Chapter 91: Spicy Pot (Part 17)
Leng Yan seemed to have urgent official business. After pushing Leng Yue toward the young guard, she hurriedly left. The young guard acted as if he had never seen Leng Yue's face before, merely saying "Miss, please" before politely leading the way ahead.
Along the path, the young guard seemed to be avoiding something, deliberately taking Leng Yue around nearly half of the Crown Prince Manor before entering the rear courtyard of the Crown Prince's bedroom through a rather concealed moon gate. Only after entering through the back door did they see the Crown Prince sitting alone by the tea table.
To be fair, with the Crown Prince sitting upright like this, holding a teacup and intently gazing at the water inside, his brows slightly furrowed and his lips slightly curved, even without wearing imperial robes, he carried the dignified and steady demeanor of an emperor who cared for the people and bore the weight of the nation.
Just as Leng Yue's blood warmed with emotion and she was about to kneel and pay respects to this future emperor, she saw this future emperor look up, his eyes shining as he waved her over.
Leng Yue hurried forward. Before she could steady herself, the Crown Prince held the cup up right before her eyes. "Jing Yi always tells me you're the woman with the sharpest eyesight in the world. Come help me see—are these two water fleas fighting or courting?"
Only then did Leng Yue notice that what the Crown Prince held in his hand wasn't tea, but a cup of clear water. In the water, two plump water fleas were madly darting about, creating quite a lively scene upon first glance.
She had truly overthought things...
Since it was her superior's command, Leng Yue resignedly reached out to take the cup. After just one glance, she returned the cup to the Crown Prince and bowed her head in reply. "This humble officer believes it's neither."
The Crown Prince carefully cradled the cup, looking at the confident Leng Yue with expectant eyes. "Then why are they swimming so unusually actively?"
"It's hot. If you change to cooler water, they'll return to normal."
Leng Yue answered with her head bowed, so she didn't see the Crown Prince's expression of sudden understanding, but she did hear his slightly remorseful self-reflection after the realization.
"I was afraid they'd be too cold in the fish tank, so I specially prepared a cup of warm water for them..."
"..."
Watching as the Crown Prince carefully poured the two heat-crazed water fleas back into the fish tank, Leng Yue couldn't help but clear her throat. Composing her expression and lowering her voice, she reminded him, "Your Highness, this humble officer heard that Prince Hui has arrived."
"Hmm." The Crown Prince responded, only speaking after confirming that the two water fleas had indeed stopped madly darting about. His expression relaxed slightly as he said somewhat cheerfully, "The Crown Princess thought he was dressed too lightly, so she took him to admire the snow in the garden pavilion. They'll probably stay there for at least another half hour. I happen to have something to tell you, so I had someone bring you here first."
"Your Highness, please give your orders."
The Crown Prince set down his cup and handed Leng Yue a cup of hot tea instead, inviting her to sit by the tea table before saying, "Before Jing Yi was placed under house arrest, he entrusted me with one matter."
Leng Yue slightly started, her heart inexplicably tightening.It is true that the Crown Prince and Jing Yi had been close friends since childhood, but Jing Yi never blurred the lines when it came to matters of sovereign and subject. He would unhesitatingly risk his life for the Crown Prince, yet unless absolutely necessary, he would rather endure scoldings from Prince An than leverage even the slightest connection with the Crown Prince.
If he entrusted something to the Crown Prince at such a time, it must be as significant as a final wish—like that divorce letter.
"He asked me to help find someone. He said he originally intended to find them himself and surprise you upon your return to the capital, but now he likely doesn’t have the time. He told me that if it was inconvenient to inform him after finding the person, I should just tell you directly."
The Crown Prince spoke lightly, but Leng Yue could tell that when Jing Yi entrusted this matter to him, he had treated it as a posthumous arrangement.
Had she not rushed back to the capital this time, this might have been the last gesture of devotion she would ever receive from Jing Yi upon her return. Only, after this act of thoughtfulness, there would be no more of him gazing at her with that eager, expectant smile, waiting—even if just for a word or two—for her praise.
Why had she been so stingy? It seemed she had never once praised him sincerely from the heart...
Leng Yue’s eyes grew hot, and she quickly lowered her head, taking a sip of warm tea to steady herself. Only after her emotions had settled did she hear the Crown Prince say slowly, "He asked me to find the younger brother of the late Top Courtesan Hua Mei from the Sparrow Nest Brothel. My people reported this morning that they’ve found him."
Hua Mei’s younger brother...
Leng Yue suddenly remembered that on the eve of her departure from the capital, at Anguo Temple, when she told him that Hua Mei had died because of her, he had looked at her quietly with an indescribable expression, offering no words of comfort. At the time, she thought she had hidden her emotions well, but it turned out he had already surmised that empty words of consolation would be futile. Instead, he chose this method to ease a burden in her heart that would not easily lift.
After handing the divorce letter to the Crown Prince, he had plunged headlong into the pleasure quarters—surely for this reason as well...
Leng Yue wondered what she would choose to do with her limited time if she knew her life was nearing its end. But now she understood that Jing Yi’s choice was to tirelessly pursue a task he was not skilled at, all to personally soothe a knot of guilt in her heart.
She wanted to rush to him immediately, to reward him with everything she had, no matter what he desired. Yet she feared that any reward she could offer would never be worthy of such profound devotion.
Leng Yue remained lost in thought for a long while, until the Crown Prince, unable to bear the silence any longer, asked, "Aren’t you curious to know who it is?"
Leng Yue nearly shook her head, but caught herself just in time and hurriedly replied, "Who?"
The Crown Prince seemed somewhat dissatisfied with her lack of enthusiasm and deliberately prolonged the suspense. "You know him. Both you and Jing Yi know him. He’s been right under your noses for days, and it took such a roundabout way to uncover him. When I ascend the throne, the first thing I’ll do is discuss the salaries of the Three Judicial Offices with my sixth uncle."
Leng Yue suddenly thought that having Xiao Zhao Ye as emperor might not be as bad as she had imagined...Both she and Jing Yi knew many people who had lingered under their noses for days, making it impossible for Leng Yue to pinpoint who it was immediately. At a loss, she honestly set down her cup, stood up, and bowed with clasped hands. "Your humble servant is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince replied with a hint of reluctance, "Anguo Temple. Clear enough now?"
Anguo Temple...
Leng Yue was taken aback and nearly blurted out, "Shenxiu?"
It must be Shenxiu.
She had always felt there was more to Xiao Zhao Ye's motive for executing Hua Mei. After all, Hua Mei wasn't confined to the Sparrow Nest Brothel with no freedom of movement. It seemed unlikely that someone as cautious as Xiao Zhao Ye—who even tortured suspects without leaving visible wounds—would kill her merely for leaving without permission.
But if Xiao Zhao Ye had detected the scent of incense from Hua Mei and learned she had entered his younger brother's meditation room, fearing her brother—a spy from the Imperial City Investigation Bureau—might uncover clues and disrupt his control, then hastily executing Hua Mei to prevent one misstep from leading to chaos made sense.
Seeing Leng Yue's mix of surprise and sudden understanding, the Crown Prince finally nodded in satisfaction.
After all that effort, if it didn't even elicit a hint of surprise from her, it would have been too disappointing...
Leng Yue couldn't fathom how the Crown Prince had traced it to Shenxiu, but the thought of Shenxiu's two secret identities made her heart clench. She hurriedly asked, "Then... is he still at Anguo Temple?"
The Crown Prince shook his head slightly. "His meditation room caught fire right after my men left."
Leng Yue's heart sank. "Is he dead?"
The Crown Prince neither nodded nor shook his head. "No body was found, but a few gleaming stones were discovered on the bed. The abbot insists they're relics, and the capital officials are at a loss."
Leng Yue slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
With Shenxiu's skills, escaping shouldn't be difficult, though his future days would likely be much harder.
A jumble of people and events drifted through her mind. Her gaze fell upon the young quasi-emperor before her, who remained composed despite being at the center of the storm, and she suddenly froze.
He was only sixteen years old. To be so calm in such times, aside from training and experience, there must be one more reason.
Perhaps it was because of this reason that Jing Yi had entrusted this matter to the Crown Prince instead of the experts from Prince An's residence.
Just as the Crown Prince sighed in relief at his success and reached for his cup, he saw Leng Yue, who had been bowing before him, suddenly kneel.
Startled, the Crown Prince hastily stood up. "No, no, no... It's just a trivial matter, no need for this. Aren't you pregnant? Get up quickly..."
Ignoring the Crown Prince's attempt to help her up, Leng Yue kept her head bowed and knelt firmly, saying in a low voice, "Your humble servant has an impertinent request and hopes the Crown Prince will grant it."
"Alright, alright... Get up first, we can discuss anything..."
Leng Yue still didn't rise. "Your humble servant presumes. Since the Crown Prince could find Shenxiu through the Imperial City Investigation Bureau, surely they can also investigate Prince An's whereabouts."
The Crown Prince froze slightly—a subtle reaction, but since his hands were on Leng Yue's arms, she felt it.The Crown Prince neither questioned how Leng Yue knew about the Imperial City Investigation Bureau nor scolded her for her audacity. Instead, he let out a helpless chuckle and replied apologetically, "This is something I truly cannot do."
Hearing the Crown Prince's refusal, Leng Yue urgently protested, "Prince An has lost contact with the capital precisely at this critical moment—even Lord Xue cannot locate him. I dare assert that something must have happened to His Highness!"
The Crown Prince nodded calmly. "I share your thoughts."
Growing more anxious, Leng Yue's tone turned colder and sharper. "Then why can't we deploy the Investigation Bureau to search for His Highness?"
The Crown Prince gave a bitter, gentle smile. "Because I currently lack the authority to command the Investigation Bureau."
Leng Yue froze in shock. Staring at the Crown Prince, whose expression showed only remorse without a trace of anger, she stammered, "Then... then what about Shenxiu..."
"Before Jing Yi entrusted this matter to me, he had already done thorough groundwork—even personally infiltrated the Capital Prefecture to examine Hua Mei's corpse. I merely studied the materials he provided and sent someone to investigate Hua Mei's hometown... If such minor tasks required the Investigation Bureau, Grand Tutor Jing would have been raising pigs all these years instead of teaching."
After speaking softly, the Crown Prince sighed faintly, his brows furrowing with deeper regret. I know Seventh Uncle is physically inconvenient, and his sudden silence worries you all—it worries me too... But to be honest, I don't even know who the Investigation Bureau members are. How could I possibly dispatch them to search for someone?"
Leng Yue was momentarily at a loss for words. Her understanding of the Imperial City Investigation Bureau was superficial at best—she only knew they answered solely to the reigning emperor. As for how they were transferred to the next emperor after the Late Emperor's passing, no one had ever explained it to her.
Realizing she had overstepped and offended her superior, Leng Yue quickly lowered her head and sincerely said, "This humble official deserves death..."
The Crown Prince shook his head, helped her up from the ground, and pulled an envelope from his robe. Giving it a light shake, he smiled wryly. "This was brought to me by Shenxiu through one of my subordinates assigned to handle affairs. In his letter, he explained that only after ascending the throne would the Investigation Bureau's leader reveal themselves to pay respects to the new sovereign. Moreover, the new ruler can only command the Bureau with the token passed down from the Late Emperor—otherwise, the Bureau would regard them as a usurping rebel. You can imagine the consequences... Had he not told me, I would still be unaware of this matter."
By the time the Crown Prince finished, Leng Yue was listening in stunned silence, a cold sweat already drenching her back.
The Imperial City Investigation Bureau's spies were everywhere—they could be beggars on the streets, commanders of the imperial guards, or even one's most intimate bedpartner. If the Bureau decided to oppose someone, not even all the civil and military officials combined could stop them.
But still...
"Why would Shenxiu tell you this?"
The Crown Prince put away the envelope and sighed somewhat helplessly. "Perhaps Prince Hui instructed him to say it—to intimidate me, so I might retreat from the challenge and yield the position to a worthier candidate."
"Your Highness..."
"Enough," the Crown Prince interjected, as if ignoring the slightly consoling tone in Leng Yue's voice. He brightened with a smile. "I still need to feign illness. You should go wait in the front hall first."
"Yes."
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