The inky darkness dotted with starlight devoured the afterglow of the sunset, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky, adding a touch of purity.
Lu Yan walked under the starry sky, led by A Man all the way to the inner courtyard of the Shen Mansion. Looking up, he saw the Shen family gathered around a table, discussing something. There was also an outsider with them - Mo Yunchen.
Lu Yan almost instantly guessed Mo Yunchen's purpose for coming here. After some greetings, they all took their seats.
Just as Lu Yan had thought, as soon as Mo Yunchen heard the news that Qi Siyu was to be bestowed in marriage, he rushed to the Shen Mansion that night. He asked Shen Qingfeng for help, hoping to take Qi Siyu away and flee far from here first.
Lu Yan also shared his inferences from the palace just now. Everyone agreed that his inferences made sense. Qi Siyu was just a tool used by Qi Shuhuan to win the tiger tally.
"That old Qi is really a scoundrel! He's so heartless even to his own daughter!" Shen Yu slapped the table and said angrily.
Shen Qingfeng turned to Mo Yunchen and asked, "Do you know where Siyu is now, Young Master Mo?"
Mo Yunchen gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Yu made a scene at home and was locked in a room by that Qi Shuhuan. There are guards outside."
At this point, Mo Yunchen suddenly stood up, clasped his fists and bowed to everyone. He said, "I once sneaked in secretly to take her away, but it seemed that Qi Shuhuan knew someone would come. The guards are changed every three hours. I had no chance to get close at all."
Shen Shiqiu stroked his beard and said doubtfully, "As far as I know, that old Qi shouldn't know about your relationship with Miss Qi."
"It should have been like this." Mo Yunchen nodded. He hesitated for a moment and said, "But I feel that he may have noticed something and is investigating me."
After hearing this, Shen Qingfeng turned to him and asked, "Does he know your relationship with the Mo family?"
Mo Yunchen shook his head. He pointed to the black cloth around his neck and said, "Few people know about my relationship with the Mo family. I usually cover my face with a black cloth when I'm out. He should only know that Xiao Yu has a friend who knows kung fu..."
Hearing this, Lu Yan looked around at everyone and hesitated to speak. Since he had been away from Lige for a long time, he didn't know much about the Mo family. So he looked at Mo Yunchen and said, "Since the imperial edict hasn't been issued yet, why don't you propose marriage to the Qi Mansion first? Say that you and Qi Siyu have already privately promised to marry each other. This way, you can cut off Qi Shuhuan's thoughts."
Mo Yunchen looked embarrassed. "This..."
Shen Qingfeng sighed, got up and sat next to Lu Yan. He nudged his arm and said, "Although the Mo family is a noble family in Lige, because Young Master Mo is not involved in the court, the Mo family is in a semi - reclusive state. They don't have the capital to fight against the Qi family."
"What's there to fight about?!" Shen Shiqiu stared with wide eyes, his beard fluttering with anger. "I've been unhappy with that old Qi for a long time! He used to trip up the Crown Prince for no reason. Now that he sees that the Marquis of Dingbei is on our side, he has his eyes on the tiger tally. How could everything go his way!"
Shen Yu nodded vigorously beside him.
"Young Master Mo!" Shen Shiqiu shouted.
"Ah, Lord Shen." Mo Yunchen was startled and quickly clasped his fists at Shen Shiqiu.
"I've decided to help you with your matter with Miss Qi!" After Shen Shiqiu said this, he stroked his beard. He looked at Mo Yunchen, who was extremely grateful, and then turned to look at Shen Qingfeng and Lu Yan, who were both surprised.
"What's wrong?" Shen Shiqiu grunted.
"Father..." Shen Qingfeng looked at him and then at Lu Yan. He said in surprise, "This is the first time I've seen you like this."
Shen Yu smiled and propped his head up. He said, "Father has always been unhappy with Qi Shuhuan. They've been at odds in the court for so long. Father has been holding back a lot of anger."
Shen Qingfeng was silent for a moment.
It was impossible not to feel self - blame. After all, in his past life, Shen Qingfeng didn't have the chance to know his father and brother well. After the self - blame came deep regret.
Shen Qingfeng lowered his head slightly. Lu Yan noticed that his mood was a bit off, so he reached out and firmly held his hand under the table. Shen Qingfeng trembled all over and looked up at him. After a brief eye contact, Lu Yan changed the topic and said, "I wonder how Lord Shen plans to help Young Master Mo?"
"It's very easy to deal with his guards." Shen Shiqiu looked at Mo Yunchen and said, "I've been fighting against that old Qi for so many years. I still have some connections. I can arrange for someone to help you sneak into the Qi Mansion and then pick you two up."
Shen Qingfeng thought for a moment and said, "Father, are your informants reliable?"
"Don't worry about this. This informant almost starved to death back then. I saved his life." Shen Shiqiu said.
Shen Qingfeng nodded and said, "Then let's set the time for the day when Lu Yan goes on the expedition. Lu Yan will be leading the troops on the general's platform that day. All the common people will go out to watch. The Qi Mansion is close to the general's platform. At that time, there will be a lot of people in Lige City. It will be the best time to act..."
After some discussion, everyone unanimously decided to carry out the plan the next morning. Shen Shiqiu's informant would lead Mo Yunchen into the Qi Mansion. After they disguised themselves and got out, they would take advantage of the crowd to leave the city. Shen Shiqiu would arrange a carriage in advance to take them to the south of the Yangtze River.
As the night deepened, Shen Qingfeng wanted to invite Mo Yunchen to stay, but he politely declined. After Mo Yunchen left, Shen Shiqiu and Shen Yu also went back to their rooms one after another. Lu Yan didn't leave. He followed Shen Qingfeng to his bedroom like a puppy. The moment the door closed, he reached out and hugged Shen Qingfeng from behind.
Lu Yan kissed the back of his neck. His extremely sharp eyes flashed, and he asked, "Do you have any other thoughts about what happened to me in the palace today?"
Shen Qingfeng turned to look at him but didn't say a word. He just silently broke free from Lu Yan's embrace. As he walked towards the bed, he slowly took off his outer clothes.
Lu Yan looked at him and closely followed behind. He said, "Actually, I haven't finished yet. The King specifically asked about our relationship today. I think he may already know something."
"Yeah." Shen Qingfeng nodded. He plopped down on the bed and said, "It was Xia Yonglin who told him."
Lu Yan also sat down next to Shen Qingfeng. Seeing that he was a bit tired, he reached out and started to massage his shoulders. He said, "You knew?"
"I guessed." Shen Qingfeng said honestly. "But it's also possible that we've been exposed. We've had quite a lot of contact recently."
Lu Yan pursed his lips and didn't say a word.
"What else did the King say later?" Shen Qingfeng was quite enjoying Lu Yan's massage. He leaned softly into Lu Yan's arms and asked.
"He said that when I come back, he will help celebrate our wedding." Lu Yan said.
Shen Qingfeng paused for a moment and suddenly smiled. He looked up at Lu Yan and said, "Do you really think so?"
Lu Yan gently massaged Shen Qingfeng's shoulders and also smiled. "No."
"Hahaha..." Shen Qingfeng laughed even more heartily. He sat up straight and leaned in front of Lu Yan. He said, "Lu Yan, do you know? I have a very crazy plan."