novelden Chapter 731: A woman disguised as a man, a proton, and a foolish marquis (6)
Chapter 731: A woman disguised as a man, a proton, and a foolish marquis (6)
Late at night, Washington was quiet. The moonlight shone through the window onto the floor of the study, forming patches of mottled light and shadows.
Hua Yanliang sat upright at the desk, flipping through the papers in his hands with an indifferent expression, as if he was thinking about something.
An elderly servant stood beside him, and in front of them, a man in black was kneeling with his head lowered, reporting something to Hua Yanliang in a low voice.
At this moment, Hua Yanliang's face no longer had the usual ignorance and immaturity, but was replaced by maturity and stability.
His originally clear and bright eyes now revealed a sharp light that made people feel awe.
Time passed minute by minute, and a tense atmosphere filled the study.
Finally, Hua Yanliang raised his head slightly, and his slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a crisp sound.
His voice was deep and magnetic, with a hint of majesty: "Is this all you have found out about the Third Prince of the Southern Border, Yu Chen?"
The kneeling man in black nodded respectfully and replied, "My lord, yes."
Hua Yanliang waved his hand, indicating that he should leave.
"Okay, you go down first."
His tone was calm, but it revealed an unquestionable power.
"Yes, master."
The man in black stood up and disappeared into the study in a flash.
After the black-clothed man left, the old servant who had been silent all this time carefully observed Hua Yanliang's expression, and then asked softly: "My Lord, are you planning to approach the Third Prince of the Southern Border Kingdom now?"
Hua Yanliang didn't say anything, but just silently picked up the teacup and took a sip.
His eyes are deep and reserved, making it difficult to guess his inner thoughts.
The old slave smiled slightly, as if he was not surprised by Hua Yanliang's reaction.
He went on to say, "The Third Prince is the most beloved son of the Emperor of the Southern Border! Not only that, his mother's family also commands a large number of troops, and most of the generals in the army are led by his grandfather. If we can form an alliance with him, then our future will be bright."
Hua Yanliang slowly put down the teacup in his hand, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a disdainful smile.
He said sarcastically: "I am just a fool pretending to be stupid now, why should he form an alliance with me?"
After saying this, he shook his head gently, with a hint of helplessness and self-mockery in his eyes.
When the old slave heard his words, his eyes showed distress and gradually turned red.
"My Lord, please don't say that. You are only pretending to be crazy and stupid because you have no choice. If you don't do this, the dog emperor will not tolerate you!"
The Hua family was loyal to the emperor and sacrificed their lives for the country of Great Qi, but the emperor was ungrateful and only thought about how to take back the military power.
So, he designed a plan to frame the old marquis and his men, causing a river of blood to flow throughout the marquisate.
Now, only the Marquis and the old lady are left in the Marquis' Mansion.
At that time, the Marquis was only seven years old. If it weren't for the old lady's protection, he would have lost his life long ago.
"Okay, stop talking. I'm tired and want to take a rest."
Hua Yanliang's voice became low, as if carrying a hint of fatigue and helplessness.
His hand holding the cup suddenly tightened, as if he was trying to control his inner emotions.
After a moment, he stood up suddenly and strode out of the study.
The cool night breeze brushed his cheeks gently, bringing a hint of coolness.
Hua Yanliang stood in the yard, looking up at the dark night sky, deep pain in his eyes.
*
The next morning, just after daybreak, Ning Cheng and a group of people drove a horse-drawn carriage to where Yu Yan lived. The carriage was loaded with things.
When they arrived at the door, Ning Cheng and others got off the carriage and asked someone to take the boxes down.
Yu Yan stood at the door and watched, then asked them to move the boxes into the yard.
There were ten large boxes in total, each filled with silver. After opening them, they were full of white silver, which was so dazzling that it hurt people's eyes.
There was so much silver that the people outside stopped to watch, pointing at the silver from time to time.
These fifty thousand taels of silver could originally have been paid in the form of banknotes.
But then Ning Cheng thought about it and decided to carry it over with great fanfare.
On the way here, they let the people see that a hostage had so much silver. How enviable it was!
Who knows, there might be some brave thieves or knights out there who might steal the silver!
Ning Cheng and others stood at the door, watching boxes of silver being carried in.
With a fake smile, he said to Yu Yan, "Third Prince, we have already sent the silver. Please count it carefully. Don't say we are short of money when the time comes."
"What does it matter if it's more or less? It's free money anyway."
Yu Yan looked at the group of people in front of her. Some of them were limping, and some of them were touching their buttocks from time to time with painful expressions on their faces.
The corners of Yu Yan's mouth rose slightly. It seemed that these people must have been severely punished after returning home last night.
How pitiful!
Ning Cheng was so angry when he saw the smile on Yu Yan's face that he wanted to rush over and beat her up.
Before leaving, they took a reluctant look at the silver being transported in, as if it were their prized treasure.
Woohoo~That was 50,000 taels of silver that they had scraped together from all over and even got beaten up by their father!
Damn, it would be better if all this silver was stolen.
Or maybe the radical knights from the North Wing would go and assassinate Yu Chen.
It's worth it for them to give money to that bastard Yu Chen with great fanfare.
Not long after Ning Cheng and others left, Hongye walked in with a note.
"Your Highness, Princess Qing'an has sent you an invitation to attend the flower viewing banquet she is hosting in three days."
Yu Yan took the invitation, opened it and saw that it invited her to a flower-viewing banquet and asked her to be present.
Princess Qing'an was the aunt of Emperor Beiyi. Her daughter married Duke Anguo and was Ning Cheng's biological mother.
Now it seems that she is here to seek justice for her grandson.
Yu Yan sneered. It seemed that someone was eager to trip her up again.
Hongye carefully observed Yu Yan's expression and asked softly, "Your Highness, should we go to this flower viewing banquet?"
Yu Yan: "Why not? Since the eldest princess has already sent an invitation, I naturally cannot refuse her face."
"But, I am worried that there is something fishy going on. We have just arrived in the North Wing and are unfamiliar with the place. If we suffer a loss, we will have no way to complain."
Hongye looked worried.
Before she set off, Concubine Shu took her aside and reminded her to take good care of the Third Prince.
Now these people from the Northern Wing Country are coming with such force that she doesn’t know what to do.
Yu Yan reached out and gently tapped Hongye's forehead, chuckling, "What are you worried about? If the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up. If you keep frowning, you'll end up looking ugly."
"Your Highness, I am not ugly, please don't curse me."
Hongye touched his forehead and dared only mutter softly.
"Okay, don't worry about it. Go to the kitchen and see if breakfast is ready."
Yu Yan said, handing her the note, "Keep it, you'll need it in three days."
"The servant knows."
Hongye sighed deeply in her heart, put the post away, and went to the kitchen to urge breakfast.
*