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Kapitel 7

Li Yuxuan was too exhausted to argue with him. She merely twitched the corner of her mouth as a reply. Seeing her deeply furrowed brows and the way she was pressing her left hand's Hegu acupoint with her right hand, Prince Xin also stopped smiling. He half-supported, half-carried her out of the palace gate, helped her onto her horse, and headed straight for Xizi Alley.

Their conversation drew the attention of everyone outside. The people who had just finished court stared in disbelief as Prince Xin and Li Yuxuan left in such an ambiguous manner.

As Xu Qingzhi watched them disappear from sight, he couldn't help but ask Su Shi beside him, "Second brother, what do you think is going on with Prince Xin?"

Su Shi shook his head: "My third brother is in trouble."

"Then what do we do?"

“Prince Xin’s behavior has always been eccentric, extravagant, and unrestrained. The Emperor doesn’t care about him, so we can’t do anything about it.”

...

"Then let's go and see!" Xu Qingzhi was still worried: "My third brother is too handsome. I'm afraid Prince Xin has ill intentions."

“Yes, Third Brother’s eyes are so bright and beautiful, like a lovely lady. If he were to dress as a woman, I’m afraid even the most beautiful courtesan in the capital would be outshone.” Su Shi brushed his clothes with his hand. “Sometimes when I’m with Third Brother, I can’t help but have a strange feeling. How much more so for Prince Xin? Let’s go and take a look.”

Xu Qingzhi recalled the faint fragrance he smelled on Li Yuxuan at Pinxiangju that day, and a strange feeling of loss welled up in his heart, spreading from his limbs to his bones.

Prince Xin escorted Li Yuxuan back to the Li residence. Li Yuxuan simply went to sleep, but Prince Xin did not leave. He sat in the study drinking tea and reading books, looking at Li Yuxuan's notes, and seemed quite interested in Li Yuxuan's handwriting.

Yinzi was afraid that he would find some clues in the study, so she hinted several times that it was not convenient to entertain guests in the house, but he turned a deaf ear to her.

Fortunately, Su Shi and Xu Qingzhi arrived soon after. Seeing that Prince Xin was not leaving, they also stayed. Su Shi even sent someone to bring his wife, Wang Fu, over to chat with Yinzi.

Only Yinzi was restless. She knew that there was a scroll left by Prefect Li in the study. Although it contained only romantic and erotic words, it would be very bad if Prince Xin saw it.

Fortunately, the arrival of Su Shi and his companions somewhat distracted Prince Xin, and the three began to discuss the Classical Prose Movement advocated by Ouyang Xiu.

Prince Xin knew the purpose of Su Shi and his companion's arrival. He understood that his reputation for being a playboy was widespread, and it was understandable that others were wary of him. He didn't point this out, focusing instead on discussing poetry with the two. He genuinely admired their talent. Seeing how protective they were of Li Yuxuan, he felt a warmth in his heart. In this treacherous officialdom, perhaps only at this age could such unwavering loyalty exist?

At this age? He gave a bitter smile. He was the same age, but his mind had been consumed by the court intrigues he had witnessed, and he had long since lost the ability to trust and love.

By noon, the three showed no sign of leaving. Yinzi was at a loss when Li Yuxuan, who had been sleeping, finally woke up. He was awakened by hunger. From yesterday until now, besides drinking, he had only eaten a little tea and snacks.

When he woke up, the effects of the alcohol had worn off, and he felt so hungry that his stomach was practically touching his belly. He quickly asked Yinzi to bring him some food. Yinzi had a maid bring him some warm bird's nest porridge, which Li Yuxuan took and gulped down in one go. Only then did he notice a woman sitting at the table in the house, smiling at him.

This woman, how to describe her, immediately reminded Li Yuxuan of Lin Daiyu from "Dream of the Red Chamber," serene and graceful like a flower reflected in water.

Her movements were as delicate as a willow swaying in the breeze, typical of a well-bred young lady.

She looked at Yinzi, who smiled and introduced her, "This is Brother Su's wife."

Su Shi's wife? Li Yuxuan sat up abruptly from the bed: "I'm sorry for making you laugh at me like this, sister-in-law. Please go out for a while, I'll be right back."

Wang Fu smiled and nodded, "Now that Third Brother has woken up, I will go and tell Young Master the news."

Fortunately, Li Yuxuan had slept fully clothed, so all she had to do now was change into a robe. She asked Yinzi, "What time is it now?"

It's already noon.

Who's outside?

“Prince Xin, Brother Xu, and Brother Su.”

"Oh! Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet, I was just wondering what to do, thankfully you woke up."

Li Yuxuan stretched and chuckled as he patted Yinzi's cheek: "That's a good way to address her."

Yinzi glared at her and was about to speak when Li Yuxuan covered her mouth with his hand and pressed his cheek against hers: "Don't speak, Prince Xin is coming." He then pulled her into his arms.

Yinzi grunted, and then heard Prince Xin's loud voice enter the room: "Lord Li only cares about being intimate with his wife, and ignores the brothers who have been guarding you outside for half a day?"

"Not at all," Li Yuxuan said, releasing the silver. "My wife was just overjoyed to see me awake. I'm starving too, so let's go to the restaurant for lunch."

Unlucky in love

Li Yuxuan carried the silver, and Su Shi brought his wife Wang Fu. The group chose a quiet and elegant restaurant nearby and went inside. Li Yuxuan could no longer drink, so no one else drank either. With the two ladies present, it wasn't appropriate to make any jokes; they simply ate.

After the meal, Wang Fu said she wanted to go home. Su Shi, seeing that Li Yuxuan was out of danger, took his leave with his wife. Xu Qingzhi also said that the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat had official business to attend to, so they all went out together.

In the hotel lobby, two dazzling women in red stood. Li Yuxuan looked over curiously and was surprised to find that one of them was Haitang, the girl from Pinxiangju.

Haitang clearly noticed them as well. Her gaze swept around before finally settling on Su Shi with delight. She strode towards him.

Li Yuxuan looked at Wang Fu and cried out in alarm. He then looked at Prince Xin and saw that he was completely indifferent, as if he did not recognize Haitang. Knowing that relying on this fox to save the day was wishful thinking, he laughed twice and walked towards Haitang: "Miss Haitang, you have become even more beautiful in the few days I have not seen you."

Haitang chuckled and walked up to the group. Li Yuxuan stepped in front of her, blocking her way: "Miss Haitang, let me introduce you. This is Prince Xin, this is Su Zizhan, this is Brother Su's wife, and this is..."

Haitang glanced at Li Yuxuan, her smile fading. "Lord Li, why are you so enthusiastic today? I've only met you once; there's no need for such eagerness."

"Hehe, young lady, you're being too polite. The fate between people isn't determined by how many times they meet. Haven't you seen countless legendary stories where two people fell in love at first sight and pledged their lives to each other? Besides, young lady, you are a beauty of unparalleled grace and beauty. How could I not be longing for you?"

Li Yuxuan, with his silver tongue, tried to shift the blame from Su Shi to himself, figuring he was just a figurehead and Yinzi wouldn't be jealous. But if Wang Fu found out about Su Shi and Haitang, it would be disastrous. Newly married, her husband was having a one-night stand with a prostitute; she'd be furious.

Su Shi, clearly unaware of Li Yuxuan's intentions, stepped forward and asked with some surprise, "Brother Li, do you also know Miss Haitang?"

Seeing that Su Shi didn't take the opportunity to slip away with his wife, and even went so far as to strike up a conversation, claiming to know Haitang, Li Yuxuan really wanted to shove Su Shi's cement head against a wall. So, intelligence is relative; this talented Su Shi's emotional intelligence is truly lacking. His social experience is even worse.

He could only feign surprise and ask, "Brother Su, you also know Miss Haitang?"

"Hehe," Su Shi chuckled, "Miss Haitang is also a friend of mine. However, Brother Li, aren't you afraid your wife will be jealous if you praise her so highly in front of her?"

When Li Yuxuan saw Su Shi say this, he knew that his cover-up had been in vain, so he could only chuckle and say, "My wife knows me. I'm all talk and no action. I would never dare to do it in my heart."

Haitang was initially annoyed by Li Yuxuan's glib tongue, but upon hearing his words, she remembered the night he slept in the study and couldn't help but cover her mouth and smile.

Su Shi pulled his wife Wang Fu over and said, "Come, let me introduce you. This is Miss Haitang. She paints orchids exceptionally well. The one I brought home last time was painted by Miss Haitang."

Wang Fu smiled and went up to greet Haitang.

Li Yuxuan couldn't help but greatly admire Su Shi's tactic. "On the surface, he's open and honest; behind the scenes… behind the scenes, he's a thief and a prostitute…" That might sound disrespectful to Su Shi, but let's just say she hadn't thought it through. However, from this day forward, she would definitely look at Su Shi with new respect.

Five men walked into the hotel. Although they were dressed in fine clothes, Li Yuxuan could tell from their gait and piercing eyes that they were not refined people. The men also saw Li Yuxuan and his companions. Except for Li Yuxuan, who was wearing ordinary clothes, the others were all in official robes. However, the men seemed not to recognize them, glanced at them, and then turned away and walked past them.

Another woman in red walked over and said to Haitang, "Sister, let's go!"

Haitang agreed and followed her in the same direction as the group of people.

Prince Xin, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Haitang, what are you doing here?"

Haitang sneered upon hearing this: "Has Your Highness forgotten what I do? Of course, I am invited by a patron."

"Is that so?" Prince Xin sneered, "Miss Haitang had better see what her patron looks like before going on the date, otherwise even if you have the most beautiful face, I won't be able to save you."

Su Shi wanted to say something more, but Wang Fu grabbed the corner of his clothes.

Li Yuxuan also found Prince Xin's words strange, but saw Haitang walk away as if she hadn't heard anything. Prince Xin, Haitang, Su Shi—Li Yuxuan suddenly felt that there must be some secret involved that he didn't know.

Seeing Haitang walk away, Prince Xin also turned and walked out of the hotel. After everyone dispersed outside the hotel, Prince Xin followed Li Yuxuan back to Xizi Hutong.

Li Yuxuan recalled Su Shi's words during the morning court session and knew that Prince Xin must have something important to say, something related to her and Xu Qingzhi's trip to the Liangzhou border. Although she didn't know much about Prince Xin, she knew he wouldn't waste time on trivial matters. She even began to suspect that his reputation for womanizing was just a smokescreen for the outside world.

Because he is so cunning, because he seems to know everyone inside and out, just like Haitang just now, just like those passersby who just passed by in a hurry.

After the two were seated in the study, Li Yuxuan couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Highness know those people at the hotel?"

"I don't know him."

"Why did the prince say those things to Miss Haitang?"

"Based on intuition."

oh------

"So, based on your intuition, what kind of people are they, Your Highness?"

"Not a good person."

oh!

"I know Your Highness has been waiting for me today because you must have something important to say. There is no one else here at the moment, so please speak freely, Your Highness."

Prince Xin looked at Li Yuxuan and put on his signature teasing smile again: "I hope that Lord Li will tell me the truth."

"Your Highness, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"Alright, let me ask you, why did you come to participate in the palace examination?"

"This—" Li Yuxuan smiled slightly, "This has nothing to do with my wishes; it was chosen by my mentors."

Prince Xin looked at Li Yuxuan's flawless answer and raised the corner of his mouth: "Then let me ask you, why did you want to take the imperial examination?"

"Does Your Highness believe that my talent is insufficient to conceive of such an idea?"

I want the truth!

"The truth is—" Li Yuxuan looked into Prince Xin's eyes. She was going to take a gamble today. Since Prince Xin had brought it up to this point, it proved that he must have found some information about her. The fact that he had found the information but did not report it, but instead questioned her directly, proved that he was not planning to reveal this matter for the time being, or that he was not yet confident enough to prove that the information he had was true.

Therefore, the initiative remained in her hands. "Your Highness, to tell the truth, I did pursue officialdom to avenge my father!"

Who is your father?

"Li De, the prefect of Changzhou, whose entire family was brutally murdered five years ago."

"Oh!" Li Yuxuan could see that Prince Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his gamble had paid off and that Prince Xin had indeed found out something. He continued, "This humble official knows that Your Highness and everyone else thought that Prefect Li's entire family had been slaughtered. I was only lucky to survive at the time, so I dared not reveal my identity for fear of being hunted down by my enemies. For the past five years, I have never dared to tell anyone about my background. Your Highness is the first person to know this secret."

That's true; Prince Xin was indeed the first person to know this secret. To gain someone's trust, you have to be honest about some things, especially since she was investigating this case, and her background would eventually be revealed.

Prince Xin fell silent for a moment before asking, "Have you found anything about our enemies?"

"We haven't found anything yet."

"Hmm!" Prince Xin nodded. "The imperial court has investigated your family's murder case for five years without finding any clues. You'd better not get involved." He then chuckled softly, "Do you think you can find out?"

Seeing that Prince Xin no longer doubted her, Li Yuxuan sighed and said, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

“Alright!” Prince Xin stood up: “Lord Li has told you everything, so I won’t hide it from you either. In the past two days, I’ve also sent people to investigate a lot of information about you. I know that you came from Changzhou, and that Prefect Li had a son named Li Yuxuan, who was two years older than you.”

Li Yuxuan felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat. Today's bet was practically a death sentence—thankfully, he survived. But why hadn't he thought of this age back then? "Hehe, as for my age, since I'm hiding my identity, I can't use my normal birth date. So I changed it to be two years younger."

Prince Xin smiled slightly and did not pursue the matter further. His expression softened. "Take good rest at home these next few days. In a couple of days, I will go with you to Liangzhou to deliver the New Year's silver."

Another unexpected event

Only then did Li Yuxuan realize that the so-called inspection of the border was actually to deliver silver to the Western Xia. Now that the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed and winter was approaching, it was clear that someone from the Western Xia was coming to urge them for silver and cloth.

Instead of sending all those military officers to the court, they actually made her and Xu Qingzhi, two weak scholars, deliver the year's silver. It was obvious that the Princess of Wei was using her position to settle a personal score and get back at her and Xu Qingzhi.