After leaving Ranshui Pavilion, Lu Fusu sat on the carriage and looked at the street scene outside the window.
Sand and dust rose up under the feet of pedestrians, fogging the transparent red sunset.
Although he grew up in the capital, he had never walked on the streets of the capital by himself and could only move freely in the palace.
When going out, you must sit in a carriage.
Although I had toured various places before, I had to sit in a carriage before leaving the capital.
...I really wish I could walk freely on the street, even just once.
Thinking of this, there was a sudden pain in the depths of his eyes, as if he had been pricked by a needle.
"...?"
He looked away and blinked.
Nothing unusual, maybe dust got into my eyes.
Lu Fusu blinked two or three times and unconsciously held his left arm with his right hand.
The carriage drove into the downtown area from the outskirts of the capital. More and more people were walking on the street, and everyone was walking in a hurry. The imperial guard riding beside the carriage reported to him that they would soon arrive at the palace city.
After a while, the gate of Miyagi appeared in front.
I wonder if Shui Xinyuan has returned to the palace?
at this time……
When the carriage was about to enter the palace city, it stopped in front of the gate.
"What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, Mr. Zhuge... No, Mr. Zhuge requested to stop the car."
"What?"
Lu Fusu opened the window, stuck his head out, and found Zhuge Qing standing in front of the carriage.
He looked up at Lu Fusu and squinted his eyes in the sunset.
"It's so rare. Why did you come to greet me?"
"...Excuse me, the emperor has just returned to the palace and came to bother me. Could you please ask the emperor to come to your humble residence?"
"Your home? Go to your home?"
"right."
Zhuge Qing opened the carriage door with a solemn expression and sat in.
"Because the situation is urgent, please allow me to go with the emperor."
"What happened?"
"Today is really not a good day. I was transferred to my father's yamen and was used as a punching bag by someone. Even my wife's best friend disappeared..."
"……What did you say!"
...Zhuge Qing's wife's best friend...
When Lu Fusu's eyes widened, the carriage had already returned to the direction of Jingcheng Street.
…
A group of forbidden soldiers came to Chunhua Street as Shui Xinyuan's entourage. They originally planned to wait in the box where the noble ladies were having dinner, or in the box next door, but the people in the store said that the box on the first floor had already been reserved by guests, so they
Plan to stand by in the hallway.
The maid of the Han family also said that soldiers in armor walking up and down the corridor would scare other guests and attract more attention, so they were driven to the second floor.
"The geishas in that shop are all on the second floor... With those geishas preening around, how could the accompanying soldiers not be distracted?"
"...Is that why you didn't notice the movement downstairs?"
"They said that before they heard Chunxiang yelling, they heard no unusual noises, at least there was no big fight downstairs that would alarm the people upstairs."
"It's really too negligent..."
"They are just a bunch of trash! They should look at the Queen's face, not those noble ladies. These people don't understand the situation at all..."
Compared to the empress who treats everyone with courtesy, those Imperial Guards feel that they are more likely to get into trouble if they don't listen to the orders of the domineering nobles... Zhuge Qing said angrily.
"Even if those people are trash, shouldn't someone usually be posted outside the store?"
"That's the problem……"
Zhuge Qing had a bitter look on his face and was a little hesitant in speaking.
The carriage drove at an astonishing speed on the busy street and headed straight for Zhuge's house.
"Didn't those aristocratic ladies just announce the location of the dinner this morning?"
"Yes, before I prepare to go to court."
"They notified the Central Publishing House later that the official responsible for escorting the Queen did not expect that they would meet with the Queen at a store on Chunhua Street. When they hurriedly went to convey the news, the name of the store they mentioned was not Hongyuan Tower. He said it was Ziwei Tower."
"..."
Lu Fusu's cheek twitched suddenly.
"On Chunhua Street, there are both the Red Kite Tower and the Ziwei Tower. The crape myrtle is a purple whorl, and the Red Kite is a lighter red flower... There are many stores with similar names on Chunhua Street, and these two stores are special.
It’s easy to make a mistake. Moreover, the official responsible for escorting the escort insisted that what he heard was Ziwei Lou, maybe it was also the trick of the nobles..."
"So there is no censor monitoring that store?"
"In short, it stands to reason that the invitation location should be notified in writing, but we were too careless."
"...It's all my fault that I was looked down upon by those guys."
When Lu Fusu muttered in pain, the carriage shook hard and stopped.
Lu Fusu got off the carriage in front of Zhuge's house and followed Zhuge Qing quickly into the house.
"In addition, there is someone who knows what happened in Hongyuan Tower..."
"...The man from Sanhu Village?"
They quickly walked along the corridor and came to a room. In addition to Qing'er and several officials from Zhongshu Province, there were also soldiers from the Zhuge family looking at a man with his hands tied behind his back.
Lu Fusu walked straight towards the man and grabbed his chest.
"...Are you the gardener?"
Ziwei frowned in pain and shook his head.
"I, I don't know anything, I really don't know... I don't know... Ah, Shui Xinyuan ran away suddenly..."
"Shut up!"
Lu Fusu was furious and Ziwei was so frightened that he could not speak.
"You are not allowed to call Shui Xinyuan's name again. Only I can call her name."
"..."
Ziwei finally realized who he was facing. He was so frightened that he trembled all over and rolled his eyes.
"Zhuge Qing."
Lu Fusu stared at Ziwei with sharp eyes and said calmly: "I discovered something. I have never beaten anyone, but I have killed someone... Which is easier, beating or killing?"
"...Well! Practice makes perfect in everything..."
"Your Majesty, please don't start killing people here, otherwise it will be troublesome to clean up afterwards."
Lu Fusu slowly turned his head when he heard the voice of Qing'er, the best friend Shui Xinyuan was thinking about for a while who was pregnant with Liujia, restraining his anger.
Qing'er nodded to him, but her face was paler than usual.
"Besides, I've already punched this bastard twice."
"..."
Lu Fusu then discovered that the gardener's left cheek was swollen.
"Qing'er... don't do anything easily. What if the child in your belly becomes violent?"
"My son would not be so heartless and not angry when encountering something like this."
Zhuge Qing pressed his forehead, while Qing'er stared at Ziwei with tearful eyes and gasped through her nostrils.
"Do you want to sit down first? I heard from Chunxiang that this bastard should not be the only one who needs to be tied up and tortured."
"Right……"
Lu Fusu pushed Ziwei away heavily, sat on the chair pointed by Qing'er, and breathed out.
"You can sit down too! I have no intention of coming to your house to disturb you when you are pregnant."
"No, rather than find out later, I would rather share the burden with the emperor now."
Qing'er said, "I'm sorry for being rude, little girl." She also sat down on the bench.
"Hey... take this guy out and keep a close eye on him."
Under Zhuge Qing's instructions, the soldiers of the Zhuge family and the officials of the Zhongshu Province dragged the limp Ziwei to the next door. At this time, Li Yuezhen and Chunxiang walked in.
When Chunxiang saw Lu Fusu, she knelt down on the spot.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, my servant..."
Chunxiang tried her best to hold back her tears. The wound on her cheek was unbearable to see.
"Are you hurt?"
"She jumped off the carriage in order to notify Li Yuezhen. However, fortunately, she informed Li Yuezhen in time."
After Zhuge Qing reported to the emperor, Li Yuezhen also knelt down next to Chunxiang.
"The Empress was invited by eight people including the wife of Han Shizhong from her sect to go to the Hongyuan Building on Chunhua Street for an appointment..."
Li Yuezhen briefly explained how Chunxiang was locked in the kitchen after being called out of the box, and how the queen suddenly rushed out of the store when Ziwei was talking to the queen in the corridor.
"At present, twelve supervisory censors have been dispatched to conduct an investigation on Chunhua Street, centered on Hongyuan Tower."
"...After they sent someone to lock Chunxiang into the kitchen, Shui Xinyuan rushed out of the box. After that, did all the noble ladies also escape together?"
"I don't know the reason, but it seems to be the case."
"Why would the gardener go there?"
"A subordinate of a nobleman told him that as long as he went to Hongyuan Tower, he could see the Queen."
Zhuge Qing, who had his arms folded, answered instead of Li Yuezhen.
"...The noble's men?"
"A few days ago, a man in armor stopped the gardener in the palace and said that his master wanted to see the gardener. After the gardener followed him, he saw a masked man wearing clothes in the garden behind the Rising Sun Palace.
Very sophisticated. That man seduced the gardener into rescuing the Queen."
Lu Fusu frowned in surprise, and Zhuge Qing shrugged.
"According to the well-dressed man, the empress was forced by the emperor to become empress, but because she grew up in the countryside and did not understand the etiquette and rules of the palace, she lived in a very miserable life in the palace, which was unbearable.
If no one takes her to escape from Miyagi, she will be miserable for the rest of her life..."
"……What?"
Lu Fusu glared hard, while Zhuge Qing hurriedly waved his hands.
"I didn't say that."
"I know...who said it?"
"I just asked the gardener what the characteristics of the armor on the envoy sent by the noble were, but the gardener's memory is also very vague, and he has not yet targeted a clear target. However, only the noble's family soldiers can freely enter and leave the capital, and they wear uniforms and
The Imperial Guards have different armor, so the well-dressed man must be a noble."
After Li Yuezhen finished speaking calmly, the room was silent for a moment.
"...Then what? So, the gardener thought he was a hero and wanted to rescue the unfortunate queen, so he went to that restaurant?"
"The maid brought by the noble lady told the Queen that Chunxiang had fainted, so the Queen rushed to the corridor and met the gardener who said he would take her to escape with him..."
Everyone present knew that even if the gardener made such a request, Shui Xinyuan would flatly refuse it.
"The gardener was kicked violently by the Queen and was pushed down."
There was a large bruise on the gardener's calf... Zhuge Qing imagined the pain and couldn't help but frown.
"Did Shui Xinyuan think the gardener was taking her away, so she ran away?"
"I thought so at first, but for a man who fell to the ground after being kicked and pushed, the queen didn't need to run away at all... Moreover, I don't think the queen would leave Chunxiang alone..."
"..."
When Shui Xinyuan heard that Chunxiang had fainted, he immediately rushed out of the box.
Even though Ziwei was talking nonsense, Shui Xinyuan flatly refused and kicked him again. Logically speaking, he should go check on Chunxiang's condition immediately.
If Ziwei's testimony is believed, Shui Xinyuan suddenly fled the store, which means that an emergency occurred at that time that forced her to leave Chunxiang behind.
"...Is the gardener hiding something?"
"The emperor glared at him so viciously just now. If he still dares to hide it, he will be eating the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's courage..."
Someone knocked on the door, and a middle-aged censor walked in.
"Excuse me, the gardener said something important."
"What's up?"
"When the gardener was pushed down by the Queen, there was a man standing behind him. When he fell, his back hit the man..."
The censor explained through body language that the gardener and the man fell to the ground together.
"The gardener didn't notice someone standing behind him before, but he remembered that the Queen seemed to have glanced behind him before kicking him..."
Lu Fusu and Zhuge Qing immediately looked at each other nervously.
"Where's that man?"
"After being knocked down by the gardener, he stood up and chased the Queen in the direction where she ran away."
Chunxiang covered her mouth with her hands and took a breath.
"Should...should we go after the Queen?"
"No, the man chased him out of the back door, but soon another man turned back and ran out of the front door..."
"...So, this means that the Queen was not captured by him?"
"Shui Xinyuan ran very fast," Qing'er said loudly, looking back at Zhuge Qing and said: "Shui Xinyuan ran away. She must have noticed that the man was trying to harm her, so she left Chunxiang behind and didn't have time to shout.
Help……"
At this time, there was the sound of a chair falling to the ground.
Lu Fusu stood up.
"...Has anyone seen Shui Xinyuan nearby?"
"The investigation is ongoing, but there are currently no clues and the search scope will be further expanded."
"Zhuge Qing, can I go to Chunhua Street to see you in person?"
"...I understand the emperor's mood, but can you please ask the emperor to wait for news at my home before dawn?"
Zhuge Qing looked at Li Yuezhen and asked for his opinion. Li Yuezhen also shook his head.
"Chunhua Street has the largest number of people after sunset to midnight. Officials who know the emperor may see the emperor. Therefore, it is best not to go there before dawn when the guests are gradually leaving."
"Before that, I'll leave it to you..." Li Yuezhen said and bowed to Lu Fusu.
Indeed, if the rumor of the emperor's appearance in Chunhua Street at night spreads, the nobles who are still resentful of the abolition of the harem will definitely be ecstatic and demand the restoration of the harem again.
Moreover, if it was known that the queen disappeared again after the Xishen Pass incident, it would be even more detrimental to Shui Xinyuan.
"..."
Lu Fusu gritted his teeth and couldn't help but smack his lips.
"I won't go for the time being. I will hand it over to the imperial censor for investigation. I will ask them to report back at any time on the situation at Hongyuan Tower."
"good……"
"Then I'll take a step forward and investigate the situation on the spot."
After Li Yuezhen finished speaking, she stood up. The dejected Chunxiang raised her head and said, "Please take me with you, sir."
"Chunxiang, you..."
"Please...if I hadn't left your side, this wouldn't have happened."
Chunxiang was once kidnapped together with Shui Xinyuan, and she realized that no matter how much she cried, she could not change the situation.
She clenched her fists, opened her eyes wide, and held back tears with all her body.
Li Yuezhen looked back at Lu Fusu.
"We need someone in Hongyuan Building to integrate the next news."
"It's up to you!"
Li Yuezhen bowed to Chunxiang and left together with the middle-aged censor.
Lu Fusu, who could only wait here for the time being, sighed deeply and closed his eyes.