The Emperor's top priority right now is his new policies; how could he possibly remember to properly search for the Crown Prince? There are so many vile women in the harem who want their sons to ascend the throne, and those vile women's sons are also the Emperor's sons—how could she possibly feel at ease?
How could she possibly say such a thing as "no"? If the Crown Prince truly doesn't return, the Empress will definitely resent the Prince Yong's Mansion for not saving him. If the Crown Prince does return, but the Prince Yong's Mansion refuses the Empress, she will still hold a grudge.
However, if they were to actually go and search for it themselves, whether they could even come back alive was a question.
Although Zhao Shu first asked her uncle Jiang Zuo to secretly find the Crown Prince, and then had Xiao Guozi secretly send someone to follow him, she could not say this out loud, otherwise she would be exposed.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is my nephew. If something happens to him, I will not stand idly by." Losing the Crown Prince was no small matter, and the Crown Prince and his daughter had always been close. He agreed almost without hesitation.
Zhao Shu was helpless. She knew this would be the result. The Empress had been crying and kneeling just now, all for the sake of getting her father to do his best. If her father was to do his best to find the Crown Prince, he would definitely need the help of his grandmother. Zhao Shu immediately understood that the Empress was not asking her father for help, but rather hoping to get her grandmother's help through her father.
In the past few days, she has come to understand that the Empress Dowager is still unaware of the Crown Prince's disappearance, which suggests that the news has been suppressed by Emperor Mingde.
The women in the harem love to beat around the bush. If she had knelt directly before the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager might have helped her. She wanted her son to return safely, but she dared not disobey Emperor Mingde. Alas, how pitiful.
At this moment, she regretted having Zhang Chu deliver double-skin milk to the Empress that day!
"Nineteenth brother, thank you so much, I entrust the Crown Prince to you." She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, her delicate makeup ruined. Already no longer young, she looked utterly disheveled after her makeup was ruined.
"Your Majesty, Consort De is coming this way," Lu Fushou reminded her.
This road was the only way out of the palace. Taking a detour would be much longer, so the concubines usually didn't come this way. After hearing this, the Empress said, "Nineteenth brother, I'm entrusting the Crown Prince to you."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to find the Crown Prince." He had just returned to the capital when he was shocked to hear this terrible news. Before he could process it, Zhao Shu tugged at his sleeve and he realized that the Empress had already left in a hurry.
"Consort De is coming this way, Father. Let's leave the palace quickly." She was in a bad mood. The Empress actually wanted her father to go find the Crown Prince himself, and Consort De's purpose was unclear. Could it be that she came to catch the Empress and her father having an affair? In any case, if they were being watched, it would be troublesome.
In truth, given Father's temperament, he would have readily agreed to help if a palace maid had simply sent a message. There was no need for him to go to such lengths to come here and beg. The Empress is truly becoming less and less astute.
Prince Yong followed Zhao Shu out of the palace with a heavy heart and entered the palace. He didn't even see Prince Duan walking over.
"Ah Jun greets Second Uncle." After saying that, she pulled Yong Wang along.
Princess Yong snapped out of her reverie and said absentmindedly, "Second Prince, are you going out? I won't keep you any longer." With that, she walked straight past Prince Duan towards Chensong Courtyard.
Zhao Shu curtsied and said, "Second Uncle, farewell." Without waiting for Prince Duan to speak, she ran off to Chensong Courtyard.
Seeing that things were going badly, and fearing that Prince Duan would question them, Xiao Guozi and the others lowered their heads and jogged to Chensong Courtyard.
Prince Duan: "Go and investigate the nineteenth brother." He originally planned to ask how the Huo family had been invited, but now it seemed unnecessary to ask. He could investigate directly. He clearly remembered that day when A-Jun said he was going to find a beauty, but he did find one. She was very graceful, but she was the eldest daughter of the Huo family. The eldest son of the Huo family had also been invited. It was said that the eldest daughter of the Huo family was in charge of the household affairs, and this eldest son, Huo Baichuan, was no ordinary person either.
The sons of noble families in the capital consider it a disgrace to step into the Yong Prince's mansion. Yet, this very mansion has invited the eldest daughter and eldest son of the Huo family. How could he not be terrified?
It should be noted that he had secretly visited the Huo family, but he had not even met the head of the Huo family.
Leng Yang, the eunuch who had followed Prince Duan since childhood, replied, "Yes."
Upon arriving at Chensong Courtyard, Prince Yong instructed Bi Qiao, "Have Mo Qin and Fu Da arrange some people to accompany me to Qingzhou tomorrow."
"Father, isn't it too rushed to go tomorrow?" She knew she couldn't stop him, but at least she should make adequate preparations.
Prince Yong's expression was solemn, and he shook his head. "Ajun, don't worry. Your father is going in a grand manner, and those people won't do anything to you."
He wasn't stupid; he understood that this trip out of the capital was different from the last one. If he went, he might not come back alive. So he wanted to go in a grand manner, to let the whole world know that he, Prince Yong, had left the capital and was going to Qingzhou.
Upon hearing her words, Zhao Shu immediately had an idea. "Father, how about A-Jun accompanies you?"
"Nonsense, young lady, Bi Qiao." He called out, and Bi Qiao went down to find Mo Qin. It was Fu Xi who came forward.
Fuxi stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness, my aunt has gone to the training ground. If you have any instructions, please let me know."
Prince Yong didn't necessarily have to find Bi Qiao. Someone stepped forward, and he said, "Go and have the painter draw some patterns for A-Jun."
Before Fuxi could report that the painter, having been instigated by someone, was dissatisfied with the princess's embroidery and said it insulted his painting, he had angrily left the palace, she turned to Zhao Shu and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you do needlework. You must have become quite rusty. You must not neglect your skills. Your father is not in the capital. Make him a dress. He will wear it when he returns."
Zhao Shu shook her head, her eyes red. She was still too weak. At this moment, she wished she could be reborn in the year she was born, so that she could have a few more years to build up her strength and raise a group of assassins.
“Father, you have just returned to the capital, and A-Jun has come up with a good idea to ensure that the whole world knows that you have gone to Qingzhou.”
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