The carriage wobbled into the city, the wheels rolling over the bluestone ground, making a sound that made the street seem even more deserted. Only the willow branches beside the road were blown by the night wind, casting a vague shadow on the ground, which was dimly illuminated by the moonlight.
The driver whipped the whip vigorously, making a short sound in the air, and finally drove the carriage to a stop in front of the Fengqiao Inn. He listened to the low panting and the ambiguous sound of lips and tongues entangled from behind the curtain, but he didn't dare to warn them, and could only wait with a red face for the two masters inside to come out.
The two people in the carriage were already kissing passionately.
Ji Fan fell into Rong Xuan's arms in a trance, his strength drained out. He held back the muffled groan that escaped from his throat, and finally noticed the carriage stopped. He pushed the man who was kissing him with difficulty, and said in a hoarse and broken voice: "Get down quickly..."
The lips were exposed to the air, dotted with red marks, as if they were dyed with rouge.
Hearing this, Rong Xuan tucked Ji Fan's collar in place, his expression showing a hint of satisfaction, and even his voice was somewhat lazy. His fingertips gently stroked that flawless face, and he said with a half-smile, "Your Highness, are you really willing to let me go?"
He was also a demon. When he smiled with affectionate eyes, he could seduce people. But he only smiled like this at Ji Fan.
Ji Fan didn't even have the strength to speak, his chest was heaving, and it took him a long time to calm down. He glanced at Rong Xuan nonchalantly, his eyes narrow and long, cold and seductive. He raised his chin slightly, revealing a bit of arrogance for no reason, and tapped his heart with his fingertips: "If you have the ability, break into Prince Yan's mansion again tomorrow. What's the point of showing off in the carriage?"
Rong Xuan could tell that he was mocking him, but he didn't get angry. He just smiled and said, "Of course I can't show off my power in a carriage. I'd better go somewhere else tomorrow."
Ji Fan sat up straight, tidied up his messy clothes, and couldn't help but secretly curse Rong Xuan for being a filthy bastard. He was already uncomfortable after being slapped in the chest, and the kiss and rubbing from the other party just now made him feel even more painful. He was afraid that it would not heal for three to five days.
Rong Xuan originally planned to leave, but seeing that Ji Fan's face was still slightly pale, he hesitated for a moment and turned back. He held the man in his arms and whispered seriously: "My father didn't control his strength when he hit you today. I'm afraid that he hurt your lungs. You must go see a doctor when you go back, understand?"
Ji Fan heard the concern in his words and was silent for a moment: "..."
Rong Xuan didn't hear the answer, so he thought Ji Fan was afraid of taking the medicine again: "Be good and see the doctor, take the medicine well, and I will buy you candied fruit when the lawsuit is settled tomorrow."
Ji Fan finally looked at him and said, "Are you treating me like a three-year-old?"
Rong Xuan: "A three-year-old child doesn't need to be coaxed to take medicine. I'm leaving now. You go back and have a good rest."
He was about to leave when he stood up, but someone grabbed his sleeve. Rong Xuan turned back subconsciously, only to see Ji Fan staring at him without saying a word. After two or three seconds, he finally let go of his hand and said, "... Go ahead."
Rong Xuan always felt that he had something to say, so he leaned over and said gently, "What do you want to say?"
The air was silent for a moment, and the moonlight outside was a little cold.
"Rong Xuan, if anyone dares to compete with me for you in the future, I will definitely make sure that he dies without a burial place..."
The words rolled around on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't say them out loud because they sounded a little scary. But they just popped up in his mind without any reason or excuse. Fortunately, Ji Fan was used to the strange thoughts in his mind, so he turned his head and looked away: "Nothing."
Rong Xuan stared at him for a long while, and finally smiled: "I'm really leaving."
After saying this, he kissed Ji Fan lightly, then opened the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and turned to enter the inn. Ji Fan saw the figure he remembered leaving, and his body paused slightly. After a long time, he finally looked away.
Seeing this, the driver asked tentatively: "Your Highness...?"
Ji Fan closed his eyes and said only two words: "Return home."
Rong Xuan returned to the inn, but just as he entered the room, he saw Rong Zhengqing sitting at the table with a sword in his arms, waiting for him. He was startled and said, "Dad, what are you doing sitting in my room?"
Rong Zhengqing glanced behind him and said, "Of course I'm waiting for you. Didn't you say you were going to pick up your mother? Why didn't I see her?"
Rong Xuan thought that this was the reason. He stopped Rong Zhengqing from looking around, found a pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the table, wrote down a line of address on it, and then handed the paper to Rong Zhengqing: "Mom now lives in a small courtyard in the east of the city. Because she has eye problems and cannot move around, I didn't bring her back. Dad, you can go to this place to find her tomorrow."
Rong Zhengqing was stunned for a moment when he saw this: "Small courtyard? What small courtyard?"
No matter how powerful Rong Xuan was, he couldn't conjure up a house out of thin air. After thinking for a moment, he could only explain half-truthfully, "When the Crown Prince of Yan fell off a cliff, I accidentally saved him. In order to repay my kindness, he brought his mother to the capital to recuperate. That small courtyard is his."
When Rong Zhengqing heard the words "Prince Yan", his eyes widened slightly. After all, the other party was a hostage of the enemy country, and getting involved would inevitably attract criticism. He frowned and asked, "Why, do you have a good personal relationship with him?"
Rong Xuan did not deny it: "Dad, didn't you say that people should be grateful and repay kindness? Prince Yan not only saved my mother, but also found a doctor to treat her. Should I be rude to him?"
Rong Zhengqing's weak spot was his mother. Besides, he always put chivalry first in his life and never cared about high or low status. He choked when he heard the words and had to swallow them.
Rong Zhengqing stuffed the paper into his arms, his expression solemn: "Dad doesn't want you to get involved in those dirty things. You should know that anyone who is involved with the royal family will not have a good ending."
Rong Xuan said, "But I want him to have a good ending."
Rong Zhengqing looked at him subconsciously.
Rong Xuan repeated: "But I want him to have a good ending..."
He looked serious when he said this, and there was no trace of the playful smile he used to have on his face, which showed that he meant it sincerely.
Although Rong Zhengqing was a rough man, he was not confused. He didn't ask some questions because he trusted Rong Xuan, not because he didn't notice. He keenly heard the deeper meaning: "Why, someone wants to harm him?"
Rong Xuan: "Probably."
Isn't the way the world is now that others harm me and I harm others? It's really hard to tell what is right and what is wrong.
Rong Zhengqing was a free-spirited person. Although he didn't agree with Rong Xuan's decision, he didn't want to interfere too much. He stroked the simple scabbard in his arms, thinking of how he had accidentally injured Ji Fan today, and couldn't help but sighed heavily: "So, it was me who was reckless today. I shouldn't have hurt him rashly."
Rong Xuan was actually also concerned about Ji Fan's injury. He was lost in thought for a moment when he heard the words: "On the martial arts stage, swords and knives have no eyes. No one wants to fight. Dad, you go to look for mother tomorrow and just stay in that small courtyard. After all, the inn is not a place to stay for a long time."
Rong Zhengqing subconsciously asked: "What about you?"
"I?"
Rong Xuan finally smiled after hearing this, but his smile was unpredictable: "I'm going to file a lawsuit."
…
The Liu family holds military power, and a daughter of the Liu family enters the palace as a concubine. How can they be easy to deal with? In just one night, the news that the Prince of Ruling carried a hoe up the mountain to dig up the ancestral grave in the middle of the night had spread throughout Shengjing City. Madam Liu cried in the early morning and went directly to the government office with a petition, saying that her ancestors were insulted and that the Nalan family had gone too far, and she wanted justice no matter what.
Donglin Marquis went directly to the palace to meet His Majesty. At the same time, Princess Yongning also sent a letter to the palace to meet His Majesty. It was obvious that the two families were about to quarrel.
Shengjing is the capital of the emperor, and there are many excitements in this area every day. The east family stole the west family's cow, the south family killed the north family's dog, and rumors were everywhere. Soon, the matter of the Prince of Ruling digging up the Liu family's ancestral grave replaced the topic of Princess Yannian's recruitment of a son-in-law yesterday and became a new joke in the streets.
When Jingzhao Yin Situ Xun heard that the Liu family was beating drums outside to complain about their grievances, he wished he could pack up and run away immediately. One of these two families was a close minister of the emperor, and the other was a prince of the current dynasty. No matter how the lawsuit was judged, it would be wrong. As the saying goes, when the gods fight, the little devils suffer. How could he, a small official in the capital, survive if he was caught in the middle!
"What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?"
Situ Xun paced back and forth in the court, anxious as an ant on a hot pot. He listened to the drum beating outside and dared not go to court no matter what.
The lawyer felt that this case was very difficult, so he said cautiously, "Sir, why don't you just claim to be ill? Even if the emperor were to come, it would be difficult to judge this case. Let's not get involved."
Situ Xun was so angry that he kicked him directly. "You bastard, do you think I don't want to claim to be sick? I didn't get sick earlier or later, but at this time. If your majesty hears about it, I will be regarded as a person who is doing nothing. I will not be able to hold this position anymore!"
He still couldn't bear to give up his official position.
The master covered his leg and cried inwardly, "Then you might as well accept it. The Liu family has been beating the drums outside for a long time. If you don't come to the court, they will definitely think that you are biased towards the Prince of Ruling. Wouldn't it be a waste of time to offend people?"
Situ Xun was so anxious that he stamped his feet. "Come on, come on, come on. How can I sentence the case? Grave diggers shall be executed. Am I really going to sentence the Prince of Ruling to death? I'll be surprised if the princess doesn't tear me to pieces! The Liu family did this on purpose. They didn't go to Gongshu Temple, but came to Jingzhao Prefecture. It's obvious that they know that the case in Jingzhao Prefecture doesn't need to be reported to each level, and the death penalty can be imposed on the spot if the evidence is solid."
"Master Situ is quite clever."
A cold voice suddenly sounded in the court, startling Situ Xun. He subconsciously looked towards the door, only to see a man with a sword in both hands, who looked like a retainer of the Donglin Marquisate from his clothes.
Situ Xun stepped back subconsciously, pointing at him in panic and said, "You... you... are so bold! How dare you barge into the court? What on earth do you want to do?!"
The swordsman stepped closer and said, "I didn't do anything. My wife was beating the drum outside to complain, but Lord Situ refused to come to the court. Does he look down on the Donglin Marquisate?"
Situ Xun couldn't bear this hat, and said in a cold sweat: "I didn't mean that."
The swordsman glanced at him, then placed a stack of banknotes on the court with an expressionless face, and said in a deep voice: "Master Situ, please come to the court to hear the case."
Since ancient times, money has always moved people's hearts. The thick stack of silver bills, who knows how much there is. Seeing this, Situ Xun's heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and his eyes couldn't help but drift to the table: "This, this, this... What should I do..."
He was a money-grubber, his hands were shaking, and he quickly stuffed the banknotes into his sleeves while grinning.
The swordsman relayed the Liu family's intentions, and said with a hint of meaning: "Nalan Chun dug up graves and the evidence is solid, so naturally he should be brought to court for trial and sent to arrest him. The Marquis has given an order, but there are too many monks and too little porridge. Lord Situ is unwilling to take this position, but there are many people who are willing to take it."
After saying that, he glanced at him, turned around and left, using his lightness skills to climb over the courtyard wall.
The sun was at its zenith, and the government office was crowded with people watching the excitement. The onlookers saw Mrs. Liu standing aside, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, and the servants beating drums to complain about their grievances. It was so pitiful. Not long after, the government office finally opened its doors, and a group of yamen runners rushed to the Nalan Mansion with knives to "invite someone", and there was a lot of discussion.
"Oh, Lord Situ actually went to capture the young prince. Could it be that he is so bold?"
"Prince Ruling is so wicked that he even dug up other people's ancestral graves."
"My relative works in the palace and reported that Princess Yongning and Marquis Donglin confronted each other in front of His Majesty, insisting that Prince Ruling planted the trees in the wrong place and did not dig up the Liu family's ancestral graves at all."
"Hey, this is really new. Who would believe that a prince would go up the mountain to plant trees in the middle of the night?"
A young man in white stood in the crowd. He hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end, and seemed to be resting with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he finally opened his eyes, but said lazily: "Brother, what you said is wrong. It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. The important thing is that I have not violated the law."
As long as it's not against the law, no one will care if you go up the mountain to plant trees in the middle of the night, or even if you go up the mountain to eat dog shit.
He had a handsome face and an extraordinary demeanor. The man who was speaking looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Who are you?"
Rong Xuan was vague about what he said, lowered his eyes and smiled: "Just someone who is watching the fun."
Not long after, there was a sudden noise in the distance. The leading yamen runner pushed through the crowd, followed by a young man in brocade clothes and dozens of guards. It was Nalan Chun, the Prince of Ruling.
After Nalan Chun returned home yesterday, he told Princess Changning about how he was caught by the Wucheng Army for "planting trees on the mountain". It is said that Princess Changning was so angry that she wanted to have his legs broken on the spot. The old lady in the family persuaded him for a long time before he stopped, and Nalan Chun was able to save his life.
Princess Changning was afraid that the Donglin Marquisate would come to arrest her, so she rushed to the palace early in the morning to plead for mercy, and even left dozens of swordsmen to protect her. However, she did not expect that the Liu family would directly file a complaint with the Jingzhao Prefecture and let the government come to arrest her.
Nalan Chun was actually quite scared. After all, Rong Xuan left last night after saying a few words, and he was nowhere to be seen in the morning. If he was really sentenced to death by the government, he would have no place to appeal for his injustice even after his death. Therefore, when he arrived at the gate of the government, he hesitated and was unwilling to go in.
The head constable frowned upon seeing this and bowed to Nalan Chun: "Young Prince, this is the order from above, please don't embarrass me."
The Nalan Mansion is a party of the Crown Prince. Now that something has happened, it will inevitably involve the situation in the court. Other wealthy nobles also heard the news and came out to watch the fun. The teahouse opposite was full of people sitting high up. They seemed to be just ordinary tea drinkers, but upon closer inspection, they were all princes and nobles of great status in the capital.
Ji Fan sat by the window on the second floor and slowly raised his hand to pour himself a glass of wine. He had sharp eyes and spotted Rong Xuan standing in the crowd. He usually wore white clothes, his back was always straight, and his body was tall and graceful, which made others look hunched.
Maybe he noticed the gaze behind him, but Rong Xuan looked back. He saw Ji Fan and smiled and blinked, which made people blush and their hearts beat fast.
Ji Fan curled his lips unconsciously, then turned his head away and snorted in his heart: He wanted to see how Rong Xuan, this wicked guy, would win this lawsuit.
The Crown Prince Zhao Su was sitting opposite, his eyes fell on Nalan Chun, and his brows furrowed. It was inconvenient for her to come forward to plead for mercy in this matter, so she could only ask the Queen to go to Emperor Zhou to help turn things around. Princess Changning was arguing in the palace, and all she had to do was to delay time and keep an eye on it, and she must not let Jingzhao Prefecture make a judgment on the case.
There was a gauze curtain in the middle of the teahouse, and just at this moment, a gust of wind blew through, lifting the barrier.
Zhao Su felt heavy in his heart. He glanced casually and found that Ji Fan was also sitting opposite him.
Ji Fan curled his lips lightly, with a gentle smile. He ordered people to draw the curtain, raised his glass and saluted Zhao Su from a distance. His voice was like falling jade, still as unobtrusive as usual: "Your Highness, what a coincidence."
Zhao Su paused for a moment, not expecting Ji Fan to be here as well. For some reason, she always had a very dangerous feeling whenever she saw him, even though Ji Fan was just an unknown proton.
After a pause, he raised his glass in return: "Prince Yan, what a coincidence, you are here too, for Nalan Chun?"
Ji Fan shook the cup gently, nodding his head in agreement: "Fan and the Prince of Ruling are good friends. I heard about what happened yesterday and was worried, so I came to see what happened."
Zhao Su glanced at the crowd below and said meaningfully, "Really? I thought Prince Yan came here for Mr. Rong."
Remembering that day in the Sifang Building, they were fighting on the martial arts stage, which was really suspicious. Although Zhao Su didn't know what happened, he also noticed some clues.
Ji Fan paused for a moment after hearing this, thinking that Rong Xuan was really capable, he could get into a lot of romantic debts wherever he went, even Zhao Su remembered him. He lowered his eyes nonchalantly, and said with a smile: "Oh, you mean Ah Xuan? He and I are just ordinary friends, Your Highness, please don't misunderstand."
It seems like the more you explain, the worse it gets.
Ah Xuan
Zhao Su thought that he was being so affectionate. It seemed that Mr. Rong and Ji Fan must have a close relationship. If he wanted to recruit him in the future, he would have to be more cautious.
As they were talking, a commotion had broken out in front of the government office. It turned out that the women of the Liu family had seen Nalan Chun and began to tearfully accuse and accuse him, with Madam Liu's words being the most pointed: "My Liu family is full of loyal and brave men. My husband has fought for the country for half his life, and I don't know how he offended the young prince. How dare he trample on the face of my Liu family and dig up his grave?!"
Nalan Chun suffered the loss of not knowing how to argue with women, and was scolded by the women of the Liu family. He wiped his face in embarrassment, thinking that the Liu family was disgusting. They scolded him, but they had to praise him as a family of loyal heroes. He knew exactly what kind of person Donglin Hou was. He even dared to swallow the money for disaster relief, and he was worthy of being called a loyal hero? !
Madam Liu was old, and she didn't need to worry about the difference between men and women. Seeing that Nalan Chun was reluctant to enter the government office, she pulled his sleeve and scolded him, "The young prince dug graves late at night. If I don't seek justice today, I will have no face to see my ancestors after I die. Let's go to the court today and make it clear!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a light and casual male voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Madam Liu, what you said is wrong. You should know that people's words are scary. The young prince was clearly going up the mountain to plant trees, how did it become digging graves? Such a stigma is really hard to bear."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in white standing in the middle of the crowd. He held a folding fan in his hand and tapped it gently on his palm. His expression was calm and his voice was neither hurried nor slow. With a smile on his lips, it was Rong Xuan.
Nalan Chun's eyes lit up when he saw this. He immediately shook off Liu's hand and ran to Rong Xuan, speaking excitedly as if he had seen a savior: "Rong Xuan, you're here. If you had come any later, I would have died!"
Rong Xuan had just been listening to gossip in the crowd. After all, the more information they knew, the more advantageous it would be for them. He forgot about Nalan Chun's situation for a moment. He signaled Nalan Chun to calm down: "Little Prince, don't worry. You were implicated for no reason when you went up the mountain to plant trees. I will definitely do my best to clear your name."
Madam Liu looked at Rong Xuan with doubt and surprise: "Who are you?!"
Rong Xuan stepped forward, smiled faintly at Madam Liu, and bowed, saying, "I am Rong Xuan, the lawyer hired by the Duke of Ruling. I hope the Marquis' wife will be willing to give me some advice when we go to court. Please—"
Madam Liu thought that it was Nalan Chun who had called in reinforcements, and she couldn't help but sneer. The evidence of the crime last night was irrefutable, and even if Nalan Chun had all the skills, it would be useless. How could a mere lawyer withstand the attack of the Liu family? "Well, this lady wants to see how you can make up excuses!"
Their ancestral graves have been dug up. If they don’t vent their anger, how will they survive in Beijing in the future
Seeing them coming aggressively, Nalan Chun felt a little uneasy, and asked nervously in a low voice, "Rong Xuan, can you sue?"
Rong Xuan calmly comforted him: "Don't worry, I have fought many lawsuits before and often won."