Chapter 357 Who have you taken a fancy to?
The next morning, Li Nanke took the waterway map he had obtained from Li Mu to the Xuan Prince's residence and showed it to Shen Cong.
“Ninth Brother, look, there’s a Shi River here in Ruzhou. Do you remember the note that Consort Wang left behind when she passed away four years ago?”
Shen Cong raised an eyebrow and got up to take a long, rectangular wooden box from a drawer under the small table.
Inside the wooden box was a wax pellet, and inside the wax pellet was the note left by Consort Wang.
Four years have passed, and the charred marks are still visible. Two of the three characters on the surface are clearly visible: "Chen Wang" (辰王).
There is also a blurry "师" character at the end.
He gave the note to Wang Youxiang, who investigated it secretly but found nothing, so he sealed the note and gave it to Shen Cong.
"Do you think this character might be the '浉' in '浉河' (Shi River)?"
Shen Cong asked.
Li Nanke nodded.
“We’ve been investigating for years but haven’t found any clues about this note, but Xie Xuanxiao said that Qin Wei has been active in Ruzhou recently.”
Since he appeared in Ruzhou, and in such a furtive manner, he must be doing something shady.
I immediately thought of the note left by Consort Wang. "Ninth Brother, look closely at this character. The part blurred by water really looks like the character '浉'."
“I have a strong intuition that there must be some truth to our investigation in Ruzhou.”
Shen Cong made a decisive decision.
"I need to go to Ruzhou immediately to investigate this personally."
Li Nanke then got up.
"I want to go too."
Shen Cong frowned.
"No, we don't know what the situation is in Ruzhou yet. What if there's danger..."
Li Nanke puffed out his cheeks.
"It is precisely because there is danger that I must go. I have studied martial arts with Master Nangong for several years, so I am not so weak that I cannot even kill a chicken."
And if any emergency arises, I might even be able to help. You... Ninth Brother, have you forgotten that I can tell fortunes?"
Shen Cong snorted.
"Fortune telling? Do you really think I'm stupid?"
Li Nanke stuck out her tongue.
The divination was just a pretext; she and Shen Cong both knew the truth.
"If Ninth Brother doesn't take me with him, I'll go by myself secretly."
She insisted.
For some reason, when Shen Cong said he was going to Ruzhou, her heart inexplicably panicked, and the scene of Shen Cong's tragic death in front of the imperial mausoleum in her dream instantly came to mind.
Therefore, she had to go to Ruzhou with them.
Shen Cong had no choice but to sigh.
"Alright, go back and pack your things. We'll set off this afternoon."
Li Nanke's anger turned to joy.
"Okay, I'll go back and pack my luggage now."
Back at the Marquis's residence, she told Song Yi and Li Mu that Yunqi Tower had a business deal that required a trip to the south.
"I will be back in eight or nine days at the earliest, or a month at the latest. I will take Master Huang and Master Nangong with me, so please don't worry, Father and Mother."
Over the years, Huang Sheng has managed almost all of her businesses, and Nangong Qiang has been inseparable from her. Li Nanke has also learned self-defense skills from her.
Hearing that the two were following her, Li Mu and Song Yi were less worried and told her to be careful and come back as soon as possible.
She and Shen Cong agreed to meet in the south of the city, and after having lunch, they went straight out.
She had barely stepped out the door when Empress Xue learned of the news.
"went south?"
The trusted nanny nodded.
Empress Xue narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Since she has gone to the south, then don't let her come back."
When people are out and about, they're bound to encounter accidents—bandits, a slip and fall off a cliff, or drowning. Accidents are unavoidable.
Since Zhao Wanqing was pretending to be stupid and refusing to take action, she would arrange it herself.
The trusted nanny understood, "Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will go and make the arrangements immediately."
Empress Xue nodded, "Remember to do it discreetly."
The master and servant were talking in hushed tones, unaware of Shen Xu standing outside the door.
Shen Xu overheard most of the conversation between the master and servant. He clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, and it took him a while to control himself and not rush in.
He knew that his mother had never liked Li Nanke, but he never expected that it would come to the point where she wanted to get rid of her.
Very well, let the Empress Dowager teach Li Nanke a lesson, and then he can appear in time to save the beauty.
Li Nanke will be extremely grateful to him. Let's see if she dares to speak to him so rudely again.
Shen Xu thought to himself, then quietly turned and left, and gave instructions to his eunuch.
"Prepare immediately, I am going on a long trip."
Li Nanke and Shen Cong met at the agreed place, boarded a carriage, and headed towards Ruzhou, unaware of the schemes unfolding in Bianjing City behind them.
It was already early October, but the weather hadn't turned cold yet. She leaned against the window, watching the scene outside with great interest, humming a little tune indistinctly.
"So happy to be out?"
Shen Cong put down the book in his hand, leaned against the carriage wall, and looked at her with a smile.
Li Nanke turned to look at him and nodded with a grin.
"Of course I'm in a good mood when I go out. I feel too constrained in Bianjing, and I'm afraid I won't have the chance to go out freely again in the future."
"Ninth Brother, you've heard, haven't you? His Majesty intends for me to marry Shen Xu."
She said it as if it were casual.
Shen Cong unconsciously tightened his grip on the teacup with his slender fingers, his fingertips turning white.
After a moment of silence, she softly hummed in agreement, "Don't you want to marry Shen Xu and become the Crown Princess?"
Li Nanke couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Of course I don't want to. Do you think my attitude towards Shen Xu looks like I like him?"
Shen Cong's lips curled slightly.
The little girl's dislike for Shen Xu was obvious to everyone; anyone could see it.
He lowered his eyes to hide the smile in them and said, "Don't worry, this marriage won't happen."
Li Nanke looked at him, a sly glint in her eyes.
"Of course it won't work out, because my parents plan to arrange a marriage for me before the imperial decree is issued."
Surely Your Majesty can't break up someone else's marriage then?
"Snap!"
The teacup in Shen Cong's hand fell onto the small table, spilling tea all over the table.
"Ninth Brother, be careful."
Li Nanke quickly reached out to straighten the teacup and then took out a handkerchief to wipe the water stains on it.
"I'll do it."
Shen Cong reached out and took the handkerchief from her hand, then lowered his eyes and wiped the tea on the small table clean, drop by drop.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was inexplicably tense.
Only after the small table was polished to a shine, without a single watermark, did Chen Cong clench the handkerchief tightly, his voice so soft it was almost ethereal.
Has anyone been chosen yet?
Li Nanke sat cross-legged next to him and started counting on her fingers.
“My grandmother and parents made a list and were going to filter them one by one according to the order on the list. I glanced at it.”
Listed among them are prominent young men of the capital, such as Wei Zizhao, the third son of the Wang family, and the grandson of the Minister of Personnel.
Shen Cong gripped the handkerchief even tighter, and as he squeezed it, drops of water dripped onto his clothes.
He seemed not to hear, and asked in a hoarse voice, "And you? Who have you taken a fancy to?"
"Me..." Li Nanke toyed with the exquisite golden ball hanging from his head, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly asked with a smile, "Ninth Brother, what do you think of Xie Xuanxiao?"
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