Chapter Sixty-One
The appearance of Xiao Yanzi did not diminish Emperor Qianlong's playful nature. After capturing Xiao Yanzi and imprisoning her in Shufangzhai, Emperor Qianlong ordered Yongzhang to bring some people over so he could take a stroll and have some fun nearby.
Yongzhang desperately wanted to advise his father, the Emperor, that the situation was very dangerous. However, Yongzhang knew the Emperor's temperament well and was certain that he wouldn't listen to reason. Therefore, Yongzhang could only carefully select the people to help, hoping that nothing would go wrong.
When Haricha said that the Emperor was going out for a walk, He Rui curled his lips. Qianlong was really lucky. If he had died on the way to the private visit, let's see if he would be jumping up and down in the underworld.
"Master, this servant, this servant, this servant went to the tenement today and found two strangers there." Baozhu ran back quickly, panting.
"What's wrong?" He Rui asked casually. It's normal for two strangers to come to the courtyard. Why make such a fuss?
“Master, it was a woman who went with a boy who looked to be in his teens, dressed very well,” Baozhu hurriedly explained. “Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, that woman is…” Baozhu whispered in He Rui’s ear, “the wife of Miss’s brother-in-law.”
"Are you sure?" He Rui asked Baozhu in a loud voice, and Baozhu nodded under his gaze.
Haricha helped the slightly tired He Rui up, "Princess, is there anywhere this servant can help you?"
"I need to think about it." He Rui waved Bao Zhu away, his mind filled with Bao Zhu's words. Some things made sense, others still puzzled him. But He Rui was certain that the "mother" Xiao Yanzi mentioned was her aunt. No one in the capital would know about Xia Yuhe's affair; if it was her aunt, it made sense. Xia Yuhe's affair had probably become a laughing stock in the clan long ago; how could her aunt not know? How did Xiao Yanzi meet her aunt? What did her aunt say to make Xiao Yanzi climb the cliff? Did her aunt know Consort Ling or the Fifth Prince? "Haricha, quickly go and call He Ya here." He Rui thought for a moment; her third brother probably knew about her and He Ya's background. "Haricha, please ask Third Brother to come with me; I have something important to discuss."
Confined in the Shufangzhai Palace, Xiao Yanzi was filled with unease. She had a feeling something terrible was about to happen, and she decided to sneak away. As soon as she opened the door, the palace maids outside immediately bowed to her, "Greetings, Your Highness! Please give us your orders." Xiao Yanzi slammed the door shut in frustration, opened the window, and wondered if she could jump out. What she saw shocked her. Looking at the guards outside the wall, and then at the guards below, she realized she could only escape if she could fly. Dejected, she closed the window. Xiao Yanzi desperately tried to think of a way to escape the palace. She was filled with regret; if she had known it would turn out like this, she would never have climbed the cliff.
Inside Princess He Rui's residence, He Ya and Yong Zhang sat in the small flower hall, waiting for He Rui to speak. He Rui's brows were tightly furrowed. "Third Brother, you know my and He Ya's identities, don't you!"
Yongzhang nodded without hesitation. He had already taken over the Sticky Rod Office when they entered the palace, so he was naturally aware of it.
“Today Baozhu went to the tenement and saw me and Heya’s aunt.” He Rui’s voice was slow as he looked at Yongzhang earnestly.
Yongzhang frowned. "How is that possible?" He remembered that it was the first time he had dealt with such a case. He had ordered people to burn down the main house of the Xia family. How could anyone have survived?
"Third Brother, whether it's possible or not, that person must be Aunt. Otherwise, how would anyone know Xia Yuhe?" He Rui didn't know what happened after that year. After she married out of the palace, the old house was no longer there. Now it was the Fifth Prince's residence.
Yongzhang frowned. What was Madam Xia's purpose in coming to the capital? Was she looking for relatives? Or did she have other plans? "Here's what we'll do: have Baozhu go again tomorrow, taking a clever maid with her. When she sees Madam Xia, have the maid invite her to Guangyuan Tower."
"Guangyuan Tower?"
"That's one of my shops, don't worry about going. I'll send a message to the shopkeeper."
He Rui nodded. "I've been going there to sit for a while these past few days. I'm always uneasy, afraid that she might have some designs on Father Emperor."
"Tomorrow I'll go to the palace and talk to Father Emperor, and ask Haricha to stay with you for the next few days." After finishing his business, Yongzhang remembered something else. "Father Emperor wants to make a private visit nearby. You two shouldn't insist on going along, even if Father Emperor says you two can accompany him."
"Third brother, are we so reckless?" He Ya said, still trying to reason with them. Among the brothers, they were closest to Yong Zhang, and Yong Zhang really did take care of them like an older brother.
Baozhu went for several days without seeing her mistress, Madam Xia, and even Baozhu herself began to doubt whether she had mistaken her for someone else. Then Madam Xia reappeared, still with the same boy from before. Baozhu gave a wink to the maid beside her, who nodded and went over.
The maidservant, using some unknown method, successfully led Madam Xia into Guangyuan Restaurant. Baozhu secretly entered the small private room that Guangyuan Restaurant had reserved for her mistress. After entering, she nodded to her mistress, "They're over there. This servant has already informed the manager."
He Rui nodded. What Madam Xia wanted to do was no longer her concern, which relieved her of a worry. He Rui yawned, "Haricha, I'm tired."
"This servant will escort the princess back to her residence immediately." Haricha placed a silver ingot on the table and then had Baozhu help He Rui leave Guangyuan Tower.
~~~~
He Rui didn't know what happened to Lady Xia afterward, nor did he ask. The Emperor's travel plans proceeded as scheduled. He Rui and He Ya were originally on the same trip, but both were pregnant, and the imperial physicians advised against the arduous journey, so the trip was cancelled. Because Haricha and E Yue were on the list of those protecting the Emperor, the two princesses were summoned to the palace to accompany the Empress.
Upon entering the palace, He Rui learned that Xiao Yanzi had been betrothed to Fu Ertai. He Rui was quite surprised; shouldn't Xiao Yanzi be with the Fifth Prince? Why was she given to Fu Ertai? But that wasn't the only thing that puzzled He Rui. Xiao Yanzi had actually gone on an outing with the Emperor's entourage. Upon learning this, He Rui gasped, "Empress Mother, who else went with her?"
"Four imperial sons-in-law, five imperial consorts. The rest are all officials from outside the capital. The only female relative is Xiao Yanzi. What's wrong?" The Empress looked at He Rui with a puzzled expression.
He Rui was shocked. "Third Brother didn't go?" Third Brother, do you know that if Father Emperor and Little Swallow were together, the world would be in chaos?
"Yongzhang's health is not good. I don't know what he's been busy with these days. The imperial physician ordered him to rest for a few days." The Empress thought of Yongzhang's health. "Your fifth brother was injured by Xiaoyanzi and is recuperating in the Southern Third Palace."
Lifeline? Little Swallow is truly amazing. "How so?"
“I understand this matter, and I also bear some responsibility.” He Ya thought about what happened that day. “Empress Mother, is Fifth Brother able to travel easily? If so, please summon him over. I want to thank him. If it weren’t for saving me, Fifth Brother wouldn’t have been injured.”
Hearing He Ya's words, He Rui understood what was going on and nodded, knowing that gratitude should be repaid. "He Ya, I think it would be better to wait until Father Emperor returns before having an audience with him."
Inside the palace, He Rui eagerly awaited the Emperor's return, while outside, Haricha Gai and E Yue were so enraged by Princess Huanzhu that they wanted to kill her. Since leaving the palace, this troublemaker hadn't had a moment's peace, and the only ones who kept her company were the Fu brothers. Their sole duty was to protect the Emperor. Hearing there was a market today, Huanzhu jumped up and down, clamoring to go play, completely oblivious to the Emperor's dark and furious expression.
Although Emperor Qianlong had confirmed Xiao Yanzi's identity and understood that Yongqi and Consort Ling had no conspiracy, Yongqi's behavior at the hunting grounds still troubled the Emperor. Consort Ling's close relationship with Yongqi, her taking in Xiao Yanzi without proper investigation, and her disrespect for the Empress all displeased him. He was happy to see them vying for his affections, but if they crossed his bottom line, he wouldn't hesitate to make their lives miserable. Yongqi was no longer someone he wanted to cultivate; the Qing Dynasty didn't need a useless person.
The fourth and sixth princes... Qianlong shook his head. Although both had solutions, neither was fit to shoulder great responsibilities. The seventh and eleventh princes weren't considered by the Emperor. The twelfth, thirteenth, and fifteenth were his legitimate children. Thinking of Yongqi's occasional questions, and recalling the first birthday celebrations of the thirteenth and fifteenth princes, Qianlong couldn't help but laugh and cry. "I'm still young, and I have many sons. I'll have more in the future." Thinking of this, Qianlong's mood improved. "So the Fu brothers went with Xiao Yanzi?"
"Reporting to Master, they have gone to the market."
"These days have been giving me a headache; I'm afraid that won't happen again." As if he had thought of something, Qianlong said, "Return to the capital."
"Yes, sir!"
Emperor Qianlong's carriage quietly departed for the capital. The Fu brothers and Xiao Yanzi encountered assassins at the market, but were unable to secure reinforcements; two were killed and one wounded. On the way back to the capital, Qianlong listened to the report and coldly snorted, "Not dead? They're incredibly lucky." "Send someone to throw Fu Erkang back into the Fu family compound." He closed his eyes. The Fu family, the Wei family—the accounts will be settled one by one, I'll settle them slowly.
Emperor Qianlong's carriage returned to Beijing in the evening and went directly to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Looking at the urgent memorial, Qianlong said, "The Tibetan King has come to Beijing to pay homage?" He scoffed, "The Tibetan King isn't any better. He only thinks of the Qing Dynasty when he has problems. I want to see how sincere his homage is this time." He then said, "Haricha, Eyue, you two will handle the matter of the Tibetan King's visit to Beijing."
Seeing the Emperor return safely, He Rui's heart finally settled. He asked about the amusing events of the journey, but unexpectedly received only one word from Qianlong: "Noisy!" He Rui and He Ya exchanged a glance and decided to go home and ask their son-in-law. Neither He Rui nor He Ya asked about Xiao Yanzi not returning with them. But… there are always those who are oblivious to the situation.
"Your Majesty, why didn't Princess Huanzhu come back with you?" Consort Ling, who had recently become very thin, put on a frighteningly gentle smile.
"Consort Ling, did I grant you permission to leave Yanxi Palace?" Emperor Qianlong was already tired of Consort Ling, and his tone was even more unfriendly.
Upon hearing Qianlong's words, Consort Ling seemed to have suffered a blow; she swayed but did not faint. "It was this servant who overstepped her bounds."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
