The news of Xue Rui's disappearance in Fenghua Fu first spread to the Judicial Office and then to the ears of some people. Some people were worried and some people rejoiced in other people's misfortune. In just a short span of two to three days, it had attracted a lot of speculation. Thinking of the Imperial Court's wanted criminal on the Imperial Bulletin, it directly pushed the Xue family to the heart of the struggle.
The fastest rumor that spread privately was that the Xue family had committed a major crime and knew that things were bad, so they let Xue Rui escape first to protect this branch of the family.
When Yu Shu heard these rumors, she thought that it was someone who was creating trouble. Who didn't want the Xue family to have an easy time and wanted to fish in troubled waters? It was obvious that Ning Wang would not let go of this good opportunity to hit them when they were down.
That afternoon, when Yu Shu was resting at Kun Ling Ju, someone came to visit and handed over an invitation. It was Prince Jing, Liu Tan, inviting her to meet at Wang Ji Lou tonight.
Yu Shu agreed. When she finished her work that day, she returned to the fu to change her clothes and hurried to Wang Ji Lou.
When she arrived there, Liu Tan was not the only one who was waiting for her. Liu Jiong, Feng Zhaomiao, Qi Mingxiu, Rui Lin, these few young masters who usually addressed Xue Rui as brothers were all here. As soon as she entered the door, they all stood up in unison.
A room full of men, staring at a young girl like a tiger watching its prey. It was fortunate that Yu Shu wasn't an ordinary young girl, otherwise she would have been scared out of her wits.
"Lianfang, do you know where Rui ge has gone?" Feng Zhaomiao was the most anxious and asked before Liu Tan could open his mouth.
Yu Shu looked around at the people and saw that they all had worried expressions. She muttered to herself before saying, "About seven days ago, the Imperial Bulletin was posted in Jing. I knew that a steward of the Xue family was captured and sent to the Judicial Office so I went to the yamen to find him. When I got there, I heard that my eldest brother had gone to Fenghua Fu to handle a case. In the end, early this morning, I heard the news that he had gone missing. "
Feng Zhaomiao gave an "Ah" in disappointment, "So you don't know either."
He believed Yu Shu's words, but some people didn't.
"Miss Lotus Room, since you know something happened to the Xue family. You must know how serious the situation is. We are not outsiders. We are all here to help. I hope you can tell us the truth. Do you really not know where Brother Rui is? "
The person who questioned him was the heir of the Zhong Yong Count, Rui Lin. It seemed that they were worried for Xue Rui, but Yu Shu could tell that they did not believe that Xue Rui would disappear for no reason. They probably thought that he had escaped.
Yu Shu was not convinced by his words. She shook her head and said, "I really don't know. It's not that I don't want to tell you."
As she spoke, she looked at Liu Tan. In this room, his status was the most important. His words had the most weight. Before she came, she thought that Liu Tan was looking for her to inquire about the disappearance of Xue Rui. But when she saw the people he brought, she felt that it was not the case.
Liu Tan met Yu Shu's eyes and paused for a moment. Then he asked, "Did you meet cousin before he left the capital?"
"He left in a hurry and didn't say goodbye to me."
Hearing her words, everyone frowned at the same time. Feng Zhaomiao couldn't calm down and muttered anxiously, "What should we do now? I don't know where Brother Rui is. The rumors outside seem to be true. It's hard to explain. As long as he doesn't come back, the rumors will become more and more intense. Sooner or later, it will reach the ears of the emperor. "
Yu Shu heard every word. She only felt that in this room of people, there was only one person who was really worried about Xue Rui. The only person who was really worried about Xue Rui and didn't consider her own safety was Feng Zhaomiao.
One couldn't blame her for having a vile heart. The Xue family was Liu Tan's maternal family. Once the building was in danger, Liu Tan's first worry was his own future. Liu Jiong was the heir of Xiang Wangfu. His mother, Xiang Wangfei, was the same as Noble Consort Xue. She was Xue Rui's biological aunt. If something happened to the Xue family, they would be affected more or less.
Ruilin and Qi Mingxiu were left. One was from the Empress's maternal family, and the other was from an unrelated Grand Secretary's mansion. They were probably here to inquire about the news.
Yu Shu had always been very vigilant. She refused to let them get information from her. Instead, she asked Liu Tan, "The Xue family was taken to the Supreme Court for many days. Did Wangye find out why?"
Liu Tan sighed, "I sent someone to the Supreme Court on the day of the incident. But the news was too tight. I only heard that the criminal was taken away the next day. Imperial Father ordered a private trial and no one was allowed to interfere."
Yu Shu was very clear in her heart, but she pretended to be ignorant, "I heard a rumor that the criminal taken away from the Xue family was involved in a case of rebellion."
Liu Jiong, Feng Zhaomiao, and the others' faces changed. They heard Liu Tan snorted coldly, "What case of rebellion? It's just someone spreading rumors. The Xue family has been loyal for generations. Why would they seek death for no reason?"
Yu Shu saw that he was angry and said awkwardly, "It's my slip of the tongue. Please forgive me, Wangye."
Liu Tan didn't want to vent his anger on her. Seeing that she couldn't help, he politely asked her to leave.
After Yu Shu left, Feng Zhaomiao and the others immediately gathered around and discussed with Liu Tan what to do next. No matter what they thought in their hearts, they were Xue Rui's good brothers on the surface. How could they just stand by and watch?
.....
Yu Shu came down from the second floor. As soon as she reached the corridor, Shopkeeper Lin, who was standing under the Chuihua Gate in the backyard, ran up to her.
"Miss."
Yu Shu looked up at the upstairs and retreated to the staircase to talk with him.
"This lowly one just heard that young master disappeared. What should we do? This lowly one's knowledge is limited. Can you give me some ideas?"
Lin Fu and the servants of Wang Ji Lou were Xue Rui's subordinates. They didn't have much relationship with the Xue family. So, in their eyes, the big disaster of a wanted criminal in the Xue family was not as scary as the disappearance of Xue Rui.
"What are you panicking about? Big brother disappeared. Someone will go and find him. Even if you panic, you can't help. Don't worry. I have already divined his safety. No one will harm him."
Yu Shu patted his shoulder and said in a relaxed tone, "Tell everyone to do what you should do. If something happens, I will be there."
"Aye, yes," Lin Fu agreed. Although he was nervous, his trust in Yu Shu gave him a backbone again.
"Are you going back now? This lowly one asked the kitchen to pack some fresh food for you to take away. Please wait. "
Lin Fu's body was fat, but his footsteps were like the wind. He ran into the kitchen and came out with a three-tiered lunchbox. It was only a short while, but in that short while, someone chased after him from upstairs.
"Miss Yu." Second Young Master Qi had a refined and refined appearance and was gentle and polite.
Yu Shu couldn't think of what he wanted to say to her in private.
"Is there anything else?"
Qi Mingxiu was embarrassed for a moment. He lowered his head and asked softly, "Have you seen Miss Situ recently?"
Yu Shu was a little slow to realize that the Miss Situ he mentioned was Situ Qinglan. She vaguely remembered that Qi Mingxiu and Situ Qinglan met at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet a few months ago.
"I saw her at Taishi Shuyuan a few days ago." She observed Qi Mingxiu's expression and more or less guessed something.
"Is she all right?"
Yu Shu didn't know how to answer. She shook her head and asked, "If Young Master Qi has something to say, why don't you go to Taishi Shuyuan and ask her yourself?"
It was better to openly interact like this than to sneak around and ask around.
Qi Mingxiu's eyes darkened, and a bitter smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. If he could see Situ Qinglan, why would he bother to ask Yu Shu? Every time he found a chance to go to Taishi Shuyuan to look for her, she would intentionally or unintentionally avoid him, so he couldn't figure out her thoughts and whether she was the same as him.
Yu Shu saw that he was silent, and she understood that she shouldn't ask about it. She turned around and saw Lin Fu coming out with a three-layer high food box. She hurriedly said goodbye to him,
"I'll go first. See you another day."
Qi Mingxiu didn't stop her. After she left, he stood alone at the stairs for a while, and then went upstairs.
Lin Fu sent Yu Shu to the side of the sedan. Before she left, she didn't forget to tell him, "Take good care of the masters behind. Provide them with good food and drinks. If anything happens, send someone to Baochang Street to find me."
It was not difficult to guess what Liu Tan was planning. It was nothing more than taking the opportunity of Xue Rui's accident to win over the people around Xue Rui.
Liu Tan didn't think that the Xue family would be involved in the rebellion, and he didn't know that a disaster was coming. So he didn't forget to make his own calculations at this critical moment.
It was not the first time that she noticed that Liu Tan had a tendency to be heartless. But this time, she was bitterly disappointed.
For example, when she found out that Xue Rui had gone missing, her first reaction was that she was afraid that he had been killed. However, what Liu Tan was worried about was obviously the negative effects brought about by Xue Rui's disappearance.
Yu Shu didn't comment on what was wrong with Liu Tan's attitude. But, she hesitated when she thought that she had to help such a person fight for the throne and help him ascend to the throne.
PS:
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
