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After Marquis Xuanping got on another carriage, the coachman asked him where he wanted to go, but he didn't say a word.
His mood was terrible, and the reason he got off the carriage was that he didn't want to show his emotions in front of Princess Xinyang.
He was a man, and no matter how angry he was, he had to keep it to himself and not vent it on a woman.
The coachman didn't have the courage to take him to the princess mansion or Marquis Xuanping Estate like Chang Jing did. Instead, he aimlessly wandered the streets, circling around the imperial capital again and again until both horses were almost exhausted. Finally, a calm voice came from inside the carriage.
"Go to Bishui Alley."
The coachman breathed a sigh of relief.
It was getting dark. Thank goodness they didn’t have to wander until dawn.
Marquis Xuanping's mood gradually calmed down.
When the Emperor arranged his marriage with Qin Fengwan, he was actually quite surprised. His sister had already entered the palace as the Empress. With this, the Xiao Family was already firmly tied to the Emperor’s side. The Emperor really had no need to further strengthen their relationship with another marriage alliance.
Besides, his reputation wasn't really great. Marrying him was simply wronging the princess.
At that time, the Emperor didn't tell him that it was all the late Emperor's dying wish. After thinking it over, he wondered if the princess had taken a liking to him.
It wasn't impossible, especially since he was quite a dashing man.
He had grown up in the military camp, surrounded by a bunch of men. His father never taught him how to treat his wife well, but he vaguely knew that his mother was not living a happy life.
So many concubines in the family would come to his mother to learn the rules. His mother appeared authoritative, but deep down, she was actually very unhappy.
He had seen Princess Xinyang. When a man looked at a woman, it was hard not to judge by her appearance, especially at first sight.
Princess Xinyang was very beautiful, so beautiful that he couldn't describe it with words. No man could resist such a woman.
He sincerely took her as his wife. When they went through the wedding ceremony, he was even very happy thinking that from then on, he, Xiao Ji, also had his own family.
He was dressed in a bright red wedding attire, joyfully lifting her veil with his heart full of happiness. However, she held a cold dagger against his chest...
"Damn it!"
Marquis Xuanping's recently calmed emotions surged again. He impatiently tugged at his collar, a trace of irritation crossing his brow, "Are we not there yet?"
The coachman was startled by the seemingly calm but actually annoyed tone and hurriedly replied, "Almost there, almost!"
"Don't go to Bishui Alley anymore." Marquis Xuanping said.
"What? Then where to?" The speed at which you change your mind is quite something!
Marquis Xuanping didn't really want to see Xiao Heng right now. His emotions were a bit agitated, and he didn't want to scare his son. After some thought, he decided to visit Gu Chao, the old monkey, and spar with him or something.
However, when he arrived, he found out that Gu Chao had gone on a long journey without informing anyone at home, seemingly for sightseeing.
Sightseeing was out of the question. It was impossible in this lifetime. That old monkey must have been dispatched by the Emperor for some mission.
Marquis Xuanping considered his options and decided to return to Marquis Xuanping Estate. He called Steward Liu and listened as Steward Liu recounted all the recent events in the capital.
The matter with Ning Wang had already been mentioned by Princess Xinyang. However, Marquis Xuanping learned about Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's death from Steward Liu.
It was publicly claimed that Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing had suddenly passed away due to illness, but Steward Liu had connections in Kunning Palace and knew the inside story.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was a remnant of the previous dynasty. She was behind the poisoning attempt on Xiao Heng when he was a child. She orchestrated the discord between Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Emperor, and also masterminded the marriage arrangement for Princess Ning'an.
"Poor Princess Ning'an, falling into the hands of such a treacherous mother." Steward Liu sighed deeply.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's death had caused a stir in the capital for a while, but the excitement had long since died down. Marquis Xuanping was hearing about it for the first time. In theory, he should have been deeply shocked, but he had already suspected that things were not as simple as they seemed when he left the capital, especially after discovering that Old Chief had been targeting Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
However, he hadn't guessed that she was connected to the remnants of the previous dynasty.
According to Empress Xiao's information, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing had been exchanging letters with the borderlands for years. They all had assumed that she was communicating with Princess Ning'an, but in reality, she was probably in contact with the remnants of the previous dynasty.
The Emperor had ordered Tang Yueshan to go as an envoy to the borderlands, ostensibly to visit Princess Ning'an, but in reality, he had taken an army to hunt down the remnants of the previous dynasty.
"This merit should have belonged to my brother, but unfortunately, he's not in the capital. That's why His Majesty appointed Tang Yueshan."
These were Empress Xiao’s exact words.
Marquis Xuanping had no interest in meritorious service. While he was skilled in warfare, it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Some things were just responsibilities and missions he had to bear.
If he couldn’t defend his nation, the country behind him would collapse, and his family would perish.
Empress Xiao didn't know about Old Marquis, but she didn't need to mention it. Marquis Xuanping could figure it out on his own. He must have gone north with Tang Yueshan.
Tang Yueshan was someone who sought glory and was very eager for achievements. There was only one possible reason why he could tolerate traveling with Old Marquis—— Old Marquis wasn't going to war.
"Is he going to rescue Princess Ning'an?" Marquis Xuanping mused as he stroked his chin.
If the Imperial Son-in-law was also a pawn of Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, then Princess Ning'an's situation was indeed not optimistic.
Thinking about Princess Ning'an, a slight furrow appeared on Marquis Xuanping's brow unconsciously.
Back then, Empress Dowager Zhuang seemed to want to arrange a marriage between him and Princess Ning'an, but she always acted like a frightened rabbit and he didn't like that.
As a man who didn't understand delicacy, he couldn't deal with someone as fragile as a rabbit.
"Alright, you can leave." Marquis Xuanping said wearily.
"Lord Marquis." Steward Liu smiled, "Are you bringing Little Marquis back?"
Empress Xiao had been in contact with Marquis Xuanping through Steward Liu, so Steward Liu was already aware of the situation regarding the illegitimate child being Little Marquis.
Marquis Xuanping gave him a faint glance, “You failed to persuade him to come back in the end?"
Steward Liu was rendered speechless on the spot.
He had gone to the countryside to pick him up, but by the time he arrived, the person had already entered the capital, and he failed again and again to bring him back to the estate...
He hadn't known he was Little Marquis back then and had been somewhat disrespectful, which now made him quite fearful.
Marquis Xuanping had originally intended to take a break, but at this moment, he stood up again and walked towards the door, "I have my own plans for this matter. You no longer need to get involved, and there's no need to go to Bishui Alley in the future."
"Lord Marquis, do you not plan to announce Little Marquis's identity for the time being?"
"Yes." If it was him in the past, Marquis Xuanping would have announced it long ago, but this time he became unusually cautious.
He wasn't afraid of those people, but he had already lost Xiao Heng once, and he couldn't afford to lose him a second time.
Upon his return to the capital, he naturally had to report to the Emperor. The Emperor had already expressed deep apologies for his son killing Marquis Xuanping's son.
Marquis Xuanping considered it and decided not to tell the truth to the Emperor.
The Emperor had previously confiscated his mining rights, and Marquis Xuanping was the type to hold a grudge!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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