After many days, the Lu Family Courtyard in Jiqingfang became lively again.
Mo Yan threw a piece of chestnut cake about the size of his thumb into his mouth and sighed: "I have eaten too much pasta in the southwest, and I have almost forgotten such small things as the Wangdu."
Yun Qi slapped his head away with the handle of the fan like a dog's head, and sat down handsomely on the wicker chair in the corridor. He turned around and looked, "You've been bald for so long, and no new leaves have grown yet?"
Guanyue pondered over the sweet-scented osmanthus tree for a long time, "Your Majesty, I think this tree is somewhat damaged and it will take a year and a half to recover."
Lu Taotao stepped on the branch and laughed: "Little donkey, you are indeed wood, they are all of the same species."
Chun Miao held up a large pot of cold noodles and said, "It has to be our northern custom. Prince, would you like some pepper, green onions and garlic mixed with this bowl?"
Su Ji rolled up his sleeves and fished out the noodles himself. He took two big bites and gave Chunmiao a thumbs up, "Authentic."
Although the southwest also mainly serves noodles, the cooking methods are quite different from those in the north. Once Wang Neng could eat noodles from his hometown, he felt physically and mentally comfortable.
Lu Anran watched in silence for a long time, wondering why these people crowded into her house when they shouldn't have gone back to the Criminal Division first.
The heavy rain turns to drizzle, flying lightly in the sky.
Yun Qi quickly finished a bowl of noodles with the elegance of a young master, pushed away the bowl and chopsticks and said to Lu Anran: "Eat something, don't be stingy."
Lu Anran sighed inwardly, "How is Wu Fang?"
Just now Yun Qi told her that Wu Fang was seriously injured on the way to the southwest. Lu Anran's heart tightened. It was not life-threatening at all, but she was infinitely regretful of her rash actions.
"You thought well at the time, but the capital city is more complicated than you thought." Yun Qi patted the armrest of the wicker chair twice, as if to comfort him: "Since you know that Liu Xiang intervened, you shouldn't put yourself in danger anymore. territory."
Lu Anran opened her lips slightly to say something, but finally closed them again.
Yunqi leaned forward a little on his elbows and raised his eyebrows, "Are you worried about me?"
"It was an accident that I met Lao Mao. I accidentally let him take advantage of me. Shouldn't I find out the truth and give myself an explanation?" Lu Anran asked back.
"Speaking of this old cat..." Yun Qi narrowed his peach blossom eyes, "He took the initiative to surrender to Nangong Zhi after the rebels were suppressed, and even brought a real money model."
Lu Anran frowned: "Qian Mo really is in his hands."
"Absolutely true."
Raindrops floated like hair on Lu Anran's hair, and the crystal white color moistened his eyes, making them blacker and clearer. "Jin Yu'e and Xianglan all died under his tattoos, but the dye was not from him, and he did it for It's understandable that he went deep into the enemy camp to look for Jiang Chao, and he didn't do anything bad at all. The most important point is that he showed up with the money model, so his merits and demerits are balanced."
Yunqi crossed his legs and smiled lazily, "That's right. What do you think of being played with by such a little person?"
At this point, how could Lu Anran not see that the discovery from Qian Mo to Sichuan Paper was all planned by Lao Mao, but she always fell into Lao Mao's trap out of curiosity or as a last resort.
"He is very smart." Lu Anran said.
Yun Qi's eyes moved slightly, and he said meaningfully: "I'm afraid that my cleverness will lead to mistakes."
Lu Anran glanced sideways: "What do you mean?"
Yun Qi rested his head on his arms and half-closed his eyes. After relaxing, his expression showed a hint of fatigue from a long journey, "Because there are too many smart people in the world."
Lu Anran heard some subtleties in these words. He was silent for a while and then said: "Qiongxian Tower actually belongs to the Gu family. Do you think they have anything to do with this matter?"
People nearby were still making noises, and the world suddenly became quiet. Accompanied by the sound of rain, Yun Qi's breathing gradually became even and steady. Just when Lu Anran thought he was asleep, he said: "There is no one in Qiongxian Tower." What else does it have to do with it?"
—
This question also existed in the emperor's mind.
Xiao Conglong is hiding as the owner of Qiongxian Tower. Why can Gu Qinmu trust him? So is the Gu family involved in the counterfeit banknote case again?
"What do you think, Aiqing?" The emperor looked at Liu Xiangzhi with a deep look.
After Liu Xiangzhi thought about it, he cautiously replied: "Nangong Shaofu has captured all the remaining criminals in the southwest. If the Gu family is really involved, it is impossible not to be accused."
The emperor looked at Nangong Zhi again, "Yuan Su thinks so too?"
Nangong Zhi nodded: "The Gu family is a descendant of the Ning Dynasty, and the queen is sitting in the middle palace. She will never do anything that harms others and does not benefit oneself."
"I read in the case file that there was a murder case in Qiongxian Tower, followed by a vicious wounding incident?" After that, Xiao Conglong also escaped and fled back to the southwest.
Nangong Zhi thought for a moment, "Even if it's not a coincidence, it's probably because he was afraid of getting burned, so he left early. This just shows that the Gu family has nothing to do with the counterfeit currency case."
No one would let go of a dead person lightly. When the Gu family secretly investigated and found out there was something wrong, they immediately destroyed the body and wiped out traces to prevent themselves from being implicated. This is normal for many big families.
The bigger the foundation, the less it can afford to make any mistakes, lest the whole family stumble.
Nangong Zhi and Liu Xiangzhi looked at each other. In fact, they both thought that the reviewer's family was being implicated.
The emperor's dark eyes were dark and he didn't speak, and he didn't know whether he believed it or not.
After exiting Linhua Palace, Liu Xiangzhi and Nangong Zhi went the same way.
Liu Xiangzhi asked: "How is your father these days?"
The two of them seemed to have a friendly relationship, and there was no politeness. "I can get up a few times a day, and I ask someone to push him to walk a few steps in the inner courtyard, but he is always reluctant."
Liu Xiangzhi thought of something and shook his head slightly, "It will be difficult for him to be strong for half his life."
When Zisang Jiuxiu rebelled, Liu Xiangzhi and Wu'an Hou Nangong Hong helped him. The latter even saved Zisang Jiuxiu by blocking a knife with his body. Therefore, after the establishment of the Ning Dynasty, Liu Xiangzhi was granted the title of prime minister, while Nangong Hong was granted the title of marquis.
At that time, the prince was still young, so Wu'an Hou sent his son Nangong Zhi to the palace to be the prince's companion. Perhaps because of the grace of saving his life, the emperor had a special regard for Nangong Zhi since he was a child.
When he grew up, Nangong Zhi was not only talented in appearance, but also versatile in both civil and military affairs. Therefore, the emperor favored him, highly valued and trusted him.
Unfortunately, ten years ago, Marquis Wu An suddenly fell ill and half of his body was paralyzed. The palace doctor said that the serious injury may have damaged his foundation and it would break out many years later. He could only be nursed back to health, and it was impossible to recover. .
"Thank you Liu Guang for your concern. Yuan Su will definitely tell his father." The two of them stood at the entrance of the palace, and Nangong stopped and held his hands.
Liu Xiangzhi smiled warmly: "As I grow up, I have more rules. When I was a child, I used to call him uncle all the time. You don't have to accommodate him in everything. If you have any difficulties, just send someone to find me."
The two of them separated, and Nangong Zhi went all the way back to his house. The boy squatted down at the gate and said hurriedly: "The master lost his temper again and smashed up the room."
Nangong Zhi walked to the inner courtyard and almost bumped into Mrs. Wu Anhou at the door of the room.
"Mother." Nangong Zhi stretched out his hand to support her.
Mrs. Wu Anhou took a step back, her face was haggard and it was clear that she had not had a good rest for many days. She rubbed her forehead and said, "You are back. Go and persuade your father."
Nangong Zhi said with concern: "Mother should rest more."
Mrs. Wu Anhou waved her hand: "You go ahead and get busy."
Nangong Zhi watched her leave before stepping into the room.
—
The court has not disclosed all of this case to the public. The common people only know that the capital has been in turmoil these past few days. From time to time, Jingzhao Mansion's Yamen officials sneak out of people from somewhere. The most well-informed people go to inquire about it, and it seems to have something to do with the murder case in Qiongxian Tower.
Until later, a line of people lined up on the long street in front of the vegetable market, and several people were beheaded. There were many rumors, but no one knew the inside story about the counterfeit banknote case.
The court kept silent about this, fearing that it would cause civil unrest if the counterfeit banknote case was leaked.
Everything ended in the southwest, and the emperor could breathe a sigh of relief.
In the blink of an eye, in mid-April, the case was almost solved, and the emperor suddenly summoned Lu Anran to the palace.
This time, the chamberlain led her directly to Linhua Palace. The majestic palace tower stood in the southeast, connected with the sky, and was majestic and solemn.
To her surprise, Liu Xiangzhi stood there at the entrance of the palace, looking elegant and smiling.
Wang Qie gently pushed open the palace door, and Liu Xiangzhi said, "I'll take you in."
Lu Anran felt that Liu Xiangzhi's care for her was inexplicable, but she didn't show it on her face. She thanked him in her mouth, crossed the threshold, and unexpectedly came face to face with the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
It is said that the emperor's true appearance means that even if he does not make any expression, his aura remains unabated, making people intimidating.
Lu Anran knelt down and kowtowed. She could not move until the emperor shouted.
"I heard that you broke into Jingzhao Mansion without authorization and almost interfered with the handling of the case?" The emperor's tone was cold and his emotions could not be heard.
Lu Anran lowered her eyes and was about to speak. From the corner of her eye, she saw Liu Xiangzhi's fingers on her side making a gesture to her. She was stunned for a moment. Liu Xiangzhi had already spoken.
"The Emperor asked you why you were so scared that you didn't dare to reply. You just told me honestly that you didn't know the money model was fake and Wang Degui deceived you."
Although Lu Anran didn't know why Liu Xiangzhi said that, she was not stupid. Liu Xiangzhi obviously excused her, and she had to accept Liu Xiangzhi's love.
Sure enough, the emperor's tone became better after that, "It was you who led people to discover the Sichuan paper outside Yi County. It's a merit but a crime."
Lu Anran put his forehead to the ground and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty for your grace."
"Speaking of which..." The emperor walked down with his hands behind his back, "You have done the autopsies on these murders. Otherwise, the secret of the tattoo would not have been discovered so quickly."
The bright yellow clothes came into view, and the gold thread pattern buried in the fabric could be seen. The splendor and elegance revealed an extraordinary majesty. Lu Anran raised her head and said: "My maid does not dare to take credit, she just did her duty as a widower. "
In the summer afternoon, the light in the palace was bright, but not as bright as her eyes. It was a bit brighter than the sky, extremely clear.
"Well, I will try my best to learn from Lei Weng in the future and don't follow other ways." For some reason, the emperor's tone became cold again.
Lu Anran folded his hands and placed them against his abdomen, looking at his nose and heart, "I will obey the Holy Orders."
The last summons was in vain, and this interview ended quickly. Lu Anran came out of the palace with only one thought in her mind. The emperor was younger and more majestic than she thought.
