bookrandom Chapter 118 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wi
Chapter 118 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wi
温府
Wen Yingchen was handling official business in his study. As the chief minister, he had many responsibilities while the emperor went out to vent his anger.
No matter how busy he was, he never forgot the matter he was investigating, which was of utmost importance.
"You're saying someone deliberately misled the Emperor's secret guards?"
Wen Yingchen ran his fingertips along the pages of the book, lost in thought.
He had long suspected that there was a powerful force behind this, capable of controlling even the emperor's men; it seemed the other party was quite powerful.
Wen Yingchen lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, "What happened to that bookstore we talked about before?"
The man kneeling below immediately bowed and reported, "My lord, the bookstore has been destroyed without leaving a trace."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yingchen's eyes sharpened instantly. "Destroyed?"
He frowned, his thoughts racing, and after a short while, he gently waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to leave.
He immediately stood up, looked back at the bookshelf behind him, took out a thin book from one of the drawers, and after browsing it briefly, he immediately had an idea.
Soon, Wen Yingchen made a low-key trip, coming and going in a hurry, completely unaware of the woman who was holding chicken soup and trying to call him back.
The woman, dressed in a light pink dress, had her long black hair tied up. She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, yet she was already a wife.
Standing under the pear tree, Liu Chutang stared intently at the figure hurrying out the door, closed her eyes briefly, and then handed the chicken soup she was holding to the maid behind her.
He whispered, "Let it fall."
The maid opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing her mistress's expression, she chose to remain silent.
He looked at the delicious-looking chicken soup with a sense of regret. It was a dish that Madam had painstakingly simmered for an hour. The master was truly unlucky!
Ignoring the thoughts of the maid behind her, Liu Chutang looked at the doorway with a complicated expression, wondering where Wen Ziyun was going in such a hurry.
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a while, then quickly returned to her own courtyard.
After telling the maid not to disturb her, she quickly changed into a light, narrow-sleeved dress, covered her face with a veil, climbed out of the window, and then climbed over the wall to leave the Wen residence.
The series of movements were fluid and skillful, indicating that this was not the first time he had done this.
The capital city, under the emperor's feet, has prosperous areas, but also impoverished ones.
The former is like the inner city where noble families gather, while the latter is the outer city where all sorts of people mingle.
The outer city wasn't entirely populated by poor and destitute people; most of them had some money and lived a good life. The rest of the people gathered in a street that wasn't well-received by outsiders.
That place is called Mud Ox Lane.
Liu Chutang, her face veiled, appeared in this place that seemed completely out of place for the wife of the Grand Secretary.
Her cold gaze swept over the people coming and going, and she quickly entered a simple, low-ceilinged house.
Inside, two strangely-looking women were waiting for her. When they saw her come in, they immediately got up and were about to kneel down, but Liu Chutang stopped them.
Liu Chutang spoke calmly, but not in the official language of Da Ning, but in a foreign language: "No need for formalities, tell me what you have found."
One of the women quickly took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Liu Chutang, replying, "Holy Maiden, Emperor Kangning is looking for a woman who seems very important to him, and your husband seems to be investigating the same woman as well, but neither side has found anything so far."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chutang's gaze, which had been fixed on the letter, instantly shifted away. "A woman?"
She was somewhat incredulous: "Are you sure?"
She remembered that before she came to Da Ning, she seemed to have heard people say that Emperor Kangning's favorite woman was Consort Song, and during the two years she lived in Da Ning, she had come to believe this.
But now you're suddenly telling her that Emperor Kangning is looking for a woman?
She hadn't heard that Consort Song had disappeared!
Hearing Liu Chutang's question, the two strangely-looking women looked at each other and then quickly spoke up: "It may not be that she is looking for her sweetheart. It may be that the woman took something from Emperor Kangning and committed some crime, which is why Emperor Kangning is so determined to find her."
Liu Chutang's face darkened. "Since that's the case, no matter who this woman is, we have to get involved and find her first."
As for her husband, who also seems to be investigating...
"Don't worry about Wen Yingchen, I'll get the information from him."
Since she couldn't get the information out of him verbally, she found an opportunity to visit his study.
Liu Chutang's eyes flickered, and she had already made up her mind.
She licked her little tiger teeth and asked again, "Have they contacted us over there recently?"
"No, they've vanished into thin air these past few days. Even Huazhang Bookstore, which has always served as a contact point, has been destroyed. It seems something has happened to them."
Upon hearing her subordinate's words, Liu Chutang felt a flash of inspiration and instantly made a guess: "Perhaps, they are the masterminds that Emperor Kangning and Wen Yingchen are looking for."
That supposedly very important woman might be in their hands!
Liu Chutang's eyes lit up slightly, and she immediately looked at the two women in front of her, ordering, "Find their location, I need to find out about them."
After all, they've had a working relationship for many years. It's perfectly reasonable for her, an old friend, to visit and leave with a gift, right?
"Yes, Holy Maiden, we will investigate immediately."
Having received the order, the two women quickly left, leaving Liu Chutang alone inside the house.
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before tapping the table with her fingers. A man in black then descended from the roof beam, waiting for instructions with an expressionless face.
"Nanyi, the daylight is just right. What do you think about us going to eavesdrop on Consort Song's private conversations?"
Changhua Palace
Song Xuean is currently under house arrest.
Although she was under house arrest, her subordinates were not.
So she stayed obediently in Changhua Palace, while she sent everyone else out to find Leyan.
Led by Mu Jin, who was very capable, Lian Qiao, who was good at martial arts but not very bright, just sat there in Changhua Palace in a daze.
After a while, Lianqiao couldn't stay any longer.
She couldn't help but look up at the calm and composed Song Xue'an, and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, aren't you worried?"
"What if something happens to Miss Qian?"
"It's been over ten days, and there's still no news. Those people who took her away wouldn't... ..."
"you shut up."
Before Lian Qiao could finish speaking, Song Xue'an silenced her with a kiss.
"You talk too much, don't you? If you keep spouting nonsense, you'll be relegated to being a cleaning maid."
Seeing Lian Qiao's blatant lies, Song Xue'an couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.
It's been over ten days, and there's still no news. How could she not be worried?
Whether they were her people or the emperor's people, they all gained nothing.
Who exactly is that person with the plum blossom birthmark?!
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached. Song Xue'an gritted her teeth, slammed her hand on the table, and turned to order, "Lian Qiao, bring me pen and ink. I need to write a letter to my father!"
Hidden in the treetops, Liu Chutang, perfectly blending into the tree, stared intently at Song Xue'an below, who was writing furiously. She wondered to herself, who exactly was this Qian Xiaozhu they were talking about?
money?
Could it be the money of Qian Ye, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies whose entire family was wiped out by Emperor Kangning?