All the ancestors in the capital begged me to be a substitute

Chapter 298: Set up (two-in-one)

Shen Lingxi explained to Chu Yan, then got off the carriage alone and walked to the open space.

Liu Meiren floated to her side.

As Liu Meiren said before, those ice crystals on the ground have been pecked to pieces by pigeons, and only some tiny residues are shining in the sun.

When those pigeons saw Shen Lingxi approaching, they did not fly away like ordinary pigeons. Instead, they continued to peck at something on the ground.

"These pigeons are not afraid of people." Liu Meiren said from the side: "Yesterday, a few greedy little beggars came and beat these pigeons and roasted them. But I saw that the ice crystals were not absorbed by them. Only these pigeons can carry away the ice crystals within this small area."

Shen Lingxi's apricot eyes were slightly dark, and she raised her eyes to look in the direction where the pigeons were flying away.

That is the direction of Dazhou.

She thought of the dream last night again, turned to Liu Meiren and begged: "Please do me a favor. Now only the soul can catch up with these pigeons. Can you please ask the two concubines to follow me and take a look at these pigeons?" Where did you carry the ice crystals?"

Liu Meiren nodded and turned around to make arrangements when she saw a tall, handsome general riding horses from the city with a few soldiers.

"Here." She nodded her chin at the visitor, "On New Year's Eve, this young man braved the wind and snow and rushed back from the border. He saw them all under the city wall... but he was very sad."

"You have been sleepy these past two days, and he has come to see you a few times. He cares about you very much. We have to say goodbye today. I don't know when I will see you again. You have to say goodbye properly."

After saying that, Liu Meiren covered her lips and smiled, then drifted away into the distance.

Shen Lingxi's eyebrows and her heart skipped a beat, and she looked where Liu Meiren looked.

Mu Huaian, whom she hadn't seen for many days, had dismounted in front of the carriage. After greeting Chu Yan in the carriage, he walked towards her direction.

"Princess." He bowed politely, with a restrained and distant look on his handsome face.

When Shen Lingxi saw this, she was inexplicably relieved.

Liu Meiren was still always joking about this kind of thing.

"General Mu is here specifically to investigate this case?" she asked.

Mu Huaian raised his peach blossom eyes and looked at her with a half-smile, "The Crown Princess has forgotten, now that I am no longer the Minister of Dali Temple, this kind of case is not my turn."

Shen Lingxi was slightly startled, "Then you are... here to see me off?"

"Yes." Mu Huaian looked at her calmly and said seriously: "We have known each other for a long time. We say goodbye today and don't know when we will see each other again, so it is natural that we come to see each other off. I wish you peace, joy, and beautiful scenery for many years to come. We all have people to spend time with..."

He paused and then said slowly: "If one day you want to return to Yunjiang, just write to... Yunwang, we can bring you back through thousands of mountains and rivers."

These words reminded Shen Lingxi of those times of mutual help in the past.

In just six months, a series of changes in the family made the warm-blooded son in front of him, who once only wanted to have a home all over the world, quickly grew into a stand-alone general.

She knows the hardships best.

Along the way, not only Chu Yan and her, but also Mu Huaian and Yun Wan were forging ahead.

"I also wish General Mu that from now on in Yunjiang, the sky is high and the sea is vast, and the journey is thousands of miles." She bowed to him as she did in the past, "The people of Yunjiang will be entrusted to General Mu in the future."

A slight smile appeared on Mu Huaian's lips.

He took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Lingxi.

"This is a heirloom of the Mu family. It can mobilize the hidden stakes left by my grandfather. It was left to me before my grandfather died... Now that I am in Yunjiang, I may not be able to use it in the future."

"I was in such a hurry when I left Beijing that I didn't have time to leave it to my aunt. Please ask the Crown Princess to give this to the Empress on my behalf when she returns to Beijing."

Ordinarily, Shen Lingxi should not take over such an extremely valuable thing.

But she thought that since Mu Huaian asked for help at this time, he might have had to do it out of necessity.

After all, with the current status of the rest of the Mu family, it would be more difficult to contact the queen in the palace than to reach the sky.

Shen Lingxi stopped refusing and reached out to take the jade pendant.

When she got it, she discovered that the jade pendant was only the size of her palm, and it was engraved with a pair of fishes connected head to tail.

A Pisces pendant of this size does not look like something for men.

"Don't worry, general, I will live up to your trust."

Mu Huaian smiled when he saw her taking the jade pendant.

That smile reflected the winter sunshine, with a warm feeling, and even those peach blossom eyes seemed to be filled with light of joy.

"Those hidden stakes only listen to the orders of the jade pendant owner. If they have something to do, they only need to tie the jade pendant around their waist and walk around the busiest house in the capital. Someone will naturally contact the jade pendant owner. They hang out all year round. In a place where there are three religions and nine streams, sometimes people are more useful than those in the government." Mu Huaian ordered.

Shen Lingxi secretly made a note, although she was confused in her heart. The Queen lived in the deep palace all year round, so these hidden stakes were probably not easy to use.

But he didn't want to ask any more questions, so he just said: "I have written it all down and will convey it to the empress without missing a word."

Mu Huaian nodded.

"Cherish it." He said softly.

Qingyue's voice had a touch of melancholy.

Shen Lingxi also said to him, "Take care."

Mu Huaian took half a step back, bowed to her, turned around and strode away.

The carriage carrying Chu Yan slowly drove towards Shen Lingxi after Mu Huaian left.

Just as the carriage approached Shen Lingxi, the pigeons that were still pecking at the fine ice crystals on the ground suddenly seemed to be frightened, shouting "coo coo coo" and fluttered their wings and flew away one after another.

Shen Lingxi estimated the distance between the carriage and her, then raised her head to look at the pigeons, the smile on her face disappeared at the corners of her lips.

These pigeons are not afraid of people, but they are afraid of Chu Yan's evil spirit.

interesting.

She got into the carriage thoughtfully, opened the curtain, and stared intently at the direction in which the pigeons were flying away.

The pigeon with the ice crystal in its mouth is flying to the east of where Dazhou is.

But those pigeons that were frightened by Chu Yan's evil spirit were flying towards Yunbian City.

These pigeons will never appear for no reason.

As long as you find where they come from and where they go, you can know what exactly happened here.

Shen Lingxi winked at Liu Meiren, who was floating beside the carriage not far away.

Liu Meiren realized that she should let the soul of a concubine follow the pigeon that was frightened away.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxi finally calmed down.

She lowered the car curtain and saw Chu Yan holding the case in his hand, but his phoenix eyes were looking at her quietly.

When Shen Lingxi saw this, she quickly told him what she had just discovered about the pigeons.

But this time, Chu Yan seemed a little absent-minded.

After Shen Lingxi finished speaking for a long time, he didn't see him speak. He just looked at her with his eyes.

"Your Highness, what is on your mind?"

She murmured softly, subconsciously feeling that there seemed to be some emotion in Chu Yan's eyes, but she couldn't put it into words.

"No." Chu Yan lowered his eyes, denying, and his eyes fell on the file in his hand.

Shen Lingxi blinked doubtfully.Is it because he has been too tired these past few days and is a little depressed?

Since he said nothing happened, Shen Lingxi also sat down.

The carriage fell into rare silence.

Chu Yan gently rubbed his eyebrows.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxi tactfully advised: "I heard from Beauty Liu that His Highness has not had a good rest these past few days in order to take care of me... Your Highness, why don't you take a rest and I will read the files for you."

As she spoke, she wrapped the jade pendant in her hand with a handkerchief and put it into her sleeve.

After doing this, he was about to raise his head to pick up the file in Chu Yan's hand——

Suddenly I heard a deep voice from the carriage, "I happen to have a piece of Hetian jade's Pisces pendant. The carving is more exquisite and the texture is gentler than the jade pendant you have."

"Huh?" Shen Lingxi was stunned for a moment, then raised her head, thinking that she heard wrongly, "Your Highness, you mean..."

Chu Yan's dark eyes were bottomless, "I mean, if you like jade pendants, I have many better ones than what you have. When I return to Beijing, I will have Chunjun send them all to you. You... …I think the fish-shaped jade pendant in my hand is a little lacking."

A little lacking?

Shen Lingxi was stunned for a few breaths before she recovered.

Is it really just "slightly lacking"?

"But I think this jade pendant is still eye-catching. In fact, it's just a jade pendant that you wear with you. It doesn't have to be so grand." She couldn't help but smile deliberately.

"Your Highness can't stand this jade pendant... but are you jealous?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Yan's dark eyes darkened deeply, and then the tips of his ears seemed to be slightly red.

"I'm not jealous." Chu Yan denied it sternly, but when the words came to his lips, he changed his words the next moment.

His sharp jawline tensed up, his phoenix eyes avoided her sight, and the tips of his ears seemed to become even redder.

"...just...some..."

"That's all... I really like it. I just want to see that all the accessories on your body are gifts from me. I will still let Chunjun send those jade pendants to your room. Which one you want to keep is up to you. One’s own will.”

After saying that, Chu Yan lowered his narrow phoenix eyes and continued reading the file with a calm expression.

Shen Lingxi smiled and responded, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Seeing the corners of his lips rising slightly, the crimson at the tips of his ears deepened.

Shen Lingxi felt that the smile on her lips could not be suppressed even if she wanted to, so she quickly turned her head and looked out the window...

*
The prince and his wife drove slowly and hurriedly all the way, and finally arrived at the capital on the day before the Lantern Festival, secretly and low-key.

Nearly half a month is neither long nor short.

Because of Shen Lingxi's unstable soul, she spent more time falling asleep in the carriage than when she was awake.

Fortunately, this situation has improved as we get closer and closer to the capital, visible to the naked eye.

It also made Chu Yan's worried heart finally relax.

Along the way, news from the capital and Yunjiang was continuously delivered to Chu Yan and Shen Lingxi through the secret posts of embroidered envoys from various places.

First, Yun Chong died "violently" in prison the night after they left.

The boy who brought food to Yun Chong on New Year's Eve was Xu Huan's right-hand man, named Xu Zhen, and he was very clever.

Under Xu Zhen's arrangement, on the second day after "Yun Chong" died in prison, he handed the human skin mask to Yun Chong, disguised him as a spice merchant, mixed him with the caravan, and left Yunbian City for the capital. Go in the direction.

Also leaving the city with them were Li Huai, the young minister of Dali Temple who was supposed to return to the capital with the prince's honor guard, and his aunt Li Xiaoqing.

Logically speaking, if word spread that Li Xiaoqing assisted Xu Yuanshan in drugging her ancestor, it would be an exaggeration to think that she would be dipped in a pig cage.

But now that Xu Yuanshan is dead, there is no mourning secret.In the eyes of the world, "Zhenguo Gong" is still alive.

On the surface, in order not to alert the enemy, Li Xiaoqing could no longer be punished for this incident.

What's more, Shen Lingxi still had some use for keeping Li Xiaoqing alive, so she imitated the handwriting of Zhen Guogong's ancestors and wrote a letter of divorce.

The divorce letter did not mention Li's fault in detail. It only said that she was unfilial and disloyal, and ordered her to return home. From then on, Li married and had nothing to do with the Xu family.

This letter of divorce without stating the reason was the most fatal.

My husband has been dead for six years, and my mother-in-law wrote a divorce letter before her death, saying that she did not want this daughter-in-law.If word spreads, the world will inevitably stab the backbone of the Li family and the Li family.

But now, Mr. Li doesn't care about these external reputations.

She just wants to live.

Even if it's a dragon's pond and a tiger's den after returning to the Li family, she still has to break through.

As the prince of Yiyanghou and the male son of the Li family, Li Huai was naturally responsible for escorting the Li family back to the capital.

So, with Shen Lingxi’s advance instructions and Xu Zhen’s deliberate arrangement——

Yun Chong, who was pretending to be the owner of a fragrance shop, together with Xu Zhen, met Li Huai's aunt and nephew in an inn a few days before going to Beijing.

Since both parties were returning to Beijing, they inevitably traveled together on the way.

The Li family has been in the capital all year round and doesn't know many soldiers of the Xu family army, so naturally they don't recognize Xu Zhen.

At the beginning, Yun Chong and the Xu family were only trading goods, and it was even more difficult to interact with the Li family.

Therefore, Li did not recognize Yun Chong.

Although she didn't recognize Xu Zhen and Yun Chong, she had a lot of experience in spices because she ran an incense shop in her early years.

Now, Mr. Li is helpless and has no money to rely on.Knowing that Yunchong was a spice merchant, he naturally thought of the huge profits he made in just two or three years when he was dealing in spices in the early years.

For her, if she could get involved with the spice merchant in front of her and return to her old business, it would be a good thing to give her a pillow when she was sleepy and help her in times of need.

Therefore, she intentionally started to be a little interested in Yun Chong.

Yun Chong recognized Mr. Li.

Since Li was getting close to him, under Xu Zhen's nose, he tried his best to get as close as possible to Li. With his understanding of the Zhenguo Palace, and after several days of testing, Yun Chong finally got in touch with Li. Under the vague expression, he could vaguely guess what exactly happened in Zhenguo Palace.

He thought hard all night in the inn room and learned from the pain. Finally before dawn, he made up his mind to work harder to get closer to Mr. Li.

So, on the Lantern Festival, when Chu Yan and Shen Lingxi dressed up in disguise and sat on the carriage, they saw them entering the city——

I saw Yun Chong riding a tall horse and wearing a human skin mask.

The thinned figure was wearing a brocade robe embroidered with gold thread.

Not to mention, he actually looks like a well-dressed, gentle scumbag.

But behind them, the dead soul of Xu Yuanshan, with a face swollen into a pig's head, looked not so good.

After anyone dies, he will probably feel that his hair is too green if he sees his wife in full view of the public, eyeing each other without concealment...

Yun Chong escorted Li's aunt and nephew all the way to the gate of Yiyang Houfu, then politely said goodbye and left.

Chu Yan looked at Yun Chong's back and asked doubtfully, "When you asked Xu Zhen to deliver food to him on New Year's Eve, how did you know that there was still something to be done between him and Xu Yuanshan, and you told him that it was not for him? Can't it be done? Did Xu Yuanshan tell you?"

(End of this chapter)