Fang Guancheng said weakly: "If... the official knows, he will definitely... tell the prince, but the official... really doesn't know!"
"You!" Hong Zhou was so angry that he slapped him hard on the face, but he had no choice but to say in a cold voice: "Fang Guancheng, if the emperor and the queen are harmed in the slightest, I will force you to die!"
Fang Guancheng lay on the ground without saying a word. Wang Wei came over and said: "Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to find the Emperor and Queen as soon as possible. According to the wishes of my subordinates, we should send people to search immediately. As long as they are still in Hangzhou Mansion, we will definitely
Can be found!”
Hong Zhou took a deep breath and said in a cold voice: "That's all we can do. Wang Jiu, tell me what I say, and immediately seal the gate of Hangzhou Mansion, no entry or exit is allowed, and then send everyone to search Hangzhou Mansion, and no one will be leaked."
Now, we must find the emperor and queen."
"I obey!" When preparing to go down, Wang Jiu hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, such a big move may alarm the palace and the Queen Mother..."
"You just do your own thing. I will try to hide it from the Queen Mother!" After he went down, Hong Zhou stared coldly at the bloody Fang Guancheng on his back and said in disgust: "Drag him to the woodshed.
If he passes the test, feed him ginseng soup and send people to watch him. Don't let him die. Then go find the person who is good at punishing you and make sure to force him to tell the truth!"
After receiving all the instructions, Hong Zhou and Wang Wei each mobilized all the people they could send to search from house to house, and they were bound to find the whereabouts of Hong Li.
Wang Jiu's guess was correct. Such a big move really alarmed everyone in the palace. When the lanterns were first lit, Ling Ruo sent someone to find Hong Zhou and ordered him to go to the back hall for questioning.
What is supposed to come, can never be escaped...
Hong Zhou followed others to the back hall, where Ling Ruo was worshiping the Buddha. After waiting for a while, he saw Shuixiu helping her out. He immediately bowed and said, "I have met the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother be safe and sound."
"No courtesy!" Ling Ruo sat down and took Shuixiu's hand, and said slowly: "The Ai family heard that you ordered the Hangzhou government to close the city gates and conduct house-to-house searches. Is this possible?"
"When I got back to the Queen Mother, it was indeed true. However, the person who gave the order was not the minister, but Wang Wei, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. There were gangsters in the Hangzhou mansion. He was afraid that the thieves would alert the emperor, so he wanted to catch them and didn't want to disturb the Queen Mother.
, it really shouldn’t be.”
Ling Ruo twirled the Buddhist beads on her fingertips and said, "The emperor and the queen have left the palace for a few days to play, aren't they coming back yet?"
Hong Zhou lowered his head and smiled: "It is said that there is paradise above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Hangzhou is so picturesque that it is the most beautiful in the south of the Yangtze River. How can we visit all of it in a few days?"
"Perhaps, but the emperor has never been a person who loves to play and enjoy himself. During the two southern tours, only a very small amount of time was spent playing. The rest was spent inspecting the public sentiments, river embankments and coastal defenses." After a pause, Ling
Ruo spoke again: "Hong Zhou, how do you tell the Ai family where the emperor has gone? Is today's search related to the emperor?"
"Where have you been thinking, Queen Mother? How could this matter be related to the Emperor? It is indeed..." Before he could finish speaking, Ling Ruo had already said: "Although the Ai family is old, they are not confused yet. You are the Ai family
Looking at you growing up, do you think the Aijia will not be able to tell whether what you are telling is the truth or a lie?"
Hong Zhou quickly knelt down and said bravely: "I dare not lie to the Queen Mother. It really has nothing to do with the Emperor."
"Okay!" Ling Ruo said the word slowly, and then said: "Yang Hai, go and tell Wang Wei, Fang Guancheng, Li Shihui and other Hangzhou officials to come to see the Ai family. The Ai family would like to ask if things are as they should be.
What Prince He said is that there are criminal thieves who are bringing trouble to Hangzhou."
Upon hearing this, Hong Zhou hurriedly said: "Queen Mother, can't you even trust me?"
Ling Ruo ignored him and only said in a more serious tone: "Go and pass it immediately!"
Hong Zhou was extremely worried. Once Ling Ruo sent someone to tell the story, he would know the truth immediately. He was afraid that things would get worse. When he saw Yang Hai approaching the door, he said, "Wait a minute!"
Yang Hai stopped and turned to look at Ling Ruo, who said coldly: "How about it? Are you willing to talk to the prince?"
Hong Zhou knelt down with a look of helplessness and said, "Please forgive me for the crime of deception!"
"Say!" Faced with Ling Ruo's pressing questions, Hong Zhou had no choice but to tell the truth. When he finished speaking, Ling Ruo had a look of shock on his face and said in horror: "What did you say? The whereabouts of the emperor and the empress are unknown.
?”
Hong Zhou lowered his head in shame and said, "Yes, I failed to protect the emperor and empress, and I deserve death!"
"You..." Ling Ruo stood up suddenly, caressed her chest, and said quickly: "How dare you hide such a big thing from the Ai family? How brave you are!" She guessed that something was going on, but she didn't expect it to be so serious.
, the emperor is missing, if he cannot be found as soon as possible, not to mention his safety, even the foundation of the Qing Dynasty will be shaken.
"I just don't want to worry the Queen Mother, and I don't mean to deceive you." After saying that, he hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Queen Mother, now the city gate is closed, and we are searching from house to house. I believe that the whereabouts of the Emperor and the Queen will be found soon, and they will definitely find it.
Safe and sound!"
Ling Ruo snorted coldly and then said, "If the Ai family doesn't ask, do you plan to keep it a secret forever?"
Hong Zhou lowered his head and did not dare to speak. After a while, he only heard Ling Ruo say: "Send as many people as possible to search, and we must find the whereabouts of the emperor as soon as possible. In addition, before the whereabouts of the emperor are known, this matter must not be spread out to avoid panic.
!”
Hong Zhou lowered his head and said: "Please rest assured, Queen Mother, I will definitely find the Emperor and the Queen as soon as possible."
Ling Ruo nodded and added: "In addition to Hangzhou city, we also try to search outside the city. If the Ai family wants to come, if those people really want to harm the emperor, they may go outside the city to do something."
"Yes, I will immediately send more people to search outside the city." After Hong Zhou bowed and retreated, Ling Ruo looked at the swaying candle shadow and sighed deeply.
Shui Xiu saw the worry in her heart and said softly: "Don't worry too much, Queen Mother. The Emperor and the Queen are auspicious and will be fine."
"I hope so." Ling Ruo said worriedly: "After the emperor was deposed, he teamed up with Hongshi to frame him. He went through life and death in Fuzhou several times. After he returned safely, the Ai family thought that they would be safe and worry-free in the future. Unexpectedly, this happened again.
It's okay... if nothing happens, otherwise... the Ai family will not have the face to see the late emperor and the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty after their death!"
"It must be safe and sound!" Apart from these words, Shui Xiu didn't know how else to comfort her.
Ling Ruo sighed again. After telling Yang Hai to wait for news, she ordered Shui Xiu to help her to the Buddhist hall again, hoping that the gods and Buddhas in the sky would bless Hongli and his wife for their safe return.
That night, the city of Hangzhou was full of officers and soldiers. The people of Hangzhou hid in their homes and looked at the officers and soldiers on the street through the cracks in the windows. They were nervous and curious, secretly guessing what happened, and ordered the officers and soldiers to search the city.