CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER 146: SUCH A GOOD GIRL

The market was crowded, and the little thief who stole the silver was extremely agile, darting through the crowd like an eel, twisting and turning, moving through the streets and alleys. Shen Weixi chased for a long time before finally catching him.

Retrieving the purse, after giving the person a beating, Shen Weixi looked up and saw that he was several streets away from Yanyu Building.

Shen Weixi was instantly dumbfounded. Unable to contain his anger, he gave the little thief another thrashing.

...

In Yanyu Building.

After Shen Weixi left, Nangong Jue walked up to Yun Ran, smiled at her, and showed genuine concern in his expression.

"Wanyue, how have you been lately?"

[Went through all this trouble just to see her through Shen Weixi, and it’s merely for a casual chat?]

[A man with hidden schemes!]

[What’s brewing in his mind?]

"All is well, thank you for your concern, Crown Prince."

Nangong Jue looked at the woman smiling warmly before him, her brows curved in a gentle arch, and lightly remarked, "Wanyue, you smile more often than before, and your temperament has become much livelier."

Yun Ran: "!"

This Crown Prince always had a familiar and knowledgeable demeanor towards her, yet the oddity was, she had no memories of him before the age of eleven!

After eleven, memories were scarce too.

Was it that he and Lin Wanyue truly had no interactions? Or was there another reason?

Yun Ran mulled over these thoughts without showing any sign on her face.

"Once some things become clear, a person naturally lives transparently and freely. Did the Crown Prince come to see me for a particular reason?"

Nangong Jue chuckled lightly, pulling out two white porcelain bottles from his sleeve, identical to the ones from before.

"These are medicines rushed back from Jiangnan. The ones from last time should be finished by now, correct?"

"Although I don’t know if this medicine can ultimately cure the Ninth Prince, good medicine shouldn’t be discontinued."

Yun Ran glanced at the medicine and reached out to take them, "Much appreciated, Crown Prince! You really go to great lengths for the Prince!"

"As his older brother, it is my duty."

The room was scented with incense smoke, wafting in gentle swirls from the incense burner shaped like a purple-gold auspicious beast, diffusing its delicate fragrance throughout the chamber.

Nangong Jue casually stirred the incense ash with a chopstick, and suddenly asked, "Wanyue, have you ever heard about Consort Lan?"

Yun Ran was taken aback by the question, looked at the Crown Prince, and gently shook her head.

Yet internally, she remained on guard against him.

The matter of Consort Lan was a royal secret; she had tried to investigate subtly for days but to no tangible progress.

For the Crown Prince to suddenly bring this up, was there an ulterior motive?

Nangong Jue withdrew his gaze, looking at the thin smoke gently rising, and sighed softly:

"Back then, Consort Lan was adored above all by Father, his most cherished woman, a solitary favorite of the king that left the beauties of the six palaces overshadowed."

"The Ninth Prince was deeply loved by Father since young, prepared to become Crown Prince even before reaching a full month old."

This surprised Yun Ran somewhat.

She only knew that Nangong Mo was highly regarded by the emperor before, but later, was despised because of Consort Lan’s affair.

Yet, she didn’t know he was pampered to such extent! Crown Prince before even reaching a full month old?!

How many would envy and resent this?!

Although Yun Ran wasn’t aware of the specific events regarding Consort Lan, she could subtly guess some aspects.

Posturing for favor in the harem and scheming in the court seemed separate but had intricate connections.

Nangong Jue stood by the incense table, seemingly immersed in distant memories, his voice having a vague quality.

"Thirteen years ago, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, by Lan Yue Lake, Consort Lan was caught rendezvousing with her lover. Father was furious, commanded the imperial guard to unleash a volley of arrows, killing the person on the spot."

Yun Ran was somewhat shocked.

Previously, she had vaguely guessed that for the emperor to direct such ire towards Nangong Mo, Consort Lan’s affair must’ve been no small matter.

Such as secretly harming the emperor, plotting assassination of the imperial heir, colluding with ministers with intent to rebel, etc., yet she hadn’t anticipated it being as straightforward as this!

"Father deeply loved Consort Lan, wished to spare her, defying all opposition, silencing the murmuring voices, and promising to disregard past grievances if she sincerely repented, willing to accept her anew."

"?!"

Unexpectedly, the emperor was quite a romantic.

Wasn’t it said that, above all, emperors’ families are the most heartless?

Yun Ran was genuinely surprised, observing Nangong Jue’s pause, she couldn’t help but inquire, "And then?"

"Then..."

Nangong Jue turned to Yun Ran, his fine jade-like face enshrouding in the ethereal smoke, bearing a hint of charm.

Especially those ebony eyes, dark as Mo Yu, resembling a starry sky reflected upon an endless sea, deep and vast, seemingly capable of absorbing one’s soul with a mere careless glance.

He sighed subtly, and slowly said:

"No one ever thought Consort Lan was deeply rooted in her love for her paramour, unwavering in her affection, Father forgave her, yet..."

"She chose to burn all of her earthly ties in a grand blaze."

"All love and resentment, passionate entanglements, attachments and bonds, were reduced to ashes within that all-consuming fire, vanished into thin air like smoke."

"Had it not been for Princess Jiangling’s timely intervention and desperate rescue, the Ninth Prince would have... alas!"

Nangong Jue sighed deeply, yet the corners of his mouth twisted into an enigmatic smile.

Meanwhile, Yun Ran stood there, her expression wooden, eyes vacant, those originally lively eyes now appeared void and ethereal.

She stood there like a delicate and beautiful marionette.

Nangong Jue looked at her and smiled lightly, his voice low and bewitching, "Wanyue, have you found the Xuan Yu Order and Mountain and River Map?"

Yun Ran’s expression remained wooden and she shook her head.

"Has Nangong Mo never mentioned these two items in front of you?"

Yun Ran shook her head again and answered mechanically:

"No."

"What have you uncovered during all these days in the residence?"

This time, Yun Ran seemed to be in an immobilization spell, standing motionlessly with a wooden expression and hollow eyes.

Nangong Jue chuckled lightly, "It seems there has been no progress at all!"

His tone was extremely gentle, yet it carried a trace of eerie veiled allure, causing apprehension.

Yun Ran’s eyes appeared hazy, yet her long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly.

Nangong Jue reached out, his fingertips lifting a lock of her azure hair by her ear, idly playing with it.

His tone was supremely gentle.

"Afraid of me? Am I really that scary?"

"Remember to use the medicine on him every day."

"Yes."

"If he doesn’t mention the Xuan Yu Order and Mountain and River Map, you must find a way to investigate them, understand?"

"Yes."

"What a good girl you are."

Nangong Jue chuckled lightly and shielded her eyes with his palm, "Sleep now."

The soft whisper echoed like an incantation.

Yun Ran’s head tilted, her body softly collapsed.

...

Shen Weixi was sprinting all the way back.

Rushing into Yanyu Building, she collided with a waiter’s tray, but fortunately, her quick eyes and nimble hands caught it back.

She apologized and ran panting up to the third floor, pushed open the elegant room’s door, feeling utterly exhausted, leaning against the wall to catch her breath, "Yue’er, I’m back."