Lu Wanning didn't bother about the princess's visit to the He family. Early in the morning, she happily rushed to the Supreme Court. When she got to the entrance, besides two junior clerks of the court, Zhen Yan was also standing there waiting for her in plain clothes.
"Why are you here?"
Zhen Yan took her arm. "You can't hog all the fun. I want to join you."
The two junior clerks looked rather worried. "But we've received orders that only the princess is allowed. There's... no other arrangement."
Zhen Yan waved her hand. "Don't worry. I won't make things difficult for you. I'll just accompany Lu Wanning. I don't want any money or credit."
The clerks exchanged glances. They wanted to say it was against the rules, but they didn't dare to offend these two important people. After asking the senior officials inside, no one objected.
The official in charge of this case was Deputy Minister Fang. He was a middle - aged man in his forties, with sharp eyes and a very capable look. He had two teams under him. One team seemed rather lazy, while the other was clearly well - trained.
Official Fang had someone brief Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan about the case. Then he said, "According to the pattern of the past three years, these villains usually choose more than one or two victims. They'll kidnap them all before moving on to another place. The victim last week was a resident of a town in the northern suburbs. Maybe because we've strengthened our guard there, there hasn't been a second case for the time being..."
A hasty voice came from the entrance. "Sir, we've just received news that a young girl went missing this morning in Yaofu Town in the northern suburbs."
Official Fang stared wide - eyed. "Where is Yaofu Town?"
The junior clerk replied, "Yaofu is about a hundred miles away from Lianyuan. It's neither too close nor too far."
Official Fang squinted his eyes. After the incident in Lianyuan last week, they had tightened security within a hundred - mile radius. But unexpectedly, the villains had committed a crime just outside this area. The Great Zhou Empire was vast, and they didn't have enough manpower to guard every corner.
The lazy team of yamen runners stood up one by one. "Sir, we'll go there right now."
Official Fang shook his head. "Wait a moment. Let's first figure out what to do next."
Lu Wanning blinked her big eyes and whispered, "Sir, what can we do?"
Official Fang sized up Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan from head to toe, frowning. These two girls looked so delicate. They didn't seem like ordinary villagers at all. Could they be used as baits?
But since he had received orders from above, he had to follow them. So he told the two junior clerks, "Go and call a few old women. Find two sets of plain clothes for them to change into. Make them look more like ordinary village girls."
Lu Wanning was stunned for a moment and asked, "Aren't we here to solve the case?"
Official Fang waved his hand. "You solve the case? What can you do?"
It dawned on Lu Wanning and she jumped up. "So Prince Yu sent me here to be a bait?"
Official Fang looked quite matter - of - fact. "What else? His Highness said you know some martial arts, so he sent you here. Are you going to do it? If not, I'll have to find someone else right away."
"Do it, do it." Lu Wanning pouted, cursing Sheng Jinyu in her heart. This guy was so unreasonable! Asking her to be a bait? Did he think too highly of her? What if something went wrong?
As soon as Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan left, the well - trained team of yamen runners followed them. They stopped only when they reached the door of the room where the two girls were going to change clothes.
A few old women came in with clothes and helped Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan change. They also did their hair again.
Zhen Yan touched her face. "Ning'er, maybe you shouldn't go. You don't look like a village girl at all. You've got such fair and tender skin. You clearly don't do any hard work. I can pretend though. Just look at the calluses on my hands."
The old women laughed. "Miss, you've got so many calluses on your hands. You seem like a martial artist."
Lu Wanning nodded in agreement. "I think you'd better not come with me. This is a very dangerous thing. What if something happens to both of us?"
Zhen Yan immediately said, "Don't underestimate me. Your martial arts skills are not that good, but mine are real. Don't worry. Even if something goes wrong, I can find a way to get you out safely. As for the calluses, it doesn't matter. It's winter, and I can just keep my hands covered."
Since Lu Wanning couldn't persuade her, she didn't bother anymore. She just said to the old women, "Go and get some stove ash. Smear it on our faces to make them darker. Also, deal with our ears and necks. Make all the exposed parts look as rough and ugly as possible."
The old women were very happy to prepare the things since the girls were so cooperative.
When Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan came out again, even Official Fang was startled.
"I was thinking of finding a master of disguise, but I didn't expect you two to manage it yourselves. You really don't look like noble ladies now. You look like ordinary villagers' daughters."
Lu Wanning looked back at the team of yamen runners who had been following them and asked Official Fang, "Are they specially arranged to protect us?"
Official Fang nodded. "Yes. They were sent by His Highness. But don't worry. Once you're out of the Supreme Court, you won't see them. They'll protect you from the shadows. Also, you can't travel with us later. Those villains already know us."
Lu Wanning felt a bit more relaxed. No wonder these people looked so well - trained. They weren't from the Supreme Court but from Sheng Jinyu. They were probably secret guards.
Official Fang saw Lu Wanning to the door. After sizing her up for a long time, he said, "Ah, now I know why His Highness chose you. You walk so boldly. You're not like other delicate noble ladies. It's really not easy for you to give yourself away."
Lu Wanning looked at him speechlessly. She thought to herself: Can't you just shut up if you can't speak properly? What do you mean by "boldly"? I'm clearly a beautiful, lively and lovely young girl!
Riding in a carriage, Lu Wanning and Zhen Yan pretended to be two cousins who were going to Yaofu Town to visit their relatives in the capital with their fathers and brothers.
All the supporting actors had been arranged. They were going to stay in Yaofu that night.
As soon as the carriage left the capital, a guard immediately came to Sheng Jinyu. "Your Highness, Princess Zhaoyang and Miss Zhen have left the city and are on their way to Yaofu."
Sheng Jinyu stood in front of the window and nodded. "I see."
The guard added, "Your Highness, the magistrate of Zhezhou has come to the capital today. Should we make some arrangements?"
Sheng Jinyu was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he turned around and asked, "Hasn't the matter of the northern mine been investigated clearly yet? I'll go and have a look myself today."
The guard scratched his head blankly. "But, Your Highness, this matter has never been under your jurisdiction."
Sheng Jinyu sneered. "Are you saying I can't take care of it?"
The guard shook his head repeatedly. He just thought there were priorities. The matter of the mine wasn't that important, while the magistrate of Zhezhou was more crucial. If His Highness could win over that magistrate, things would be much easier for him.