As summer was coming to an end, the night chill in the forest grew stronger. Shang Luoshu leaned against a tree trunk, looking at the stack of letters and account books in the bundle, not knowing how to react for a moment.
"Are these all from Miss Xia...?"
"Exactly."
Lu Yinxi nodded as she helped him straighten his clothes in front. She had only found out not long ago that the reason she could leave the city was actually thanks to Xia Lingyin.
"Where is she?"
"She's gone back."
Shang Luoshu had been in a coma for some time and didn't know many outside news. So as soon as he had the chance, he would ask about the surroundings.
"After Miss Xia sent us out, she went back by herself," Fang Qinhu added, sounding a bit gloomy.
After leaving Yangxian, it became increasingly difficult to know what was happening there. He didn't know how she was now.
Lu Yinxi glanced at him and then at the letters in the bundle. She had a vague premonition that Xia Lingyin might not be doing well.
Although she hadn't read the letters carefully, from the act of Lingyin sending them out, she could guess that the contents were probably related to the Assistant - Regent King in the capital.
In other words, if these were taken to the capital, they might become important evidence to bring down Shang Mozheng. Such things, Xia Lingyin could never obtain through proper channels.
Not only did she send the enemies out of the city, but she also stole her father's letters. Even though she was Xia Shouzheng's only daughter, she would probably be punished when she got back.
Seeing the worry on Fang Qinhu's face, Lu Yinxi swallowed back her speculation silently and didn't say it out.
Beside her, Shang Luoshu was still flipping through the letters. His face gradually became solemn. It was not until he noticed Lu Yinxi's inquiring look that he came back to his senses and gave an order.
"Hongmei, immediately send a message to the capital. Tell His Majesty to stay calm and not fall into Shang Mozheng's trap."
Almost all the letters stolen by Xia Lingyin were from Xia Shouzheng and Shang Mozheng, clearly recording this plan.
According to the original agreement, Xia Shouzheng should have burned them all after reading. But in order to leave himself a way out, he didn't.
Xia Shouzheng wanted power and influence, but he also knew that without life, everything was in vain. So these letters became his trump - card for self - preservation.
This was what Xia Lingyin wrote in the letter.
Among so many letters, one was written to Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi. It detailed the origin of the letters and account books, as well as her death.
Although Shang Luoshu reacted quickly, it would take at least two or three days for the carrier pigeon to fly from Yangxian to the capital. At this time, Shang Luoze in the capital had no way out.
The palace gates were blocked, and the court officials couldn't get in at all.
When Shang Luoze learned the news, the Jinyu Guards responsible for the safety of the imperial city had surrounded the commoners kneeling in front of the palace gates, but no one dared to take the lead in making a move.
The lesson from Mei Yuan yesterday had made them a bit hesitant.
Since the Jinyu Guards didn't make a move, the commoners just knelt there. They were neither hysterical nor wildly out of control. They didn't even say a word. But Shang Luoze just knew what was on their minds.
"Decheng, do you think if I tell them now that the elder brother is not trapped at all and everything is Shang Mozheng's conspiracy, will the commoners believe me?"
Decheng immediately knelt at his feet and didn't dare to say a word.
But Shang Luoze already knew his answer.
Meanwhile, a rare guest came to the Jing Prince's Mansion.
Chen Guang was in a complete mess because of the affairs in the capital. He never expected that Mrs. Lu would visit at this time.
"Madam Lu..."
Mrs. Lu stopped his saluting gesture. Her expression was very serious. "Chen Guang, tell me, how is your prince now? And my Xi'er... Is she..."
As a mother, Mrs. Lu knew her daughter well. In fact, she had a hunch that Xi'er wouldn't obediently follow Lu Hu to Longxi. She was probably with Shang Luoshu now.
Hearing the rumors in the capital, she came to the Jing Prince's Mansion to inquire.
Chen Guang's eyebrows twitched, and he immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Madam. Both the prince and Miss Lu are safe."
"Really?"
The joyful tears were almost about to well up in her eyes. Mrs. Lu used all her strength to control herself from losing composure in front of others.
First, her husband was in a coma, and then her future son - in - law was missing. The successive bad news almost crushed her. Now she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, she thought of the rumors about her future son - in - law in the capital and silently made a decision in her heart.
When she returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Mrs. Lu didn't expect to receive another piece of good news.
After several days of treatment by several imperial physicians, Lu Wenhan's condition finally began to stabilize. Without any accident, he would wake up tomorrow.
"Thank you, thank you, gentlemen imperial physicians."
This time, Mrs. Lu really cried.
Since learning that Prime Minister Lu had fallen into a coma for no reason, Shang Luoze had sent the imperial physicians from the palace to the Prime Minister's Mansion in turn. Only then did Mrs. Lu know that her husband's coma was actually due to poisoning.
If it weren't for the excellent medical skills of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau, Lu Wenhan would probably have died long ago.
The next day, as the imperial physicians had said, Prime Minister Lu really woke up. At the same time, an imperial edict was sent from the palace to the Assistant - Regent King's Mansion.
After a night of persistence, Shang Luoze finally chose to compromise and handed over the matter of the Guangling Uprising to Shang Mozheng completely.
This meant that after more than a decade, Shang Mozheng was once again in the open to touch the military power he had always wanted.
Shang Mozheng didn't hesitate and immediately accepted the imperial edict, because this was his real goal. He wasn't a fool and wouldn't naively think that he could get the throne just by using public opinion.
After the eunuch who announced the edict left, he went to the palace gates in person to persuade the commoners to leave. Thus, the event of commoners kneeling in front of the palace gates for a day and a night came to an end.
In the afternoon of that day, the Assistant - Regent King selected soldiers and officers and appointed generals to suppress the rebellions in Yangxian and Guangling. One day later, the army set off!
The speed was really fast. Seeing this, the commoners in the capital praised him again.
The capital, which had been on high alert for many days, finally relaxed a bit. The scholars highly praised the Assistant - Regent King for his benevolence and dedication to the people, and the storytellers listed him as the protagonist of the stories.
At this time, Shang Mozheng's status among the commoners in the capital reached its peak.
Praising the Assistant - Regent King had become a political correctness.
But in such an atmosphere, an unharmonious voice emerged.
"What? The news that His Highness the Jing Prince was trapped in Yangxian is all false?"
"Keep your voice down,"
The middle - aged woman made a gesture to be quiet. After everyone gradually calmed down, she continued, "You all know the relationship between His Highness the Jing Prince and the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion, right?"
Everyone nodded. Although there was no official announcement, the relationship between Lu Yinxi and Shang Luoshu had long been an open secret in the capital.
"That's right. The daughter of Old Wang next door to me works in the Prime Minister Lu's Mansion. I heard that His Highness the Jing Prince sent a letter back from Yangxian a few days ago!"
"If he was really trapped, could the letter reach the capital?"
Seeing everyone nodding, the middle - aged woman continued.
"I should have known this a long time ago. But Prime Minister Lu fell ill a few days ago. Everyone in the Prime Minister's Mansion was busy taking care of him. So Old Wang's daughter just got to go home a few days ago, and I just learned about this from her."
The middle - aged woman's words were very logical and without loopholes. Some people with weak wills began to believe it.
So, what was the meaning of what we did some time ago?