Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 880 - 856: Deception

After Fengyu became pregnant, she almost entirely handed over her business to Chunlu, Lady Thirteen, Manager Su, and others. Her daily routine consisted of eating, sleeping, and nurturing the fetus. Doctor Zhou was in charge of regulating her health; she would eat more even if she had no appetite for the sake of the child. She also did not experience much morning sickness. Xie Xun, well aware of the monotony of nurturing a fetus, spent as much time with her as possible. Without urgent matters, official documents were handed over to the Cabinet. After dinner, he would accompany Fengyu for a few laps in the courtyard, after which she would return to bed. Although she was resting in bed, she didn’t have to lie there constantly and would occasionally get up to move around. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

However, after ten days of recuperating, she became very weak, experiencing severe morning sickness. The little weight she had gained quickly diminished again. Originally, Fengyu planned to attend the wedding of Dugu Jing and Fang Lingjun after taking good care of her health, but her morning sickness was too severe. Both the Imperial Physician and Doctor Zhou issued a prohibition, not allowing her to leave her house, requiring her to rest in bed for nearly half a month.

During Fang Lingjun’s marriage, she could only open the storeroom and send the dowry she had prepared a long time ago, totaling eight boxes. Everyone knew the Empress and Fang Lingjun shared a good relationship. Unable to attend due to pregnancy, her favor was still intact. Naturally, Fang Lingjun understood Fengyu well, having advised her early on to prioritize her health and not attend the wedding banquet.

After listening to Lin Helin’s advice, Xie Xun also showed no particular concern for the wedding. The Empress had already provided generous gifts, so he withdrew quietly. Prince Jingbei understood such balance better than Dugu Jing; the wedding was held in a very lively and grand manner, unaffected by the recent funeral of Fang Chuning, with a ten-mile bridal procession admired by the city’s noble women.

Fengyu felt some regret; if not for her pregnancy, she would have watched Fang Lingjun get married. The wedding also seemed incomplete for Fang Lingjun.

She could only sigh, unsure of how her Second Brother was doing in Mudan City.

Xie Jue rushed to Mudan City at full speed.

The first task was instructing the soldiers to dig up the ruins of the temple. When he initially ordered the temple to be leveled, they confirmed it was empty. But considering the High Priest’s insidious craftiness, who knew if someone was hidden there? Trusting Han Ziqi, Xie Jue hurried back to Mudan City to verify whether anyone was hidden in the temple.

The Shadow Guards thought their master seemed a bit paranoid. Even if the High Priest hid someone in the temple, with months having passed since it was flattened, the bodies would have cooled. What would be the point of digging?

Xie Jue stood outside the temple, never regretting his decision when he gave the order. Now he felt a bit sad; he wished he had been more meticulous.

The temple ruins were excavated for three days and nights, during which Xie Jue stood with them, not closing his eyes once.

Fortunately, no bones were found.

He combed through the temple ruins almost entirely again. With confidence restored, Xie Jue ordered, "Search the city for remnants of the High Priest’s followers. Use coercion if needed, or entice them, find one or two people, I have some questions to ask."

"Yes!"

Xie Jue realized he had missed the best time to find the High Priest’s remaining followers, making it challenging. Yet, he didn’t want to give up; it was his sole method of finding Fang Chuning.

If the High Priest’s men had taken him, with Anning severely injured, at least they wouldn’t likely leave the city. Was he killed, or imprisoned? Whatever their intent?

"Send people to investigate the major pharmacies in the Capital City, checking what herbs were sold during those days, to see if there’s any clue, and... and..." Xie Jue forced himself to calm down, "also check if there are other exits from the Royal Palace."

"Yes!"

The Shadow Guards noted every instruction. Xie Jue considered many possibilities for Fang Chuning’s survival yet never thought Han Ziqi deceived him.