"Don't ask, there's no reason. His Majesty is in good health, and the young master is exhausted from learning so much every day that he has to rest early and doesn't have time for a midnight snack." Eunuch Ma simply made up a story.

Fu Gui scooped up a fish ball and put it in his mouth. The fish ball was delicious and fragrant, even better than bird's nest.

He shook his head regretfully and said, "It's a pity that the young master didn't get to eat them. I've never eaten such delicious meatballs before. Tomorrow I'll serve the young master a late-night snack early so as not to disturb his sleep."

"No, if you disobey the Emperor's decree, even your master can't protect you," Eunuch Ma strongly advised.

Seeing his master's serious tone, Fugui nodded hurriedly, "Fugui will obey His Majesty's decree."

...

Xiao Jingzhao left the inner palace and headed towards his study. Just as he opened the window, several dark figures descended from the sky and landed under the eaves outside the window.

"Reporting to Master, the people from the northern desert are speaking in their dialect, as if they have differing opinions." Xiang Song said, pulling down his black mask to reveal his entire face.

Xiao Jingzhao nodded slightly, "The amount involved in exchanging seeds is huge, so it's normal for them to have internal disagreements."

He looked up at the other guards, "Any news about the others?"

The guards bowed and replied, "No."

"Among the Liang envoys, there is a man surnamed Mou who maliciously speculates about the Emperor's thoughts and doubts the authenticity of the Liang Crown Prince's presence in Wanling." The speaker was a secret guard who was hanging an upside-down bell under the eaves of the post station.

Xiang Song picked up the conversation, "Master, could that person be one of Mo Ziyan's men? Should we send someone to keep an eye on him?"

Xiao Jingzhao raised his hand. "No need. If we keep too close an eye on them, we'll alert them and make it seem like we're trying to hide something. Let them be."

“What you say is absolutely right. He is a Liang citizen, so his perspective is naturally based on the interests of Liang. We cannot conclude that he is Mo Ziyan’s man just because of this.”

Xiao Jingzhao nodded in agreement, "A dog that bites may not bark. We'll make arrangements after the other envoys have left."

After the guards reported and withdrew, Xiao Jingzhao asked Xiang Song, "Any leads on the case of the unidentified female corpse outside the city?"

Xiang Song looked up and met Xiao Jingzhao's probing gaze. "Reporting to Master, she is a prostitute. Prostitutes have complicated interpersonal relationships, so it is not easy to investigate. The Prefect of the Capital has not been idle for a moment and has found out the list of customers that woman has been in contact with in the past six months, but there is still no clue."

Xiang Song was puzzled. There were countless murder cases in the capital, so why did the Emperor send him to the Prefect of the Capital to investigate this case?

Xiao Jingzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Let me remind Lord Lu not to always focus on those men who seek pleasure. Investigate who else that prostitute has been in contact with."

Xiang Song was enlightened.

Yes!

Men buy sex for pleasure, mostly engaging in casual sex with prostitutes in brothels, and have no need to harm anyone's life.

The person is not in the city. If they were to elope with someone, it would be out of mutual affection and would not result in murder or legal trouble. Obviously, it has nothing to do with romantic love.

Seeing Xiang Song standing there in a daze, Xiao Jingzhao simply pointed out the direction, "Check if she has had any contact with servants or maids from wealthy families."

"Understood."

Xiang Song suddenly realized that what his master cared about was not the case itself, but the person behind it.

The most suspicious individuals are the nobles of the capital who dared to take lives so recklessly.

In the latter half of that night, a clap of thunder exploded over the capital.

Prefect Lu was not awakened by spring thunder, but by a piece of paper that bounced in through the window.

Taking advantage of the lightning streaming in through the window, Lu Zhizhou glanced at the large characters on the crumpled paper and was instantly jolted awake.

...

The light rain pattered against the banana leaves outside the window, the sound soft and lingering.

Jiang Shuyue stood by the window and slowly pushed it open, a breath of fresh air rushing in.

She stretched her arms lazily. "Finally, there's a hint of spring. It's so nice."

Just then, Qiuju, who had been waiting in the outer room, came in. "Miss, did the spring thunder last night disturb you?"

Jiang Shuyue turned around, "I was sleeping too soundly, I didn't hear you."

Last night I organized information on growing vegetables, making several copies, and didn't go online to rest until almost midnight.

The sound of spring thunder could normally be heard in the space, but she was so tired that she didn't hear it at all.

Lan'er carried Xue'er in from outside, and Jiang Shuyue quickly went up to take her and held her in her arms.

She gently stroked Xue'er's soft body, "Silly girl, were you scared last night? Don't go to sleep in the flower hall by yourself anymore."

Xue'er raised her head and stretched her neck, trying to rub against Jiang Shuyue's face.

Jiang Shuyue lowered her head and let it rub against her vigorously, and the two of them reconciled.

“Miss, I was careless last night and closed the doors and windows of the flower hall when I left. Xue’er must have been frightened last night.”

Seeing how hard Xue'er was trying to please her mistress, Lan'er could easily imagine that the little brat must have been frightened.

"Miss, go wash up quickly, and try on your wedding dress after breakfast."

Qiuju just met the embroiderer in the corridor. The embroiderer said that the young lady and her son-in-law's wedding clothes are finished and will be delivered over for them to try on in a while. If there are any parts that don't fit, they can still be altered.

Jiang Shuyue reluctantly put Xue'er down. Outside the window, the light drizzle gradually turned into a misty drizzle.

Jiang Shuyue secretly wondered when Nangong Zeyue would return.

As the wedding date drew closer, Jiang Shuyue felt inexplicably nervous.

Jiang Shuyue was preoccupied with her thoughts. She couldn't taste anything during breakfast.

When the embroiderer brought over the wedding dress, Jiang Shuyue put aside her chaotic thoughts.

The festive bright red color, with its delicate and intricate embroidery, is absolutely gorgeous. The shawl is like the flowing clouds in the sky, and the outer garment is made of extremely soft and thin scarlet silk.

The auspicious cloud patterns on the lapel and sleeves are interspersed with acacia flowers, symbolizing a long and happy marriage for the bride and groom.

The phoenix spreading its wings behind the embroidered robe is lifelike.

Due to time constraints, Jiang Shuyue instructed the embroiderers not to embroider the entire piece, but simply to outline the shape with gold thread.

Everyone hurriedly helped Jiang Shuyue put on the wedding dress.

Qiuju's eyes lit up. "Miss, you look absolutely gorgeous! It fits you perfectly. If you wear the phoenix crown with you, the groom won't want to leave the bridal chamber."

"puff!"

The embroiderer and Lan'er burst out laughing at her words.

Jiang Shuyue glared at Qiu Ju playfully, "Is it really that exaggerated? Is the young master some kind of lecherous scoundrel obsessed with beautiful women?"

"Miss, don't worry. I've been through this before. You'll see what your husband is really like when you're on your wedding night."

"You...you don't talk nonsense. Lan'er and they are not married. Don't try to scare them."

Jiang Shuyue blushed deeply after Qiu Ju's inappropriate words.

Seeing that Lan'er and the embroiderer's faces were as red as monkey bottoms, she scolded them coquettishly.

"Oh! That's not what I meant. The groom isn't a real wolf, so what's there to be afraid of? Sometimes men are like children; they become incredibly obedient if you give them a little sweetness."

Qiuju said to herself, and Lan'er was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear on the spot.

The embroiderer blushed and carefully checked the wedding dress for anything missing.