He hurriedly returned to the estate, forced everyone to leave, and locked himself in his room.
Then, he took out a small bottle from the drawer, poured out a white pill, and swallowed it. Only then did the pain in his chest slowly ease.
After sitting quietly for a while, someone knocked on the door.
"Your Highness."
"What's the matter?"
"I've found out what you asked me to do."
He spoke through the door, "Speak."
After a short pause, the voice came from outside, "Wei Yi was born in Jinjiang and was engaged to Miss Ji. However, his parents died in an accident, so he followed Prince Rong and Miss Ji to the palace. Prince Yi kidnapped him to blackmail Prince Rong, and the person who rescued him was the princess."
"Then, who took him away this time?"
"I'm not sure. He was taken away at night. The city gates were closed at that time, so he couldn't have left the city. The people from Prince Rong's estate also searched the entire capital, and other than the palace, there was only one place that they didn't search."
"Where?"
"An Guangju."
"An Guangju?" He pondered these three words.
Then, he put away the small bottle in his hand and pondered. All these years, the Imperial Duke had been hiding in Guang 'an Temple. This time, he had also entered the capital in a box. Naturally, he had settled down in Guang' an Residence. If … he was the one who kidnapped Wei Yi, why? To blackmail Jing Rong? No! That would be an unnecessary move, since Jing Rong was already locked up in prison.
But, after the annual sacrifice, he could incite the court officials to speak up and punish Jing Rong for a serious crime!
Moreover, it was only a matter of time before he became the heir apparent!
Then … if the Imperial Duke really kidnapped him, what was his purpose?
He muttered to himself.
He became even more vigilant.
Pressing his chest that was gradually calming down, he said through the door, "Go in."
The door was pushed open, and someone came in.
"Your Highness, your orders."
"This Prince has something for you to do …"
…
Rong Estate.
Shi Ziran was even more listless after the incident with Shi Zijin. He sat on the roof, staring blankly at the pitch-black night sky, as if he had lost his soul.
Ji Yunshu and Mo Ruo stood below, looking at Shi Ziran on the roof, their hearts aching.
"You went to see the Virtuous Prince?" "Yes," Mo Ruo nodded, his eyes filled with sadness, "I don't know if he has changed. Or has he always been like this? I told myself not to regret it, but now … I really do regret it. I regret not listening to you. I knew there was a ghost behind the door, but I still opened it.
In the end, I was haunted by evil spirits and couldn't move even an inch. "
She didn't know how to comfort him.
Mo Ruo looked at her and asked, "Jing Rong told you to leave the capital after finding Wei Yi. What do you think?"
"He is in prison now, how can I leave?" "Miss Ji, if we stand on the basis of camaraderie, I certainly hope that you will stay and help him. However, if we stand on the basis of reason, I have the same opinion as Jing Rong. I hope that you will leave. Right now, Jing Xian is determined to get rid of you as soon as possible. Once the annual sacrifice is over, he will certainly incite his henchmen in the imperial court to submit a petition to increase Jing Rong's influence.
At that time, Jing Rong will be besieged on all sides, and you leaving the capital is undoubtedly the best choice. "
Ji Yunshu smiled in response. She said, "If the Virtuous Prince really wants to kill me, I won't be able to escape even if I flee to the ends of the earth. Moreover, the Emperor's decree has not been issued yet, so there is still a chance to turn things around. However, if I ignore him and only care about escaping, we won't even have half a chance.
I said before, no matter what happens in the future, I won't leave him. Living and dying together is not necessarily a bad thing. "
Her words were more resolute than gold!
Mo Ruo sighed, "As expected, Jing Rong didn't love the wrong person."
Of course!
Soon, Lu Jiang hurried over.
"We've searched the entire capital, but we still can't find Young Master Wei. Currently, there is only one place we haven't searched."
"What place?"
"An Guangju." He said, "It's a place specially arranged for the monks who entered the palace this time. It's heavily guarded, so we can't enter."
Ji Yunshu pondered, "An Guangju? Guangan Temple? Pigeons? Correspondence? Scars? Could it be … "
Mo Ruo heard her soft voice and was puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Huh?
Although it was within her expectations, she was still shocked.
Lu Jiang and Mo Ruo didn't understand and waited for her to elaborate.
She narrowed her eyes and said something shocking, "I suspect … the Imperial Duke might still be alive."
… …
The next day, the day before the annual sacrifice.
According to the long-planned itinerary, Qi Zhen Emperor and a group of court officials left the capital and headed for Ji Mountain.
Jing Xian also accompanied them.
The monks of Guangan Temple were rather stubborn and refused to ride in the carriages. They were stuck in the middle of the group with chests of all sizes placed on the carriages.
They traveled for half a day.
At the foot of Ji Mountain.
Ji Mountain was neither too high nor too low. There was only one path up the mountain, and it wasn't wide either. In the end, they had to split up.
They stopped for a while before going up the mountain.
Jing Xian sat in the carriage and drank a mouthful of hot water. He lifted the curtain and looked out. It was snowing lightly outside, but the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. Looking around, the forest and mountains were covered in a vast expanse of white snow. It was a beautiful sight.
He instructed the people outside the carriage, "Be careful."
"Rest assured, Your Highness. Everything has been arranged."
"That's good."
"Chirp!" Suddenly, a flock of grey magpies flew across the sky. They formed a dense flock and quickly flew into the forest. The snow on the tips of the trees rustled and splashed down. It was a beautiful sight.
The corner of his mouth curved into a smile, and his eyes became cold.
He let out a breath of cold air.
Only then did he put down the curtain.
He sat inside with a peace of mind.
The procession went up the mountain. They arrived at the Ji Mountain Mausoleum in the afternoon and settled down in the hall.
Qi Zhen Emperor went to the Hall of Sacrifice and chanted sutras with the monks.
The place was peaceful, but there was a sudden gust of wind in the capital.
Just as the Emperor left the capital with the court officials, Ji Yunshu and Lu Jiang secretly went to the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Inside the prison cell, Jing Rong looked up at the small window. The faint white light shone in and fell on his face. It was so cold.
So cold that it reached his heart.
Was Jing Yi like this before he died?
"Clatter, clatter ~"
Footsteps!
Hearing the sound, he saw Ji Yunshu and the others come in.
He immediately frowned. Separated by the sturdy wooden bars of the cell, he said, "Didn't I tell you to leave the capital as soon as you find Wei Yi?"
Ji Yunshu said, "He will be fine."
Her voice was soft but resolute.
Jing Rong was puzzled. "What happened?"
Ji Yunshu said, "Do you remember the monk I saw at Guang 'an Temple?"
"I remember!" She explained, "The scar on the monk's face was a burn scar from more than ten years ago. There was also the pigeon I saw outside the Hall of the Sage King. It was the same pigeon that the monk was carrying. During this year's sacrifice, the monks from Guang 'an Temple came to the capital. Coincidentally, Wei Yi was suddenly taken away.
Zhao Huai and Wen Xian, who had always been loyal to the Little Heir, never showed up. Wasn't this too strange? Unless … they were the ones who took Wei Yi away. Moreover, Uncle Lu and his men searched the entire capital but couldn't find Wei Yi. However, there was one place they didn't search – the heavily guarded Guang 'an Residence. The monks from Guang' an Temple lived there. Think about it, why would Wen Xian and Zhao Huai bring Wei Yi there? Why would the Sage King keep in contact with that monk all these years?
Why would he keep in contact with that monk? The only answer I could come up with was that the monk was the Imperial Duke! All these years, he has been in contact with the Sage King. This time, he must have arranged for Jing Xian to open the coffin. He wants you dead. "
Although Jing Rong was surprised, it was within his expectations.
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