Xiao Yan pinched his fingers lightly, his voice low and restrained: "From now on, don't casually tell anyone that you want to stay with them for a lifetime."
Those words were too enticing, too easy to provoke dangerous thoughts. For a fleeting moment earlier, he had truly wanted to cast aside all reason and imprison her by his side.
Boom—
A thunderclap suddenly split the long-muted skies, followed by a brilliant flash of lightning. Moments later, torrential rain began to pour, hammering against the railings outside the Leapfish Terrace with a deafening clatter. The sudden downpour stirred the waters of the inner lake by Crane Cry Hall into a chaotic surge, its waves crashing violently.
Amid the storm's roar, Tangning, crouching in front of him, didn't catch Xiao Yan's murmured words. She looked up and asked, "What did you just say, Big Brother?"
"Nothing," he replied with a sigh, feeling as though all his efforts were in vain.
After re-bandaging his wound, Xiao Yan refrained from teasing Tangning further. He leaned back on the couch, his expression calm and distant. Tangning, however, sat on the opposite side of the small table, her posture upright.
"Your wound keeps reopening; you really need Sister Qin to check on it. And she specifically told you to avoid soaking it in water. Why don’t you listen to the doctor’s advice?" she scolded, her tone tinged with both concern and frustration.
Xiao Yan responded lazily, "I forgot."
Tangning glared at him.
With a hint of indulgence, Xiao Yan added, "Alright, stop glaring. Later, I’ll send for Qin Niangzi to come over."
Seeing her skeptical expression, he poured what little tea remained in the overturned teapot into her cup and pushed it toward her.
"Qin Niangzi is in the palace today. Even if I wanted to call for her now, it would be difficult. When she returns, I’ll definitely have someone bring her here. But what about you? Why did you come looking for me at this hour?"
Tangning hesitated briefly. Why is Sister Qin in the palace? She knew the imperial physicians handled palace affairs, so Sister Qin’s presence there seemed unusual. However, Xiao Yan’s question reminded her of her original purpose in coming. She quickly set aside her curiosity and said, "Aunt said she plans to return to Prince Cheng’s manor tomorrow."
Xiao Yan froze. "At this time?"
Tangning clutched her tea cup tightly, her voice soft. "I don’t think Aunt should go back now, but she said the child in her womb has grown, and the elderly princess in the manor is gravely ill. The manor has sent multiple urgent messages, and she feels it would be wrong to ignore them."
Tangning knew that her aunt had wanted to return for some time but had delayed because of the Lu family’s troubles. Now that Lu Zhao was imprisoned and Lu Chongyuan had fallen from imperial favor, the Lu family was too entangled in their own problems to cause further harm. With nothing holding her back, her aunt had decided to return to the prince's manor.
Tangning’s expression turned somber. "Xie Yin has been sending letters daily. I can’t stop them from reaching her. Aunt’s heart is soft, after all."
But memories of her aunt’s mysterious death in her past life unsettled her. Looking up at Xiao Yan, Tangning couldn’t help but ask, "Big Brother, you said you’d investigate Prince Cheng’s past. Did you find anything?"
Xiao Yan was silent for a moment. "Some."
Tangning straightened up immediately. Xiao Yan began, "Did I ever mention that before meeting your aunt, Prince Cheng had previously been engaged?"
Tangning nodded. "You did."
Xiao Yan’s tone deepened. "The engagement was with the daughter of General Huo, the governor of Ningzhou in the northern regions. She was summoned to the capital, and the late emperor had even drafted an edict to formalize the marriage. However, before the announcement, the Huo family’s daughter suffered a tragic accident, and the engagement fell through. Afterward, Prince Cheng pursued two more engagements, both of which failed for various reasons, until he met your aunt and married her."
"Three failed engagements?" Tangning immediately grasped the key point. "Do you know why they failed?"
"The first was because the Huo family’s daughter fell from her horse during an autumn hunt and was disfigured. The second involved a woman with a hidden illness. The third was with a lady who had an affair with an actor. She was caught and later hanged herself with the actor in a tragic double suicide."
Xiao Yan’s tone was calm. "The Huo family incident happened publicly at the royal hunting grounds, so it’s well known. But the other two engagements never progressed far before the scandals emerged. Both families begged Prince Cheng to keep the matters private, so few people know about them."
Tangning furrowed her brows. In the past, she might have dismissed these events as coincidences. But given her suspicions of Prince Cheng and the unresolved mystery of her aunt’s death, these "coincidences" now seemed riddled with doubt.
"Those engagement mishaps—were they accidents or deliberate acts?" she asked softly.
Xiao Yan replied, "It’s hard to say. The incidents occurred long ago, and both families have since left the capital. Many of the people involved are no longer alive, making it difficult to verify. However, I managed to locate the Huo family’s daughter. She never married after her disfigurement and now resides in the northern borderlands with General Huo."
"My people spoke with her about the events of that time. She claimed Prince Cheng treated her well and seemed genuinely willing to marry her. The late emperor and the empress dowager were also fond of her, and she got along well with the other imperial princesses, which is why she was allowed to attend the royal hunt despite being a fiancée."
But that hunt was where everything went wrong.
"Huo Niangzi recalled the chaos at the hunting grounds, but she was certain her fall wasn’t an accident—someone tampered with her horse," Xiao Yan continued.
Born into a military family, Huo Niangzi was skilled in martial arts and horsemanship. Yet during the hunt, she suddenly felt weak and powerless, unable to exert any strength. By the time she fell unconscious and woke up again, her face had already been disfigured, sealing her fate.
General Huo wanted to investigate, but no traces of poison were found in his daughter’s body, and the horse she rode had been killed by a barrage of arrows after it startled the emperor by charging toward the royal encampment. The ensuing chaos implicated many, including imperial guards and officials responsible for the hunt, leading to executions. The matter even entangled the crown prince at the time. Lacking evidence, the Huo family could only swallow their grievances.
Tangning was stunned. "The crown prince was involved?"
"Not directly," Xiao Yan said. "But some claimed that the Eastern Palace orchestrated the incident to prevent Prince Cheng from gaining the Huo family’s support."
Xiao Yan dismissed the notion. "At the time, the crown prince held substantial power and had no need for such underhanded tactics. General Huo trusted the crown prince’s character. Seeing attempts to shift the blame toward the Eastern Palace and drag the Huo family into a political struggle, he chose to withdraw from the capital with his daughter, leaving the matter unresolved."
The incident at the hunting grounds was ultimately ruled an accident.
Tangning’s face grew heavy as she processed his words. If Huo Niangzi’s account was truthful and her injury was orchestrated, whoever had manipulated events at the royal hunt must have been extraordinarily cunning and influential.
"Could it have been Prince Cheng?" she asked hesitantly.
"Unlikely." Xiao Yan dismissed her suspicion. "At the time of his engagement to the Huo family, the crown prince had not yet fallen from favor. Prince Cheng was thriving in the capital, openly rivaling the crown prince in court and aggressively courting allies. Securing the Huo family’s support would have strengthened his position. Even if he didn’t care for Huo Niangzi, he wouldn’t have sabotaged the marriage."
"Huo Niangzi herself recalled how considerate Prince Cheng was to her, treating her as though she were already his wife. He even introduced her to influential women in the capital. Their engagement was practically finalized, save for the emperor’s decree. There was no reason for him to sabotage it," Xiao Yan explained.
Tangning frowned. "Then who could it have been?"
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. "I can’t say for sure. The events happened too long ago, and evidence is scarce. But considering all three incidents targeted the women and left Prince Cheng unscathed, the culprit is unlikely to have been his enemy."
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You can read ahead to chapterr 300 (100+ extra chapters) here
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You can read ahead to chapterr 300 (100+ extra chapters) here
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