So that's how it is. The original owner was led to the Imperial Flower Pond by an unfamiliar palace maid. The maid said that His Highness Prince An wanted to see her, and she happily followed her. However, the palace maid then left her there alone.
She had only been standing there for a short while when she was suddenly pushed into the pool from behind. She didn't see who did it.
Later, Princess Ruoling's people rescued her and took her to her palace to change clothes and freshen up. The original owner asked Princess Ruoling if she had seen the person who harmed her, but Princess Ruoling remained silent at the time.
After arriving at the palace banquet, she told her stepmother, Fang, about the matter, hoping that Fang could talk to the Empress Dowager and find out who had harmed her.
But Fang said that it was the imperial palace, with guards and imperial soldiers in every corner. Who would dare to harm someone in the imperial palace? She must have slipped and fallen into the water herself.
Fortunately, she was unharmed. If something had really happened, not only would she have lost her life, but the entire Duke Zhenguo's mansion would have been implicated. She was even warned never to tell anyone about this, because if His Highness Prince An found out, he would definitely not want to marry her.
So, the naive original owner actually believed it and never mentioned it to anyone again.
Seeing that Lu Xiaoyun remained silent, Ruoling assumed that her fourth brother still couldn't let go of Ren Yong'an, and she was so anxious that she almost cried: "Fourth brother, what Ruoling said is true, and my maid saw it too."
"Fourth Brother, you've been away from Shengjing for ten years. Ren Yong'an is no longer the Ren Yong'an you used to know. I even saw her slap a maid once because of a maid's unintentional remark. She's so fierce. Ruoling has never seen that maid since then."
Ruoling looked at Zhu Yu on the bed and said, "The current Fourth Sister-in-law is a good one, Fourth Brother, really, Ruoling is not lying to you. Some of the rumors in Shengjing City are not to be believed."
Lu Xiaoyun chuckled and patted Ruoling's head: "Don't worry, Fourth Brother won't marry her."
By this time, the servants had already set out the dishes. Lu Yuyan leaned casually against the door frame and gently knocked on the door: "Gentlemen, it's time to eat."
Lu Yuyan glanced at the three people inside the house, then led Princess Ruoling to the courtyard first.
Lu Xiaoyun helped Zhu Yu get dressed, only to realize that he was missing a cloak for going out.
"I can't just put the quilt on Zhu Yu, can I?" Lu Xiaoyun thought for a moment, then took off her black cloak and draped it over Zhu Yu: "Shall I help you?"
Zhu Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of his lips curved up. He pulled the cloak, still warm from Lu Xiaoyun's touch, closer and carefully tied the straps. He then repeated his previous act, stretching out his arms: "Hold me, I have no strength left."
Lu Xiaoyun sighed. "Fine," she said, bending down to pick him up. "Get well soon!" she said through gritted teeth.
Zhu Yu smiled faintly: "Okay."
A bamboo couch was placed on the table, and Li Feng had thoughtfully laid out a soft cushion. Lu Xiaoyun gently laid the person down and was about to sit down on the other side when Zhu Yu tugged at her sleeve: "Your Highness, please sit here."
Lu Xiaoyun glanced at the small hand tugging at her sleeve, Ruoling looked at her, and Lu Yuyan, who was dividing the chopsticks, also glanced over.
Lu Xiaoyun had no choice but to sit on the stool next to Zhu Yu.
Lu Yuyan's gaze swept over Zhu Yu's face, a slight smile playing on his lips. He picked up the fruit wine and, without making a sound, poured wine for the other two people besides Zhu Yu.
Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Lu Yuyan. These fruit wines weren't actually very strong. Even though Zhu Yu was injured, drinking a little wouldn't be a big problem. In fact, since the original owner was severely cold-natured, it would help warm his stomach.
He probably figured something out too.
The meal was very enjoyable, with lots of chatting and laughing. The guards and secret agents of the Prince An's mansion suddenly realized that the once cold and aloof mansion had become more and more human since the prince woke up from his serious injuries.
After the meal, Lu Xiaoyun was about to escort Princess Ruoling back to the palace.
A guard whispered a few words in Jiang Chuan's ear.
Jiang Chuan waved for everyone to leave, then approached Lu Xiaoyun and said, "Your Highness, there are bandits roaming around Xizi Forest outside the capital."
Even during the Lunar New Year, there are still bandits.
Has the palace received the news?
"Yes, His Majesty has also received the news and ordered the Five Cities Garrison to go there."
"Whom did you rob? Were there any casualties?"
Jiang Chuandao said, "It is said that a wealthy merchant from Luohe City was robbed. The bandits killed everyone and stole several cartloads of valuables."
"knew."
Seeing that Lu Yuyan was helping Princess Ruoling get fruit wine, Zhu Yu lowered his voice and said to Lu Xiaoyun, "Take some men and go take a look. These bandits are too rampant. They even dare to kill and rob in the capital, Shengjing. If you find any clues, you can inform Liang Zhiyun, the commander of the Five Cities Garrison. He knows what to do next."
Lu Xiaoyun had also intended to make the trip, and said, "Okay, then I'll take you inside to rest."
"No need, just let Li Feng help me into the house."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded and prepared to leave.
Zhu Yu suddenly grabbed her hand, using it to help him stand up. His gaze was fixed on her face as he pursed his lips and said, "You must be careful. Just observe the situation and don't get into a conflict with those bandits. If there's any danger, run away."
"good."
"Take more people with you. I personally selected the guards from the Prince An's mansion. They are all highly skilled in martial arts. Let them protect you."
"OK."
Seeing that Princess Ruoling had already taken the wine, she said to Lu Yuyan, "Ayan, you accompany Ruoling back to the palace. I need to go out of the manor for a while."
Lu Yuyan agreed.
Princess Ruoling asked worriedly, "Fourth Brother, I just heard that bandits in Xizi Forest killed someone and robbed them. So you're going there, right?"
Lu Xiaoyun nodded.
Princess Ruoling pursed her lips: "Then, Fourth Brother, you go. But you must be careful. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. I heard that you can't use force for the next few years. Those bandits are extremely vicious, so you must protect yourself and bring more people with you."
Lu Xiaoyun laughed and said, "Fourth Brother is not going to catch bandits. The Five Cities Garrison is responsible for catching people. I'm just going to see the people who were killed and see if I can find any useful clues."
Lu Xiaoyun gently rubbed Ruoling's head: "Don't worry, Fourth Brother will be fine."
Ruoling said worriedly, "Then you should bring more people with you, just in case."
"Okay, Fourth Brother will listen to you."
Lu Yuyan helped Ruoling into the carriage, then turned to look at Lu Xiaoyun and said softly, "Be careful."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded.
Lu Yuyan mounted his horse and slowly walked beside the carriage, heading towards the palace.
Lu Xiaoyun had Xi Yi select twenty highly skilled royal guards, who then rode off to Xizi Forest.
Half an hour later, deep in the West Forest, twenty or thirty corpses lay scattered about, surrounded by arrows and blood, a horrifying sight.
The officers from the Five Cities Garrison had already come and inspected the area before leaving to investigate the bandits.
Lu Xiaoyun looked around and saw a carriage lying to one side, its body riddled with arrows.
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