Major case of treason
The Su Musong family traveled day and night and finally saw their grandfather for the last time.
The old fortress owner held on for dear life, but upon seeing his daughter and her family, he finally gave up and passed away. Although the siblings, Changsun Qinan and Changsun Qinyang, were grief-stricken, they also understood that matters of life and death were beyond human control.
Besides, Wanhua Castle had been invaded and many parts of the valley had been damaged and needed to be restored. He had no choice but to cheer himself up, take care of his father's funeral, and clean up the situation in the castle.
One day, Su Musong and Changsun Chenqian led their servants down the mountain to buy things. It was almost noon, so the two of them went into a restaurant to have a meal. At the next table, a man dressed as a merchant was arguing excitedly with the people at the same table. Su Musong was curious for a moment, so he moved forward to listen carefully.
"Isn't your information wrong? For a prime minister to be collaborating with the enemy and betraying his country is absurd, even if it's a drama."
"I saw with my own eyes in Yongcheng that the entire Xiao family had been thrown into prison. They might have already been convicted."
Su Musong only heard two sentences before he knew they were talking about Prime Minister Xiao. He was shocked and rushed forward to grab the merchant's arm and question him. His usual composure was completely gone.
"What happened to the Xiao family?"
The merchant was frightened by Su Musong's sudden appearance and was stunned for a moment.
"Hurry up and tell me! What happened to Prime Minister Xiao's family?"
Seeing this, Chang Sun Chenqian had no choice but to pull Su Musong away, who was in a state of rage, and apologize to the merchant.
"Don't be offended, big brother. My brother is also from Yongcheng, but he has been wandering outside for a long time. So when I heard you talk about your hometown, I was curious and wanted to ask about it in detail."
Changsun Chenqian was so beautiful, respectful and amiable that the merchant did not bother with Su Musong. Instead, he told them all the news he had heard in Yongcheng.
"I heard from colleagues in Yongcheng that the second son of Prime Minister Xiao led troops in the northern border to resist Qingning. Within ten days, they lost two cities. The Xiangping court had no choice but to send envoys to the northern border to negotiate peace with Qingning. But then news came that the Xiao family had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, giving Qingning the border defense map, which led to the Xiangping army's continuous retreat."
"This must be slander!"
"Whether it's slander or not, I don't know. However, the entire Xiao family has been imprisoned. Without conclusive evidence, the Prime Minister's power would surely not lead to this."
Su Musong felt a chill wash over him upon hearing this. Collaboration with the enemy and treason was a grave crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan. Although he trusted the Xiao family with all his heart, he had to agree with the merchant's account. Regardless of whether the Xiao family had colluded with the enemy or not, the fact that the Emperor had imprisoned Prime Minister Xiao, whom he considered his right-hand man, meant there was solid evidence, and the situation was likely beyond the Emperor's control.
With a hint of delusion, Su Musong asked
"Have all the Xiao family members been imprisoned?"
"I heard there's a young master missing, and they've issued an arrest warrant and are searching everywhere."
Hearing this answer, Su Musong felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. The missing person must be Xiao Luochen. He must have kept it a secret from his family that he went to Luzhou to help take care of his sixth sister-in-law. As long as he could find Xiao Luochen before the officers and soldiers, he could help him escape.
Thinking of this, Su Musong could no longer sit still. He wished he could grow wings and fly back to Xiangping. He jumped out of the window, went to the stable, got his horse, and was ready to leave immediately.
Chang Sun Chenqian caught up with the panicking Su Musong
"Mu Song, calm down. Go back to Wanhua Castle first and tell your uncle about the situation. Ask him to find Luo Chen. If you go back alone, how can you find him in such a huge crowd?"
"He must still be in Luzhou."
Su Musong's tone was firm and without hesitation. Although Zhang Sun Chenqian had doubts, he chose to believe it. Seeing that he could not persuade Su Musong, he took out the remaining money and handed it to him.
"Since you insist on going, be careful on your way. I'll explain your situation to your aunt and uncle."
Su Musong took the money, thanked Changsun Chenqian, got on his horse, and prepared to leave.
But Changsun Chenqian held the bridle.
After all, she was worried. She was afraid that Su Musong would find Xiao Luochen, and she was also afraid that he would not be able to find Xiao Luochen.
If he found it, he and the Su family would most likely be dragged into this turmoil. If he couldn't find it, then given his many years of friendship with Xiao Luochen, he would probably suffer a big blow. As for the worst possible outcome, she didn't even want to think about it.
But under the current circumstances, she could not force Su Musong to stay, so she had to persuade him.
"Mu Song, no matter what the outcome of this trip is, you must not be impulsive. Think more about your parents and younger brothers and sisters at home."
Changsun Chenqian had never spoken to Su Musong so earnestly. Although she did not explain it clearly, she believed that Su Musong could understand the meaning of her words.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
Although Su Musong agreed to Changsun Chenqian, he was actually very confused at the moment. He only wanted to go to Luzhou to find Xiao Luochen and had no room for anything else.
Watching Su Musong riding away on his horse, Changsun Chenqian could only sigh helplessly. Given her friendship with Xiao Luochen, she should have gone with Su Musong, but with the incident at Wanhua Castle, she was too busy to attend.
What's more, if Su Musong goes alone, he will most likely not be able to accomplish anything. It depends on her to tell Su Maoyi and his wife the whole story so that they can find a way to protect Su Musong and Xiao Luochen.
In Wanhua Castle, Changsun Chenqian told Su Maoyi and his wife the news he heard in the restaurant.
Su Maoyi was shocked upon hearing this. He naturally didn't believe the Xiao family would collude with the enemy and commit treason. Prime Minister Xiao was the emperor's ally against the empress dowager and the Wang family. If the Xiao family were imprisoned, it would surely be a last resort for the emperor. This clearly showed that Yuwen Cong was in a very dangerous situation.
Changsun Qinan obviously understood the severity of the situation, but compared to the emperor, she cared more about Su Musong.
"Wanhua Fort is quite far from Yongjing City. The arrest warrant had already been issued when the merchant was in Yongjing City. And Luzhou, as a major city in the southeast, is quite capable of handling the matter. If Luo Chen really stayed in Luzhou and didn't leave, then after all this time, he would most likely have been arrested by now."
"Won't Mu Song come back empty-handed this time?"
"It's fine if we fail. But if he knew that Luo Chen was arrested, given his personality, I'm afraid he would even do something like a prison break."
Changsun Qinan understood Su Musong after all, and Su Musong had once confessed to her his feelings for Xiao Luochen. Changsun Qinan concluded that Su Musong's visit would definitely cause some trouble.
Thinking of this, Changsun Qinan also became anxious.
"We can't panic right now. We must first contact the pigeon house in the capital to find out the truth and the situation of Prime Minister Xiao's family. If it's just a simple false accusation, then after so much time, the Sikou Mansion should have investigated thoroughly and there will probably be news of the Xiao family being released from prison. If so, then it's just a false alarm."
"What if the Xiao family shows no signs of being released?"
"That means the Emperor is no longer able to protect the Prime Minister. I'm afraid the Xiao family will be in great danger."
No matter what the final fate of the Xiao family will be, for Su Maoyi and his wife, they only want to protect Su Musong now.
After the couple discussed it, Changsun Qinan continued to stay in Wanhua Castle to assist Changsun Qinyang in the reconstruction, while Su Maoyi went after Su Musong, hoping to stop him in time before he got into trouble.
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