This sentence stunned both Shen Qingchen and Lu Shenyun.
Lu Shenyun waved his hand, dismissing the man, and then looked at Qingchen and said, "I have to go see the Emperor. The Emperor has summoned Lord Zhang of the Imperial Observatory to the palace, which must be related to this matter. Now that the steward of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion has come to turn himself in, this case involves the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, making it even more complicated."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and added, "I know you and Gu Shaoheng have always been on good terms. If you want to say something to him about this, just say that I will try my best to get the steward to tell the truth... It's the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
His voice was calm, and he spoke in an orderly manner. His cold and stern face remained unchanged, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.
His rejection of Qingchen was like a cocoon growing inside him, carefully and tightly wrapping himself up to prevent her hurtful words from breaking through.
The tearing, bleeding, and pain were all hidden away, visible only to himself.
After speaking, Lu Shenyun gestured towards the door, "You can go now."
Qingchen nodded and said, "Lord Lu, farewell."
As soon as Qingchen stepped out of the door, she heard Lu Shenyun's voice, "I will repay you for the life I owe you."
Outside the corridor, fine snowflakes drifted gently. This sound, however, was somewhat surreal. Qingchen paused for a moment.
But all she could think about was the blood map and Gu Shaoheng, so she didn't have time to think about those words. She simply waved her sleeve lightly and continued walking forward.
Behind her, Lu Shenyun stood by the door, silently gazing at her retreating figure. The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, ruffled the hem of his robe.
Qingchen returned to the Imperial Household Department and warmed her hands on the stove for a while. Before she could even think things through about the Gu family, the eunuch from the Crown Prince's side arrived, braving the snow.
"Lord Shen, you're finally back! His Highness the Crown Prince has been frantically searching for you. He's turned the Cining Palace upside down." The man glanced around and whispered, "Something terrible has happened in the palace."
Just as she suspected, the pattern involved the Crown Prince. Qingchen nodded, "I'll go there now. Please come with me, Eunuch, and tell me what happened."
Along the way, the eunuch told Qingchen about the situation in Qianqing Palace. The palace was already crowded with people and gossip, and with the emperor's anger, the news of what happened inside quickly reached the Eastern Palace.
When Qingchen arrived at Zhu Yuluo's study, she saw the young crown prince wrapped in a thin blanket, curled up behind his desk, seemingly shivering. His head was lowered, his expression somewhat blank, and his handsome features had lost their former brilliance.
Upon seeing Qingchen arrive, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, a glimmer of light finally appearing in his dark pupils. "Master Chen, you've finally arrived."
Qingchen brushed the snow off her clothes and hurried over to check on him. "Your Highness, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
He shook his head, then nodded. "Master Shen, I'm cold."
The palace was heated by an underfloor heating system, and a stove was lit inside. Qingchen felt a bit hot when she first entered. Zhu Yuluo was young and should be in better health than her. The last time he gazed at Empress Chen's Kunning Palace from outside the palace for a long time, it was the coldest time of winter, and he was only wearing a winter robe.
Today I'm wrapped up like this, curled up, complaining of the cold.
The child was probably frightened; the coldness came from deep within.
"Where did Master Shen go just now?" he asked, looking at her.
"Lord Lu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent me to the Zhenfu Division to ask me some questions."
Have you heard about what happened in the palace?
"Yes, I've heard... Your Highness, don't be afraid," Qingchen comforted. "Your Highness is the Emperor's own son, and the relationship between father and son is not so easily broken. I will also try to find a way for Your Highness."
"They said they've never seen Father so angry." Zhu Yulu's lips trembled slightly, her eyes looking helplessly at Qingchen. "Father also ordered that the teachers not to come to the Wenhua Hall to lecture me today..."
Qingchen blinked slightly. It seemed the situation was more serious than she had thought.
As the emperor, he was indeed intolerant of anyone coveting his throne. Moreover, Zhu Rui was a man who cared deeply about his reputation.
"That pattern... I don't know where it came from, or what it means," he said blankly. "It's just something that appeared out of thin air, with the character '太' in it, how could it..."
“Master Shen, my father has been very kind to me lately, and I don’t want to upset him at all. I never even considered doing something so rebellious. Now that my mother is gone, all I want is for my father to remember me and praise me, and I dare not have any other thoughts. I… I don’t know what I did wrong.”
Zhu Yuluo's mother had passed away, and he had no one to support him. He was completely lost and confused. Looking at his dazed eyes, Qingchen frowned slightly.
Of course she knew it wasn't his fault. But as long as he was in the imperial family, as long as he remained the crown prince, such calamities would not be uncommon.
Gently patting his shoulder, Qingchen continued, "Your Highness, let's first sort out the whole story. Only by finding the source of all this can we deal with it properly. Okay?"
He nodded.
“Just now, when I was at the Zhenfu Division, a steward from the Ningyuan Marquis’s residence came to confess, saying that he was the one who made the blood-stained map.” Qingchen looked down at Zhu Yulu’s lowered head to find his eyes. “Does Your Highness have any relationship with Ningyuan Marquis Gu Ru?”
On her way back, she couldn't figure this out. Since this matter was clearly aimed at Zhu Yuluo, why were the Gu family members involved?
"The Gu family's butler...turned himself in?" Zhu Yuluo suddenly raised his head, his childish face turning serious.
Qingchen frowned. "Does Your Highness have some connection with the Gu family?"
"My mother and Gu Ru are distant relatives... but the two families don't have much contact. I heard my mother say that my grandfather hated the power of maternal relatives back then, and carefully selected my mother, who was not from a noble family. After my mother entered the palace, the two families rarely had contact in order to avoid suspicion."
Qingchen understood. It turned out that Zhu Yuluo did have powerful relatives, but their relationship was not close, and the Gu family had always been very cautious and rarely interacted with the young Zhu Yuluo.
"Master Shen, why do you think the Gu family's butler did that?" Zhu Yulu asked worriedly.
The butler of the Gu family represents Master Gu.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was clearly a conspiracy deliberately orchestrated by someone exploiting the relationship between the Gu family and the Crown Prince.
They first ignited Zhu Rui's anger with a memorial, then fabricated a divine will that the Crown Prince would replace the current emperor, creating public pressure. If Zhu Rui were to follow the will of Heaven, he should abdicate; otherwise, he would be defying Heaven. Now, the Gu family steward has surrendered to the Imperial Guards, inevitably revealing that Gu Shaoheng's father, Gu Ru, was behind it all, and that the Gu family is the Crown Prince's maternal relatives…
This is a plot to frame the Gu family and have them collude with the Crown Prince to force the emperor to abdicate!
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