Three days later.
Zhong Li closed the scroll in her hand, wrote the four characters "Fu Cao Wei Ying" on the cover, and placed it on the desk behind her.
Hua Yao, drinking the Hundred Flower Brew, watched her and said, "Hmm... A Dali Temple official who personally handles everything. The Dali Temple registrar is probably going to be fired."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhong Li smiled and looked at her. "This case is complex with many details. I was afraid the registrar would write it too crudely, so I wrote the scroll myself."
"Alas..." Hua Yao sighed and said, "Now that the case is solved, there's a doubt that's been bothering me."
Zhong Li tidied up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in her hand and said, "What is it? Tell me, and I'll see if I can answer it for you."
"Li'er, you say Consort Rong has been using secret techniques to maintain her beauty, so why was she an old woman when you went to Leng Ji Palace?" Hua Yao asked.
Zhong Li thought for a moment and said, "The secret techniques of the Shu Rong Kingdom have always been kept by their High Priest and not passed on. Madam Dou is the daughter of the High Priest, so she probably knows some. Virgin blood is just an initiator, and other medicinal herbs must have been added to the bath.
As for why Consort Rong aged overnight, I think it's related to these medicines. It's likely that Consort Rong's body had already become dependent on these drugs. These drugs maintained Consort Rong's appearance at the cost of her future life.
Madam Dou is dead, and Consort Rong has no more medicine, so she naturally reverted to her true appearance overnight. It's also possible that due to the side effects of the medicine, she looked older than her peers."
"Is that so?" Hua Yao nodded and said, "It sounds quite profound."
Zhong Li smiled and shook her head. "No matter when it is, people have always pursued immortality. Many things are unknown, and we explore them. I'm just stating my opinion; no one knows the real reason."
"Alas..." Hua Yao sighed again.
Zhong Li walked over to her, bent down, and looked at her dejected expression. "I heard that Master Lan has returned and went straight to the palace. You're sighing so much, are you afraid he'll be sent to other prefectures by the Emperor again?"
"Of course," Hua Yao pouted. "Master Lan is back after so long, I miss him."
Zhong Li chuckled at this and was about to say something to comfort her when Ah Wu rushed in from outside, exclaiming, "Temple Minister Zhong, it's bad! The Heir Apparent has been demoted by the Emperor in the imperial court!"
Zhong Li's smile froze. She stood up abruptly.
-------------------------------------
Zhong Li had never felt that the weather, which was approaching summer, could be so cold.
She stood at the palace gate, her body trembling, and eagerly watched the court officials emerging from the palace one after another. Many familiar faces greeted her, but she seemed not to notice them until... a slender figure appeared in her sight. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she quickened her pace to meet him.
"Li'er?" Lu Wu Xie looked at the woman opposite him, surprised by her presence. It was only when his gaze fell on Ah Wu standing beside her that he understood.
"You know?" He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
"The Emperor demoted you?" Zhong Li still held a sliver of hope.
Lu Wu Xie nodded, looking at the people coming and going around them. "Let's find a place to talk."
In a private room at Jin Cheng Restaurant.
Lu Wu Xie looked at the crowds on Wen Chang Street and said, "The Emperor has demoted me to Liaocheng to be the prefect there."
Zhong Li's delicate eyebrows knitted together. After a moment of thought, she said, "Is it because of Xie Yun Xi's death?"
Lu Wu Xie nodded. "I knew nothing could be hidden from Li'er.
Yes! After Xie Yun Xi's death, all the matters hidden behind her were brought to light. She was involved in the Beichuan Gang case, and the Wise Prince's mansion was deeply implicated. The Emperor suspects I collaborated in Zuo Teng's death, but there's no evidence. The Emperor can only demote me."
"Then, what about the Old Prince?" Zhong Li asked.
"My father has also been affected. The Emperor has temporarily granted him leave and ordered him not to participate in court affairs during this period. He knows he cannot defend himself, and like me, he has accepted it." Lu Wu Xie spoke with a casual tone, but anyone could hear the helplessness in his words.
"Since it's because of the Beichuan Gang case, then what about Marquis Anping..." Zhong Li asked.
"Marquis Anping is involved in even more. There's a possibility of treason and collusion with the enemy. Coupled with the letter Zhao Min gave you earlier, the Emperor has already confiscated Marquis Anping's mansion. The men have been exiled, and the women have been made official prostitutes." Lu Wu Xie said.
Hearing this, Zhong Li's heart tightened. She thought of the now shattered Marquis Anping's mansion, and of Chang Yan Zhi, who was still infatuated with Chang Sun Tang. In just over a month, everything there had changed.
"So, the Emperor's treatment of the Wise Prince's mansion is considered... exceptionally merciful?"
"Yes!" Lu Wu Xie nodded. "On the surface, the Wise Prince's mansion is still of royal lineage. Unless there is irrefutable evidence, the charge of colluding with the enemy and treason cannot be easily attributed."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li's worry eased slightly. She took a sip of the clear wine in front of her and murmured, "Mo Cang."
Lu Wu Xie withdrew his gaze and fixed it on her.
"I have a question for you," Zhong Li said.
Lu Wu Xie remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"You once said that you were persecuted in your previous life. Is it related to the current Emperor?"
Lu Wu Xie's hand, holding the cup, paused, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
After a while, he shook his head. "He just doesn't want the empire to fall into my father's or my hands, so he's always wary of the Wise Prince's mansion. He also knows that no matter what, we are still blood relatives, and he has never dealt a fatal blow."
"Li'er," Lu Wu Xie said, his sword-like eyebrows slowly furrowing. He put down the cup and quietly took Zhong Li's fingers on the table. "It's only a matter of time before I leave Jin Cheng and am demoted. As for you... I fear I won't be able to protect you."
Zhong Li shook her head. "Mo Cang, don't worry. I'm careful in what I do. Dali Temple..."
"No!" Lu Wu Xie interrupted her, a look of worry rising in his eyes. "You don't know who your enemy is, nor do you know what methods they will use. Promise me, during the time I'm away from Jin Cheng, don't investigate anything about your adoptive father, okay?"
Zhong Li pursed her red lips and looked at Lu Wu Xie. She didn't know why he would say such a thing, but she knew that at this moment, he would never tell her everything he knew. He was afraid she would act impulsively and disregard everything for Gai Chen.
"Okay, I promise!" She nodded.
"Also, after I leave, I will leave Lin Jin behind. He will join Dali Temple to protect you, so I will worry less." Lu Wu Xie said.
"No, Lin Jin has been with you for a long time. He can take care of..."
"Li'er!" Lu Wu Xie squeezed Zhong Li's hand forcefully. "Before I met you, protecting the Wise Prince's mansion was my top priority. After meeting you, your safety is my utmost concern.
Besides, I still have Ah Wu, and his skills are not bad!"