Qi Xu did not stay in the City Affairs Office for too long.
Just after noon, he left the City Affairs Office and changed to a low-key carriage to Jingping Lane.
"Your Highness has arrived just in time. Lunch is ready. Please take a seat, Your Highness."
Gao was as polite as usual, showing the proper etiquette of a concubine paying respects to a distinguished person.
Qi Xu would never accept her courtesy, so he quickly moved aside, folded his hands and returned the courtesy, saying, "Madam Wei, I am sorry to bother you."
As he spoke, he ordered his men to present the gifts they had brought. It was a whole cart of silver frost charcoal, which was relatively rare in the north, and several whole sheep that had just been slaughtered and looked very fresh. They were obviously from the northern grasslands and most likely transported from the northern barbarians.
"What does your highness mean?" Gao glanced outside and saw the things being carried into the yard.
"I came here today not only to tell Miss Wei the results of last night's investigation as promised, but also to apologize."
"If it weren't for me, Miss Wei wouldn't have been targeted by the assassins from the capital."
Qi Xu's tone was sincere and his eyes were full of regret.
As he spoke, he took out a long flat wooden box from his bosom, opened the lid and pushed it forward, "These are two prescriptions for nourishing the spirit and replenishing the energy passed down from the palace. Please ask Mr. Yu in the mansion to take a look. Maybe they can be useful to Miss Wei."
The secret recipes of the palace are never passed on to outsiders, and their value cannot be measured by gold or silver.
Thinking of her daughter's appearance when she came back last night, and thinking carefully about the effects of the two prescriptions, even though Gao didn't like the man in front of her very much now, she had to admit that he had done an impeccable job.
"Your Highness is thoughtful."
Gao's attitude remains the same.
Respectful with a hint of politeness.
Qi Xu couldn't help feeling uneasy when he heard this. He always felt that the way Gao looked at him today was a little different from the past.
It was as if he could see through him completely.
This guilty feeling deepened after Wei Yunlan walked in from outside the hall.
Fortunately, at this time, the servants of the Wei family also came in one after another and brought lunch to the table.
There was no such thing as men and women sitting at different tables at the border, and Qi Xu and the Wei family had become very familiar with each other. Except for little Jiarong, who had been coaxed to sleep by Cheng Yue'e, and Wei Maolin, who was on duty at the City Affairs Office and had not yet returned, all the people from the Wei family in Beiguan City were sitting at the table.
Qi Xu felt completely at home sitting at the round table, as if he were a member of the family.
Little Jiayan pointed at the chicken in front of him and introduced it enthusiastically: "Sir, the spices stuffed in the chicken's stomach were brought back by my aunt from the northwest. They are mixed with mushrooms and stuffed into the chicken's stomach. It has a unique flavor. Come and try it!"
His martial arts master was Qi Xu, who was known as "Mr. Xiao" at the time.
When we met again in Beiguan, he still addressed me as "Sir".
Qi Xu liked this title very much, at least it seemed much more intimate than "Your Highness".
It seemed to have shortened the distance between himself and the Wei family. Compared to the cold and icy imperial family of Dayong after the death of his grandfather, the atmosphere of the Wei family was obviously more desirable to him.
Otherwise, he might not have taken so much time to escort the Wei family all the way north.
Qi Xu convinced himself in his heart, and the guilt he felt before seemed to have lessened a lot.
After lunch, the faint scent of cypress was burning in the hall.
Cheng Yue'e took little Jiayan to take a nap, leaving only Qi Xu, Wei Yunlan, Gao Shi, and Wei Mingxuan in the room.
Gao guessed that Qi Xu was preparing to tell the results of the investigation into what happened last night.
However, she was somewhat reluctant to leave her daughter and Qi Xu alone in the hall.
On second thought, I felt that I was too narrow-minded. When it comes to family and national affairs, how can there be so much love between young people?
"Mingxuan, take me to see the homework Mr. Hu assigned to you." Gao stood up and found an excuse.
Qi Xu said bluntly, "Madam Wei, there is no need to avoid it. I do not want to hide this matter from you and Lord Wei."
There was a flash of surprise in Gao's eyes, and she sat back down after having just moved the chair away.
As for Wei Mingxuan, who had already walked to the door, she gave him a look and instructed him to leave.
It's not that I'm worried that Mingxuan won't keep his mouth shut, but when it comes to matters involving palace secrets, the less you know the better.
There were only three people left in the hall. Wei Yunlan broke the silence and asked, "Have all the people in that group been killed?"
"Thanks to Heiyun's help, we searched the area within a radius of 20 miles around Huifengting and didn't miss anyone." Heiyun's nose was more useful than the scouts specially trained by his men, saving them a lot of time.
Last night, there was a fish pretending to be dead in the ruins of Huifeng Pavilion. Heiyun smelled it out at once and bit him on the neck.
Gao and Wei Yunlan listened carefully.
Qi Xu continued, "The Northern Army discovered a group of barbarians lurking in the valley near the border."
"From the Qiulin tribe."
Just five words almost revealed the truth of last night's accident.
"Qiu Lin Nanxing..." Wei Yunlan sighed in his heart and couldn't help but sigh for the resolute man in front of him.
Involving Qiu Linbu and Qiu Lin Nanxing, if nothing unexpected happens, the group of killers last night who were obviously from the capital should have been instructed by the Queen Mother.
Facing Wei Yunlan's worried look, Qi Xu shook his head slightly, "Miss Wei, don't worry. I no longer have any feelings for her."
Listening to the conversation between the two, the confusion in Gao's eyes gradually turned into shock.
She also had speculations about the mastermind behind the visitors from the capital, and it was undoubtedly someone related to the Dayong royal family.
But among the imperial family of Dayong, there is only one person that King You can use the word "Rumu" for...
There seems to be only one.
"Is it... someone sent by the Queen Mother?"
Gao spoke the word "Empress Dowager" very lightly.
As a court lady and former member of the Tianshi Mansion, Gao had attended several palace banquets. In her impression, the Queen Mother was an extremely kind and gentle woman.
Of course the royal family is ruthless. How could someone who can always sit firmly on the throne of queen or queen mother be a simple person?
Gao could guess that the Queen Mother was not as "kind" as she appeared to be, but she never imagined that she was so cruel and ruthless as to lay hands on her own grandson.
Even if she has privately sided with the Second Prince, both Prince You and the Second Prince are her grandsons, and are her bloodline with the late emperor, aren't they?
"Mother."
Wei Yunlan whispered, "Young Master Nanxing of the Qiulin tribe may be the Queen Mother's bloodline."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Xu nodded and continued, "The current one is not of the Queen Mother's bloodline."
"When my grandfather was not in the palace, the Empress Dowager and Concubine Liu gave birth to children at the same time. The little princess born to Concubine Liu who died young must have been born to the Empress Dowager."
Qi Xu's tone was flat, as if he was talking about someone else's family affairs.
However, these two sentences caused a huge storm in Gao's heart.
It turns out that the current emperor is not the Empress Dowager's biological son.
Then King You was naturally not the Queen Mother’s biological grandson.
No wonder the Queen Mother dared to take such ruthless measures to eliminate King You!
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