Chapter 159



159 Brave Men Under Heavy Rewards

Xiao Juan slowly walked into the central room and saw Yu Niaoniao dozing off on the table.

He didn’t know what she was dreaming about, but she smacked her lips twice and made muffled grunts in her throat.

When Dang Gui saw that Duke Lang had returned, she hurriedly stood up and was about to call for help, but Duke Lang raised his hand to stop her.

He took off his cloak and gently draped it over Yu Niaoniao.

Yu Niaoniao felt the weight on her and woke up immediately.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

When she saw the man standing in front of her, she instantly sobered and called out in surprise.

“Your Highness, you’re finally back!”

Xiao Juan sat down beside her and asked, “Have you been waiting for me to come back?”

Yu Niaoniao nodded. “That’s right. You were in the palace for so long and never returned. We were all worried about you.”

She remembered what Granny Xiu Yan had said and quickly said to Dang Gui.

“Go and tell Granny Xiu Yan that His Highness is back safely. Let her rest in peace.”

Dang Gui obediently retreated.

Yu Niaoniao took off her cloak and placed it on a chair beside her.

She asked, “Have you had dinner?”

Xiao Juan shook his head. “No.”

Yu Niaoniao had expected this. She immediately said.

“I saved some food for you. You can eat it as soon as it’s hot.”

She stood up and prepared to go to the kitchen, but Xiao Juan stopped her.

He whispered, “It’s late. Stop fussing and let the servants heat up the food.”

Yu Niaoniao agreed.

She instructed the servants to heat up the dishes.

Soon, a servant walked in with hot food.

Looking at the fragrant and hot food, his stomach was immediately awakened. He finally felt hungry. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began to eat.

When he was almost done eating, Yu Niaoniao asked.

“Why are you back so late? Did something happen in the palace?”

In the past, no matter what happened to Xiao Juan, he would only bury it in his heart and never tell anyone.

However, after spending some time together, he had a certain trust in Yu Niaoniao. As long as it was not something that needed to be kept secret, he did not mind telling her.

Xiao Juan pondered for a moment before speaking.

“It’s about sealing the city gate and capturing Che Xuekun.”

Yu Niaoniao asked, “Did the emperor not agree to arrest him?”

Xiao Juan shook his head. “No, the emperor really wants to arrest him, but sealing the city gate is not a small matter. This matter has to be approved by the cabinet. The elders all disagree.”

To the old emperor, Che Xuekun was the mastermind behind the anti-government poetry case and a spy for the enemy country. He had to make Che Xuekun’s head fall to the ground to make an example of him.

But the cabinet elders considered more.

Once the city gates were sealed, the commoners would definitely complain if it was inconvenient for them to enter and leave. The merchants would not be able to pass through normally, and the taxes on merchants in the city would decrease. There was also the problem of letters between the Imperial Court and the various government offices…

Both sides stood their ground, and neither was willing to back down.

Because the old emperor was not feeling well, he argued for a while before being helped to rest.

Xiao Juan, who was left behind, had to continue confronting the old fellows from the cabinet.

It was not until midnight that Xiao Juan could leave the palace.

Yu Niaoniao asked, “How did it go? Who prevailed in the end?”

Xiao Juan said, “The elders say that we can seal the city gate, but we have to give the people in the city two days to prepare to reduce the resentment of the people.”

Yu Niaoniao was speechless. Capturing criminals was about catching them off guard.

They actually gave them two days to prepare. By then, who knew where they would go?

Xiao Juan naturally knew this. But now that things had come to this, he could not change it. He could only think of another way.

The next day, many Eagle Guards were added to the various city gates of the Imperial Capital. As long as someone left the city, they had to be strictly interrogated by the Eagle Guards. If they found anyone suspicious, they would be arrested on the spot.

Not only that, Xiao Juan even asked Yu Niaoniao to draw a portrait of Che Xuekun according to Li Qiao’s description.

He ordered people to paste the portraits all over the streets and alleys in the city with a reward of a thousand taels of silver.

As the saying went, there would be brave men under heavy rewards. With the temptation of a thousand taels of silver, the citizens in the city joined in the capture of Che Xuekun.

Che Xuekun had had a difficult two days. He hid everywhere like a street rat, trying his best to hide his whereabouts, afraid that his identity would be discovered.

Because he was good at talking and had some talent, everything had been smooth-sailing since he sneaked into the Dayan Dynasty. He had never been in such a sorry state today.

And all of this was thanks to Duke Lang!

Che Xuekun was wearing rough clothes filled with dirt. His face was smeared with black ash and he reeked of sweat. He hid in a group of similarly dressed men who helped people carry their bags on the docks and earned money.

It was lunchtime and everyone was sitting together, eating dry food and chatting.

“Have you heard? Zhen Xixi from the Falling Clothes Pavilion is dead!”

“I know about this. Zhen Xixi was forced to death by the Eagle Guards. I heard that she died miserably.”

“What a beautiful girl. She was so young. It’s a pity she died.”

“That group of Eagle Guards is arresting people everywhere every day. I heard that they’ve been capturing someone called Che Xue Kun recently and even issued a bounty of 1,000 taels!”

As soon as they heard that there were a thousand taels, these men immediately forgot about Zhen Xixi. They had discussed that after they were done, they would find a portrait to see what Che Xuekun looked like. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to catch Che Xuekun!

Che Xuekun ate the last mouthful of his steamed bun and silently left the crowd.

It seemed he could not stay in this place any longer.

He had to find another place.

He recalled what those people had said just now. Zhen Xixi was dead. She had died to protect him.

If not for Duke Lang and the Eagle Guards, Zhen Xixi would not have died, and he would not have fallen to this state.

Che Xuekun clenched his fists with a ruthless gaze.

“Duke Lang, you’ve made me lose the woman I love. I won’t let you have it easy with your woman!”

In a hidden small courtyard in the city, Shen Junzhi was sitting by the window reading a book. The wind poured in from the window and blew his black hair.

He raised a hand to his lips and coughed softly.

Mo Bao immediately walked over and helped close the window.

“Young Master, your health isn’t good. The doctor said you can’t get catch a cold.”

He brought over a bowl of medicine and handed it to Shen Junzhi.

“You should take your medicine.”

Shen Junzhi frowned, clearly not wanting to drink the medicine. However, he also knew that his body had to be nourished. He picked up the bowl and drank the medicine.

Mo Bao immediately handed him a handkerchief.

Shen Junzhi took the handkerchief and wiped the medicinal soup off his lips.

Mo Bao said, “Young Master, the spy just reported that he has found Che Xuekun’s whereabouts. Should we send someone to arrest him?”

Shen Junzhi put down the handkerchief and said calmly.

“Don’t touch him yet. Keep an eye on him.”

“Yeas, Young Master.”