Seeing everyone looking at her, Madam Yan cleared her throat uncomfortably:
"This old woman, oh no, this madam means to say, since we're already here, if we don't stay for a few days, wouldn't it seem like this old woman is afraid of you!"
Lin Qingge, upon hearing this, did not immediately agree. Instead, she lowered her head and sobbed softly, her voice laced with a hint of drama, "Cousin-in-law, you don't need to force yourself. You're even using something as obvious as my husband's good looks, which anyone with eyes can see, as an excuse."
Madam Yan, seeing this, immediately extended her hands in a gesture of entreaty: "Hey, hey, hey, it's not an excuse, he really is too good-looking. How about you stay and teach this madam how to pray and kowtow in which direction to beg for such a handsome husband?"
Unable to resist Madam Yan's enthusiasm, Lin Qingge reluctantly nodded: "Alright, if Cousin-in-law insists, then my husband and I will trouble you at your residence."
...
Lord Yan, feeling as though his head was covered in the vast steppes of Hulunbuir with a verdant hue, could only endure in silence due to his 'guilty conscience,' grinding his rather hard molars with ferocity.
Meanwhile.
Lin Qingge, having been ushered into the house, belatedly realized that King Wucheng was not in the backyard. However, on second thought, King Wucheng, as a prince and the de facto ruler of this northeastern camp, wouldn't need to lower himself to personally oversee the situation, even if he considered Lord Yan a thorn in his side.
Glancing at the steward who followed her in and stood with his head bowed by the door, Lin Qingge confirmed that he was likely an informant sent by King Wucheng to monitor Lord and Madam Yan. Perhaps not just the steward, but everyone in this mansion, except for Lord and Madam Yan themselves, were King Wucheng's pawns.
As Lin Qingge analyzed the situation, Madam Yan's expression turned cold. With clear displeasure, she ordered the steward, who was still standing by the door: "What are you still dawdling for? My niece's husband, who is more beautiful than a celestial being in a painting, must be thirsty and hungry after his journey. Aren't you going to quickly bring out all the delicious food and drinks? This madam intends to drink with her niece's husband until we're both drunk tonight!"
...
Although the steward was startled by the ethically perverse yet strangely satisfying method of revenge, which seemed to imply 'Your mother slept with my husband, so I'll sleep with your husband too,' he still managed to maintain his composure with his strong psychological fortitude. He bowed his head in agreement and then retreated to make preparations.
Besides the steward, there were also maids serving at the door. Madam Yan's eyes darted around, and she suddenly grabbed Leng Ningyue's hand. "Oh dear, look at your niece's husband's delicate hands, they're all dry and chapped from the wind! You there, quickly go to the inner room and fetch my treasured skin-moisturizing cream for my niece's husband!"
Although the man was a bit shockingly lewd, Madam Yan had a notorious reputation. Even after arriving at the northeastern camp, she couldn't help but make playful remarks whenever she saw a handsome young man outside. Therefore, her actions did not attract the attention of the maids by the door.
"Tsk, look at your clumsy self!" Madam Yan said with a look of disdain, then stretched her neck and shouted outside: "Lord, why don't you hurry in and help your adopted daughter find some moisturizing cream for our niece's husband!"
Lord Yan, feeling utterly exasperated and cornered, with a dark expression crossed the threshold and resignedly walked towards the inner room. However, as soon as the curtain of the inner room fell. The two, having finally connected after much effort, let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Lord Yan, what exactly is going on? Where is Yan Tinghao?"
"King Wucheng suddenly returned from the capital, I was caught completely off guard, and now I'm in this situation, being under house arrest." Lord Yan explained nonchalantly. He then looked up at his 'daughter's' displeased gaze and couldn't help but smile wryly: "I was indeed careless this time. Actually, it wouldn't have come to this point, but I never expected that there would be a traitor among the subordinates who followed the old King Zhennan through countless battles."
"A traitor?"
"This person not only stole several firearms blueprints that I had presented to the late emperor but also, in my absence, tied up several other generals and seized control of the military power of the Zhennan King's mansion."
Lin Qingge, feeling that this was utterly preposterous, twitched her mouth sharply: "So, while you were coming to deal with King Wucheng, your own home was being stolen by someone else?"
Lord Yan did not directly answer Lin Qingge's question. Instead, he cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice a few decibels: "That dear niece, the bottle you're looking for is incorrect. I remember Madam saying the moisturizing cream should be in a white porcelain bottle with a orchid pattern!"
After speaking, Lord Yan lowered his voice and continued: "That spy seems to have reached some kind of agreement with King Wucheng. He is using the Zhennan King's mansion's troops to assist King Wucheng. Upon success, he will be appointed as a general and ennobled. As for why King Wucheng risked being severely beaten by Nannan to capture Hao'er, it was to cover for that spy. This way, not only can I be confined to this place, but it also prevents the new emperor from noticing the significant support of the Zhennan King's mansion."
After listening to Lord Yan's explanation, Lin Qingge looked at his unusually ruddy face and blurted out without thinking: "Lord Yan, aren't you really throwing yourself into the net voluntarily?"
"Uh—"
The moment their eyes met, there was a brief pause. Until Madam Yan's impatient urging voice came from outside. Lord Yan, while busily agreeing, began to grumble softly: "Really, the younger generation nowadays has no respect for their elders. After all, I am an elder, don't I have any dignity? But then again, I wonder what kind of stimulus King Wucheng received. He has been dormant for years, and now is clearly not the best time to act, yet he is hastily consolidating his forces. If I didn't know that the Grand Emperor had passed away many years ago, I would almost think King Wucheng is suddenly making such a move for revenge."
"Heh heh."
Lin Qingge, vaguely guessing the reason, pulled at the corner of her mouth. She didn't bother to correct him but instead changed the subject: "Lord Yan, do you know the whereabouts of Yan Tinghao?"
"King Wucheng sent someone to inform us that Hao'er is in his hands, and that my wife and I should remain quiet these days, not daring to leave the mansion a single step. Although we haven't seen Hao'er yet, they sent his sword and the token of his identity as the Zhennan King. If Hao'er has truly fallen into King Wucheng's hands, given that he once had a betrothal with Nannan, he wouldn't make things difficult for Hao'er. However, with King Wucheng's suspicious nature, he would surely hide Hao'er in an extremely secret place."
...
Lin Qingge did not understand where Lord Yan derived his confidence, to be so sure that King Wucheng, his predecessor, would treat his current son well. After all, wasn't the hatred for the killer of his mother and the夺妻之恨 irreconcilable?