Song Tangxue waved wearily: "It's late, let's talk about it tomorrow."
How could Lu Xian sleep? But he didn't dare to act recklessly in front of Song Tangxue, and he tossed and turned all night without getting a good night's sleep.
He arrived early in the morning with panda eyes and waited outside Song Tangxue's house. Song Tangxue leisurely finished her makeup and greeted him.
"Go and get this year's list of candidates." Before Lu Xian could even probe, Song Tangxue spoke up.
With the scientific expedition just around the corner, countless students have been studying hard for ten years, waiting for this opportunity.
Their fate is decided in one fell swoop. Families who can contribute their labor or money should contribute their money. If they can get the higher-ups to remember them, that would be the greatest blessing imaginable.
Lu Xian's eyes lit up, and he beckoned his personal guards to fetch the scroll recording the names of the people.
The scroll was opened, and fifty names were recorded on it.
Lu Xian cautiously said from the side, "These are all candidates from Qing County this year. Several of them are quite promising and will surely be able to share the Crown Prince's burdens and help the people solve their problems."
His words were so eloquent that he flattered Li Zhaoxian and pulled him to the seat of honor.
Song Tangxue put down the scroll expressionlessly and leaned back in her chair: "A useful person should demonstrate their achievements. Lord Lu, don't make empty promises."
Lu Xian choked for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Yes, I have spoken too much. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
"But you can tell me which few people they are. Perhaps they are good enough?" After giving her a stern warning, Song Tangxue reopened the scroll and placed it on the table.
Lu Xian straightened his expression and pointed to a name on the scroll.
"This man is named Jing Huaiyu, the third young master of the Jing family. He is a man of exceptional literary talent, a renowned scholar in the surrounding area..."
Lu Xian rattled off a few names, which Song Tangxue secretly memorized. Qing County might be inextricably linked to the saltpeter case.
Those with money and power are the primary suspects.
After speaking, Lu Xian swallowed hard, looking at the silent Song Tangxue: "Has the Crown Princess not had breakfast yet? If you don't mind, please come and have a seat."
Song Tangxue snapped out of her daze: "No need, I have things to do, so I won't stay any longer."
Lu Xian repeatedly apologized: "It was my oversight. The Crown Princess's trip is simple. Perhaps it would be better to have my personal guards escort her back to the capital?"
Song Tangxue gave him a knowing look, then smiled and replied, "It's kind of you, Lord Lu, to be so thoughtful. I'll have to trouble you then." With personal guards escorting them, the journey back to the capital would be much safer.
There's no guarantee that those people won't become desperate and recklessly hunt her down.
"Lord Lu is thoughtful and considerate, and is a good official who cares about the country and its people. It would be great if the Crown Prince's subordinates had such an example as him."
Lu Xian felt pleased, but dared not show it: "You flatter me, Your Highness."
"Seeing the Crown Prince's subordinates grow up so well makes me very happy. I will put in a good word for them with the Crown Prince when I get back," Song Tangxue subtly hinted to Lu Xian.
The Crown Prince has many men under his command, so they might not notice you. I'm standing right in front of you; it's up to Lu Xian to decide who to curry favor with.
Lu Xian's eyes darted around, and he cupped his hands in delight: "Thank you, Crown Princess."
The carriage that Lu Xian prepared for them was exceptionally luxurious and comfortable inside. Considering the unpredictable weather in early spring, several light blankets were also placed there, and the tea prepared was of the finest quality.
Uncle Kui was somewhat surprised: "Lu Xian has brought out all his savings?"
Song Tangxue smiled without saying a word. Lu Xian was a smart man; he took her advice to heart.
Escorted back to the capital by Lu Xian's personal guards, if anything goes wrong, both Lu Xian and the people of the capital will conduct a thorough investigation. This will make those behind the scenes hesitant to act.
Having arrived safely at the gates of Kyoto, Song Tangxue finally felt relieved as she walked along the bluestone slabs of the city gate. Her fear was that something terrible might happen on the other side.
Lu Xian's personal guards smiled obsequiously as they took their leave. Several guards took extra care of Song Tangxue along the way, fearing that they might not be able to provide adequate care.
After Song Tangxue entered the capital, seeing that it wasn't too late, she asked An Shiliu to take her directly to Xie Qianzhong.
Xie Qianzhong led him into the small courtyard. Apart from An Shiliu and the people hiding in the shadows, Uncle Kui stayed outside.
Song Tangxue looked at Xie Qianzhong with a smile in her eyes: "Lord Xie, it's been a long time."
This time, Xie Qianzhong didn't respond to her. He just looked at her quietly for a while before changing the subject: "What did you find out?"
Her voice was light and melodious, like water droplets falling from melting snow. Song Tangxue felt that this person was exactly to her liking from head to toe.
"We're too late again. There's still someone dead in the courtyard." Song Tangxue said with some annoyance.
Xie Qianzhong seemed unsurprised, calmly looking out the window: "I thought you were used to it."
Hearing this meant she had given up hope on her, Song Tangxue wasn't discouraged. She smiled and continued, "Although the person is dead, I've discovered some interesting things."
Xie Qianzhong's eyes fell on her, like the green mountains that wrapped around her, heavy and restrained: "Oh? Could that dead man still talk?"
“This man is not a rogue soldier at all; he is from Kyoto and is either rich or noble.”
"The furnishings in that house were all from shops in Kyoto, made of expensive materials, and were beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"Most importantly..."
Song Tangxue took out a token from her sleeve and handed it to Xie Qianzhong. Xie Qianzhong's expression changed slightly when he saw the token.
"This is the token I found in the recess of the bed."
When Xie Qianzhong received the token, his fingers paused for a moment. His eyes were deep and his well-defined knuckles held the token and rubbed it, his expression unreadable.
"Does Your Excellency recognize this token?" Song Tangxue noticed Xie Qianzhong's unusual behavior and asked cautiously.
Xie Qianzhong put away the token and replied irrelevantly, "You don't need to investigate this matter."
So they're forbidding me from interfering? This token is indeed related to Xie Qianzhong.
Upon seeing the character "暗" above, Song Tangxue had a premonition that the "暗" in "暗十六" was not just a surname.
Song Tangxue couldn't rest easy until this matter was thoroughly investigated. The saltpeter incident was closely related to her past life and was the trigger for her miserable days, which led to her living a life worse than that of a pig or a dog. No matter what, she was unwilling to repeat the same mistakes.
Xie Qianzhong received no answer. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with disapproval and a hint of worry.
This was not the time to press for answers. Song Tangxue relaxed her brow and said, "Since you have spoken, I will naturally comply."
Xie Qianzhong's intuition told him that this person was not as honest as he seemed. He was about to say a few more words of warning when Song Tangxue spoke up before he could.
"After all, Lord Xie has helped me many times and is my savior. I must thank Lord Xie this time as well." Song Tangxue softened her body and bowed slightly.
She slid down and leaned against the window, just a step away from Xie Qianzhong.
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