Chapter 588: Hidden
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The next morning, Xiao Juan left the Imperial Capital with his troops.
They escorted the provisions to Liaodong County.
This time, Lo Pingsha did not follow Xiao Juan to Liaodong County. He was left in the Langjun Imperial Palace to protect Niaoniao.
Early this morning, he saw that the people from the Langjun Imperial Palace were busy moving things out and could not help but ask.
“Where are you guys going?”
A servant answered truthfully, “The Princess Consort said that she wants to stay in the courtyard outside the city for a while tomorrow and asked us to follow. There will be more things with more people. We have to move quickly to avoid delaying our time out of the city.”
With that, he carried a large box out.
Lo Pingsha still remembered Duke Lang’s instructions before he left. Duke Lang had specially asked him to keep an eye on the Princess Consort and try not to let her go out.
He immediately ran to find Yu Niaoniao.
Yu Niaoniao was sorting out the draft with Ling Hai.
Seeing Lo Pingsha arrive, Yu Niaoniao said quickly.
“We’re leaving this afternoon. Little Lo, hurry up and pack. Don’t forget to bring anything you usually need.”
Lo Pingsha was puzzled. “Why do you suddenly want to live in a courtyard outside the city?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “His Highness is not at home. I’m bored alone and want to go out of the city to get some air.”
Lo Pingsha said, “But Duke Lang instructed me not to let you out…” Yu Niaoniao put down the draft and placed her hands on her hips.
“I’m the Princess Consort, not a prisoner of your Justice Department. Why shouldn’t I go out?”
Lo Pingsha said, “Don’t misunderstand. Duke Lang is worried about your safety. He’s afraid that you’ll encounter an accident when you go out.” Yu Niaoniao retorted righteously.
“I’m not going out alone. There are so many of us. What accident can happen? Taking a step back, even if we really encounter bad people, can’t so many of you protect me?”
Lo Pingsha thought about it and agreed. In addition to him, there were almost a hundred guards in the residence.
With so many people around, it was definitely not a problem to protect the Princess Consort.
Besides, they were not going to a remote place. They were just going to a courtyard outside the city. That place was considered the territory of the Regional King’s Mansion. Everyone was very familiar with it.
So Lo Pingsha said nothing else and obediently went back to pack his luggage.
After lunch, the entire residence boarded the carriages and left the Imperial Capital majestically for the courtyard outside the city.
With such a huge commotion in the Langjun Imperial Palace, it definitely could not escape the attention of the emperor.
In the palace, the old emperor leaned against the soft couch to rest after taking his medicine.
When he heard that the Princess Consort of Lang County had brought a large group of people out of the city, he could not help but open his eyes.
“Where are they going?”
Wei Huai’en bowed slightly and replied respectfully.
“Your Majesty, after the people from the Duke’s Mansion left the city, they went to Duke Lang’s courtyard outside the city. I heard that they’re going to stay there for a while.”
Knowing that they had only gone to a courtyard outside the city, the old emperor relaxed.
Wei Huai’en had served the old emperor for many years. When he saw the old emperor’s reaction, he knew what the old emperor was worried about and took the initiative to speak.
“Your Majesty, do not worry. I’ve already gotten someone to keep an eye on the people from the Regional King’s Mansion in secret. I won’t let them be too far from the Imperial Capital.”
Now that Duke Lang had escorted the food to Liaodong County, in order to prevent him from communicating with Tang Guixi, he had to keep a close eye on the people from the Duke’s Mansion. If necessary, he could still use them as hostages to restrain Duke Lang.
The old emperor nodded slightly. “Yes.”
Wei Huai’en waited. When the old emperor did not speak for a long time, he thought he was asleep and prepared to retreat silently.
Unexpectedly, in the next moment, he heard the old emperor suddenly speak.
“Call Wei Liao over. I have something to ask him.”
‘Yes.”
Not long after, Wei Liao arrived at the bedroom.
He knelt on one knee and cupped his fists. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
The old emperor asked, “Did anything happen on the way back to the Imperial Capital from Liangzhou?”
Wei Liao answered truthfully, “Everything went smoothly. Nothing happened.” Then the old emperor stopped talking.
He closed his eyes as if he were recuperating, but he didn’t say a word about telling Wei Liao to leave.
Wei Liao was anxious. He quietly raised his head and looked at Wei Huai’en.
Wei Huai’en was indeed an old man who had served the emperor for many years. He knew the old emperor’s temper very well and secretly winked at Wei Liao to let him think carefully.
Wei Liao could only speak as he thought.
“My journey back to the capital was indeed very smooth. We’ve never even encountered bandits. We did encounter pirates, but those pirates were long dead. Even the entire pirate village was burned down. Other than that, there’s really nothing else.”
The old emperor slowly opened his eyes. “Pirates?”
Seeing this, Wei Liao knew that he had finally hit the nail on the head. He immediately explained how they had encountered the pirates from beginning to end.
The old emperor’s expression became very strange.
“You’re saying that not only did Xiao Juan take the jade bracelet, but he also took the charred corpse with him?”
Wei Liao didn’t understand why the old emperor cared about this small matter, but he still nodded.
“Right.”
The old emperor asked, “Where is the charred corpse now?”
Wei Liao said, “He should be in the Justice Department.”
The old emperor immediately decreed that Wei Liao should go to the Justice Department to transport the charred corpse into the palace.
However, when Wei Liao rushed to the Justice Department with the Sky Wolf Guards, he realized that the charred corpse had already disappeared. After asking, he found out that the charred corpse had long been taken away by Duke Lang.
Wei Liao could only return empty-handed.
When the old emperor found out about this, his expression became even more unfathomable.
“He’s hiding.”
Wei Liao didn’t understand. It was just a nameless charred corpse. What was there to hide?
But from the looks of it, the old emperor seemed to have an extraordinary background.
Just as Wei Liao was thinking in his heart, he heard the old emperor speak unhurriedly.
“Go to the courtyard outside the city and bring the Princess Consort of Lang
County over. I have something to ask her. ”
“Yes.”
Wei Liao was about to leave when he suddenly heard the old emperor add.
“Remember, bring her alone.”
Wei Liao immediately had a bad feeling.
If it was just an ordinary question, the old emperor would not have specially instructed him to only bring Yu Niaoniao.
Coupled with what had happened before, Wei Liao guessed that this matter was very likely related to that charred corpse of unknown origin.
However, he really could not guess what their relationship was.
After Wei Liao retreated, the old emperor ordered someone to call over a trusted general.
“Take a team and catch up to Xiao Juan’s team as soon as possible.”
The general asked, “Your Majesty, do you have any orders that you need me to convey to Duke Lang?”
The old emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. “I’ve raised Xiao Juan for many years and treated him as my own. Now that it’s time for him to repay me, I need what he has. I hope he can hand it over.” “May I ask what it is, Your Majesty?”
The old emperor spat out the words unhurriedly— “His life.”
He had long been suspicious of Xiao Juan, but because he still needed him, he had been enduring it.
But now, his greatest secret had been known by Xiao Juan.
In that case, he could only send Xiao Juan on his way as soon as possible.
In this world, only the dead would not talk nonsense..