Luzhou-Mond

Kapitel 67

Shen Haoyu snorted and looked at me coldly.

"If Your Highness wants to know, can't I tell you now?"

Shen Haoyu remained silent.

I chuckled inwardly. He'd finally reverted to his awkward self, deliberately trying to act cool even though he clearly wanted to know. I coughed lightly and said, "Regardless, I still have to be honest with the young prince. It's nothing really, just that after I was caught by the second prince, I made a bet with him. I can't tell you what the bet was, but I assure you, it's absolutely nothing that could harm the prince's residence, it has absolutely nothing to do with the prince's residence, it's a completely private matter. The second prince sent the gift, probably to remind me not to forget the bet."

Shen Haoyu narrowed his eyes, looking at me with a half-smile: "Personal matter?"

I nodded.

"You've already sold yourself into the Prince's household, so what 'private' status do you still have?" Shen Haoyu smiled innocently.

I composed myself and said, "Even if there are no personal issues, there should be issues of credibility. After all, I am still a member of the Prince Qing's mansion, and I cannot allow people to say that the people of the Prince Qing's mansion are untrustworthy. So, Your Highness, please allow me to go to the Second Prince's mansion one more time to resolve the remaining issues."

Knowing full well that Shen Haoyu wouldn't believe a single word they said, they still blurted it out. How much of what they said was true? The truth or falsehood of their words didn't matter, nor did it matter if anyone believed them; as long as their goal was achieved, that was all that mattered. Don't we often treat lies as truth even when we know they are?

All we need is for Shen Haoyu to let us go to the Second Prince's residence.

"Should we have him take you to the guesthouse where the envoy is staying?" Shen Haoyu asked with a smile.

I nodded honestly. It wasn't just a side effect; it was the ultimate goal.

Shen Haoyu smiled and shook his head: "Since you've gone to such great lengths, should I offer my support?"

I just stood there grinning like an idiot: "Young Prince, as long as you agree to our request, anything is fine."

In the end, Shen Haoyu strongly supported us and gave us a truly respectable reason to go to the Second Prince's residence: to deliver congratulatory gifts to celebrate the Second Prince's wife's pregnancy with the Emperor's grandson.

Mu Hanyan is pregnant!

Upon hearing this news, I was genuinely happy for Shen Tingxuan. The First Prince's Consort hadn't given birth for several years, and the children in the First Prince's household were all born to concubines of relatively low status, so they weren't considered very precious. Mu Hanyan was different; she was the only daughter of the Marquis of Qiyun, the Second Prince's principal wife, and his only consort. Her pregnancy was a major event. Thinking back to when I saw her outside Chongde Hall a few days ago, she seemed unchanged, so it seemed the news had only come in the last couple of days.

The next day, Shen Haoyu handed the prepared congratulatory gifts to Zinuo and me. Zinuo and I then swaggered into the Second Prince's residence on behalf of the Prince Qing's Mansion. However, Shen Haoyu made me change into men's clothing.

The gatekeeper led Zinuo and me to the hall to wait. A short while later, Shen Tingxuan, dressed in a white robe, entered. Zinuo and I quickly presented our gifts and bowed to him. When he saw Zinuo and me, Shen Tingxuan's expression showed a moment of surprise and delight. After all these years, this must be the first time he'd seen Zinuo. I looked at Shen Tingxuan, then at Zinuo, and noticed a hint of inquiry in Zinuo's gaze. A sense of unease crept into my heart: Zinuo only knew Shen Tingxuan was her brother-in-law, and that he knew our identities, but she didn't know he was the former Mu Shaoting. Would he see through her at such close range?

Looking closely at Shen Tingxuan's handsome face, I realized he was completely different from the little boy he once was. My heart eased slightly, and I quickly said, "Congratulations, Second Prince!" This congratulation was truly heartfelt, and I smiled broadly at Shen Tingxuan.

However, an unexpected awkwardness, or perhaps a hint of embarrassment, flashed across Shen Tingxuan's face.

Could it be... that the news of the Second Prince's wife's pregnancy at such a delicate moment is because she's afraid Princess Luoli will be betrothed to Shen Tingxuan? Is Mu Hanyan worried about this and releasing this news to protect her position as the principal wife? After all, a princess of a nation can't be relegated to a secondary position...? I was lost in my own wild thoughts when I heard Zi Nuo softly call out, "Sister!"

I saw Zi Nuo looking at me thoughtfully, then winking at Shen Tingxuan. I looked at Shen Tingxuan and saw him smiling at me, but there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes. I couldn't help but blush. Had I written all my thoughts on my face? The way they looked at me!

"Second Prince!" I said awkwardly.

Shen Tingxuan waved his hand and said, "We're all family. There are no outsiders here, so there's no need to stand on ceremony." I looked up and realized that there were only the three of us left in the pavilion at some point.

"Why did the Prince Qing's mansion send the two of you today?" Shen Tingxuan asked with some confusion.

I quickly explained, "It was I who went to ask the young prince for help."

Shen Tingxuan looked at me with surprise, the light in his eyes making me feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Brother Ting, I went to ask the young prince for your help, but that's how I learned the princess consort is pregnant."

After apologizing in my heart, I shamelessly said, "Upon hearing this good news, I wanted to come and congratulate Brother Ting in person." I paused and then added, "There's another matter I'd like to ask Brother Ting for help with."

"What is it?" Shen Tingxuan asked, his eyes dimming slightly. My lack of sincerity must have made him a little unhappy.

But this is the main purpose, and even though I feel guilty, I still have to say it. "Please take us to the Golden Sparrow Envoy's inn. Zinuo wants to secretly take a look at Princess Luoli."

Shen Tingxuan smiled slightly and said, "Oh, that's a matter of sorts. I happen to be going there this afternoon, so I'll take you with me. However, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for the Prince Qing's residence, you'd better dress up differently when you go." I nodded gratefully. Even though he was a political enemy, Brother Ting never thought of using me to harm the Prince Qing's residence, unlike Shen Zexuan, who always used me to annoy Shen Haoyu.

Thinking of this, I gave Shen Tingxuan a grateful look. Shen Tingxuan looked at me with a smile and said, "It's still early. Why don't we find another place to sit and have a good chat?"

I asked in surprise, "Don't you have anything else to do?"

Shen Tingxuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "These past few days, Father Emperor only asked me to take good care of the envoys from the Golden Sparrow Kingdom, and relieved me of other duties, so that I could spend more time with your sister."

I finally smiled broadly, and a gentle smile appeared on Zinuo's face. They seemed to be living a very happy life.

Shen Tingxuan personally led us to a small courtyard and said, "You should change your clothes here first. There are countless eyes watching us inside and outside the mansion. We still need to put on a show for them."

Upon hearing this, my face burned with embarrassment. I looked at Shen Tingxuan guiltily, and he looked at me with a smile in his eyes. When he turned to look at Zinuo, he was also blushing.

Shen Tingxuan gave a signal to the guards behind him, and two of them stepped forward and grabbed me and Zinuo. Shen Tingxuan shouted, "Lock up these two rude scoundrels and discipline them properly!" The two guards then dragged me and Zinuo into the courtyard and pushed us into a small room.

"Please change your clothes here, both of you," one of the guards said. He was the same one who had arrested me last time, whose name was Dongcheng or something like that.

Remembering how he made me fall so hard last time, I winked at him mischievously and greeted him, "Hi!" The little guard blushed and jumped out of the room as if fleeing. I laughed heartily. Zinuo looked at me with a puzzled and slightly contemptuous expression, but didn't say anything.

After we changed into the guard uniforms provided in the room, the two guards knocked on the door and came in. They handed us a key, then found chairs in the room and sat down, looking at Zinuo and me with some resentment. Zinuo and I smiled at each other, walked out of the room, and locked the two men inside.

Outside the courtyard, Shen Tingxuan and the remaining guards were still waiting. When they saw us come out, Shen Tingxuan smiled with delight, and my heart warmed instantly.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 52

Chapter word count: 3412 Update time: 09-08-10 14:58

Following Shen Tingxuan to the back garden of the Second Prince's residence, it seemed that every noble family's garden had a lake, and the Second Prince's residence was no exception. After walking along the lake for a while, Shen Tingxuan ordered the guards to stay behind and led me and Zinuo to the Qingfeng Pavilion in the middle of the lake.

The lake shimmered, and goldfish swam to and fro, creating a serene scene. Shen Tingxuan smiled and pointed to the high wall standing in the distance. My face flushed crimson. That was the wall I had climbed over the first time I sneaked into the Second Prince's residence; the neighbor's sycamore tree still stood there, mocking me!

I roared, my face flushed and neck bulging, "Your yard wall is no match for me!"

Zinuo looked at me, who was slightly agitated, somewhat confused, then gave me a mocking smile. What had he thought of? I was getting a little exasperated and warned Zinuo with my eyes not to think about it anymore!