Chapter 69

"Today... that person didn't come, did they?"

On the seventh day of the seventh month, when Zhao Hongrun went to the Yafeng Pavilion to attend the poetry gathering to fulfill his promise to his sixth elder brother Hongzhao, the scholars at the gathering noticed that he had come alone today without the company of Princess Yulong, and they all felt somewhat disappointed.

He Xinian, who was sitting next to Zhao Hongrun, couldn't help but ask.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun briefly explained, saying that someone in the palace had found out about Princess Yulong's previous attendance at the poetry gathering, so it was inconvenient for her to appear again.

"Does that mean she won't be able to come in the future?" He Xinian asked with a look of regret.

"Pretty much," Zhao Hongrun sighed slightly. Suddenly, he seemed to notice something and looked up at He Xinian, teasing him, "Why, does Brother Xinian seem very disappointed?"

"No..." He Xinian immediately panicked, waving his hands and saying, "I just..."

"Just what?" Zhao Hongrun asked with a mischievous smile.

He Xinian awkwardly smiled and lowered his head, not saying anything more, lost in thought.

That day at the Yafeng Poetry Gathering, perhaps because Princess Yulong didn't attend, the members of the gathering were not very enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was somewhat dull.

Zhao Hongrun found this understandable. After all, after drinking with Miss Su, he didn't have much interest in drinking with the Zongwei guards either.

The same principle applied.

However, what surprised Zhao Hongrun was that when it was dusk and he and the Zongwei guards were preparing to return to the Wenzhao Pavilion, He Xinian hurriedly followed them out.

"Your Highness," He Xinian, blushing, pulled Zhao Hongrun aside and whispered, "Could Your Highness do me a favor?"

Glancing at He Xinian's embarrassed expression, Zhao Hongrun looked down at the paper he was tightly holding and felt a bit strange. "What is it? Tell me."

He Xinian wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, over and over, hesitating for a while before finally handing the tightly held paper to Zhao Hongrun, forcing a smile and saying, "Could Your Highness help me deliver this letter... deliver this letter..."

Seeing him struggle with the words "deliver this letter," Zhao Hongrun, growing impatient, interjected, "Deliver it to my elder sister?"

"Yes, yes," He Xinian nodded instinctively, but seeing Zhao Hongrun's strange expression, he quickly waved his hands to explain, "Your Highness, don't misunderstand. I just heard that Princess Yulong can't attend the poetry gathering due to palace rules and thought she might feel regretful. So, I wrote down the exchanges and poems from today's gathering, hoping it might ease her regret." As he spoke, he quickly unfolded the neatly folded paper and held it in front of Zhao Hongrun, as if to verify his words.

Zhao Hongrun glanced at the paper and found it to be as He Xinian had said.

No wonder this guy had been writing something all day...

Zhao Hongrun shook his head slightly and suddenly asked, "Brother Xinian... do you have feelings for my elder sister?"

He Xinian was taken aback and quickly waved his hands to explain, but at that moment, Zhao Hongrun calmly said, "Think carefully before you answer."

He Xinian was stunned and then noticed Zhao Hongrun's expression.

Biting his lip, he replied vaguely, "I... don't dare to aspire to such heights..."

Not daring to aspire to such heights... so you do have feelings for her?

Zhao Hongrun found this somewhat amusing.

Amusing, but also a bit complex.

After all, he had a special feeling for Princess Yulong. Although their relationship had become increasingly distant due to their different statuses, it was still far from the deep bond he shared with Miss Su. Nevertheless, Princess Yulong held a special place in Zhao Hongrun's heart.

He Xinian... the grandson of Chancellor He Xiangxu and the son of the Right Minister of the Ministry of Rites, He Yu...

Zhao Hongrun thought quietly.

If the person who had asked him to deliver the letter was someone like He Song, he would have refused long ago. But since it was He Xinian, he couldn't help but ponder.

There was no denying that He Xinian's family background was one of the prominent families in the capital, with four generations of ancestors serving as important officials. By the time of He Xiangxu, he was highly favored by the Wei Emperor and appointed as the Chancellor, a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

Therefore, the He family's background was sufficient for a princess to marry into.

As for He Xinian himself, he was a talented young man comparable to the sixth prince, Zhao Hongzhao. He had placed third in the imperial examination at a young age, and what was more remarkable was that he was not content with just third place. He worked as a junior official in the Hanlin Academy while studying hard to prepare for the next examination in three years, showing great perseverance.

Moreover, He Xinian was known for his gentle and humble demeanor, with excellent character, literary talent, and ambition, making him a model of a well-educated young nobleman.

At least Zhao Hongrun found him quite likable.

After considering for about half an incense stick's time, Zhao Hongrun said with a hint of melancholy, "Give it to me, I'll deliver it to my elder sister."

He Xinian was overjoyed and immediately bowed, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Taking the paper from He Xinian and hiding it in his robe, Zhao Hongrun went to the Yulong Pavilion on his own.

Because Zhao Hongrun had told Princess Yulong about the advice of the grand eunuch Tong Xian last month, she had been too scared to leave the Yulong Pavilion for days, spending her days either staring blankly in her bedroom or eagerly waiting for Zhao Hongrun to visit and chat with her.

Listening to Zhao Hongrun's stories of new and interesting events was the only joy left for Princess Yulong.

So, when Zhao Hongrun sat down at the Yulong Pavilion that day, Princess Yulong immediately asked about the Yafeng Poetry Gathering, eager to know what the young scholars, around her age, had discussed or what beautiful poems they had composed.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun took out the paper from his robe, which He Xinian had recorded the poetry gathering, and handed it to Princess Yulong, "Your Highness, you can read it yourself."

"Ah?" Princess Yulong was surprised, curiously reading the words on the paper, completely engrossed.

After a long time, she looked at the name at the end of the paper and asked in surprise, "He Xinian... isn't he the scholar who sat on your left at the last poetry gathering?" Note: At the last Yafeng Poetry Gathering, from the perspective of the main seat, Zhao Hongrun's seat was on the left, and He Xinian's seat was on his right, from Zhao Hongrun and Yulong's perspective, it was on the left.

"Yes."

"It's rare for him to have such a heart..." Princess Yulong murmured, seemingly moved, "Hongrun, do you think I should write a letter to thank him?"

"Such matters, Your Highness, you should decide for yourself," Zhao Hongrun replied casually while drinking tea.

Under Zhao Hongrun's watchful eye, Princess Yulong hesitated for a long time, then bit her lip and said, "Then... I'll write a letter to thank him. Can you help me deliver it to him, Hongrun?"

It seems that Your Highness has a good impression of He Xinian...

Zhao Hongrun felt a bit melancholy, took a deep breath, and nodded, "As long as you ask, I'll help you."

"Then wait a moment, Hongrun."

Princess Yulong immediately instructed the palace maid Cui'er to bring ink and paper and began writing the letter on the desk.

Zhao Hongrun resisted the urge to peek, as his photographic memory would allow him to remember the entire content of the letter with just a glance.

But that would be unethical, so Zhao Hongrun stood up and wandered around the front hall, looking around.

Before long, Princess Yulong finished writing the letter and handed it to Zhao Hongrun, "Hongrun, do you think this is appropriate?"

Zhao Hongrun smiled, neither looking at nor commenting on the letter, but simply folded it.

After all, he already had a good idea of what was happening.

That day, Zhao Hongrun sent the Zongwei guard Gao Kuo out of the palace to deliver Princess Yulong's letter to He Xinian at the He family residence.

As expected, He Xinian wrote another letter and asked Gao Kuo to bring it back to the palace to be delivered to Princess Yulong.

Gao Kuo, not daring to make a decision, brought it to Zhao Hongrun first.

"Go ahead and deliver it," Zhao Hongrun waved Gao Kuo away, as he had already seen that He Xinian had feelings for Princess Yulong, and it was not surprising that he wrote another letter.

As the days passed, Zhao Hongrun began to act as a messenger between Princess Yulong and He Xinian, delivering letters between them.

He didn't mind, as long as Princess Yulong was happy, he felt it was worth it.

As their correspondence became more frequent, Zhao Hongrun gradually noticed that Princess Yulong was developing a liking for He Xinian, and perhaps even more than just a liking.

Although he had expected this, seeing Princess Yulong eagerly awaiting He Xinian's letters every day still felt a bit strange.

Whenever this happened, he would leave the palace to meet Miss Su, drink some wine, and chat, as she was the only woman he had been intimate with.

During this time, the grand eunuch Tong Xian, for some reason, indeed kept the matter a secret for Zhao Hongrun.

Until one day when the Wei Emperor asked.

"According to Consort Shen, Hongrun has been rushing to the Nixiang Palace recently. When asked, he doesn't say anything. Tong Xian, what has Hongrun been up to lately?"

The grand eunuch Tong Xian bowed, "Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has been leaving the palace to meet Miss Su at the Water Pavilion, nothing else."

"Hmph! That rascal knows women well," the Wei Emperor grunted, then asked casually, "What about the rest of the time? He can't be spending all day at the Water Pavilion, can he?"

"The rest of the time... nothing much."

"Nothing much? Are you saying that rascal has become well-behaved?" The Wei Emperor laughed and looked back at Tong Xian, noticing his hesitant gaze, and became suspicious, "Tong Xian, are you hiding something from me?"

Tong Xian was taken aback and quickly knelt, "Your slave would never dare!"

"..." The Emperor looked deeply at Tong Xian, then called a young eunuch who was serving behind him, "What has the Eighth Prince been doing recently? Has he caused any trouble?"

The young eunuch, also a eunuch from the Inner Palace, replied, "Your Majesty, as Grand Eunuch Tong said, the Eighth Prince has been well-behaved recently, attending the Yafeng Poetry Gathering and visiting the Yulong Pavilion frequently, without causing any trouble."

"..." Tong Xian, kneeling on the ground, was drenched in cold sweat.

"That rascal hasn't caused any trouble? Ha, get up, Tong Xian, I was being suspicious," the Emperor laughed.

Tong Xian remained motionless on the ground, knowing that the Emperor would eventually figure it out.

Sure enough, the Wei Emperor, while writing on a document, suddenly frowned, "Yulong Pavilion? Which of my sons lives in the Yulong Pavilion?"

"Your Majesty, the Yulong Pavilion is Princess Yulong's bedroom," the young eunuch, puzzled by Tong Xian's refusal to get up, replied softly.

"Yulong?"

The Emperor murmured the name, his confused gaze gradually turning angry.

"Bang!"

The Emperor's hand slammed down on the desk, making Tong Xian, who was kneeling on the ground, tremble.

"Tong Xian, you have a lot of nerve!"

PS: Hehe, please give me more votes~ By the way, this book is now on the Three Rivers list, please give me Three Rivers votes~ Please give me recommendation votes~

Another PS: Zhao Hongrun: A national war is coming, and I am about to be enfeoffed as a king. All of you, please send your votes quickly~ Also, the author says if there are more votes, there will be romantic scenes, otherwise they will be glossed over...

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