Chapter 49 is locked.
The Forbidden City.
Even Gu Wenqian rarely experienced receiving Xiao Shenjing's oral decree in the middle of the night.
I thought it was something huge, but it turned out to be about capturing Yunxi.
I glanced outside; it was the dead of night.
At that moment, the young commander of the inspection bureau seemed to understand something.
He rubbed his temples and couldn't help but sigh, "What a terrible fate!"
Ten days have passed since Yunxi escaped.
Many leads naturally went cold.
The palace maids in the laundry department were interrogated one by one, and their testimonies were exactly the same.
Although they cannot clear these people's names, there is no way to break through their defenses.
But as a commander who inspires fear in all, Gu Wenqian is always meticulous and adept at unraveling complexities.
As the gilded water clock in the palace was about to run out, Gu Wenqian entered the palace in the last rays of sunlight. The winter wind, carrying the scent of ambergris, lingered beneath the caisson ceiling, where Xiao Shenjing was stirring a blood bird's nest soup with a silver spoon.
“Your Majesty, all seventy-six people in the Laundry Bureau are of one mind. Some say they heard a sound of someone getting up in the middle of the night, but they assumed it was someone going to the toilet and didn’t pay attention. And the sleeping incense that Miss Yunxi used is not from the palace,” Gu Wenqian said, bowing.
Xiao Shenjing suddenly threw the silver spoon into the cup; the crisp sound of the mutton-fat jade striking the azure glaze startled the copper bells under the eaves, causing them to tremble violently.
"You mean, someone is meeting her?" The candlelight cast a sharp, sculpted shadow on his brow.
"That incense has been tested by the Imperial Hospital; it's a secret medicine known in the martial arts world as 'Zhuang Zhou's Dream,'" Gu Wenqian continued. "Miss Yunxi entered the palace without any valuables; how was she able to bring this into the palace?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Shenjing suddenly chuckled, "My palace has become a stage. Just how many eyes are hidden behind the screen wall of the Forbidden City?"
A moment of silence followed.
Xiao Shenjing waved his hand. "Continue."
Gu Wenqian: "I have thoroughly investigated the palace staff and found that after Miss Yunxi disappeared, two eunuchs and one palace maid also disappeared. I am currently ordering people to verify the identities of these three people."
"Continue the investigation." Xiao Shenjing, sitting upright on the rosewood dragon throne, sneered. "How did she manage to evade so many hidden agents and sentries in the Forbidden City, and escape from the palace by bypassing the Imperial Guards? How did someone of slave status obtain a travel permit to escape the capital? Find out everything for me!"
When he said this, the young emperor's expression was cold, and the wrinkles under his eyelids made him look particularly indifferent.
It's like holding shards of ice that could cut you.
Yunxi thought Ding Xian was quite fun.
She had never seen a man blush so easily. Whenever she said something, he would turn red and then pretend to be calm by quietly turning his head to one side.
But whenever Yunxi suspects that he is a weak scholar who cannot carry heavy loads, he will immediately defend his masculine dignity as if his tail has been stepped on.
“Young Master Wu Yun, I am not weak; I am strong and powerful,” Ding Xian emphasized in response to Yun Xi’s questioning.
Yunxi, disguised as Wu Yun, sat imposingly on a mound of earth, saying with a bandit-like air, "Take a look?"
"Look at what?" Ding Xian's righteous expression immediately faltered.
"Muscular build, huh?" She raised an eyebrow, teasing him deliberately. "Didn't you say you weren't a weak scholar? Well, you have to prove it."
"No, no, no, don't look at what's improper!" His face instantly turned bright red, and he almost bit his tongue in his panic.
“We’re all men, what’s there to be afraid of?” After saying that, Yunxi whistled like a hooligan.
"No, that's not very elegant." Startled, Ding Xian immediately stood up, clutching her collar, her face flushed, and strode away.
All morning, Ding Xian stayed in his ostentatious and comfortable carriage, unable to understand why Young Master Wu, who was also a man, would feel embarrassed.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, the curtain was suddenly lifted.
A familiar face entered with a gust of cold wind.
The face that had been repeatedly appearing in his mind suddenly loomed large before his eyes, instantly startling Ding Xian awake. He stammered, "Young Master Wu, what are you doing?"
"Collecting interest, huh?" Yunxi adjusted her posture and glanced at the carriage. "With your carriage decorated like this, aren't you afraid of thieves eyeing it?"
The interior was decorated in a very luxurious manner.
It was just as impressive as Princess Chong'an's carriage.
Ding Xian scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "This is my first time going out."
He was too embarrassed to say that this was how his mother looked after she compromised.
"So, why are you, a rich young master, not staying at home? What are you doing out here?" Yunxi asked, showing a rare hint of curiosity.
"They say that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, so I came out to see the world." Ding Xian's eyes shone as he said this.
It looks like he's longing for freedom.
Yunxi smiled and kindly reminded him, "That must be done while ensuring your own safety."
"Thank you, Young Master Wu, I will remember this." Ding Xian glanced at Yun Xi, then looked away.
"Alright, then don't bother me, I'm going to take a nap." Yunxi didn't stand on ceremony and simply lay down next to Ding Xian, crossing her legs to find a comfortable position.
"Okay." Ding Xian hesitated for a long time, and when he looked up, he found that Yun Xi had already closed her eyes.
Because she had provoked the bandits the day before, Yunxi was naturally worried about sleeping at night, fearing retaliation. She also didn't trust Ding Xian's men, so she and Xiao Bei took turns keeping watch.
I obviously didn't sleep well.
Ding Xian knew this too, and knew he couldn't possibly bother Yun Xi, but even knowing this, he couldn't help but look at her.
First, I looked at her eyebrows and thought they were very delicate and pretty.
His gaze involuntarily fell on her nose, full and straight.
Just as he was about to take a closer look, Yunxi moved her body. Ding Xian, feeling guilty, immediately looked away and quickly turned his face away, trying his best to stay close to the carriage wall and distance himself from Yunxi.
When she woke up, she found Ding Xian pressed against the car wall, intently flipping through the book in his hands.
Although Yunxi herself did not like reading, she always held a strange respect for scholars.
She didn't disturb him, and when she sat up, she found herself covered with a thick blanket.
No wonder you slept so soundly.
"What kind of wool is your blanket made of? It's so warm."
Ding Xian had already prepared an answer, but when she looked up, she saw her lying sleepily on the white blanket, her cheeks still flushed with the lingering redness of sleep.
Like clouds stained with peach juice.
It makes you want to pinch it.
Ding Xian seemed to be burned by this idea and immediately looked away.
Yet, I still couldn't stop the itch that kept rising in my heart.
It wasn't until Yunxi left that he snapped out of his thoughts.
Staring at the blanket that still carried Yunxi's scent, he looked lost and forlorn.
Yunxi and Dingxian traveled together for two days.
Because of his luxurious carriage, the journey was naturally much slower.
But since someone was cooking every day and the food was much better than usual, Yunxi treated these two days as a rest.
But we can only rest for two days.
They will part ways on the third day.
"Goodbye, everyone," Yunxi said, before riding off down the road to the left without looking back.
She has always been carefree and has no lingering attachments.
If there is anything to regret, it's that we can't tease Ding Xian anymore, and we can't see his amusing appearance as he forces himself to calm down and his face turns bright red.
"Young Master Wu, please wait."
Yunxi pulled on her horse and turned around, only to see Ding Xian walking briskly towards her, carrying a bag in his hand.
At this moment, Yunxi was beginning to believe Ding Xian's claim that he had strength.
She whistled and bent down. "Oh, young scholar, it looks like you really have a lot of muscles."
Ding Xian almost stumbled.
With a slight blush on his cheeks, Qiangzi calmly walked up to Yunxi.
He shoved the large bag in his hand to Young Master Wu, saying, "Take this."
"What is this?" Yunxi asked.
Ding Xian said, "I am very grateful to Young Master Wu for saving my life and for escorting me these past few days."
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." Yunxi took the luggage and tossed it to Abei.
There was no reason left to speak.
I don't even know if I'll ever meet them again in this lifetime.
Ding Xian was very disappointed. She pursed her lips and was about to ask Yun Xi about her expulsion, so that they could keep in touch by letter or perhaps make a promise to travel together to see all the mountains and rivers.
Just as he was about to speak, Yunxi suddenly called out with a smile, "Young Master Ding."
Ding Xian immediately looked up at her.
"Remember, you owe me five hundred taels of silver. I'll be coming to collect it another day."
"Really?" Ding Xian's eyes lit up.
Before Yunxi could speak, he impatiently asked, "Young Master Wu, do you not know where I live?" Without giving her a chance to speak, he immediately said, "I am from the Ding family of Dali, and I live in the Zhennan Duke's Mansion. Young Master Wu, please remember to come and find me."
"Are you really trying to expose all your secrets?" Yunxi couldn't help but laugh. Seeing his face turn red again, she assured him, "Don't worry, even if you're at the ends of the earth, I'll come and collect the money."
She arrogantly declared, cracking her whip, "Let's go, Xiao Bei."
The horse reared up and neighed.
It shot out like an arrow released from a bow.
Free-spirited and unrestrained, never looking back.
Ding Xian stood there, watching her figure gradually recede into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller, until it disappeared into the horizon and could no longer be seen before he turned his gaze away.
Behind him, a servant reminded him, "Young master, it's time for us to get going."
Do you think we'll ever be able to meet again?
The servant immediately replied, "In my opinion, it is certainly possible; five hundred taels is a huge sum."
This was the first time Ding Xian had so desperately wanted someone to be a little more money-grubbing.
This way they will still have a chance to meet.
At night, Yunxi opened the bag Ding Xian had given her and found that it was actually the fluffy blanket.
Receiving such a heartwarming gift in this freezing weather made Yunxi beam with joy. "This young scholar is quite sensible."
Next, she and Xiao Bei traveled at full speed for another ten days, finally arriving in Chengdu on a stormy evening.
Compared to Sichuan, winters in the north are exceptionally cold, with snow and ice covering the sky as if to freeze the entire world.
The Forbidden City appeared even more desolate amidst the blanket of snow.
Gu Wenqian waited for a long time in the side hall before being summoned.
"Why haven't we heard from her yet?" Xiao Shenjing stared at Gu Wenqian from head to toe.
His tone was indifferent, yet it carried a chilling intensity that did not instill fear in anyone.
It was like the biting wind and snow outside the window.
Gu Wenqian immediately knelt down. "The eunuchs I investigated have all run out of clues. Your Majesty, the fact that they could mislead me and delay me like this means that their power must be considerable."
Xiao Shenjing narrowed his eyes.
They were also particularly concerned about Yunxi's safety.
"Fan Zishi?" Xiao Shenjing said, following up on what he hadn't yet said.
"This is merely my guess," Gu Wenqian said immediately, lowering his eyes.
Xiao Shenjing remained silent for a long time.
Now that the mulberry and rice harvests are at a critical juncture, even if Fan Zishi is incredibly audacious, Xiao Shenjing will not touch him.
Moreover, now that all the clues have been exhausted, he will not admit it without evidence.
"Send people from the Inspectorate to keep a close eye on his every move," Xiao Shenjing said. "Give me Yunxi's case file."
Upon hearing this, Gu Wenqian silently presented the scroll in his hand.
When Yunxi impersonated Zishu, Xiao Shenjing ordered his men to thoroughly investigate her past.
"Yesterday I read for a long time. Miss Yunxi said that she was born in Yanzi'ao, a deep mountain village on the border of Kuizhou Prefecture and Bozhou, which was not included in the Lijia system. She fled to the deep mountains during the Jingquan era to avoid corvée labor. There is no record of her in the county annals."
In June of the 29th year of Jingquan's reign, a torrential rain triggered a mudslide. Of the 37 households in the village, only he and the hunter Chen Er survived. Chen Er died in the 30th year of Jingquan's reign during the rebellion of the Youyang chieftain, and his whereabouts are impossible to verify.
In the thirty-first year of the Jingquan era, she was sold by a matchmaker to a wealthy merchant named Zhang in Xiangyang as a maid, and was named Yunxi. Later, the Zhang family was confiscated due to a salt smuggling case, and their servants scattered. She mingled with the refugees from Henan and fled to Yangzhou.
Xiao Shenjing sneered, "She knows how to use such petty tricks. She had already fabricated her identity when she made up Zi Shu's identity."
Gu Wenqian wisely didn't respond.
He simply bowed and waited.
"She had been hit by five kunai."
Mentioning this matter inevitably reminded him of what happened on the ship that day. Thinking of the lies she told him and the tricks she used to fool him, Xiao Shenjing's brows furrowed deeply. "I examined her in Yangzhou, but I couldn't find any marks. When we returned to the capital, the marks reappeared. Investigate thoroughly what method she used."
"All land under heaven belongs to the king." Xiao Shenjing threw down the scroll, the candlelight casting a deep, sculpted shadow on his brow. "Even if she is now hiding in the martial world, you must search every inch of her territory and find her."
Find her, lock her up, and see how she tries to escape!
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