At the top of the wall, Wan Er's robe fluttered in the wind.
Yang Fan turned around to look at the people on the other side and asked in a low voice, "Wan Er, why are you here?"
On the other side of the city wall, Huli stretched out his big, bear-like palm and patted Huang Xuchang and Captain Cheng's shoulders one after another. "Huang Xuchang, Cheng Yichuan, you two old farts, listen up! Yang Fan is my little brother. From now on, he's a member of Hundred Cavalry. You two must take good care of him!" he exclaimed.
Shangguan Wan 'er was a little bashful. She had come on a whim, but when she saw Yang Fan, she found it difficult to speak.
Yang Fan saw her expression and couldn't help but feel nervous. He asked, "Did something happen?"
Shangguan Wan 'er hurriedly shook her head. She hesitated for a moment before mustering up the courage to say, "You …"
"Hmm?"
"Whatever, I'm going back!"
Yang Fan was getting impatient, "What is it? Stop stuttering, tell me!"
Shangguan Wan 'er was annoyed by his questions. She lowered her head and stammered, "You and Princess Taiping …"
"What?"
"Oh, I mean, have you ever fallen in love with another woman?"
"Of course not!"
Shanghai Wan Er suddenly raised her head, her eyes were shining, "Really?"
"Really!"
"Then … what if she's prettier than me?"
"I have to like her because she's prettier? What kind of logic is that? "
"Then … what if her family background is better than me?"
"What does that have to do with me? If Yang Fan wants to be successful, he has to rely on his own abilities. If I was someone who would do anything for power, I would've agreed to your suggestion. "
"But … but … what if she's prettier than me, more noble, and can stay with you for a long time? I … it's hard for me to spend more time with you. I'm scared … "
"Silly girl, you're imagining things again. That's impossible!"
"You swear?"
"I swear! If I fall in love with another woman … "
"Alright, don't swear anymore!"
Shangguan Wan'er smiled sweetly and said, "I believe you!"
Yang Fan was confused. "You came all the way here just to ask about this?"
Shangguan Wan'er blushed and said shyly, "En!"
Yang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What are you thinking? Why did you suddenly think of asking this question?"
Shangguan Wan'er stammered, "I... I..."
At this time, Wu Youyi heard the news and walked out of the building. Seeing that Shangguan Daizhao had personally come, she couldn't help but rejoice in her heart. "Luckily, I was observant and went to ask her first. Shangguan Daizhao was worried and wanted to personally come. It seems that this Yang Fan must be aunt's new favorite!"
Wu Youyi quickly came up and said, "Oh, Shangguan Daizhao, why are you here?"
Wu Youyi walked closer and laughed. She stroked her beard and said, "Daizhao can rest assured. I have just told Xu Liang to take care of Yang Fan!"
Yang Fan was speechless again. Huang Xuchang and Cheng Yuchuan who were far away rolled their eyes.
…
Princess Taiping's Mansion. Princess Taiping received Wu Youyi's polite and tactful reply. She firmly refused to include Yang Fan as a dowry warrior. She suddenly clenched the letter in her hand and her face turned pale.
Xue Chongxun ran into the reception hall. When he saw his mother, he grinned and said, "Mother, give me a hug!"
The old maid who came in saw that the princess's expression was not good. She quickly caught up with Xue Chongxun and coaxed him, "Little Langjun, let's go fishing. Big goldfish, very beautiful!"
"I don't want it! I don't want it! I want mother to hug me … "
Xue Chongxun opened his mouth and cried. The old maid hurriedly ran out.
Hearing her son's cry, Princess Taiping became even more irritated. She slammed the hand that was holding the reply letter on the table.
When the servants in the room saw that the princess was angry, they all kept quiet out of fear and did not dare to breathe loudly.
Princess Taiping was panting with anger and it took her a long time to calm herself down. Suspicion arose in her heart, "Wu Weiliang's three sons, Wu Youyi, Wu Youxu and Wu Youji, each is more cowardly than the other. They are all cautious and do not like to offend people. I only asked him for a military officer as a dowry, how could he not agree?"
Princess Taiping slowly frowned. She got up and paced for a while. She slowly stood up and thought, "Someone must be making things difficult for Wu Youyi. That's why Wu Youyi did not dare to give me this favor. But who is the other party? Who can make Wu Youyi care so much that he did not hesitate to offend me? "
Princess Taiping pondered for a long time and ordered, "Call the two chief stewards here!"
The serving maids at the side quickly retreated. Not long after, a middle-aged man and a woman hurried over.
The male steward was not tall. He had a round face and was slightly plump. His skin was fair and he did not have a beard. He had a naturally happy face and smiled amiably. However, there was a sense of slipperiness in his expression. The middle-aged woman was not young anymore. She had put on weight. However, she was meticulous in her dressing. Her mannerisms and manners had a kind of bearing.
These two people were the two chief stewards of Princess Taiping's residence. They were the eunuchs and maids of Princess Taiping's dowry. Over the years, they had become Princess Taiping's left and right hands.
There was usually only one chief steward. However, Princess Taiping's residence was very big. Therefore, the internal and external affairs were divided into two parts. The middle-aged man was called Li Yi. He was the external steward of Princess Taiping's residence. The middle-aged woman was called Zhou Min.
The two of them went to the reception hall to see Princess Taiping. Princess Taiping said, "Li Yi, BenGong knows that you have dealings with most of the wealthy families' stewards. How are the stewards of Princess Taiping's residence and Wu Chengsi's residence?"
Li Yi did not know why Princess Taiping asked this question. She could only answer carefully, "This servant thinks that being kind to others and making more friends will only benefit our residence. Therefore, I usually get along well with the stewards of the wealthy families' residences. I have dealings with the stewards of Princess Taiping's residence and Wu Chengsi's residence. "
Princess Taiping smiled coldly and said in a deep voice, "That's good. Go and investigate who are the people who have close dealings with Princess Taiping's residence and Wu Chengsi's residence."
Li Yi hurriedly said, "Yes!"
Princess Taiping then said to Zhou Min, "The day after tomorrow, it will be time for shopping in the palace. Wei Tuan Er will definitely leave the palace. Prepare a generous gift. After she leaves the palace, think of a way to give her a gift and make friends. There are some things that BenGong needs to find out from her. "
Zhou Min understood tacitly and quickly agreed.
Princess Taiping said, "Alright, go and prepare this matter. Don't be stingy. Tuan Er is in charge of the palace's shopping. She has a big appetite and will not care about ordinary gifts."
Zhou Min agreed again and retreated.
Princess Taiping then said to Li Yi, "Has Di Laohu returned to the capital?"
Di Laohu was Di Renjie. There was a custom of giving nicknames in the officialdom of the Tang dynasty. Even the current Prime Ministers were given nicknames. Officials with equal or slightly lower positions would even call them by their nicknames in front of their faces. Di Renjie had two nicknames in the officialdom. Those who were his political enemies called him an unscrupulous old thief, and those who had a good relationship with him called him an old fox.
Those who could become the stewards of such a wealthy family were very well-informed. If they only cared about the trivial matters of the residence, it was impossible for them to become the chief steward. Li Yi knew more about the affairs of the imperial court. When she heard this, she hurriedly said, "Yes! Master Di has returned to the capital. "
Princess Taiping nodded and said, "Send an invitation for BenGong to invite Di Laohu to a banquet. Invite Wei Fangzhi, Wei Siqian, and Wang Fangqing to come together!"
The few people that Princess Taiping had mentioned were the prime ministers of the current dynasty. Currently, Di Renjie was only an assistant minister, and his rank was slightly lower than these few people. But Princess Taiping had invited him as the main guest, and the few prime ministers to accompany her. Admittedly, this was because of her great reputation, but her political acumen could also be seen from this.
At the critical moment when Empress Wu was about to become the Empress, she suddenly transferred Di Renjie back to the capital. From these actions, Princess Taiping had accurately judged that Di Renjie would be the Prime Minister in the new imperial court of Emperor Wu. And … it was very likely that he would surpass the Prime Minister and be ranked above these Prime Ministers!
She suddenly went to propose a marriage for her. She must have been entrusted by someone. Although Wu Chengsi was not a mediocre person, he did not have the foresight to unite with the Li royal family by marriage and thus destroy the resistance of the Li family. Someone must have planned it for him.
Although Princess Taiping had to accept her mother's arrangement, she was a vengeful person. She could not swallow this anger no matter what. She must find out who was playing tricks behind the scenes and make him pay the price!
She made friends with Tuan 'er because she was the person by Empress Wu's side. Of course, if she wanted to inquire about the news in the palace and wanted to know who was protecting Yang Fan, she could ask her close friend Wan 'er. That way, she would not have to go through so much trouble.
But some friends were friends of gentlemen. They were as indifferent as water. Taiping and Wan 'er had been friends for many years. She knew Wan' er's nature and character very well. Wan 'er looked gentle and polite. She treated people like a spring breeze and was the most considerate. But she had a sense of propriety when it came to the scale of things. Moreover, she was cautious and meticulous. So during these years when she was by her mother's side, no matter how the situation in the court changed, she could always deal with it calmly.
For such a person, if she rashly asked her about the news of Yang Fan, she would be able to figure out her thoughts and she would look down on her. And if Yang Fan's backer was really from the palace, Wan 'er might not reveal it to her. But Tuan' er was different. A person who was greedy for benefits was easier to deal with.
As for inviting Di Renjie and the other prime ministers to the banquet, it was the first step of Princess Taiping's intervention in the court.
Power! She felt more and more that power was so important. She was controlled by Empress Wu and frustrated by Yang Fan. Today, she was rejected by Wu Youyi, which made her desire for power more and more!
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