Chapter 85: Weak and Soft
The number of palace maids left behind in the Hunting Palace plus those brought by the concubines in the harem is a huge one.
The Emperor of Southern Qi handed the task of tracking down the middle-aged palace maid over to Yao Niang, and issued a gag order, ordering that no news should be made public until the suspect was caught. He then turned around and continued his winter hunt with his ministers.
"Now it depends on Aunt Yao's ability." He now recalled the back of the middle-aged palace maid, but Tang Ying had met her before.
Lord Fu suggested eagerly: "We are so busy that we are confused. If you draw a real face of that middle-aged palace maid, it will be easier for Aunt Yao to do things." Without any evidence, they could neither arrest all the middle-aged palace maids around the Grand Princess, nor expand the scope to detain all the middle-aged palace maids in the Hunting Palace in one place and torture and interrogate them slowly. It would be a bit troublesome.
"Are you sure... that you want me to paint the portrait of that middle-aged palace maid?" Tang Ying gave Master Fu a strange look, secretly wondering what kind of unrealistic fantasy he had about her? !
Master Fu was a man of action. When he heard about this, he immediately searched through the tent to find the brush, ink, paper and inkstone. He even condescended to grind ink for her: "Hurry up and wash your hands and come over to paint."
Tang Ying hesitated, feeling a little reluctant, fearing that she might frighten the knowledgeable Lord Fu. But he urged her again and again, so she had to bite the bullet and go forward, dipping her brush in ink and getting ready. As soon as she put down the brush, she knew that things were going to be bad.
She drew quickly and finished the painting in a cup of tea. She caught a glimpse of Master Fu's indescribable expression and said guiltily, "Hey, you asked me to draw it..."
Master Fu pointed at the face in the painting, whose features were not discernible: "I asked you to draw a portrait, but I didn't ask you to draw a square plate with three date pits."
"Date pit?"
Lord Fu pointed at the eyes and mouth she had painted and said, "Aren't these date pits? Do you think you can serve the noble with this appearance?" She didn't even have regular facial features.
"This is a simple sketch! Do you know what simple sketches are?" Tang Ying always wanted to maintain her remaining dignity, so she casually drew an unshapely bun, which barely made it look like a woman: "Is this not okay?" She couldn't help laughing.
"You you on the line!"
Master Fu took the pen, changed a piece of paper, lowered his head and began to draw. After a while, a portrait of a face that could be posted at the city gate where people came and went was placed on the table. "What do you think?"
What else can I do?
Lord Fu not only drew a frontal portrait of Tang Ying, but also added text annotations next to it. It was completely based on the format of the portraits of wanted criminals at the city gate. The name, age, ancestral home, accent and even the characteristics of the character were all annotated in small characters next to it.
"I must abide by the law in the future. Otherwise, if I commit a crime, I will be caught even if I flee to the ends of the earth." Tang Ying stared at her own portrait expressionlessly. The more she looked at it, the more conceited she became. "You're right. The adults didn't even look at me, but the portrait was painted so vividly. Don't I look like a good person? I would be unworthy of my face if I didn't commit a crime once."
"Nonsense!" Fu Chen couldn't help but tap her forehead with the pen and looked at her deeply: "If I look at you a few more times, will you take me seriously?"
This topic was a bit dangerous, so Tang Ying quickly changed the subject: "It's too difficult for me to draw the appearance of a middle-aged palace maid. I thought about it carefully. She has a low profile and a very ordinary appearance. Moreover, she may have consciously avoided me since she entered the room. She kept her head down most of the time. If I really want to find any characteristics in her, I can't remember anything at all."
Not only does a person have a low sense of presence, but people can't find anything special about her. This is a very strange thing in the palace.
Tang Ying has been in the Shadow Guard for quite some time. All the good Shadow Guards of the Imperial Cavalry Division who collect intelligence have entered various mansions, but there is another type who is like a grain of sand dropped into a desert when thrown into a crowd of people. They specialize in disguise and stalking.
"I'm sure she's unusual." "She's definitely unusual." "She's probably someone close to the Grand Princess. I heard she took away a lot of people during her years in the Forbidden Cavalry Division. Besides, I have no grudges against anyone. The only one I have a grudge against is the Grand Princess. Not only did I force her son into exile, I also killed a lot of people in her house. I'm afraid she hates me to the bone."
Fu Chen sighed secretly, knowing that she was avoiding him, but he was never a person who gave up easily. Even though he knew that the person in front of him had a lot of bad habits and his portrait was as abstract as that of a five-year-old child, he couldn't help but feel that she had fallen into his eyes and couldn't be pulled out of his eyes. What else could he do?
"Even if we know that the Grand Princess sent someone to do it, we can't just rush into her palace to search for people, right? She's not someone you can easily mess with without any evidence."
Tang Ying: "It's a good winter hunting season. I thought we could go out and play for a few days. Even if we can't hunt, we can still take Fu Yingjun for a run in the woods." She turned around and fell on the bed: "Forget it, forget it. I'd better go back to sleep."
Fu Chen couldn't do anything about her: "You should take a good rest. Don't go out for the time being. Wait for news from Aunt Yao."
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Just as Fu Chen said, when Yao Niang took on the case, the first person she thought of was the Grand Princess.
She went to visit the Grand Princess later, but she keenly discovered that the Grand Princess's previously anxious attitude had changed subtly. Not only did she no longer ask her to contact Gan Jun, she even kept silent about the Forbidden Cavalry Division and only talked about the winter hunt. It was as if she had suddenly let go of everything and learned to enjoy life.
Yao Niang couldn't understand her change, but she felt something was wrong. She mentioned Xin Niang as if chatting, but she said, "Xin Niang was a little unwell before we set out, and the hunting palace was cold, so I was afraid that she would be seriously ill, so I didn't bring her with me. If you miss her, you can go to see her in the mansion after you return."
She has been paying special attention to the Grand Princess recently. It was clear that one of her subordinates had seen Xin Niang when she came, but she did not expect the Grand Princess to deny it flatly.
Seeing that Yao Niang was silent, the eldest princess smiled and said, "I heard a piece of news that someone was poisoned. You are not trying to frame Xin Niang, are you?" Her eyes darkened, "Yao Niang, you are an old man who left the princess's mansion. It's fine if you don't give back to your old master, but you actually want to accuse her of a crime. Isn't this good?"
Yao Niang also knew that this was not the time to quarrel, so she immediately smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Master? I just wanted to ask Xin Niang. Many of the pills I prepared before have been used up, so I wanted to ask her to make some more."
The eldest princess snorted coldly: "It's good that you don't have such intentions." She was too lazy to deal with Yao Niang: "Anyway, if you insist on making me restless, then I will be sorry. Speaking of which, the prince of the King of Nanyue is quite good-looking, and he doesn't look much like his biological father."
She actually used Zhao Ji to threaten her? !
Yao Niang felt cold in her heart, her face tense, "Really? I haven't seen it yet." She stood up and said goodbye, "I am like a stone on the street, smelly and hard, while the master is an exquisite jade in the palace, not worth it."
When Yao Niang left Chuihong Palace, the eldest princess' chest rose and fell, and she said angrily: "Is she going to perish with me?"
The master and servant argued, and Yunniang dared not utter a word. She waited until Yaoniang left before she dared to go forward to persuade the Grand Princess: "Master, calm down! His Majesty seems determined to investigate this time. The hunting palace has been strictly checked since last night. Yaoniang and her men are wandering around the palace. Although no one is watching Chuihong Palace specifically, Xinniang may be found if she hides any further. The most urgent thing is to send Xinniang away quickly."
The Grand Princess didn't bring many people with her on this trip, just a few guards outside and a few personal palace maids. After a little thought, she ordered: "Send someone to find the Second Prince and ask him to find a solution. Since he wants to get benefits from me, he can't just rely on his mouth, right?"
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When Yunniang sent a palace maid to pass on the message to the second prince, Huan Yanbo had already lost all his money in the Jixiang Casino in Changzi City.
As soon as he sat at the gambling table, he forgot all his worries. He didn't know whether it was because of the severity of his detention in prison or the company of his new brothers. In the beginning, he won and lost and had a lot of fun. However, as time went by, he lost all the money he had. He urged two maids to go back home to get silver twice. Even though he had lost all the silver he brought from home, he still refused to give up.
Yuqing stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master, let's go back first. We have lost all the banknotes we brought from home. If we continue playing, we will have to sell the house."
Huan Yanbo was a tyrant. He lost so much money that he forgot that he was still in "exile". He grabbed Yuqing's wrist and pressed it on the gambling table: "Bet on this girl! She's good-looking and can do martial arts!"
Are there any good people at the gambling table?
A bunch of men were shouting with excitement, and some even touched Yuqing's hand: "The little girl has delicate skin and tender flesh." As a result, she glared at him fiercely and laughed: "Oh, you have a hot temper, I like you!"
Yu Rou was so anxious that she turned around and around: "Master, you can't do this!"
Huan Yanbo glared at him and said, "If you keep talking, I'll accuse you too!"
Yu Qing was eventually defeated by Huan Yanbo to a big bearded man. The big man pulled her over and was about to grab her waist, but she raised her foot to kick him, but he slapped her in the face, tied her up, gagged her, and carried her away on his shoulder.
Huan Yanbo wanted to use her as collateral for the bet, so Yu Rou ran away. She was still in shock when she rushed out of the gambling house, not knowing where to go.
Lanterns were hung at the gate of the Jixiang Casino. Although it was night, there was still constant noise and bustle inside.
Yu Rou didn't dare to go back alone, so she waited at the door of the gambling house, hoping that Huan Yanbo would get out after losing all his money. Unexpectedly, she waited for a long time but no one came out. Instead, two beggars sitting at the door of the gambling house looked at her pitifully and asked her, "Sister, are you waiting for someone here?"
In the past, Yu Rou would definitely not pay attention to the beggars on the street, but now she was so panicked that she didn't care who spoke. She just wanted to find someone to talk to: "I'm waiting for my master. Why hasn't he come out after losing all his money?"
The little beggar told her about the gambling house like an old man: "Don't be afraid if you don't have money. You can either borrow from the gambling house or write an IOU. It's not easy to get out without going bankrupt. We have seen a lot of begging outside. Many young men went in dressed well, but were stripped naked and beaten when they came out, and they still owed a lot of debts."
With Yuqing's previous experience as a lesson, Yurou, who was still frightened, did not dare to go in and could only wait foolishly.
She waited and waited, but what she saw was Huan Yanbo's body.
In the early hours of the morning, gamblers came out in groups of three or four. She could hear faint sounds of quarreling and shouting from inside, followed by several screams. The gamblers huddled together and rushed out. She stood anxiously at the door, staring at the crowd, hoping to see Huan Yanbo, but after waiting for a long time, all the gamblers had run away and her master had not come out.
She plucked up the courage to go in, only to find Huan Yanbo half crawling on the gambling table, with a big hole on his head, bleeding profusely, his eyes wide open , and a ferocious expression.
"Sir?" Yu Rou trembled as she tried to feel his breath, but couldn't feel any at all.
In the middle of the night, incense was burning in Chuihong Palace, curtains were hanging low, and braziers were placed in the four corners. It was warm as spring. Suddenly, the eldest princess woke up from her dream and shouted, "Yan'er——"
Yunniang, who was keeping watch on the small couch, was awakened and hurriedly put on her clothes and came over: "Master, did you dream about the young master?"
The eldest princess' face was full of tears. She tightly grasped Yunniang's wrist, like a leaf shaking in the wind: "Yunniang, Yunniang, I dreamed that Yan'er came to me with blood all over his face, and said that his head hurt..."
Yunniang tried to comfort her: "The master is thinking about the young master. What you think about during the day will come to you in your dreams at night. Besides, the two girls Yuqing and Yurou are watching over him. The young master is doing well in Changzi. The master does not need to worry."
The eldest princess was horrified: "No, Yan'er didn't come alone, he was accompanied by his husband... It was his husband who brought him here..."
Yunniang felt cold all over and thought that this was a very bad omen, but she didn't dare to say it out loud, so she could only rack her brains to comfort her.
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When the Second Prince received the message from the Grand Princess, his staff member Yu Jingyi was delighted: "I've heard from Your Highness that there are many capable people around the Grand Princess. Why not take this opportunity to recruit them under your command?"
Yuan Lang was very calm: "Mr. Yu, you don't know that this man who dared to poison Tang Yao's daughter is the confidant of the Grand Princess and is devoted to her. Even if I recruit him, he may not be loyal to me. I don't know when he will stab me in the back. It's better to sell him to the Imperial Cavalry Division." He was quite distressed: "But it's a bit troublesome. I have to let the Imperial Cavalry Division know about my good deeds, but I can't tell anyone. I can't let the Grand Princess think that I betrayed her. You have to consider it."
Yu Jingyi thought for a moment and smiled: "I'm afraid Your Highness will be reluctant to part with it."
"What is there for this king to be reluctant about?"
Yu Jingyi: "Didn't the Grand Princess send a beauty from the Imperial Cavalry Division to the master?"
Yuan Lang's eyes lit up: "You mean to let Yao Niang know through her?"
Yu Jingyi stroked his chin with great satisfaction: "Anyway, she was sent by the Grand Princess. Your Highness trusts her, but I didn't expect her to reveal Xin Niang's whereabouts. Your Highness can't be blamed for this, right?"
"Sir, you are indeed very smart!" Yuan Lang finished laughing and then remembered something else: "I wonder how things are going in Changzi?"
"The time is almost right." Yu Jingyi had already planned it out: "When we return to Beijing after the winter hunt, the Grand Princess's Mansion should also hold a funeral." However, the exiled prisoner appeared in Changzi City, and it was unknown whether the Grand Princess would dare to hold a grand funeral.
Yu Jingyi expressed his anticipation.
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During the three days of winter hunting, Tang Ying ran around in the forest on the first day, and spent the other two days lying in Fu Chen's tent. She was very professional in lying there, and except for Master Fu who could dig her up with food, the others shouted outside the tent until their throats were hoarse to ask her to get up and eat, but she could not hear any movement.
Liu Zhong deeply suspected that she had dug a hole in Lord Fu's tent and buried herself. Otherwise, why couldn't she be called out through the tent?
On the evening of the fourth day, good news came from Yao Niang, saying that the palace maid who poisoned the body had been caught, and she was asked to go to His Majesty's Chengming Palace to identify the person.
Fu Chen got the news and accompanied her there personally, and met the Fourth Prince Yuan Jian on the way.
Yuan Jian tasted the sweetness of hunting with Tang Ying on the first day. He was so excited that he stayed up all night. But when he looked for Tang Ying the next day, she had disappeared.
He also went to ask Fu Chen, but Master Fu kept his mouth shut, so he could only go hunting alone with his newly acquired guards. Fortunately, the people around the Emperor of Southern Qi were all really skilled, and they accompanied him hunting and taught him archery. After three days of playing together, although he could not compare with the veterans, the Fourth Prince could also display a pile of prey in the square.
After not seeing him for three days, Tang Ying's face was pale and she walked with a hunched back, as if she had a serious illness. Fu Chen was supporting her, which scared him.
"Second brother, what's wrong with you?" The Fourth Prince called out casually. Since there was no one else around at the moment, he trotted over and tried to hold Tang Ying's hand, only to find it was ice-cold.
Tang Ying quickly broke free - good boy, your palms are hot, if you hold on for a while, won't your palms sweat? Then all her efforts will be in vain, and putting her hands in the snow will have a cooling effect.
Yuan Jian was frightened and tried to help her to the other side: "What happened to you? I've been looking for you for three days, and no one knows where you went."
Tang Ying raised her pale face and said weakly, "Fourth Prince, you almost couldn't see me." Yuan Jian supported her and she moved her weight from Fu Chen to Yuan Jian: "Your Highness, please walk slowly. My intestines hurt."
Yuan Jian stopped immediately, at a loss: "How about I carry you on my back?"
Tang Ying: That’s a good idea!
She used her hands and feet to climb onto Yuan Jian, but a cold wind blew beside her. Lord Fu turned to the Fourth Prince's side, pushed aside the honest prince, leaned over and picked her up.
Tang Ying: "My lord, you can't do that..."
Master Fu had a blank expression on his face: "You are willing to let the Fourth Prince carry you over, why can't you let me carry you over?"
Tang Ying silently complained: Turning your back to me is the duty of brotherhood, so what's the matter with you carrying me like a princess?
She weakly said, "How about...how about Master carry me over there?"
Lord Fu was also a stubborn person: "Since you've already carried him up, why are you still making such a fuss?" It was incredible that he could walk so fast with someone in his arms, as if he couldn't wait to shake off the Fourth Prince who was chasing him, and soon he arrived at the gate of Chengming Palace.
Tang Ying wanted to get down, but unexpectedly Lord Fu said: "Don't you think it will be more convincing if you carry her in?" The poisoning almost cost her half her life. If she walked in with her head held high, it would look very fake. If she was supported in, it meant that the poisoning was not too serious. But if she couldn't even walk... wouldn't that mean she was not far from death?
"Your Excellency is right." She leaned softly into his arms, her voice lowered by eight octaves: "Then I'll trouble you, Your Excellency."
Fu Chen smiled and said, "Don't bother me, as long as you don't forget it."
Tang Ying: So it’s not an obligation to do good deeds?
