In Dali Temple, Zhong Li was still busy with the scrolls in her hands. The past few days had been strange. Jin Cheng had been experiencing a series of minor cases, not complex or difficult to solve, but their frequent occurrence was unusual.
She felt that whenever she had some downtime, such matters would find their way to her.
Lan Heng had vanished, taking several days of leave. As for the reason, she had some inkling. She heard that the elder of the Hua family had been giving him a lot of trouble.
As the midday sun rose directly overhead, Zhong Li stretched. Just as she felt she could finally catch her breath, a panicked young constable rushed in.
"My Lord, it's bad, my Lord!"
"What? Has something happened again?" Zhong Li looked sternly at the man before her.
The young constable first shook his head, then nodded. "It's bad. Wasn't a new Temple Secretary from Jinzhou transferred here today? We followed the usual custom and took the Temple Secretary to inspect Changting Pavilion. The newly appointed Temple Secretary was cautious. He felt that simply hearing a response from within wasn't enough and insisted on entering to see the Crown Prince's true appearance before leaving. Who knew that upon entering, he discovered..."
"Discovered what?" Zhong Li's heart sank, and she urged him to continue.
"That it wasn't the Crown Prince," the young constable replied.
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, processing the constable's words. It seemed the Crown Prince had been swapped.
"Who is the manager in charge of Changting Pavilion? And the newly appointed Temple Secretary?"
As soon as she asked, a mournful cry echoed from outside the inner hall.
Zhong Li quickly went outside and saw a familiar figure leading a man wearing an official hat.
"Awang!" she exclaimed in surprise.
Upon seeing Zhong Li, Awang threw the man in his hands to the ground and knelt on one knee. "Xu Wang, a constable from Jinzhou currently serving as a Temple Secretary in Dali Temple, greets Lord Zhong."
"Why are you here?" Zhong Li helped him up.
"The Heir Apparent requested me from the new Prefect of Jinzhou!" Awang replied.
"Are you married yet?" Zhong Li asked.
Awang sighed. "The other party was initially willing. But when they heard I knew you and the Heir Apparent, they demanded five hundred taels upfront. Alas, the marriage fell through."
Zhong Li gave him a deep look but said no more, her gaze shifting to the man he had brought in.
"My Lord must know about the matter of the Crown Prince. This is the minor official in charge of Changting Pavilion. I request My Lord to dispense justice!" Awang cupped his hands.
Zhong Li looked at the man kneeling on the ground, trembling.
Before she could speak, the man, terrified, convulsed a few times and blurted out everything: "Lord Zhong, I had no choice, truly no choice. General Shen Cong gave me a letter asking me to sneak the Crown Prince out. I owed him a favor, so I couldn't refuse."
"You say the Crown Prince was sent out. Sent where?"
"To Jinzhou," the man answered truthfully.
"How many days ago? Two days."
Zhong Li crouched down, contemplating for a moment, and said, "Lift your head!"
The minor official timidly raised his head.
Zhong Li asked, "The Crown Prince was sent to Changting Pavilion by imperial decree. How dare you be so bold? Do you know this is a crime punishable by death?"
"Lord Zhong!" Upon hearing this, the minor official grabbed Zhong Li's ankle and pleaded, "If I had known it was a capital offense, I wouldn't have dared even if you gave me ten times the courage. In previous years, people also lived in Changting Pavilion. The environment inside was poor, and those who lived there usually died within a few years. I thought that since the Crown Prince was sent to such a place, the Emperor naturally didn't want him alive. And since the Crown Prince wouldn't live, no one would visit. I thought... might as well repay this favor..."
"Repay it?" Zhong Li finished for him.
"Yes, yes!"
"Hmph!" Zhong Li stood up, coldly withdrew her foot, and said, "Wash your neck and await your punishment."
With that, she said no more and quickly walked out of Dali Temple.
"My Lord! My Lord..."
As Zhong Li reached the entrance, Old Ma's carriage was already waiting outside. She could still hear the official's calls from behind.
She no longer had the energy to respond. Throwing Old Ma a command, "Prince Xian's Estate," she quickly got into the carriage.
Wenchang Street was bustling with people. The New Year was approaching, and despite the bitter cold, the common folk were busily preparing with joy and vibrancy.
Zhong Li lowered the curtain, looking at the few words she had written on the table with water.
Shen Cong, Shen Nong, Lu Yuanhong.
She hadn't met Shen Cong, but she had heard of him. He had protected Lu Jing'an with all his might when he was in danger. Ge Meng was on the outside, the Hua family on the inside, and Shen Cong protected the Emperor. The three of them were sworn brothers back then.
But...
Her fingertips rested on Shen Nong's name.
Shen Nong had clashed with her many times. Perhaps due to her upbringing on the estate, she was unscrupulous in achieving her goals and skilled at hiding herself. Lu Yuanhong was seemingly rescued by Shen Cong, but Shen Nong had no doubt played a significant role in instigating it.
Setting aside how Shen Nong, who was under confinement, managed to contact Shen Cong, the very fact that she risked so much to get Lu Yuanhong out indicated she had a major move planned.
As Zhong Li pondered, her mind became unsettled. She seemed to have guessed what Shen Nong intended to do.
"My Lord, we have arrived at the Prince's Estate."
Just as the thought surfaced in Zhong Li's mind, a voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Old Ma.
She lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage, preparing to enter Prince Xian's Estate.
Two guards stood at the entrance of Prince Xian's Estate. As soon as they saw Zhong Li, they hurried to greet her.
"Lord Zhong, are you looking for the Heir Apparent?"
Zhong Li nodded.
The two guards exchanged glances and said, "The Heir Apparent is not here."
"Not here?" Zhong Li frowned. She hadn't seen Lu Wuxie for several days, and now that she came to find him, he was absent.
"Yes. The Heir Apparent left this morning with Guard Lin. He said if Lord Zhong came looking for him, to give you this!"
Zhong Li took the letter from the young guard, feeling a bit perplexed.
Just as she was about to turn back to her carriage, a voice called from behind.
"Lord Zhong!"
Zhong Li turned her head and saw Lu Fengyang standing within the estate.
Zhong Li, somewhat confused, walked up to Lu Fengyang and cupped her hands. "Your Highness."
"I know Lord Zhong is busy, so I'll only say one thing." Ever since the case of Chat Grass, and the death of Xie Yunxi, Lu Fengyang had stopped managing court affairs. Prince Xian's Estate and matters of the court were all handled by Lu Wuxie. His health had been failing, and he had been recuperating for quite some time. Today, he seemed a little better.
"Your Highness, please speak," Zhong Li replied.
"Do you truly like Mo Cang?" Lu Fengyang asked.
"Naturally." Zhong Li didn't even blink.
Lu Fengyang seemed relieved, his thin lips curving into a smile. "Then I can rest assured."
"What does Your Highness mean?" Zhong Li was confused.
Lu Fengyang glanced behind Zhong Li at the expanse of white and said, "There's a lot of snow this year. Lord Zhong... no... Li'er, take care!"
With that, he turned and walked back into the estate.
Zhong Li stood there, watching him disappear from her sight, and the gate of Prince Xian's Estate slowly close. After a long while, Old Ma got down from the carriage and walked to her side, asking, "My Lord, where to now?"
Zhong Li lowered her gaze, opened the letter in her hand, which contained only two words: 'Wait for me.'
She pursed her lips and said, "To the palace. I need to... see the Emperor!"