amaotonovel Chapter 124 Pretending to be Well-behaved
Chapter 124 Pretending to be Well-behaved
At this moment, the butler, with his sharp eyes, ran to Wu Chengye's ear and whispered the whole story, of course, imitating all the sarcastic and unpleasant words he had heard.
After hearing the steward's words, Wu Chengye's expression changed instantly. He never expected that the obedient Sima Lingyu would have this side to her.
On the surface, he pretends to be indifferent, but if he feels threatened, he will still take action like any other man in a secluded household.
But this is fine too; he wanted to see these two at odds. [So, Sima Lingyu still has some feelings for me?]
"I thought it was something serious, but it's just a normal backyard squabble. Try not to provoke him in the future."
Huang Ziliang nodded. At this moment, two more people walked in from outside the door, hurrying towards Wu Chengye, as if they had something important to report.
Huang Ziliang wisely avoided the conversation, but Wu Chengye grabbed him and said, "It's alright. Since you are a retainer, you should listen to these things."
Both spies hesitated. How could His Highness allow a man to overhear their conversation? Was he bewitched?
Wu Chengye's eyes held a hint of probing, and Huang Ziliang bowed, saying, "No, Your Highness, I'd better go and prepare the poems for tomorrow's lesson."
He didn't even turn his head or glance at the two spies.
Upon entering Wu Chengye's room, the two spies first handed him a slip of paper, and then began to dictate their findings.
The Prime Minister has a weapon that is being secretly sent to Xiao Rong. Wu Ziyan and Wu Chengji are expected to return to court tomorrow. Bei Rong is extending an olive branch to Your Highness, intending to annex Xiao Rong.
"Let's take care of the Prime Minister first. After all, we are related by marriage. Xiao Rong may be able to serve us before we even have to annex Bei Rong."
"Should we eliminate any of Xiao Rong's spies in the court? They failed to assassinate Wu Ziyan last time, so they probably won't make any moves this time."
"Then I'll go and add fuel to the fire for the Prime Minister."
With his spies hidden, Wu Chengye went out again. He had someone prepare a carriage, but as he was leaving, he suddenly remembered something amusing. He sent someone to invite Huang Ziliang out so that they could ride together in the carriage to the Prime Minister's residence.
“Mr. Huang, Your Highness, please accompany him out.”
"I know." Huang Ziliang sat down on the stool, but he hadn't even gotten comfortable yet.
They went outside, and this time the two of them rode in the same carriage. Although it was against etiquette, since they had already entered the manor, she couldn't care less.
"Where is Chengye going?"
"In the short time you've been at the Prime Minister's residence, you must have heard about my connection with it, and you're probably familiar with your own face."
"If there's something wrong with how I look, I'd rather have it scratched up!"
"Hey, no, no." This person's personality is even more stubborn than Sima Lingchuan's!
The carriage soon arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. The Prime Minister had nothing to do after the morning court session and was at home. She had also received a secret letter from the Xiao Rong Kingdom, and the Xiao Rong Kingdom's spies were currently in her courtyard.
"Prime Minister, the Second Prince has arrived!"
"What is she doing here!"
"She brought back someone who looks remarkably like the eldest young master!"
Seeing the winks from those around them, the people from Xiaorong Kingdom naturally withdrew and returned to the rooms that had been arranged for them.
Wu Chengye never played by the rules. He wouldn't wait for those people to finish reporting before entering. Instead, he barged into the mansion and swaggered in.
“Mother-in-law, it has been a long time since I visited your residence. When I went to court, it was only in a hurry, and we didn’t have a chance to talk.”
She didn't reply to Wu Chengye, but instead looked Huang Ziliang up and down beside her. The resemblance was uncanny! He couldn't believe there were people in the world who looked so alike.
"Who is this person?"
"This is a retainer of my household."
Seeing the constantly changing expressions on Sima Zongcheng's face, Wu Chengye smiled inwardly. Just as she had hoped.
"What brings Your Highness here to see me?"
Wu Chengye casually sat down on a stool, and Huang Ziliang stood beside her, his eyes lowered, not looking around, appearing extremely respectful.
"Of course I came to the Prime Minister's residence after hearing some news. I'm afraid Xiao Rong's spy is still here, isn't he?" He glanced at the two teacups on the table that hadn't been removed yet.
"Your Highness, I urge you to be careful with your words." Sima Zongcheng slammed his teacup down on the table, his eyes sharp, mainly fixed on Huang Ziliang beside him. He couldn't let an outsider hear such an important matter!
"Prime Minister, please don't panic. Mr. Huang is a trustworthy person."
“A lowly commoner of unknown origin is not worthy to stand beside His Highness!”
“He’s not someone of dubious origin.”
"So Your Highness brought him here specifically to show me today?"
"Of course not. Please, everyone from the Xiaorong Kingdom, come out and meet us."
Huang Ziliang's heart was in turmoil, but his expression remained unchanged. He hadn't expected that the two of them would dare to talk about other countries to his face, especially since there was a spy in the mansion.
Could this be a test by Wu Chengye? But the extent of this test is far too great; it has risen to the level of a state secret.
"I feel it's inappropriate for me to be here." Huang Ziliang bowed and tried to leave, but Wu Chengye grabbed him and his eyes immediately changed: "If you leave today, you'll be stuck being my servant, and you'll never be able to hold your head up high. If you stay today, you'll be a retainer in my household, and I'll allow you, a man, to offer me advice in the future!"
"Your Highness, I also feel that this gentleman's presence here is inappropriate."
"I'm going to make him listen to this today."
The tension between the two men was palpable. Sima Zongcheng cursed Wu Chengye inwardly for being such a fool for bringing just anyone home!
But it doesn't matter anymore, let them listen, at worst I'll just kill them.
The steward waved his hand and went to fetch Xiao Rong's two spies. They were dressed in Wu Dynasty attire, but their faces were dark-skinned and they wore silver earrings on their ears.
"Prime Minister, you didn't tell us that there were outsiders present during today's discussions."
"These are the Second Prince and his retainers, not outsiders. If they want to accomplish great things, they will probably need the help of the royal family."
The two men's eyes were filled with disbelief. They had initially thought that the prime minister had defected, but then they realized that the fact that the two of them were still standing there unharmed meant that the plan was still in progress.
"I have met His Highness the Second Highness."
"No need for formalities. You must be Xiao Rong's two warriors. Please sit down. What were you talking about with the Prime Minister? Please continue. I'm just here to listen."
They were still somewhat incredulous, and after exchanging glances, the Prime Minister finally nodded to them.
“We have a batch of weapons to transport across the border, but that is Wu Chengji’s territory. I wonder if the Second Princess could facilitate this.”
"This..." To be honest, she couldn't reach that far. She could manage with just a stack of clearance documents, which she could use in her name, but the risk was too high.