Escape from the Palace (2)
Yan Qing's silence displeased Rong Xuan, and he stopped beating around the bush with her.
"Is the Crown Prince or the Empress the distinguished guest tonight?"
This was as if he were the Crown Prince's subordinate. With the answer presented to him, Yan Qing was about to explain.
"when--"
The sound of a gong abruptly interrupted the two, and the sound of the night watchman's footsteps also came from this direction.
“I am not a member of the Crown Prince’s faction, and taking my life will not benefit you. I have clues about the Cheng family’s unsolved case. If you are interested, we can discuss it in detail in a dark alley.”
The situation no longer allows Yan Qing to consider whether the Prince of Qi or the Prince of Ning is more useful; saving his own life is the priority.
Yan Qing spoke concisely, then turned to head towards the dark alley she had been following. She was betting on Rong Xuan's relationship with the Cheng family. Yan Qing was absolutely certain that Rong Xuan would follow.
Sure enough, Rong Xuan's footsteps sounded, following Yan Qing.
[Warning! Host.]
Cat Number One was still a step too late.
Before the joy of breaking the deadlock could take hold, Yan Qing felt her vision blur and her body go boneless, about to fall to the ground, when the culprit caught her and carried her around the waist.
"The weather is dry, so be careful with fire."
The night watchman walked past the corner, and the alley was deserted.
Rong Xuan rode in the carriage and passed through the palace gate without any trouble. The carriage slowly moved forward toward the Ning Prince's residence.
When Yan Qing woke up, she found herself unable to move and surrounded by darkness.
She was tied to the rack, spread out in a starfish position.
There were only two candlesticks in the cramped space, and Yan Qing couldn't see her surroundings clearly, which made her feel vaguely uneasy.
Just then, a commotion came from outside, and loud, forceful footsteps drew closer.
Many people rushed in, put down chairs, charcoal braziers and other utensils, lit many candles and then left.
The surroundings brightened.
Rong Xuan, holding a hand warmer, leisurely sat down, a fox fur cloak draped over his shoulders, and looked at him with a half-smile.
The charcoal fire in the brazier was blazing, and Yan Qing belatedly felt a chill.
"Yan Sizhi has finally woken up. I've been waiting for him for quite a while."
Having witnessed Rong Xuan's change of expression, Yan Qing was no longer fooled by his gentle smile. She said irritably, "Prince Ning is so considerate, waiting for me to wake up on my own."
However, being tough on Rong Xuan's turf would inevitably leave him somewhat without support, so before he could speak again, Yan Qing returned to the main topic.
"Why did Your Highness Prince Ning bring me here?"
"Of course I have questions. Tell me, what do you know?"
Yan Qing glanced at Rong Xuan a few more times. The man lowered his head and fiddled with the white jade thumb ring on his hand, seemingly indifferent and unconcerned about what answer he would give.
This is precisely his cunning. If he reveals what he wants, Yan Qing can hold back and maintain control of the conversation. But now, Yan Qing has to guess what he wants to continue the dialogue.
Yan Qing made up her mind that she first had to dispel Rong Xuan's suspicions.
"The Shu brocade was handled by the Second Prince. With the New Year's banquet approaching, the Crown Prince will use that batch of Shu brocade to cause trouble. A few days ago, the Crown Prince sent someone to threaten me into framing Consort Shu for plotting against the Empress at the banquet. I had no intention of getting involved in these struggles, and I was planning to leave the palace tonight..."
She observed Rong Xuan's reaction as she spoke.
“If it’s just a batch of fabric, it won’t be enough to harm the Second Prince and Consort Shu,” Rong Xuan shook his head and interrupted.
Yan Qing explained, "The only thing related to me is that batch of cloth. The Crown Prince naturally has other plans, but I am unaware of them. This matter has no direct connection to Your Highness, Prince Ning."
The last sentence reveals Yan Qing's hidden motives, and his resentment is evident in his words.
This has nothing to do with you, why are you arresting me!
Rong Xuan didn't say anything more. Being stared at by him, Yan Qing was still a little unsure of what to do and wondered if she should offer some more incentives to keep him calm.
The two fell silent, their eyes meeting as they observed each other's subtle changes.
After a while, Rong Xuan withdrew from the stalemate.
Seeing that Rong Xuan had withdrawn his gaze, and that he must have temporarily believed her words, Yan Qing felt relieved. Before he could ask her any more questions, she eagerly took the initiative to speak.
"I've long heard that Prince Ning and the Cheng family are on good terms. My life or death is a small matter to you and the Crown Prince, but the life or death of Young Master Cheng is a big deal. Why don't you listen to the clues in the Cheng family's unsolved case?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rong Xuan raised his hand and waved it lightly.
A guard appeared out of nowhere and untied Yan Qing.
Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, moved her limbs, and after the numbness in her hands and feet subsided, she walked straight toward Rong Xuan, but stopped a short distance away.
With the threat to her life over and her mind relaxed, a chill began to creep in. Yan Qing shivered from the cold, and couldn't help but sneeze. She stopped by the charcoal brazier, squatted down, rubbed her hands in front of it, and looked around at her surroundings.
The walls here were all solid stone, without a single window, suggesting it wasn't a place exposed to light. The air was damp, and the walls were adorned with various torture instruments that Yan Qing had never heard of or seen before, some still showing signs of use and bearing traces of blood.
It's best to leave this place as soon as possible.
As her body slowly warmed up, Yan Qing turned to look at Rong Xuan, who was scrutinizing her with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected what she had done.
Their eyes met, and Yan Qing, too lazy to play games with him, knew she couldn't outwit him: "There is another witness in the capital."
Before he finished speaking, Rong Xuan paused, then revealed a genuine smile.
Where are the witnesses now?
Yan Qing truthfully replied, "The waiter from the restaurant ran away during the chaos. I don't know his whereabouts, but he is still in the capital."
This clue seems to have some weight. Yan Qing saw him nod, and his whole being began to radiate a kind of benevolent light again, which made her feel a little numb.
She asked directly, "I am indeed not a subordinate of the Crown Prince. Today's events were a misunderstanding. You can verify this again. As for the unsolved case of the Cheng family, I have told you what I know. Will Prince Ning let me go now?"
After asking the question, I started to feel a little uneasy.
Having witnessed the unknown side of this so-called elegant gentleman, one would generally be silenced, right?
The ironware on the wall reflected the candlelight, flickering in Yan Qing's eyes, and Rong Xuan's smiling pronouncement came down.
"Director Yan, please stay at my residence for a few days. Once Cheng Changfeng is safe, I will reward you handsomely."
It was clearly an answer that Yan Qing would like to hear, and the tone was extremely polite, but Yan Qing felt a chill run down her spine.
Following Rong Xuan out of the dungeon, Yan Qing couldn't help but ask, "Isn't Prince Ning afraid that I'll expose your true colors beneath your mask?"
"You can give it a try."
Her voice was as indifferent as the moonlight, which showed that she didn't take Yan Qing seriously at all.
Can we tolerate this?
We really have to endure it.
Yan Qing was led to a secluded courtyard, thus bringing to a close the matter of his accidental departure from the palace.
However, Rong Xuan's appearance still brought her a lot of trouble.
Now Yan Qing has to find a way to wrap up the escape, and she doesn't think Rong Xuan will help her deal with the crime of fleeing.
As for cooperation with the King of Qi, we can only look for an opportunity later.
The following morning, Yan Qing proposed to find witnesses himself, saying that there is strength in numbers.
This was something Yan Qing said offhand. Whether or not she was allowed to leave, and what she said to her, didn't really matter. It was all up to Rong Xuan's wishes. This feeling was really unpleasant.
Fortunately, Rong Xuan did not stop them, but a few more people followed Yan Qing.
Yan Qing originally wanted to see the sights of the capital, and the fact that the people's happiness rate was only 15% was indeed shocking. However, with Rong Xuan's people following her, she had no choice but to go to the restaurant where the incident occurred to put on a show first.
The restaurant was surrounded by soldiers, who prohibited all unauthorized personnel from entering. Only some government officials were allowed to investigate inside.
Yan Qing had no interest in this and leisurely strolled around the restaurant.
The scenes along the way perfectly matched Yan Qing's imagination of ancient times. Apart from their clothing being different from modern times, the people she met had similar lifestyles, all of them rushing around in their own lives.
Yan Qing couldn't figure out the root cause of the extremely low happiness level; perhaps it was because people in the capital were living relatively normal lives.
Suddenly, Yan Qing's gaze was drawn to him.
A litter of kittens was fast asleep under a wooden plank in the corner of the alley. Yan Qing took off the veil and handed it to the maid beside her, telling them to stay where they were. She took out the prepared goat milk from the bamboo basket, squatted down, and approached the kittens.
I brought along some food, such as goat milk and dried fish, just in case. I didn't expect to actually encounter kittens, and even a whole litter of them!
With their pink noses sniffing the milky scent in the air, several kittens slowly woke up. The bolder ones took a few steps forward, their steps unsteady.
Yan Qing poured goat milk into a dish and placed it in front of the kittens. Several timid kittens blinked and watched, but seeing their companions happily drinking, they stumbled towards Yan Qing. Seeing this, she narrowed her eyes and exclaimed that kittens were truly the cutest creatures in the world!
A moment later, a large cat appeared on the wall, nimbly landing on the wooden plank, arching its back, its tail bristling, and hissing at Yan Qing.
The kittens, who were happily eating, seemed to be summoned and retreated behind their mother, looking around in bewilderment. Two others, however, were so greedy that they were licking the goat's milk from the jade dish, their heads touching.
Yan Qing then took out shrimp and dried fish, placed them a short distance away, and stepped back two paces. After a short while, the large cat gradually calmed down, tentatively taking two steps forward and nudging the food towards itself with its front paws. Yan Qing remained unmoved, so it relaxed and began to eat the food Yan Qing had offered.
She waited quietly, and soon the large cat approached her. Yan Qing stretched out her fingers, feeling a warm touch from her fingertips; the cat was sniffing her scent. Yan Qing began to try to communicate with it, and the cat lowered its guard, revealing its soft belly to her.
[Cat No. 1, exchange for communication skills.]
Yan Qing chatted with the big cat for a while, then remembered something and casually asked about the restaurant. To her surprise, it actually gave her an answer.
Someone went to Wuren Lane.
Yan Qing was overjoyed; it was an unexpected bonus!
She picked up the big cat and gave it a few deep breaths, then petted all the kittens. Before the countdown reached zero, Yan Qing reluctantly promised the big cat that she would come back to see them again soon before leaving.
The quiet streets of the early morning suddenly became noisy as a crowd thronged to watch the soldiers post notices.
"I've never seen this person before."
"The reward is a full fifty strings of cash! You'd better keep your eyes open and look carefully!"
Yan Qing took a few steps forward, and after reading the contents, her breath caught in her throat, and she froze in place.
[At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) on the fifth day of this month, a woman named Yan Congjin, a clerk in the Bureau of Imperial Works, appeared. She was about twenty years old, five feet five inches tall, with fair skin and a small mole on her right earlobe. She habitually wore dark blue official robes and was skilled in embroidery. This woman disobeyed palace rules and disappeared without a trace.]
This matter concerns the imperial palace and is unforgivable under the law. From the date this notice is posted, anyone, whether military, civilian, or merchant, who obtains anything and delivers it to the authorities will be rewarded with fifty strings of cash.
Only after being reminded by the maid beside him did Yan Qing come to her senses and turn to leave.
A deep voice came from behind, causing Yan Qing to stop in her tracks, her fists clenched and frozen in place.
"Miss, please remove your veil to cooperate with our search."
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