"The Emperor has issued an edict summoning him back to the capital. What do you think?" Yan Zhen pulled out An Youwei's memorial, his gaze gently sweeping over each word. A figure flashed through his mind, and he felt that this memorial was written by that person by the flickering candlelight by the window. Although the handwriting was unrestrained and bold, like that of a man, he had seen An Youwei's petition for redress, and it was not An Youwei's handwriting.
"Uh... His Majesty's will is unpredictable, this servant only feels it's sudden," Xiao Gongzi said honestly.
"Hmm...she probably felt it was sudden too..." Yan Zhen slowly walked out of the hall. The moonlight was like water, flowing for miles. Xiao Gongzi followed quickly, carefully accompanying her.
"The Left Prime Minister's sudden move is exactly what I wanted. I don't know what his purpose is, but I really want to see her." Yan Zhen's voice was calm, yet it was captivating.
××× ×××
Xiao Gongzi was completely confused, not knowing who the "he" the Right Chancellor was referring to was. But as a servant, he should just listen to what his masters were doing and never ask questions.
"May you be well, my lord..." A soft female voice came, and Yan Zhen stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly to look.
Beneath the swaying shadows of the flowers, a beautiful woman in a light green dress walks by carrying a lantern.
Xiao Gongzi hurriedly greeted, "This servant greets the Dowager Consort."
Su Miaoling paused, then smiled gently and said, "My lord, why don't you accompany me for a walk?"
Yan Zhen raised the corner of her lips and said wearily, "Although the Empress Dowager is virtuous and self-disciplined, she should still avoid suspicion."
A trace of sorrow flashed across Su Miaoling's eyes, but she forced a smile and said, "A clear conscience fears no accusation. My husband and I are upright and honest, so why should we care about rumors?"
Yan Zhen said calmly, "Your Majesty, I do care."
Su Miaoling was suddenly speechless.
"It's getting late, Your Highness, please return." Yan Zhen said, then slowly walked away.
The moonlight shattered on the ground, but the Empress Dowager trembled and covered her mouth, sobbing softly.
Chapter Forty-Six: The Female Ghost
Xiao Gongzi dared not breathe loudly, cautiously following the person in front of him. Things in the palace were very treacherous; even a small matter could easily cost someone their life. Keeping silent was the best way to survive.
"When did the memorial arrive?" Yan Zhen asked.
Xiao Gongzi hurriedly said, "At noon today, besides the memorial, there was another letter in the envelope, but that letter was addressed to the Left Prime Minister."
Yan Zhen paused, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "The Left Prime Minister?"
Xiao Gongzi tapped Yan Zhen's face before cautiously saying, "Yes, this servant thought it was sent along with the memorial, but unexpectedly there was another envelope inside the envelope, addressed to the Left Prime Minister."
"Where's the letter?" Yan Zhen's thoughts, which had been calmed down, became somewhat chaotic again.
"This servant was just about to have someone deliver it to the Left Prime Minister first thing tomorrow morning; the letter is still with me," Xiao Gongzi said in a low voice.
"Give it to me." Yan Zhen's thin lips curled into a cold smile.
Xiao Gongzi dared not disobey and hurriedly took out the letter from his pocket. Yan Zhen tore it open and took out the letter. It turned out that the letter was written by An Xin to Jing Lan!
The text was brief and didn't specify what happened, only mentioning a trivial everyday event. Yet, each word felt like a tangled mess of ropes piled up on Yan Zhen's chest.
"Tch..." Yan Zhen chuckled, rubbing his temples, and said, "You're such a worry."
Xiao Gongzi, not understanding what was going on, stood with his head down behind Yan Zhen.
"From now on, all letters from the An family must be intercepted. Not a single one is allowed to be delivered to the Left Prime Minister's residence. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed." After a long silence, Yan Zhen said coldly.
Xiao Gongzi trembled and hurriedly said, "This servant obeys your command."
××× ×××
An Xin was feeling quite uneasy at this moment. While sending the memorial, she specially slipped in a letter addressed to Jing Lan.
Before I picked up my pen, I had something to say, but after I did, I couldn't write a single word. I just wanted to talk about trivial things, but I felt that my actions were rather childish.
The letter probably won't reach her, but if it does, will Jinglan reply to her?
The thought flashed through her mind. She wasn't one to dwell on trivial matters, and she put it aside after a moment's thought. Whether she replied or not didn't seem to matter much. What worried her more was that the Emperor would be furious because her father had disobeyed the imperial edict. But the Emperor was probably a very young emperor who listened to the Right Chancellor in everything... For some reason, An Xin felt somewhat relieved. Even if the Emperor's edict came again, it would certainly not be a memorial demanding beheading.
She had naturally considered her actions in defying the imperial edict. If she could refuse, there would be nothing wrong with it; if she couldn't, she could at least test the emperor's will. If this memorial was simply Yan Zhen's personal wish, then...
"Miss, Miss!" Dewdrop rushed in. An Xin was startled and sat up.
"What's wrong?"
"A ghost! A ghost!" Dewdrop was pale and covered in sweat, clearly terrified.
An Xin would rather believe a man's words than believe in ghosts. She slowly got up and asked, "Where?"
Dewdrop huddled against Anxin's arm, trembling as she said, "I was so scared in the woods!"
An Xin glanced at her and said, "What are you going into the woods for?"
Dewdrop, her face pale, said, "I went to the woods to pick some wild vegetables, but today the woods were shrouded in mist. I walked a little too far and suddenly saw a white shadow floating through the air! Miss, that was a female ghost, dressed in a white dress, with her hair disheveled, it was terrifying!"
After hearing this, An Xin walked outside.
Dewdrop hurriedly grabbed Anxin, startled, and asked, "Miss, where are you going?"
An Xin said, "Catching ghosts!"
Dewdrop was terrified: "Miss, please don't frighten me! Ghosts, how can you catch ghosts? Ghosts eat people!"
"Then we'll see if she dares to eat me!" There are no ghosts in the world; what's most frightening is the ghost in people's hearts.
As soon as she stepped out the door, someone walked towards her. An Xin thought that this person seemed to have been hanging around her for the past few days!