After that day, Huo Yuyan's luck improved a lot.
His subordinates did things cleanly. After the poor scholar was chased away by someone they found, there was no trace of him. He sent someone to investigate and found out that the scholar had really run away with his tail between his legs. He hid in a run-down house in the countryside that was leaking rain and wind.
Lou Wanjun went to Xi City twice but didn't find him, so he gave up.
Instead, Huo Yuyan was lucky enough to find him. His subordinates kept an eye on Lou Wanjun's movements and planned for Huo Yuyan to bump into him a few times.
Gradually, Lou Wanjun stopped mentioning the scholar. Instead, she only had eyes for him and even took the initiative to show him around Lin 'an.
Huo Yuyan saw all of these changes with his own eyes.
He knew Lou Wanjun's temperament and believed that he had a clear grasp of her preferences. Sure enough, she was very easy to bait. Now, without his invitation, Lou Wanjun would take the initiative to look for him.
At this time, he needed to do some pushing and pulling.
He maintained his warm and gentle attitude, neither refusing nor taking the initiative. He was gentle and distant, as if he really treated Lou Wanjun as his sister and had no other thoughts.
Lou Wanjun gradually became anxious.
She couldn't hide her feelings on her face. Gradually, her anxious and anxious mood overflowed.
Huo Yuyan saw this and remained calm.
Until this day.
Lou Wanjun excitedly told him that the lotus flowers in Xi Lake had bloomed and wanted to take him to see them together. Huo Yuyan said that he had some trivial matters to attend to and stayed away for two days before agreeing to Lou Wanjun's invitation.
Lou Wanjun rented a pleasure boat on Xi Lake and sat down by the window with Huo Yuyan.
The two talked for a while. Lou Wanjun had an ulterior motive and spoke absent-mindedly. After a while, the eunuch beside Huo Yuyan went out to pour tea. Lou Wanjun hesitated for a while before finally speaking.
"I remember … you are twenty-seven now, right?" she asked.
Huo Yuyan's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He smiled gently and said, "Yes, I do. Time really flies. Come to think of it, when I first met Little Sister Wanjun, I was only in my teens. "
Lou Wanjun clasped his hands together and squeezed them awkwardly.
"Then your father didn't urge you to get married?" She asked.
Hearing this, Huo Yuyan smiled gently.
Lou Wanjun immediately panicked. "What are you laughing at?!"
Huo Yuyan straightened his expression and said jokingly, "Sister, since you're asking this, do you already have someone in your heart?"
Lou Wanjun blushed as if someone had stepped on his sore spot.
"I'm just asking!" she said anxiously.
Seeing her like this, Huo Yuyan smiled again.
"Of course I did," he said with a warm smile. "However, I've always been unwilling, so Imperial Father can't do anything."
"Why?" Lou Wanjun blurted out.
Huo Yuyan looked up at her with a deep gaze.
There was a moment of silence, until Lou Wanjun lowered her head awkwardly.
"Firstly, with my health, any girl I marry will be a burden," he said. "Secondly, the girl I like is not one of those noble ladies in Ye City who don't leave the house."
Lou Wanjun immediately looked up at him. Her eyes flashed as if there was light in them.
"What?" Huo Yuyan pretended not to understand.
Lou Wanjun was silent for a moment, then asked with some difficulty, "Then … what kind of girl do you like?"
Huo Yuyan looked out of the window. His gaze was distant, as if he was yearning.
"I like girls who are free and enthusiastic," he said gently. Just his tone alone sounded very affectionate. "That kind of girl has always been righteous and unrestrained. Maybe it's because I'm used to following the rules since I was young, but when I see such a girl, I always yearn for her. "
After saying this, he looked at Lou Wanjun and smiled helplessly.
"But … as the Crown Prince, it's still wishful thinking for me to have such thoughts. I have the country on my shoulders. Not only can I not be presumptuous, but my marriage naturally can't be unsuitable. "
"But I …" Lou Wanjun blurted out.
Her voice stopped abruptly. Huo Yuyan's voice also stopped abruptly.
The two of them looked at each other. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Just as Lou Wanjun looked embarrassed and angry, Huo Yuyan smiled faintly.
"Little Sister Wanjun," he said. "Don't you feel that the girl I just mentioned is very similar to you?"
Lou Wanjun opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Huo Yuyan smiled helplessly.
"But I also know that Uncle Lou is from Nanjing. Now that he's loyal to Huo Wujiu, he will definitely not be used by me. I don't want to make things difficult for Uncle Lou, so it's more suitable for the two of us to be siblings. "
As he said this, he raised his head and looked seriously at Lou Wanjun.
"These days, I've been hesitating. But two days ago, I've made up my mind. Little Sister Wanjun, you only need to know my feelings. Even as your elder brother, I can protect you for the rest of your life. "
He saw that Lou Wanjun's eyes were red.
After a moment, she choked and said, "But why didn't you ask for my opinion?"
Huo Yuyan did not speak for a moment.
Lou Wanjun continued, "You're the rightful Crown Prince. Since my father has already pledged allegiance to Northern Liang, there's no reason for him not to listen to your orders and follow Huo Wujiu instead. Although these three hundred thousand men aren't a lot, they can still be your backing. And although I'm just a woman, I still have a say in this matter. "
As they spoke, the ship gradually approached the shore.
Lou Wanjun suddenly stood up and looked at Huo Yuyan with a burning gaze.
"Brother Huo, wait for me," she said.
After saying that, she turned around and walked over before the boat reached the shore. She stepped onto the shore and walked away with large strides, as if she had made up her mind and was not afraid of death.
Huo Yuyan sat at his original spot. After a moment, he smiled faintly.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip slowly.
The fish had taken the bait. Success.
On the other hand, Lou Wanjun, who had turned a corner and walked out of Huo Yuyan's field of vision, stopped in her tracks. She looked disgusted and rubbed her arms.
Not only did she want to relieve the pain from her pinching for tears, but she also wanted to rub off the goosebumps on her arms.
It's all Huo Wujiu's fault. She thought to herself.
Huo Wujiu had arranged such a strenuous task for her, but he had reaped the benefits without doing anything. Instead, she had to put on an act with Huo Yuyan. She was so jealous that her teeth almost fell out.
— —
During this time, Huo Wujiu knew Huo Yuyan's movements and situation like the back of his hand.
Didn't he know everything like the back of his hand? Lou Wanjun had a straightforward personality and was unable to deal with Huo Yuyan, let alone confront him face-to-face.
Every time before she met Huo Yuyan, Huo Wujiu would get the news and tell him in advance how to deal with Huo Yuyan.
Huo Wujiu's proficiency and understanding of Huo Yuyan made Jiang Suzhou a little dumbfounded.
Until this day, when Lou Wanjun had just left West Lake, Huo Wujiu's subordinates brought back news of Lou Wanjun and Huo Yuyan. With such an outstanding result, Jiang Suzhou could not help but re-evaluate Huo Wujiu.
His gaze made Huo Wujiu a little uncomfortable. He pounced on him and pulled him into his arms.
"What's with the expression?" Huo Wujiu said unhappily.
Jiang Suzhou sighed.
"I'm just thinking that when we were in the Prince's Mansion, I didn't give you a chance to fight with the other concubines. It was simply a waste of your talent," he said.
Huo Wujiu's gaze became unfriendly.
"What did you say?" His tone was tinged with threat.
Jiang Suzhou had been tormented by him last night. At this time, he definitely did not dare to provoke him again. He quickly corrected himself and said, "I said that you have a plan and are good at scheming."
"What's so difficult about that?" Huo Wujiu sneered and took away the secret letter in Jiang Suzhou's hand. "He thinks that he's the only one with a brain? He's just relying on the fact that others are too lazy to bother with him. "
He looked as if he was wagging his tail to the sky.
Jiang Suzhou could not stop laughing.
Huo Wujiu let him laugh for a while until he was a little annoyed. Jiang Suzhou quickly stopped laughing when he turned around and wanted to torture him again.
"However, Miss Lou's plan is almost done. Can we make a move now?" he said.
Huo Wujiu kissed him fiercely and said, "Let's wait for another two days."
Sure enough, after a few days, Lin 'an City was no longer peaceful.
This unrest was actually caused by Lou Yue. Ever since he submitted to Huo Wujiu, Lou Yue had always obeyed Huo Wujiu's orders. However, these days were very strange.
Lou Yue began to not listen to Huo Wujiu's orders and even began to oppose him.
At first, Huo Wujiu arranged for Lou Yue to guard a county with weak defenses. However, Lou Yue complained that the place was remote and difficult to travel. He also complained that Huo Wujiu did not give him enough provisions. Therefore, in front of Huo Wujiu, he pulled a long face and said that he would not go.
Because of this, the two of them had a big argument in the army.
Huo Wujiu was furious and scolded him for not listening to military orders. However, Lou Yue retorted, "Military orders? I only know to listen to His Majesty's orders. That place is so remote. Why don't you let others guard it? Besides, has His Majesty said anything? Has His Highness the Crown Prince said anything? As long as His Highness the Crown Prince says the word, I will lead the troops to guard it! "
Huo Wujiu slammed the door and left.
After this, it was naturally Huo Yuyan and Lou Yue's sides that calmed the conflict between the two of them.
Gradually, the reason for this abnormal phenomenon was revealed.
It was said that Lou Yue was disloyal to Huo Wujiu because of his daughter, Lou Wanjun. It was said that Lou Wanjun seemed to have set her eyes on the position of Crown Princess. When she returned, she made a big fuss with her father. It seemed that she wanted to take the three hundred thousand soldiers that originally belonged to Nanjing as her dowry.
Naturally, this dowry could not be casually distributed by Huo Wujiu.
For a while, the rumors were rampant. Huo Yuyan's side did not move at all. It was as if he did not hear anything. However, Lou Wanjun really did throw a tantrum in the army because of this matter.
It could be said that this matter was confirmed.
Huo Yuyan was happy to see this happen.
After all, in this rumor, he had always been the passive one. Everything was done by Lou Wanjun and Lou Yue. And this rumor naturally had the effect of disrupting the morale of the army. It also made the generals in the army re-evaluate his and Huo Wujiu's identities.
From now on, it was obvious who was the legitimate one and who they should listen to.
Huo Yuyan sat back and enjoyed the fruits of others' labor. He was only waiting for the right time to give Lou Wanjun some benefits so that she could force Lou Yue to take the initiative to ask his Imperial Father to marry him.
With Lou Wanjun's identity, she was considered the daughter of a traitor in Nanjing. Her father would definitely not allow her to marry him as the Crown Princess. Coincidentally, he also did not want to easily exchange the position of Crown Princess. When the time came, he would show a few signs of helplessness and Lou Wanjun would be willing to be his concubine.
Huo Yuyan also felt a lot more at ease as his plan was about to succeed. It just so happened that it was almost the fifteenth. He hypocritically invited Huo Wujiu to a small gathering in the palace on the night of the fifteenth.
— After all, he still had to appease him before his plan was completed.
Huo Wujiu gladly agreed.
Therefore, on the fifteenth, before the sky turned dark, the palace where the banquet was held was already bustling with noise and excitement. Palace servants came and went. The palace hall was brightly lit. Exquisite fruits and dishes were sent in like flowing water.
Huo Yuyan still arrived late when the banquet was about to start.
When he arrived, the seats were already occupied. Because it was a family banquet, there were only a few people in the entire banquet hall. Other than Huo Wujiu, there were only a few of his favored officials.
But …
Huo Yuyan's gaze swept across the hall and found that the uninvited guest had come again.
The haunting Prince Jing was sitting next to Huo Wujiu. His eyes were like ripples as he looked at him and smiled.
Their gazes met, and Prince Jing spoke.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince came so late," he said.
Huo Yuyan glanced at him indifferently, looked away, and replied with a faint smile, "Some trivial matters tripped me up."
However, Prince Jing seemed to have no bones. His body went limp and he leaned back in the chair behind him. His smile was languid and charming, but his mouth was unforgiving.
"You were tripped up by Miss Lou, right?" He asked with a smile. "I just don't know why I don't see the future Crown Princess of the Lou Family at this family banquet today."
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