Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде - Глава 131
Just then, a figure darted into the courtyard, and the guards outside cried out in alarm, "An assassin!"
Shen Tingxuan nimbly drew his sword and began to spar with the newcomer. I quickly pulled Xiao Wan behind me and watched from the sidelines. When I saw the newcomer's face clearly, I was both surprised and delighted. This wasn't the first time he had given me this feeling.
"Gan Lin, stop! The Second Prince is my friend!" I shouted, afraid that if the two of them continued to fight, someone would get hurt. Of course, if Gan Lin also started using his sword, the one who would get hurt would definitely be Shen Tingxuan.
Gan Lin flipped over and stood to the side. Shen Tingxuan also stopped his sword stance and stood not far from Gan Lin, his eyes fixed on Gan Lin.
What should I do? If I shout Gan Lin's name from the top of Xiangzhou city wall, will everyone know?
Xiao Wan left first, as the guards had already surrounded the courtyard. I glanced at Shen Tingxuan, who understood and dismissed the guards, leaving only the three of us in the courtyard.
“Huai’en, come with me!” Gan Lin stepped forward and looked at me.
She shook her head slightly. How could she go with him like this? If she left like this, she would be wanted nationwide. Where could she go? Besides, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he would hardly be able to defeat the heavy guards of the capital.
Gan Lin looked at me with some shock and pain: "Are you really going to marry him?"
Looking at Shen Tingxuan's slightly expectant face, she finally shook her head and said, "No, he said he would help me leave." It's better for Shen Tingxuan to help than for Gan Lin to interfere. His identity is already enough to make others wary, so let's not add to his grudges because of me. Besides, I have almost no relatives left. Spending some time with Shen Tingxuan might not be so bad.
Shen Tingxuan's lips twitched, but he didn't speak. I felt guilty, but there was nothing I could do. He was the only one I could rely on now. Gan Lin looked at me with disbelief: "You trust him that much?"
"Yes." I nodded without hesitation. Here, I had doubted Shen Haoyu, Shen Zexuan, and Gan Lin, but I had never doubted Shen Tingxuan. No matter what he thought, in my heart, he was the same as Zinuo, an older brother and a younger brother, and neither of them would harm me.
Gan Lin smiled slightly, a hint of sadness in his eyes: "Did I come to the wrong place?"
A pang of pain shot through my heart. How could he have such thoughts? I quickly replied, "No, I'm really happy to see you again!" How could I not be happy to see someone I used to know standing before me?
"Perhaps, could I ask you for a favor?" After thinking for a while, he asked Gan Lin.
"What's up?"
"Take two people with me and take good care of them." Take Xiao Wan and Chu Chen away. I can barely protect myself, and it's not a long-term solution for them to stay here. After all, they are members of the Mo family. It would be bad if the emperor found out, and it would implicate Shen Tingxuan.
Gan Lin glanced at me but didn't say anything. I smiled at Chen Tingxuan and went to the next courtyard to bring Xiao Wan and Chu Chen over. Gan Lin's eyes widened: "Who are they?"
"They are my people, but I don't know the specifics of our relationship." Anyway, we share some blood in our veins.
Gan Lin pointed at the baby in my arms, both amused and exasperated: "A little girl is fine, but how am I supposed to take care of a baby like this who needs to be breastfed?"
He gave an awkward laugh, bent down, and said to Xiao Wan, "Xiao Wan, it's dangerous here. We can't stay here forever. You and your brother should go with this uncle first. Please take care of your brother, okay?"
Xiao Wan looked at Gan Lin, then at me, and nodded understandingly. She had a general understanding of my situation after spending the last few days with me, and knew that this place was not a good place.
Seeing Xiao Wan nod, she then said to Gan Lin, "If the child is hungry, you can find someone to feed him. If you really can't find anyone, animal milk will do. If that doesn't work either, you can give him some rice porridge to fill his stomach." Chu Chen, you'll have to make do for now. It would be nice if Gan Lin could learn from Li Mochou and help Guo Xiang find a mother leopard, or something like that. I've told him about The Return of the Condor Heroes; I wonder if he remembers that part.
After hearing my words, Gan Lin's expression of being both amused and exasperated deepened, but she still nodded in the end.
Under Shen Tingxuan's arrangement, Gan Lin successfully left the capital with Xiao Wan and Chu Chen. Before leaving, he repeatedly promised Gan Lin that he would come to find him and Xiao Wan as soon as he got away. Only then did he and Xiao Wan leave with smiles on their faces.
Finally, they found the two mothers' clansmen and temporarily found them a relatively stable backer, which can be considered a good deed.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 114
Chapter word count: 4765 Update time: 09-09-11 11:35
Two days before the wedding, that afternoon, as usual, she and Shen Tingxuan drank tea in the garden, occasionally playing a duet, enjoying themselves immensely. After playing "Dancing in the Autumn Wind," a servant came to report that the Third Prince had come to visit.
Shen Zexuan? He's finally here.
Shen Tingxuan looked at me, and seeing that I didn't react, he had someone invite Shen Zexuan in.
Before the person even arrived, the voice preceded them: "Second Prince, what a fine mood you are in! The warm winter sun, the zither and flute playing together—even before the wedding, your affection is already deep." As soon as the words were spoken, a red figure flashed out from the path behind the tree and gracefully walked towards the pavilion.
Shen Tingxuan stood up, a gentle smile on his face, and welcomed Shen Zexuan into the hall, saying with a smile, "Third brother, it seems you are in high spirits to come see me at this time."
This was the first time the two brothers had appeared in front of me alone together. The atmosphere was not much better than when I was with Shen Haoyu and Shen Zexuan. However, since they were brothers, they seemed much more affectionate on the surface.
The two brothers discussed in detail everything—couldn'ts of court, rumors, wedding arrangements—as if I didn't exist. Shen Zexuan didn't even glance at me. I sneered inwardly, wondering what his purpose was this time.
Listening to their conversation, I occasionally scraped the few tea leaves floating on the surface of the water with the lid of my cup, and finally their conversation came to an end.
Shen Zexuan finally looked in my direction, then said to Shen Tingxuan, "Second brother, I have some connection with my future sister-in-law. Could you do me a favor and allow me to offer my congratulations to her on her upcoming wedding in private?" Now that the groundwork has been laid, it's finally time to get to the point.
Shen Tingxuan smiled gently: "To be valued so highly by my third brother, I am naturally honored. However, please do not linger too long, as your sister-in-law and I have not yet had our fill of fun today." With that, he gracefully rose and walked into the depths of the shade.
After Shen Tingxuan walked away, Shen Zexuan finally dropped his almost perfect smile and looked at me coldly: "It seems you are quite satisfied with your status as the Second Prince's concubine."
He took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Does Your Highness think I shouldn't be satisfied? After going through several life-and-death situations, I am extremely satisfied to have reached this end. I have to thank Your Highness for this."
Shen Zexuan pursed his lips, his eyes blazing with anger: "Do you think I feel good about things developing like this? It's all just a series of unfortunate coincidences!" Then he added: "You say there are many rifts between us, but aren't there any between him and me?"
She shook her head slightly; how could their situations be compared?
Shen Zexuan's anger intensified: "You've never cared about me at all, you just keep making excuses!"
Filled with grief and anger, she couldn't help but shout, "Your Highness, is it all my fault today? Do you have the right to blame me? If you hadn't brought me to the top of Xiangzhou City, how could things have turned out this way? Do you really think I willingly accepted all this? It's just that my fate was beyond my control! From the moment you pushed me off the city wall, everything changed." From that moment on, she knew who she should hold dear, and she was utterly disappointed in him. And now he dares to shout at her; does he really think she's so guilty?
"Xiangzhou city wall?" Shen Zexuan sneered softly. "If you hadn't called out Gan Lin's name at the last moment, Shen Haoyu might have already died under the arrow. At that time, you would have been credited, and I would have pleaded with my father to no longer pursue your past relationship with the Prince of Qing's mansion. Then I could have removed those obstacles you mentioned so that I could be with you. You ruined all of that yourself!"
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Shen Zexuan. Such an unparalleled face—was this all he was planning? To use someone's affection for her to hurt them? She knew he intended to kill Shen Haoyu, but if Shen Haoyu died because of her, how could she possibly be at peace with him? Besides, even so, there were still many obstacles between them—ideological, political… She shook her head, saying, “Your Highness, you've forgotten. The obstacles between us are far more than that. There's something else I need to tell you: if Shen Haoyu dies, I won't live either. I shared the Mother-Child Pill with him as soon as I entered the Prince Qing's residence. Most importantly, at that moment, I finally knew who truly cared for me. And even now, I still don't know which of your words are true and which are false.”
Shen Zexuan looked at me with a ashen face, remaining silent for a long time. I had never seen him so disheveled, and every time I saw him, I was also filled with despair and torment. At this moment, all the entanglements between us had truly vanished like smoke.
"Are you really the daughter of Marquis Qiyun?" After a long while, Shen Zexuan asked, his tone as calm as still water.
She gave a wry smile: "Yes, I don't know if my daughter, who was kicked out of the house by him when she was six, can still be considered his daughter."
Shen Zexuan curled his lips into a smile, gave a soft hum, and turned his gaze to the outside of the pavilion. Seeing the desolation and faint sorrow on his face, a slight pang of bitterness welled up in her heart. In such an environment, how many people could truly do as they pleased? Even though she had never seen his true feelings, she couldn't bring herself to resent him. How could they easily give their true feelings to others? To have received Shen Tingxuan's sincere treatment for so many years was already a great fortune.