Chapter 67: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is looking for someone?
What's this sudden enthusiasm?
Song Lingyi was still confused when she heard the old lady say, "I often come to Jingjue Temple to worship Buddha. I invited your old lady to come before, but you didn't come. How come we came together today?"
Guan smiled sweetly and said, "What a coincidence! I heard that Jingjue Temple is very accurate in finding a partner, and Erlang still hasn't found a husband. As a mother, I'm naturally worried. Today, I specially asked my wife to accompany me to the mountain to pray."
After saying that, Guan gave Xiang a look, signaling her not to just stand there and say nothing.
Xiang's eyelashes drooped slightly as she said calmly, "The old lady went up the mountain to worship Buddha and stayed there for several days. I'm afraid the little girl can't stay. It's a good thing Ling'er also came up the mountain with me. The two children are of similar age, so they will definitely be able to chat together."
The old lady heard the hidden meaning in the words of the two sisters-in-law, and her smile faded a little. "Lingyi, this is Miss Pei's first time to Jingjue Temple. Please show her around."
Song Lingyi glanced at the Pei family and nodded in response, "Yes."
The morning mist shrouds the mountains, and Buddhist music lingers in the air from the temple.
Two little girls walked side by side on the moss-covered bluestone road, with towering ancient trees on both sides. The wind blew the leaves off, making rustling sounds.
Perhaps out of awkwardness, the two of them hadn't spoken to each other the entire way. Song Lingyi didn't consider herself an introvert, but Pei Ling was different. Besides the entanglements of her parents' generation, they were also being compared to each other by outsiders. Pei Ling didn't necessarily like her, and his willingness to travel with her was probably due to the elders' request.
When they reached a pavilion, Song Lingyi was the first to step in. She leaned against the wooden railing and took a deep breath of the fresh air after the rain, her expression relaxed.
Pei Ling sat quietly, staring at the girl's back as she stretched.
It wasn't a good idea to stay so awkward. Song Lingyi turned around, leaned against the railing with her back, and asked, "How old is Miss Pei?"
"fourteen."
This was the first sentence Song Lingyi heard the little girl say. Her voice was clear, cold and tender, which matched her appearance very well.
"I'm almost seventeen, you have to call me sister."
The girl's voice was filled with a hint of joy, extremely contagious, and echoed in the little girl's ears. Pei Ling's eyes moved slightly, and she thought of her aunt's instructions before leaving, and gently called out, "Sister."
Song Lingyi didn't expect Pei Ling to be so obedient. She smiled awkwardly and said, "I didn't get a chance to talk to you last time at the Pei family banquet. I haven't even thanked you for calling a doctor for me."
"Sister is a guest, this is what I should do." Pei Ling said lightly.
Song Lingyi looked at the little girl's upright sitting posture and felt that she was quite similar to Pei Zhao. Both brother and sister were very serious.
The atmosphere fell into silence for a moment.
Pei Ling lowered her eyes and twisted her handkerchief nervously with her hands: "Sister... are you planning to stay in Jingjue Temple forever?" She always kept her aunt's instructions in mind, and not only did she change the topic abruptly, but her tone was also very stiff.
However, Song Lingyi was careless and didn't hear it.
"Grandma is only staying at Jingjue Temple for a short time. I probably won't be able to stay for long either."
"What I mean is...Jueshui County has beautiful scenery. Would you like to go for a stroll with me, sister?"
"Well..." Song Lingyi frowned in distress.
The little girl was at the age when she loved to play, so it was normal for her to want to find someone to play with. However, she had promised her grandmother not to run around, so if she wanted to go down the mountain, she had to ask her grandmother for permission.
Pei Ling seemed to be afraid of being rejected, and her eyelashes fluttered with nervousness.
After hesitating for a while, Song Lingyi smiled and said, "Okay!"
"But I have to tell my grandmother that my sister will wait for me here."
Pei Ling's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she smiled faintly and nodded: "Yes."
In a moment, the lotus-colored figure disappeared from the mountain path and came to the outside of the Buddhist temple. He peeked inside, but did not see the figure of his grandmother, nor did he see the two aunts of the Pei family.
Just as I was wondering where they had gone, I heard a conversation from the other end of the corridor.
The old lady and the two aunts of the Pei family walked slowly over. Seeing the girl outside the Buddhist temple, the old lady waved and motioned her to come over.
"Why are you alone? Where's Miss Pei?"
The girl's dark eyes curved as she shook the old lady's arm, saying in a sweet and coquettish voice, "Grandma, I heard that Jueshui County is very picturesque. I want to go and see it. I'll only spend half a day there and I'll be back before the twilight hour."
The old lady glanced at the Pei family sister-in-law calmly and sighed, "You are a very lively girl. If you are asked to sit in the Buddhist temple all day, wouldn't that suppress your nature? Go."
"Thank you, Grandma!"
The joy in the girl's eyes was about to overflow. She turned around, lifted her skirt, walked down the stone steps, and trotted towards the pavilion.
"You have seen that my granddaughter is lively and active, while Jianzhi is calm and steady. I wonder if the two of them can get along well." The old lady looked at the lotus-colored figure, with a hint of sadness lingering between her brows.
Guan immediately smiled and said, "Jianzhi is usually a bit dull, but when two people are together, there should always be one who is active and the other who is quiet. If their personalities are too similar, it will be hard to get along with each other."
The speaker may not intend it, but the listener may take it seriously.
Xiang Shi on the side didn't say anything, but her face was obviously a little gloomy.
…
Imperial City, Eastern Palace.
Summoned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xuanfeng happened to run into the Minister of Justice who was waiting outside the door for the eunuch to report.
The two men exchanged greetings, and soon Feng Tong emerged from the Mingde Hall, bowing his head and saying respectfully, "You two lords, please come in together. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is waiting."
The hall was bright and magnificent. Xuanfeng and the Minister of Justice entered the hall together. They lifted their clothes and knelt down to salute.
The man at the top said without even looking up: "Alright, stop kneeling."
"Xuanfeng, the person I asked you to investigate is still missing?"
Xuanfeng knew he had failed, so he lowered his head and replied, "Your Highness, I have sent people to search Xuancheng, but there is still no trace of Miss A Li. I beg Your Highness to punish her."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is looking for someone?
The Minister of Justice was shocked. He had heard a few rumors before, but he didn't expect it to be true. Who was this "Miss A Li" that the Crown Prince paid such attention to?
Xiao Mingyi put down the wolf hair brush, leaned back in his chair, and cast a heavy gaze at the two people below the stairs.
"I will settle your sins later."
"Minister Zhao."
The Minister of Justice bowed and said, "I am here."
"How's the investigation into Shi Tao's case going?" Xiao Mingyi asked in a deep voice.
After the Second Prince forced the emperor to abdicate and rebelled, Emperor Xuanyuan moved to the temporary palace, and the Crown Prince was appointed Regent, assuming absolute power. Initially, fearing unrest within the government, he did not immediately purge the Second Prince's followers. A few months ago, the Crown Prince, under the pretext of thoroughly investigating corruption, purged a number of officials who had served the Second Prince in name only and had previously been loyal to him, and also pardoned a number of officials who had been honest officials.
Shi Tao, a former military officer, was not only a member of the Second Prince's entourage but also implicated in the embezzlement of military equipment. After the Crown Prince assumed the throne, he fled the capital and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Embezzlement of military equipment is a serious crime that cannot be forgiven lightly, so Xiao Mingyi directly ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate, and the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice also came today for this matter.
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