Chapter 147: Playing Hard to Get, and a Bitter Tear Act! (Part 1)

Just intercepted. A family letter from the Marchioness of Dingyuan to be sent to Yuanzhou City," Leiming said. "She had it sent to the post station the day before yesterday afternoon. Your subordinate was worried that there might be eyes belonging to the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion in the capital, so I delayed it for two days and only intercepted it from the messenger on the road today."

Xiao Yue was originally reading a secret dispatch under the lamplight. Hearing this, he first put the official letters aside, took the envelope, and opened it.

On the letter paper, there was a single, extremely concise sentence:

My youngest daughter, Wutan, is quite favored by His Highness the Prince of Sheng. This is joyous and wonderful news, specially written to inform you.

Apart from this, there was not a single superfluous word.

Because there were only a few sparse words, Leiming felt extremely strange at a single glance, and could not help leaning over behind Xiao Yue to take a look.

After reading it, he found it even stranger. He turned his head to look at Xiao Yue: "Just these few words? What does this mean?"

The message that needed to be conveyed was already quite clear: Wutan had caught Xiao Yue's eye.

Originally, this was not necessarily improper. The problem was—

Meng Shi had sent this letter to Wu Xun all the way across thousands of miles, without saying a single other thing, telling him only about this matter concerning Wutan and Xiao Yue. Moreover, the phrasing was concise, without a single redundant word, acting merely as a simple statement of facts. Was there not even the slightest trace of an opinion from herself, the old marchioness in the household, or anyone else?

Wutan stared at that line of words for a moment, a trace of playful coldness flashing across her gaze. Then, she casually crumpled the letter paper and ignited it using the lamplight on the desk: "The matter has already been made crystal clear. What else do you expect her to say?"

Tongues of fire curled up, swallowing the handwriting on the paper one by one.

Leiming hurriedly picked up the brush washer placed nearby to catch the falling ashes, and then helped burn the envelope as well, while perplexed and bewilderedly pondering: "Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. This Meng Shi has always ignored the Second Young Lady's affairs. What is more, her own son has just been married, and her daughter's grand wedding is approaching. When she writes a letter at a time like this, even if she feels that the matter between you and the Second Young Lady is quite important and must be reported to the Marquis of Dingyuan, she shouldn't only mention this matter. Shouldn't she account for something else as well?"

Xiao Yue stared at the envelope burning in his hand, the firelight reflecting in the depths of his eyes like sinking into a bottomless abyss. Until the firelight was extinguished once more, he suddenly said half-seriously and half-mockingly: "Perhaps she thinks that once this prince has taken a fancy to Wutan, her own daughter won't have to marry the Crown Prince."

This sounded completely ungrounded, and Leiming truly could not comprehend it: "How could that be? The Marquis of Dingyuan has always been utterly loyal to His Majesty and the imperial court. The closer you get to the Second Young Lady, the more she ought to marry her other daughter to the Crown Prince, no? Besides, the behavior of the Marchioness of Dingyuan is also very strange. Why is she so repulsive to the idea of letting the Third Young Lady of the Wu family marry the Crown Prince? Even willing to resort to murdering the Old Marchioness of the Wu family just to obstruct the marriage?"

Just as they were speaking, someone knocked on the door outside: "Your Highness, may your subordinate enter?"

"It's Yuchi!" Leiming immediately gathered his wits and turned to look at Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue said, "Come in!"

Yuchi Yuan pushed the door open and entered. Without any superfluous words, he stepped forward directly and bowed, presenting a small paper roll to Xiao Yue: "A secret letter sent by the scouts left by Yanbei in the southern border previously. Two days ago, they intercepted a suspicious person heading from the capital on the main road outside Yuanzhou City. It is said that the travel pass held by that person claimed he was a servant of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion. After our men conducted a preliminary interrogation, they said this man's surname is Xue, and he confessed to crimes such as being instigated by the Marchioness of Dingyuan on the first day of the lunar month to murder the Second Young Lady of the Wu family at the Xiangguo Temple."

Xiao Yue unfolded the paper roll to inspect it.

Carried by carrier pigeon, the number of characters a single roll of paper could hold was limited, but the contents were concise and roughly accounted for these points.

After reading it, Leiming first drew in a sharp breath: "What did that man run off to Yuanzhou City to do? Could it be—he is the Marquis of Dingyuan's man?"

How could this be possible? Whether Meng Shi wanted to make a move against the Old Marchioness or Wutan, it could still be explained; after all, those two had no blood relation to her and were not on good terms on ordinary days. But Wu Xun was different!

What reason would he have to harm his own mother and daughter over something like the marriage of his youngest daughter?

Xiao Yue did not commit to an opinion.

Yuchi Yuan spoke again: "The scouts down there do not know how to deal with this person. Should they have him write a detailed confession to be sent back and directly dispose of the person, or—"

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Xiao Yue: "Send word to Yuanzhou City, tell them to escort the person back to the capital immediately, keep him alive, and this prince wants to see this person." Pausing for a moment, he added, "As quickly as possible!"

"Understood!" Yuchi Yuan received the order and was about to withdraw when Xiao Yue pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "How many men did Yanbei leave in the south originally?"

Yuchi Yuan replied, "Seven or eight men, all elites. Didn't you instruct them not to make a public appearance there temporarily? So for the time being, they are responsible for watching the surrounding fortresses, monitoring the movements of the troops in the southern border, and any suspicious persons appearing around."

Xiao Yue said, "Pick another ten capable men from your subordinates and dispatch them over as reinforcements. The focus remains on watching the fortresses of all directions. If there are any suspicious persons or matters, handle them directly if it can be done without alerting the enemy. If you are not certain for the time being, just keep a tight watch on them first."

"Understood!" Yuchi Yuan did not ask too much into the inner details, received the order, and withdrew.

Xiao Yue thought for a moment and did not directly burn the slip of paper. Instead, he first stuffed it beneath a stack of books on his desk.

Seeing that he seemed to have no intention of speaking further, Leiming was about to withdraw when Xiao Yue suddenly asked, "Are you still going to the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion tomorrow?"

Leiming quickly steadied his steps and replied, "I just went this morning to change the dressing for the Second Young Lady. The physician said her recovery is coming along quite well. If Your Highness has no other instructions, I won't go tomorrow, but will go the day after."

Xiao Yue had already picked up the letters on the desk again and lowered his head to read them. Hearing this, he only gave a slight nod: "Call this prince the next time you go."

"Understood!"

Leiming did not think much of it either, accepted the command, and withdrew. When he went to the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion the next day, he ordered a carriage to be prepared and came to invite Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue did not go back on his word. He put on casual attire and went out together with him.

The gatekeepers of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion were already accustomed to this. When people from the Prince of Sheng's Mansion came, they did not block them, especially since it was His Highness the Prince of Sheng in person. They respectfully allowed him through the gates.

Leiming was familiar with the road and was about to lead Xiao Yue toward the back courtyard when Xiao Yue casually asked the gatekeeper, "Is your Heir at home?"

Wu Qinglin was not reporting for duty in the capital, and his stay in the capital this time was specially permitted by the Emperor to let him help manage Wu Qingqiong's wedding. Therefore, unless summoned specifically by the Emperor, he did not need to attend court every day.

The gatekeeper immediately replied, "He is!"

Xiao Yue gave a slight nod: "Then this prince will go find the Heir of the Wu family for a game of chess!" With that, seeing that Leiming and the old physician were still standing there looking at each other in dismay, he raised an eyebrow: "Go do whatever you are supposed to do."

Leiming said, "Aren't you going to see the Second Young Lady?"

Xiao Yue said expressionlessly, "There is no need to tell her this prince has come."

After saying that, he stepped forward first and headed straight for Wu Qinglin's quarters.

Leiming watched his back with a totally bewildered expression—

What is wrong with this? To coax that little ancestor, you even went all out and handed over your military authority. Now that such a wonderful opportunity is right here, why not strike while the iron is hot and take her in one fell swoop while she is still feeling touched? What kind of airs are you putting on again?

Though he held grievances in his heart, he dared not voice them, and still resentfully led the physician toward the back courtyard.

When Xiao Yue arrived at Wu Qinglin's quarters, Wu Qinglin was reading military books in his study.

He pushed the door open and entered directly.

Wu Qinglin raised his head and could not help frowning: "Your Highness has come?"

Xiao Yue said, "I felt it wouldn't be appropriate to wait for you to come find this prince, so I simply came over myself."

He did not care about the Emperor's suspicion and attitude toward him, but the Wu family was bound by considerations for this and remained very cautious.

"Please be seated, Your Highness!" Wu Qinglin rose from behind his desk, offered no retort, and merely said to Musong, who had followed Xiao Yue to the door, "Serve tea!"

"Understood, Heir!" Musong closed the study doors and went out.

Xiao Yue walked straight over to the daybed nearby, casually pushed open the window, and then bent down to sit on the daybed.

Wu Qinglin followed and sat down opposite him.

Xiao Yue picked a chess piece from the bowl, rubbed it between his fingertips, and raised his eyes to see him simply staring at himself, unable to help smiling: "Does the Heir have nothing to say to this prince?"

Wu Qinglin felt helpless in his heart, but his expression remained solemn and stern as he asked in turn, "Since Your Highness has gone this far with matters, what else do you expect Your Humble Servant to say?"

To be honest, he never expected that Xiao Yue would go to such lengths for Wutan. Although it seemed incredible, the hard facts were right before his eyes, and even if he wanted to ignore them, he could not.

The corners of Xiao Yue's lips curved upward, yet he did not put on airs because of this matter. Instead, with a very flat expression and tone, he said, "As for Wutan, words won't work on her. Even if this prince promises that I harbor no plots against your Wu family, she still won't believe it. Driven by necessity, I had to resort to this desperate measure. Since the Heir does not plan to muddy the waters and drag down this prince's rear anymore, this prince can rest easy."

Wu Qinglin deliberated for a moment, still feeling that it was necessary for him to have a deep conversation with him. Therefore, he secretly drew a breath and said, "Your Highness, there are some words I originally did not wish to speak to you so early, but now that matters have reached this stage—I know that whatever you wish to do, I cannot stop you. Last time you said you harbored no schemes against the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion or the Wu family, I believed those words. But there is still one question I must confirm with you face-to-face first: Why Wutan? Among all the daughters of noble and distinguished families within this capital, why must you choose a Wutan who will cause His Majesty to view you with suspicion and dissatisfaction?"

"His Majesty's suspicion and dissatisfaction toward this prince did not only begin after I had Wutan," Xiao Yue said casually, while absorbing himself with keen interest in observing the half-played game of chess on the board. "As for why I chose Wutan? This prince wished to take a princess consort, and happened to take a fancy to her. Is there any need for a grander reason than that?"

This was spoken casually, but a man like him—how could he be someone who would act recklessly and disregard consequences merely for transient selfish desires?

Wu Qinglin was actually completely unable to understand him, but indeed, matters had reached this point. Even if he could not see through Xiao Yue's inner thoughts, he could only choose to believe his words.

If it were anyone else, he would surely earnestly instruct the other party to treat Wutan well. Yet the person sitting before him now was the self-willed Xiao Yue—

Instead, he found himself needing to say nothing at all.

A man like him, if he truly wished to treat Wutan well, would do so without any instruction or entreaty. And if he did not wish to, who could possibly compel him?

For more than a decade in the past, Wu Qinglin had always firmly believed that he protected his younger sister very well, and possessed sufficient confidence that he could shield her for a lifetime, sheltering her from wind and rain for all his days...

Yet precisely, he had encountered this Xiao Yue!

He had encountered this accident that he was completely powerless to resist or sway.

The sense of defeat and loss at this moment was beyond description.

Xiao Yue waited for a long time, seeing that he neither spoke nor picked up a piece to play chess, and only then raised his eyes to look over: "What, does the Heir feel that this prince has snatched your younger sister away? Hence feeling unhappy in your heart?"

Wu Qinglin met his gaze, smiled bitterly, and self-mockingly joked: "To be honest, I do not wish to hand her over to you!"

Xiao Yue was not surprised at all, curling his lips without the slightest bit of care: "It doesn't matter, your Wu family can still raise her for another two years. In any case, this prince is not in a hurry."

It was not that he wasn't anxious, but rather given Wutan's age right now—

What would he do if he took her back immediately?

Wu Qinglin was in no mood to joke with him at all. He smiled with an unfathomable expression once more and did not take up the thread of the conversation.

Seeing him like this, Xiao Yue tossed the chess piece back into the bowl, drew a deep breath, and said, "Forget it. Since the Heir has no heart to play chess with this prince, let's discuss some serious business instead."

Wu Qinglin slightly gathered his wits and looked toward him.

Xiao Yue said, "Your Marchioness sent a letter to Yuanzhou City the day before yesterday, which was intercepted by my men."

Wu Qinglin felt startled in his heart, his brow twitching faintly: "Meng Shi? She wrote a letter to my father?"

Xiao Yue nodded: "Very strange. There are only a few sparse words on the letter paper, mentioning nothing else aside from reporting the inside news that this prince and Wutan are suspected to be nearing a happy union. Had I not known she is the Marchioness of Dingyuan, this prince would have thought this was a secret report written to a master by a spy from some household."

While speaking, he rose and walked behind the desk, picked up a brush, and transcribed the original words of Meng Shi's letter onto a piece of paper.

Wu Qinglin followed him and stared at the characters leaping off the paper, his frown growing tighter and tighter.

Xiao Yue had already tossed the brush aside and laughed leisurely: "Interesting, isn't it?"

Wu Qinglin stared at those characters on the paper for a long time, before finally raising his gaze inch by inch to fix it on Xiao Yue's face and ask: "Where is the original letter?"

"I didn't think much of it at the time, so I read it and burned it immediately," Xiao Yue said. "If the Heir still thinks this prince is trying to sow discord, you might as well take the trouble to keep a closer eye on that Marchioness of your mansion. Since her letter this time was intercepted by this prince and she receives no reply for a long time, she should send another message. Next time, this prince will not meddle in other people's business."

Meng Shi writing a letter to Wu Xun? And sending such a bizarrely worded letter at that? Wu Qinglin also faintly felt that something was amiss, but for a moment could not quite fathom it.

Suddenly recalling something, Xiao Yue added, "Oh! Heir, are you planning to return to Yuanzhou City after the Crown Prince's wedding?"

"Mn!" Wu Qinglin's interest was low. He gave a casual response and shot an inquiring look back at him.

Xiao Yue smiled: "That's fine then, there's still time. You can busy yourself with your affairs for now. Before you leave the capital, this prince has a grand gift that can be sent to you."

He suddenly sold a mystery and turned mysterious all of a sudden.

Wu Qinglin always felt that every single word Xiao Yue spoke today carried hidden meanings, but he was simply whetting his appetite on purpose, and asking questions would be of no use, so he simply kept his mouth shut.

A moment later, Musong guessed that the two of them should have finished discussing their private matters and brought the tea in.

After finishing the tea, Leiming also came looking for them: "Your Highness, the dressing for the Second Young Lady's wounds has been changed."

"Oh, good!" Xiao Yue put down his teacup, patted his robe, rose, and smiled at Wu Qinglin, "Then this prince will leave first."

He took Leiming and left directly, turned out of the courtyard, and walked straight toward the main gate.

Musong found it completely incomprehensible: "Heir, the Prince of Sheng just left. Since he already came, why didn't he go see the Second Young Lady? It's been several days since that incident..." Logically speaking, since Xiao Yue made such huge concessions for Wutan, it showed he cared about her deeply. How could he avoid seeing her at a time like this? At least strike while the iron was hot and meet face-to-face to clear things up, right?

"Do you take the Prince of Sheng for some greenhorn lacking worldly experience, whose blood runs hot and only knows how to blindly crowd forward?" Wu Qinglin let out a cold snort from his nose, turned back into the room, found a fire starter, and ignited the note Xiao Yue had left behind, while speaking in a less-than-pleasant tone: "That girl Wutan has a terrible temper, and is accustomed to climbing up the pole. If he goes over right now, that girl might not appreciate it at all, and it would easily make her presume upon favor and grow arrogant. This is playing hard to get, purposely leaving her hanging."

First playing a bitter trick, handing over military authority to make the girl feel a sense of guilt, and then avoiding her—Wutan would only feel that because of her own unreasonable behavior, he had suffered tremendous losses and grievances. Once her guilty conscience kicked in, she would naturally soften up later on.

Wu Qinglin knew his younger sister all too well, which was precisely why he was utterly perplexed as to why Xiao Yue was so tenaciously fixated on Wutan without letting go.

So, this Prince of Sheng was actually employing tactics on their Second Young Lady?

Musong became even more curious: "Then Heir, won't you give the Second Young Lady a reminder?"

Wu Qinglin glanced sideways at him and sighed, "Let them be!" Following that, his expression immediately turned solemn: "You should personally keep an eye on the southern courtyard recently, especially watching whether Meng Shi has any private correspondence with Yuanzhou City."

"Understood!"

Wutan knew nothing of Xiao Yue's visit that day. Afterwards, Leiming continued to bring the old physician over every other day to check on Wutan's injuries and change her dressing.

For several consecutive times, however, Xiao Yue was nowhere to be seen.

Who knew what was wrong with him, but lately Wutan felt overwhelmingly guilty whenever she saw the two of them arrive.

She scratched here and poked there for days, and when the physician finished examining the recovery of her injuries and was packing up his things, she finally could not hold back anymore...