Lu Wuxie emerged to find the imperial palace completely shrouded in darkness.
Apart from the occasional imperial guards on patrol, the only other light came from the ever-burning palace lanterns.
He walked briskly along the corridors, a dispatch in hand. A gust of late autumn wind swept past, ruffling his hair and chilling his handsome face.
"Lu Wuxie, I thought you were a smart man. I never imagined you'd give the Fei Yuan Pavilion's order to Father Emperor?"
As Lu Wuxie rounded a corner, a voice echoed from the darkness.
Lu Wuxie didn't look back. He merely stopped, waiting for the person to emerge from the shadows.
"Sixth Prince, I didn't expect you to enjoy being a snoop."
Lu Yuanfeng raised his eyebrows and walked to Lu Wuxie's side. "I didn't want to, it was just a coincidence. Consort Nangong got word and dragged me out of bed."
"Hmph, it seems everyone in this palace is the same; no one trusts anyone," Lu Wuxie said.
"I trust you, but I have to report back to the Consort, don't I?" Lu Yuanfeng said innocently.
Lu Wuxie ignored him and continued walking forward.
"Speaking of which, you haven't answered me. Aren't you afraid that Father Emperor will betray you if you hand over your trump card, ruining all your plans?" Lu Yuanfeng asked, following behind him.
Lu Wuxie saw they were almost at the palace gate, and Lin Jin was already getting out of the carriage to greet him.
He decided to turn around and clarify with Lu Yuanfeng. "Sixth Prince, since I could pull you out of the mud, I am confident that I will not lose this gamble.
Giving the Fei Yuan Pavilion to the Emperor was part of the plan. It's just that things happened unexpectedly, and it was a bit sooner than anticipated. Don't worry, the secrets of Fei Yuan Pavilion are enough for the Emperor to worry about, and he won't target me anymore. After all..."
Lu Wuxie paused, then spoke in a low voice, "There aren't many people left in the Lu family."
With that, he took off his outer cloak and handed it to Lin Jin, then quickly got into the carriage.
Lu Yuanfeng stood there watching the carriage slowly disappear, pondering for a long time. He smiled and walked back into the palace.
The carriage sped down Wenchang Street. It would take some time to reach the Ministry of Justice. According to the plan, Lu Wuxie should have been lying in the carriage, pretending to nap. He never expected that someone sitting opposite him would completely shatter all his thoughts.
"How did you get up here?" Lu Wuxie asked Hua Yao, who was sitting opposite him.
Hua Yao was so angry she put her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed, and stared at Lu Wuxie. "Don't worry about how I sneaked up here. I just want to ask you if you know that Li'er is at the Ministry of Justice?"
Lu Wuxie nodded. "I know."
"Hmph!" Hearing his answer, Hua Yao snorted angrily. She recalled how she had searched all over Jincheng for Lu Wuxie after leaving the Ministry of Justice during the day.
First, she went to the Prince Xian's residence. She didn't see him, but she discovered a festive scene. Upon inquiring, she learned that Prince Xian's residence had sent betrothal gifts and that Lu Wuxie was to be married soon. This made her furious.
Then she went to the Court of Judicial Review and was told that Lu Wuxie and Lan Heng had gone out. After much effort, she finally found Lu Wuxie's carriage before sunset. Taking advantage of Lin Jin's absence while he went for dinner, she slipped into the carriage. She didn't expect Lu Wuxie to board so unhurriedly and even chat happily with the Sixth Prince. This showed he truly didn't care about Zhong Li.
"Why are you hmph-ing?" Lu Wuxie asked Hua Yao in confusion, placing a cup of clear tea opposite her.
Hua Yao hadn't eaten or drunk all day. Seeing the water, she disregarded her status as a noble lady, picked up the cup, and drank it all in one gulp before speaking. "So, she's at the Ministry of Justice, and no one is interfering with your marriage, so you can do as you please, right?"
Lu Wuxie found her words ambiguous and asked, "What do you mean by that, Miss Hua?"
Hua Yao shot Lu Wuxie an annoyed glance. "After Li'er got into trouble, I went to the Ministry of Justice to find her."
"You went to the Ministry of Justice? Did you see her? How is she?" Lu Wuxie inquired.
Hua Yao nodded and glared at Lu Wuxie again. She cursed him as heartless in her mind before saying, "She's okay, but her spirits are a bit off. The conditions in the prison are also not ideal. I don't know who arranged it, but they made Li'er stay in the room near the water dungeon."
Lu Wuxie's brow furrowed. At worst, Zhong Li's crime could be harboring Qiatte grass. At best, she was a suspect arrested by the Dali Temple without conclusive evidence. Such a person would normally be released after a certain period if no solid evidence was found. Why was she imprisoned in the way Hua Yao described?
He thought that there could only be one answer: A Wu.
"Speaking of which, Miss Hua, what did you mean by marriage earlier?" Lu Wuxie asked the still-sulking Hua Yao.
Hua Yao hadn't expected Lu Wuxie to ask her back and looked surprised. "You don't know?"
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "Since I returned from Linzhou, the Emperor ordered me to investigate the Wu family's silver bank. I've been eating and sleeping at the Court of Judicial Review and haven't returned to my residence."
"Then that explains it," Hua Yao murmured. "So you don't know about Prince Xian's residence sending betrothal gifts to Shen Ying?"
"Betrothal gifts, Shen Ying?" Lu Wuxie seemed to understand what Hua Yao meant.
He shook his head. "Miss Hua, please rest assured, I am not that kind of person who breaks faith. For Li'er, I am willing to marry only her in this lifetime."
"Really?" Hua Yao looked at Lu Wuxie with suspicion. She knew that the heir of Prince Xian's residence hadn't had a very good reputation before. It was only because Zhong Li was involved and people had gone through some cases that she would have had any significant interaction with him.
Lu Wuxie nodded, his expression sincere.
Hua Yao bit her lip, about to say something more, when a sudden rumble from her stomach silenced all her intended words.
Lu Wuxie looked at her in confusion.
Hua Yao's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her eyes, afraid to speak.
Lu Wuxie sighed. In his impression, Hua Yao was just a young girl who liked to chase Lan Heng, with a spoiled yet cute personality. Seeing her so concerned for Zhong Li now, he felt quite pleased.
Zhong Li had a calm temperament and was slow to warm up to people. Only someone as proactive as Hua Yao could truly become her close friend.
"I'll send you back to your residence," Lu Wuxie said, smiling slightly, and gave a few instructions to Lin Jin.
Lin Jin turned the carriage around and quickly headed towards the Hua residence. Before that, he made a detour to buy some pastries for her to stave off her hunger.
After sending Hua Yao back to her residence, Lu Wuxie didn't immediately have Lin Jin drive to the Ministry of Justice. Instead, he instructed him to return to Prince Xian's residence.
"Young Master," Lin Jin said, driving the carriage, faintly sensing that the atmosphere inside the carriage seemed a little off.
"Lin Jin, tell me, do you know what Miss Hua said about Prince Xian's residence?" Lu Wuxie's voice came from inside the carriage.
Lin Jin first nodded, then quickly explained, "Young Master, I know you have no intention of accepting this marriage, and you've been busy with the Wu family's silver bank matters these past few days, so I didn't bother you with it. I thought..."
"It was my father who told you not to say anything, wasn't it?" Lu Wuxie interrupted Lin Jin.
Lin Jin covered his mouth, unsure how to continue. Both were his masters, and as a subordinate, he didn't want to see father and son fall out.
"Alright, call me when we arrive," Lu Wuxie said, not wanting to make Lin Jin feel any more awkward. He drew the carriage curtain and threw out a casual remark.