"Wedding?"
Chu Hong and Chu Qingluan exchanged a glance, understanding the situation, but still pretending to be puzzled, they asked, "The Crown Princess's wedding is a happy event, so why is it making everyone so nervous?"
The old man took advantage of the fact that no one was around and sighed deeply: "Are you two from out of town?"
"It might be a happy event for others, but for ordinary people like us, it's a worry. To prevent the Qin spies from sneaking in and causing trouble, the princess ordered a city-wide search and investigation. Anyone who looked suspicious would be arrested and questioned."
"Just a few days ago, a man selling sugar paintings in the west of the city said a few unhappy words during an interrogation. Someone close to the princess happened to hear him and he was taken away. He hasn't been released yet. Now everyone is afraid of stepping on someone's feet, so who dares to go out and wander around anymore?"
At this time, an old woman passing by heard this and sighed, "Who says it's not true? Although Her Highness used to be strict, she did things in an orderly manner, and our lives were always going well. But since she came back from outside a few months ago... she's like a completely different person!"
"How much extra 'festive tax' was levied to make the wedding a grand affair? How could our small business withstand such exploitation? Just because the shopkeeper Wang from the shop next door said 'the tax is too high', he was taken away by the yamen runners yesterday. Just imagine... ah!"
The old woman shook her head, her face filled with confusion and bewilderment. "First, they inexplicably insisted on bringing back that Second Prince. Now, the two of them are controlling the government together, and His Majesty is ill. I'm afraid that our Great Chu is..."
The old woman stopped talking here.
But Chu Qingluan's heart suddenly sank when she heard it.
She hadn't expected that the capital would become like this during her absence, and she hadn't expected that the impostor would ruin her reputation so much.
Back when she was in power, she always put the people first and never did anything so overbearing and tyrannical. The people respected and loved her. But now, because of this imposter, her reputation has plummeted.
The people complained bitterly and suffered terribly.
Chu Hong's mood was also extremely heavy.
He first thanked the old man who was setting up the stall, and then got on the carriage.
"Sister? What should we do next?"
Chu Qingluan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.
"We can't wait any longer." She analyzed with unusual calmness.
"That imposter and Chu Lang are frantically overdrawing the nation's capital and alienating the people. Every moment we wait, the foundation of the Great Chu becomes more rotten, and it will be more difficult for us to restore order in the future."
She quickly analyzed, "Straightening out our identities and storming the palace is definitely a bad idea. Not only will no one believe us, but we're more likely to be attacked and executed as a spy. We must find a reliable ally."
Chu Hong nodded blankly, "Okay, no matter what sister wants to do, I support her. So where are we going now?"
Chu Qingluan quickly searched in her mind.
The person he trusted the most and had the most power and advantage was undoubtedly Xie Yunqi. However, just now at the city gate, he heard from the people that his attitude towards the impostor was also suspicious. It was not the best choice.
Moreover, even though he knew the identity of the impostor, he was still willing to be driven around. Maybe there was another hidden reason.
The only one I can think of who won't betray me is——
"Let's go to Duke Dingguo's Mansion!"
...A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped at the gate of Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
Taking advantage of the shelter of a street corner, Chu Qingluan saw that the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, which used to be so imposing and grand, was now heavily guarded! The number of guards at the gate was twice as many as usual, and these soldiers had sharp eyes, constantly scanning the streets with a vigilant look on their faces.
Chu Qingluan's heart slowly sank.
It seems that the Duke Dingguo's Mansion has also been targeted.
"Sister, it seems that Duke Dingguo's Mansion is also under surveillance."
Chu Qingluan forced herself to calm down, her brain working rapidly.
After a moment, she decisively ordered: "Let's go around to the back door."
There is an extremely hidden passage at the back door of the Duke's Mansion. It was secretly dug by my grandfather in his early years just in case. It leads directly to the rockery behind the ancestral hall of the mansion.
No one knows except my grandfather, uncle and Jiuge.
"Okay." Chu Hong nodded without any objection.
Soon, the carriage went around to the back door of the Duke's Mansion. Chu Qingluan asked Chu Hong to wait outside with the children, while she went around to a remote alley, pushed aside the bushes, and soon arrived at the backyard of the Duke's Mansion, which was only separated by a wall.
Deep in the alley, where weeds grew thickly, Chu Qingluan carefully identified the bricks and stones that seemed random but actually contained hidden mechanisms, and pressed them gently in a specific order.
“Click!”
A piece of stone wall slowly slid open, revealing a secret passage that was only wide enough for one person to pass through, and a cold and damp atmosphere emanated from inside.
Chu Qingluan quickly bent down and entered the secret passage.
A quarter of an hour later, in the backyard of the Duke's Mansion.
Relying on her memory, Chu Qingluan quickly slipped to Qin Jiuge's yard.
However, Handan Garden was empty at this time, with only two servants napping under the corridor.
Chu Qingluan didn't dare to stay too long. She quickly slipped into an unused room where some servants' clothes were usually kept.
She quickly found a maid's uniform to change into, and tied her hair up like a maid in the Duke's Mansion, then walked out with her head lowered and her eyes submissive.
Since Jiuge is not in his own yard, the most likely place he went is his grandfather's study.
She carried the tray she had picked up from the kitchen and walked towards Jingxinzhai, pretending to be a maid delivering something.
The journey was smooth and I didn't meet anyone.
Just as she stepped into the yard, she heard familiar conversation coming from inside.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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