Chapter 332: Couldn’t Be Better
Tao Wanxin followed his gaze, and a look of panic instantly appeared on her face.
This man in gray commoner’s clothes... how could he look identical to Emperor Wu Su, who was supposed to be severely injured and unconscious in the palace?
But she quickly understood the situation. Tao Wanxin curtsied and said, "I greet Your Majesty."
"Rise, then."
Only after hearing those two faint words did Tao Wanxin dare to raise her head.
Standing beside Emperor Wu Su was a young woman. Judging by her white attire, she was a maid in the mansion.
Their posture was openly intimate, their bodies so close it was beyond the distance of normal contact.
The maid even gave Tao Wanxin a cheerful smile, but she immediately turned her head away, unwilling to meet the girl’s gaze.
’Emperors are so faithless. It’s only been a few days, and he can already dote on someone new. Truly, all men are the same.’
Princess Yong then turned to look at Prince Yong, and her thoughts drifted to that flock of Yingyan in the rear courtyard of the Prince Mansion.
For the first time, raw jealousy sparked in Tao Wanxin’s heart. She bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze.
"Are you not feeling well?" Zhao Minghong asked in a low voice, taking her hand.
Tao Wanxin pushed his hand away and said calmly, "I’m fine. If you still have matters to attend to, Prince, I will head back to the mansion first."
Seeing that Prince Yong was not in any serious trouble, her heart settled down.
But her petty frustrations were sprouting like bamboo shoots after the rain, popping up one after another and making her heart ache with a sour feeling.
"I will take my leave now."
Tao Wanxin bowed to Emperor Wu Su. Zhao Mingyan naturally had no objection and gave a slight nod.
Princess Yong ducked her head and left the room.
Seeing her leave, Prince Yong also spoke hastily, "Imperial Brother, I don’t think my presence is needed here either—"
But Emperor Wu Su parted his lips and said, "You will stay."
Zhao Minghong could only stare wide-eyed as Tao Wanxin walked away from him.
’He had a reasonable suspicion that his Imperial Brother simply couldn’t stand seeing him and his wife go home together and was deliberately keeping them apart.’
Prince Yong pressed, "Imperial Brother, what is this about?"
Zhao Mingyan said, "After dawn today, Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice will jointly investigate the case of Su Fengyue."
"But I wish to appoint one person to be in charge of the entire case."
Prince Yong’s eyes lit up instantly, and he declared in a loud voice, "I am willing to take on this case! I will handle it impartially and show no favoritism!"
Hearing him promise to show no favoritism, Zhao Mingyan gave a faint smile.
He then gave his bottom line: "Ming Hong, leave him alive."
Hearing this, Prince Yong understood clearly. Emperor Wu Su also wanted that old bag of bones, Prime Minister Su, to suffer in ways he never had before.
Having received his assignment, Zhao Minghong immediately made a swift exit.
Once outside the gates of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, however, he couldn’t see the Prince Mansion’s carriage.
Duan Mingfeng was leading a team of men past. Zhao Minghong stepped forward to stop him. "Mr. Duan, have you seen the Princess Consort?"
Duan Mingfeng replied coldly to Prince Yong, "I have not." With that, he prepared to walk on.
Zhao Minghong’s tone was impatient. "She must have just left. You’ve been guarding the gate this whole time. How could you not have seen her? Are your eyes just for show?"
Duan Mingfeng said indifferently, "The Princess Consort was unwilling to wait for you, Prince. What has that to do with me?" He scanned Prince Yong from head to toe, then met his gaze directly. "Your eyes aren’t for show, Prince, yet you can’t even keep an eye on your own Princess Consort."
Prince Yong had had few dealings with this Imperial City Envoy. He only knew that he had a sullen personality, but he never expected him to have such a sharp tongue.
But with Emperor Wu Su still inside, he didn’t want to cause more trouble, so he simply commandeered a horse from one of the Black-clothed Guards and rode off.
After leaving the Su Mansion, Tao Wanxin hurried back to her carriage and urged the driver to return to the Prince Mansion quickly.
She leaned against the carriage wall, replaying the scene at the Prime Minister’s Mansion in her mind.
’Your Majesty appeared, and it was obvious Prince Yong had important business. It was so reckless of me to have rushed over there.’
But her heart also felt more at ease. With the Emperor severely injured recently, not just the palace, but even the common people on the streets had been living in a state of constant panic.
It was only now that Tao Wanxin was beginning to see what kind of person Prince Yong truly was.
She had originally thought he married her to use the Tao family’s influence to solidify his own position in court.
When Emperor Wu Su suffered a severe arrow wound during the ancestral rites, few men in the world could have resisted the great temptation of the Emperor’s supreme throne.
The Empress Dowager had pushed him into the eye of the storm, yet Prince Yong had not wavered in the slightest, showing no ambition for the throne whatsoever.
The things Prince Yong had told her before...
’...were sincere.’
The sound of hoofbeats, CLIP-CLOP, reached her ears. They slowed from a gallop, gradually matching the pace of her carriage.
The night was empty, with only her carriage on the road. Tao Wanxin silently lifted a corner of the curtain.
There wasn’t a soul to be seen around the moving carriage.
A chill ran down her spine. She scanned the area again and finally spotted a large, pure black horse left by the side of the street, swishing its tail.
The color drained from Tao Wanxin’s face. The horse was nearby, which meant she hadn’t misheard the hoofbeats. But where was the rider?
Almost at that exact moment, the carriage curtain was thrown open.
Tao Wanxin saw Zhao Minghong appear before her and shot him a glare, angry but not daring to speak her mind.
’What would have been so hard about saying something first, just calling my name?’
Tao Wanxin shrank into a corner of the carriage. This time, however, she didn’t offer the polite greetings she usually did, but simply remained quiet.
Observing her expression, Zhao Minghong was even more afraid to make any rash moves. He sat down directly, his body carrying the chill of the night air.
There was enough space between their seats for two more people. In this silence, the carriage drove steadily to the Prince Mansion.
Zhao Minghong disembarked first with large strides, and Tao Wanxin let out a soft breath.
Somehow, being in such a narrow space with him made her so nervous her palms were sweating.
Only this time, it wasn’t a cold sweat. It was warm.
Tao Wanxin stepped out of the carriage. Just as she bent over to place her foot on the stirrup, the world suddenly spun around her as she was swept off her feet, an arm wrapped around her waist.
Her small gasp of surprise was distinct in the quiet night.
"Prince, put me down."
But Zhao Minghong took the opportunity to give her a little bounce. It wasn’t a big movement, but it was enough to frighten Tao Wanxin.
Not because she was afraid of falling, but because she was afraid of being seen.
She said urgently, "Prince, please put me down quickly."
Zhao Minghong, knowing her prim and proper nature, said dismissively, "There’s no one else here. What are you afraid of?"
Tao Wanxin buried her face in her hands.
’There’s a whole living person right behind us, not to mention a living horse! Two breathing beings, and the Prince acts as if he can’t see them at all.’
Only then did Zhao Minghong notice the third person and fourth horse present. He asked, displeased, "Why are you still here?"
The coachman, who was still waiting, quickly drove the carriage away through the rear courtyard gate.
「At the main gate of the Prince Mansion.」
Shadows of the trees flickered around them as the bright moonlight enveloped the pair. Prince Yong carried her up the seven bluestone steps.
Tao Wanxin said softly, "This isn’t proper."
Prince Yong replied, "What’s not proper about it? This is my Prince Mansion, and I’m carrying my own Princess Consort. I think it couldn’t be any better."
’So good, it almost didn’t feel real.’
Tao Wanxin stopped resisting. She secretly rested her face against his chest, and she could hear a heart beating like a drum.