Chapter 179 - 179 Suspicion

179 Suspicion

In the bedchamber, incense curled.

The ministerial eunuch, Wei Huai En, helped the old emperor lie down.

When everything was settled, Wei Huai En was about to withdraw when he heard the old emperor ask a question.

“Wayne, what do you think of the relationship between Duke Lang and Prince Min?”

Wei Huai En had served the emperor for many years and knew his nature well.

For the emperor to ask such a question, he was clearly suspicious of Duke Lang.

Wei Huai En was very cautious. “I’ve lived in the palace for a long time. I’m not sure what happened between Duke Lang and Prince Min.”

The emperor sighed. “Yes. Like you, I wonder if they are in contact privately?”

He and Prince Min were half-brothers, but they were not close.

Over the years, Prince Min had been obsessed with the path of longevity and did not care about politics. The emperor was very satisfied with this. He could not wait for all his brothers to be like Prince Min and be obedient.

But as he grew older and his physical condition deteriorated, the old emperor’s paranoia grew. His brothers had become his main suspects. Prince Min was no exception.

Although Prince Min looked like he was bent on seeking the Tao, who could tell what he was thinking?

The emperor judged others by himself. If he were Prince Min, he would not be content to be an idle prince with no real power.

He had originally wanted to use the anti-government poetry case to get rid of Prince Min.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Not only did Xiao Juan not kill Prince Min, but he also helped Prince Min clear his name.

That made the old emperor very unhappy. It also deepened his suspicions.

Why didn’t Xiao Juan kill Prince Min? Could it be that the two of them had already colluded in private?

The old emperor said slowly, “Have your spies ask around and see if there’s any contact between Prince Lang and Prince Min.”

Wayne answered respectfully. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

… .

Queen Mother Deng was old after all. She did not talk for long before showing fatigue.

Yu Niaoniao and Xiao Juan tactfully took their leave.

After leaving the Changji Palace, the two of them walked along the long palace path.

Xiao Juan was tall and had long legs. He walked faster than Yu Niaoniao.

Unconsciously, he walked to the front.

But soon he stopped and turned to Yu Niaoniao, waiting for her to catch up.

After a few times, Yu Niaoniao hugged his arm and placed most of her weight on him.

This way, Xiao Juan had no choice but to pull her along.

Yu Niaoniao looked up at him. From this angle, she could see the man’s jawline.

She recalled what Empress Dowager Deng had said just now and could not help but ask.

“How long have you lived in the palace?”

Xiao Juan replied indifferently.

“Ten years.”

Yu Niaoniao exclaimed, “Wow! It’s been so long. You must be very familiar with the palace, right?”

“Although I live in the palace, I can’t walk around. I’ve never been to many places in the palace, so I’m not particularly familiar with them.”

When Xiao Juan was first brought into the palace, his health was very poor. Not only was he skinny, but he was also sick. Even the imperial physician said that he might not live long.

He had been recuperating for the past two years and had never stepped out of his room.

When his body gradually recovered, he followed the other princes to Chongwen Hall to study.

However, because he was too small at that time, the princes looked down on him. Some people even deliberately bullied him.

This caused his personality to become even more dull.

He did not like to communicate with others, nor did he want to interact with the outside world. Other than going to classes at Chongwen Hall every day, he stayed in his residence and read.

Yu Niaoniao was the opposite of him. She was curious about this world. Her greatest wish was to taste all the delicacies in the world and see all the good rivers and mountains.

Yu Niaoniao shook his arm and said excitedly.

“It doesn’t matter what’s in the palace. We don’t live here anyway. If there’s a chance in the future, let’s go sightseeing together. The outside world is much more interesting than the inside of the palace!”

Xiao Juan looked down at her.

He could clearly see the anticipation in her eyes.

His emotions were infected, and he felt some anticipation.

“Where do you want to play?”

Yu Niaoniao stroked her chin and pondered. “That depends on the season. If it’s spring flowers, I want to go to the south to admire the flowers. If it’s winter, I’ll go to the north to see the snow.”

Xiao Juan asked, “Aren’t you afraid of the cold?”

Yu Niaoniao hugged his arm tightly and smiled sweetly. “Aren’t you here? I won’t feel cold if I hug you.”

Helplessness appeared in Xiao Juan’s eyes.

At this moment, two young palace maids passed by.

They immediately stopped and bowed when they saw the Lang couple.

“Greetings, Your Highness and Princess Consort.”

Yu Niaoniao smiled at them, while Xiao Juan looked straight ahead.

After Duke Lang and his wife left, the two palace maids dared to straighten up.

They talked quietly as they walked.

“So that’s the county princess. She’s so beautiful!”

“She’s really bold to get so close to Duke Lang. No wonder he likes her.”

“Did you see that? Duke Lang didn’t even shake her off. He just let her cling to him. He doted on her too much!”

“Stop it. I’m drooling with envy.”

The two little palace maids sighed in unison.

Sigh! Another day of crying over someone else’s love.

… .

After Yu Niaoniao and Xiao Juan left the palace, they returned to the county palace in a carriage.

The carriage moved smoothly down the street.

Yu Niaoniao leaned against the car window and looked at the scenery on both sides of the street excitedly.

The farther they got from the palace, the more shops and pedestrians there were on the streets.

As the carriage passed a refreshment shop, she smelled the rich, sweet smell and quickly said,

“Stop the carriage!”

The carriage pulled over.

Yu Niaoniao said to Xiao Juan.

“I’m going to buy some pastries. I’ll be back soon.”

Xiao Juan suggested that the Eagle Guards buy it for her.

Yu Niaoniao muttered, “But the Eagle Guards don’t know what pastries I like. I’ll buy them myself.”

Xiao Juan had no choice but to let her be.

Yu Niaoniao jumped out of the carriage and ran towards the snack shop.

She paused as she brushed past someone.

She subconsciously glanced at that person. The other party was dressed ordinary and had an ordinary appearance. He looked like an ordinary passerby.

The other party realized that she was looking at him and asked calmly.

“Is something wrong?”

Yu Niaoniao shook her head. “No, I mistook you for someone else.”

She looked away and walked briskly into the refreshment shop.

This was a new snack shop in the city. It was said that the snack chef came from Jiangnan and was very good at making snacks.

Facing the dazzling array of snacks, Yu Niaoniao was dazzled.

In the end, she simply waved her hand. Only children made choices. She wanted all of them!

“Give me a pound of each snack.”

The clerk was overjoyed. This was a big client!

He wrapped the pastry deftly.

Yu Niaoniao paid and walked out with the heavy pastry.

She had just walked out of the snack shop when she looked up and saw a familiar figure walking out of the rouge shop across the street.

Looking closely, it was Yu Pingping!