Chapter 302

"Is it very obvious? Why don't I think so?"

The Prince of Badong leaned his elbows on the armrest, his knuckles pressed against his cheekbones, his eyes blinking in confusion, as if he were an innocent, curious baby.

Wang Tai was already somewhat accustomed to the Prince of Badong's antics and did not argue with him, asking with a smile:

"Then what does Your Highness think?"

The Prince of Badong shook his head repeatedly:

"Whose man that kid is, I can't feel it. However—"

The Prince of Badong fell silent, looking at Wang Tai like a statue, the candlelight dancing in his eyes like a beast waiting for an opportunity.

Wang Tai felt an inexplicable pressure and danger, as if he were the Prince of Badong's prey, but he did not think the Prince of Badong could do anything to him. Although he currently held no official position, he was a legitimate member of the Langya Wang clan. As long as he had not been convicted, let alone the Prince of Badong, even the Son of Heaven would have to weigh the consequences before moving against him.

He steadied his mind and met the Prince of Badong's gaze.

The Prince of Badong suddenly lunged forward, slamming his face right in front of Wang Tai—

Startling Wang Tai so much that he jerked backward!

The Prince of Badong immediately grinned and laughed.

A lunatic!

This is just a lunatic!!

No wonder his father didn't love him and his mother didn't care for him!!!

How did that little beast get close to such a big lunatic????

Wang Tai was so startled by the Prince of Badong that his soul seemed to have been flashed for a moment; he only felt blackness before his eyes, and his temples were throbbing!

At this moment, the Prince of Badong stopped laughing and continued:

"However, whose man you are, I have felt a little bit."

Wang Tai did not care at all about what the Prince of Badong guessed his identity to be. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock that had nearly crushed his heart. Although he deliberately steadied his voice, it still trembled slightly:

"I must ask Your Highness..."

"To be able to intercept something sent to the Donggong, and so kindly remind me, and not be afraid of offending the Crown Prince... and the villains around him, that would probably be my benevolent and peerless, wise and incomparable Second Imperial Brother, right? Oh my, just thinking about Second Imperial Brother caring about me makes my heart feel warm!"

The Prince of Badong rubbed his chest affectedly, his voice cloying, as if he were performing in a farce.

Wang Tai ignored it and bowed, saying:

"I am no one's man; I was merely entrusted by someone to deliver a letter to Your Highness. As for that person's identity, Your Highness will know sooner or later. This time is just a gesture of sincerity—"

Excitement flashed in the Prince of Badong's eyes:

"This time? Does that mean there will be a next time?"

Wang Tai met the Prince of Badong's gaze and smiled meaningfully:

"I don't know about that, but I think that sincerity is not something one only sends once, right?"

After Wang Tai left the Prince's mansion, as soon as he got into the ox cart, he kicked off his shoes, loosened his belt, and collapsed into the soft cushions. He first stretched a long yawn, squinting comfortably like a snake shedding its disguise, a half-laugh leaking from the corner of his mouth:

"Finally—I can—return to the capital..."

The man in the cart wearing an eye patch bowed and said: "Congratulations, my lord."

"Congratulations to you too! Is everything packed?" Wang Tai was refreshed, his voice light.

"Everything is packed."

"Good! We leave first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Yes."

Wang Tai closed his eyes, hummed a couple of tunes, and added: "Yuyuan, have the cart slow down and take a detour; don't go straight back to Shoukang Lane. Let's take a look at the night scenery of Jingzhou..."

"Your Highness, there is likely a problem here. Wang Yang is a dignified member of the Langya Wang clan; would he really risk his reputation to fabricate such idle gossip without evidence? This splashing of dirty water is a bit clumsy and doesn't seem like Wang Yang's style. Wang Tai says Wang Yang is related to the Donggong, but in fact, if you look closely, there is no evidence to substantiate it. What can the secret passage in Ruyilou prove? Just because Wang Yang often went to Ruyilou, does it mean he went to the secret passage? Even if he went to the secret passage, does it mean he met the Crown Prince's men? The last time Wang Yang borrowed troops, the place he went to was Ruyilou. If he really had some secret dealings in Ruyilou, how could he borrow troops from the Prince's mansion? Isn't that obviously drawing our attention?

As for involving the Marquis of Xichang through his dealings with the daughter of Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Si, that is even more nonsensical. Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Fei is impartial and never forms factions. The Xie Xie Niangzi Xie family has a very high status and wide social connections, and the Wang and Xie Xie Niangzi Xie families are family friends. With the talent, beauty, and family reputation of the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi, isn't it normal for Wang Yang to deliberately try to climb the social ladder? Both of the above points are chasing shadows and making forced associations; they simply cannot count as evidence. The only thing that can be considered substantive evidence is that this testimony was addressed to the Donggong, but this most crucial point relies entirely on Wang Tai's oral account and may not be reliable. Wang Tai has been living in Jingzhou, holding back and not acting, ostensibly recuperating from illness, but actually harboring ulterior motives. Your Highness must be on guard!"

Kong Kong Zhangyu was worried, but he was not worried about Wang Tai; he was worried about the consequences that these few pieces of paper Wang Tai called testimony might cause. This consequence might be something even Wang Tai himself could not have imagined...

"Whether Wang Yang is a man of the Donggong, I do not know. Whether Wang Tai is a man of the Prince of Jingling, I do not know. But I do know that Wang Yi and Wang Yang are now nowhere to be seen, dead or alive. I also know that the team of men lying in wait at Dazhuling still hasn't returned..."

The Prince of Badong leaned on the hilt of his sword, his eyes gloomy.

Kong Kong Zhangyu immediately said: "Men have already been sent to Dazhuling; let's wait another three days—"

"No need to wait. If Wang Yang really is a man of the Donggong, that batch of brocade robes must have been targeted. Following this line, it's only a matter of time before they find the Yongning barbarians. Li Jingxuan is right; if we wait any longer, we will be sitting ducks."

The Prince of Badong's voice grew colder, and Kong Kong Zhangyu's heart sank further. He cautiously advised:

"Your Highness, please think thrice. The situation is not yet clear; if we act in a panic, it will be too late to regret—"

"I never regret what I do. Call Li Jingxuan here, immediately."

Kong Kong Zhangyu wanted to advise him further, but the Prince of Badong drew his sword with a 'swish'. The candlelight flowed over the spine of the blade, reflecting the gleeful madness in the Prince of Badong's eyes and Kong Kong Zhangyu's slightly pale face.

The Prince of Badong faced the blade, his mouth curling into a grim arc:

"This time, I'm not being tricked into drawing my sword; this time, I am drawing it myself. I said long ago that I would give everyone a surprise..."

In the eighth year of Yongming, on the day of Dingyou in the eighth month, the gates of Jingzhou City were closed during the day.

Carriages and horses blocked the way back. Crowds clogged the path ahead. The noble ones in their carriages lifted the curtains to scold and question; the lowly ones on the side of the road were crowded and crying out. Regardless of whether they were scholars, commoners, or officials, everyone was blocked inside the city gates, unable to move forward.

"Barbarian soldiers? Nonsense! What barbarian soldiers could fly to Jiangling? Go and ask again!"

In the ox cart, Wang Tai dismissed his servant, and a sense of unease surged in his heart. He had submitted the testimony last night, and the gates were sealed this morning. Could it be that...

"Yuyuan, do you know something?" Wang Tai asked, staring at the man wearing the eye patch.

"I do not."

Wang Tai's eyes sharpened: "Did my cousin give you any other instructions?"

Yuyuan shook his head: "My task is only to be at the lord's disposal."

Wang Tai's gaze locked onto Yuyuan's single eye, trying to capture the slightest emotional fluctuation. He sat forward, narrowing the distance between them, his tone softening as he said earnestly:

"Yuyuan, you have been with me for over half a year. I really like you. You have made a great contribution this time; not only will my cousin reward you, but I will also certainly reward you heavily after I return. We are now in the same boat. If there is really something I don't know, you must tell me so that I can judge and respond early and plan a way out for both of us. A little more information means a little more leeway, doesn't it? Otherwise, if something really happens, then it will be..."

Yuyuan looked puzzled: "My lord is of the Langya Wang clan; what could happen?"

Wang Tai said in a low voice: "Closing the city gates during the day is not a good sign."

"The last time the young master of the Liu family was kidnapped, the city gates were also closed."

Wang Tai stared at Yuyuan for a while and nodded:

"I hope I'm just overthinking it..."

A few yards away from Wang Tai's carriage, a beautiful yellow ox cart was parked.

Inside the cart, Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan's slender fingers gripping the book tightened slightly, her expression solemn: "Return to the mansion."

Seeing Xiao Ning asked: "We're not going to Yong'an?"

"If barbarian soldiers have really been discovered, the gates won't be opened for a while. If there are no barbarian soldiers..."

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan pondered for a moment and ordered: "Forget returning to the mansion for now; go to the Sima mansion."

The Xie Xie Niangzi Xie family's ox cart went through some trouble, finally managing to turn out of the congested line of carriages, but they hadn't gone far before they were intercepted by a team of Prince's mansion guards.

"May I ask if the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi of the Xie Xie Niangzi Xie family is in the carriage?"

Seeing Xiao Ning asked: "Who goes there?"

"I am Jia Quan, a steward of the Prince's mansion. By the order of His Highness, I invite the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi to the Prince's mansion for a chat."

"So it is Steward Jia. May I ask what business His Highness has in summoning me?"

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan's voice was clear and gentle, yet carried an inherent aloofness that could not be slighted.

"I do not know; His Highness only ordered that the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi must be invited. I ask the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi to move now and not keep His Highness waiting."

"Go back and tell His Highness that I am returning to my mansion first, and I will visit him myself in a while."

"I'm afraid that won't do."

Seeing Xiao Ning shouted: "Presumptuous!"

Steward Jia also became tough, straightening his back and bowing toward the upper left: "His Highness has summoned you; who dares to defy the order?"

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan said indifferently: "What is there to dare? In terms of registration, I belong to Jiankang, not under the Prince's jurisdiction. In terms of status, I am a lady of a noble family, not a servant of the Prince. Not to mention that I am not subject to his orders, even if I were, there is no reason to invite someone like this. My Chen Jun Xie Xie Niangzi Xie clan, even when Xie Xie Niangzi Yang Gui gives a banquet, first sends an attendant and then lowers a palace invitation. If the Prince does not send an invitation beforehand, then he cannot blame others for not giving him face. You can relay my words to the Prince exactly as they are. Now move aside and don't block my carriage."

Steward Jia raised his eyelids: "I am carrying the Prince's order. If I cannot invite the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi, I cannot fulfill my duty. The Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi is golden and precious; why make it difficult for us subordinates? Men, drive the carriage for the Fourth Young Xie Xie Niangzi."

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan's star-like eyes turned cold, and she closed her book:

"Whoever dares to approach my carriage will be treated as kidnapping a noble lady and killed on the spot. Tie up the one who is speaking and send him to the Prince's mansion to see if he is an impostor."

The Xie Xie Niangzi Xie family's guards drew their swords simultaneously, and the Prince's mansion guards also flashed their blades! With a 'whoosh', a sheet of cold light spread out under the sun...

——————

Note: In the Southern Qi system, the rank of Gui Pin was second only to the Empress. Especially at this time, there was no Empress Dowager or Empress, so among the inner palace, Xie Xie Niangzi Yang Gui had the most noble status and managed palace affairs.