Qi Kuan said gratefully: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. If I hadn't happened to meet Your Majesty, I would have died."
"Your life has been saved, but I can't do anything about the person you are looking for." As he said that, he glanced at the sky outside and said: "At this moment, there is still an hour before the palace gate closes. I, the king, let me
Someone has prepared a carriage outside, so you can take the carriage over, otherwise it will be too late after the hour has passed."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." This was the third time Qi Kuan said thank you. Hong Zhou smiled and stood up to leave. When he crossed the threshold, he paused and looked up at the floating clouds on the horizon, "I would like to express my gratitude to you on behalf of my king."
Hello, my master."
When he was about to take steps again, Qi Kuan suddenly said: "Your Majesty, can I ask you something?"
Hong Zhou never looked back, but a voice came, "Say."
After receiving his consent, Qi Kuan lowered his head and said: "Actually, the slave lied about what happened just now. No one stole the slave's purse, but the slave was indeed chasing one person. This person... was the man who delivered Concubine Yu's baby.
Po Liu Erniang."
Hong Zhou turned around in surprise and said, "Po Wen, why are you chasing her?"
Qi Kuan rolled his eyes and said: "The fifth elder brother weighed nine pounds and eight taels when he was born, but then he developed symptoms of vomiting and discomfort. After examination by Imperial Physician Zhou and others, he said that the fifth elder brother was born prematurely and suffered from congenital heart disease.
Difficult to cure. The master learned
After this incident, I felt very strange. Although the fifth elder brother was born one month prematurely, his body was much larger than that of ordinary full-term babies. How could he be insufficient? And he also suffered from such a disease. After thinking about it, the master suspected that Liu Erniang had delivered the baby.
, not doing things
Be careful, something went wrong, that's why the fifth elder brother is like this. Today, the servant came to find Liu Erniang on the order of the master. He found Liu Erniang at Xizhimen. She was taking her husband and son to leave, but was later arrested.
The slave brought it back
Behind the house, he didn't answer the question and looked panicked. Just as the slave was about to ask again, someone suddenly attacked the slave from behind and knocked him unconscious. When he got up to chase him, he had disappeared. As for what happened next, the prince knew
Already."
"Is there such a thing?" Hong Zhou had just returned to Beijing not long ago, and he didn't know much about what happened during this period. He only knew that a little brother had been added to the palace.
Qi Kuan nodded repeatedly and said: "Liu Erniang and his party must have left the capital through Xizhimen. I can't pursue them anymore, so I want to ask the prince to help search. With the prince's identity and ability, I believe there will be a way to find Liu Erniang." Seeing Hong Zhou's expression of hesitation.
, he endured the pain on his head and kowtowed: "I beg you, Your Majesty, to help me. Your servant and master will definitely be grateful for Your Majesty's kindness."
"You get up first." After Qi Kuan sat down on the bed, Hong Zhou said: "Since the imperial concubine has this suspicion, she should tell the emperor about it and ask the emperor to search for Liu Erniang's whereabouts. It would also avoid being so secretive.
.”
Qi Kuan thought nervously: "In reply to the prince, the master is afraid that the emperor will blame her for being suspicious, so she does not dare to speak to the emperor immediately. She wants to wait until Liu Erniang is caught and has a confirmed tone before she can speak clearly."
"Having said that, but..." Hong Zhou raised his eyes and stared at Qi Kuan and said: "Why does the imperial concubine care so much about the fifth elder brother? Based on my understanding of the imperial concubine, she should not be like this."
"This..." Qi Kuan was unable to answer the question. Before he could think of an answer, Hong Zhou said, "Can't you answer it? It seems that what you said is not true."
Qi Kuan did not expect that his half-truths and half-false words could not be hidden from Hong Zhou. The latter's shrewdness and ability to observe Yu Wei were far beyond his imagination.
"Okay, let's go." After saying this, Hong Zhou walked away without stopping. He was obviously very dissatisfied with Qi Kuan's repeated deceptions.
After Hong Zhou left, Qi Kuan sat for a while, then stood up with his still weak legs. After holding the medicine bottle and prescription in his hands, he slowly moved out. A boy saw him.
He helped him all the way to the gate of the palace and got on the waiting carriage. Qi Kuan stepped into the palace gate at the last moment, took a few breaths, found a place to change clothes, and dragged his legs to Yanxi Palace.
Go.
Zhichun was just ordering the small kitchen to pass the food. When he saw Qi Kuan coming in, he hurriedly came over and said, "Why did you come back so late? Have you found anyone? How is it?"
Faced with Zhichun's series of questions, Qi Kuan said feebly: "Where is the master, where is she?"
"Master is preparing to have a meal in Xinuang Pavilion." Zhichun looked at Qi Kuan and said, "Why are you talking like this? Something happened?"
Qi Kuan shook his head and said: "Stop asking, help me go to see the master first."
Although Zhichun was full of curiosity, he still resisted asking questions and helped Qi Kuan to Xinuang Pavilion. Xianyue had just received the emerald white jade soup handed over by A Luo. When she saw Qi Kuan's empty steps and pale face, she said with concern.
: "Did something happen?"
Qi Kuan took Zhichun's hand, knelt down and said, "Master, please forgive me. I failed to complete the errand entrusted by the master and was run away by Liu Erniang."
Xianyue was quite disappointed when she learned that Liu Erniang had not been stopped, but the matter was at this point, and it was useless to talk more, and she believed that Qi Kuan must have tried his best. After signaling Zhi Chun to help Qi Kuan sit down, she said: "What happened?
Speak slowly to me."
Qi Kuan nodded, told Liu Erniang's story in detail, and then said bitterly: "If I hadn't been knocked unconscious suddenly, how could I have let them run away."
A Luo's eyes flashed and he said: "Master, could it be someone sent by Concubine Yu?"
"It's possible." After saying this, she said to Qi Kuan: "Although Liu Erniang escaped this time, there may not be a chance to catch her. You don't have to blame yourself too much; fortunately, you were only injured this time, not
I am worried about my life, otherwise I really don’t know what to do.”
Qi Kuan lowered his head and said: "They are all useless slaves. Not only did they not catch Liu Erniang, but the master also has to worry about the slaves."
A Luo interjected: "Qi Kuan, how did you find the doctor after you fell to the ground? Is there any kind person who can carry you there?"
"I did meet a kind-hearted person, but instead of taking him to the hospital, he went to the palace." As soon as he said this, everyone looked surprised. Xianyue said in surprise: "Prince's palace? You met him?"
Who is it?"
Qi Kuan did not show off, and recounted in detail what he had accidentally pulled into Hong Zhou's robe and what he said after waking up, and then said: "I wanted to use the power of Prince He to help us capture Liu Erniang.
I didn’t expect that Prince He was so shrewd and immediately discovered the problem in the slave’s words.”
Xianyue didn't expect that she had just met Hong Zhou yesterday, and today Qi Kuan was rescued by Hong Zhou. What a coincidence. "Prince He is a very shrewd person, otherwise I would have planned to alienate him from the emperor."