Shanhe Festival 280. Feng Family Was Raided

The Queen's disappearance in the palace was definitely a major event that shook the court and the country. Although for some reason, Mo Jingli kept the news secret. But it did not prevent those who knew the news from discussing it secretly. So when Duke Hua received the news and hurried into the palace, those who met him along the way could not help but look at this veteran general who had fought all his life with sympathy.

When the former Regent Prince Mo Liufang was alive, and even when Duke Hua was still young, the Hua family was so honorable and prominent. Although the Ding Palace could not be called the first family in Da Chu, it was definitely one of the most famous families. But since Mo Liufang passed away and Duke Hua grew old, anyone with eyes could see that the Hua family was gradually suppressed by the emperor, and the situation did not improve even after the birth of a daughter, the empress. And now, the empress who was about to become the empress dowager disappeared out of nowhere. How could people not feel sympathy?

When Duke Hua arrived, Mo Jingli was in the side hall of the Queen's palace. After receiving the news that the Queen was missing, he rushed to the palace to confirm the news. After all, after the tenth prince succeeded to the throne, the Queen and the Hua family would be the easiest to take the initiative, which would be very disadvantageous to them. If the Queen really disappeared, the Hua family would naturally have no excuse to participate in the government. Duke Hua was old, and the rest of the Hua family did not have the qualifications.

"I, your humble servant, have met the Regent." Duke Hua bowed tremblingly.

Mo Jingli hurriedly stepped forward and personally helped Duke Hua up and said, "I feel really ashamed to have the old Duke come to the palace in person. I hope you won't blame me."

The Duke of Huaguo burst into tears immediately. "Your Highness, you are too kind. How could I not come when the Empress suddenly disappeared? My poor Empress... How could the Empress in this forbidden palace..."

Mo Jingli's face froze. He had always known that the old Duke Hua was not a good person, and he had already put the blame on himself after just two sentences. Now the guards of the capital and the palace were in his hands. If the Duke Hua insisted on saying that he was not in command, then that was fine. It might even make people suspect that he had done something to harm the queen.

"Don't be anxious, old Duke. I believe that the Empress's wife is blessed by heaven and will definitely turn misfortune into good fortune. Old Duke, please sit down and talk." Even though he wished that the Empress would never come back, Mo Jingli had to say a few words to show his obedience. But such comfort was obviously useless to Duke Hua. Duke Hua was still choking and talking about the Empress. The white-haired old man with tears on his face made people feel sorry for him.

At this time, there were quite a few people in the palace, not only the high-ranking concubines of the Queen Mother's palace, but also the princes of the royal family. Seeing the miserable state of Duke Hua, the others could not bear to ask any more questions. The Queen Mother did not care about this and said loudly: "I heard that Duke Hua just came out of Prince Ding's Mansion. I wonder what Duke Hua is doing in Prince Ding's Mansion at this time?"

Everyone present looked at the Queen Mother in surprise, as if she had become a different person since the announcement of the will. If the Queen Mother had been a scheming and thoughtful heroine before, now she looked more like an ordinary ignorant woman. Concubine Liu Guifei, who was sitting next to her, had a faint smile on her lips. She was obviously more advantageous than the Queen Mother. So after the initial panic and shock, she quickly calmed down. She knew how to keep herself alive.

Duke Hua looked at the Queen Mother with a sad face and said in a sad voice, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother. I heard that the Queen Mother was missing. I went to Prince Ding's mansion to ask for help. It was all my fault for not considering it carefully. Please forgive me, Queen Mother."

Everyone looked embarrassed. Who can blame you after you said that? Moreover, Mo Jingqi had restored all the status and reputation of Dingwang Mansion before his death. Although Mo Xiuyao refused to accept it, they, as ministers of Da Chu, could not pretend not to see it. With the status and identity of Dingwang Mansion, it was not wrong for Duke Hua to ask for help as soon as the queen disappeared.

Mo Jingli frowned slightly, and looking at the Duke Hua who was rarely in a friendly mood, he said, "Old Duke, you are overthinking. In this matter, Old Duke did nothing wrong. What crime has he committed? But I don't know what Prince Ding has to say?"

The Queen Mother, who was rejected by Mo Jingli, had a distorted expression on her face, but she didn't say anything more. Duke Hua sighed and said, "It happened suddenly. Prince Ding just got the news and has sent people to investigate. I believe there will be news soon."

Seeing that Duke Hua was so anxious and worried, everyone didn't ask any more questions. Only Mo Jingli and a few royal family members said a few words of comfort. Over the years, the queen has behaved properly and has a certain reputation among the royal family. Duke Hua just thanked them one by one and said no more.

"Old Duke, please stay." At the palace gate, Duke Hua was about to leave the palace and return home, but was stopped by someone who came up from behind. Turning around, Duke Hua looked at the strange palace maid in front of him and said lightly: "What's the matter?" The little palace maid looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, and she was quite respectful in front of a veteran like Duke Hua who had fought all his life. She lowered her head and said hurriedly: "The Royal Concubine asked the old Duke to go in and talk." Duke Hua said coldly: "My Hua family has no friendship with the Royal Concubine. I guess there is nothing to talk about. Besides, now is a time of trouble, and it is very inconvenient for me to go in and out of the harem."

When the young maid saw him leaving, she said hurriedly, "Old Duke, please stay. The Queen said... it's about the Empress. Please make sure to go."

Duke Hua's face darkened, he looked at the young palace maid coldly, and said with his hands behind his back, "Young lady, please lead the way."

Finally completing the Empress's order, the little palace maid secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned around to lead the way for Duke Hua to meet Concubine Liu.

The maid did not lead the Duke of Hua to the palace where Concubine Liu lived, but to an inconspicuous and remote palace in the imperial palace. The Duke of Hua did not meet anyone along the way, and he knew that Concubine Liu was completely different from the Queen Mother. Even now, Concubine Liu still has deep connections and power in the palace. In this way... the Duke of Hua felt depressed. If Concubine Liu really knew the truth about the Queen's disappearance...

"This old minister has seen the Concubine." Concubine Liu sat under the eaves of the palace that had been deserted for a long time, still looking as high and mighty as a fairy in the sky. Duke Hua had never liked Concubine Liu, not because she and his daughter were rivals in love. But when Concubine Liu was still a young girl, she had that kind of innocence that came from her bones, as if all living beings were not worthy of her attention. He didn't know where Concubine Liu got such arrogance that she thought she was superior to all the beauties in the world, but such arrogance made most people feel very uncomfortable. So Duke Hua also saw Concubine Liu's feelings for Mo Xiuyao, but he never had a good impression of it. How could a proud and arrogant young man like Prince Ding be interested in such a proud woman, no matter how beautiful she was?

"Duke Hua, please don't be polite." Concubine Liu turned around and said lightly.

Duke Hua stood up and asked bluntly, "Your Majesty has summoned this old minister here. What is the important matter?"

Concubine Liu smiled faintly, looked at Duke Hua and asked in a leisurely voice: "Duke, how is the Queen?"

Duke Hua's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what your Majesty means by this."

"If he really didn't know, why would the Duke of Hua come to see me?" Concubine Liu lowered her eyes and said, "If there was no confirmed news, why would I ask the Duke to come and see me? It's a coincidence that last night, when a maid in my palace passed by Yu Garden, she happened to see a person carrying something out of the palace. A corner of that thing was exposed, and it seemed to be a phoenix-patterned brocade that only the Empress could wear. What's more coincidental is... although the girl didn't know that person, I had some impression of him after her description." The Duke of Hua said in a cold voice, "I don't know what the Empress is talking about. If that's all you want to say, please excuse me, I'll take my leave." With a bow, the Duke of Hua turned around and was about to leave.

Concubine Liu Gui's cold eyes flashed with a fierce light, and she sneered, "The Queen is in Prince Ding's mansion now, right? It was Feng San who took the Queen away last night. Does Duke Hua really not care at all?"

Duke Hua turned around and sneered, "Since your majesty is so confident, why don't you report it directly to Prince Li and the Queen Mother? Instead of worrying about the Hua family and the Queen Mother, your majesty should worry about yourself. The late emperor's will... is not so easy to change."

Concubine Liu's face suddenly turned ugly. Duke Hua was warning her that if she interfered with the Queen's affairs, the Hua family had plenty of ways to make the royal family immediately execute Mo Jingqi's will. In fact, it was not easy for Mo Jingqi's will to be delayed until now. It's just that Mo Jingqi has not been buried yet, and the new emperor has not yet ascended the throne. With the Liu family and Prince Li's support, no one mentioned the issue of burial alive for the time being, but it has even been announced to the world that those idle scholars will definitely bring it up sooner or later. If the Hua family interferes, things will be even more difficult. Watching Duke Hua turn around and leave, Concubine Liu's peach blossom, which was originally held in her hand, was crushed into pieces. The light red flower juice stained her jade-like hands.

In Prince Ding's mansion, Mo Xiuyao frowned when he received the message sent by Duke Hua, and threw the letter on the table beside him.

Ye Li picked it up and looked at it, frowning and saying, "How did Concubine Liu know about this?"

"How can you expect him to have any rationality if he can kidnap the empress from the palace without any plan? It's not surprising if he is discovered. What's more... there may be some experts around Concubine Liu." Mo Xiuyao said.

"Master?" Ye Li asked curiously. She really couldn't imagine what kind of master could be around Concubine Liu who lived in the deep palace. Could it be that there really were hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the palace?

Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Liu Guifei has always been proud of her talent. If it comes to literary talent, she may have some points. But if it comes to planning, she is still far behind. These things don't seem to be her work." Unlike many ladies from wealthy families, Liu Guifei can really be said to have a smooth life and be pampered. She was born in the most powerful period of the Liu family, and she was the only daughter of her generation and was born with unparalleled beauty. The Liu family really held her in the palm of their hands and loved her, otherwise she would not have developed such an arrogant personality. After entering the palace, she was doted on by Mo Jingqi without any principles. She didn't need to use her brain to scheme against others. Concubine Liu, who was used to doing whatever she wanted, was indeed a little unsatisfactory in terms of planning. Otherwise, she would not have aroused Mo Jingqi's suspicion while he was still here, thus ruining her plan.

Ye Li didn't know Concubine Liu well, but after several confrontations, Ye Li could feel that Concubine Liu was indeed not a calculating person. Just look at the way she pestered Mo Xiuyao and you can see it. After thinking for a while, Ye Li asked, "Who do you suspect?"

Mo Xiuyao curled his lips and smiled, and said crisply: "Tan Jizhi."

"Tan Jizhi?" Ye Li was stunned. It seemed that this name had not been mentioned for a long time. Since Shu Manlin was killed by Princess Anxi, Tan Jizhi's whereabouts were unknown. Later, Ren Qining appeared, which diverted their attention from Tan Jizhi. But they didn't expect that Tan Jizhi would sneak back to the capital.

Mo Xiuyao said, "Tan Jizhi has been staying with Mo Jingqi silently for ten years. Since he is not sincerely loyal to Mo Jingqi, it is impossible that he has done nothing in these ten years, right? So I guess... he not only knows Su Zuidi and Liu Guifei, but he may even be familiar with Mo Jingli." Hearing this, Ye Li was startled and frowned, saying, "The medicine that Mo Jingli brought back from Southern Xinjiang..."

"It was Tan Jizhi who revealed the news to him." Mo Xiuyao said, "The Southern Xinjiang Holy Land has always been in the hands of Shu Manlin. Princess Qixia is Princess Anxi's biological sister, no matter how distant her relationship is. Shu Manlin can't possibly not care about her. The news that the Southern Xinjiang Holy Land has this medicine can only be told to him by Tan Jizhi or Shu Manlin." Ye Li was silent. If that was the case, Mo Jingqi's death was probably also caused by Tan Jizhi. Rubbing his eyebrows, Ye Li had to admit that he was really not suitable for these intrigues. "If that's the case... what do Tan Jizhi and Concubine Liu want to do this time?"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said indifferently: "Don't worry, if they want to leak this news, they won't go to talk to the old Duke. If so, they must have something to ask for. If we do nothing, they will come to us on their own." He was sitting in Prince Ding's Mansion. Even if Mo Jingli really suspected that the Queen was in Prince Ding's Mansion, would he dare to come in and search? Moreover, I'm afraid Mo Jingli would like them to take the Queen away, so that he can hold a handle on the Hua family to prevent the Hua family from causing trouble for him in the future. Mo Xiuyao had no intention of interfering in the affairs of the capital, so most things were left alone. It's just that Feng Zhiyao and the Queen meant something to him that was different from ordinary people. Since Feng Zhiyao had brought the people out, he certainly didn't mind taking some trouble to take them away.

Ye Li frowned and said, "No matter what, it always makes people feel uncomfortable when someone is secretly spying on them."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Since Ah Li feels uncomfortable, just get rid of him."

"Your Highness, Princess. Something has happened." As they were talking, Zhuo Jing came in hurriedly and reported directly without even having time to greet.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"The Feng family was raided." Zhuo Jing reported.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Zhuo Jing calmly and asked, "What's the big deal?" Although the Feng family is one of the four richest families in Da Chu and the family of Feng Zhiyao, they are not members of the Dingwang Mansion, so whether the Feng family is plundered or not is really not a big deal for Mo Xiuyao.

Zhuo Jing was also a little embarrassed. As soon as he got the news, he hurried in to report. He forgot that the Feng family had nothing to do with the Ding Palace except for the relationship with the third son of Feng. Ye Li smiled and said, "Forget it, I still have to tell Feng San, after all, he is his biological father."

Zhuo Jing agreed, but before he turned around and walked out, Feng Zhiyao had already appeared outside the door and said lightly, "No need, I already know." Feng Zhiyao and the queen walked in one after the other, both looking unhappy. It was obvious that Feng Zhiyao had hurried over after hearing about this. His face was still a little pale, but the sadness in his eyes had dissipated a lot. Feng Zhiyao looked at Mo Xiuyao apologetically, "Prince..."

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand and smiled a little fakely, "You don't need to apologize to me. No one in Chujing dares to cause trouble to me now. If you don't feel guilty about the Feng family, let's prepare to return to Licheng?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled bitterly. He had no feelings for the Feng family. But he was not so far away from turning a blind eye to the Feng family's confiscation of their property. In the final analysis, he and the Feng family did not have any deep hatred. They just chose different paths. This time, the Feng family was actually implicated by him.

"I will definitely handle this matter." Feng Zhiyao whispered.

Mo Xiuyao squinted his eyes and asked, "How do you want to solve this? After robbing the palace, rob the prison again? Or do you go and throw yourself into the trap and say that it was you, the Third Master Feng, who robbed the empress?"

Feng Zhiyao looked at the lazy white-haired man in front of him in silence. He had known Mo Xiuyao for decades and knew him well enough. He said this to help him solve his problems. But Feng Zhiyao felt uneasy. This time, he was too impulsive. If he had been patient and came back to discuss it with Mo Xiuyao, Mo Xiuyao might not stop him and might even help him. But now that he had made a mistake, he had to ask Ding Wangfu to help him settle it. This made Feng Zhiyao secretly regret his impulsiveness.

"Don't act like that in front of me. Bring Tan Jizhi to Prince Ding's Mansion within three hours. Otherwise..." He didn't finish the rest of the sentence, but the threat was self-evident.

Feng Zhiyao was cheered up and said loudly, "I obey your command. I will go immediately."

Looking back at the Queen sitting beside him, the Queen smiled faintly and said, "You go and do your work first. I'll talk to Prince Ding and the Princess."

Hearing this, Feng Zhiyao's face lit up and his tone became much lighter. He looked at the queen and said, "Wait for me, I'll be back soon." After that, he walked out of the flower hall with brisk steps, and there was no sign of injury at all.

Watching the bright red dress disappear at the door, the queen sighed helplessly. She looked at Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao apologetically and said, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said, "Feng San has been enslaved by me for more than ten years. It's nothing to help him solve a little trouble occasionally. I don't want to hear anything else. Let's wait for Feng San to come back. If he comes back and you are gone again, I am afraid I will lose a capable warrior."

The Queen couldn't help but smile and shook her head, saying, "After so many years, your friendship with Ayao has never changed. Thank you for taking care of him all these years."

Mo Xiuyao waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Feng San is not only a subordinate of Prince Ding's Mansion, but also a brother I grew up with." Maybe Xu Qingchen is more intelligent than Feng San, and maybe Zhang Qilan and others are more capable of fighting than Feng San. But only Feng San is the brother who grew up with him and accompanied him through the most painful years. There are not many such friendships in life, maybe there have been a few, but the only one who has remained unchanged after so many years is Feng Zhiyao.