Chapter 88 Setting up a trap is what he deserves
Shi Kai rolled up the letter to be sent to the border, inserted it into the mailbox, and then released the carrier pigeon.
A moment later, a cold arrow streaked across the sky and shot the carrier pigeon to death with a "whoosh".
A man stepped forward, picked up the fallen carrier pigeon, took out the letter from the mailbox, and turned to leave.
But the letter that Shi Kai sent to the palace successfully reached the queen.
Ever since the crown prince was deposed, the queen has been in tears all day. Now, having received news from her family, she finally felt a little relieved. "Brother is right. I still have a fifth prince."
Nanny Qing warned, "I'm worried that the people in Changle Palace are cheating behind the scenes."
The Queen thought for a moment and said, "You must bring the Fifth Prince to Kunning Palace immediately and have him taught by me personally. No one from Changle Palace is allowed to get near him."
She paused after finishing her words, a wave of worry rising in her heart. "The Second Prince is currently in the limelight, and he's probably a sure winner in the battle for the crown prince position. I wonder what chance the Fifth Prince still has. Besides, Duofu, who escaped the palace that year, was also pregnant. The Emperor has been searching for her for years without success. What if... what if he finds her? What will we do then?"
Nanny Qing consoled her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Isn't there the Minister of State who's plotting for you behind the scenes? Besides, who says the Emperor will definitely find Duofu? Even if he does, who can say she'll give birth to a son instead of a daughter?"
The queen breathed a sigh of relief and calmed herself down.
In the end, he still had doubts: "That big man from the Xie family is not afraid of anything."
"That's right. Last time we spread the scandal of the Xie family, it didn't make him back down at all. Otherwise, Your Majesty, why don't you just..." Nanny Qing made a throat-slitting gesture when she said this.
The Queen shook her head: "No, the Crown Prince has just been deposed, we must lie low for a while."
Then he ordered: "Send someone to keep a close eye on Xie Jia Dalang first, and report any signs of trouble immediately."
Nanny Qing lowered her head and replied “yes”.
On the day the Queen brought the Fifth Prince to Kunning Palace, Changle Palace received the news.
Concubine Shu was filled with disdain, her tone nonchalant: "The old hag is just refusing to give up. Without the Crown Prince, she's still dreaming of using the Fifth Prince to accomplish her goal. I'm afraid her efforts will be in vain this time."
The eunuch Chuanzi whispered a reminder, "Of course the Fifth Prince won't succeed, but Your Majesty, don't forget that the Emperor has been searching for that palace maid named Duofu. Duofu left while pregnant. If that child is born safely and survives, it would be the age of virginity."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu paused and murmured, "Back then, the Empress was suppressing me, and I naturally hoped that the Emperor would find that Duofu sooner rather than later to counter the Empress. Now that the Empress has fallen from favor and the Crown Prince has fallen, my son has become the most sought-after candidate for the Crown Prince position, and I naturally don't want anyone else to emerge."
She then asked, "So where has Xie Wuhen gone with his investigation?"
Chuanzi replied, "This matter was directly colluded between Xie Wuhen and the Emperor, and the eunuchs in Weiyang Palace are more talkative than a locked box. I haven't been able to find any information about this matter yet."
Concubine Shu pondered for a moment and ordered in a deep voice, "Then send someone to keep a close eye on Xie Wuhen. If he can find Duofu and the child born by Duofu—if the child is a boy, assassinate him on the spot."
Chuanzi's body tensed up and he lowered his head and replied "yes".
Dali Temple.
Wu Sheng always felt that the atmosphere outside the government office was strange: "Boss, is someone watching us?"
Xie Wuhen chuckled: "Your feeling is correct."
Wu was furious: "Who, having eaten a leopard, dares to stare at the Dali Temple officials?"
Xie Wuhen's expression was slightly restrained: "Whether it's Kunning Palace or Changle Palace, they all have this leopard's courage."
Wu Sheng paused: "Why are they staring at us?"
"Now that the crown prince's position is vacant, they are afraid that we will find Empress Duofu and the child she gave birth to."
"But the child is a princess, and has nothing to do with them."
"But they didn't know she was a princess."
Wu Sheng sighed deeply, "I'm afraid these two palaces will fight to the death again."
Then he thought of something else: "Oh, boss, I heard that the young master of the Zhou family is going to Changlong Restaurant to hold his birthday banquet."
"Who said that?"
"I heard it from the street vendors. I even went to the Changlong Restaurant to inquire, and the waiter also confirmed that it was true."
Xie Wuhen frowned slightly. "Zhou Yuanze was nearly murdered not long ago, and then there was another murder in the palace. Logically, he should have stayed at his residence for the sake of safety. Why is he announcing so loudly that he's going to hold a birthday party?"
Wu Sheng curled his lips: "Isn't the Zhou family always like this?"
Xie Wuhen shook his head: "The Crown Prince was deposed, and Zhou Ping fell out of favor with the Emperor. The Zhou family is no longer the same Zhou family as before."
He thought for a moment, then paused, "This must be a trap set by Zhou Ping."
Wu Sheng was puzzled: "Why did he set up this trap?"
Xie Wuhen replied in a deep voice: "To catch the murderer who murdered Zhou Yuanze."
Wu Sheng's eyes widened in shock: "Then the princess born by the queen is in danger, isn't she?"
Xie Wuhen's expression remained unchanged: "Judging from the princess's past behavior, she might not be fooled, but I'm also afraid of the possibility..."
"How does the boss want to proceed?"
He answered the question irrelevantly, "When will the Zhou family hold the birthday party?"
Wu Sheng replied: "There is still half a month left."
"By that day, Zhou Ping will have laid a tight net around the restaurant. We must also lay a tight net where they can't see us to prevent the princess from falling into Zhou Ping's hands."
Wu Sheng glanced outside the door and asked, "How do we shake off those people outside?"
Xie Wuhen replied: "Deploy the archers. If anyone dares to harm the princess, shoot them on the spot."
Wu Sheng clasped his fists and replied “Yes”.
In Chunhua Courtyard.
Su He called Ah Si over and asked, "Any progress on Zhou Yuanze's side?"
Ah Si shook his head helplessly. "I tried my best but still couldn't find any information. I even nearly aroused the suspicion of the gatekeeper at the Zhou Mansion. After this, I dared not act rashly again."
As he spoke, a gleam in his eyes flashed, "But yesterday I heard a piece of news on the street that Zhou Yuanze is going to hold a birthday party at Changlong Restaurant in half a month."
Su He was stunned when he heard this, as if he couldn't believe it. "He hides in the mansion all day, afraid of losing his life, and now he dares to hold such a high-profile birthday party?"
Ah Si was also puzzled: "Could it be that he wanted to celebrate and change his luck?"
Su He shook her head. "No, even if we want to hold a banquet, we should hold it at the Zhou family residence. Why would we hold it at the Changlong Restaurant, the busiest restaurant in the city?"
At last, she frowned slightly: "Could it be that Zhou Ping is setting the bait?"
Ah Si didn't understand: "What kind of bait is this?"
Su He replied calmly: "It's the bait to lure me out."
Ah Si gasped, "What should Madam do?"
"Zhou Yuanze will definitely not go there that day, so we don't need to fall into their trap."
Su He paused, thinking of the news she had heard from the palace about Zhou Yuanze drinking pigeon blood soup daily to nourish his spleen and kidneys. "Ah Si, go ask around in the city to see if there's a shop called 'Wu's Pigeon Shop,' and find out more about the owner."
Ah Si replied "yes" and quickly left the house.
Zhang Xiuhua was puzzled: "Miss, why are you asking about the pigeon shop?"
Su He smiled, looked up at the sky outside, and answered irrelevantly: "If Zhou Yuanze could die on his birthday, this drama would be exciting."
Zhang Xiuhua glanced at her and said, "If Miss really has this ability, then the famous Shangshu Ling will be in great pain."
Su He put away his smile, his eyes filled with cruelty: "If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of the father. This is what he deserves."
Two days later, Ah Si rushed back from outside the mansion. "Madam, I've heard that there is indeed a shop called 'Wu's Pigeon Shop' in the city. It's on Qingshui Street, not far from Zhou's house. The owner is Wu Qiutang, he's over fifty, and he's run this shop for over three years."
Su He asked, "Does he send pigeon blood soup to Zhou Yuanze every day?"
Ah Si replied, "I heard from his neighbors that he does regularly deliver pigeon blood soup to a certain wealthy family. As to whether it was for Zhou Yuanze, that's unknown. Furthermore, the neighbors also said that it was thanks to the help of this wealthy family that Wu Qiutang was able to purchase this prime location with minimal money. Otherwise, he would still be holed up in this remote Stone Alley."
Su He was stunned. "That means, without the help of this wealthy family, he still couldn't buy this store?"
Ah Si nodded. "That's right. The shop was previously owned by a young couple who sold tofu. Wu Qiutang saw the shop's prime location and thought it would be a waste to sell tofu, so he wanted to buy it and open a pigeon shop. But he went to their house several times and tried his best to persuade them, but they just wouldn't agree to sell the shop. Wu Qiutang had no choice but to ask the son of a wealthy family to intervene. It is said that the son did come forward to negotiate with the couple, but the talks broke down. Strangely enough, the couple both died in an accident not long after. Wu Qiutang took the opportunity to ask the son again to intervene, and he went to the government office to get the seal and the registration, and only then did he take over the shop."
Su He became more and more certain that the so-called wealthy family was the Zhou family, and the so-called young master was Zhou Yuanze.
Only the Zhou family would be so lawless and act recklessly.
Only Zhou Yuanze would go to such lengths to kill people and seize their homes just to drink the pigeon blood he desires.
She asked, "What happened to the young couple?"
Ah Si replied, "It is said that one fell into the Qingshui River and drowned, and the other was killed by bandits."
Su He's expression turned slightly cold: "How dare Zhou Yuanze put the blame on the bandits."
"Madam, are you saying that Zhou Yuanze killed that couple?"
Su He said firmly: "If it's not him, who else could it be?"
Who else can treat human life as worthless as he does?
Su He then ordered: "I want to know all about Wu Qiutang's daily habits."
Ah Si lowered his head and replied, "I'll go check it out right away."
Wu Qiutang bought a three-story house south of Qingshui Street, where he lived with a wife and two concubines.
He also bought a pigeon house in the back street of Qingshui Street, specifically for raising pigeons.
On weekdays, after closing the shop, he would go home to rest first, then get up at 1:15 a.m. the next day, go to the pigeon house to release the pigeons and clean the pigeon house. When he finished all this, it was already Chenshi, just in time to open the shop.
This cycle repeats itself, day after day.
One day, when he got up, it was still dark outside.
It's autumn now and the days are getting longer.
After washing up, he ate a piece of bread and then went to the pigeon house with a lantern.
The pigeon house was actually an abandoned workshop. It was large and well-connected, so it was a bit of a stretch for people to live there, but it was perfect for pigeons.
Wu Qiutang pushed open the wooden door of the pigeon house, hung the gauze lantern on the beam, and walked forward to open the pigeon doors one by one.
The pigeons rushed out, spread their wings and flew high, leaving silhouettes in the dark sky.
Wu Qiutang looked at the silhouettes, feeling relieved. He picked up a broom and cleaned the pigeon loft while muttering to himself, "Once these pigeons are out of the cage, maybe my Wu family can buy another house with four courtyards."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gauze lantern behind him suddenly shook.
He paused, looked back, and suddenly a ghostly figure in white clothes and white hair appeared in the air.
Wu Qiutang was so frightened that his body went limp: "You...you...what are you doing..."
The ghostly figure was floating around, and a terrifying voice came out of its mouth: "Give me back my shop... Give me back my shop..."
Wu Qiutang yelled "Ghost!", dropped his broom, and fled...
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