Chapter 208 The Missing Gilded Earring...

Was Emperor Hongren truly at ease?

He was still muttering to himself, trying to convince himself.

But he hesitated, looking left and right. Finally, he reluctantly came up with a reason for himself: "...This is a brother I haven't seen in eight lifetimes who got into trouble. He's not a close friend or family member. It won't do."

"Cui De, go and arrange another event, whether it's gold and silver or fame and fortune... to properly test the people around Prince Rui. If it succeeds, then expose it to Prince Rui." Emperor Hongren narrowed his eyes and gave the order in a deep voice, unconsciously stroking the rim of his teacup.

This idea originated when the princes were still cultivating smallpox in the restaurant.

The second son seems excessively kind; he won't even bring a few extra servants with him. He refused all offers of help from the manor, leaving only two people by his side! A master so concerned for his servants, neglecting his own well-being for their sake—can this really lead to anything great?

Emperor Hongren harbored deep suspicions about this, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.

He did not want his successor to be soft-hearted, no matter how talented the person was, he would only be fooled by his subordinates and those cunning old devils from the previous dynasty.

It's good that you care about the people. But servants are like that; if they deserve to die, just replace them with a new batch. The Second Prince doesn't understand this! How can you be an emperor if you're not ruthless?

Emperor Hongren pondered and pondered, and decided that once his second son was born intact, the test could begin.

"……yes."

Cui, the envoy kneeling below, moved slightly. The surveillance camera captured his head bowed, his expression a complex mix of emotions.

The surveillance cameras also captured Qi Chengming's entire scene: "..."

Old Deng!

It turns out that Emperor Hongren was the one who orchestrated this death by fishing for justice!

What does that mean?

They've been testing him as their heir; now it's his turn to be tested on whether he can bring himself to purge those close to him who have committed offenses.

The problem is that none of the people around him have committed any crimes yet!

Human hearts cannot withstand testing, especially not the testing of an entire feudal dynasty's rulers. What if Emperor Hongren's actions really caused trouble for one of his close associates? Would he have to thank Emperor Hongren for losing a trusted confidant for nothing?

Because of the system's assistance, Qi Chengming did not have such strong suspicions about his subordinates.

"Your Highness?" Nurse Liu called out worriedly.

She saw that the young man suddenly seemed to remember something, his chest heaving with anger. He clenched his fists tightly, but even so, he showed no intention of smashing or breaking things to vent his anger.

"It's nothing," Qi Chengming said slowly, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "The palace must have intervened in this matter. Let's leave it at that. Wet nurse, go and clean up the mess. Let's not make any rash moves after this."

Tragically, Qi Chengming discovered that even knowing the truth, he couldn't prevent Emperor Hongren from testing him.

He didn't know when the probing would begin, or how many rounds of probing would follow. He couldn't possibly remind everyone around him to be on their guard, lest trouble come knocking later. With so many people, if even the slightest hint of something slipping through their fingers or in their actions reached Emperor Hongren's ears, Qi Chengming himself would be in danger.

as well as……

Qi Chengming knew that if something really went wrong, no matter how it happened or who it was, he would have to execute Ma Su with tears in his eyes.

The boy's complexion was really bad.

The wet nurse hesitated, then could only agree. She vaguely sensed that His Highness understood something, perhaps guessing the identity of the person behind this matter, but His Highness was unwilling to speak…

Nanny Liu only dared to think this far ahead; she dared not think any further.

Her harrowing experience in the palace taught her the true meaning of self-preservation.

She took her leave.

Now that the matter was settled, Nanny Liu took the silver to the pawnshop, intending to redeem everything from that day.

"Madam, the price isn't the same as before with the ticket. Are you sure you want to buy it?" the pawnshop clerk reminded her.

The ration coupons are now a hot commodity; they sell for one price, but if you want to buy them again, the price will only double.

The wet nurse had anticipated this. She shook her head sadly, hesitating to speak, "Just redeem the rest."

She herself had accumulated a sum of vouchers, which His Highness would occasionally give her as a token of respect, brought back from Liuzhou, and she hadn't had time to spend them yet. Of course, Liu's wet nurse dared not acknowledge such a grand title as "respect." She had already planned before coming to the pawnshop to return these vouchers to Gan Tang.

The pawnbroker quickly found the pearl ring that Lady Hua had given her, along with other odds and ends belonging to Nurse Liu, by referring to the contract. He paused at the last item: "An old gold-plated earring? Madam, that's already been sold."

The wet nurse was stunned, instinctively realizing something was wrong, and her heart sank slightly. An angry expression appeared on her face as she argued, "Shopkeeper, I pawned it! It's all clearly stated in the contract, how can they sell my things before the due date has even passed?"

The shop assistant didn't quite understand either, but after glancing at the ledger and finding no record of a buyer for the earring, he became arrogant and immediately scolded, "Why do you care so much! Go away, we still have to do business. You should be happy if someone buys that junk!"

The shop assistant slammed his hand on the counter, tossing down a few coins, which added up to a little over two taels of silver: "If you're smart, you'll take the compensation and go wherever you want, and keep your mouth shut. Tch—you'd be losing money buying that pendant for this little bit of silver!"

Two burly pawnshop waiters heard the commotion and approached with unfriendly expressions.

“…You, you’ve gone too far!” Nanny Liu’s heart sank even further. She grabbed her things and was driven out of the pawnshop in a sorry state, crying and sobbing, her face showing a look of swallowing her anger.

She didn't go to the Zhang family's residence, nor did she return to the Prince's mansion. Instead, she went to the Qi residence, where her adopted daughter, Tian Ya, lived. His Highness had already arranged her identity and background here; even the surrounding households were all from the Prince's mansion.

"Godmother, are you alright?" Ya-jie asked worriedly, supporting Liu-nanny and patting her back to help her catch her breath. She had long since changed her form of address, from "aunt" to formally recognizing her as a godmother.

Another maidservant, sensing the situation, quickly brought over a cup of tea, which Liu, the wet nurse, drank in one gulp, her chest still pounding wildly.

She let out a long sigh of relief, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "...I remember now."

She remembered when she had lost the other gold-plated earring.

It was near the time when she was about to be banished from the palace. She vaguely remembered that one day she was still wearing those earrings—because the Third Prince had been praised highly by the Emperor in the Imperial Study. Everyone in the Prince's quarters was treated to a delicious meal that day.

The wet nurse, Liu, shamelessly pleaded her way into getting a portion, her mouth nearly dry from talking so much. She dared not recall the sarcastic and difficult remarks she had endured. In the end, she received the portion and hurriedly took it back to give to His Highness.

She was still wearing it that day.

But just two days later, the Third Prince found fault with her and banished her from the palace. When she returned home, Liu, the wet nurse, cried as she checked her bundle, only to discover that one item was missing... She didn't know when it had fallen or if someone had taken it.

The wet nurse was lost in thought.

She always knew that she might have offended someone, which was why she was not only banished from the palace, but also faced a deadly danger when she tried to go to Liuzhou to find His Highness. However, no matter how much Liu the wet nurse tried to recall or rack her brains, she couldn't figure out what she had done or who she had offended.

Before today, Nanny Liu had never suspected that the earrings she was wearing had any connection to anything.

but……

Who would buy a mismatched old earring from a pawn shop? The earring was very plain, with little craftsmanship, an old-fashioned style from over ten years ago. The gold chasing wasn't even solid, just a thin layer; it probably wouldn't even cost as much as it did from the pawn shop.

Who would want this earring? Who could make the pawnshop clerk's attitude change so drastically?

Nanny Liu instinctively felt that something terrible had happened. She waited anxiously, wishing she could immediately return to the Prince's mansion and tell him everything. But Nanny Liu remained calm, waiting until there was a soft knock at the back door. A servant went to open the door, and it was her neighbor—a servant of the Prince's mansion—who cautiously lowered her voice and asked:

"The person who was watching in the shadows has left. Are you alright, Madam?"

"Phew..." Nanny Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, smoothed her disheveled hair that she had just returned from her escape, and dared not be careless. "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhao. Can I use your carriage? I need to return to the Prince's mansion to see His Highness immediately."

After a short while, Qi Chengming, who was about to leave, got off the carriage he had just harnessed and returned to the study with Granny Liu.

This time it was Xiao Chengzi's turn to guard the goal.

Chestnut sat by the door making knots, glanced up, and wondered to herself, "...What are they busy with?"

The prince has been acting strangely lately, often talking to his wet nurse in the study. Is this to show that he hasn't grown tired of her yet? Or... is there something going on behind the scenes?

Chestnut, quick-witted as ever, made his guesses.

Xiao Ju glanced at Ban Li silently, then looked away as Ban Li turned her gaze back, her brows furrowed, and exchanged a look with Xiao Chengzi, the gatekeeper.

After hearing all the details, Qi Chengming remained vigilant. While pondering, he tapped his knuckles on the desk and instructed, "I'll have someone investigate that pawnshop. First, we'll track down that earring. Nanny, think carefully these days… Where might the other earring have gone? Where were you during that time?"

"I'll find someone in the palace... and inquire about what happened back then." Qi Chengming made up his mind. "Nanny, you should stay out of the way and avoid trouble."

He thought of Song Gu, Dai Xiyu, and Cui the Secret Agent. If all else failed, he would have to ask the Sixth Prince for help. In the palace, Qi Chengming's influence was negligible, ultimately no match for the Sixth Prince.

But this was a last resort. Qi Chengming didn't want the Empress to know about this, and he didn't know if the person who did it was related to the Empress.

So... who would specifically buy that earring?

Qi Chengming, being a transmigrator from the modern era, immediately sensed something ominous upon hearing the news—for example, the group that had hunted down Liu the wet nurse hadn't been found yet. They didn't want Liu the wet nurse to pass on any information to the original owner of this body, the Second Prince.

So, bringing up the old story again, what important information did Nanny Liu possess back in the palace that she herself didn't know?

"Yes," the wet nurse replied hesitantly, understanding the prince's meaning.

Who knows, someone might try to kill her again soon.

"Sigh..." Qi Chengming sighed softly, opened the study door, and stepped out.

Lately, he's been burdened with a multitude of worries, all piling up at once, leaving him somewhat exhausted. Qi Chengming had just gone out to find the Sixth Prince's study companion, surnamed Mao, to inquire about evidence of the palace's plot to murder Consort Hua years ago.

Is this the capital city, a place of intrigue and treacherous intrigue?

It's really hard to get used to! Qi Chengming misses the carefree days he had when he was still in Liuzhou more and more.

The young prince eventually led his entourage out the door.

The sound of horses' hooves pounded the muddy ground, and the people by the roadside instinctively parted to make way. Qi Chengming realized that no matter how much time passed, he could never get used to the roads of the capital, and to make matters worse, the idea of ​​rebuilding the sewers was rejected by Emperor Hongren.

All the recently available tasks on the infrastructure panel were stalled because Qi Chengming couldn't accept them. Returning to the capital was different from being in the vassal state; the Hongren Emperor above him was only interested in his profitable shops.

Qi Chengming gazed at the tall and majestic ancient city in the distance, and couldn't help but feel frustrated as he thought—

The more tasks he completes with this infrastructure system, the more the rewards align with his expectations. Previously, he was only involved in small-scale projects across a few states. If he successfully seizes the throne and becomes emperor, and dedicates the nation's resources to infrastructure development, will there be rewards... that allow him to return to the modern world?

Qi Chengming didn't know, but he prayed from the bottom of his heart.

I really don't want to work in this lousy place anymore!

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Author's Note: If my subjects found out, the sky would fall! hhhhh