frightfiction Chapter 3 Partners
Chapter 3 Partners
Han Yi stayed in Taiyuan City for three days before heading to Qingmu City with Mu Qingwan. On the night Han Yi left, the Rujia Tavern in Taiyuan City suddenly caught fire. The fire was so fierce that it turned everyone, including the waiter, into ashes.
"My lord, it has been confirmed that the Second Prince was the mastermind behind this incident!"
"Understood, we have a long future ahead of us!" Han Yi sat in the carriage returning to the Prince's Mansion, with Mu Qingwan sitting opposite him.
"Tell me, should we kill him now to vent our anger, or keep him alive and watch them fight like dogs?"
"You're insane! You want to kill the prince?" Mu Qingwan rolled her eyes at him, and spoke again after a long while.
"What do you need me to do?"
Her serious demeanor made Han Yi burst into laughter.
"Big sister! I was just joking, why did you take it seriously? But I really do want to sit on that dragon throne, maybe I really am that great ruler who is 'mandated by Heaven and destined for eternal prosperity'!"
"I can help you! And don't call me 'big sister'!" Mu Qingwan only replied with three words.
"Great! You truly are worthy of being my partner!"
The Zhenbei Prince's Mansion is located in Qingfeng Village on the border of the Qingyun Empire. It is a large-scale mansion that occupies almost half of the village.
The prince's wedding is in March, and the entire palace is bustling with activity, filled with a festive atmosphere.
Crown Prince Han Yi, however, didn't care at all. What was there to be happy about in a political marriage? He could just deal with it casually.
In the Inviting Moon Pavilion in the center of the Moon Reflection Lake in the Prince's Mansion, Han Yi lay lazily on a reclining chair, looking relaxed.
The maids, dressed in colorful skirts, moved around him, feeding him fresh fruit and snacks.
Not far away by the lake, Mu Qingwan, dressed in a light blue gauze dress, sat gracefully before an ancient zither, playing casually. The music was like a babbling brook, clear and pure.
Han Yi turned his head to the side, closed his eyes to listen, and a look of rapture appeared on his face.
"That was a great talk; it reminded me of ZJJ."
After Mu Qingwan played for a long time, the music gradually subsided.
She looked up and saw that annoying figure eavesdropping contentedly.
"Why did you stop!" Han Yi seemed to be still enjoying himself, tapping the mahogany table next to him lightly with one hand from time to time.
"You scoundrel!" Mu Qingwan cursed and led a dozen maids back to Wutong Garden.
Seeing that Mu Qingwan was about to leave, Han Yi sat up and called out, "Wife, don't go! I'll pay another five cents!"
The servant beside her understood, bowed respectfully, and quickly ran to Mu Qingwan with a lacquer box full of gold and silver jewelry in both hands.
As the box was opened, a dazzling light poured out, revealing the precious and luxurious gold and silver jewelry inside.
Mu Qingwan didn't even glance at them, and kicked the servant and the box of gold and silver jewelry into Yingyue Lake.
Still not satisfied, she pulled out a large knife at some point and charged towards Han Yi.
"Han Yi! If you've got the guts, stay right there and don't move. I'll chop you up and you're done for."
Upon seeing this, Han Yi, who had been calm and collected, suddenly became agitated and rolled to the ground. Then, disregarding everything else, he made a move to escape.
"You shrew, you've only been in the Prince's mansion for two months, and you've already forgotten all the manners of a proper young lady? Instead of learning the good things, you're starting to learn those plots from storybooks about murdering one's husband?"
"Did you teach him, Young Master?"
Mu Qingwan raised her broadsword high and chased after Han Yi, wildly swinging and slashing, destroying several exquisite potted plants by the lake without stopping for a moment.
"You bastard, do you think I'm some kind of maidservant who came to the Prince's mansion to serve you?"
"How dare you, Mu Qingwan, a mere commoner, insult the Crown Prince! Didn't the Mu family teach you the three obediences and four virtues?"
As Han Yi fled ahead, he kept berating her, secretly lamenting that he should never have let her read the stories he had written in his spare time.
"I've long forgotten the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. All I remember is that in the storybooks, a woman's position is not secure if she's not ruthless!"
"I'm going to divorce you, you crazy woman!"
……
"Master! Something terrible has happened!" A shout suddenly rang out.
Han Yi frowned, a hint of displeasure on his face, and roared at Han San who had run over, "You blind dog of a servant, you have no sense of propriety at all! If you know something's wrong, why don't you come over here and block that crazy woman for me!"
"Young master, an urgent message has arrived from the capital. It seems something terrible has happened!"
Upon hearing this, Han Yi's already unpleasant expression darkened even further.
It's like when it rains, it pours. We haven't even managed to deal with that tigress at home yet, and now there's trouble outside.
He jogged all the way to a courtyard.
The courtyard was spacious, paved with stone slabs, and decorated with exotic flowers and plants. Several ancient trees stretched out their lush branches and leaves, and under the trees, an old man was talking to a young soldier in military uniform who was kneeling in salute.
The old man, dressed in a deep black robe, exuded an air of authority; he was none other than the Zhenbei King, known as a pillar of the empire.
Although he is now far removed from the imperial court, his heroic deeds of sweeping across the northern frontier and destroying the Sixteen Kingdoms are still being sung about today.
Han Yi approached and eavesdropped.
"Your Highness, the Minister of the Imperial Household sent me to report that His Majesty has already married Princess Jinlan to the Crown Prince and issued an edict, which will arrive soon."
The young man bowed his head and reported, never daring to look at the dignified old man before him.
Princess Jinlan? Han Yi had only heard of the beautiful Princess Linglong. He had never heard of Princess Jinlan before, so he categorized her as an ugly woman.
"This is hardly a marriage of convenience; he clearly wants to bring my son to the capital as a hostage! I've been away from the court for so many years, yet he still doesn't trust me and is even plotting against my son?"
The old man slammed his hand on the corner of the table in anger, and the entire wooden table instantly crumbled.
"Being a live-in son-in-law and marrying an ugly woman? That won't do! I've finally become rich, powerful, and good-looking in this life, how can I let Ru Hua ruin me?" He muttered to himself.
"Go down! Tell the Minister of the Imperial Household Department that I am aware of his good intentions and will never forget his kindness."
After the soldiers withdrew, the old man turned his head to look at the old servant beside him.
"Zhang Shen, is there a way to break this?"
"Your Highness, why don't we arrange for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to marry tomorrow? By then, even if the imperial edict arrives, it will be too late. This servant doesn't believe Your Highness would be willing to let the princess be a concubine!"
"No! How can the Crown Prince's wedding be treated like this? It's utterly absurd!"
The old man interrupted directly, saying it was impolite.