Chapter 62 Who can protect you except me?
"I'm not wrong! I just don't believe you can still represent the court." Du Heng refused to give in. He puffed out his chest and glared at the man in front of him, "If you have the guts, bring me to the emperor!"
Arrogant boy, do you really think the imperial court is your bed?
"Old Du..." Su Cheng saw that he was inexplicably confident, and hurriedly reached out to tug at his clothes, whispering, "This is the King of Dingbei Ruyang."
Du Heng paused, his eyes filled with horror, "You...King Ruyang?"
Seeing Su Cheng nod heavily, Du Heng felt dizzy in front of his eyes.
Damn it, the imperial court is really his bed!
Du Heng's will to survive suddenly surged. He bent his knees and knelt down directly in front of Yan Ci. "Wang... My dear, I was blind and didn't recognize the true emperor. I deserve death."
A real man can bend and stretch, so it’s no big deal if he admits he’s a coward.
"Please stand up, Du Yuanling." Yan Ci raised his lips slightly, bent down to help him up, a smile in his eyes, and his voice was gentle. "I left the capital when I was very young, so it's normal that you don't recognize me. Du Yuanling, don't worry, Pang Shan and I are definitely not the same kind of people. If you can tell me the truth, I can save your life and save you from the pain of fleeing."
"This..." Du Heng looked hesitant and wavering. He had been working in the palace for more than 20 years and was promoted to the position of Court Master. Naturally, he knew what to say and what not to say.
If the royal secrets are told to the royal family, even if he has ten lives, they will not be enough to kill him!
The atmosphere was tense, and Su Cheng spoke at the right time, "Old Du, Suzhou is also my husband's."
This was to tell Du Heng that Yan Ci was a trustworthy person.
Hearing this, the vigilance in Du Heng's eyes really disappeared, but he still refused to speak.
"I left home when I was young, and I wasn't close to my grandmother. You can rest assured, Du Yuanling." Yan Ci curled his lips, reassuring him. "You are also an elder in the family. How could you not know that my father was not my grandmother's biological child? Pang Shan is currently residing in Pingchuan Town, and his men are searching everywhere for your whereabouts. This small Xinghua Village is only half an hour's drive from the town. It's only a matter of time before you are dug out."
"Who else can protect you except me?"
Yan Ci's face was gentle, but his eyes were strong and direct, revealing an indescribable sense of oppression from a superior. "What on earth did you diagnose that would make Grandmother treat you so cruelly?"
"My dear, may I have a moment to talk?" Du Heng shook the small bamboo basket in his hand and sighed softly, "It's dinner time, so I'll add some dishes for the little ones at home."
"Sure." Yan Ci nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to Su Cheng beside him, "I wonder if you'll be lucky enough to taste the food cooked by my sister-in-law."
"Of course, no problem." Su Cheng took the basket from Du Heng and breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's talk about it when we get home."
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Xie family
"presumptuous!"
Yan Ci's face looked grim, and he slammed the teacup in his hand heavily on the table. He didn't care at all that a small amount of tea splashed on his clothes.
He always looked pleasant, but now he was angry, obviously very angry.
Xie Suzhou pursed his lips tightly and whispered, "Your Highness, calm down."
Du Heng had so much to say but he hated that he couldn't just lie on the ground and throw a tantrum, "Your Majesty, you told me to say this!"
It’s wrong to say it directly, and it’s also wrong not to say it.
It would be better to just cut his neck with a knife!
"Don't worry, Du Yuanling. I'm not taking my anger out on you." Yan Ci took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. "Who on earth... dared to defile the harem?"
"If I knew who that man was, why would I have ended up hiding?" Du Heng was furious as he recalled his escape. "I concealed the truth for her out of kindness, even if it meant resigning and leaving the palace, just to save my own life. But who knew the Empress Dowager would turn against me? If I hadn't fled beforehand, I would have been a corpse long ago!"
Yan Ci lowered his eyes and looked at the teacup beside him. After a long moment, he said, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly, find out who is behind this, and clear Du Yuanling's name."
"Anyway, I'm already dead in the eyes of the world. As long as no one comes after me, I'm fine in this little village, feeding the chickens and walking the chickens." Du Heng sat on the chair, nonchalantly saying, "I do have a guess..."
Yan Ci raised his eyes to look at him, and even Xie Suzhou beside him turned his head and stared at him quietly.
"Councilor Du is welcome to speak frankly. I won't blame you."
Hearing this, Du Heng finally felt relieved and lowered his voice to ask, "That Pang Shan... is he really a eunuch?"
Yan Ci was stunned for a moment, with a look of surprise and doubt in his eyes.
"Think about it, what kind of place is the harem?" Du Heng's face was solemn, rarely looking so serious. "Apart from the Emperor, the only outsiders who can enter the harem are the imperial physicians and eunuchs. As the head of the harem, no one knows better than me which palaces have summoned imperial physicians. The Empress Dowager has been devoutly worshipping Buddha for many years. She doesn't tolerate meat on the table. She eats healthily and rarely gets sick. The only time she summoned an imperial physician was when she summoned me a few months ago."
"The Shouqing Palace has long since stopped accepting formal visits, and the palace gates are often closed. Who else can have access to the Empress Dowager?"
As soon as the words were spoken, you could hear a pin drop in the room. It was so quiet that it was a little eerie.
Du Heng glanced at the two men's expressions and chuckled dryly. "This is just my guess, for reference only."
"Every word Du Yuanling said makes sense. We can't keep Pang Shan." Yan Ci smiled faintly and turned back into that elegant young man. He whispered, "Suzhou, what do you think?"
Xie Suzhou paused for a moment before calmly continuing, "Ever since Pang Shan arrived in Pingchuan Town, he's only met with wealthy families a few times. After that, he's hidden in the courtyard and disappeared without a trace. New boys are sent over every once in a while. I think he wants others to think he's a pedophile."
Yan Ci half-closed his eyes and smiled, "You want to send in a child you can trust?"
"When I went to investigate, seven or eight boys had already entered his compound and had never been sent out. We didn't know whether they were alive or dead. We couldn't send any more children in." Xie Suzhou shook his head slowly and spoke slowly, "Pang Shan's actions were mysterious. If we want to avoid alerting him, we can only investigate his subordinates and those families who have seen him."
"Why is it so troublesome?" Du Heng scratched his head, somewhat puzzled. "If the prince wanted to capture a eunuch, wouldn't it be easy for him to do so?"
"It's not that easy." Xie Suzhou was calm, his logic clear, and his tone steady. "Prince Qin has been recruiting a lot of troops recently. If he hadn't been instructed by his superiors, how could he dare to do so? As far as I know, the Princess of Qin and the Queen Mother are from the same family. If Pang Shan knew that the prince had left Dingbei, the consequences would be disastrous."
Hearing this, Du Heng felt a chill down his spine, and a dazed look appeared on his face. "I hadn't even thought of this..."
Yan Ci was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "Suzhou, can you let me see my sister-in-law alone?"
Xie Suzhou was stunned for a moment and murmured, "Your Majesty, what does this have to do with Ah Cheng?"
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