The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1232 - 656: The Western Regions Princess’s Thousand-Mile Escape (Part 2)
However, I’m not sure if he has a means of resurrection now that he’s dead, and Song Zhi is still a threat. To be on the safe side, let’s seal him in the palace first and have Eunuch Hai guard him.
We’ll consider it again after dealing with Xuan Yin."
Zhao Douan nodded in agreement with this course of action and tentatively asked:
"Then... may I take my leave for now?"
In theory, the two of them should discuss acquiring the next key or talk about Tuoba Weizhi, but given the Empress’s current mood... he felt it was best to let her calm down on her own for a while.
After all, he had just returned from the Southwest Territory and needed to catch his breath, to rest for a while before setting out again.
...
...
"Master?"
Outside Yangxin Hall, Tuoba Weizhi saw Zhao Douan come out and softly called out.
The mysterious witch with black hair, black eyes, and black skin remained motionless, standing where Zhao Douan had first instructed her to, like a nail.
Her gaze curiously glanced inside the hall~
"I just saw an unconscious woman and a child being dragged away."
Tuoba Weizhi whispered, as if revealing a big secret.
Zhao Douan, both amused and helpless, raised his hand intending to smack her on the head but refrained, turned, and walked away:
"Let’s go. Stop inquiring about useless things."
The master and servant left the Imperial Palace. Zhao Douan hesitated at the crossroads but ultimately decided to take Tuoba Weizhi to Lihua Hall.
It had been a while since he came to the Imperial Court, and now it was late spring; the sunlight was just right today. The long street outside the court cast a shadow, and inside the walls, the lush green trees eagerly poked their heads out.
The trees planted in each hall were also blooming and bearing fruit one after another.
"Mr. Zhao!?"
Approaching the entrance of the government office, a Jinyi Captain carrying a shoulder pole and water buckets who was personally fetching water recognized him and quickly saluted, eyes full of admiration.
The Living Yama of the Capital was as docile as a cat.
"Hmm, go ahead and stay busy."
Zhao Douan nodded and continued walking with his hands behind his back.
But after entering the government office, he saw several groups of Jinyi carrying water buckets, which made him a bit puzzled. Each hall in the government office had a well, so why were they all going out to fetch water?
"Mr. Zhao has returned!"
Carrying his doubts into Lihua Hall, from afar a Captain shouted in surprise.
Soon, several familiar figures swarmed out of the main hall, all showing delight on their faces.
Qian Kerou, Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, Zheng Laojiu - his four trusted aides beamed with smiles:
"Master!"
In their "perception," Zhao Douan had returned to the Capital after killing Prince Jing for some time, but with his current status, he rarely came to the government office.
Therefore, his visit today was also a rare event for his subordinates.
Meanwhile, they noticed the dark-skinned woman cloaked behind their master, curious about her identity.
"Everyone’s here?" Zhao Douan nodded happily, glanced at them, and asked:
"Isn’t Ji Yue here?"
When Lu Yaner first traveled to the Capital, Ji Yue followed Gongshu Tianyuan, Jin Jian, and Yu Xiu back to the Capital as well.
After that, she hadn’t returned to Back Lake, and without a home, the female sorcerer was casually arranged by Zhao Douan to temporarily reside in Lihua Hall.
Zhao Douan clearly remembered that Ji Yue was not from Yu Country, but rather an islander from the Eastern Sea Thousand Islands.
Years ago, she was accidentally captured to Yu Country, and the next "key" was hidden in the Eastern Sea Thousand Islands.
In other words, Ji Yue was a ready-made guide.
Thus, he intended to learn about the East Sea from Ji Yue to prepare for his upcoming journey.
Upon hearing "Ji Yue," the faces of several subordinates appeared somewhat peculiar. With a round face, the little secretary Qian Kerou quickly replied:
"She’s here, living well all this time."
"Oh," Zhao Douan nodded and casually said:
"Ask her to come see me. By the way, on my way over, I noticed many people from the government office were out fetching water. What’s going on? Is there something wrong with the wells in the Imperial Court?"
"This..." Everyone looked hesitant.
As Zhao Douan pondered, he heard the sound of water splashing behind him.
He turned his head to see, beneath a lush pear tree, a soaking wet, disheveled "Red-clothed Ghost" clinging to the wet edge of a well, pulling her body out of the water.
Ji Yue lifted her head, revealing two ghastly pale eyes peeking through her black hair, and grinned:
"M-Master..."
Zhao Douan: "..."
Shen Juan rubbed his own dark circles and explained:
"She’s not used to sleeping in a bed, so she’s been living in the well."
Because the wells of the Imperial Court are connected, the rumor gradually spread that there was a ghost living in the well — no, a person living in the well... As a result, some people dared not use the well water."
Zhao Douan: "..."
Tuoba Weizhi: (*ﾟДﾟ*)
Ji Yue lowered her head in shame, aligning the tips of her embroidered shoes, her pale fingers intertwined, her face blushing suddenly, causing steam to rise all over her... like a sauna...
Zhao Douan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the complaints in his chest, just as he was about to offer some consoling words, urgent footsteps suddenly approached outside Lihua Hall!
A tall figure with a tear mole at the corner of the eye and a flying knife sheath hanging at the waist rudely kicked open the door.
"Bang!"
Haitang’s eyes lit up instantly upon seeing Zhao Douan:
"I heard you were here, just in time! Come with me quickly!"
Saying that, she reached out to tug his arm.
Zhao Douan retreated a step cautiously, drawing a line between himself and his female colleague:
"What’s going on? If there’s something, just say it."
Haitang said loudly, annoyed:
"Princess Wenzhu, the Princess Wenzhu from the Western Regions has escaped to the Capital!"
What?! Zhao Douan was taken aback.
...
...
Zhao Douan dared not delay, hurriedly following Haitang towards Governor Hall.
On the way, he asked aloud:
"What’s going on? How did Princess Wenzhu come to the Capital? Wasn’t the intelligence saying she was already imprisoned? Is she at the government office?"
Haitang, dragging his arm, said angrily as they walked:
"I don’t know either! She’s injured and disguised as a commoner to enter the city. She suddenly appeared at the government office this morning, asking for you, then fainted!
The Lord sent people to your home to look for you, and when they didn’t find you, they went to the palace but still couldn’t find you.
This matter is significant and couldn’t be mentioned to other ministers in the court, so they just treated her first. I only came to find you after hearing about your return."
As they spoke, the two stepped into Governor Hall, where several familiar figures were waiting under the eaves outside a side house.
It was Chief Eunuch Ma Yan, Zhang Han, and others.
"Lord, what’s going on?" Zhao Douan asked solemnly.
Seeing him arrive, Ma Yan also breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head, and explained in a deep voice:
"It’s still unclear. We only know that Princess Wenzhu escaped from the Western Regions to the Capital escorted by her attendants.
When she arrived, there was only one female guard left by her side, who was also severely injured.
I sent someone to take the female guard to the Imperial Medical Bureau. She only mentioned that everyone else escorting the princess was killed. She said nothing else."
Zhao Douan’s heart sank: "Where is Princess Wenzhu?"
Ma Yan pointed to the tightly closed door:
"She’s inside. The princess’s injuries aren’t severe; more due to the fear and exhaustion throughout the journey. She just woke up after sleeping.
No matter how we ask, she refuses to speak, seemingly quite wary of us. She says she’ll only open up after seeing you."
Zhao Douan furrowed his brow:
"Understood. I’ll go in and take a look. Tuoba, wait outside."
He instructed uneasily, then stepped onto the rough steps, raised his hands, and slowly pushed open the door.
"Creak——"
The room was dry and warm, with sunlight filtering through the window paper, and a faint scent of calming herbs in the air.
He closed the door behind him, turned around the entrance into the bedroom, and saw Princess Wenzhu lying on a bed.
The bed’s drape was half-drawn. Once magnificent and gracious, the nearly holy image of Princess Wenzhu now appeared as a completely changed person.
Withered, weak, sallow-faced, and with dry hair, she lay there only in her white undergarments, startled from her light sleep by the sound, she said:
"I said that aside from Lord Zhao, I won’t see anyone else..."
Zhao Douan strode over, his eyes narrowing slightly:
"Princess Wenzhu?"
Wenzhu was taken aback and hurriedly sat up, looking over with surprise. Upon recognizing him, this woman who had escaped for thousands of miles seemed to find her anchor, and her taut nerves suddenly slackened, her eyes almost turned red:
"Lord Zhao..."
Zhao Douan took a step forward, constrained by etiquette, he didn’t get too close, just pulled a rosewood chair over, sat by the bed, and said in a deep voice:
"What exactly happened? Weren’t you confined by the Golden Tent?"
Princess Wenzhu said tearfully:
"It was the Red Sect Master who found a way to rescue me, instructing me to find you, saying there’s a huge secret to tell you!"
