Chapter 978 "Imprisonment"?
"Master, has the Emperor of Wei been found?"
After coming out of Baoming Palace, Shi An couldn't help but feel anxious.
Just now, he was following Lu Zhinian. Although the two women in the hall had not finished speaking, the unfinished words were enough to arouse people's imagination.
After they entered the temple, they naturally found out the identities of the pilgrims living in the temple. They paid special attention to the two people in the hall who had close relations with Wei Dynasty officials and had quite special identities. The young woman who spoke was the eldest daughter-in-law of Wenyuan Bo's Mansion, and her husband Qu Yiming was also somewhat famous in the northwest battlefield.
What she said made Shi An feel extremely uneasy.
"Master, this is after all within the territory of the Great Wei, not far from the capital. If the Emperor of Wei is truly found, he will likely return to the capital soon. It would be too dangerous for you to remain here."
Although no one noticed that they were in Lingyun Temple at the moment, the Wei Emperor Xiao Yan was extremely powerful. Beiling was previously powerful, Southern Qi was assisting, and even Western Xinjiang got involved. The Wei Dynasty should have been defeated by the combined attack, but the Wei Emperor actually planned to win a battle that was bound to be lost, causing Beiling to be defeated miserably.
They seem to be safe hiding in Lingyun Temple now, but as long as they stay in Wei, they will be in danger.
Shi An advised: "Master, please leave as soon as possible."
Lu Zhinian certainly knew that staying here was not a perfect solution. Now in the capital, Xiao Yan's life and death were unknown, and Tang Ning was taken away by him. Cao Dejiang and others had to suppress the court and conceal the news that both the emperor and the empress had been in trouble. They did not dare to mobilize a large army and could only search secretly.
Once Xiao Yan returned to the capital, without those worries, with Xiao Yan's meticulousness, it would only be a matter of time before he found Lingyun Temple. However, Tang Ning's body...
Lu Zhinian said in a low voice with a sullen look, "First, have someone pay attention to the news in the capital and be on high alert."
"Master!" Shi An was anxious.
Lu Zhinian waved his hand and said, "I know what you're worried about. I won't wait until Xiao Yan returns to the capital before leaving. Have someone gather information about Pingchong Mansion and be prepared at all times. If anything seems amiss, leave immediately."
…
After Mrs. Qu and Mrs. Shao separated, she returned to her room with a gloomy expression. She always felt that the businessman surnamed Rong was a little strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Because of her relationship with the Shao family, Mrs. Shao went down the mountain and returned to the capital before dark. On the contrary, Mrs. Qu's husband was away from home, the second and third houses in the Wenyuan Earl's Mansion were not on good terms with the eldest house, and her mother-in-law was partial to the youngest son. She was pregnant, so it would be safer for her to stay in Lingyun Temple instead of returning to the capital.
She was accompanied by the guards left behind by her husband before he left, and several maids who were skilled in martial arts were specially selected for her by her grandmother. She was not afraid that anyone would dare to offend her, but when she thought of the scorpion tail frost, she could not help but gave an order to the maid beside her.
The maid who went out to find out the news did not come back until dawn the next day.
"Young Madam, I have inquired about the medicinal herbs collected by the Zen Monastery. This is the list sent by Manager Zhao."
"Did it alarm anyone else?"
"No." The maid whispered, "I used the excuse of returning to the mountain below the mansion. After returning, I didn't go to see Manager Zhao myself, but found someone else."
Mrs. Qu took the list after hearing this. After opening it and reading it, her expression not only did not relax, but became more surprised and suspicious. She had been exposed to the medicinal materials business of her grandfather Xu's family since she was a child. Few people knew that she also knew some medical skills and was proficient in the medicinal properties of medicinal materials.
A small half of the herbs on this list are used for detoxification or are inherently toxic, while the others are mostly used for supplementary tonic purposes.
Mrs. Rong, was she poisoned?
Madam Qu Shao held the list with a serious look in her eyes. "What about the Chanyuyuan? Have you found out anything?"
The maid shook her head. "The Chanyu Monastery is heavily guarded, inside and out. When our men pretended to go to the back mountain and passed by nearby, they were always watching. It's impossible to get close without alerting them. Furthermore, I've asked around, and the merchant surnamed Rong only claims that his wife enjoys quietness and is frail, suffering from a relapse of an old illness. She doesn't want anyone to disturb her, and even the monks in the temple are reluctant to get close."
"They set up a small kitchen in the Chanyu Monastery and prepared all their own vegetarian meals. Madam Rong hasn't left the Chanyu Monastery since she entered, and neither has her maid. We only know that they invited a female doctor over on the day they entered the monastery, and she has stayed at the Chanyu Monastery ever since."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qu lowered her eyes slightly and stared at the list in her hand. She felt that there was something strange about Mrs. Rong.
Not to mention that the herbs they found were completely different from what the businessman named Rong said, let's just talk about the Chanyu Temple. Even if ordinary merchants like quietness, they would at most not actively interact with the outside world. However, the Chanyu Temple was strictly guarded inside and outside, and was even more vigilant against the outside world.
Rather than protecting the people inside, it's more like... imprisonment?
Madam Qu Shao's eyebrows twitched because of the thought that popped up in her mind. She suddenly remembered the scene when she passed by Madam Rong and her servant when the couple entered the temple that day. At that time, she smelled a very special medicinal smell on Madam Rong. She just thought she was overthinking it, but now it is clear that she was not suspicious.
Although that "Mrs. Rong" was covered with a veil at the time, she exuded a natural charm.
Is she really the merchant's wife?
The maid was smart and naturally noticed something was wrong. Seeing Madam Qu's serious expression, she couldn't help but say:
"Young Madam, I heard last night after returning to the capital that things are very difficult. Prince Ji is in power, and His Majesty is missing. Your Majesty is not in the capital right now, and you are pregnant. You cannot rashly interfere in the affairs of the Chanyuyuan. How about I find someone to report to the authorities in the capital..."
Madam Qu Shao felt that what he said made sense. Although she was suspicious about the business of the Rong businessman, it had nothing to do with her. She was already doing her utmost to report it to the authorities. Naturally, she would not risk herself and her unborn child. She said casually:
"Send someone down the mountain to report to the authorities. Be careful not to alert the people at the Zen Monastery."
If the two people in the Zen Temple were really a couple, it would be a false alarm at most and she would have been meddling in other people's business. She could then explain it to others when the time came. But if that "Mrs. Rong" was really coerced, she would just consider it as a good deed for the sake of her unborn child.
But she didn't expect that before the people sent by Madam Qu Shao had left the mountain, she would get into trouble first.
At nightfall, Mrs. Qu suddenly slipped and was frightened. The baby in her belly showed signs of miscarriage, and everyone in the Qu family was panicked.
There was no doctor in Lingyun Temple, and the maidservants who accompanied them only had some basic knowledge. Seeing Madam Qu convulsing in pain, no one dared to move. Until a monk from the temple who heard the news and rushed over suddenly mentioned that there was a constant supply of medicine in the Chanyuyuan every day, so there must be a doctor accompanying them.
When the Qu family asked to go to the Zen Garden, Tang Ning was talking to Madam Qin and the others.
Hearing the commotion outside, Tang Ning raised his eyes and asked, "What happened outside?"
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