"Since you look so pitiful, just find a place to bury you. Don't frighten anyone. And don't forget to tell Father that I suddenly feel unwell and I can only trouble the Prefect." Su Wenyuan leaned back in her chair, looking somewhat weary.
They had long considered him dead and didn't really want to hear any news about him or make any decisions, yet they still wanted Su Wenyuan to make a decision.
The man returned with the results, and the prefect, not daring to delay, went directly to the palace.
It took quite a while to get an audience with the emperor, who was busy refining elixirs and didn't want to see him.
It was only after the prefect's repeated requests that the emperor finally managed to meet with him.
Upon hearing that it was about Su Yuan, the Emperor's first reaction was bewilderment, before he remembered who it was.
He glared impatiently at the prefect and said, "You have to come to me with such a trivial matter? Just bury him anywhere!"
The prefect hesitated and said, "It was Princess Consort Chen who sent me here. She is not feeling well and wanted me to come and report."
Previously, the Emperor had issued an order for a thorough investigation. Although the investigation was not completed, the person had been identified, so a report had to be submitted.
The Emperor grew even more impatient, his tone agitated. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "You come just because she told you to? I'm telling you to leave now, and you won't leave?"
The prefect looked at the emperor with a blank expression. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but he felt that even if the emperor wanted to send him away, he shouldn't do it in this way.
He could just find any excuse, like Su Wenyuan, and leave, right?
Seeing that he still hadn't made a move, the Emperor asked in despair, "What else do you want?"
"That's all, I'll take my leave." The prefect didn't waste any more words.
He just felt that the emperor's reaction was strange, and he was a little stunned for a moment. After he figured it out, there was no need to stay. He didn't necessarily need a reasonable reason, so he just left.
Before he could even take a step, the Emperor had already jogged back.
Even Eunuch Hu didn't follow. He waved to signal the eunuchs to come and serve, while he looked at the prefect with a smile.
The prefect was worried about having no one to answer his questions, so he quickly stepped forward and secretly handed over a silver note, saying he had something to ask.
Contrary to his usual behavior, Eunuch Hu shook his head slightly and refused the silver note.
"That won't be necessary. Is there something you can't understand, sir?"
The prefect asked in confusion, "What is the Emperor doing? Why is he in such a hurry?"
Who knows?
The prefect then asked, "How has His Majesty's health been lately?"
"I'm fine. Didn't you see how fast I ran just now?"
Recently, the Emperor has been unusually excited, and his temper has become irritable. Occasionally, he is also unusually happy, which makes those around him not know how to serve him.
The Prefect has just discovered that the Emperor not only has a bad temper and no patience, but his personality has also changed.
This... is clearly not right.
The prefect hesitated, looking at Eunuch Hu with a troubled expression.
Before he could speak, Eunuch Hu replied, "The imperial physician has been summoned, and His Majesty's health is fine."
"Was it the Emperor himself who summoned the imperial physician?" the prefect asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
If the emperor brought it up himself, it means he realized that his health was not right.
Under his expectant gaze, Eunuch Hu resolutely shook his head.
"It was two concubines in the harem who begged the emperor to change the imperial physician to take his pulse. The emperor was annoyed by their harassment, so he agreed."
The prefect fell into deep thought, seemingly unaware that the emperor had done anything wrong.
In this situation, no one can save him.
I had originally intended to take this opportunity to remind the Emperor of the unusual activity in the capital, but now it seems there's no need for that.
Finally, Eunuch Hu added, "I've said the same things to you more than just you, sir."
No one else interfered; they all pretended not to know. If he were smart, he would have done the same.
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Excellency." The Prefect bowed and left the palace.
After leaving the palace, he went straight to the Prince Chen's residence, telling everyone that it was about Su Yuan.
When Su Wenyuan met him in the front hall, her first words were: "The Prince is not in the manor. If you want to find him, go to the Ministry of War."
The prefect flattered, "Your Highness is busy, so I will not disturb you at the Ministry of War. However, when Your Highness returns, I would like to ask the Princess to pass on a message."
"What did you say?" Su Wenyuan was not surprised at all.
Lately, there have been many similar incidents; those who can't find Sheng Jingyu all come looking for her.
The prefect lowered his voice and said, "There is a mysterious force in the capital whose identity and origins are unknown. They claim to be businessmen and are extremely ostentatious. I wonder if we should investigate them. If so, this matter can be entrusted to me."
The matter, which should have been reported to the Emperor, was reported directly to Prince Chen's residence.
Su Wenyuan abandoned her lazy attitude and looked at him with a helpless expression.
How long have Nian Huaizhong and the others been in the capital before they even thought to check?
“I know those people you’re talking about, and the Prince knows them too. Is there something wrong with their business?” Su Wenyuan asked.
After a moment's hesitation, the prefect said, "Yes, they don't seem like normal merchants, and they appear to want to leave the capital quickly, which inevitably arouses suspicion."
Leaving the capital? This was something Su Wenyuan hadn't expected.
If he really wants to leave, she still has to lend him a hand.
"I will tell the prince when he returns. Don't investigate until we hear any news, so as not to cause trouble."
The prefect readily agreed, without mentioning the emperor at all.
That evening, Sheng Jingyu stated that he was unaware of Nian Huaizhong and his group's actions, as all his men had been dispatched and he had no time to keep an eye on Nian Huaizhong and his group.
Helpless, Su Wenyuan could only try to see Nian Huaizhong and ask about their plans.
If you want to leave the capital, do it as soon as possible.
As for the prefect, Sheng Jingyu had arranged other tasks for him, so he had no time to pay attention to anything else for the time being.
Two days later, another message came from the palace, requesting that Su Wenyuan come to the palace to discuss something.
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