C237

"Your Majesty, Imperial Guard Xiao has come."

Ren Zong coughed a few times and nodded slightly, "Let him in."

"Your Majesty." Xiao Tao walked in and knelt down in salute.

Ren Zong covered his mouth with a handkerchief. After a while, he stopped coughing and said, "You may rise."

Xiao Tao stood up and pondered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, we were waiting in the town outside the city when we met Marquis Lu in the inn. He said that he was entrusted by the young prince to escort Ran Ran back to the Light Wind Palace."

Ren Zong was slightly startled, as if he was surprised, "Lu Sobbing? Did he come alone? "

Xiao Tao nodded his head, "Your subordinate has seen it in the marquis' carriage. There were only two horses pulling the carriage, and the carriage was very heavy and luxurious. Although the furnishings in the carriage weren't luxurious, they were all there. There were two boxes of clothes. One of them contained a few sets of ordinary clothes that were about the same size as Ran Shou's. There were also some clean cloths. They were all in a bundle and seemed to have taken two or three of them. The other box contains all the fox fur cloaks and other items of clothing used to resist the cold. Marquis Lu himself only has three sets of clothes to change his clothes, two of which are made from the material of his concubine and the other one should be bought along the way. "

Ren Zong thought for a moment and asked again, "If he just went to the inn today, where did he go yesterday? "What else is left to be done? Do we have to delay again and again?"

Xiao Tao said: "I sent people to ask around nearby inns, they all said that there were no such people staying the day before yesterday. However … The snow stopped last night, so it shouldn't be a problem for them to rest in the carriage for the night. "

Ren Zong was noncommittal, and after a moment he asked, "Have you looked at his carriage carefully? Is it similar to the tracks made in the snow? "

Xiao Tao shook his head decisively, "It's not the same. Although your subordinate did not copy Marquis Lu's carriage rut, your subordinate is sure that this carriage did not carry any dirt."

Seeing how certain he was, Ren Zong didn't press him further. "Did that Lushui ever tell you where he got that from?"

Xiao Tao shook his head: "Since Marquis Lu did not say anything, it would not be good for your subordinate to pursue this line of questioning. But... This subordinate dares to speculate that Marquis Lu and Ran Shimeng might not have been together last night — or perhaps Marquis Lu might only have received Ran Shimeng today. "

Ren Zong raised an eyebrow, "Tell me about it."

"First, the ashes." Xiao Tao thought for a moment and then said with certainty, "Lu Sobbing had just settled down in the inn for a while and did not have time to rest, so she instructed the waiter to pour out the ashes in the carriage and wash and change the things inside. This subordinate thinks that Marquis Lu was in such a hurry to replace these insignificant items because he loved to clean up. "From this, we can conclude that the ashes left behind in the carriage furnace shouldn't have been there for a long time."

Ren Zong nodded slightly, indicating for him to continue.

Xiao Tao said, "Marquis Lu has a strong inner force. Although he needs to warm up his body with the furnace, he doesn't need to use too much charcoal. However, it was different when he moved in time. He was a patient with crippled internal energy and his body was weak. If he were to rest in the carriage at night, he would have to use up a lot of charcoal. However, when his subordinate looked at the ashes in the carriage, Marquis Lu had used them more than he had and had used too little of them. Plus, all the clothes in the car were stored in the wooden box. If he had worn them, he wouldn't have put them in the wooden box with the clean clothes. As a result, there was a missing piece of heavy clothing for him to use during the night to protect himself from the cold. Therefore, your subordinate deduced that Marquis Lu was resting on the carriage the night before, and that there was only one person inside. "

Ren Zong said, "Not bad," and then asked, "Then according to your conjecture, why did Lu Sobbing stay in the inn and suffer in the carriage all night?"

Xiao Tao shook his head, "This subordinate is unable to confirm, but this subordinate has a bad impression of … He may be waiting for Jean to move. "

Ren Zong's gaze wavered slightly and he understood what he meant, "There are a lot of people coming and going during the day, and the movement of the prisoners who have just been released after being pardoned must be suspicious. There are too many people in the inn, so if we want to exchange people, it would naturally be more convenient to be out in the open at night. "

"This is your subordinate's intention." Xiao Tao paused and then said, "Marquis Lu is born in the martial arts world and has been on the battlefield for many years, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to wait for an entire night."

Ren Zong tapped the table lightly with his finger, pondering deeply, "If he tells us everything about this matter, I would suspect that he is related to those unknown forces that kidnapped all of them." However, from the looks of it now, it should be as he said. He was entrusted by Mo'er to leave this place. "

Xiao Tao said, "The young prince and Marquis Lu are extremely benevolent and benevolent people, and they have something to do with killing. They should have nothing to do with it."

Ren Zong laughed, "Lu Sobbing's hands are covered in blood, it's not strange for him to kill dozens of people. However, since it is related to Mo'er, I presume that he would not be involved in it. "

Xiao Tao quickly said, "Your majesty is wise, your subordinate is too stupid."

Ren Zong looked at him but didn't say anything. He only asked, "Just now, you said that he lost all of his internal energy and became a cripple?"

Xiao Tao was slightly startled, "Your subordinate looked at his actions and was extremely weak. He was also in a trance, speaking nonsense, I'm afraid... Not only has my internal force been completely lost, perhaps this place is no longer useful. " He pointed at his forehead.

Ren Zong replied: "We have lost all of our internal energy. I have heard the guards mention it and it should be true." If there's something wrong with your head, are you trying to play the fool? "

Xiao Tao pursed his lips, "This subordinate thinks that it's probably true." He then briefly explained to His Majesty what he had seen today.

After he finished speaking, only surprise remained in the eyes of the Ren Sect leader, "Is that true?"

Xiao Tao said: "Yes, your subordinate saw it with his own eyes, there is no lie." In addition, Marquis Lu also asked his subordinate to help him buy some medicinal herbs. He said that the young prince had given him a prescription, and had not yet prepared all the medicinal herbs.

"Prescription?" Ren Zong's gaze turned deep, "Where is the prescription now?"

Xiao Tao took out a folded piece of papyrus from his sleeve and handed it to the attendant by the side. He bowed slightly and then replied to Ren Zong again, "Subordinate has already seen the formula Marquis Lu gave me. It's the young prince's handwriting, paper and ink is also commonly used by the young prince. This prescription is a copy that this subordinate has copied so that I can show it to His Majesty. "

Ren Zong took the medicine from the servant's hands, gave it a casual glance, and then put it aside, "In the past few years in the Sky Prison, the medicine he has taken has also been concocted by Mo'er. If you leave the prescription here, I will find someone else to verify it. "

Xiao Tao nodded his head and asked again, "Then should we wait until the verification results are out before sending the medicinal ingredients over, or..."

Ren Zong said, "Just send it there. He will give you the prescription directly, so there shouldn't be a problem. Even if it's slightly different from the medicinal formula from before, Mo'er should have changed it. "

Xiao Tao agreed, seeing that His Majesty did not give any orders, he said: "If His Majesty does not have any other orders, then I will send the medicine."

Ren Zong seemed to be thinking of something as he raised his head when he heard the voice. After a while, he said, "Alright, go." After the medicine was delivered, he left a few people to keep an eye on them and see where they were headed to. You don't have to go too far, you just have to see them leave towards the south. "

Xiao Tao said, "I understand."

Ren Zong waved his hand, looking exhausted.

Xiao Tao bowed and took a few steps back before turning around to leave.

Stepping down the stone steps, a black-clothed man with half his face covered walked past him. Without any communication, he pushed open the door and walked in. Xiao Tao stopped and waited for a moment for no strange sound before quickly leaving.

The longer you stay in the palace, the more you will learn to listen less, to look less, to talk less, to pay more attention.

Xiao Tao was in the inner court and stayed for more than 10 years, so naturally he was familiar with this way.

— —

"Look, the plum blossoms in the palace have bloomed." After walking silently with Ran Hao for quite a distance, Zhao Qingyan suddenly spoke as he looked at the plum blossoms in the imperial garden.

Ran Hao was startled for a moment, and then said: "Yes, the flowers here are blooming."

Zhao Qingyan looked at the darkening sky and muttered to himself, "The flowers are blooming and the snow is falling heavily. After this intermittent snowfall, the flowers that can survive through the winter will probably blossom better. "

Ran Hao was silent for a moment, and then said: "A flower that is hoped to blossom, will definitely bloom exceptionally beautifully."

Zhao Qingyan looked at a Plum Blossom Tree that had few petals. It was unknown if she was doing it intentionally or not, but she said softly, "The plum blossoms at night bloomed well, but no one will be able to see it."

Ran Hao was speechless and did not know how to answer. After silently following the young master for some distance, he finally spoke again, "Young Master, it's already late, do you want to rest in the palace for the night?"

Zhao Qingyan tilted her head and asked him, "Do you think those people who have been sent to find Ran Shui will come back to report?"

Ran Hao pondered for a moment and guessed: "This time is not too late, it is not yet time to go to bed. His Majesty is extremely concerned about the amnesty, so those who go to investigate should be able to report back in time. "

"In that case." Zhao Qingyan glanced at him and paused for a moment before nodding, "Wait for me here for a moment, I'm going to the palace."

Seeing that the young master was not in a good mood, Ran Hao subconsciously followed him and said: "Young master, let me accompany you."

Zhao Qingyan shook his head and pointed at the fake mountain not far away. "You stand there and wait for me. I'll be back in a moment."

Ran Hao felt that something was wrong, but he could not stop it. He could only reply in a low voice: "Then I'll wait for Young Master."

Zhao Qingyan nodded and quickly left.

— —

"Young prince." Young Prince. " The court lady standing guard outside was startled to see the young prince.

Zhao Qingyan took a glance inside the hall and saw a faint light coming from the candles. She asked, "Can Imperial Uncle rest?"

The court lady shook her head, a little curious: "It's already so late, why is young prince here?"

Zhao Qingyan pretended to take something out of his sleeve, revealing a corner of the letter. "Today, I entered the palace to pay my respects to the Empress and was delayed by Xun Er for a few hours. I thought that Imperial Uncle might not have gone to bed yet, so I came over to ask. I have a letter that I need to give to royal uncle. If it's convenient, can you help me pass on it to him? "

The head attendant said with a smile, "You must be joking, young prince. When did you need a servant to pass down a gift to you?"

Zhao Qingyan smiled and put the letter back into his sleeve, "Then I'll be going in."

The attendant stepped aside. "Young Prince, please." He gave a look to the other attendants, and they all retreated.

Zhao Qingyan casually wiped away the wrinkles on his sleeve and gave her a curtsey before walking inside.

Looking at his back, the attendant could not help but silently shake his head. In such a huge palace, there were only a handful of people who could directly enter the palace without being passed around like Zhao Qing Yan.

The king does not need to kneel before the emperor, the saint does not need to pass on, and the banquet does not need to wear official clothing. Just these three things were enough to cause the people of the world to feel a little more reverence and curiosity for the young prince.