Chapter 527 The Emperor Visits the Incense Shop
Especially Eunuch Zhang, who is currently in a coma, clearly knew something about the fake empress incident.
After careful consideration, the emperor said, "I must go to Qingzhou Prefecture again."
"However, this time, we must not let a third person know about this, except for the two of us."
The guard bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor no longer trusts anyone else; he must personally search for them before he can give up hope.
After agreeing on the plan with his secret guards, the emperor feigned illness the next day, handing over the affairs of the court to the seventh prince. After hiding for a few days, he changed his clothes and secretly left the palace.
Everyone thought the emperor was ill, but in fact he had already taken a carriage to Qingzhou Prefecture.
Before leaving, to ensure his safety, he specially asked for a jade Buddha and wore it on his person.
Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan genuinely believed he was ill, completely unaware that he had secretly traveled to Qingzhou Prefecture.
There is a very short official road from the capital to Qingzhou Prefecture.
The emperor arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture in a carriage about three days later.
He pretended to be a passing merchant, searching around, while his bodyguards hid in the shadows to protect him.
On the way, they almost ran into Prefect Li.
Fortunately, he changed his clothes and blackened his face, so Prefect Li did not notice.
The emperor continued his search and found a portrait of Wang Qiu from before.
However, that portrait is from many years ago. Now Wang Qiu is a father, with a small mustache and a slightly plump figure. He looks like a wealthy gentleman.
The emperor searched for four days without success, and a slight anger rose in his heart.
Just as he was about to give up on returning to the capital, he heard a passerby say, "Manager Wang from the Zhou family is coming to the rice shop today to give away rice. Hurry up and go take a look."
Many areas were affected by disasters this year, and the Zhou family would occasionally give rice to some villagers who came to escape famine.
The emperor harbored some resentment towards the Zhou family because of the previous disaster relief efforts, and upon hearing this, he genuinely followed a group of people to watch the spectacle.
Wang Qiu and Zhang Qiuhe divided the rice together.
The emperor looked at the two of them but did not notice anything unusual.
As I turned to leave, I accidentally bumped into a farmer.
Nong Han glanced at the portrait in his hand and said, "Is this gentleman here to find someone?"
The emperor nodded. "Old man, have you seen the person in the portrait?"
After staring at the portrait for a long time, Nong Han shook his head, "I have never seen it."
The emperor was immediately filled with disappointment and was just about to leave.
The farmer asked again, "You've come from the capital?"
The emperor replied, "That's right."
Nong Han said with a smile, "Why don't you go to Cheng'an County? Several gentlemen from the capital have come there; you might recognize someone there."
The emperor smiled wryly and said, "You mean the Zhou family? The Zhou family has already returned to the capital."
Nong Han shook his head, "No, it's not the Zhou family. I don't quite remember their surname. I heard they came to Cheng'an County a few years ago."
Upon hearing this, the emperor became truly suspicious and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, sir."
The farmer waved him away, telling him to leave, and then went to collect his rice.
The emperor carefully put the portrait away, left the place, and hurriedly boarded his carriage to Cheng'an County.
He had been to Cheng'an County before, and stayed at the Zhou family's house for a few days last time.
He remembered that nothing unusual had happened at the Zhou family's house. When he arrived at the city gate, he vaguely smelled that familiar fragrance again.
The emperor remembered that when he last came to the city, this incense was not available.
An ominous premonition settled over me.
The emperor alighted from his carriage and walked slowly down the street.
Cheng'an County was much more prosperous than when he last came here. It was surrounded by shops, and there was a Zhou family shop every few steps.
When he arrived at Zhou's incense shop, he found that the fragrance of begonia and sandalwood was getting stronger and stronger.
He stopped and looked into the incense shop.
Today, Zhang Qiuhe and Wang Qiu went to Qingzhou Prefecture to donate rice, so Aunt Zhou is here to look after the incense shop.
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