Chang Shun shook his head. Li Shiyue then sent someone to inform the main courtyard and Zhang Shi separately, so as not to worry.
The next morning, Xu Yunci and Xu Yunyao returned from the main gate, looking travel-worn. They came back with the Duke of Rongguo, and only then did Old Madam Xu realize that the three of them had not been drinking at home the night before.
There were people in the front yard, but only Master Xu and Xu Yunxu were putting on an act, creating the impression that all three of them were at home.
Madam Xu wasn't angry, she was just very worried. She pulled the three of them around to examine them closely, and only stopped when she slapped one of them on the chest.
Having spent the entire night in the palace without sleep, Xu Yunci returned home and slept for a short while before getting up.
They sat around the Shousong Hall, and even the Duke of Rongguo had slept well before coming over.
"They must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to dare to do such a rebellious thing. What have the King of Zhao and the Earl of Changping done with them?"
Madam Xu sighed and looked at Duke Rongguo.
All eyes turned to the Duke of Rong, as everyone was curious about the fates of the King of Zhao and the Earl of Changping, fearing they wouldn't fare much better than the commoner Qin Ying.
"The Prince of Zhao has been demoted to a commoner, and the Emperor personally bestowed upon him a cup of poisoned wine last night. As for the Earl of Changping and Consort Fu, they have both been imprisoned. The Emperor's decree is that all members of the Earl of Changping's household who are over fifteen years old will be executed soon, and those under fifteen will be demoted to the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) as slaves."
"As for Consort Fu, His Majesty has not yet decided how to deal with her. Princess Qi was pregnant, but she was frightened last night and miscarried. She is currently recuperating in the palace."
After Rongguo Gong finished speaking, he paused. In his opinion, it seemed that Qi Guo Princess did not know what Fu Guifei was going to do last night. It was not until Zhao Wang’s private soldiers broke in that she quarreled with Fu Guifei and caused her to have a miscarriage. She was busy all night but could not save the baby in her womb.
With a look of pity in her eyes, Madam Yang said, "The Qi princess's fetus must be six or seven months along, the child is probably already fully formed."
"Everyone has their own destiny. The sins committed by the Fu family will probably be repaid by the Qi princess. If she hadn't been involved, things would be fine. The emperor only has one princess, so he won't be too harsh on her."
Madam Xu sighed and looked at Xu Yunci and Xu Yunyao beside her: "Don't spread this around. Let's wait until the officials have dealt with everything before we behave ourselves."
After this incident, the Emperor seemed to lack energy and handed over many matters to the Crown Prince, focusing on recuperating.
"There is one more thing. My grandson is going to the south. There are still some remnants of the Prince of Zhao in Huayuan County. It won't be a short time before he leaves the capital. Yan Yan needs to go with me. To the outside world, we will say that Yan Yan and I went to Yunzhong County."
This morning, Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue discussed what excuse they could use to go to Huayuan County without attracting attention.
After much deliberation, it seemed best to use the excuse of visiting the Earl of Yunyang in Yunzhong County to explain his serious illness. Besides, it wasn't a lie; most of the recent letters from the Earl of Yunyang's residence were about how ill he was, unable to even get out of bed.
Since King Zhao dared to rebel, he must have considerable power. If Huayuan County were to announce Xu Yunci's identity to everyone during this trip, it probably wouldn't be so easy.
It would be even easier for a young couple traveling through this area.
Yang's health had almost fully recovered, and she knew the importance of Xu Yunci's trip: "It's alright, you can go ahead. Your father and I are still here at home."
The departure date was set for three days later, and we spent many days preparing our luggage.
Xu Yunyao and Zhang Shi also traveled together. However, after leaving the city gate, Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue changed to a lighter carriage and set off in another direction, while Xu Yunyao and Zhang Shi headed towards Yunzhong County.
"Huayuan County is a long way away, I'm sorry to trouble you, my lady."
The two changed into ordinary brocade clothes, and the light carriage carried few bags.
Xu Yunci looked at her with a smile. Her hair was styled in a simpler way than it had been in the Duke's mansion, still a woman's hairstyle.
"You have a good idea. If we leave the city together and then separate halfway, people will only think that you are taking me to Yunzhong County. Why would you think of Huayuan County?"
Li Shiyue couldn't help but smile slightly. Even their names had to be changed to fake ones, and their identities were naturally fake as well. Only their relationship as husband and wife was real.
"The previous corruption case in Huayuan County had already attracted the attention of the Emperor. This matter involves Huayuan County again, which is far from the capital. If the young master of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion were to go there rashly, it would be much more interesting to go there discreetly."
Xu Yunci smiled. His identity on this trip was that of a merchant's son, a newlywed couple traveling around with his wife.
After traveling for more than half a month, we finally arrived at Huayuan County. It was far from the capital, located in the southwest, surrounded by water on three sides, and was a water town in the Jiangnan region.
The houses were different from those in the capital. They rented a house and settled down. It was easy for them to enter the city. They didn't bring much stuff and looked like an ordinary wealthy young couple.
Unexpectedly, it was very close to the prefect's residence, and after breakfast the next day, someone came to visit.
Xu Yunci's alias for this trip was Zhou Tang, the sixth son of the wealthy Zhou family in the capital.
Zhou Tang happened to have just gotten married and was one of Yang Ke's good friends, so he used his identity to travel this time.
"When the prefect heard that Young Master Zhou had come to Huayuan County, he thought of the friendship he had with the Zhou family in the past and wanted to invite Young Master Zhou and his wife to the prefect's mansion for a banquet."
The newcomer was a man, who didn't look very young, and his eyes revealed a shrewd calculation. Upon entering, he first carefully looked around the room, and then scrutinized Xu Yunci.
"I shouldn't refuse the governor's invitation, but I came to Huayuan County to accompany my wife to enjoy the scenery. We had arranged to visit a temple on the outskirts of Huayuan County today, so perhaps we should do it another day."
"I will visit the Prefect another day to apologize. I am newly married and my wife and I made an appointment a long time ago, so it is really inconvenient today."
Xu Yunci touched the tip of his nose with his finger, looked around, lowered his voice, and said with some difficulty on his face: "To be honest, my wife is a bit spoiled. She has been raised by the family since she was a child... If she finds out that I changed my mind at the last minute, I'm afraid she will not have a moment's peace."
The junior official was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Xu Yunci to be so afraid of his wife, and sneered inwardly.
He still wore a polite smile on his face. He had only been sent by the prefect to inquire about information and did not actually intend to invite people over.
"It's alright, it's alright. Since it's a private matter, it's understandable. The magistrate will understand if you care about your wife. We can meet again another day."
"The Zhou family is a well-known wealthy merchant family in the capital. The prefect has heard that you have come to Huayuan County and is eager to make your acquaintance. When you have time another day, please send someone to the prefect's residence and we can arrange to meet there again."
"Definitely, definitely." Xu Yunci smiled, opened the folding fan in his hand, leaned back in the rosewood chair, and struck the pose of a wealthy young master.
"Please, sir, put in a good word for me with the prefect. I have only been married a short time and cannot neglect my wife."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com