Chapter 112 The truth is that no one is alive, and no body is found after death!
Su He didn't expect Bai Chen to say this about Bai Jinan.
She looked at him meaningfully and said jokingly, "Are you saying that your grandfather is a bad person?"
Bai Chen's eyes flickered and he turned his head to avoid Su He's sight.
Although he is older than her, his mental state and experience remain at the age of fifteen, and he also has a certain innate weakness, so when he tries to hide his emotions, it always makes them more obvious.
He said, "Anyway...I don't want my sister to get hurt."
Su He smiled and said, "How do you think your uncle will hurt me?"
Bai Chen paused and answered irrelevantly: "What I mean is... Sister should protect herself."
Su He also gave an irrelevant answer: "Did your grandfather look like this before?"
Bai Chen was a little confused and looked at her with a frown.
When he frowned, one eyebrow became uneven, making him look even more like a child.
He asked in return, "What do you mean, sister?"
Su He could tell from his reaction that Bai Chen might not know that his grandfather looked exactly like the current emperor.
She smiled slightly: "I'm just asking casually."
Changing the subject, he said, "Actually, considering our ages, I should call you brother, not you calling me sister."
Bai Chen sighed in frustration, not knowing what he was frustrated about.
Finally, he said: "These are not important."
She asked, “What do you think is important?”
Bai Chen pursed his lips and said, "Being alive is what matters." Then he turned and walked away.
She knows that being alive is important!
Her goal has always been to live a good life.
Therefore, she did not have so many worldly desires - she was not as obsessed with finding a good husband as Zhang Qian'er, nor was she as obsessed with having children for the family as Xu Nanzhi.
She just wanted to live freely and peacefully!
But now, Bai Jinan inside the cave has ulterior motives, and Xie Wuhen outside the cave is ready to take her life at any time. She has been walking on thin ice...
At this time in the capital.
As soon as Xie Wuhen returned home, Zhao Fu came to deliver a message: "Master Xie, the Emperor has been waiting for you for two days. You should hurry to the palace to see him."
Xie Wuhen was a little dazed when he heard this. He had been looking for Su He for several days and had not taken care of the emperor's mission for a long time.
He replied: "Please wait a moment, eunuch. I will change my clothes and go to the palace immediately."
When Xie Wuhen walked into the Weiyang Palace, the emperor was playing chess with the fifth prince in front of the chessboard.
After not seeing him for a few days, the fifth prince had grown a lot taller like a bamboo shoot, looking like a little adult. He was very intelligent and had an excellent memory. He had only learned chess for a few days, but he could play it quite well.
As soon as Xie Wuhen appeared, he immediately stood up to greet him: "Master Xie is here, that's great, come and see, will I be able to surpass my father soon?"
The emperor also smiled and said, "You are so arrogant despite your young age."
Xie Wuhen stepped forward and bowed.
The emperor then ordered Zhao Fu to take the chessboard away and instructed the fifth prince, "Your Majesty has important matters to discuss with Lord Xie. Please go to the side hall and play by yourself for a while."
The fifth prince obediently replied "yes", and politely nodded to Xie Wuhen, then took the chessboard and went to the side hall next to him.
Xie Wuhen looked at the Fifth Prince's back and couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect the Fifth Prince to grow so fast."
The emperor was also quite pleased: "Although he is a young child, he is naturally intelligent. Perhaps he will be able to shoulder great responsibilities in the future."
Xie Wuhen bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, congratulations."
The emperor smiled again and then looked him over. "The Fifth Prince has improved, but Zi Yu has become more destitute. He's darker and thinner. Why haven't you heard from your wife yet?"
Ever since he posted the missing person notice, the whole city knew that the young lady of the Xie family had run away from home, and the emperor naturally also learned about it.
He replied, "Yes, I haven't heard anything about my wife yet."
The emperor paused, then asked, "I have met your wife once, and I have seen that she is a gentle, virtuous, and sensible woman. Why did you suddenly run away from home?"
Xie Wuhen replied: "It is because I have mishandled family affairs that the Emperor is worried."
The emperor sighed, "I naturally have no time to interfere in the affairs of the Xie family, but Ziyu, you are currently tasked with finding the princess, and you must not neglect one thing while focusing on the other."
Xie Wuhen knelt solemnly: "I deserve to die. It was my negligence."
The emperor's tone softened a little: "Please stand up first."
After Xie Wuhen stood up, he said, "If you are too busy to handle everything, I can send more people to you."
Xie Wuhen replied: "The more manpower the better. Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor looked at the dusk outside the palace, his eyes revealing a sense of desolation: "I have lost my beloved, and I cannot find her. Now, you can be said to share my pity."
Xie Wuhen lowered his head, speechless for a moment.
The emperor added: "May your results be better than mine."
Xie Wuhen was filled with sorrow, but he replied, "I would like to borrow the emperor's good words."
When I came out of the palace, it was already time for lighting.
He asked Wu Sheng, "Have the spies found any trace of the young lady today?"
Wu Sheng shook his head: "No."
In fact, when he asked this question, he knew that there was no trace of her yet.
If there was any news, wouldn't Wu Sheng report it to him immediately?
But he still couldn't help looking gloomy and feeling lost.
He then ordered, "Let's go to Wuyou Teahouse early tomorrow morning."
Wu Sheng asked, "Is the Emperor urging us to find the princess?"
Xie Wuhen hummed, and then said, "Don't worry, the emperor will send us more people."
Wu Sheng then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head, saying "yes".
At this time in Changle Palace.
Concubine Shu was lying on the couch, letting her maid apply cucumber slices on her face.
The eunuch Chuanzi hurried into the palace: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has summoned Xie Wuhen again."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu paused and said, "Isn't Xie Wuhen busy looking for his wife? Why is he walking around before the emperor again?" Finally, she asked, "Have you found out why he was summoned?"
Chuanzi replied, "It should be that old incident. I also learned about it from one of Zhao Fu's godsons."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu wiped the cucumber slices off her face and sat up from the couch with a "whoosh": "What's going on?"
Chuanzi lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the palace maid named Duofu died a long time ago. She did leave behind a child before her death. Right now, the emperor is asking Xie Wuhen to do his best to find that child."
Concubine Shu asked, "Is the child a boy or a girl?"
Chuanzi shook his head. "I've tried my best to find out, but I haven't been able to find out anything yet. However, it is said that Xie Wuhen made a crucial breakthrough in the investigation through the owner of the Wuyou Teahouse. Currently, the owner is still being held captive in the teahouse by Xie Wuhen and is not allowed to leave."
Concubine Shu stood up and paced the hall, pondering as she went, "Duofu is dead. It's a good thing he's dead. No one will dare compete with me for my favor anymore. But now," she paused, clenching her fists in anger, "the Emperor has become increasingly reliant on the Fifth Prince, practically bringing him by his side to personally teach him."
Chuanzi said to comfort her: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is still young, there is no need to worry."
Concubine Shu was still worried: "But now there is another child."
Chuanzi replied: "But what if it's a princess?"
Concubine Shu asked in return: "What if it's a prince?"
Chuanzi lowered his head and dared not say another word.
Concubine Shu continued to pace in the palace: "No matter what, I can't take any risks."
Chuanzi asked, "What does your Majesty want to do?"
Concubine Shu thought for a moment and asked, "What's the name of the owner of the Worry-Free Teahouse?"
Chuanzi replied: "His name is Zeng Yidao."
"Why does Xie Wuhen still imprison him?"
"This... I don't know. Perhaps there is something else he hasn't revealed yet?"
Concubine Shu gritted her teeth and said, "Since Xie Wuhen is going to find Duofu's child through Zeng Yidao, then we should kill Zeng Yidao and cut off his path."
Chuanzi was a little embarrassed: "The teahouse is surrounded by Dali Temple officials. It's difficult for our people to take action."
Concubine Shu snorted coldly, "Since it's difficult to do it, then let's burn the teahouse down. It would be best if Zeng Yidao is burned to ashes."
Chuanzi's eyes flashed: "I will do it right away."
Concubine Shu called him back, "Remember, have our people bring plenty of kerosene. It would be best if we could also burn down the houses around the teahouse. The flames would surely soar to the sky, and if Zeng Yidao tried to escape from the fire, we could take advantage of the chaos and kill him."
"Your Majesty is truly thoughtful. I will remember this." Chuanzi said and turned to leave.
The fire at Wuyou Teahouse happened in the late night.
Zeng Yidao had been troubled by headaches for many years and was always woken up from sleep. When he discovered the fire in the house, he hurried downstairs through the thick smoke to wake up Anzi who was sleeping soundly.
Anzi hurriedly woke up the other waiters in the teahouse.
At this time, the house was already engulfed in flames, and screams, cries, and the crackling of flames were intertwined.
The roof beam suddenly fell down, and with a loud bang, a larger flame rose up, and half of the house collapsed.
Several people had to hide to the other side of the room.
Zeng Yidao covered his mouth and nose while shouting to An Zi, "This fire is getting bigger and bigger. You need to lead everyone out the back door quickly. If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
Anzi asked, "Sir, aren't you leaving?"
Zeng Yidao replied, "I have my own place to go."
An Zi was on the verge of tears as he watched the flames fill the sky. "Now that it's come to this, where else can we go, sir?" He grabbed Zeng Yidao's arm and pulled him out. "Sir, come run out with us!"
Two shop assistants had already rushed out of the house.
Zeng Yidao shook off his hand and said, "Go away quickly. Don't worry about me." Then he pushed An Zi out with force.
Anzi refused to let go, crying and shouting, "Sir, what are you going to do?"
Zeng Yidao replied in a deep voice, "Today's fire started strangely and spread so quickly. Someone must have deliberately poured kerosene on it, and that person must be coming for me. Even if I run away, I'll be dead. Don't get involved with me, just run away."
An Zi cried and shook her head: "I will live and die with you, sir."
Zeng Yidao shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? As long as there is green mountain, there is no fear of running out of firewood."
Anzi retorted loudly: "Then why don't you try to fight it out instead of staying in this fire and being burned to death?"
Zeng Yidao shouted again: "I won't die, go away."
After saying that, he pushed Anzi hard several times.
Anzi was pushed and staggered backwards. Another beam fell down, and he instinctively stepped out of the fire to avoid it.
He kept calling "Sir", but the gentleman didn't move an inch.
In the scorching and dazzling firelight, Zeng Yidao had a calm expression, a smile on his lips, and his eyes were peaceful and calm, as if he was not between life and death, but just standing in front of the tea table making tea like he did every morning.
Anzi didn't know why the master insisted on staying, nor did he know whether the master would die. At least he escaped and survived.
At dawn, when Xie Wuhen rushed over after hearing the news, the Wuyou Teahouse had been burned to ruins.
Zeng Yidao has disappeared, no trace of him is found, alive or dead!
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