyi, the former Marquis of Yongchang."
He paused, waiting for Song Yinghuai to show a shocked expression when hearing this bombshell.
However, after waiting for a moment, he saw Song Yinghuai looking calm. He couldn't help being shocked first. "You already knew?"
Song Yinghuai nodded. His voice was as calm as water. "I guessed. Thank you, Your Highness, for confirming it."
He was one step too late again!
Song Chengyuan gasped. He felt as if he had punched a cotton ball.
He suppressed his annoyance and gritted his teeth angrily. "Fine, very good... Since you already know, you should be clear that as long as I'm unhappy, I can go to Father Emperor at any time and expose her identity!"
"She is a court criminal, a wanted criminal personally approved by Father Emperor. Does the fourth brother know what will happen to her once Father Emperor finds out?"
Of course, he knew.
If Caiyu was the daughter of the Lan family's escort agency in Yangzhou, since Xiao Rencheng had cleared the Lan family's escort agency of its grievances, Song Chengyuan couldn't threaten him at all.
But Caiyu was Lan Jinshu, and the case of the Marquis of Yongchang hadn't been reversed yet. He could indeed threaten him.
Moreover, the case of the Marquis of Yongchang's rebellion was far more serious than the case of the lost escort of a small escort agency.
Even Song Yinghuai might not be able to protect Lan Jinshu's life in front of Emperor Guangwu.
After Song Chengyuan finished speaking, his pair of sinister eyes stared at Song Yinghuai without blinking.
Would he give up Miss Lan?
Lü Baiwei opened her mouth and nervously looked at Song Yinghuai too.
She unconsciously hoped to make a comparison.
When faced with the threat to Caiyu, would Song Yinghuai be as heartless as he had been to her just now?
Song Yinghuai's hands in his sleeves clenched into fists. On the surface, he said with a gentle smile, "Of course I know..."
He paused. "I wonder where I have offended Your Highness?"
Song Yinghuai's voice was still as calm as ever.
But Lü Baiwei heard a different meaning.
Song Yinghuai was giving in!
Just like when he used to face Song Chengyuan's relentless pressure, he always admitted his mistakes in the end.
Whether it was out of his own will, because of the kindness of Empress Ma or the coercion of Emperor Guangwu.
Anyway, he was giving in to Song Chengyuan again because of another person!
But this time, he was giving in for a woman, which made Lü Baiwei extremely angry.
He could lower his head for Lan Caiyu. Why had he just coldly watched her being ordered around by Song Chengyuan like a dog without batting an eyelid?
Song Chengyuan clearly heard it too.
A victorious smile immediately spread across his face. "No. It's rare for the fourth brother to humble himself and ask me, his elder brother, for advice..."
"I'm very happy now, extremely happy!"
"I'm glad Your Highness is happy. I hope Your Highness will be happy every day." Song Yinghuai readily complied.
If you can't endure the small things, you will make a mess of the big things.
Especially when facing a madman like Song Chengyuan.
Song Chengyuan was even more delighted.
Every time he saw Song Yinghuai reluctantly bowing his head to him, he felt inexplicably satisfied.
So what if he was talented?
So what if he was a war god?
So what if the court officials supported him?
Wasn't he still being stepped on by him?
Song Chengyuan was extremely proud. "I've noticed that your temper has become more docile over the years. It suits my taste very much... Why don't the fourth brother stay in the capital for a few more days? I can teach you more about how to conduct yourself in the world."
Song Yinghuai frowned.
He knew what Song Chengyuan was up to.
He just wanted to openly ask him to stay in the capital, delay the war between the Yan Army and the Tartars, and prevent him from making meritorious deeds.
This was a matter of great importance, so Song Yinghuai naturally couldn't agree.
"Returning to Yan next month is Father Emperor's order. I'm afraid I can't comply with Your Highness's request."
"Humph!" Song Chengyuan sneered disdainfully. "You managed to refuse the arranged marriage. Now I just want to drink a few more cups with you and ask you to stay for a few more days."
Seeing Song Yinghuai standing there silently, which was a silent resistance, Song Chengyuan snorted coldly:
"The young master of the Lan family is not in the exile place in Hainan."
Song Yinghuai's pupils shrank slightly. He suddenly stared at Song Chengyuan. His deep eyes implied a pressing gaze:
"What does Your Highness mean by this?"
It shouldn't be false that Lan Guifan was in exile in Hainan. Why did Song Chengyuan say so?
Song Yinghuai's mind was working rapidly.
Suddenly, he understood something.
Since Lan Jinshu could be reinvented by the Crown Prince, then the Lan Guifan who was in exile in Hainan now...
The Marquis of Yongchang and the eldest young master of the Lan family didn't want their child to suffer in Hainan, so Lan Guifan was rescued. They must have cooperated to cover it up by having a substitute child.
Song Yinghuai's breathing stopped for a moment.
So, Caiyu had insisted on not telling him the truth because of her younger brother.
She was afraid that if she revealed her true identity, he would abandon her.
She was afraid that even if he knew, he wouldn't help her rescue Lan Guifan.
Song Yinghuai closed his eyes tightly.
No wonder.
Back then in the Yan area, he had several impulses to kill her.
Later, he couldn't be said to cherish her very much either.
No wonder she didn't dare to bet that he would protect her at the risk of his own life.
It was all his fault that he had fallen in love too late.