Chapter 313 – Yan Huaijing’S Game
Wei Yuewu knew that her father was in the imperial palace now. As the Emperor’s trusted official and a general, of course, he would come to investigate when there was an assassination in the harem.
She only thought of this after Yan Huaijing reminded her, but Yan Huaijing had probably already predicted this.
Sure enough, every step that Yan Huaijing took was carefully thought through. Even if it was a sudden and unexpected incident, he had already prepared a strategy to adapt to the situation. Moreover, it seemed so natural and matter-of-fact.
What a scheming monster. Wei Yuewu once again lamented that everyone was fooled by Yan Huaijing’s gentle appearance.
There was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Wei Luowen, who was leading a few palace guards, was taken aback when he came upstairs and saw Wei Yuewu sitting opposite Yan Huaijing, and his face instantly had an angry look.
This scene reminded him of the painting that Yan Huaijing had sent him as if he was showcasing his ownership.
“Oh, greetings, Marquis Hua Yang. Why do you have the time to come here? Sixth Miss Wei just arrived, and here you are. Could it be that you are chasing after her?” Yan Huaijing lazily put down the stone in his hand and leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows.
Wei Yuewu stood up and respectfully stood to the side.
Holding his breath, Wei Luowen did not answer Yan Huaijing’s question. Instead, he looked at Wei Yuewu and asked, “Yuewu, why are you here?”
“I heard that there were white plum blossoms in the Palace, so I brought Jin Ling here to take a look. I didn’t expect to meet the Heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State here,” Wei Yuewu lowered her head and answered in a well-behaved manner.
Seeing that Wei Yuewu donned a natural expression instead of timidness, Wei Luowen was slightly relieved. Then, when he noticed her slightly pale face, he urged with concern, “Since you’ve seen the flowers, you should return to your room early to rest.”
“Marquis Hua Yang, why do you want to chase your daughter away in such a hurry? Your daughter is not a stranger to me. We even accompanied each other on the way to the capital previously, so we can be considered acquaintances and there’s no need to avoid each other. Also, the last time we went to the mansion of Duke of Jing, I sent Sixth Miss Wei back home! You won’t forget about it, right?”
With a charismatic smile, Yan Huaijing stood up. His slender body was covered in snow-colored fur clothes, making him look even more handsome and elegant.
Wei Luowen, however, was furious. What did he mean by accompanying and traveling with Wei Yuewu? He even implied that they shared the same carriage.
“Your Heir-apparent, I thank you for saving Yuewu, and I’ll definitely pay a visit to your mansion to officially send my gratitude one day!” Wei Luowen secretly made up his mind that he must make sure that Yuewu cut all ties with Yan Huaijing, so that the latter would not hint anyone that they were close to each other from time to time.
As soon as he thought of the imaginary scene of them being close with each other, Wei Luowen felt suffocated as if someone had gripped his heart, and he felt uneasy about it.
After entering the Palace to meet His Majesty, he could conduct the usual visit to the various mansions.
“Marquis Hua Yang, you don’t have to be so polite. I’m just doing my bit.” Yan Huaijing didn’t take any credit, but his masked indication was enough to infuriate Wei Luowen so much that the veins on his forehead bulged out.
Yuewu was his daughter! What did Yan Huaijing mean by doing his bit?!
In fact, he even felt that Yan Huaijing had lured Wei Yuewu here, which explained why she was here.
“Have you been here all this time?” Wei Luowen deliberately ignored Yan Huaijing’s remarks. With a business-like appearance, he pointed where the eunuchs had been killed. “Did you see any suspicious people coming this way?”
“Do you mean just now?” Yan Huaijing raised his eyebrows and snorted, “If you’re not busy, please wait a moment. I’ve sent my bodyguards out to investigate.”
That was to say, he knew nothing before and only went to check after he heard someone shout “assassin”.
Wei Luowen looked at the pavilion. It was a distance away from the place where the assassination happened. Yan Huaijing was sitting in the opposite direction, which meant that it happened behind him. If he did not pay close attention, he would not realize that the assassination happened behind him.
“Yuewu, how long have you been here?” Wei Luowen turned to Wei Yuewu and asked softly, feeling that his daughter was more trustworthy.
“I have been here for a while. When I met the heir-apparent, he invited me to play Go. Then, I heard someone shouting over there.” Wei Yuewu raised her pale face and pointed in that direction. Coincidentally, that direction was where she was facing, and she quavered with a look of lingering fear.
“You heard it too?” Wei Luowen muttered in a deep voice.
“Yes, I did. It’s over there!” Wei Yuewu nodded, “I wanted to leave, but the heir-apparent asked me to stay, saying that I’m safe here because his bodyguards are here.”
“Your Heir-apparent, since everything is fine now, I’ll take Yuewu away. She’s still young and has never encountered such a thing, so she will be frightened.” Hearing that it was Yan Huaijing who asked Wei Yuewu to stay, Wei Luowen was agitated. He felt that Yan Huaijing had improper thoughts about his little daughter. Moreover, Yan Huaijing was bound to marry a princess, and he would not allow Wei Yuewu to become Yan Huaijing’s concubine.
It seemed that he had to arrange a marriage for Yuewu as soon as possible. However, the Emperor’s earlier remark that the unmarried young ladies of the aristocratic families in the capital had to participate in the nation-wide selection held for the Crown Prince frustrated him.
Even if he wanted to go on with the marriage arrangement, this was obviously not the right time.
“What’s the hurry, Marquis Hua Yang? Why don’t you leave after my bodyguards come back to report on the situation? Besides, the game between me and Sixth Miss Wei is not over yet.” Yan Huaijing smiled gently and pointed at the Go board with his slender fingers.
Seeing the game, Wei Luowen sucked in a breath, and his eyes flickered. Looking at the development of the game, he was certain that Wei Yuewu had lost miserably. They should have played the game for a long time, or Yan Huaijing would not be able to capture so many stones.
They had been playing for so long, but Yan Huaijing did not make a concession.
“Thank you, Your Heir-apparent. I will investigate the matter in the Palace. As for Yuewu, she must come with me,” Wei Luowen asserted with a gloomy face. Most of the doubts about Yan Huaijing sending an assassin had been eliminated.
However, this did not mean that he was willing to see Yan Huaijing. It was obvious that the latter was exceptionally strong and formidable. Wei Yuewu only needed to marry an ordinary man and did not need to be involved in such complicated political affairs.
This was also what Rui’er had requested back then.
He did not mind facing the challenges himself, as long as Yuewu was in a safe and serene environment.
“Yuewu, let’s go!” This time, Wei Luowen simply ignored Yan Huaijing’s attitude and directly urged Wei Yuewu.
“Yes, Father!” Wei Yuewu was just about to leave too. Being with Yan Huaijing would only attract unwanted gossips about herself. At the end of the day, she would be the one with a tarnished reputation.
Everyone thought that this crafty monster was a gentleman. On the contrary, it was inappropriate for her to be with him with unknown intentions.
“Your Heir-apparent, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll visit you someday to thank you!” Wei Luowen said seriously.
This time, Yan Huaijing did not stop them. He smiled and watched them leave. However, just as Wei Luowen took a step down, he suddenly chimed in lazily, “Marquis Hua Yang, I heard that you don’t have a wife. How about I sending a wife over to you?”
Yan Huaijing’s words were so abrupt that Wei Luowen almost missed his step. He raised his head and glared at Yan Huaijing. “Thank you for your kindness, but I will marry another daughter of a famous family in the capital!”
His Majesty had already mentioned this matter to him before, but he couldn’t make up his mind at the moment, so he didn’t agree immediately. But now that Yan Huaijing said this, he immediately became annoyed.
“Oh, is that so? Congratulations! I didn’t expect that after being single for so many years, you would suddenly decide to marry a lady from a prestigious family. It is really gratifying. Once you’ve decided on a date, please let me know. I’ll prepare a big gift for you!”
Yan Huaijing swung his sleeves with a casual and dignified smile on his face, looking elegant and calm.
But his implication irritated Wei Luowen. He suppressed his anger and gritted, “Thank you for your generosity. Goodbye!”
With that, he turned around and left with the palace guards.
Wei Yuewu walked at the end of the team. When she reached the stairs, she turned back to look at Yan Huaijing. Seeing his deep eyes, she pursed her lips and bowed.
Speaking of which, she had been saved by this unfathomable heir-apparent more than once.
If it were not for him just now, she would never have been able to escape from Wei Fengyao’s trap. Her eyes were filled with coldness. Wei Fengyao knew quite a lot of secrets in the imperial palace, but the people who knew too much often wouldn’t live long.
Wei Fengyao had given her several big gifts, so no matter what, she had to pay her back…
Yan Huaijing observed Wei Yuewu’s expression carefully as she turned around and went downstairs with a thoughtful face. Her face was still sickly pale, but her eyes were calm and calculative. It seemed that she was plotting something against someone. Noticing this, Yan Huaijing was in a good mood. At least she was not frightened by the incident, and she was still energetic enough to plot against others.
It was indeed a satisfying matter!
Seeing his master smiling, the bodyguard quietly took a few steps back and looked down the stairs stealthily. It seemed that Sixth Miss Wei was indeed different. His master had never protected a woman to such an extent. He had arranged everything for her to clear up the suspicion on her.
“How is it over there?” Yan Huaijing turned his head and moved his feet slightly towards the direction of the assassination scene.
“The other three heirs-apparent are also over there, but you stay the furthest away,” the bodyguard respectfully reported.
Yan Huaijing stroked his nose gently with his slender fingers, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips. In other words, the distance between them was similar, and any one of them was possible to send an assassin to kill the eunuchs and guards. However, he was the furthest away from there and Wei Yuewu was here with him, which made him the least suspected person.
“Let’s go take a look!” Yan Huaijing turned to the stairs. Since the incident happened so suddenly, everyone had to show that they were innocent by showing up at the crime scene. By the way, they had to investigate and see who was the most likely suspect.
“The Heir-apparent of Duke of Qi previously said that he wanted to invite all of the heirs-apparent to play the arrow-throwing game,” the bodyguard reminded from behind. Qi Yunhao had said it when they were together, and he had sent his men to prepare for the game after that.
“Alright. ” He should be there. Yan Huaijing smiled slightly. He was not interested in the game, but he was looking forward to the mischievous Wei Yuewu showing off her might.
Everyone went there, and naturally, Wei Luowen would be there as well. Judging from Wei Yuewu’s expression just now, he could tell that she would not swallow her anger. Even if she would, he couldn’t.
But since she was willing to sharpen her claws for revenge…
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