kvmb Chapter 58 Intrigues
Chapter 58 Intrigues
Gao Chen led Chen An into the inner courtyard and had someone bring him a set of eunuch clothing.
Chen An touched his clothes, his brows furrowed, his expression cold and stern. He knew that this journey would be fraught with danger and that he had to be extremely careful.
"Brother Chen, you must be careful and not act rashly." Gao Chen's tone was cautious, and his eyes were authoritative.
Chen An was startled and nodded slightly: "Please rest assured, Eunuch Gao, I will act with caution."
The two exchanged a glance, each harboring their own schemes and calculations, and slowly walked towards the direction of the inner palace.
Before long, under Gao Chen's guidance, Chen An was quietly led into the inner palace.
Throughout the journey, Chen An held his breath and dared not make a sound.
As he entered the long corridor of the inner palace, he vaguely glimpsed a beautiful figure in palace attire, but he could not tell which one was his wife, Xianglan.
"Eunuch Gao, please tell me where Xianglan lives," Chen An asked in a low voice, sounding slightly anxious.
Gao Chen smiled slightly and gently shook his head, saying, "Brother Chen, please be patient and follow me."
After walking through several corridors, they finally arrived at a quiet courtyard. Gao Chen said softly, "Xianglan is here."
Chen An was far away and could only see the courtyard gate hidden behind white walls and red tiles, so he had to stop.
In the distance, he spotted that familiar figure.
Xianglan, bathed in the afternoon sun, was elegant in her simple attire, exuding gentle charm.
Their eyes met, and though no words were spoken, they understood each other perfectly.
Xianglan's heart was filled with turmoil. She recognized Chen An, and her heart trembled instantly, her eyes reddening slightly.
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded slightly to Chen An to comfort him, then turned and left quietly.
At that moment, Chen An felt a long-lost warmth, and then he narrowed his eyes, trying his best to control the tears in his eyes.
"Brother Chen, please don't linger, lest you arouse suspicion," Gao Chen urged in a low voice.
Chen An snapped out of his daze, nodded, turned and left, secretly determined to take Xianglan away from this place.
They left the palace and returned to Gao Chen's residence.
Gao Chen smiled slightly; it seemed this move had been the right one.
"Brother Chen, I have done my best to show you what I have seen today," Gao Chen said with a smile.
Chen An let out a long breath and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you very much, Eunuch Gao. If it weren't for your help, my wife and I would probably still be separated by death."
Gao Chen waved his hand, his face sincere, and said, "Brother Chen, please don't stand on ceremony. In the future, I will definitely need your strong support."
Chen An said in a deep voice, "After this matter, I, Chen, am willing to serve you, Father-in-law, and I swear I will never betray you."
The two exchanged a glance and walked in silence toward the exit.
At this moment, outside the Gao residence, a guard hurried over and whispered to Gao Chen, "Your Excellency, someone from the Prince of Shou's residence has arrived with a letter."
Gao Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.
He took the letter, opened it quickly, and saw only eight characters on it: "Cooperation for mutual benefit, standing on equal footing."
Gao Chen sneered; Li Mao was indeed not content with the status quo.
Although the two sides had a brief reconciliation before, he knew that Li Mao must have ulterior motives for this move.
It's better to go there in person to discuss it in detail, so as to avoid leaving behind written evidence.
With this in mind, Gao Chen left the palace alone.
at the same time.
Li Mao was also busy sorting through the documents in his hand, reviewing the situation of the past few days, and thinking about the next plan.
"Your Highness, Eunuch Gao has arrived," Madam Wang announced softly, pulling Li Mao back to reality.
Li Mao raised his head slightly, his expression calm, and gestured for Gao Chen to come in.
Gao Chen walked in with a steady gait and a broad smile, cupping his hands and saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Shou."
Li Mao nodded slightly and said gently, "Please sit down, Eunuch Gao."
After exchanging pleasantries, Gao Chen got straight to the point: "I wonder what Your Highness's plans are for our previous collaboration?"
Li Mao stared intently at Gao Chen with sharp eyes and said meaningfully, "I have always hoped to cooperate with you, after all, a win-win situation is the only way to achieve long-term success."
Gao Chen weighed the situation in his mind, but remained outwardly calm: "Your Highness is magnanimous, which I greatly admire. However, there are some things that we may need to keep to ourselves."
Li Mao raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at Gao Chen, and feigned ignorance: "I wonder what Eunuch Gao is referring to?"
Gao Chen smiled gently: "Your Highness knows perfectly well what's going on; I'm just offering a hint."
If we had given Li Mao the opportunity to indulge himself by slowly boiling a frog in water, it would have been too late to do anything about it by now that he had realized what was happening.
Gao Chen understood that Li Mao was merely testing him, but he was unwilling to comply.
"It seems that Eunuch Gao has already sensed something." Li Mao's lips curled up slightly, as if he could see through Gao Chen's thoughts.
Gao Chen lightly brushed his whisk and said frankly, "I am merely adept at navigating all sides, and I have some entanglements with both."
Li Mao became alert, astutely sensing the suspicious atmosphere, and changed the subject, saying, "Why don't you join forces with Eunuch Gao to take control of Chang'an?"
Gao Chen's expression shifted slightly, secretly thinking that the variables were still unclear, but on the surface he smiled and said, "Your Highness's plan is certainly good, but we must still be wary."
Li Mao knew in his heart that Gao Chen must have had a plan all along, so he could only slowly take control of the other party.
"In that case, please reconsider, Eunuch Gao. Goodbye."
After seeing Gao Chen off, Li Mao had already planned out his next move.
He knew that regardless of whether Gao Chen compromised in the short term, any slight movement would be subject to serious speculation.
In the following days, things were calm in Chang'an, except that the political discourse in the court continued to brew.
With the joint efforts of officials from the Censorate, the Prefect of Chang'an, and the Court of Judicial Review.
Although they discovered that the rumors circulating in Chang'an were merely a matter of hatred between Prince Shou and Gao Chen, they could only submit an ambiguous report to Li Longji.
a few days later.
Li Mao's confidant once again reported that Gao Chen had been very calm these past few days and seemed not to have left the house.
Just then, a commotion broke out in Gao Chen's residence.
It turns out that ever since Chen An visited Xianglan, he had been secretly plotting and seeking a way to truly rescue his wife.
When Xianglan learned of Chen An's intentions, she suddenly realized what was going on and began to make some plans.
One night, Xianglan, dressed in night clothes, quietly arrived at an abandoned Qishan Temple outside Chang'an City.
The two embraced and wept, and then Xianglan gently pushed Chen An away.
She felt that she was already tainted and no longer worthy of Chen An.
Chen An tenderly pulled her into his arms. Neither of them spoke, yet they both understood each other's feelings.
"Xiao Lan, come with me."
"No, His Highness Prince Shou has treated me with immense kindness; how could I forget such a debt of gratitude?"
"If it weren't for that Prince Shou's cunning scheme, how could you and I, husband and wife, have ended up like this..."
"Shut up. I know what's going on and what's wrong. As long as my husband is safe and sound, I will die without regret."
Chen An felt as if his heart had been gripped tightly, a sharp pain that was both painful and suffocating.
Xianglan hugged Chen An tightly and whispered, "The prince promised me that he would restore my freedom within a year. Husband, please don't act rashly."
"Three days later, there will be a palace banquet. My husband, remember to hide and never trust that eunuch Gao Chen."
Chen An stopped Xianglan, who was about to leave, and asked, "Why is that?"
Xianglan said fiercely, "Because that eunuch has tried to kill me time and again."
"That's all I have to say. If you still wish to stay with me for life, please keep our one-year promise."