Li Zhu nodded seriously, agreeing with his mother's words. Who betrayed him was no longer important; what mattered was how he would survive the Heavenly Alliance's pursuit...
This time, only Xun Daoren appeared, and his adopted younger brother could handle it. But what if more experts appeared?
Moreover, having someone from the enemy's side is also a good thing. They can pass on information they want the enemy to know, thus making the enemy work for them without them even realizing it...
“Mother, Xun Daoren has found me, so he might also come to the palace to find you. I’m afraid he’ll use your life to threaten me. On the day I paid my respects to Consort Ming, Xun Daoren used my four henchmen to force me to submit…”
Li Zhu spoke with some worry, and in his heart he hated himself for being so weak that he couldn't even protect his family!
"This is the imperial palace, a place fraught with danger. The more powerful a person is, the more wary they are of this place. So you don't need to worry about my safety. However, you are about to leave Luoyang for Xiliang. Be careful on your journey; the Heavenly Dao Alliance might ambush you along the way..."
Nangong Qing's eyes were filled with endless worry; she was very concerned about Li Zhu's trip to Xiliang...
"Mother, don't worry, there's a younger brother..."
"That's true. When can you bring your younger brother back to see me?"
Nangong Qing asked expectantly!
"Mother, he didn't show up when he rescued me this time. I think he probably felt it wasn't the right time yet..."
Li Zhu said helplessly, thinking that it was better for his younger brother not to show himself. Otherwise, given how different they looked, one of them would eventually be exposed as a fraud, and then who knew how to handle the situation…
Nangong Qing looked somewhat forlorn, clearly longing for her son whom she had yet to meet...
"Mother, I think he probably has some unresolved issues. I'll try to talk to him when we meet again..."
That was all Li Zhu could say to comfort him!
"Yes, so many years have passed, I've come to terms with it. As long as he's alive and doing well, that's enough..."
"Mother, he's doing well..."
Hearing Li Zhu's words, even though she knew he was just trying to comfort her, Nangong Qing still smiled happily, feeling that her child had become sensible...
Li Zhu tried to spend as much time as possible talking with his mother, but there were rules in the palace, and he couldn't leave too late. In the end, he left the palace with Nangong Qing watching him leave with reluctance...
Along the way, Li Zhu made a point of sensing his surroundings, but this time, it was as if all the experts had vanished; not a single one appeared, which made Li Zhu even more puzzled…
If these experts were there to monitor the mother, they wouldn't have left so easily; his every move would have been under their watchful eyes…
But these experts left, which means they were likely protecting the mother, and very likely were her subordinates...
If his guess is true, then his mother is definitely not simple. Although today only confirmed that his mother and Xun Daoren were indeed acquainted, he also noticed something unusual about his mother from the subtle clues...
The Nangong family…
Li Zhu had never encountered this family in the New Tang Dynasty, which was also the most puzzling thing for him: why did the Nangong family have no influence in the New Tang Dynasty?
These things left his mind in a complete mess, and in the end, he could only give up trying to think...
After leaving the palace, Li Zhu went straight to the post station to discuss the upcoming itinerary with Nazha…
A marriage between two countries is no small matter; the proper procedures must be followed…
"Your Highness, my princess is not here..."
Li Zhu was stopped by the same two guards he had been with before as soon as he arrived at the post station, leaving him speechless. They couldn't even come up with a better excuse; no one would believe such a lame one…
"Can you see who I am? Don't you recognize me?"
Li Zhu questioned him somewhat angrily!
"You're the Crown Prince..."
The guard replied blankly, thinking to himself, "Didn't I call you His Highness the Crown Prince? Is there anything wrong with that? And why are you asking me? Who are you? Didn't your father tell you?"
"No, I'm not just the Crown Prince, I'm also the future consort of the Western Liang Princess. Is this how you treat your consort? I've come to see my future wife, and you're making excuses for me. What exactly do you want?"
Li Zhu questioned him somewhat angrily!
"We know..."
The guard, bewildered, echoed!
"You know that, yet you still won't move aside..."
Li Zhu said irritably, "I could let it go last time since Nazha was still angry. But now that I've already coaxed her, she still won't let me in. How can I swallow this insult?"
The two guards' faces darkened. They thought to themselves, "Are we really that unreliable? To be honest, nobody believes us..."
"Your Highness, my princess has indeed gone out..."
The guard could only repeat helplessly!
"Out? Where did you go?"
Li Zhu was taken aback. He had thought that the two guards were making things difficult for him, but he didn't expect that she had actually gone out. But what was she doing out so late?
"We don't know either. The princess has always been unruly; how dare we inquire about her whereabouts..."
The guard said helplessly, clearly having learned his lesson before, so now he dared not inquire about what Nazha wanted to do or where she was going!
"Which direction did he walk in?"
Li Zhu could only ask helplessly...
The guard pointed in the direction of the center of Luoyang, indicating that the princess was heading in that direction…
"What clothes was she wearing?"
Li Zhu could only settle for second best and asked!
"Ordinary Chinese menswear..."
The guard answered without hesitation!
This made Li Zhu sigh inwardly; they weren't entirely useless, at least they knew their princess had gone out dressed as a man…
Following the direction pointed out by the guard, Li Zhu searched all the way but couldn't find Nazha at all, which annoyed him. She was almost married, why was she running around like that? Didn't she know it was dangerous for a girl to be out alone?
"Grandpa, come and have some fun..."
Suddenly, the voices of a group of beautiful women startled him awake. Li Zhu subconsciously looked up and found that this was the most famous shop in Luoyang City, called Huayuelou!
This place has the most girls, and it's also the largest brothel in all of Luoyang...
The madam, accompanied by a group of girls, was calling out to passersby at the entrance. Some men, unable to resist the temptation, sneaked inside, their purpose obvious...
Li Zhu looked back in the direction of the post station, then at the Flower Moon Pavilion in front of him, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind that startled even him…
Would Nazha come to a brothel dressed as a man?
Li Zhu was dressed in an air of nobility, and before he even got close to the Flower Moon Pavilion, the madam greeted him with a beaming smile from afar…
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