Fang Shaojian did not leave the capital.
He simply created the illusion that he had left the capital, and then secretly hid in the densely populated South City.
He packaged himself as a merchant selling porcelain.
The shop is located in the south city and has been in business for many years. The employees are all familiar old people.
This porcelain shop was one of his many bases in the capital.
In the morning, he sat in the yard basking in the sun with a cup of tea.
The shopkeeper came in to deliver some water, then whispered, "The Jinwu Guards are still surrounding the Prince of Chu's Palace."
"Um!"
"The Concubine Dowager saved the King of Chu, and the King of Chu was ordered to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. The Concubine Dowager is now detained in the Zongzheng Temple, awaiting her fate."
Fang Shaojian nodded.
"Gong Zizhao hasn't given up on hunting down the Dong family yet."
In the shop, everyone called Fang Shaojian the boss.
Fang Shaojian sneered, "Liu Zhao is ambitious and needs to be taught a lesson. But now is not the right time. Let's wait until the storm is over."
"Master, if you have no other instructions, I will go out and get busy."
"Go get busy."
Fang Shaojian was taking it easy, planning to wait until the storm was over before showing up again.
Liu Zhao sat in the teahouse with a solemn expression.
The guards stood in rows, not daring to breathe.
Liu Zhao said coldly, "It's now certain that Fang Shaojian is hiding in the city. The last time the palace issued a warrant for his arrest, he disguised himself as the owner of a cloth shop and hid in the backyard of the shop.
This time, he is likely to use the same trick again and hide in the name of the shop owner.
This young master has contacted various industry chambers of commerce and is preparing to conduct a preliminary investigation.
You all need to keep a close eye on this. Any shop where the owner is usually not there but whose owner suddenly shows up recently are all targets for key screening.
Screening is not limited to any industry. Fang Shaojian is a cunning man, and he must have prepared many sets of identities. Now that the order is clear, go ahead and do it."
"Yes, sir!"
The guards left the teahouse.
Qian Fu followed Liu Zhao and said, "This old servant has analyzed Fang Shaojian's habits, hobbies, personality and behavior in recent years. South City has the largest population and is home to many mid- and low-end shops, making it the best place to hide his identity. It's very likely that Fang Shaojian is hiding in South City."
Liu Zhao said, "That's not enough. South City alone has a population of over a million. We must narrow the scope of the investigation."
"If you want to check all industries and all shops, it's best to use Madam's help."
"Madam has sent a hundred men to help. These men have been active in the business world for a long time and are very familiar with the situation in South City. I'll hand these men over to you, and you will take them to conduct an investigation."
"I obey your command."
…
Time goes by day by day.
The grand court meeting lasted for three to five days without any result.
Every man has his own reason, and every woman has her own reason.
Everyone has selfish desires.
The emperor did not comment on the quarrel among his court officials.
Except for the first day's grand court meeting, when the emperor appeared for two hours, he did not appear in the court meetings of the following days.
Gradually, some people realized that the emperor did not need to hold a court meeting to decide who would be the crown prince, and that the emperor's move was mainly to buy time.
Inside the palace, a silent purge took place, and the bloody storm was hidden under the table. This is the truth.
Some court officials believed they had been deceived and wanted to ask the emperor for an explanation.
More people shifted their attention from the grand court meeting to the imperial palace.
Many people I knew in the past have disappeared. Were they arrested or are they dead?
No one can explain it clearly.
And what about the Prince of Chu’s Palace?
The guard killed the concubine of the prince's mansion. Could this be a risqué plot? Could it be that the guard and the concubine of the prince's mansion were having an affair?
Regardless of the era, people are always interested in this kind of gossip between men and women.
Even when there was no trace, they could make it sound very detailed. Now that he had committed murder, they would make up a dozen or so versions of the story with erotic plots using the Prince of Chu's Mansion as the background.
No matter which version it is, the green hat on the King of Chu's head is certain.
When the King of Chu heard the gossip on the streets, he was furious.
How could these civil and military officials be as gossipy as the gossipers in the market?
It's simply shameless.
Is there any evidence to prove that he is cuckolded?
It was obvious that Xie Shi hated the Gu family, so he killed Gu Yue on impulse.
Why did it become Gu Yue cheating on him when it came to the mouths of literati?
Why?
The King of Chu was very angry.
"Come here, follow me to visit Gu Liangdi."
Gu Yue is not dead.
Xie Shi's knife avoided the vital parts, and with the timely treatment of the imperial physician, Gu Yue saved his life.
She lay in bed, replaying the scene. She replayed the few seconds that happened over and over again, not missing a single detail.
Especially at the end, what did Xie Shi mean by what he whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, I'm just following orders."
On whose orders did Xie Shi come to kill her?
Who in the palace wants to kill her?
Just when Gu Yue's head was swelling with worry, the door curtain was lifted and the King of Chu walked in.
The King of Chu was standing against the light. Gu Yue blinked and took a moment to adjust before she could see his appearance clearly.
The King of Chu looked haggard and had a scruffy beard, and it seemed he hadn't taken good care of it for many days.
"Your Majesty?"
Gu Yue endured the pain from the wound, sat up and leaned against the head of the bed.
The King of Chu stared at her with complicated eyes without saying a word.
Gu Yue suddenly felt uneasy.
The prince just looked at her without saying anything. What did that mean?
"What's wrong, Your Highness? Are you worried about Mother? Mother is blessed by heaven and will surely return safely."
The mother that Gu Yue mentioned was naturally Concubine Dowager Sun.
The situation was naturally not good for Concubine Sun, who was imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple. No wonder the King of Chu looked so haggard.
The King of Chu sat down on the round stool beside the bed and asked, "Why did Xie Shi want to kill you?"
Gu Yue looked weak and aggrieved, "I don't know either."
The King of Chu looked indifferent. "Some say there was an affair between you two. Xie Shi killed you because love turned to hate."
At this moment, Gu Yue's heart stopped beating and her whole body stiffened.
The muscles in her face twitched.
After a long while, she finally managed to utter a word, "What is the prince talking about? Who is fabricating rumors to slander me?"
"Do you have an affair with Xie Shi?" asked the King of Chu.
"Of course not." Gu Yue suddenly reacted and roared loudly.
She cried out, "Who is harming me? Who is it? I almost died at the hands of Xie Shi, and now I am being slandered by rumors. Who is so cruel? Your Majesty, you must believe me, I am innocent."
"I will find out whether you are innocent or not." The King of Chu remained indifferent.
Gu Yue was heartbroken, clutching her chest, looking as if she couldn't breathe. "For the prince, I am willing to be a concubine. Doesn't this prove that I am sincere to the prince? With my family background, I could have married into a good family and become a proper eldest lady. But in the end, I still chose the prince, all because my heart has long been devoted to him."
Gu Yue was shouting and feeling aggrieved.
She lowered her head and cried, looking pitiful.
However, it failed to impress the King of Chu.
The King of Chu said to her, "Take good care of your injuries. I will come to see you another day."
After saying this, the King of Chu stood up and left.
Gu Yue was heartbroken and burst into tears.
The King of Chu walked out of the courtyard and ordered his trusted eunuch, "Go to the Jinwu Guards on my behalf and ask Xie Shi why he wanted to kill Gu Liangdi."
"I obey your command."
The King of Chu was unwilling to believe that Gu Yue was cheating on him, and he hoped to hear a different answer from Xie Shi.
Xie Shi did not disappoint the King of Chu and gave him a different answer.
"What did you say? Xie Shi killed Gu Liangdi on the orders of Junior Supervisor Fang?"
The King of Chu was completely bewildered. How could this happen?
"Xie Shi did say that. He also said that even the dagger was handed to him personally by Fang Shaojian."
The King of Chu frowned, "Did Xie Shi tell me why Fang Shaojian wanted him to kill Gu Liangdi?"
The trusted eunuch shook his head. "Xie Shi said he didn't know what Young Eunuch Fang was up to. Your Highness, perhaps the Dowager knows the truth."
The King of Chu paced back and forth in the study, unable to understand the intention of Fang Shaojian ordering Xie Shi to kill people.
"Tomorrow, come with me to the Zongzheng Temple. I want to see my mother."
The next morning, the King of Chu took a carriage to the Zongzheng Temple. After completing the formalities, he successfully met the Queen Mother Sun.
Concubine Sun's appearance has not been damaged, her aura has not been diminished, and she is as tough and sharp as ever.
He just wore thick clothes, which made him look a little bloated.
There was no underground heating in Zongzheng Temple. There was only a brazier in the room, which emitted a little bit of pitiful heat.
In order to avoid freezing to death, I had to wear all the thick clothes.
"Mother has suffered."
"Aren't the Jinwu Guards keeping an eye on the palace?"
"Most of the Jinwu Guards have retreated, leaving only a few guarding the door."
Concubine Sun nodded, "That's good. Don't worry, this storm will soon pass and you won't be implicated."
The King of Chu frowned and said, "There is something I don't understand. I hope my mother can help me understand it."
Concubine Sun laughed, "Do you already know that Xie Shi was ordered to kill Gu Yue?"
"Mother indeed knows about this. Xie Shi said that he killed people on the orders of Fang Shaojian. I have been thinking about it all night and still can't figure out Fang Shaojian's intentions. Please tell me the truth."
Concubine Sun raised her eyebrows and smiled, "The truth is, the Chu Palace needs a commotion right now, and it would be best if it could cause a heated discussion throughout the city."
The King of Chu was confused, "I don't understand."
Concubine Sun sighed, "I, the young eunuch Tong Fang, am afraid I can't escape this time. But you are different, you are clean, you can escape."
Xie Shi was ordered to kill Gu Yue. Why are there so many rumors outside? It is because Xie Shi and Gu Yue are cousins, and it is easy for people to lead people to think of a love relationship between men and women.
As for the current situation outside, everyone is more concerned about the love between men and women than why the Prince of Chu's Mansion was besieged by the Jinwu Guards.
This is the guidance of public opinion and the people's hearts. Don't underestimate this little bit of people's hearts, it will affect your majesty's judgment.
Because of the series of chaos caused by Xie Shi's murder of Gu Yue, and the subsequent speculation about the relationship between men and women, you are a victim in the eyes of the world.
You are the legitimate son of Crown Prince Renxuan, and Your Majesty owes the Crown Prince a debt. Coupled with those swirling rumors, Your Majesty is willing to give up on holding you accountable."
"My responsibility?" The King of Chu didn't understand.
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