45 Crisis (1/2)
Shangguan Yong had never seen an imperial edict in his life, but he was not interested either. He only told the Marquis of Le An that he was going back to report to Zhou Yi.
At this time, Marquis Le An didn't want any outsiders to stay at the Xin King Manor. He didn't think twice before ordering Shangguan Yong and his men to leave.
Shangguan Yong led the soldiers and horses of the vanguard camp out of the Residence of Duke Xin, afraid that Marquis Le'an would suspect him. Shangguan Yong didn't dare to ask what Marquis Le'an wanted to do with the corpses of the Duke of Qin, the royal concubines, and the princesses.
”Find it.” After Shangguan Yong left, Marquis Le An ordered his men: ”Pay attention to the secret chamber and secret compartment in this mansion. Not a single piece of paper can be left behind!”
The scene that followed that played out at the Residence of Duke Xin was like a search for his family.
When Shangguan Yong returned to the camp, he saw Qing Nan standing in front of the main entrance, stamping her feet.
”Big Bro.” When Qing Nan saw Shangguan Yong, he hurriedly walked up and held the reins for him.
”How is it?” Shangguan Yong asked.
”It's nothing,” Qing Nan said. ”I just came back to report to the Great General.”
Shangguan Yong dismounted and said softly to Qing Nan: ”If you have something to say, say it after I've seen the general.”
Qing Nan nodded her head. Marquis Le'an's men were still standing at the Yuan Gate.
When Shangguan Yong stepped into the tent and saw Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi opened his mouth and asked, ”Where is Xin Wang?”
Shangguan Yong said: ”Prince Xin committed suicide. The people from his Mansion were all executed by Marquis Le An.”
Zhou Yi stared at Shangguan Yong and said, ”Did the King Xin say anything to you?”
Shangguan Yong really wanted to hand over the register to Zhou Yi, but could Zhou Yi believe it? What if General Zhou was also the person of the empress and the crown prince?
Shangguan Yong shook his head and said: ”The Duke of Xin only spoke to the Marquis of Le An alone. At that time, I was searchingthe Mansion of the Duke of Xin.”
”That's good then,” Zhou Yi said with a sigh. ”I'll write down the war in Xiang An city. You can return to the capital and also take a look at your family.”
”I will obey.” Shangguan Yong wished he could fly back to the capital immediately.
After Shangguan Yong left the tent, he went back to the tent with Qing Nan. The two of them acted like thieves and only gathered together to discuss things after confirming that there was no one around.
”I gave the child to a brothel girl in the city,” Qing Nan said, following up with Shangguan Yong.
Shangguan Yong immediately glared at her, ”A brothel girl?”
Qing Nan said, ”At this time, how would I know which family in the city can help me raise a baby? This brothel girl is already old and doesn't have much business to do. I'll take the money and buy her off.
”Is this woman reliable?”
”I said that she is my illegitimate child, in the army, only people who want to kill their children are allowed to have them, so I asked her to help me raise them first, and when I have the time, I will go pick them up later and arrange everything for her for the rest of her life,” Qing Nan said, ”Don't worry, Big Brother, my instinct with people are quite accurate, that brothel girl doesn't look like someone who isn't honest. Besides, even if Duke Le An found out that the Mansion of the Duke Xin Palace was missing a child, who would have thought that they'd go to the Flower Street to search? I did it for the good of the baby. ”
He was also a child of the Imperial Bai Clan, and was about to be raised by a brothel girl. Shangguan Yong thought that this was not a good thing, but Qing Nan was right, the brothel girl's child didn't need to be registered, it was the safest way to hide a child on the street.
”I'll think of a way to get the baby out after Marquis Le An's group has left,” Qing Nan said. ”Big brother, do you want to raise him? Would Sister-in-law agree? Just say we picked them up on the road? ”
”We'll talk about it later,” Shangguan Yong said, hiding a life-threatening register in his bosom. Perhaps if the little kid didn't need his support, and if the grievances of the Messenger King could be reversed, then the little kid would still be a descendant of the Royal family.
”Big brother …”
”You don't need to ask about this,” Shangguan Yong waved his hand at Qing Nan. ”I'll go back to the capital to send a letter. After Marquis Le An left, remember to arrange that child well.”
”Sure,” Qing Nan agreed straightforwardly.
In this study, Zhou Yi wrote to Emperor Shizong that the king of the letter seemed to be deliberately seeking his death. According to Zhou Yi, the war in Fengzhou did not seem like a war of atavism, and he hoped that Shi Zong would look into the matter of the rebellion.
That evening, when Marquis Le'an had brought his men to search through the Residence of Duke Xin's quarters for 'evidence', Shangguan Yong had already left for the capital with Zhou Yi's secret letter.
The Marquis of Le An had no results in his search, so he was furious and ordered for the bodies of the Xin Wang couple and the crown prince to be carried to the busy city of Xiang An, where they were turned into corpses. Thinking of how he had failed to fulfill the empress's orders this time, Marquis Le An wrote a letter to Lady Xiang at the suggestion of his aides.
He only said that the messenger king had met the Grand Preceptor's second son-in-law before dying, Shangguan Yong, and they had a private conversation, the contents of which were unknown. This letter was sent to the capital by the Xiang clan's servants.
As for the capital, An Jin had no way of knowing that Shangguan Yong was now on his way from Xiang An city to the capital.