As soon as the words “get it back” were uttered, the crowd was roused. With indignant expressions on their faces, they all pounded on the tables and stood up, offering Yun Xi suggestions in a hubbub.
Yun Xi was deeply stirred. No wonder Master Qingyi had chased after that mysterious group relentlessly. It turned out that there was such an important thing in the hands of the Ying State!
“Fine!”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Yun Xi pounded on the table and stood up.
“I'll figure something out.”
But no sooner had the words left her mouth than her enthusiasm waned.
It would surely not be enough to just retrieve a bag of seeds. The best thing would be to find a way to bring back the former Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Not to mention that a person of such importance would surely be guarded closely by the Ying State. As for herself, she was in a precarious situation, barely able to take care of herself. How could she even think about rescuing someone?
Among those present, only Liu Jingyue knew about Yun Xi's situation.
Seeing Yun Xi's sudden drop in mood, she understood immediately.
Feeling heartache for her daughter who had to shoulder so many troubles at such a young age, Liu Jingyue quickly stood up and forced a smile. She said some diplomatic words to smooth things over for Yun Xi, hinting to the others not to pin too much hope on her.
Just then, Yi Yuan arrived from outside.
After a simple greeting, Yi Yuan's first words to Yun Xi were:
“Hun Yuan is going to officially hold a ceremony to take Lian Yi as his disciple.”
“Ah? So suddenly?”
Yun Xi was stunned.
“At this time?”
Yi Yuan nodded.
As their eyes met, both saw suspicion in each other's eyes.
It was not convenient to talk about the following things here. Yun Xi and Yi Yuan bid farewell to the people in the hall, harnessed the carriage and headed towards the palace.
But they were both stopped at the palace gate.
Yi Yuan frowned, his voice as cold as ice:
“Get out of the way.”
The guards at the palace gate looked embarrassed:
“Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for us. It's really His Majesty's order to temporarily seal off the palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave at will.”
“Why seal off the palace during the day for no reason?”
Yi Yuan's gaze was as sharp as a knife, making the two guards feel uncomfortable all over.
“I think you're itching for a beating. Lin An Mian Xiao, give them...”
“Your Highness, spare our lives!”
The two guards' faces almost wrinkled into bitter gourds. They both knelt on one knee. One of them, seeing that Yi Yuan seemed determined not to leave until he was allowed in, gritted his teeth and stepped forward to whisper:
“Your Highness, to be honest, His Majesty sealed off the palace temporarily because there are ghosts in the palace!”
Yun Xi, who was following behind Yi Yuan, trembled her long eyelashes: Could it be...
After the guard said this, it was as if a gap had been torn open in his heart. He simply told Yi Yuan everything in detail.
“There was a similar incident not long ago. It was also something that happened in the Jianjia Palace.
“At that time, Immortal Maiden Manping was also in the palace. She was even framed and said to have been seen entering the Jianjia Palace. In a fit of anger, Master Hun Yuan took the initiative to take responsibility and investigate the matter. He found that someone was causing trouble secretly, trying to disrupt the peace in the palace.”
Yi Yuan's long eyebrows twitched. He turned back to look at Yun Xi, who had retreated behind him at some point.
Yun Xi had never told him about this.
As Yi Yuan was thinking, the guard on the other side was not done yet. He continued mysteriously:
“What's strange is that all the people who were causing trouble, as found out by Master Hun Yuan, died. Their corpses were gone. It was really tragic.
“The people in the palace all said that it was because they had disturbed the late Concubine Qing that they were punished by her. Since then, no one dared to cause any more trouble. Even when passing by the Jianjia Palace, they had to avoid it.
“But just when everyone thought things had calmed down, this morning, no one knows why, but a figure appeared in the Jianjia Palace again. His Majesty was furious and ordered Master Hun Yuan to investigate again. To prevent anyone from entering or leaving the palace under the guise of something, the palace was sealed off for the convenience of the investigation. So, Your Highness, I really can't let you in now.”
“Jianjia Palace...”
Yi Yuan murmured softly. He didn't force his way into the palace anymore. He turned to look at Yun Xi behind him, his eyes showing an unclear expression:
“Xiao Xi, explain.”
He knew his people well. There was no such thing as being framed. Yun Xi must have sneaked in.
Not only her, but Hun Yuan probably couldn't escape either.
The two of them had been acting secretly before, seemingly hiding something from him. He didn't ask because he trusted them both so much that he was sure they would never harm him.
But what exactly were they investigating that they had even reached into the palace of the late emperor's concubine! Yi Yuan really couldn't act as if he didn't know anymore. Moreover, he always felt that the matter they were investigating was more or less related to him.
Yun Xi gave the talkative guard a resentful look.
She had worked so hard to keep it a secret for so long, but who would have thought that today this guard would reveal everything.
It seemed that she couldn't hide it from Yi Yuan anymore.
Yun Xi's mind was spinning wildly, and she was still stalling for time with her words:
“Um... Let's talk about it when we get back. It's not very convenient here.”
Saying that, she turned around and walked towards the carriage first.
However, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a mysterious figure in a concealed corner not far away.
Yun Xi was stunned.
The figure silently pointed in a direction, signaling Yun Xi to go there.
Not long after, they met in a secluded and deserted alley.
“Auntie.”
Yun Xi whispered and greeted Lan Chu, then quickly stepped forward.
Previously, she had taken Hun Yuan back to the underground passage from the cold palace, avoiding people. But when they reached the basement where she had seen the portrait, there was nothing inside. The portrait was gone, and Lan Chu was nowhere to be seen.
Yun Xi thought that Lan Chu didn't want to be bothered anymore and that she might never see her again. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
But she never expected to see her suddenly today.
Moreover, judging from the situation, Lan Chu must have come specifically to find her.
“Why are you here, Auntie?”
Yun Xi asked with a smile:
“Is there something?”
Lan Chu was wearing a brown dress, and her face was tightly wrapped with a long cloth, only showing a pair of dark eyes.
However, her eyes were fixed on Yi Yuan, who was standing behind Yun Xi with a cold expression.
Her gaze was filled with an indescribable look.
The look in her eyes was really strange. Yi Yuan felt a little puzzled. He sized Lan Chu up from head to toe without showing it, but he couldn't figure out anything.
He just felt a strange sense of familiarity.
But according to Yun Xi's brief introduction just now, if this was really Aunt Lan Chu who had served beside Concubine Qing, it was normal for him to feel familiar.
After all, he had seen her many times when he was a child. It was just that she was wearing a veil today, and he didn't recognize her at first.
As Yi Yuan was thinking, Lan Chu on the other side had already spoken:
“You're in trouble.”
Her voice was as hoarse and rough as ever.
“Don't get close to that national teacher. Neither of you should get close.”
Both Yun Xi and Yi Yuan were stunned.
How... was this also related to Yi Yuan?
Unable to hold back, Yun Xi took a few more steps forward and asked anxiously.
“Do you know something, Auntie?”
Lan Chu glanced at her and then fixed her eyes on Yi Yuan again. But she didn't answer Yun Xi's question. She simply told her about Yi Zhen's plan and warned the two of them again to stay away from the national teacher. Then she turned around and left, disappearing into the alley in a short while.
Yun Xi was completely confused. Before she could figure it out, Yi Yuan beside her had already retracted his gaze from looking at Lan Chu and turned it to her:
“Xiao Xi, what on earth have you and Hun Yuan found out?”
Yun Xi's eyelids twitched. She was about to make up a story when Yi Yuan easily saw through her thoughts and interrupted her first:
“Don't lie to me.”
“If you're not willing to tell the truth, then I'll investigate on my own.”