Lanterns Delivered to the Capital
The next morning.
Ji Yunshu left Bamboo Creek Garden. She originally planned to go to Yuhua Pavilion, but halfway there, she suddenly changed direction and went to Prince Rong's estate.
When she entered, the servants told her that Jing Rong was in the rear courtyard.
'Hey hey hey, who said I'm looking for him?'
Unfortunately …
In the end, he still went to the backyard like a coward.
When she arrived at the rear courtyard, she saw Jing Rong standing in the corridor, fiddling with a lantern hanging in front of him.
He looked like he was idle!
Just as Ji Yunshu was about to go over, she saw Lu Jiang walking over. She simply stopped in her tracks.
Lu Jiang reported to Jing Rong, "Your Highness, the gifts have been prepared. They will be delivered to the imperial palace the day after tomorrow."
"Did they break anything?"
"His Majesty's gifts are very careful."
"That's good. Make sure you don't break them when you move them. If Imperial Father blames you, it won't be a light punishment."
Lu Jiang nodded. "This subordinate understands."
Ji Yunshu was puzzled. What kind of gift was it that needed to be moved around? How big was it?
He said he wanted to be high profile, but there was no need to be so high profile, right?
At this moment, Lu Jiang spoke again.
"Your Highness, Old General Li has been staying in the estate for the past few days. He hasn't gone out or seen anyone. There's nothing out of the ordinary."
Old General Li?
Ji Yunshu's ears perked up. She hid to the side, wanting to continue listening.
She saw Jing Rong take down a lantern hanging in the corridor. He turned it left and right to examine it. He said indifferently, "And then?"
Lu Jiang continued, "Although Old General Li didn't find anything, his son, Li Gang …"
"Go on."
"During this time, Li Gang has been to Fangshui many times. He has been in contact with the owner of a lantern shop, surnamed Zhang. The lanterns for His Majesty's birthday banquet were delivered to the capital yesterday. Coincidentally, these lanterns came from Fangshui. Even more coincidentally, they all came from Zhang's shop."
Jing Rong's frown deepened.
The lantern in his hand was pinched between his fingertips. He poked a hole in the paper paste.
Then, he gently placed it aside.
He clasped his hands behind his back and began to analyze, "If this Li Gang is really helping his father in secret, and this matter is related to father's birthday, then …"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lu Jiang asked, "What did Your Highness think of?"
"Li Gang didn't go to Fangshui City earlier or later, but he chose to go at this time. It's such a coincidence that it has something to do with the lanterns that were sent to the palace. If I'm not mistaken, there must be something wrong with those lanterns." Then, he turned to Lu Jiang and asked, "Who is in charge of the internal affairs of the palace for father's birthday?"
"Zhang Bo!"
Jing Rong had met Zhang Bo before. He could be considered a good person. He was a fourth-ranked official of the Dispatch Bureau and was not old-fashioned. In his early years, he was a fierce general who killed enemies on the battlefield. Later on, he was transferred back to the capital and was responsible for the safety of the imperial palace.
Jing Rong pondered for a moment before muttering, "Imperial Father's birthday is the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, the lanterns will be arranged. It seems that I have to visit Zhang Bo today."
Lu Jiang remained silent!
After a while.
Jing Rong waved his hand. "You go first."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
He complied and left.
Shortly after Lu Jiang left, Jing Rong looked at the cold air in front of him and called out, "Come out."
Ji Yunshu, who was hiding at the side, trembled. She lifted her feet and slowly walked out.
Jing Rong turned to look at her. The corners of his mouth curved into a gentle smile, but there was a hint of inquiry in it.
He asked her, "Did you hear it?"
She nodded.
"This matter has nothing to do with you," he said bluntly.
Ji Yunshu was silent.
She walked to Jing Rong's side and looked at him with her inky eyes. She asked in a serious tone, "Do you really think that Old General Li's purpose is related to His Majesty's birthday?"
"I don't know, but it's possible."
"Actually …" Ji Yunshu wanted to say something but hesitated. She organized her words and said, "Yesterday, when Zijin came back, she saw several carriages going to the capital. There was a smell of sulfur on them. At that time, I thought it was firecrackers. But now, I think it might not be."
Her expression turned solemn.
Jing Rong asked in a serious tone, "What do you mean? Those carriages might be the lanterns from Fangshui City? "
"That's right!"
"And on those lanterns, there was sulfur. In other words … gunpowder!" Jing Rong concluded. Even he himself was surprised.
Ji Yunshu hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's just a guess."
Even if it was just a guess, Jing Rong believed her.
This woman's sensitivity was obviously several levels higher than that of ordinary people.
Especially her nose!
He said, "I'll go look for Zhang Bo later. If there's really something wrong with those lanterns, then I'll make a plan."
"What plan?"
Jing Rong's expression darkened. "That depends on Old General Li's attitude."
His words were vague, so Ji Yunshu didn't understand.
Just as she was about to say something, Jing Rong interrupted her. "I'll handle this matter. You don't need to get involved."
It wasn't a discussion. It was an order.
Ji Yunshu obediently nodded.
But a moment later, Jing Rong looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You said that Zijin went to the city gate. What was she doing there?"
Jing Rong's questions always focused on things that others didn't care about.
Ji Yunshu couldn't tell him that she ordered Shi Zijin to chase after Su Ziluo.
She only casually said, "I just asked her to go to the city gate and buy me a roasted sweet potato."
"Roasted sweet potato?" Jing Rong was shocked.
"Yes. Granny Yu's roasted sweet potato at the city gate is very delicious."
"I didn't expect you to have this kind of hobby."
Ji Yunshu didn't reply.
Jing Rong's serious expression quickly disappeared. He revealed a flirtatious smile that resembled peach blossoms in March.
He looked at her tenderly and asked with a smile, "Then why did you come at this time? Did you miss me? "
Ji Yunshu rolled her eyes at him. "I came to pick up something."
"What thing?!"
"Paint!" She blurted out.
But Jing Rong didn't believe her. "You could have asked Lang Po to pick it up. Why did you come personally?"
'Hey hey hey, are you done yet?'
Ji Yunshu couldn't be bothered with him anymore. She turned around and walked towards the direction of the East Courtyard without looking back.
"You should hurry and find Zhang Bo before the lanterns are set up. If there really is a problem, you still have time to solve it."
Jing Rong's cold eyes were filled with affection as he looked at the slender figure standing upright.
'How nice!
If I can quarrel with her like this for the rest of my life, how nice! '
Not long after …
Jing Rong went to the Dispatch Bureau and found Zhang Bo.
"Prince Rong, why are you here?" Zhang Bo asked.
Jing Rong didn't like to beat around the bush and directly asked, "This Prince heard that the lanterns from Fangshui have arrived. Is that true?"
"Yes, they arrived yesterday."
"Can you let me take a look?"
Zhang Bo was puzzled. "Why does Your Highness want to see the lanterns?"
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