The Prime Minister's Darling

Chapter 448: 227 Punishment (Second Update)

There was a reason that the Emperor and the Duke of Xuanping had left the palace incognito, so it was not surprising that they would meet the old duke. The three of them had initially agreed to a secret location for their clandestine operation.

They had only ended up meeting earlier than planned.

The trio made their way to a … opera house nearby.

Yes, it was an opera house.

Everyone knew that the Duke of Xuanping was a romantic and a hedonist, a lover of beautiful women and great opera. He often frequented this place, yet no one knew that this property was owned by him.

Once they entered the private room, the young servant closed the door behind them.

The Emperor was with a head injury, feeling extremely uncomfortable. After he had taken his seat, he said impatiently, “Make it brief! What is the situation?”

The old duke dared not delay. He bowed respectfully and said, “Your Majesty, ever since word got out regarding my return to the Capital City, my movements have been followed.”

“By the people from the estate?” the Emperor asked.

The Duke of Xuanping grabbed a handful of melon seeds.

The Emperor glared at him.

“Ah.” The Duke of Xuanping sighed as he reluctantly put the melon seeds back. The Emperor’s temper was truly dreadful.

The old duke nodded, “Yes, today when I went to the temple, Prince An quietly followed me.”

The Emperor furrowed his brow, “He actually dared to follow you himself?”

The old duke did not find it strange: “I know all his guards well. He had no choice but to take the risk himself.”

Discovering Prince An was no easy task. The old duke had hardly noticed him on the way there. It was only when Prince An got into his carriage a little early on the return journey that the old duke noticed him.

As for why he shot his own foot, the old duke had no idea.

As the conversation returned to the main topic, the Emperor’s expression grew serious again, “What about the Empress Dowager’s whereabouts? Any leads yet?”

The old duke speculated, “Your Majesty, I believe … the Empress Dowager might have already returned to the Capital City.”

The Emperor’s brow furrowed even more tightly, “What makes you say so?”

The old duke seemed deep in thought, “While the estate is still pretending to seek the Empress Dowager, their search efforts have significantly slowed down. Moreover, when Prince An left the Capital City ostensibly to accompany his sister on a sightseeing trip, he was in fact looking for news of the Empress Dowager along the way. Later, he returned to the Capital City using the imperial examinations as an excuse… forgive my blunt words, Prince An is still young. He would not forsake the search for the Empress Dowager for a mere examination.”

The Emperor pondered for a moment, feeling that the old duke’s words made sense. “So you think he came back because he found the Empress Dowager? But if he found her, why did he not let the Empress Dowager return to the palace?”

If the Empress Dowager returned to the city, it was actually the emperor’s side who would be wary. The estate had an ace up their sleeve yet they did not play it, what was their game?

The old duke speculated, “This… I too am baffled. Perhaps… the Empress Dowager’s leprosy disease has not yet been cured, and they are secretly treating the Empress Dowager?”

An Empress Dowager with leprosy would be looked down upon and discarded. When the Empress Dowager Zhuang contracted leprosy, they all thought that an opportunity to bring her down had arrived, but unexpectedly, the empress dowager fled on her own.

If they dared to say that Empress Dowager Zhuang had left the palace on her own, Zhuang Taifu would dare to publicly question them whether they plotted to harm the Empress Dowager Zhuang.

They did not dare to take the gamble, so their only recourse was to use an indirect strategy, declaring that the Empress Dowager suddenly fell seriously ill and had left to recuperate in the palace.

Subsequently, they deliberately allowed Zhuang’s family to discover information that the Empress Dowager Zhuang had contracted leprosy and had run away.

The Zhuang family too feared that this disease would ruin the empress dowager’s reputation, therefore, they did not make any public announcements and quietly searched for her in private.

This had resulted in a delicate balance between the two sides.

But this balance would inevitably be shattered one day.

If Zhuang Taifu truly found the Empress Dowager Zhuang and managed to cure her, then the day the balance is disrupted will not be far off.

The journey from the Medical Hall to the Nunnery was quite long, and the delay on the road made it even longer. By the time Gu Jiao arrived at Bishui Alley, dusk had already set in.

A dazzling glow of twilight at the edge of the sky fell upon the red walls and green tiles, dyeing them with a warm orange light.

As Gu Jiao entered the alley, she truly felt like she was coming home.

It was a feeling she never experienced in her previous life.

In her previous life, she lived with her parents for such a short period of time, and the time spent was cold and emotionless, without a trace of warmth that a home should have.

The so-called ‘home’ was nothing more than a dwelling place.

But now, it seemed like it had a new meaning.

After a busy day, she longed to come back here, to see the people in the house.

She wasn’t tireless, it was just that she had grown accustomed to feeling tired. After all, nobody cared for her, so there was no point in pretending otherwise.

“Jiaojiao!”

The voice of Xiao Jingkong interrupted Gu Jiao’s thoughts.

The little boy was sitting on the doorstep, waiting for her again.