108

The Xichun Garden was in full bloom, with large clusters of flowers and lush shrubs decorating the paths, leading to hidden and winding trails. Tan Yulou was already unfamiliar with the route, and with the little crown prince leading him in all directions, he felt like he was getting lost.

“Crown Prince, please wait, don’t run so fast,” Tan Yulou called after him, relieved when the little crown prince finally stopped ahead.

Approaching him, Tan Yulou asked, “Crown Prince…”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the little crown prince raise his finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Amused, Tan Yulou followed suit, lowering himself and asking in a hushed voice, “Your Highness?”

“It’s Uncle,” the little crown prince blurted out, realizing his mistake, and quickly corrected himself, “No, I meant my eldest Uncle.”

Tan Yulou followed the direction of the little crown prince’s finger and was surprised by what he saw through the bamboo thicket. There were two figures, one tall and one short, standing close together. The shorter one seemed to be leaning against the taller one’s chest, with a slight limp in his step. The tall one supported him, as if the shorter person had sprained his foot.

Tan Yulou’s pupils constricted when he recognized the tall figure in a purple robe as Wei Ling, whom he had just seen earlier. Who else could it be?

As for the person being supported by Wei Ling, judging from his exquisite moon-white silk robe, the golden tassels at his waist, and his somewhat delicate figure, he was clearly from a well-off family. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

While they were secretly observing, Wei Ling had already led the person to a nearby octagonal pavilion. Inside the pavilion, there was a phoenix-headed zither and a small copper stove with water vapor rising from it. Obviously, someone had just been sitting there.

Except for the young man being supported by Wei Ling, no one else sat there.

Tan Yulou’s speculation was soon confirmed when the charming and handsome young man sat down and said, “I have troubled Marquis again. Without you, I wouldn’t know what to do when I got lost and sprained my foot.”

“It’s just a small favor, Gongzi Lin doesn’t need to be so polite,” Wei Ling politely replied, taking two steps back with his hands behind his back, seemingly inspecting the pavilion’s decorations while secretly glancing towards the bamboo thicket.

(T/N: Gongzi is a respectful way of addressing.)

He noticed a navy blue robe draped there and immediately felt relieved.

“About the gratitude, half a month ago, Marquis helped drive away those thugs. I haven’t properly thanked you yet!” Gongzi Lin hurriedly stood up, fearing that Marquis Xuanwei would leave him like before.

This time, to be on the safe side, he sent away all his servants, not believing that Marquis Xuanwei would abandon him, a weak scholar, in such a secluded place!

“Hiss—” Gongzi Lin seemed to have stood up too quickly and accidentally touched his injured ankle. He let out a soft gasp, his brows furrowing. However, his clear eyes glanced towards the person beside him, hoping that he would come over and help him, so he could lean on him naturally.

Although it looked like he was leaning against the other person’s chest earlier, in fact, the other person firmly held his arm, perhaps even turning it blue!

It was no wonder that Marquis Xuanwei was a military general with no attendants in his backyard. No wonder he was so straightforward that he didn’t even notice his deliberate attempts to seduce him.

And so, this further strengthened Lin Qingyi’s determination to take control of the Marquis’s mansion. His grandfather was once the Duke of Anguo during the previous dynasty, living a lavish and indulgent life thanks to his noble title and the continuous tribute from his subordinates.

However, the new emperor did not recognize titles from the previous dynasty, and although there were still family members holding official positions, their lives were not as affluent as before. Lin Qingyi relied on his handsome appearance and spent quite a bit of money to inquire about Marquis Xuanwei’s whereabouts. Last time, he finally managed to strike up a conversation with him, but to his dismay, the other person didn’t pay much attention to him and left quickly.

This time, everything seemed to be going so smoothly that Lin Qingyi couldn’t believe his good fortune and naturally wanted to keep pushing forward.

Unfortunately, this time, Wei Ling only pretended to make a move; his hand came close but didn’t touch him. If Lin Qingyi hadn’t acted quickly and held onto the table, he might have fallen to the ground.

Lin Qingyi raised his eyes in bewilderment, and his pupils quickly filled with grievance. “Marquis, why did you…?”

“Apologies, I was a bit slow,” Wei Ling’s gaze was sincere, though he didn’t really mean it. To others, it seemed genuine, and he kindly reminded, “Gongzi Lin, you should sit down to avoid twisting your foot again. Such an injury can be serious if it affects the tendons and bones.”

Lin Qingyi felt relieved, “Yes, thank you for your concern, Marquis.”

With Wei Ling acting this way, he felt that he still had a good chance with him!

Wei Ling noticed that nothing had happened yet and tried to find something to talk about. “Cough, Gongzi Lin seems to have a refined taste, enjoying tea and playing the zither alone in this bamboo grove. However, why don’t you have any attendants around? Although Xichun Garden is part of the imperial estate, if you encounter any ill-intentioned people…”

He changed the topic, “Gongzi Lin, you had a mishap last time, why would you venture alone again this time?”

Lin Qingyi hesitated for a moment and then replied a bit awkwardly, “I felt a bit cold just now, so I sent the servant to fetch a cloak.”

After speaking, he looked up expectantly at Wei Ling, hoping that he would take off his outer robe and put it on him.

However, Wei Ling seemed oblivious and unromantic, not even glancing in his direction. It was as if he was making eyes at a blind man.

Lin Qingyi had to change his approach, “The water in the copper stove is still hot. Shall I make some tea for you, Marquis?”

“Mm,” Wei Ling absentmindedly sat down.

In his plan, Yulou would see him being pestered by someone else and come over to take him away. Yet, he had troubled the little crown prince, and there was no response from Yulou at all…

Wei Ling was very disappointed, and so he didn’t notice that Lin Qingyi had secretly put something in the tea.

However, the little crown prince, who was peeping from beneath the bamboo thicket, noticed it. He widened his eyes in confusion and said, “What did he put in the tea? Is he trying to drug Big Uncle?”

He was about to come out to stop it; after all, his Big Uncle’s plan was only to bring his future little aunt here and didn’t involve any further developments.

Indeed, the young crown prince was clever beyond his years; he even knew how to use drugs…

Tan Yulou’s thoughts flickered, and he suddenly raised his hand to stop the little crown prince, saying, “Your Highness, you misunderstood. Gongzi Lin just added some sugar to the tea. It’s a custom in the capital that you might not be familiar with.”

“Is that so?” The little crown prince was skeptical.

Tan Yulou’s face flushed a bit, “It’s true, I saw it clearly. It was indeed sugar.”

He knew that Gongzi Lin wouldn’t dare to harm Wei Ling. Considering his previous behavior and words, it was most likely a type of drug…

“But… but General Tan, don’t you want to go out and stop them?” The little crown prince asked hesitantly.

“Why should I stop them?” Tan Yulou’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively asked.

The little crown prince recalled his big uncle’s instructions, hesitated for a moment, and then stammered, “Because… because I feel like he always sticks to Big Uncle and acts like he has no backbone. I don’t like him. General Tan, don’t you feel the same?”

In his anxiety, he forgot to refer to himself as “this prince.”

Tan Yulou felt a little nervous but quickly came up with an idea to placate the little crown prince. He rubbed his nose somewhat uneasily and said, “Since Your Highness doesn’t like him, how about we split up and draw them away? We can go to that courtyard filled with parasol trees on our way here. Does Your Highness remember it?”

“I remember.”

“Your Highness, you go there and wait, and I will bring the Marquis there shortly.”

After a moment of apparent contemplation, the little crown prince shrugged. “Fine.”

This way, he had completed the task his big uncle entrusted to him.

The little crown prince walked out of the bamboo grove with his short legs. As soon as he turned a corner, a familiar figure caught him.

The little crown prince was startled, “Mother?”

How could his motger be here!

Yong-ge’s smile was ambiguous, “Do you think you can hide your little tricks with your big uncle from me and your father?”

As he spoke, he pinched the little guy’s arm, “Come with me.”

“Uhm… no, my big uncle asked me to wait for him here…”

“I’ll have someone pass along a message for you.” The following scene was not suitable for the little crown prince to watch.

After Yong-ge finished speaking, he nodded to Lin Qingyi’s servant, instructing him to act accordingly. Ever since his eldest cousin saved Lin Qingyi half a month ago and then secretly investigated him, Cheng Duo received the information.

They planned accordingly and had someone placed by Lin Qingyi’s side. As expected, his eldest cousin was too upright and only used such trivial means to provoke people. At this rate, it would take forever for him to marry.

Tan Yulou used the excuse of the little crown prince’s disappearance to call Wei Ling away. As soon as Wei Ling heard the news, he became anxious, stood up abruptly, and asked, “What? How did Lin’er disappear?”

As the words fell, he felt a surge of heat throughout his body, his mind in a daze, subconsciously touching his forehead.

Tan Yulou grabbed him and said urgently, “Let’s talk while we walk!”

Wei Ling trusted him and followed Tan Yulou, descending the steps quickly.

Lin Qingyi was dumbfounded but ignored his pretended sprained ankle, forcefully stood up, and rushed after them, calling out, “Marquis—”

How could this happen? Even a cooked duck can fly!

But as Lin Qingyi ran just a few steps, he was stopped by a servant who appeared out of nowhere. “Young Master, where are you going?”

Lin Qingyi was anxious and quickly signaled to the servant with his eyes, “The Crown Prince is missing. Let’s hurry and help search for him!”

Although he was inspired by the servant’s idea to add the drug, he couldn’t possibly reveal the entire plan to a servant. The servant only knew his intention was to target Marquis Wei. By saying this now, he was indirectly hinting that they should approach the two of them together and separate them.

However, the servant “misunderstood.” He deliberately stalled Lin Qingyi and said loudly, “Ah, what do you mean the Crown Prince is missing? He’s not missing! I just came from the back path and clearly saw the Empress take the Crown Prince away.”

The servant’s words didn’t stop the two individuals who were walking quickly ahead. The drug’s effect had already taken hold of Wei Ling. He was burning with a high fever, and his gaze turned blankly as he turned to the supporting Tan Yulou, asking, “Why did he say Lin’er is not missing?”

Tan Yulou, feeling at a loss, said, “Maybe… maybe I made a mistake.”

Hearing about the Empress’s arrival and taking the Crown Prince away, he didn’t know if he should continue with the rest of the plan…

Just when he was hesitating, Wei Ling leaned over, his scorching breath hitting Tan Yulou’s neck. “It’s okay, you just made a mistake… if Lin’er is not missing, that’s good… Yulou, I’m glad.”

Whatever the reason, Yulou intervened and took him away.

Tan Yulou’s heart skipped a beat, then throbbed intensely. His neck, where Wei Ling’s breath had brushed, turned red. The tingling sensation seemed contagious, quickly spreading throughout his entire body.

Tan Yulou gritted his teeth: It doesn’t matter anymore. Wei Ling has come over here, and he even deceived the little crown prince for this. He couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste!