Crown Prince Yan Huisheng was very busy today, but nevertheless, he stopped his work when it was time to eat.
Recently, since Su Rong was staying in the Eastern Palace, and she had on-time meals saying he was living irregularly and it was not good for health, he indirectly developed the habit of having meals on time and going to the Sleeping Hall to sleep an hour early.
He hadn’t seen Su Rong all day, so after temporarily putting aside his work, he asked Little Quanzi, "Where is she?"
Little Quanzi hurriedly replied, "Miss Rong and Master Feng went out shopping in the morning and haven’t returned yet. It’s mealtime already, so they must be dining out at a restaurant!"
Yan Huisheng nodded.
Just as he was about to instruct for the meal to be served, he saw the Housekeeper hurriedly approach him with a serious look on his face. The Housekeeper bowed and said to him in a lowered voice, "Your Highness, there’s been an incident."
Yan Huisheng asked calmly, "What happened?"
The Housekeeper hurriedly explained, "I just received news that Miss Rong and Master Feng came across Duanhua Princess during their trip to the city today. She is currently a guest at the Princess Residence. Word has spread throughout the Capital City saying that Lady Su Qi had just arrived in the city and was taken to the Princess Residence by Duanhua Princess."
Yan Huisheng’s expression darkened, "She ran into Duanhua? Didn’t she wear the veil when she went out today?"
"She did wear it, but somehow Duanhua Princess recognized her," explained the Housekeeper. "I don’t know the exact details, but I’ve sent people to find out more. However, it’s certain that Miss Rong was taken to the Princess Residence by Duanhua Princess. As of now, she has already entered the Princess Residence."
Yan Huisheng frowned and asked in a relatively calm tone, "When did she leave the Residence? When did she run into Duanhua? When did she enter the Princess Residence?"
"She left the Residence around the time of the snake, but it’s unknown when she encountered Duanhua, and the person who was sent to investigate has not yet returned. However, it’s said that she entered the Princess Residence about half an hour ago," replied the Housekeeper.
Yan Huisheng nodded and instructed in a deep voice, "Send more people to investigate, and report immediately once there is news."
"Yes," the Housekeeper immediately dispatched more people.
Little Quanzi watched with a worried expression. "Your Highness, Duanhua has had a grudge against Miss Rong for a long time. Now that she has taken her to the Princess Residence, she is sure to torture her, right?"
Yan Huisheng also thought about the grudges Su Rong and Duanhua carried for Zhou Gu. He speculated, "Both she and Feng Ling are skilled in martial arts. Although there are many guards in the Princess Residence, there doesn’t seem to be any commotion. It seems that she voluntarily went with Duanhua to the Princess Residence."
If not, she has the token he gave her. As long as she shows that token, Duanhua wouldn’t dare to harm her.
Despite his speculations, Yan Huisheng still summoned his guards and ordered, "Quickly go to the Princess Residence and find out about Su Rong and Feng Ling. If necessary, rescue them."
The guard agreed and left immediately.
Yan Huisheng had no appetite to eat and simply stood by the window with his hands behind his back, waiting for news.
The informants sent by the Housekeeper had returned quickly since everyone was awaiting news from them. The Housekeeper directly led the informant to Yan Huisheng to present his findings.
The informant reported, "Your Highness, I’ve found out that Duanhua Princess was initially planning to visit the big Buddha Temple outside the city to wish success for Young Master Zhou from the Duke Residence. However, on the way, she recognized Lady Su Qi and there was a bit of an argument between them. They were about to start fighting, but for some reason, they were as congenial as old friends in no time, and decided to dine at the Zuixian Building. According to the restaurant owner and the server, they got along very well and many people spotted them laughing and chatting at the restaurant. After their meal, they went about strolling the streets but didn’t shop much. They leisurely strolled two streets in the Capital City and then went to the Princess Residence as a guest. According to the information from the Princess Residence, they are planning to stay over."
Yan Huisheng: "..."
Little Quanzi: "..."
Housekeeper: "..."
After a while, Yan Huisheng finally asked, "Are you sure about this information?"
"Absolutely. The whole city is talking about this, it’s not a secret. Many people saw it. Everyone was saying they had never seen Duanhua Princess holding hands with someone, strolling the streets, and even walking, with only the carriage and horses following behind."
Yan Huisheng was silent for a while.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, the Housekeeper asked, "How can this be? Doesn’t Duanhua Princess fancy Young Master Zhou? Shouldn’t she be at odds with Lady Su Qi? How come they are strolling around the city arm in arm? That is impossible, isn’t it?"
Not long ago, Duanhua had chased Zhou Gu all the way to Jiangning County, only to be intercepted by Zhou Gu’s men halfway there. She was stuck there for more than half a month, weeping, causing chaos, and even threatening to commit suicide. Upon her return to the Capital City, she went straight to the palace to file a complaint. Even the grand eldest princess, Sheng An, had to intervene. She severely berated Princess Qingping and her daughter. However, since Zhou Gu was indeed in the wrong, he had to make reparations. Still, despite this, Qingping and her mother felt that they had been publicly humiliated. They were furious, directed their anger towards the Duke Residence, and even wished they could feed Su Rong to the dogs. In normal circumstances, if Duanhua met Su Rong, it would escalate into a fierce battle. How was it possible that they were now walking hand in hand around the town? What an unlikely tale!
Not only did the Housekeeper want to know what happened, but Yan Huisheng was also curious.
Yan Huisheng massaged his temples, and waved off his bickering staff. "Wait for the news from the guards," he ordered. "We’ll see what the guards report when they return."
The Housekeeper nodded, full of questions.
Not long after Yan Huisheng ordered the wait, before the Crown Prince’s guards could arrive, a message from the Eastern Palace carried by Master Feng’s guards appeared.
Yan Huisheng opened the letter, read through it, and his face held that famous expression of a thousand words and none at all.
In the letter, Feng Ling wrote: "To the esteemed Crown Prince, we have quickly grown close with Duanhua Princess. We took the initiative to visit the Princess Residence, and she welcomed us warmly. She allocated two rooms in her courtyard for our stay. We have met with Princess Qingping, and she too has no objections and welcomed us. We are now residing in the Princess’s courtyard, and the accommodations are very comfortable. The desserts of the Princess Residence are delicious, especially the hibiscus cake, which is particularly delightful. We look forward to the upcoming meals at the residence. We will return when we have had our fill. As for you, do not worry about us amidst your plethora of duties. We are quite fine, and do not require a visit or a miss."
In other words, they were saying, "Leave us alone, do what you need to do, we have found a new interesting place to stay and we are not coming back."
Watching Yan Huisheng’s face, the Housekeeper asked cautiously, "Is that letter from Miss Rong?"
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "It’s from Feng Ling."
The Housekeeper asked hesitantly, "Does she say she was threatened into staying at the Princess Residence?"
Yan Huisheng shook his head again and simply handed the letter to him.
The Housekeeper scanned the letter, a similar enthralled look emerging on his face. Little Quanzi took a peep over his shoulders and was immediately shocked. "Well, vegetables and noodles...", Lady Su Qi and Master Feng truly were unique individuals.
Who has ever heard of taking up residence in an enemy’s house and being treated as honoured guests?
Why would they choose to live in Duanhua Princess’s Cangjiao Pavilion? That Pavilion was extravagantly built for the doted-on Duanhua by Princess Qingping at a great cost. Would it not be cosy?
Chuckling slightly to himself, Yan Huisheng dismissed them, "Enough, do not concern yourselves with them anymore. Serve dinner!"
Reflecting on his recent interactions with Su Rong, he had gotten familiar with her temperament to a certain extent, and figured this was something she and Feng Ling could do.
A guard acting like Feng Ling and getting involved with the master’s larks, unheard of.
Yan Huisheng set his mind at ease, put aside the matter of Su Rong, and continued with his duties after dinner.
While it was peaceful in the Eastern Palace and at the Princess Residence, the Capital City was abuzz with this news. Especially the Duke Residence.
The Duke’s wife was one of the first to learn of the news, and she was flabbergasted. Su Rong was in the Capital City? And she was being detained in the Princess Residence immediately after entering the city? How could this be? Knowing Duanhua and her erratic behaviour, who knew what Su Rong might do?
The Duke’s wife looked fretful. She immediately wanted to head over to the Princess Residence to retrieve Su Rong, but Grand Elder Princess Sheng An stopped her. "Calm down," she advised. "We need to confirm if this is true or not before we take any action. Once we can ascertain the facts, then we can go retrieve her."
The Duke’s wife protested, "Mother, Duanhua is violent and impetuous. There’s no time to hesitate."
It wasn’t that she was rash, more that Duanhua was unpredictable and could do anything. She must hate Su Rong to the core. As for Su Rong, she was just a young maiden who had just arrived in the Capital, powerless and helpless against being taken away.
The Grand Elder Princess Sheng An thought about this and waved her hand, "Alright, you may go! But send someone to investigate along the way. Don’t rush in too rashly or you will lose the upper hand."
Only by getting clear evidence that Su Rong had indeed been forcibly taken to the Princess Residence could they bring her back. Otherwise, if they rushed in only to find they’d made a mistake or the Princess Residence just outright denied it, it could end up worsening the situation instead of saving her.
The Duke’s wife nodded. "Don’t worry, mother. I will handle this appropriately."
Without any time to change, the Duke’s wife, accompanied by her entourage, swiftly left the Duke Residence.
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