Chapter 203 There Is No Need for Notifying
Maogong raised his chin and snorted, "We'll go tomorrow!"
Although Shizhong felt it inappropriate, he was afraid to annoy this irritable man and get punished. Therefore, he agreed and left.
At the same time, Prince Yan and Princess Huiyin arrived at General Su's residence by carriage one after the other.
Huiyin came a little later. On going through the door, she saw General Su waiting in the yard and looking inside from time to time with a worried look.
Huiyin said, "Zhuang, has Prince Yan arrived? I saw his carriage at the door."
Since Zhuang's only daughter was betrothed to Prince Yan, they would become the relatives of the royal family. Otherwise, Huiyin would not have agreed to come to Zhuang's residence.
Considering her seniority, she could have asked her two nephews to visit her in her residence.
But given that Zhuang would be Prince Yan's father-in-law and had contributed a lot to the country, she was supposed to give him face.
Hearing her voice, Zhuang came to his senses and greeted her hurriedly. "Good afternoon, Your Highness."
Huiyin reached out to get him up. "Arise."
Zhuang said, "Prince Yan and Prince Mu are talking inside. They asked me to wait outside."
Huiyin replied, "I'll go inside directly to see them. There's no need for notifying."
That being said, Huiyin and Zhuang did not keep their voices down, so the two martial artists inside knew it when Huiyin entered the yard.
Shaoling and Zongyuan exchanged a look at each other, stood up in unison, and walked toward the door.
As soon as Huiyin reached the door, it was opened.
The three people looked at each other for a while before Shaoling and Zongyuan remembered to greet Huiyin.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness."
"Good afternoon, Your Highness."
Huiyin asked them to arise. Then, she stepped across the threshold first and sat down in the top seat.
Shaoling and Zongyuan took their seats one after another, while Zhuang remained outside to guard the door.
Yi brought snacks over with the maids. Seeing her father standing in the yard, she lifted her head and asked in confusion, "Dad, why don't you go in to talk?"
Hearing that, Zhuang revealed an even more puzzled look. "Talk? What's there to talk about?"
"Haven't Prince Yan, Prince Mu, Princess Royal come?"
"What does it have to do with me? They're talking about family matters, and we outsiders should not get involved."
Zhuang felt that his daughter was too simple. The safest way to get along with the royals was to cover their ears; the less they knew, the safer they would be.
Yi was enlightened. "You're right. I had the maids make some snacks. When any of them goes in to replenish water, she'll bring the snacks in as well."
Yi showed no intention to go in. Zhuang stroked his beard and revealed a look of satisfaction.
Although his daughter would become a member of the royal family, it was better not to get involved in some matters.
Among the imperial consorts, those who cared less all managed to survive in the palace.
As long as Shaoling maintained his power, no one would dare to hurt Yi.
.
In the yard, Zhuang and Yi were wearing spring clothes and enjoying southern fruit and western wine. What a cozy scene!
In contrast, the three people inside, also linked by kinship, were harboring different thoughts at the moment.
Shaoling fiddled with the imperial green ring on his thumb and refused to speak first.
Being young, Zongyuan seemed scared by what he had experienced these days and lowered his head, lost in thought.
Getting impatient, Huiyin spoke first, "Where's Mr. Wei?"
Shaoling replied in a leisurely voice, "Who knows? Isn't he the one who wants to see Zongyuan most?"
Huiyin snorted, "Humph! He's just an unmanly lackey. How dare he keep us waiting?"
Shaoling curled up his lips silently, with disdain in his eyes.
As Eastern Depot became more influential, Maogong needed a pawn desperately to help him consolidate his power.
For Maogong, the young Zongyuan was the best puppet candidate for the throne.
As Shaoling thought about this, he had a look at Huiyin.
He supposed that his imperial aunt had the same plan as Maogong. Wealth and power were always the most tempting, but these two people would not survive to get them.
While Shaoling remained silent, Zongyuan comforted Huiyin in a childish voice, "Auntie, don't get serious with that snob. We can talk without him. After all, he's not qualified to join our conversation."
Hearing his words, Huiyin gradually calmed down. She rested her chin on a hand and asked, "All right, forget about him. Why did you ask us over?"
All of a sudden, Zongyuan stood up, knelt before Huiyin and Shaoling, and kowtowed. "Brother, Auntie, please help me!"
Huiyin was stunned by his sudden act, and somehow, she had a nasty feeling.
"We're a family, so there's no need for kowtowing. Arise quickly."
When she reached out to help Zongyuan up, he raised his head and looked at Shaoling and then Huiyin. "Brother, Auntie, I have no choice but to beg you to escort me back to the capital."
Huiyin did not expect him to make such a request. She raised her brows and asked, "Do you really need our escort? Where are your people?"
Speaking of his people, Zongyuan burst out crying.
He was so young, sad, and frightened that he could not stop his tears.
"I met assassins in my journey. They were very fierce and powerful and wanted to kill us all. To protect me, almost all my people sacrificed their lives."
Hearing that, Shaoling felt impressed by his younger brother for the first time.
In his previous life, Zongyuan did not ask General Su for help or have anyone escort him back to the capital.
Rather, he disguised himself as a beggar and begged all the way back. This experience became a blot in his life and nearly made him lose the throne.
But in this life, he sneaked into Yong Zhou City and turned to General Su, who was politically neutral.
Who gave Zongyuan this advice? Did Zongyuan restart his life, too?