Chapter 153 The missing person is Prince Chao Lan
At this time, another person came to report to Dongfang Qi: "Your Highness, Duke Cui, Duke Zhao, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin have heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has come to visit Duke Li under the imperial decree, and have come to pay their respects!"
There were eight top families in Qi State, among whom Li, Cui, Zhao and Gu lived in the capital for generations and were the most powerful.
Moreover, the Li and Zhao families were related by marriage and had always been of the same blood. The Cui family had always remained neutral, but was the most trusted by Emperor Zhao of Qi.
When they visited today, Duke Cui and Duke Li each had their own concerns.
As for Prince Jin, his biological mother was from the Zhao family. His appearance at this time was obviously intended to win over the Li family.
Although the emperor was the most respected person in Qi State, the power of the aristocratic families over the past thousands of years should not be underestimated.
When Dongfang Qi met with an unexpected disaster and had not been seen for over a year, the major aristocratic families could no longer hold back and, arguing that the country needed an heir, submitted memorials to pressure Emperor Zhao of Qi to adopt a son as an heir, thus preparing for the future.
Under pressure, Emperor Zhao of Qi was forced to summon the princes from all over the country to the capital.
This shows the great influence of these aristocratic families on the government.
Now, although Dongfangqi has returned to his position, the forces of various parties are still turbulent.
Especially at this morning's court session, Emperor Zhao of Qi proposed that all the major vassal kings return to their fiefdoms within three months.
The one who was most unwilling was Dongfang Yan.
He knew clearly that once he returned, it would be extremely difficult to fight for the throne again.
And there is Lin Qingyue. She has now obtained the divorce letter. If she insists on staying in the Xuanjing Division in the capital, the relationship between them will be difficult to repair.
Dongfang Yan naturally refused to sit and wait for repatriation, so he used the Zhao family to ease the relationship with the Li family.
Today, he heard that the prince had caused too much trouble at Duke Li's mansion, so he immediately abandoned his official duties and came here to fish in troubled waters - if he had the chance and could find out that the prince had done something wrong, he would not hesitate to add insult to injury.
Even if the crown prince has the emperor's favor, if he offends all the noble families, his position as crown prince will definitely not last long.
Dongfang Qi waved his hand, as if he didn't care about his subordinates' report. He still held his breath and concentrated on sensing the aura of the Twin Talisman.
Suddenly, he sensed it!
The twin talismans transmitted Lin Qingyue's voice into his sea of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, his anxiety and uneasiness had completely dissipated. He turned to look at Lin Xiu and said, "There is indeed no deputy commander here."
Li Xiu said, "So, Your Highness, are you ready to issue a confession of guilt?"
Dongfang Qi said, "Just because there's nothing here doesn't mean there's nothing elsewhere. I'm going to search the back garden of the Duke's Mansion!"
Li Xiu's expression changed slightly, and the other Li family members were extremely angry.
"Your Highness, please don't go too far!"
"The several courtyards near the mansion's back garden are all inhabited by the girls of our mansion who are not out of line. Are you trying to ruin their reputation?"
Dongfang Qi said, "I will only search the garden and will not enter the boudoirs of your young ladies. You may also send orders in advance, asking the young ladies to close the gates and not come out."
"Did Duke Li commit a serious crime? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually led troops to openly confiscate the property!" Dongfang Yan stepped briskly into the secret room, followed by Duke Cui and Duke Zhao.
Seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, they all pretended to bow to him.
Duke Zhao said, "Duke Li's mansion is truly impressive, even allowing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to personally visit him. That's not right. It seems to me that he doesn't want to visit the patient. It seems like he's confiscating the property. What crime did Duke Li commit to warrant such a fuss?"
Dongfang Yan looked at Dongfang Qi with a provocative look. "Even if he committed the crime of confiscating his property, His Majesty must issue an imperial decree, right? Your Highness, where is the imperial decree?"
Duke Cui said, "Duke Zhao and Prince Jin, be careful with your words. Your Highness, since I heard that His Majesty has summoned you, how about we come to the palace together?"
Dongfang Qi said calmly, "It's not a house search. My deputy general went missing in the Duke's Mansion, and I'm worried about her safety, so I'm searching everywhere. I just finished searching this secret room and found bloodstains on the bed. I'm afraid she's met with an accident, so I want to search the back garden of the ancient palace again."
Li Xiu hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the bloodstains here were only accidentally stained by some servants. They have nothing to do with the person you are looking for. Besides, if we can't search the back garden here, how can we find him? Our Li family is not a small family. We cannot tolerate repeated humiliation. Perhaps your deputy general has deserted his post and returned to the Eastern Palace."
Dongfang Qi said, "Impossible. My people will never leave me without a reason."
Dongfang Yan chuckled, "So they're making such a fuss over a mere deputy general. It seems that aristocratic families are truly insignificant in the eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
This sentence clearly accused the prince of being domineering and looking down on the aristocratic families.
As expected, both the Li and Zhao families frowned. Although Duke Cui was neutral, he did not like the prince's contempt for the aristocratic families.
Dongfang Qi said, "She is not just an ordinary deputy general, but an important person who saved my life. She accompanied me through mountains and rivers, dodging ambushes and assassinations by evildoers, and returned safely to the capital."
Dongfang Yan's expression changed slightly: "Could the person you are talking about be... could it be her?"
Dongfang Qi nodded: "Yes, it's Prince Chaolan Lin Qingyue."
Dongfang Yan was furious. "When did she become your deputy general? Why did you bring her with you when you came to visit the Duke's mansion? How can a man and a woman be alone together? How can this be proper?"
Dongfang Qi said, "She was the deputy general when she escorted me, and she didn't have time to resign. Therefore, it is her duty to accompany me to the Duke's Mansion to greet Prince Lan. As for the term 'alone man and single woman', the Prince of Jin used it inappropriately. I have so many servants around me, how can I be alone or single? I have explained what needs to be explained. Everyone, please move aside and don't block my way!"
Dongfang Yan originally wanted to take advantage of someone's misfortune, but he didn't expect that Dongfang Qi would drag Lin Qingyue into the water as well. It was so despicable!
But at this time, even if it concerns Lin Qingyue's safety, he must not miss the opportunity to suppress the prince.
Dongfang Yan said, "Even if it's Prince Chao...Prince Chao Lan who's missing, we can't just search the Duke's Mansion casually. The royal family and the noble families are closely related. How can we let the harmony be damaged because of a woman?"
Duke Zhao quickly agreed, "That's right! The former princess was not one to keep to herself. She abandoned her proper role as a princess and spent her days hanging out with men in the Xuanjing Division! What decent woman could be like her? With what happened today, who knows if she was hiding on purpose to sow discord between the royal family and the aristocratic families."
Dongfang Yan glanced at Duke Zhao, his eyes revealing a hint of dissatisfaction - he didn't like others talking about his woman like that.
Duke Cui said, "Your Highness, your actions today have been disrespectful. If this continues, I'm afraid it will end badly. I beg you to return to the palace!"
Dongfang Qi looked at Li Xiu deeply, and did not waste any more words with them, nor did he accept the ladder handed to him by Duke Cui.
He walked out of the secret room, through the study, and out of the west wing, he went straight to the back garden and shouted, "Search the back garden. Even if you have to dig three feet deep, you must find Prince Chaolan safely!"
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