Chapter 142 (2/2)
Ning Que shook his head and refuted. ”You obviously don't know me well. You can go to ask the neighbors in Lin 47th Street. Everyone likes me except the wife of Wu Er at next door. Last time I also take you to House of Red Sleeves, don't you see those girls like me?”
”Forget it.” Situ Yilan looked at the quiet yard in the deep Victory House and said, ”Are you going to follow us or go in alone?”
”For What?” Ning Que followed her gaze and shook the head to say, ”I don't want to eat with Her Highnesss, and she might not invite us in.”
”You really guessed the princess was there.” Situ Yilan smiled and said, ”Her Highness usually may not call us in on weekdays. But since all Academy students gather here and the guest His Highness invited is definitely not an ordinary character, then she'll invite us in for sure.”
Ning Que thought for a moment and then understood the hidden meaning of her words like Hua Shanyue. He could not help satirically laughing and silently thought in the heart. ”Lee Yu, you eventually could not help but develop your power in the young generation of Tang Empire, enhance the influence, and show your strength to the guests at the same time... ”
”It's impossible for more than one hundred people to go in.” He laughed and said, ”They must pick up some guys with good grades and morality to go in to greet Her Highness. But I'm not one of them.”
Situ Yilan remembered encountering his little handmaiden Sangsang one day in the Princess' mansion. She was annoyed and said, ”You're an old friend of Her Highness. And you two are familiar with each other. If I take you in, who dare object it?”
The Victory House boss must have a
have a good background so that he could buy a former censor's mansion to open the restaurant in Southern City. But managing this restaurant for living, the boss must be a powerful figure who could deal with all kinds of people. He didn't earn much money when the Academy students booked the lakeside terrace. But for weekdays, he would definitely think of ways to get close to them for the convenience in the future. Today, however, he did not contact with those students at all. Instead, he respectfully stood outside like a manservant.
With food dishes on hands, dozens of maidservants walked among the quiet houses. After having been trained, they did not make a slightest sound. There was only the whistling of wind's blowing the treetops that could be heard in the house. The Victory House boss stared at everyone's movements with his sharp eyes. When he confirmed that there was no problem, he became a little relaxed and raised the arm to wipe the sweat on his forehead .
The host and the guest, who could book the most quiet and the most expensive backyard in Victory House and made the boss serve like a manservant, must be the distinguished ones in today's backyard feast. Today the banquet host was Lee Yu, The Fourth princess of Tang Dynasty. Her guest was really an honored character. And if it went as expected, the guest would have no chance to return in the rest life after leaving the Chang'an City.
At the end of s.h.i.+ning ebony floor were two short tables sitting beside each other. A seemingly young man sat beside the table on the left hand. He wore a plain gown, with a jade hairpin in the hair bun. He had straight brows and bright eyes, showing extremely calm and gentle. Only a few faintly visible silver hairs inadvertently revealed his depression in these years.
As a hostage in Chang'an for nearly a decade, the crown prince of Yan calmly looked at the Tang Princess Lee Yu and held the winegla.s.s at hand. He slowly and firmly drank it over and then said with lament, ”In the fourth year of Tianqi era, I traveled to Chang'an and re-entered it as a hostage for six years. So I've actually known Her Highness for ten years. Although you went to the gra.s.sland for two years during the period, we also grew up with each other's accompany. This time I don't know when we'll meet again, so I feel kind of sad for it.”
”Brother Chongming, we both know that if you still want to see me in Chang'an City, it must be for two reasons. Since that, we'd better not meet each other. Or if I have a chance, I'll go to Capital Cheng to visit you.”
Lee Yu slightly smiled and held a small gla.s.s that she has played with for a long time between the fingers. Then she gently sipped it. In fact, during the banquet, both of them knew that after the crown prince returned this time, he would certainly succeed to the throne after the death of Yan Emperor. If the Emperor wanted to enter Tang's capital Chang'an, there were only two possibilities: one was that Yan Kingdom was exterminated by the Tang Empire and he as the Emperor was taken to Chang'an as a sacrifice to Heaven. The second was that he led the Yan armies to attack Chang'an City.
For the two possibilities, the former was too bleak and the latter was kind of impossible. So Lee Yu said they'd better not meet each other.
”It's better not to meet.” The crown prince smiled and said, ”As you said, if you have a chance in the future, just go to Capital Cheng to see me. By then, I'll be the host to treat you something special.”
”I'm not a kid any longer. Delicious food can't allure me.” Lee Yu smiled and said, ”But Brother Chongming, you'll be the Emperor in the future. If I ask you for something, it's also very convenient.”
One was an orthodox heir to the throne of Yan Kingdom. The other was the Tang Princess with the highest status. It seemed that they only talked about the childhood friends.h.i.+p before the separation. In fact, the future dispute might be hidden in any sentence.
After a short moment of silence, the crown prince showed a bitter smile on the slim cheek. He toasted and whispered in a low voice. ”The Emperor of a country... is hard to be. I have lived in Chang'an city for nearly a decade and have long been accustomed to the climate and custom here. In fact, I really don't want to go back.”
”Brother, you are wrong. Your father is very old now and in poor health... ” Lee Yu gently shook her head.
”What's wrong? My father didn't like me then, so he let me come to Chang'an as a hostage. He didn't feel painful or sorry at all. For the whole eight years, I lived a low-dispatch and painful life in Chang'an city. Have I received a comfort letter from Capital Cheng? In fact, the entire Yan Kingdom... has long forgotten me?”
The crown prince of Yan raised his winegla.s.s to drink, with a touch of painfulness flas.h.i.+ng in his eyes.
”I spent two years on the gra.s.sland. I was also very worried that Chang'an City would forget me, but it turns out that as long as you're still alive and you are back, the memories a long time ago will be picked up again.”
Lee Yu looked firmly at the crown prince and said, ”In those years, Brother Chongming, you suggested me to go to the gra.s.sland so that I could keep out of the affair. I've benefited from it a lot. And now you're about to return. Of course, I have to send you several gifts. I know you probably don't want them. But you have to remember one thing. No matter how bad the situation is in Capital Cheng, you're directly the crown prince after all. So no one can take away your throne!”
Prince Yan quietly looked at her and could not help feeling a sense of sympathy after thinking what she has done for his younger brother over the years. He laughed himself and said, ”Now the problem is not that someone wants to grab my throne, but this throne has not yet belonged to me. In the eyes of all Yans, my wise and enterprising brother is better suited to have that throne than the cowardly crown prince who has lived in Chang'an for many years.”
He paused for a moment and then continued to softly say, ”Although I have left Capital Cheng for many years, I still remember some things when I was a kid. It seemed that Longqing was born a genius. From riding, shooting to poetry, book or even cultivation, there seemed to be nothing he couldn't do. Compared with him, the crown prince like me doesn't have the slightest peculiarities. So it becomes a very natural thing that the Emperor likes and dotes him, and the ministers trust and rely on him.”
”Moreover, he is now the bigwig of Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace.”
The crown prince looked at Lee Yu and said, ”Since he entered Revelation Inst.i.tute in West-Hill, Longqing's mother has begun to expand the power in Capital Cheng. By now, that momentum is so strong as not to be suppressed by manpower, for he has strong support outside. Besides, the strong support... is from West-Hill.”
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