Chapter 71: The Dash and Elegant Little Marquis (4)
Princess Jin’an personally came to pick him up in the most luxurious carriage of the Princess’s Manor. She even brought a second carriage prepared with a bathtub, hot water, and pomelo leaves.
Huo Xian had black lines all over his forehead (was speechless) and wanted to refuse, but was forced into the carriage by the Princess. She looked as if she would wash him herself if he didn’t wash up honestly. Scared, he had to obey obediently.
Truth be told, after not bathing for five days, he did feel he smelled.
After bathing, his whole person felt sublimated, except for one point—bathing in a carriage in broad daylight was truly a bit shameful.
After returning to the main carriage, the Princess was already ready with a towel in both hands to help him wipe his hair. This made him, who hadn’t received such heavy maternal love in several worlds, a bit at a loss. The pressure was quite high.
Fortunately, the Princess didn’t insist this time. While pushing pastries and tea toward him, she said with heartache, “Eat more, you’ve lost weight these past few days.”
Huo Xian: “……” He ate well and drank well in jail without exercising. Thin? Impossible.
He wiped his hair casually and picked up a plum blossom-shaped pastry to taste. The pastry was soft, glutinous, and sweet, with a faint plum fragrance. The taste was actually quite good.
“This plum blossom cake is delicious, right? Your mother had the cook put a lot of thought into making this. You don’t like sweets, so not much sugar was added.” The Princess truly spoiled her son. It was due to the original host’s naturally pure nature that he didn’t grow up crooked from being spoiled.
Huo Xian grinned: “Thank you, Mom.”
The Princess’s eyes were gentle: “What need is there for thanks between mother and son?”
The two quickly got to the main topic. During Huo Xian’s imprisonment, a brief disturbance had arisen in the capital, but it was quickly suppressed. However, it wasn’t the people sent by the Princess and her husband who suppressed the rumors.
The rumors started from Changping West Street, the liveliest street in the capital. The content was an embellished version: Little Marquis Huo coveted Miss Shishi‘s beauty, wanted to take her as a concubine but was rejected, intended to force himself on her, and Miss Shishi was killed for resisting.
Although Marquis Huo had sent many people to Changping West Street, there were too many merchants and commoners coming and going. The rumors themselves flew faster than birds with wings. By the time they locked onto the rumor spreaders, the rumors had already scattered.
Huo Xian had anticipated this situation and gave the Princess a strategy early on. Naturally, the best way to dispel rumors wasn’t to not explain, nor to let the rumors continue to spread, but to counter words with words.
However, by the time the Princess quickly trained a group of people ready to go out and counter the rumors, the rumors had changed flavor.
Rumor 1: Little Marquis Huo coveted Miss Shishi‘s beauty and wanted to take her as a concubine.
Someone asked: Miss Shishi isn’t even as good-looking as Little Marquis Huo. If Little Marquis Huo really coveted beauty, why wouldn’t he just look in a mirror?
Rumor 2: Little Marquis Huo admired Miss Shishi‘s talent and wanted to harmonize with the beauty in music and soul.
Someone asked: Bring out Miss Shishi‘s calligraphy and paintings to compare with Little Marquis Huo’s. The former is only somewhat famous among boudoir girls, while the latter is the closed-door disciple of the current grandmaster, old Mr. Bai Moru, a classmate of the Crown Prince, and the Qilin Son praised by the Emperor’s golden mouth. One piece of his calligraphy is hard to buy with ten thousand gold. Does Miss Shishi have any works she can show?
Rumor 3: Lust befuddles the mind. Little Marquis Huo is a man; it’s not impossible for him to act impulsively when lust hits the head.
Someone said: The Little Marquis keeps himself clean, and his backyard is spotless. Anyone else might act on lust, but he absolutely wouldn’t.
Rumor 4: Little Marquis Huo is about to turn twenty but doesn’t even have a concubine. He must have a physical ailment!
Someone countered: Why must it be a physical ailment? Couldn’t it be that the Little Marquis has high standards and mortals find it hard to catch his eye?
In short, the topic hotly discussed by the citizens of the capital in recent days became “Which fairy can move Little Marquis Huo’s mortal heart?” The topic grew wider and wider, to the point that when Marquis Huo went out, some citizens, relying on his good temper, asked him the question.
Marquis Huo’s expression at the time was bewildered. When he returned home and told the Princess, she was also speechless. She knew more about the rumors in the capital; it was precisely because of those unreliable questions that the direction of the rumors became strange.
The good thing was, after the Wang Yunshi case came out, no one believed Huo Xian was the murderer. Instead, everyone believed he was framed.
But Marquis Huo and the Princess didn’t give up the investigation because of this. Whether it was the person who wanted to spread rumors or the person who seemed to be defending Huo Xian, the true purpose was unclear for now, so they couldn’t let their guard down.
“Your father already has a lead on the person spreading rumors. He is personally investigating, intending to drag out the mastermind behind the scenes.” The Princess then explained why Marquis Huo hadn’t come to pick him up, then her brows furrowed slightly again. “I originally thought the person defending you was that kid from the Ning family, but I later remembered he went to Jiangnan a few days ago. He shouldn’t be back in the capital yet, so it won’t be him. So I had people continue searching, but currently, there are no leads.”
Huo Xian narrowed his eyes. Using rumors to counter rumors wasn’t the style of ancient people. If it matched his brain circuit…
“Mom, have you found the person I asked you to find?” The only person Huo Xian could think of was Huo Yuan.
As soon as he mentioned it, the Princess’s expression became strange and indescribable. She shook her head: “Mom sent people to ask around the shops in East Street and West Street. There isn’t any stock taken from Xianyu‘s family.”
Huo Xian: “……”
“Does the ‘Xianyu‘ (Salted Fish) family specialize in making salted fish? Does Yi’er want to eat salted fish?” the Princess asked.
Huo Xian: “…………”
He broke into a sweat, shook his head hurriedly to deny it, and said between laughter and tears, “I’m not looking for a shop.”
“Then what are you looking for?” the Princess pressed.
Huo Xian fell silent. He couldn’t just say he was looking for a person who came back from the dead. Whether his mother believed someone could come back from the dead was secondary; he wouldn’t be able to explain why he wanted to find such a person if she asked.
Reckless, too reckless.
He decisively changed the subject: “Where is Yantai?”
The original host’s family of three all lived in the Princess’s Manor. The Princess grew up in the palace. Although her temper was a bit spoiled, she had mastered all the skills of controlling subordinates. When she left the palace to open her manor, she brought people from the palace. She was an expert in managing the household and training people. Logically, someone with a character like Yantai shouldn’t have been able to mix into Huo Xian’s circle.
Speaking of this, the Princess’s face couldn’t help but darken by thirty percent. She sneered, “When the good days last too long, they start to get restless.”
Huo Xian didn’t understand for a moment, so the Princess explained briefly to him.
The people serving the Princess were all from the palace. Besides the nannies, there were also eunuchs. As everyone knows, eunuchs are rootless people, so to extend their lineage, they would adopt godsons or “biological” sons. Yantai was a smooth talker and wasn’t liked by the original host, but he was good at flattering and sucking up to people, and willing to spend money. So, he recognized a “biological father” in the manor. With the power of this “biological father,” he passed five trials and cut through six generals (overcame obstacles), successfully mixing in to become the original host’s servant boy.
As for this “biological father,” he was an old servant who had followed the Princess for many years. After Yantai‘s incident, the old eunuch cried snot and tears, frankly saying he had misjudged the person. If the Princess hadn’t searched his room and found his record of “filial piety”—several boxes of gold, silver, and house deeds—she might have truly been fooled by his tears and softened her heart.
The Princess’s Manor was on Changping East Street. The residents of Changping East Street were all high-ranking officials and nobles, so compared to the lively West Street, East Street was much quieter.
When the carriage arrived in front of the Princess’s Manor, Huo Xian had just gotten off and hadn’t even entered the door when a palace attendant who had been waiting for a long time welcomed him with a smile and explained his purpose… the purpose was to invite him into the palace.
Naturally, the matter of Huo Xian being framed couldn’t be hidden from Emperor Hao Yuan. Although he didn’t personally visit the Court of Judicial Review, he sent plenty of direct decrees. In just five days, Tu Nan‘s hairline had receded quite a bit.
The Princess chattered and complained; her words were full of blame—her son hadn’t even entered the house yet!
The attendant listened, smiling on his face, daring not to reprimand her. The person she was complaining about was the current Emperor. This Princess dared to point at the Emperor’s nose and complain to his face, so there was no need to care about what she said behind his back.
Huo Xian suddenly rejoiced that he had bathed and washed before entering the palace. Otherwise, entering the palace smelling bad—leaving aside whether it would offend Emperor Hao Yuan—if his guess was correct, Xiao Jinli would definitely come specially to show “concern.” In front of Xiao Jinli, he could not look wretched.
The first person Huo Xian saw after entering the palace wasn’t Emperor Hao Yuan, but the Crown Prince.
“Huo Xian, are you alright?” The Crown Prince stepped forward immediately upon seeing him, reaching out to check if he was injured. The worry on his face was genuine.
The original host and the Crown Prince were like brothers and friends. Usually, they would be more reserved due to status, but now that Huo Xian had just experienced a jail disaster, he didn’t care about status.
Huo Xian smiled slightly: “Your Highness, rest assured, I’m fine.”
The Crown Prince wanted to speak, but his throat suddenly itched, and he covered his mouth and coughed. His skin, pale from insufficient Qi and blood, became a few shades whiter, almost transparent, after this bout of coughing. He was truly frail. It was just the beginning of autumn, and he was already wearing a mink coat, yet his hands and feet were still cold.
Huo Xian looked at him with concern. It took him a while to recover, his voice a bit weak: “It’s good that you’re fine.” He had intended to ask about the details, but his spirit was willing while his flesh was weak. Since the weather turned colder a few days ago, his body felt increasingly unwell, and he felt somewhat powerless.
“Your Highness, has the Imperial Physician checked your pulse today? What did he say?” Huo Xian asked.
The Crown Prince waved his hand, a faint smile appearing on his handsome, thin face: “What else can he say? Nothing but rest in peace and quiet, don’t catch a draft. Gu (I/The Crown Prince) can recite it all.”
“Then why are you…” Huo Xian frowned.
“It’s uncomfortable staying in the Eastern Palace all day. Taking advantage of the good weather today, I came out for a walk and to see you. seeing you safe and sound, Gu is relieved.” The Crown Prince’s tone was gentle, with a trace of melancholy in his smile.
Huo Xian felt a bit bitter in his heart. In the original host’s memory, this Crown Prince was actually brilliant in literature, with a keen political sense and unique vision, not inferior to the original host. Regarding martial arts, whenever the Crown Prince watched him ride and shoot at the drill grounds, his eyes would show envy.
Heaven gave the Crown Prince talent, but didn’t give him a good body. It was a regret.
“Later, after seeing Father Emperor, if you still have time, come sit at Gu‘s place. Xi’er (Fourth Prince) could walk a couple of steps without support the day before yesterday. Second Brother still comes over every day to talk to Xi’er. You haven’t entered the palace for a few days; Second Brother has been talking about you.”
The Second Prince wasn’t an idiot. Or rather, people in this era had no concept of idiots or low intelligence. The Second Prince had low intelligence; he had the ability to think, but his reaction to external things was half a beat slow, and he was weaker in language and hands-on skills, but he wasn’t purely “stupid.”
The original host was the same age as the Second Prince, just a few months younger, but had felt sorry for this Second Cousin since childhood. Every time he entered the palace, he would bring him tasty food and fun things, so the Second Prince was used to his arrival.
“Okay,” Huo Xian agreed gently.
However, what surprised him was that the person Emperor Hao Yuan had been receiving for a long time was actually Xiao Jinli.
Huo Xian was personally ushered into the warm pavilion by Emperor Hao Yuan‘s close attendant, Eunuch Huang. At a glance, he saw Emperor Hao Yuan sitting behind the desk. On the desk were memorials not yet fully reviewed. Xiao Jinli stood before the imperial desk. The atmosphere between the father and son was as distant as usual.
Seeing him enter, Emperor Hao Yuan, who had been expressionless, showed a smile on his face. He even stood up and walked towards him, stopping him before he could bow: “Let Uncle see if you’re hurt. Is there any discomfort? Huang Yu, has the Imperial Physician arrived?”
As a stream of concern poured from Emperor Hao Yuan‘s mouth, Huo Xian caught a glimpse of the gloom and jealousy flashing through Xiao Jinli‘s eyes.
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