Suspicion
The room was quiet, with the dripping of the water clock adding to the noise. Boss Ye and Ye Yu were getting impatient. After pacing back and forth for a few steps, someone finally came to the door.
"Boss, you wanted to see me?"
The round-faced waiter pushed open the half-closed door. Only one lamp was lit inside. The owner looked up at him with displeasure.
He was taller than his employer, as I could tell from the first meeting. He always remembered to bow and lower his head. When he heard that his employer was looking for him, he rushed upstairs in excitement and forgot about this. He quickly bent down.
"Xiao Yi, is it you who serves tea to the young prince and his entourage today?"
The round-faced waiter, named Zhou Xiaoyi, immediately nodded in agreement and briefly recounted what had happened.
After listening, Ye Yu pondered for a moment, "The two young ladies of the Lu family never removed their veils from beginning to end?"
Zhou Xiaoyi nodded quickly, "These daughters of officials are very careful when they go out. Not to mention one of them is about to marry a prince, so she is of high status and of course she would not want to be seen by others easily."
"The one who is to marry the prince, I heard, was found in the mountains."
Zhou Xiaoyi chuckled, "I didn't expect my boss to pay attention to such casual gossip."
Seeing the owner looking at him, waiting for him to continue, he continued, "That lady is said to be the daughter of the former Minister of Rites. She went missing in the capital more than ten years ago, and somehow, after wandering around, she was found in the desolate mountains outside Weizhou City. Some tea drinkers say that Miss Lu is naturally gifted and was raised by tigers and wolves..."
Ye Yu scoffed, "How could tigers and wolves raise humans? There's no need to mention such nonsense."
Seeing her indifferent expression, Zhou Xiaoyi scratched his head and asked another question.
"Have you heard anyone say that the musician's eyes resemble those of the third wife of the Lu family?"
Zhou Xiaoyi thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Only once, when I brought tea into the room, did I vaguely hear a Miss Lu inside say that the musician's eyes resembled another Miss Lu. I don't know if I misheard."
Ye Yu stared at him intently, urging him to explain in detail.
As Zhou Xiaoyi began to describe, the scene of his master first meeting the musician flashed through his mind. He had thought that his master and she had a past relationship, so why was his master now asking about Miss Lu? Suddenly, he remembered that the musician's surname was also Lu, and that she claimed to be from the capital. As she spoke, her tongue twisted.
Ye Yu listened quietly, then said, "Alright, don't tell anyone what we said here."
Zhou Xiaoyi lowered his head and smiled, "I have been with my master outside the Great Wall all these years, and I have never leaked any information. Master, you can rest assured."
After letting him leave, Ye Yu sighed softly and sat down in an armchair.
The candle flames were bright, swaying even without wind, casting shadows throughout the room.
Those clear, bright eyes seemed to emerge from the darkness, inspiring endless imagination.
Beautiful eyes are not common, and beautiful eyes that are similar are even rarer.
According to Aunt Man and Zhou Xiaoyi, it was truly a rare thing that three people in Weizhou City had such similar eyes at the same time.
If Lu Xi'er is the true daughter of the Lu family, then could the Miss Lu found in the desolate mountains be...?
With a soft "ding," the window opened from the outside, and a figure jumped into the room.
Ye Yu held her breath for a moment, then her wary expression eased. "Why aren't you even using the door anymore?"
The newcomer appeared as a shadowy figure in the dim light, silently closing the window. "I'm giving you one last piece of advice: go back to the border or go somewhere else, leave Weizhou as soon as possible."
Ye Yu didn't take it to heart, "If you can serve as an official in Weizhou, why can't I stay here?"
The newcomer revealed his face in the dim light. If Zhong Linlan were here, he would recognize him as Zhang Conghuai, whom he had seen after the official ceremony, except that he was not wearing official robes but was dressed in night clothes.
His face was cold and stern. He looked at Ye Yu sitting at the table from a distance of about ten feet away. "We are different."
Ye Yu was still wearing the blue robe she wore during the day. She laughed in a woman's voice, "It's different. I've disguised myself as a man, but you, brother, are not disguised at all. If we're talking about danger, you're the one in more danger."
Zhang Conghuai glanced at her indifferently, "I hold an official position."
Ye Yu remembered something and softened his tone, saying, "Brother, why stay in Weizhou? If it's just because of ambition, I've made a lot of money over the years and could use it to buy an official position for you elsewhere."
Zhang Conghuai remained expressionless. "Just take care of yourself. You don't need to worry about me."
Ye Yu opened her mouth, but the tone changed as she spoke, "Today, Imperial Censor Zhong, who came from the capital to Weizhou, visited Yiye Residence. He seems to be an extremely astute person."
Zhang Conghuai coldly said, "You should stay away from him."
Ye Yu smiled and said, "When I saw him, I felt that he looked familiar. Then I remembered that he was the scholar who took in Mu Qing back then. My elder brother has a better memory than me, so he must have recognized him as soon as he saw him."
Zhang Conghuai turned around, becoming a shadowy figure backlit by the light. "In the end, we are enemies, not friends. You don't need to get involved. I won't be able to come here again in the future. Take care."
The window opened again, the wind howled, and he leaped out, disappearing without a trace.
Ye Yu walked to the window. The night outside was dark, and the outlines of the eaves of the houses in the streets and alleys were indistinct. She could not see the cold-hearted older brother.
They were half-siblings, twelve years apart, and had never been close since childhood. They were both surprised to meet each other when they first met at Jinglei Village. Fortunately, only Mu Qing was there and didn't notice anything amiss, even pulling her aside to introduce them.
"Ayu, don't be afraid. He has a very good temper. You can call him Uncle Huai like I do."
That fool spent years with them, yet in the end he didn't know they were actually siblings, and that they could really infiltrate a wealthy family and impersonate a rich young lady.
Inside the Prince Qing's mansion, the lights were dazzling.
Prince Xiao Yu, carrying a hand warmer, strolled through the garden illuminated by stone lanterns, accompanied by a guard who spoke to him.
"The Princess Consort praised your play highly, isn't that wonderful?"
"very good."
Guard Qi Sheng frowned and glanced at the prince's face. He was as relaxed as ever, but in all the years he had been by the young prince's side, he had rarely seen the young prince walk silently without saying a word. This was clearly something on his mind.
What's on my mind? The day was quite lively. I accompanied the Princess Consort to the temple fair early in the morning. Later, I heard that Miss Lu had also gone out. After the Prince Consort took the Princess Consort to the theater, he went to the Treasure Pavilion to see Miss Lu. We went to Yiye Residence together to drink tea and listen to music. After returning and having dinner, we came here for a quiet walk.
Qi Sheng thought for a moment and remembered that when he returned to the Prince's mansion, the young prince had asked him a few questions. So he brought up the topic again: "Your Highness, Shiyu is an honest person. What she says is not false."
Xiao Yu paused, not minding that he was talking too much.
Qi Sheng continued, "I inquired several times, and Shi Yu said that Miss Lu never mentions Imperial Censor Zhong, and she hasn't met with him in the mansion recently."
Xiao Yu shook his head slightly, "That Shiyu doesn't seem very bright. Next time, find someone else to investigate."
"..."
Receiving no response, Xiao Yu turned around and glanced back.
Qi Sheng, who had always been loyal and did whatever he was told, showed a look of great difficulty for the first time.
Xiao Yu smiled slightly, "You like that Shiyu?"
Qi Sheng quickly explained, "Shiyu is already Miss Lu's most valued maid. If we were to find someone closer to Miss Lu than her, the only one would be Aunt Ning."
"Why not give it a try?" Xiao Yu advised patiently. "Although Aunt Ning is getting on in years, she might actually prefer younger people because of this."
Sensing the unspoken meaning, Qi Sheng felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy. As a guard, his duty was to protect the young prince, but what was the prince asking him to do? Seducing the maids to gather information was bad enough, but now he wanted him to…
He rubbed his forehead. "Your Highness, please spare my subordinate."
Xiao Yu drawled, "Then forget it." He made no attempt to hide his regret.
"..."
On an early spring night, before any insects chirped and with no one else in the garden, the two walked quietly along the path, leaving only the sound of their footsteps.
Seeing that the young prince had given up that absurd idea, Qi Sheng could no longer restrain himself.
He was always good at figuring out what the young prince was thinking, but this time he was completely confused and wanted to find out.
"Since Your Highness is bothered by that Imperial Censor Zhong, why do you keep summoning him to your presence and having Miss Lu meet him as well? Wouldn't it be better to distance yourself from him?"
Xiao Yu glanced at him sideways and said slowly, "Didn't you also say he's handsome? You'll only be fooled by appearances if you don't see enough. If you see more, you'll realize he's nothing special."
It was nighttime, and Qi Sheng didn't see the subtle meaning in the eyes. She only felt a chill on her face and shrank her neck. "As for appearance, Your Highness is no less handsome, and Miss Lu doesn't seem like someone who values appearance."
“But I feel like something’s not right,” Xiao Yu said, slowing his pace. “She’s unusually quiet and docile today, which is really strange.”
"In my opinion, Miss Lu and the Prince are of the same mind and are nervous about their upcoming marriage."
"It's a pity she never stared at your prince in a daze."
Upon hearing this, Qi Sheng immediately regretted not thinking more carefully when he relayed the message. Shi Yu said that Miss Lu was staring blankly at people, so he just relayed it directly. He thought he shouldn't have kept it a secret, but upon reflection, he realized that he had made a big deal out of a small matter and added unnecessary trouble.
The young prince inherited the throne at the age of ten and has always been thoughtful and contemplative, thinking more than others.
Previously, the young prince had overheard someone mentioning that the villagers at the foot of Tianci Mountain had made a fortune. He then ordered his men to investigate thoroughly and discovered that Miss Lu had stayed on Tianci Mountain for a maximum of three years. However, the Lu family had bribed the villagers at the foot of the mountain to claim that Miss Lu had grown up on the mountain since childhood.
To say that it was to protect one's reputation is understandable. The young prince did not pursue the matter and even helped cover it up. Miss Lu should not disappoint the prince's kindness.
As Qi Sheng pondered this, he saw the prince suddenly stop, turn around, and change his leisurely demeanor to give a cold order.
"Qi Sheng, go and find someone to investigate what Imperial Censor Zhong did before he became an official, especially three years ago, no, five years ago. What kind of things did he do, and who did he come into contact with? The more detailed the investigation, the better. Don't let anyone find out."
"yes."
Qi Sheng accepted the order, though he didn't know why, but the young prince's decisions were always correct.
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