Chapter 257
Upon hearing her words, Yuan Xiu suddenly felt a little disappointed and could only stammer, "Thank you, benefactor."
Looking at his limp appearance, there was no trace of the fierceness he had shown just moments before.
Leng Qiao led the carriage over, and Tao Tao sat down beside it. Turning to look at him still standing there, she couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"
Yuan Xiu's eyes flickered, and he smiled slightly, saying, "This humble monk is going to Luzhou."
Luzhou?
Tao Tao exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence! We're passing through Luzhou anyway, why don't we travel together?"
He shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, female benefactor. This humble monk does not wish to burden anyone. You have already helped me a great deal."
She didn't press him, returned the coins to him, and kept only one, saying, "Take this as a token of my appreciation, and you can take the rest back."
Yuan Xiu stared blankly at the copper coin in his hand. When he looked up again, the carriage had already driven past him and was heading forward.
Suddenly a cold wind blew, and the hood on the corpse behind him fell off, revealing the kind and gentle face of an old man.
"Uncle-Master, we'll be back at Linggui Temple soon."
His voice was light and was quickly carried away by the wind.
The palace of Emperor Jingyong.
Qi Heng, dressed in white, looked much thinner than two days ago, clutching a letter from his uncle in his hand.
Two people stood on either side of him: his personal bodyguard Shen Lin and his secret guard Shen Yu.
Shen Lin looked worried and said somewhat impatiently, "Your Highness, I have said before that Tao Tao is a scheming and jinx. If we hadn't encountered her, would our plans have been ruined time and time again?!"
"Now that the Qiu family has been raided, the ministers who stand on Your Highness's side are being impeached by Duan Gan and the Third Prince under various pretexts. Your Highness, we can't delay any longer. Please give the order quickly."
"His Majesty no longer trusts you. We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom."
If His Highness were to order a rebellion, the Imperial Guards in the capital and the army secretly hidden by the Qiu family would be at his disposal, and the court officials would do everything they could to control the situation in the court.
Instead of being as passive as we are now.
He knew all of this from Shen Lin, and his uncle's letter was also telling him that the time had come to rebel.
Otherwise, he would not only be unable to explain himself to the people who followed him, but he would also never be able to have Xiao Tao again.
Suddenly someone came in from outside the door, "Your Highness, the Princess has arrived."
Qi Heng looked up in confusion, just as Qi Roufu walked in from outside. She was wearing a light red dress and looked radiant and beautiful.
Shen Lin and Shen Yu thought the other party had ill intentions, so they quickly stood in front of Qi Heng.
Seeing this, she smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I have no ill intentions. You are my nephew. Would I harm you?"
He rose, bowed, and asked in a low voice, "I wonder what brings you here, Aunt? After all, these days, many people avoid Yanli like the plague."
Qi Roufu turned around, took the letter from the maid's hand, and handed it to him. "This is from Xiao Tao, who asked me to give it to you."
She wanted to see what was written inside, but the opening was sealed, and she couldn't see the contents unless she tore it open.
She was still thinking that Tao Tao was actually wary of her.
Upon hearing that the letter was from Tao Tao, Qi Heng was overjoyed. He knew that her visit would have a negative impact on her these past few days, and he was both worried about her being hurt and secretly wanted her to come and see him.
He was afraid she would forget him because of this. He was indeed not a good match for her now, but he was unwilling to accept it. They were clearly in love, but Duan Gan deliberately ruined it.
He quickly and carefully opened the seal and took it out to take a look.
After a long while, the corners of his lips turned up slightly, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. The letter was full of encouraging words, telling him not to give up on himself and that as long as he was alive, things weren't so bad.
Yes, as long as you're alive, everything will eventually be resolved.
When he saw the last line, his expression changed slightly. It read: "Yanli, here is a list of court officials who frequented the Chu Feng Pavilion to patronize prostitutes. I only hope it will be of some help to you."
This list, while not solving his predicament, gave him confidence. Had it been useful earlier, it would have been helpful, but now it was too late.
Qi Roufu was curious and couldn't help but ask, "What's written on it?"
Qi Heng put the letter away, cupped her hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you very much, Aunt, for being willing to deliver the letter for Xiao Tao at this critical moment."
She looked him over, a playful smile playing on her lips. She couldn't help but wonder what he would think if he knew that Xiao Tao and she had joined forces to deal with his mother.
Is it anger, disappointment, or collapse?
Either way, it will be far more exciting than your current calm demeanor.
"You're welcome."
Luzhou.
The land is blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery; every corner here is full of poetic charm.
After finding an inn to stay in, Tao Tao and Leng Qiao went out onto the street to look for food.
Tao Tao had always lived in the capital and had never been to such a far place before. Seeing the new things, she was so excited that she couldn't stop.
After just one day, she suddenly felt reluctant to leave. Since she had nothing else to do, she decided to stay for a couple more days.
In the afternoon, the two were eating wontons at a stall when suddenly someone flew out of nowhere and smashed the wooden table in front of them.
Oily soup splashed all over Tao Tao. Looking down at the person lying on the ground howling, she said irritably, "Are you kidding me? Can't you find somewhere else to fight? Why do you have to fight in the street?"
Leng Qiao frowned, walked over, and said, "Miss, are you alright?"
She shook her head, then suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from not far away. Looking in the direction of the sound, she found that the person surrounded by the crowd was none other than the little monk she had seen before.
The man on the ground struggled to get up and tried to rush over to fight, but Tao Tao stopped him.
"You think you can run away? Pay up!"
Tao Tao stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him angrily.
"Get out of my way!"
He had a fierce look on his face and seemed even angrier than she was, showing no remorse whatsoever for damaging other people's property and soiling their clothes.
This appalling attitude instantly enraged Tao Tao. She sneered, stepped forward, and pulled out the dagger hidden behind her back, stabbing it into his abdomen.
He never expected that the seemingly harmless young woman in front of him would actually attack him. When he realized what was happening, he raised the large knife in his hand, but Leng Qiao suddenly kicked him away.
In an instant, half of the wonton vendor's stall was smashed.
The boss wouldn't have it, and stepped forward to argue with her, but Tao Tao stuffed a piece of silver into his hand.
He looked down and his expression changed faster than the weather, his face beaming with joy as he obediently began to clean up the mess.
"Boss, another bowl of wontons, please."
Tao Tao moved to a different seat and ordered another bowl.
"Okay, coming right away."
Those people had the same goal as the people they had met at the tea stall earlier: the corpse on the little monk's back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com