Chapter 46 The woman in the portrait has evil intentions towards him
In order to marry Song's father, Song's mother had caused such a strained relationship with her family that the Pei family must have felt ashamed.
"Although the two families haven't married, their relationship is still very good." Lu Yu's almond-shaped eyes sparkled, as if filled with spring water. "Some time ago, my father received news that someone in Xuancheng had seen you, so Pei's second son volunteered to go to Xuancheng to look for you!"
"……"ah?
Song Lingyi curled the corners of her mouth. It turned out that her "fate" with Pei Jia Erlang lay here.
In this case, she has to thank this Erlang of the Pei family.
"This Erlang of the Pei family is very different from my brother. He is a legitimate young man from a noble family. He is gentle and talented. Many noble ladies in Kyoto are attracted to him!" Lu Yu said.
"Does that include you?" Song Lingyi said lightly, holding her snow-white cheek.
Lu Yu suddenly felt shy, covering her slightly hot cheeks and said, "No, cousin, don't tease me!"
"By the way, there will be many young masters from aristocratic families attending the banquet. Grandmother wants to arrange a marriage for you in Kyoto, right? Cousin, take a closer look. If you find someone you like, just tell Grandmother directly."
Song Lingyi remained calm and said, "We'll talk about it later."
…
At the morning court today, Emperor Xuanyuan issued an edict to hand over the power of regent to the crown prince.
In order to rest and recuperate, Emperor Xuanyuan moved to the Yaoquan Palace, and all government affairs in the court were decided by the crown prince.
After Xiao Mingyi came to power, he immediately allocated funds to help the people in the eastern disaster-stricken areas, and sent officials from the Censorate to inspect the eastern disaster-stricken areas to prevent local officials from embezzling disaster relief funds.
Then he sent an official to convey a message to Baohua Temple to bring the empress back to the palace.
Ever since the Crown Prince was ordered to suppress the pirates, the relationship between the Emperor and Empress had deteriorated. Empress Shen, deeply disappointed with Emperor Xuanyuan's incompetence, moved to Baohua Temple, claiming to be praying for the country, and remained there for two or three years.
The sun was setting in the west, and the rosy glow enveloped the imperial city.
Xuanfeng, wearing the robe of a fourth-rank military officer, strode across the Jinshui Bridge and headed towards the East Palace.
As they walked outside the East Palace, they heard a creaking sound. The attendant pushed open the carved wooden door, and several officials from the Ministry of Personnel came out, all of them with red faces and sweating profusely.
As they were officials in the same dynasty, Xuanfeng couldn't help but greet each other and exchange a few pleasantries.
Emperor Xuanyuan had been absent from court for many days, and the officials had inevitably slacked off in their work. Today, the Crown Prince questioned them, and they couldn't answer several questions. Although the Crown Prince didn't criticize them harshly, they felt ashamed and left with their sleeves covering their faces.
Xuanfeng scratched his cheek, looked at the closed palace door, pondered for a moment, and asked the attendant beside the prince.
"Your Highness is in a bad mood today?"
The attendant whispered, "I dare not speculate on your Highness's thoughts. However... all the ministers summoned today left with bitter faces."
Xuan Feng hissed.
"Sir, please go in quickly. His Highness has been waiting for you." The attendant urged.
The carved wooden door opened and Xuanfeng stepped into the hall.
The hall was quiet and cold, with only the rustling sound of pens writing.
Xiao Mingyi sat behind the ebony desk, busy at his work.
Unlike the cold and majestic black robe he wore on the night of the birthday banquet, today he was wearing a crimson jacquard gauze robe, a jade belt and a golden crown, and his cold and handsome face had a touch of gentleness like jade.
Xuan Feng lifted the hem of his official uniform, bowed slightly, and made a salute: "Your humble servant pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
The hall was silent for a few moments before the figure busy at the desk finally looked up.
"Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Xiao Mingyi held the wolf-hair brush, dipped the tip of the brush in the cinnabar in the inkstone, and continued to review the memorials.
"How's the investigation going for you?"
Xuan Feng buried his head and replied with a guilty conscience, "Your Highness, I have not yet found the whereabouts of Miss A Li."
The rustling sound of writing stopped.
The man behind the ebony desk raised his head and looked over, his gaze heavy and substantial.
"It's been two days, and we can't even find a little girl?"
Although the tone was very light, Xuan Feng's heart tightened for no reason. He continued with a stiff upper lip, "But I have found some clues."
Xiao Mingyi flipped open a new memorial, scanned it quickly, and said lightly, "Tell me about it."
"On the day Miss A-li ran away, the Jingzhao Prefecture searched the city with a portrait that bore a striking resemblance to Miss A-li. It was said that a young master from the Duke of Jin's residence had reported the incident, alleging the woman in the portrait was plotting against him, and ordered a city-wide search for her."
The hand that was flipping through the memorials paused.
Xiao Mingyi slowly raised his eyes, "Plotting something bad?"
Given that girl's trouble-making nature, it's possible that she could do it.
The young master of the Duke of Jin's Mansion seemed to be called Lu Qian. I had seen him several times before leaving Beijing. He was a lively person and loved to stir up trouble, just like that girl.
"However, Jingzhao Prefecture didn't find the person. The young master only sent people to urge once, and there was no follow-up investigation. Jingzhao Prefecture speculated that the woman in the portrait should not have entered the city." Xuanfeng said.
Xiao Mingyi leaned back in his chair, his posture casual and relaxed, his long fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Go and make arrangements. I need to see Lu Qian."
"yes!"
Xuanfeng bowed and left the hall.
The red glow outside the window gradually condensed into purple light. Candles were lit in the hall, stretching the shadows behind the ebony table very long.
After finally finishing reviewing the pile of memorials, Xiao Mingyi breathed a sigh of relief and raised his hand to rub his sore brow.
The attendant brought over a cup of hot tea and whispered, "Your Highness, you haven't rested since the morning. No matter how busy you are with government affairs, you must take care of your health. The Empress will return to the palace in two days. Seeing how hard you work, she must be worried."
The attendant's name is Feng Tong. He has been serving the prince since he was young. He is deeply trusted by the prince and Empress Shen and is the number one eunuch in the Eastern Palace.
Xiao Mingyi drank a sip of hot tea and asked, "Did Xuanfeng send any news?"
"Your Highness, Master Xuanfeng went to the Duke of Jin's Mansion but didn't see anyone. I heard from the servants that the young master probably went to the Jinzun Tower to drink. Why don't you wait until tomorrow—"
Before he finished speaking, the man behind the desk suddenly stood up.
"Your Highness, are you going to leave the palace now?" Feng Tong was surprised.
Xiao Mingyi glanced at him quietly, as if annoyed by his talkativeness.
Feng Tong tactfully kept silent, not saying anything more. He silently watched as His Royal Highness walked to the antique display case, pulled out a scroll from the stack, and walked out of the hall with it in his hand.
As dusk fell, candles lit up like stars in various places across the imperial city.
Before the keys of Donghua Gate were locked, a luxurious black lacquered flat-roofed carriage rumbled out of the palace gate and headed towards the east of the city.
Jinzunlou is the largest restaurant in the capital. Those who can consume here are all dignitaries in the city. Even at night, the restaurant is still bustling.
The carriage stopped at the gate and a servant immediately came forward to greet him warmly.
Xuan Feng, who had changed into casual clothes, showed his pacification badge and asked, "Is the young master of the Duke of Jin's mansion here?"
The servant hesitated for a moment, then caught a glimpse of someone getting off the carriage from the corner of his eye.
The man brushed off the wrinkles in his robe, revealing a noble aura. The servant immediately knew he was not a simple person and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I will show you in right away."
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