Chapter 14: Of Course, It's to Piss the Crown Prince to Death

After Yan Ze went upstairs, he walked in front of Wan Hongzhe.

Wan Hongzhe frowned almost imperceptibly; it wasn't that he hadn't seen Yan Ze just now, but he did not acknowledge him, nor was he willing to deal with Yan Ze, so he simply acted as if he hadn't seen him.

Yan Ze smiled and offered a greeting, and Wan Hongzhe even stood up to perform a bow, "Your Highness, why have you come to our Suicheng?"

Seeing that Yan Ze kept smiling, Wan Hongzhe worried that he was going to stir up trouble.

Yan Ze did not mince words and went straight to the point: "Do you want to bring about the downfall of the Second Prince?"

Wan Hongzhe frowned; as expected, there was no avoiding it.

But what was even more critical was that he himself also wanted to see exactly what could be done to bring about the Second Prince's downfall.

He was the maternal grandfather of the Third Prince; the First Prince had been exiled and was considered finished, and the Second Prince was a good-for-nothing, but he couldn't help that the Emperor favored him. If the Second Prince fell, the Third Prince had a high probability of being chosen as the Crown Prince.

Yan Ze smiled and said, "No need to make a decision now. Let's find a place to sit and have a good talk; you should be interested in what I have in my hands."

Wan Hongzhe stood up, ready to leave: "Let me treat you all to the delicacies of Suicheng."

Wan Hongzhe took them to Yipinju, the best restaurant in Suicheng; the private room they ordered allowed them to see the river view outside through the window.

Wan Hongzhe was somewhat restless, appearing very curious about what kind of leverage they held.

Yan Ze knew he couldn't wait, so he took out a letter and handed it to him to take a look.

Wan Hongzhe saw at a glance that it was the Crown Prince's handwriting, and it was written on it to trade a defeat for gems!

Wan Hongzhe simply couldn't believe it, "This, did he really write this?"

Yan Ze smiled and said, "It was indeed written by him; the handwriting is the same. There is also a piece of gossip, do you want to hear it?"

Wan Hongzhe nodded: "What is it?"

Yan Ze: "The Crown Prince is having an affair with An Guiren, and the seed in An Guiren's belly might be the Crown Prince's. It's just that this crime of adultery is very serious, but we have no evidence."

Wan Hongzhe accepted the letter and bowed to Yan Ze: "Many thanks, First Prince."

Both sides were very satisfied with this meal.

Wan Hongzhe was in high spirits as he walked; after seeing Yan Ning and the others off to the inn, he said to Yan Ze: "You must stay for two more days; there are many novel things in Suicheng."

When Wan Hongzhe left, he looked like he hadn't made any gestures, but the next day, all kinds of things were moved to their inn like a flowing stream.

The best wine at Yipinju was sold by the bottle, and it was wine that could sell for a sky-high price, yet Wan Hongzhe sent them a whole crate directly, saying it was to let them drink to their heart's content.

There was also all kinds of preserved meat, and he gave them quite a lot for their household.

He also sent over quite a few sets of clothing, simple and beautiful, very suitable for their journey.

Besides that, there was a small box of jewelry; some pieces were suitable for Yan Ning to use, and others were suitable for Ji Lan.

Ji Lan touched the gems, "Surprisingly beautiful. This Wan Hongzhe is not simple; to be able to get so many good things over here. It looks like his family fortune is very deep."

Yan Ning held an inconspicuous bag filled with sachets; the colors were on the plain side, and upon closer inspection, they were embroidered with hidden patterns. She smelled them; they were insect-repellent sachets, very suitable for use on the road to Lingnan.

Yan Ning said with a smile: "Wan Hongzhe is amazing; not only is his family fortune deep, but he is also meticulous. Everything he sent is something we can use."

Just as Yan Ning was praising him, Wan Hongzhe had already prepared a boat for them.

Such a large boat, apart from the cargo, only carried Yan Ning's family and their attendants, with one room for each person. However, Yan Ning was worried about Wang Liu and Xiao Linzi, so Zhuo Heng arranged for people to keep an eye on them at all times.

In just three days' time, they had already arrived at Yangzhou City from Suicheng.

Yangzhou City was prosperous, and Yan Ning liked the hustle and bustle the most. Yangzhou City was indeed a good place, and Yan Ning decided to stay for a few more days.

They had been riding in a carriage the whole way, and everyone was almost shaken to pieces; they really needed to have a good rest before slowly heading to Lingnan.

Yan Ning asked Yan Ze: "Dad, are there the Crown Prince's people here? Why do I feel like someone is following us?"

Ji Lan also said: "Me too, I thought it was an illusion."

Yan Ze thought for a moment, but couldn't quite remember; however, he had the impression that he seemed to have some connections with the officials in Yangzhou.

Yan Ze and Ji Lan asked Yan Ning: "Then what should we do?"

Yan Ning revealed a crafty smile, "Of course, it's to piss the Crown Prince to death!"

Thus, Yan Ning began to purchase on a massive scale.

Passing by a cloth shop, she looked at the fresh styles in Yangzhou City and bought a bolt of every color; seeing beautiful ready-to-wear clothes, she didn't even look at the price and bought them directly.

Seeing those places selling ornaments, she didn't care about the price and specifically picked out the ones with exquisite workmanship to buy.

Seeing the fans and small Folding Screens embroidered by the embroiderers, she bought one of each different pattern, and for the ones she particularly liked, she would buy several more.

This money, compared to those piles upon piles of gold and silver mountains, was but a drop in the ocean.

Yan Ning bought and bought all the way.

The person behind them followed them the whole way.

This wasn't the end of it; Yan Ning went to listen to people singing, and when she was happy, she scattered handfuls of Gold Melon Seeds and Silver Melon Seeds.

The three of them put their heads together and whispered: "Why are you suddenly buying, buying, buying? We have more than just this much from what we scavenged from the palace."

Yan Ning whispered: "This money is but a drop in the ocean to me. More than half of the two-hundred-ping warehouse is filled with gold ingots and silver ingots. If the Crown Prince knew that we were living in luxury on the road to exile, while he, the Crown Prince, is a pauper, he would definitely break down."

Yan Ze understood, "As expected of my daughter, to be able to think of so much all at once."

Ji Lan then said: "The daughter takes after me, smart."

After the family finished whispering, they continued to listen to the music.

Yan Ning listened to this tune and couldn't help but say: "It's really nice to listen to; if only I could listen to it every day."

Li Shun, who was to the side, suggested: "Why not buy this songstress?"

Yan Ning didn't even think about it and refused directly: "Let's forget it."

She did not like human trafficking.

Yan Ning and the others found the best restaurant and booked all top-tier rooms; even the guards could stay in top-tier rooms, which was quite extravagant.

This bed was truly comfortable to sleep in; Yan Ning planned to play for another day tomorrow and leave the day after.

But who would have thought that upon waking up, the entrance was surrounded again.

Leading them was the Prefect of Yangzhou, Du Liang; his expression was very cold, and he shouted angrily at Yan Ning: "You have defied the imperial decree and should be immediately escorted to Lingnan."

Yan Ning pointed at Li Shun: "This is the bailiff escorting us. We are currently on the road to exile, and you do not have the authority to escort us."

Li Shun said with a submissive expression: "My lord, that is indeed the case; we are currently on the road to exile."

Yan Ning was very displeased: "We have been traveling by boat and carriage all the way, so what is wrong with coming to Yangzhou City to rest for two days? Do you have to manage this too? Be careful, managing too much will cost you your life."

Du Liang frowned, and only after a good while did he ask: "Since when is there an exile like yours?"

Yan Ning laughed arrogantly: "That's right, since when is there an exile where one rides in a carriage and brings along guards? You had better think this through clearly."

As she spoke, Yan Ning stretched out her hands: "Come on, I'll give you a chance. Do you dare to put handcuffs and leg shackles on me?"