After King Duan was placed under house arrest, the capital was calm but turbulent.
The courtiers bribed by King Duan needed to be cleaned up, and new generals needed to be appointed. The emperor suddenly found that he had a lot to do and no time to go to the harem.
In this atmosphere, the prince was also very busy. From time to time, he would come back with several memorials and review them under the guidance of Taifu Lu.
As soon as the prince was busy, Yan Ling was also busy, taking classes and dealing with government affairs. He couldn't say a word for several days.
Xu Yin was very free. Apart from going to class, she was eating, drinking and having fun with Princess Changning. She finally lived the life of a serious noblewoman.
Fast forward to July, and the situation in the capital finally stabilized.
Princess Jinghua sent a message inviting everyone to visit the other village, and the prince also accepted the invitation.
A group of teenagers gathered together to play games. The girls naturally did not join in the fun and just ate and played in the water pavilion.
Xu Yin sat by the railing, fanning slowly, watching the koi carps playing in the pond.
Several noble ladies nearby were chatting and talking about Yu Manqing: "...I haven't been out for a long time. The door of Yu Mansion has been closed, and I don't know what's going on."
"What else could happen? Her father has passed away, so she has to observe her filial piety. It's not easy for her to come out and play in the first place."
"An aunt of mine is related to Mrs. Yu. I followed her to the Yu Mansion last time and met Miss Yu. She looked very haggard. We sat and drank tea for half an hour without saying a few words."
"Well, even though I didn't like her very much before, it's quite sad to see her like this..."
As they spoke, they lowered their voices.
"Do you think her marriage will not count?"
"Can't you? After all, it has been announced to the world."
"But now we have to keep our filial piety, so we can't ask the prince to wait, right?"
"Actually, royal filial piety doesn't have to be so strict. The prince's wedding is a matter of state, so it's okay to keep it for twenty-seven days..."
"That will only happen if His Majesty issues an order. Twenty-seven days have already passed and there is no news from the palace..."
They chatted for a while and then called their friends to feed the fish.
Princess Changning came over and asked, "What are you thinking about? Are you so lost in thought?"
Xu Yin smiled slightly and replied: "I just heard about Miss Yu."
Princess Changning curled her lips: "Why are you mentioning her? It's a spoiler."
Xu Yin sighed inwardly, looking at Princess Changning's attitude, this marriage could not be decided.
She looked to the side and saw that no one was paying attention here, so she said softly: "Princess, it's best to ask someone to pay attention to Yu Manqing, so as not to cause trouble in the future."
Princess Changning was puzzled: "Causing trouble? What happened?"
Of course it's okay at the moment, but the Yu family still has connections after all, and has had such thoughts before, so it's best to be on guard.
…
Over there with the male guests, Yan Ling was bored.
He was not interested in gambling, but the prince was having fun playing and it was hard to let him down.
Mr. Yang came over to talk to him after playing a game: "Look, you are not energetic today. You are not sick, right?"
Yan Ling twirled the wine glass and replied casually: "No, I never like this, you know."
Young Master Yang nodded with a smile and poured him another drink.
Ever since Yan Ling came to Beijing and helped the prince time and time again, the Yang family's attitude toward him became somewhat attentive.
After all, the Yang family is not as good as before and can only provide limited assistance to the prince. However, Duke Zhao is a powerful official. With the support of the Yan family, the crown prince's position will be more stable.
"You haven't been back for so long, are you homesick?" Mr. Yang said, "I saw you sighing all the time when you received the letter from home."
Yan Ling laughed dryly and did not deny it.
He came to the capital at the end of last year and has been here for more than half a year. He has never been away from home for so long since he was born.
"Don't be sad. His Majesty was just angry before. He has been very kind to you these days. I believe you will be able to go home soon."
Yan Ling nodded, raised his glass and clinked it with him, thanking him for his kindness.
Although he misses home, he is not in a hurry. The Yan family army is recuperating and there is no crisis at the moment. Furthermore, he is worried that Xu Yin can't leave. Who knows if the emperor has a sudden trance and really wants her to be the crown prince?
The two of them were chatting, but suddenly they saw Yanji running into the garden, sweating profusely and looking around.
Yan Ling stood up: "Aji, what are you looking for?"
When Yanji saw him, he hurried over and shouted: "Master! Go back quickly! The eldest son is here!"
Yan Ling was stunned for a moment and asked: "Brother?"
"Yes! The eldest son has just arrived in Beijing, and the younger one has come quickly to report the news."
Yan Ling was a little confused and a little anxious. It was already unlucky for him to be held hostage. As the eldest son, why did the eldest brother take the risk himself? What if the two brothers were taken hostage together?
Yan Ji shouted so loudly that the teenagers playing gambling on the other side heard him.
The prince shouted to this side: "Yan Er, is your elder brother here?"
Yan Ling went over to report: "Your Highness, this is what happened, I..."
"Then you go back first!" The prince waved his hand, "I heard that your eldest brother is a talented person. Please introduce us to him later!"
Since Yan Cheng came to Beijing, how could he not go to the palace to see him? The prince said this, which gave him face.
Yan Ling smiled gratefully: "Yes, thank you, Your Highness."
He saluted the prince and hurriedly took Yanji away. On the way, he asked: "Why is eldest brother here? This is too dangerous. What if I can't go back?"
Yan Ji replied: "I don't know the details. The eldest son only said that his wedding is coming soon and he will take you back to attend the wedding."
Yan Ling was stunned for a moment, remembering that her eldest brother's marriage was just two months away. The family was going to use this as an excuse to ask the emperor for help? However, they had just experienced Prince Duan's rebellion, and now the emperor was very suspicious, so it was unlikely that he would let him go.
He was anxious and took the reins from his servant: "Let's go back!"
When Xu Yin heard about this, it was already time to leave.
"Is Prince Yan here?"
"Well, Yan Er has gone back." Princess Changning was curious, "Have you met Prince Yan, right? What does he look like? Does he look like Yan Er?"
"It's not very similar." Xu Yin said absently, "Why does the princess ask this?"
"What a pity." Princess Changning said disappointedly, "I thought I could see another handsome man!"
Xu Yin smiled: "Although the two brothers don't look alike, Prince Yan is indeed a handsome man."
"Really, then I have to wait and see." Princess Changning giggled and got into her car.
Xu Yin watched her go first, then got into his car, thoughtfully.
Why did Yan Cheng suddenly come? He is the eldest son of Duke Zhao, and the future of the Yan family is tied to him. Isn't it too risky to enter the capital like this? Duke Zhao should not agree! What is the mystery here?
She vaguely felt that Duke Zhao had a big plan.
Now that Yu Chong is dead, it will take time for the new general to regain control of the Forbidden Army. Could it be that he wants to do something?