Chapter 17
It is said that a beautiful woman in distress is especially endearing, but she also has a unique charm when she sees a prince in distress.
His clothes were no longer neat; the collar was loose, the cuffs were wrinkled, and some were even dirty. He looked disheveled and wretched, like a frightened little white rabbit that had just escaped from a wolf's den.
This was the first time Shen Yao had seen Wei Luo so panicked, so she asked curiously, "Your Highness, what are you doing here? Why are the Imperial Guards chasing you?"
Wei Luo had just gotten into the car and was catching his breath when Shen Yao questioned him. Although he was annoyed, he knew he had to give a reasonable explanation, otherwise, given Shen Yao's personality, she would definitely make it known to the whole world.
She would tell the Imperial Concubine without hesitation how she had left the palace without permission and how she had been chased by the Imperial Guards in such a sorry state. At that time, at that time... he dared not think about it anymore!
But what excuse should I come up with to cover it up?
Wei Luo lowered his eyes, his thick, delicate eyelashes concealing the guilt and panic in them. When he looked up again, his eyes were clear and bright. "I am acting on the Emperor's orders and have nothing to say."
Even if Shen Yao told the Consort about handling the Emperor's private affairs, it wouldn't matter. The Consort would only guess what the Emperor was doing sending the Crown Prince out of the palace, and would never dare to ask the Emperor directly.
Without giving Shen Yao time to think, Wei Luo directly ordered, "Turn the car around and head to Jiangnan Hutong."
Shen Yao asked in surprise, "What are you going there for?"
"The emperor's order!"
He left the palace incognito with only three people. When the Imperial Guards surrounded the Liu residence, the servants waiting outside, fearing discovery, all drove away. Now unable to contact them, Wei Luo could only head to Jiangnan Hutong, where there was a contact point.
Shen Yao instructed the driver to do so. They were already very close to the Shen family residence, but since Wei Luo had made a request, Shen Yao decided to accompany him.
This is a golden opportunity to cultivate a relationship!
The carriage, skillfully driven by the driver, smoothly made its way to the Jiangnan Hutong.
Seeing this, Wei Luo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. When he gave the order, he was really afraid that Shen Yao would refuse. If that happened, he, a penniless crown prince, would probably have to wander the streets in misery.
As the weight lifted from my heart, the pain in my legs became particularly noticeable. When I landed after jumping over the wall, my kneecaps hit the ground, and the frantic running while being chased by the Imperial Guards had already made the area ache as if a thousand ants were biting it.
If there had been no one in the car, he would have rolled up his trousers to check his wound and apply medicine. But the bad news was that there was someone in the car, and that person was staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if looking at a toy.
He immediately became annoyed, his dark eyebrows furrowing as he said stiffly, "Chen Yao, can you please stop looking at me?"
Shen Yao: "???"
"It's just the two of us in the car, who else should I look at if not you?"
Wei Luo: "..."
"I'm going to apply medicine now, please close your eyes." Wei Luo could no longer bear it; excruciating pain radiated from his knee bones, his underwear was already soaked, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
Only after Wei Luo pointed it out did Shen Yao realize that his face was too pale, though it wasn't very noticeable due to the poor lighting inside the car.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, leaning forward slightly.
Wei Luo avoided answering, instead threatening her, "The more you know, the faster you'll die."
After saying that, he bent down and rolled up his trouser leg. He thought that the person would consciously avoid him after he finished speaking, but it was obvious that the person did not. Wei Luo raised his head again and emphasized, "Chen Yao, watch your eyes."
Shen Yao: "Oh~"
She was quite shy; she was just showing concern! Wei Luo reminded her repeatedly, so Shen Yao couldn't stare at him any longer and had no choice but to lift the carriage curtain and look out the window.
Wei Luo was satisfied. He slowly rolled up his trouser leg to his kneecap and saw that it was indeed red and swollen. Just a light touch sent a sharp pain through him, making him twitch uncontrollably.
He hurriedly took out a bottle of ointment from his pocket and gently applied it to his kneecap. The cool, white lotion quickly penetrated his skin, relieving the pain, and his furrowed brows relaxed considerably.
"Your Highness, are you ready? Do you need any help?"
"Need not."
Almost instinctively, he answered, afraid that Shen Yao would turn around and see the wound. So after applying the ointment, he hurriedly pulled down his trouser leg and replied, "It's done." He then quickly put the ointment away.
Shen Yao withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at Wei Luo's face. She saw that he had indeed finished getting ready, and his complexion had regained some color.
Shen Yao thought for a moment and still felt that she should inquire about Wei Luozhen's condition. If something happened to Wei Luozhen, she would be in deep trouble. "Your health is the most important thing. Since Your Highness is not feeling well, would you like to see a doctor later?"
Wei Luo raised his eyelids and glanced at her, then lowered his eyes as if he hadn't heard her. After a while, he reluctantly spoke, "Chen Yao, you should stop worrying about my affairs." His face was full of impatience.
Shen Yao grunted, feeling her good intentions were being taken for granted. She didn't want to talk anymore, so she simply lowered her head and remained silent. Fortunately, the carriage was moving quickly, and Jiangnan Hutong was already close at hand. Pedestrians and vehicles gradually increased in number, and shouts and the clatter of horses' hooves filled the air, easing the awkward atmosphere.
After a while, the driver's voice came from ahead, "Miss, we've arrived."
The two exchanged a glance, then stepped off the train and into the alleyway.
Shen Yao looked up at Wei Luo and said, "Your Highness, please go ahead." Although she was curious about Wei Luo's mission here, it was best not to ask about things that shouldn't be asked.
Just as she was about to turn back to her car, Wei Luo stopped her and ordered, "You stay with me."
After Wei Luo got down, he looked around. He was in a completely unfamiliar place and was totally lost. Although Shen Yao was just a woman, he felt a strange dependence on her and wanted her to stay with him.
“Uh~” Shen Yao shook her head frantically, resolutely refusing, “I’m not going, I want to go home, you can go by yourself.”
Without waiting for his reply, Shen Yao turned and left. She wasn't stupid; if she happened to meet someone or learn anything, Wei Luo would surely hold a grudge and silence her.
"Don't go." In desperation, Wei Luo grabbed the girl's wrist. His tone was still firm, but there was a hint of pleading in it. "Come inside with me. You can go home after I find the person. Okay?"
Shen Yao was stunned, her mind went blank for a moment, and before she could say anything, Wei Luo pulled her into the alley.
"I haven't agreed yet," Shen Yao shouted from behind.
Wei Luo walked away quickly, without turning his head, and said, "This is an order. Whether you agree or not is not important." He curled his lips slightly, invoking his status as the Crown Prince, leaving no room for disobedience.
"Your Highness, it hurts."
Shen Yao resisted the urge to strangle him, frowned and shouted, "Let go of me, you're going to break my wrist!" The man's grip was extremely strong, and she tried to break free several times but failed. Instead, he noticed and tightened his grip even more.
Upon hearing this, Wei Luo slowed down and released her, but still stubbornly said, "There are many people here. I was worried you would get lost. Don't be ungrateful."
"Hehe!" Shen Yao rubbed her aching wrist and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Where are we going?"
"He's Clothing Store".
Shen Yao: "!!!"
She was shocked and blurted out, "What are you doing there?" She was already sweating profusely and her face turned pale.
"Looking for someone." Wei Luo remained calm, noticing her change in expression. Thinking something was wrong, he tentatively asked, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing." Shen Yao turned around, avoiding his probing.
If she guessed correctly, that place was closely related to Wei Luo, and the person behind the creation of the demonic book knew it was connected to the Eastern Palace, which was why they deliberately dragged him into it. However, since the matter was not yet clear, she decided not to tell him for the time being.
“His Highness said he’s going to a clothing store, so let’s hurry over there.” Today she was dressed in men’s clothing and not doing anything illegal, so she didn’t wear a face mask.
Wei Luo nodded and said, "Lead the way."
Shen Yao: "..."
She finally understood why Wei Luo insisted on her accompanying him. The alleyways of Jiangnan were full of branching paths and adjacent to the moat; it was easy to get lost.
The two walked and asked questions along the way, all of which were asked by Shen Yao, as the noble Crown Prince would not do the job of asking people for directions.
Winter days are already very short, and by the time they finally saw the sign for He's Clothing Store, it was already getting dark. But they were happy to have finally arrived, and Shen Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as the two were about to walk into the clothing store, several masked men rushed over and surrounded them instantly. A knife was then pressed against their waists. "Don't move if you want to live."
Shen Yao was so frightened that she froze, her hands and feet stiff as if she had been petrified on the spot.
Good heavens, we've been robbed!
"Sir, don't be impulsive. Let's talk this out. My wallet is in my waist pocket. You can take it." She deliberately showed her waist pocket, trying to get them to take the money and leave.
"Pah! Who wants your money? We're here to take your head!" Seemingly feeling insulted, the bandits were extremely arrogant.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck, and Shen Yao's vision began to blur. In the final moments, she saw Wei Luo looking anxious, as if calling out to her.
...
At this moment, just one kilometer away from He's clothing store, two officials from the Ministry of Justice—Xu Xuan and Deng Yan—are investigating a case.
"Ziwei, what's wrong?" Deng Yan asked with concern when he saw that Xu Xuan was distracted.
"It's nothing." He looked around and frowned. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a little uneasy. Maybe I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a rest."
Deng Yan nodded in agreement. He pulled Xu Xuan along, and the two found an empty seat at a small stall, where they ordered meat soup sweet cakes and chatted while eating.
"We searched printing shops all day but found nothing. In my opinion, these heretical books were not printed in the capital."
With so many cult books roaming the streets, the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Five Cities Garrison all set their sights on printing shops. Even the Ministry of Justice started with printing shops.
For two days, the court officials searched every printing shop in the capital, big and small, again and again, but they found nothing. The demonic book seemed to have appeared out of thin air, leaving no trace.
"No wonder it's called a demon book, it's fucking demonic!" Deng Yan took a big gulp of soup to suppress his grievances.
Xu Xuan didn't answer, but just buried his head in his food. After finishing the meat soup in his bowl, he breathed a satisfied sigh and said, "Who said there was no harvest today?"
He tapped the bowl with his chopsticks and laughed, "Well, we found this amazing soup restaurant while we were out on business!"
Deng Yan laughed heartily, "That's right, the food here is indeed delicious." He then suggested, "How about we come back here for a feast after we have a few days off?"
Xu Xuan shook his head and said, "If we can't catch the author, I'm afraid we won't get a day off." The two of them immediately deflated.
As the sky grew darker and there were faint signs of snow, they didn't linger after finishing their meal, but walked and talked.
Xu Xuan asked Deng Yan, "Where are we going to investigate tomorrow?"
Deng Yan, who is usually full of ideas, frowned deeply at this moment, having run out of ideas. He sighed and said, "I don't know, do you have any thoughts?"
"No. His Majesty ordered the capital's government offices to cooperate in the investigation, but in reality, the various departments are operating independently, making it difficult to coordinate and direct them. How can the case be solved quickly?"
The problem Xu Xuan pointed out was exactly what was bothering Deng Yan. He stopped and turned to his friend, saying, "The bureaucratic system has been bloated for a century, with its bureaucracy being bloated and its efficiency low. This cannot be eliminated overnight."
"Moreover, everyone wants to take the credit for this. Those officials are so eager to get promoted that they wish they had their promotion written on their foreheads. If we rely on them to investigate the case, it will take forever."
Xu Xuan smiled wryly, then suddenly felt a slight chill on her neck. She looked up at the sky and saw white fluff, like willow catkins, falling in abundance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
