Chapter 163:
After his words, Xie Wanning truly felt much more at ease.
Then, she thought of Imperial Consort Shu and the First Prince in the Imperial Palace.
Everything that happened at the Lantern Festival Palace Banquet that day was still fresh in her mind, Lu Ziyan’s stubbornness toward her, which Imperial Consort Shu knew well.
In these past few months, Lu Ziyan’s aura in the imperial court had grown increasingly strong, suppressing the First Prince and Second Prince, the previous hot candidates for Crown Prince, to the point they could hardly breathe.
He was not only the only prince to be enfeoffed as a king, but also the only one with real power, and the legitimate son of the late Empress.
From his birth to his personal abilities, everything was outstanding, without a single weakness, except that he was somewhat cold and arrogant.
But he became famous at a young age and was a military general with outstanding merit; it was completely understandable that he lacked the humility of scholars.
Even the most harsh and rigid ministers could not find a single fault.
Anyone with eyes could see that this Fifth Prince, who appeared out of nowhere, was His Majesty’s most favored candidate for Crown Prince.
Lu Ziyan’s path to reach the peak was almost unobstructed.
There was no room for consideration in the struggle for the throne; when pushed to the end of the road, would Imperial Consort Shu and the First Prince turn their attention to her again?
Even if Xie Wanning did not want to admit it, Lu Ziyan’s only weakness, who was nearly invincible, seemed to truly be her.
And she, because of his stubbornness, might be forced into the struggle for the position of Crown Prince in this life.
Perhaps because she had been entangled with Lu Ziyan for too long, to the point of numbness, Xie Wanning could not even muster anger, only feeling helpless in her heart, “I indeed cannot use things of unclear origin, lest I be unknowingly harmed.”
“So afraid?” Pei Yuqing paused and lowered his gaze, seeing that her expression was not joking, he held her hand and hit the nail on the head: “Worried about being implicated by Lu Ziyan?”
“Having vigilance is good, but overthinking harms the body,” Before Xie Wanning could speak, he smiled lightly and comforted her: “I’ll arrange a few more Secret Guards for you. Even if I leave the Capital City, I’ll leave Pei Er to look after you. If you’re still not at ease, then try to go out as little as possible and keep yourself safe.”
As he said, even if those people truly harbored bad intentions, no matter their methods, it was absolutely impossible for them to reach into Xuan Hua Courtyard to cause trouble.
Xie Wanning deeply agreed. She said, “Forget Pei Er. He is your long-time attendant; leaving him with me would be inappropriate. Moreover, you will be outside the Capital City, which is far more dangerous for you than for me, and you need capable subordinates by your side even more.”
Pei Er’s importance to Pei Yuqing was equivalent to that of Ming Feng and Ming Jian to Lu Ziyan; they were absolute capable confidants.
Pei Yuqing only smiled without speaking. To him, this was just a small matter. Since he had decided, he said no more.
Xie Wanning said again, “Have you decided when to leave the Capital City?”
Pei Yuqing said, “If there are no surprises, it will be three days from now.”
“So soon?” Xie Wanning was startled, reluctance showing in her eyes.
He had not yet left, and she was already reluctant.
She even wanted to act spoiled and ask him to take her along.
Compared to her reluctance, Pei Yuqing’s would only be deeper.
But he knew that she would be safer staying in the Capital City. Only if she was safe could he focus on his duties and return early.
Princess Duanyang, upon hearing the news of her son’s departure from the Capital City, set aside her daughter’s marriage engagement for the moment and summoned him for questioning.
Xie Wanning was not idle either. She went to find Pei Yuxuan and told her everything Xie Yanyu had said yesterday.
Who knew that as soon as she started speaking, Pei Yuxuan smiled and interrupted, “Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I already know all this.”
