Caiyu stared blankly at Song Yinghuai.
She knew that her actions this time had hurt him, but she never expected that entrusting her private seal to Sheng Jiangli would provoke such a strong reaction from Song Yinghuai.
Was it because... in the prince's eyes, Brother A Li belonged to the Crown Prince's faction?
She knew that Brother A Li had gotten close to the Crown Prince for Fan'er's sake.
But the prince didn't know that.
Caiyu didn't know what to say.
The truth welled up on her lips several times, but she still didn't have the courage to tell Song Yinghuai that she was Lan Jinshu, not Lan Caiyu. Sheng Jiangli was her sworn brother, not the adopted son of the Marquis of Changping.
Some lies became truths as they were repeated.
She had lived under the name of Lan Caiyu for several years. Now, to tear open the wound and expose the bloody truth in front of others...
She was afraid.
She hesitated for a long time. Finally, she stammered, "Your Highness... This slave knows her mistake. This slave will reflect on it right away. But please trust this slave just once. General Sheng... he won't harm this slave, nor will he harm Your Highness."
After saying that, she hung her head helplessly. Her eyes were as moist as small springs, and tears fell one after another.
It was always Sheng Jiangli!
Always Sheng Jiangli!
Song Yinghuai, who always had a straight back, suddenly couldn't hold it up. He had to rely on the back of the chair to maintain his current posture.
He looked dejectedly at the woman kneeling on the ground. She hung her head, only showing her fluffy head to him. He couldn't see her expression at all.
Only the wet spot on the floor in front of her knees told him that she was crying.
The pain of being ignored and the sudden loss of his right - hand man left Song Yinghuai mentally and physically exhausted.
His knuckles turned white from gripping too tightly for too long.
Apart from the sound of Caiyu's sobs, the room fell into silence again.
Outside the room, Ji Ming and Han Fen, who were standing guard, pricked up their ears but couldn't hear any movement inside. They could only look at each other and suppress their anxiety.
After a long time, Song Yinghuai's voice finally rang out in the room, "Ji Ming, Han Fen!"
The two rushed in like the wind and heard Song Yinghuai's cold - as - ice order:
"Caiyu has made a mistake. From now on, she is under house arrest in the Prince Yan's Mansion. Without my order, no one is allowed to let her out without permission. Han Fen, arrange people to watch her closely!"
House arrest!
Han Fen and Ji Ming looked up at Song Yinghuai in shock.
Caiyu also stared at him in astonishment as he walked past her mercilessly.
The man's steps were so heavy as he left. Each step seemed to carry uncontrollable anger, as if he was stepping on the fire in his heart rather than the floor.
With a "bang",
Song Yinghuai forcefully closed the door behind him. The dull sound separated him and Caiyu into two worlds.
Caiyu cried even more bitterly.
Without looking back, Song Yinghuai left the Prince Yan's Mansion and rode straight to the Xu Mansion.
Xu Ziyi, the second young master of the Xu family, had just changed into his casual clothes after returning from court. His features were three - dimensional and regular, exuding an air of dignity. His slanting eyebrows flew into his temples, and there was a look of calmness in his eyes.
Hearing the servant's report, the thin corners of Xu Ziyi's lips twitched slightly, as if smiling but not really, "Oh? Even His Highness the Prince Yan is willing to come and pay a visit in person? Let him wait in the main hall. Tell him that I still have important matters to attend to."
Xu Buyue frowned beside him, "Second brother, why are you making things difficult for Brother Si?"
Xu Ziyi gave her a sideways look, "He dared to reject my sister. What's wrong with me making him wait?"
"But he must have come with an urgent matter to discuss."
Xu Ziyi sneered, "Urgent matter... Is it more urgent than my sister's marriage?"
"Second brother!" Repeatedly being mentioned about her marriage, Xu Buyue rarely showed a bit of a young girl's coquettishness, "Don't always use me as an excuse!"
Seeing that Xu Buyue was about to get angry, Xu Ziyi laughed, "Alright, alright, second brother won't tease you... I know what he's here for. Second brother just wants to take this opportunity to put him in his place and make him agree to the marriage!"
"Second brother, don't interfere in my affairs." Xu Buyue said with a look of integrity, "Forced melons are not sweet. I want Brother Si to really like me."
"Whether it's sweet or not, take a bite and you'll know..." Xu Ziyi muttered, then raised his voice and followed her words, "Okay, okay, I know. I'll handle it properly later, alright?"
He shook his head and sighed, looking at his sister's serious face with a headache.
So serious...
Which man could love her tenderly?
Making Song Yinghuai like her?
It was going to be difficult!
Song Yinghuai waited in the main hall of the Xu Mansion for a full hour before Xu Ziyi finally showed up.
Mr. Xu, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice of the Great Ye, entered the room full of apologies, with a smile on his handsome face:
"I'm really sorry to have kept His Highness the Prince Yan waiting for so long. There have been many cases recently, and I've been busy with government affairs. I forgot the time for a moment."
Song Yinghuai certainly knew that Xu Ziyi was telling lies with his eyes open. The men of the Xu family all doted on Xu Buyue. This time, they were giving him a warning!
He wasn't angry either. He just returned the greeting with a gentle smile, "Mr. Xu, the second young master, has been dedicated to the country and the people. I only admire you. How dare I complain?"
Xu Ziyi's eyes flashed. Looking at Song Yinghuai, who had waited for an hour without showing any impatience or anger, and thinking of the heroic deeds of the God of War that his father and elder brother often talked about, he silently praised him in his heart.
Endure humiliation without showing anger; notice others' mistakes without publicizing them; detect others' deception without getting angry; hide your talents and wait for the right time; if you want to be a soaring eagle, don't compete with small birds.
No wonder his sister liked him.
"Your Highness's visit has brought honor to our humble abode." After Xu Ziyi sat down and took a sip of tea, he directly got to the point, "May I ask what brings you here this time?"
"About..." Song Yinghuai also took a sip of tea unhurriedly and said, "Miss Lan, the wife of the Minister of the Ministry of War."
Xu Ziyi was taken aback for a moment. He squinted his eyes and sized up Song Yinghuai.
Instead of mentioning his right - hand man, he brought up Lan Jinqin, who had little to do with him.
His Highness the Prince Yan's negotiation approach was rather unconventional, catching him off guard.
His plan to exchange the matter of Xiao Rencheng for his sister's marriage proposal was stuck in his throat and couldn't come out.
Xu Ziyi calmly concealed his gaze, "Oh? What about Miss Lan?"
"Mr. Xu must already know that Miss Lan is in the Court of Judicial Review."
Xu Ziyi nodded, "I know. The Court of Judicial Review is in charge of handling cases and sentencing in the country. They should be prudent in judging doubtful cases and compassionate in redressing unjust cases. I believe that Lord Di Shikai, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, will handle the case impartially."
Xu Ziyi was also beating around the bush, not falling into Song Yinghuai's trap.
"Di Shikai was promoted by the Crown Prince himself." Song Yinghuai said casually, as if it was an afterthought.
Xu Ziyi curled his lips, "So what? Lord Wen is also the Crown Prince's confidant. Why does His Highness the Prince Yan bother about the internal strife among the Crown Prince's people?"
"Besides, what does it matter to His Highness the Prince Yan whether Mrs. Wen is in trouble or not?" Xu Ziyi pressed on, trying to force Song Yinghuai to plead with him on the matter of Xiao Rencheng.
Song Yinghuai smiled faintly. Instead of answering his question, he changed the topic:
"The Tartar envoys will visit next month. I heard that the new Khutuktu of the Tartars is leading this mission to the Great Ye."
Xu Ziyi frowned and looked at Song Yinghuai in confusion.
So what if it was the new Khutuktu?
Song Yinghuai calmly said, "This new Khutuktu has a mysterious identity. My spies found out that she is actually a Han woman... She wandered out of the pass from inside the pass four years ago. Except for her name, all other information about her is fake."
There was actually such a woman!
Xu Ziyi asked curiously, "What's her name?"
Song Yinghuai looked at him, smiling enigmatically, "Jin Xiang."
Xu Ziyi's face suddenly changed. His pupils shrank sharply, and the cup in his hand slipped from his palm.
"Jin Xiang?" Xu Ziyi murmured to himself.
The bright and flamboyant face in his memory suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
"No, it's the Jin of gold, Jin Xiang." Song Yinghuai curved his eyes, "Maybe it's just a coincidence in pronunciation."
Xu Ziyi gave Song Yinghuai a deep look.
If it was just a coincidence in pronunciation, why would Song Yinghuai come all the way to mention it?
He clearly believed that the Tartar Khutuktu was an acquaintance!
If the person who came in a month was an old acquaintance who had been missing for four years, how could her elder sister... be in trouble?
When Xu Ziyi spoke, his voice was hoarse and broken, "Your Highness the Prince Yan really takes an unconventional approach... No wonder you're invincible on the battlefield as well as in negotiations. I'll find a way to intervene and try to transfer this case to the Ministry of Justice. Your Highness the Prince Yan, please leave!"