"The Grand Prince Consort?" Lu Zhenniang's slightly hoarse voice came from behind the veil. "You're mistaken. My name is Lu Zhenniang."
Her tone was indifferent yet polite, and a long veil hung down from the brim of her hat, completely obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression or her eyes. He Wenyan had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.
"Xiaoping, I've booked a private room at that teahouse over there. Let's go up and talk."
“Grand Prince Consort,” Lu Zhenniang said coldly, her voice tinged with helplessness, “I am Lu Zhenniang, not… not Xiaoping, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
He Wenyan said urgently, "We are husband and wife, and we are very close. How could I possibly make a mistake?"
“I have been married before, but my husband was just a farmer,” Lu Zhenniang said. “My lord, I’m sorry, I have other things to do. As you know, I’m employed by the Marquis of Runan’s mansion and have a lot of work to do every day. Please make way for me so I can get through.”
He Wenyan looked in the direction Lu Zhenniang pointed and saw a crowd gathered by the roadside watching the commotion. He was startled; the matter was not yet confirmed, and he could not allow any rumors to spread.
He apologized repeatedly and had no choice but to make way for Lu Zhenniang and let her go.
However, though he could leave, his heart remained restless. Remembering that He Caiqiong had mentioned that Lu Zhenniang had a son named Lu An who worked in the Lingguang Guard, he rented a horse and led it to the Lingguang Guard's office.
He Wenyan longed to see Lu An, but fearing to alert the eldest princess and others, he dared not trouble the guards to go in and report the search. So he could only stand on the opposite side of the road, staring at the bright autumn sun, waiting anxiously.
The Lingguang Guard's office was bustling with activity, with people constantly coming and going. He Wenyan had never seen Lu An before and didn't know what he looked like. However, after waiting for about an hour, among a dozen or so guards who came out in groups and were dressed in uniform, He Wenyan noticed one of them at a glance.
The reason was simple: the other man resembled him, except he was taller, darker-skinned, stronger, and had a more serious face; they were practically identical, like mooncakes molded from the same mold. (<strong>Popular Novel Network WWW.QiuShu.Cc</strong>)
Seeing them mounting their horses and about to leave, He Wenyan made a quick decision, climbed onto his own horse, and spurred it towards the young man. However, after the horse had only run a few steps, he lost his grip on the reins and was nearly thrown off.
"Help! Help!" He Wenyan shouted. Although he had made an excuse to get to know the other party, he was not pretending when he was about to fall off the horse. He was just a scholar and did not know how to ride or shoot.
Lu An had just settled into his horse when he suddenly heard someone calling for help. Turning around, he saw a thin, old horse carrying a handsome, middle-aged man in fine clothes, who was sitting crookedly, rushing towards him.
The cries for help came from the man.
Lu An didn't like to meddle in other people's business, but the consequences of falling off a horse could be serious or minor, and it would be inhumane to just stand by and do nothing. The old horse didn't have much energy and wasn't fast. When it came to his side, Lu An reached out, grabbed the man's belt, and lifted him off the horse and onto the ground.
"It's alright," he said, then tried to urge his horse forward to catch up with his companions.
"Wait, wait." He Wenyan felt his legs go weak, but he was determined not to let the man go. He swaggered to the front of Lu Anma and was almost kicked by the horse's hoof.
Lu An was somewhat displeased: "If you ask me about the cost of recovering that horse," he took out a silver coin from his purse, "it's old and sick, it's only worth this much at most."
He Wenyan naturally refused, and said with a smile, "You misunderstand. I'm not here for the horse. Hero, you just saved my life, and I want to express my gratitude. I'll be hosting a banquet at Babaozhai tomorrow at noon. Please be sure to come on time."
"At least this person has a conscience," Lu Anxin thought.
He helped people casually, without much effort or expectation of reward, simply saying, "I have errands to run tomorrow and can't leave."
"Then whichever day you have off, I'll be waiting for you." He Wenyan refused to give up.
Lu An glanced at him strangely, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
Such relentless pursuit—could it be someone deliberately trying to uncover the inside story of Ling Guangwei's mission?
"It was nothing, don't worry about it." He refused outright, and without waiting for the other party to speak again, he pulled on the reins to bypass He Wenyan who was blocking his way, and spurred his horse to gallop.
He Wenyan stood there watching Lu An leave until he turned the corner and could no longer see him before he started walking.
This is a good child, and it's almost certainly his child.
But how could he persuade Xiaoping to acknowledge him as her son, and how should he arrange things for them?
He Wenyan sometimes grinned and laughed, sometimes shook his head in distress, and walked further and further away as if he were going crazy.
The Lingguang Guard's office was full of hidden talents; even the gate guards were extraordinary. After He Wenyan left, the two guards who had been standing as still as pine trees and stone statues exchanged a glance. The slightly older one on the left complained loudly, "We've reached the finish line, why isn't the shift change here yet?"
The younger man on the right replied somewhat obsequiously, "Brother, you must be tired. I'll go inside and carry them out for you."
After saying that, he turned around and stepped through the gate.
When Lu Peng pushed open the study door, Chu Yao was reading official documents.
Without looking up, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Peng was his personal bodyguard. Whether in the Prince's mansion or the government office, he was the only one who could enter Chu Yao's study without being notified. At the same time, Lu Peng also took on the task of relaying messages for the lower-ranking guards who were not qualified to enter the study.
“It’s the gatekeeper,” Lu Peng said. “After noon today, the Grand Prince Consort has been standing on the street outside our gate, looking around. Just now, when Lu An and the others went out, he pretended to fall off his horse and be rescued, trying to get on Lu An’s good side and asking him when he was off duty so he could invite him to dinner.”
Chu Yao narrowed his eyes: "Lu An told him?"
Lu Peng quickly shook his head: "No, he refused."
Chu Yao nodded. Although Lu An had only been in the Lingguang Guard for a short time, he was extremely shrewd and capable. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be a promising talent. Sure enough, he did not disappoint him this time.
As for the Grand Prince Consort...
Chu Yao never took this incompetent, gigolo guy seriously.
However, what was his motive for spying on Lingguangwei?
Did the eldest princess give the order?
Or is it something else?
These past few days, Chu Wan has been pestering him, saying that the cooking classes at the Marquis of Runan's residence are open to the public, and even He Yao and Yu Xiangxiang are attending them, so she wants to go too.
Chu Yao always believed that no matter who his younger sister married in the future, she would only be a servant to the princess, and Chu Wan would not need to learn any cooking skills, so he never agreed.
Now that I think about it, could it be that He Yao's trip to the Jun family to learn cooking skills was related to the Grand Prince Consort's scheme?
He was always decisive and efficient. Thinking of this, he spread out paper and ink, intending to write a letter to Wushuang to ask her if she had noticed anything unusual during class.