Chapter 52
Seeing that her daughter had agreed, Xiao Fen then had You Luowan lead her to Guan Fu'er's room.
The guards outside opened the door without saying a word when they saw it was You Luowan.
Fu'er, who was just about to fall asleep, heard the door open and immediately sat up in bed.
I was incredibly excited when I saw You Luowan.
Before he could even speak, You Luowan gestured for him to be quiet.
Fu'er nodded knowingly.
After Xiaofen left, You Luowan approached Fu'er and asked, "Miss, what are you doing here?"
Fu'er sighed, "I was kidnapped here."
“You’re the only person I know in this building, a very close and even intimate acquaintance. Miss You, you can’t just abandon me.”
You Wanluo had only met Fu'er twice, judging from Fu'er's overly familiar tone.
I couldn't help but cover my mouth and laugh.
“You are the young master’s person, of course I will save you.”
"However, we can't force it."
"Don't worry, I'll go and inform Uncle Jiu myself. He'll have a way to get you out of here."
"Just remember, when the people in the building bring you food in the evening, you must not eat it."
"Don't be afraid, I'll leave Xiaofen here to talk to you."
Fu'er's eyes welled up with tears. "You always have such a cold face, I never imagined you were such a nice person."
"She's red-faced, and she has the slim waist I like."
"I rolled my eyes at you last time, you don't hate me, do you?"
You Luowan covered her mouth and smiled again, thinking to herself, no wonder the young master liked her so much.
She's like a child, with a sweet tongue and a likable personality.
"No, I don't blame you."
After offering a few words of reassurance, You Wanluo dared not delay and went to report the news.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to slip the handkerchief into Fu'er's hand.
Once the crumpled handkerchief is unfolded, it becomes clearly visible.
There are three people drawn on it: Ning Shiyu, Fu'er, and You Wanluo.
That was the day You Luo came to Songtao Garden to deliver a message, and Fu'er was looking at her from the doorway of the side room.
As if afraid that You Wanluo might forget, they even specially marked her name and wrote the character '福' (fortune/blessing).
Even with the madam present, Fu'er dared not go into too much detail.
If she only said that she was You Wanluo's distant cousin, the other party would not have come to save her at all.
So when the maid named Xiao Fen came to deliver the meal, she realized that she was You Luowan's maid.
On a sudden inspiration, since she couldn't write a letter and reveal You Luowan's identity...
Then draw a letter that only they can understand.
The method worked.
When Xiaofen came in, Fu'er had already put away the handkerchief.
Summer days are long and dark, and by evening, Tianxianglou was already bustling with guests.
Young Master Wei is dressed to the nines today.
He was very wealthy and generous, and as soon as he entered Tianxiang Tower, he started giving the girls silver tips.
Although he always came for social occasions, he was very popular with the girls.
The girls didn't want to miss such a good opportunity. The young master from a noble family was handsome, and they could not only get a reward, but also touch his hand and smell his fragrance.
It took several servants quite a while to pull the girls away from the building so that their young master could smoothly go up to the second floor.
Young Master Wei had a clear goal and went straight to the madam to demand the person.
The madam had been waiting for a long time and even had someone change Fu'er's clothes.
Fu'er struggled in place like a slaughtered pig, her hand pulled out of the doorway while her feet remained inside the house.
But it was no use against the strong and powerful old woman.
Finally, she was pulled out of the room. Fu'er was very anxious, wondering how long it would take for Uncle Jiu and the others to arrive.
The two old women were pulled and dragged into the guest room, and they were covered in sweat.
Upon entering the guest room and seeing that it was Young Master Wei, Fu'er happily greeted him, "Young Master Wei."
At this moment, Young Master Wei had no time to agree to Fu'er's request; his gaze was fixed on Fu'er's most attractive feature.
At this moment, Fu'er was wearing a light blue narrow-sleeved robe, with a light purple tube top underneath, and a peach-pink pleated skirt on the bottom.
It revealed her beautiful figure.
She had a full bust and fair skin, so everyone's eyes would be drawn to her from there.
In the past, the summer clothes in her wardrobe were all skirts with short sleeves, and the only part that was exposed was a small section of her neck.
Unlike what she's wearing now, which is a completely white strip from her neck to the upper part of her chest.
She tried to block his gaze, but she couldn't escape Wei Gongzi's burning eyes. Fu'er said helplessly, "Young Master Wei, haven't you looked enough?"
Only then did Young Master Wei withdraw his gaze, and awkwardly feigning surprise, he smiled and said, "Fu'er, how could it be you?"
"Young Master Wei, I was kidnapped by them. Please rescue me quickly. I don't want to stay here a moment longer."
Fu'er was unaware that everything was the work of the person in front of her.
They still pinned their hopes on him.
The period after You Luowan left was relatively peaceful, and Xiaofen kept her company and talked to her.
But when Tianxianglou opened, she was harassed quite a bit by a group of people.
They either gave her a petal bath or did her makeup, covering her face with peach blossom powder.
If Fu'er didn't like it, she would wipe it off, and the girl who dressed her up would immediately put it back on.
After going back and forth four or five times, the girl was so tired that she had to give up.
Then two old women dressed Fu'er in a strapless top that exposed her neck.
Fu'er had to take it off several times, but the two old women were incredibly patient, and Fu'er couldn't resist their stamina.
In the end, having no other clothes to change into, he had no choice but to wear them.
Young Master Wei laughed and said, "Alright, I'll get you out of here right away."
The madam, playing along with Young Master Wei, chuckled, "Young Master Wei, this girl isn't cheap."
“I also got her a new household registration, which cost at least five thousand taels of silver.”
Fu'er panicked and said, "I was kidnapped by you. I have a household registration and family."
"If you won't let me go, and you're asking for so much money, aren't you afraid I'll report you to the authorities?"
The madam crossed her arms and laughed, "Then go ahead and sue me."
"If Young Master Wei doesn't pay you today, you won't even be able to leave Tianxiang Tower."
"Do you intend to lock her up for the rest of your life?"
A cold voice interrupted the group through the door, startling the madam and Young Master Wei.
Then the door was kicked open, and Constable He from the yamen barged in with a group of constables.
Dongyue and Zhuping also came along.
When Fu'er saw them, it was as if she had seen her saviors.
Pushing aside the two old women, he darted to Dongyue and Zhuping's side, his eyes red-rimmed, and said, "You've finally come."
Zhu Ping blushed when he saw that her clothes were too revealing.
He immediately took off his own robe and draped it over Fu'er's shoulders.
Constable He asked sternly, "Are you the madam of Tianxiang Tower?"
Mother Chen's face paled, and she glanced at Young Master Wei.
Knowing he was in trouble, he felt a pang of regret for being greedy for that little bit of money.
But how could she dare offend the Wei family?
I reckon this girl's husband is no ordinary person either.
Having no choice but to admit defeat, she composed herself and replied, "It is indeed I, your humble servant."
"You have violated the laws of Western Chu by forcibly abducting a respectable woman and taking her away."
Young Master Wei never expected things to turn out this way.
Although even the county magistrate in Lingyang had to show deference to the Wei family, this time he was in the wrong first.
They did not speak out in defense of Chen's mother or protect her.
It was a false alarm. After returning home, Dongyue refused to do any more chores for Fu'er and simply stayed by her side.
Fu'er sighed helplessly, "We've lost another useful laborer."
The next day, Granny Yu thoughtfully arranged for Cuiya to come over to Fu'er.
August 20th is the emperor's 56th birthday.
He refused to leave the Taiji Palace to receive the homage of the officials, no matter how much they pleaded with him.
He always sat on the dragon bed without fail.
In order to stabilize public sentiment and calm the anxious court, and to dispel the rumors that the emperor had been harmed by the Cui family.
In the end, Cui Mingyou had no choice but to come and invite him in person.
Emperor Taihe sat by the bed, wearing only an undergarment.
Her gaze was somewhat vacant, but from her steady, unhurried footsteps, one could tell it was Cui Mingyou.
He slowly raised his head, and Cui Mingyou then withdrew her gloomy expression and gave a perfunctory bow.
"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven of Western Chu, and today is your birthday."
"Your Highness, please accompany me to the Taiwu Hall to receive the homage of the officials."
Emperor Taihe withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and sneered, "I am dispensable as the Son of Heaven. What difference does it make whether I go or not?"
"Can't I just stay quietly in the Taiji Palace?"
"My days are numbered. Is it possible that even this request of Cui Xianglian is not to be granted?"
Cui Mingyou remained unmoved and insisted, "Eunuch Min will help the Emperor change his clothes and carry him to the Taiwu Palace."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ignoring the emperor's resistance, the eunuch beside him dressed the emperor in a dragon robe and then carried him onto the palanquin.
Emperor Taihe swayed and pushed, "You dog slaves are so insolent, daring to disobey me."
"I said I didn't want to go."
Just then, His Highness the Crown Prince burst in with his personal guards, shouting, "Insolence!"
His voice was loud and authoritative, which frightened the two eunuchs so much that they dared not take any further action.
His Highness the Crown Prince walked straight to his father, the Emperor, and kicked the two eunuchs aside. “Prime Minister, is this how you treat my father?”
"Don't forget who the true emperor of Western Chu is."
"you……"
"Hong'er, you must not be rude to the Prime Minister."
Emperor Taihe grasped the Crown Prince's hands and gestured with his eyes, signaling him not to act impulsively and anger Cui Mingyou.
Seeing that the Crown Prince had once again disregarded her feelings, Cui Mingyou's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and she said coldly, "What exactly does Your Majesty want before you will go to the Taiwu Hall?"
After coughing twice, the Emperor said, "I wish to return to the Prince Kang's residence before I die."
Before Emperor Taihe ascended the throne, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Kang by the previous emperor and lived in the Prince of Kang's Mansion in Yongxingfang.
Cui Mingyou pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I will have General Ye personally escort you to the Prince Kang's residence."
"The ceremony of worship will be moved to two hours later."
"yes."
General Ye Xu was Cui Mingyou's confidant, and the Crown Prince, worried about him, insisted on accompanying him.
But Cui Mingyou stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, it's best not to disturb the Emperor."
Li Huihong's eyes blazed with fury, but she was helpless as the palace was filled with Cui Mingyou's imperial guards.
He glanced at his father with a complicated expression, and had no choice but to give up.
With Cui Mingyou's permission, it became much easier for the Emperor to leave the palace.
After the pilgrimage ceremony was postponed, Cui Mingyou returned to the Prime Minister's residence.
His spies had been waiting in the study for a long time.
One of them was the first to report: "Prime Minister, our scouts report that there is currently no contact between the Northwest and the Cao family of Hexi."
"General Cao and his son have also been staying in Hexi."
"However, some time ago, General Cao returned to Lingyang for a few days to arrange her daughter's marriage."
Cui Mingyou frowned slightly; he was also aware of this matter.
The memorial submitted by Cao Yukun requesting to return to Lingyang to visit his relatives was personally approved by Cui Mingyou.
He didn't think much of it that day, but now, at this crucial moment, he has to be vigilant.
"Investigate thoroughly to find out who is the person who married the youngest daughter of the Cao family."
"Yes, I will take care of it right away."
Hexi is adjacent to Ruzhou, a border town in the southwest.
If Cao Yukun joins forces with him to fight against the Northwest Army, then they will be considered a powerful alliance, and they will have an 80% chance of winning and reclaiming the Northwest Army.
At that time, the entire Western Chu would belong to Cui Mingyou alone.
It wasn't for nothing that he planned for so many years.
Therefore, all potential problems must be eliminated before he can realize his long-cherished wish.
The fact that the Cao family was unwilling to accept the marriage arranged by the Cui family had already aroused his suspicion.
After the guards left, Cui Mingyou reviewed many memorials and official documents.
It was almost two hours before he got up to go to the palace.
Just then, General Ye, who was ordered to escort Emperor Tianhe to the Kangwang Mansion, hurriedly requested an audience outside the house, his tone filled with anxiety.
Cui Mingyou said loudly, "Come in and give your answer."
As soon as Ye Xu entered the study, his voice trembled slightly, "Prime Minister, the Emperor is missing."
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