Chapter 42: Going to the Marquis's Mansion to Watch the Excitement (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Gao An picked up the startled A-Li and nodded, adhering to the principle of caution: "Indeed, the Du family is the most suspicious."

Yan Bei's expression turned cold.

Carrying the small rice bowl, he stepped off the ground and strode purposefully toward the curtained area, his face grim: "That bastard Du Minghuan! If he dares touch my Yan family, I want to see how many heads his entire household has combined!"

In Yan Bei's eyes, regardless of whether Wang Huan was Yongjia or not, she was his wife and A-Li's mother.

If she acknowledged it, she was the Princess of Jing.

If she did not, she was still his first wife.

If the Du family even dared to lay a finger on her, they would have to ask if he permitted it!

Moreover, this involved their child—A-Li, who was only a hundred days old at the time!

When he had retrieved A-Li, the poor child had been clinging to life by a mere thread.

It was only thanks to his power that he could command imperial physicians to watch over her day and night.

Later, when the Emperor was brought back to the capital and expressed gratitude for Yan Bei personally sending escorts, he stationed imperial physicians permanently at the Prince's mansion.

Only through such extreme care was her life preserved.

During those days, when A-Li would cry from pain and refuse to eat or sleep, Yan Bei even had to bring her to court.

It was a common sight to see him sitting in the Bureau of Military Affairs, personally feeding the child while handling official business!

Because he did not trust anyone else to take over.

And even so, A-Li's constitution had been severely damaged. Even now, at three years and five months old, she was only as tall as other children of two or three.

All of this was the work of the Du family!

"Go find the evidence. If the evidence is obtained by morning, I want to see his head at the Execution Grounds by noon!"

The small rice bowl was slammed onto the table with an uncontrollable thud.

A-Li twisted herself around in Gao An's arms and tugged at his sleeve: "Father, don't be angry."

Yan Bei softened his expression and pulled her toward him: "Father has important matters to discuss. Why don't A-Li go find her wet nurse?"

A-Li rubbed her face against his, then slid to the ground and followed the wet nurse waiting by the door out.

Gao An took a deep breath and resumed the previous topic: "That is the difficulty; there is no evidence."

"How can there be no evidence?" Yan Bei frowned. "To set such a massive trap, can they not leave a single trace? Whether it is the source of the hired assassins or the person pulling the strings behind them—if there is anything, follow the thread and dig three feet deep to find it!"

"There is indeed nothing for the moment," Gao An shook his head. "The only people capable of directing the Du family are a few specific individuals. However, for the past three years, Jin Yu has consistently dispatched personnel to strictly monitor the Du family, and no improper contact with any of them has been discovered."

Jin Yu was the Chief Administrator of the Prince's mansion, overseeing all its affairs.

Only Gao An and Cui Xun followed Yan Bei day and night.

Yan Bei's brow furrowed deeply. He paced twice under the curtained area before casting his gaze back: "There will definitely be something. You just haven't found it yet."

Gao An tacitly accepted this statement.

At that moment, Cui Xun entered carrying tea. He looked back and forth between their faces and said, "There is big news on the streets. Does the Prince know?"

"What is it?" Yan Bei reached out and took the tea.

"It's about that top scholar, Xu He. Wasn't he previously being introduced by the Marquis of Guangling's household to marry the young lady of the Duan family? As it turns out, the day before yesterday, Xu He's 'chaff wife' from the countryside in Luoyang came knocking on his door. The marriage was abruptly called off."

Yan Bei shot him a glance: "If Xu He already has a wife, why was he negotiating a marriage with the Duan family?"

"It was previously said that she had gone missing two years ago while he was visiting relatives in the Luoyang countryside. She must have heard the news of Xu He passing the imperial examinations and came to the capital to find him."

Cui Xun snorted coldly as he continued, "In my opinion, it wasn't a disappearance at all. It was simply that Xu He looked down on his original wife as being beneath him and sought to remarry. This woman couldn't swallow her pride, so she came to the capital to make a scene!"

Yan Bei couldn't help but feel puzzled: "And then what? Did Xu He acknowledge her?"

"How could he not? The moment Xu He brought her through the door, he ran straight to the Du family to cancel the engagement. He likely fears public outcry. I heard that since today is the Du family's birthday celebration, the top scholar intends to bring his 'chaff wife' along to the banquet. The discussion in the various government offices won't stop. Several officials who originally didn't plan to attend are now planning to go personally to see what's happening."

Yan Bei remarked, "This woman is quite fierce."

As he spoke, he suddenly lifted his head from behind the teacup: "Is the Du family celebrating a birthday today?"

Gao An nodded: "It is indeed today."

Yan Bei glanced at the sky and set down his teacup: "Prepare the carriage."

Gao An was stunned: "Does the Prince intend to attend the Du family banquet?"

Yan Bei had already unfastened his robe to change: "If others can go to see the top scholar's wife, why can't I? —Prepare the full ceremonial procession and bring more men."

...

The Du family did not recognize Yuetang.

Or rather, currently, aside from those in the palace, no one knew what the Princess of Yongjia looked like.

The prestige of the Marquis of Guangling's household was, of course, far from enough to alarm the nobility in the palace.

Yuetang planned to bring Lan Qin, Wei Zhang, and Huo Yun, while Hua Lin, disguised as a servant, would stay at the Xu residence to monitor the situation.

The Xu household was run by Xu He, but the domestic affairs were managed by his mother, Lady Fu.

Upon learning that Xu He had kept a woman of unknown origin in the household under the name of Lady He, the lady was worried: "Is this reliable? She demanded thousands of taels of silver the moment she opened her mouth; she might be a common bandit!"

"Unlikely," Xu He shook his head. "I saw that this woman acts with generosity and a certain grace; she is not someone from the lower classes. To be honest, her demeanor is even stronger than many noble ladies I have met in the capital. Even the attendants she brought are very disciplined and move with elegance. Bandits do not act like that."

Xu He had stumbled in front of the Du family, and his morale had been somewhat dampened these past few days; he no longer dared to be so arrogant.

However, he had always been particularly observant of the powerful, so he was confident in these observations.

Only then did Lady Fu feel somewhat relieved, though she remained worried: "Everything else is fine, but she shouldn't be replacing Lady He. What if she takes a liking to you in the future, or eyes the status of our scholar's household and refuses to leave?"

"This is merely a temporary measure," Xu He sighed. "The Du family already knows it was a trap, so there is no reason for me to fall for it again. Besides, my abandonment of Lady He is, after all, a weakness. The Du family has already schemed against me first, and they hold this weakness over me, ready to use it for blackmail at any time. I have already been lured into a pit; if I let them lead me by the nose again, it won't be worth it. Now, I will go with the flow. I will use this woman to legitimately cancel the marriage with the Duan family, while simultaneously using her to clarify my marriage with Lady He, so that no one can use it against me again. Once the storm passes, I will have her proactively write a letter of divorce or request to be cast aside. We will settle things with dignity, and my reputation will be preserved."

Xu He had a plan. Lady He certainly wouldn't have the courage to come to the capital, so there was no need to worry about that.

Now that the news of the broken engagement had spread, as long as the lady in the house later requested to be cast aside in Lady He's name, no one would be able to use his previous marriage against him when he negotiated marriages with other noble daughters in the future.

That was what it meant to handle a matter cleanly.

Since his son could become a top scholar, his words were naturally correct.

Lady Fu was convinced.

Seeing that it was getting late, she immediately went to arrange a carriage for Xu He, so that her scholar son could attend the Marquis's banquet with dignity.

Yuetang also rode in a carriage, entering the Marquis's estate one after the other with Xu He.

The front courtyard was paved. As a distinguished guest, Xu He was met early by attendants, and Yuetang was met by female members of the household to lead the way.