A long line of carriages was parked outside the Luoyan Residence.
On each carriage fluttered the black flag of the Eagle Strike Legion of the Yan Prince's Mansion, snapping loudly in the wind.
Song Yinghuai hadn't forgotten his promise from the night before last, but he was a day late.
However, Sheng Jiangli had no time to dwell on this.
He was lifting the curtains of each carriage one by one and peering inside.
That girl Qingqing must be hiding in one of these carriages!
Yet, as one carriage after another revealed its empty interior,
Sheng Jiangli's face visibly grew more and more irritable. "That little wretch didn't come back?"
Suobude and the others followed behind and, not believing it, carefully searched each carriage again. Finally, they shook their heads in disappointment.
It was true... she hadn't come back!
Ten tall steeds were grandly lined up outside the Luoyan Residence. Their hooves stamped restlessly, their tails swished, and their heads turned, creating a continuous din.
Sheng Jiangli stood still for a long while.
Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh. "Humph! She can stay away if she wants!"
"Suobude, unload the carriages. Take the horses to the backyard to be raised, and store the carriages for now."
Suobude asked, "General, aren't you going to the Yan Prince's Mansion to look for Qingqing? Maybe the girl is just sulking. If you go and coax her, she'll come back!"
Sheng Jiangli touched the private seal in his arms.
He had originally planned to return the seal to the Yan Prince's Mansion today. But if he rushed there in a hurry now, wouldn't that little wretch think he was going specifically for her?
No way!
He'd rather die than go!
Sheng Jiangli immediately turned around. "I'm busy. I have to go to court today. That little wretch is from the Yan Prince's Mansion. Do you think I'm going to beg her to come back?
"If Song Yinghuai found out, he'd laugh his head off!"
"Let's go to court!"
On this day in the imperial capital of Daye, the court was in an uproar.
The faction led by Crown Prince Song Chengyuan took turns to present memorials to Emperor Guangwu, strongly criticizing the frequent troop movements of the Yan Army on the border. They suspected that the Yan Prince, Song Yinghuai, harbored evil intentions and demanded that he be placed under house arrest in the capital and his return to the fief be postponed.
Emperor Guangwu propped his head on the armrest of the dragon throne and rubbed his temple, his eyes filled with helplessness.
The Crown Prince's faction had rambled on for most of the day, but their only evidence was that the Yan Army had been more active on the border than usual.
Apart from that, they had no other solid evidence.
The court had just received a letter from the new Khan of the Tartars, stating that Tartar envoys would come to the capital for peace talks at the end of the month.
Although Emperor Guangwu favored the Crown Prince, he wasn't going to deliberately make things difficult for his son, Song Yinghuai.
He thought that Song Yinghuai must have taken advantage of the turmoil in the Tartar court to stir things up on the border. With the Tartars facing internal strife and external threats, they were now forced to seek peace.
This was a good thing!
But the Crown Prince had instigated his followers to slander Song Yinghuai's loyalty.
Emperor Guangwu felt a bit disappointed.
So he looked at Xiao Rencheng. This left censor-in-chief of the Censorate was known for his fairness and integrity. Emperor Guangwu thought he would give a fair opinion:
"Lord Xiao, do you think the Yan Prince has evil intentions?"
Xiao Rencheng kept his eyes down. "Your subject doesn't dare to make wild speculations. But I think it's rather far-fetched for Lord Wen and the others to conclude that the Yan Prince has evil intentions just based on the frequent troop movements of the Yan Army."
"However... the Yan Army's actions today are indeed a bit too bold. Your subject thinks it might be a good idea to keep the Yan Prince here for a while longer. After the Tartar envoys arrive in the capital and the peace talks are successful, then we can let the Yan Prince return to his fief. This way, everyone will be happy."
Wen Zilong and the others looked at Xiao Rencheng in surprise.
The sun must be rising in the west.
Xiao Rencheng didn't refute them. Instead, he also agreed to postpone the Yan Prince's return?
But that wasn't the most surprising part.
Then, Xiang Fengzhu, the minister of the Ministry of Works, Zhong Yuxuan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, Xu Ziyi, the minister of the Ministry of Justice, and many other ministers who had never taken sides all said that although there was no direct evidence to prove that the Yan Prince had evil intentions, it wouldn't hurt to postpone his return.
Emperor Guangwu's face didn't relax. Instead, his expression behind the jade tassels grew more solemn.
He had given power to the Crown Prince in recent years, but he never expected that the Crown Prince had managed to win over seven or eight out of ten court officials!
He had thought this son was a good-for-nothing. He had always felt sorry for not being able to raise him personally. But he never thought...
This son had been pretending to be weak and now he had a tiger on his hands?
Finally, Sheng Jiangli reported calmly:
"Your humble subject received news recently that the Tartars on the border seem to be withdrawing. The border crisis has been temporarily resolved. Whether the Yan Prince returns to his fief or not is not urgent. What's more important is that the Tartar envoys will come to the capital for peace talks at the end of the month. This is a major event. It might be better to let the Yan Prince stay in the capital as well. He can help us deal with the envoy group."
As everyone knew, when the envoy group came to pay homage, there were always some contests between the two countries, such as literary, martial, and intellectual competitions, as well as chess and go games.
One was for entertainment, and the other was to show the country's strength and gain more bargaining chips in the negotiations.
Song Yinghuai was well-versed in both literature and martial arts. Staying in the capital would indeed help Daye win.
So, Emperor Guangwu didn't follow the Crown Prince's suggestion and place Song Yinghuai under house arrest.
Instead, he issued an imperial edict in the name of Empress Ma to persuade Song Yinghuai to stay, and at the same time, create more opportunities for Xu Buyue.
Song Chengyuan was stupid and didn't notice the subtle change in the emperor's attitude.
He only thought that his goal of keeping Song Yinghuai in the capital for a while had been achieved.
After the peace talks with the Tartars were over and there was no war on the border, Song Yinghuai wouldn't be able to make any achievements. Then his goal would be accomplished.
Song Yinghuai had excused himself from attending court today, waiting for the arrival of the imperial edict.
After Eunuch Cen delivered the edict, he left happily.
However, Princess Nan'an had followed him. She didn't leave with him but stayed behind and said to Song Yinghuai:
"I'm going to organize a hunting trip in the middle of the month. I sincerely invite Brother Four to join us."
Song Yinghuai looked at her somewhat heroic face and sighed silently. He subtly hinted, "Princess, I'm not a good match for you."
"Brother Four, are you referring to what happened on the wine boat banquet that day?" Xu Buyue didn't seem to care. "At first, I thought you were just like those other stinky men. But then Caiyu came. I saw how sincere you were towards her. Only then did I realize that you were just pretending to be a playboy!"
Song Yinghuai forced a smile. "Since you know I have someone in my heart, why are you making things difficult for me?"
"Brother Four, I admire Caiyu. She's a good girl. But it's a pity that she has a humble background. She's not suitable to be the main wife. The emperor and the empress will never agree to it. The imperial order is hard to disobey." Xu Buyue looked serious, as if she was negotiating. "I'm the most suitable person for the position of your main wife. I like you.
"And you can trust my character. If I become your main wife, I will never treat your beloved one unfairly or badly.
"Instead of letting the emperor and the empress choose another narrow-minded noblewoman for you to be the Princess of Yan, you might as well marry me. On the one hand, it will fulfill my admiration for you. On the other hand, it will protect your beloved one."
Xu Buyue's voice was clear and loud, like a military speech. It made Song Yinghuai's eyebrows twitch.
Whether the Princess of Nan'an had really understood her own feelings or not was another matter, but her calm analysis made a lot of sense.
At least she was an upright person. She wouldn't play dirty tricks and could suppress all the scheming women. She was indeed the most suitable person to protect Caiyu as the main wife.
But...
Song Yinghuai was in a mess. He knew Caiyu's character well. She couldn't tolerate any sand in her eyes.
Even if the other person was someone like Xu Buyue, she probably wouldn't be able to accept sharing a husband.
Song Yinghuai tightened his lips. No one could tell what he was thinking.
After a long time, he slowly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess, but..."
"Brother Four, don't be in a hurry to reject me." Xu Buyue interrupted him. "I won't play dirty tricks like other women. But I hope you can give me a chance to get to know me better. Maybe after we get along, you'll change your mind."
The woman had been in the army for a long time. Song Yinghuai could tell at a glance that she wasn't the kind of person who would easily change her mind.
Fine.
It wouldn't be easy to make her give up.
Song Yinghuai nodded. "I'll attend the hunting trip."
Seeing Song Yinghuai finally nod, Xu Buyue couldn't hide her joy and left happily.
As soon as Song Yinghuai let out a sigh of relief, Han Fen rushed in. He entered the study in a hurry and blurted out:
"My lord, Peilan died suddenly. The Supreme Court has arrested Miss Lan and thrown her into prison. Lord Xiao admitted to having a tryst with her that night in order to save her!"