The abandoned consort

Xu Qi'an took out the prepared secret letter and placed it on the table.

Su Su eagerly unfolded the book and read it repeatedly. The tears in her eyes seemed to grow stronger, but they just wouldn't fall.

Tears are a strong expression of emotion, but they are not real.

How can a ghost cry? Right, she can't even cry for her family.

"How could my father have made so many enemies? This... this doesn't make sense," Su Su said mournfully.

"The Su family's case is extraordinary," Li Miaozhen said, patting the paper maid's shoulder in comfort.

"One of our purposes in coming to the capital is to investigate your family's case. Don't worry, I will find out the truth about that case from back then."

Xu Qi'an cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Feiyan. I await your good news."

Li Miaozhen immediately turned her head, her fair face showing a hint of reproach, and glared at him fiercely.

She was just saying it casually to encourage Su Su; this kind of thing couldn't be done by her alone. Xu Qi'an definitely needed to take the lead.

This person just can't stand her being in the limelight.

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Xu." Li Miaozhen pouted.

"I did promise you, but..." Xu Qi'an looked troubled and said:

"I initially thought it was a minor case, something I did on the spur of the moment, but... I never imagined it would get so complicated. Besides, I'm no longer a Silver Gong (a high-ranking official), and my investigations are facing obstacles at every turn. I'm afraid..."

Su Su's expression changed slightly. "You want to back out?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head and said in a deep voice, "No, the time limit must be increased."

Zhong Li and Li Miaozhen didn't react for a moment, but Su Su understood. She lowered her head shyly and whispered, "How... how long?"

Xu Qi'an kept everyone in suspense, saying, "Let's talk about it later."

He hadn't expected Su Su to actually agree; he'd only been joking around, teasing the beautiful female ghost.

Just then, Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, called out from the courtyard in a slightly panicked voice, "Dalang, Dalang, the officials are here!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Miaozhen frowned, grabbed the flying sword on the table, and pushed open the door to go out.

Xu Qi'an followed her out and happened to see a group of people forcefully entering the mansion. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing the armor of an imperial guard commander, followed by more than a dozen heavily armored soldiers.

In addition, several Nightwatchers accompanied them: Li Yuchun with the silver gong, Song Tingfeng with the bronze gong, and Zhu Guangxiao.

The once imposing commander of the Imperial Guards swept his sharp gaze across the inner courtyard, taking in Chu Caiwei and Zhong Li from the Bureau of Astronomy, and Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen from the Celestial Person Sects.

His gaze softened slightly.

Xu Qi'an and Li Yuchun exchanged glances briefly before looking away, without engaging in further conversation.

The Imperial Guard commander, with one hand on his sword hilt, called out, "Xu Qi'an, I have come by His Majesty's decree to inquire about the Princess's abduction. Please cooperate."

Emperor Yuanjing cares deeply for his princess. Even at this sensitive time, he still sent people to investigate me, which is enough to show how much he values her.

We must handle this carefully, otherwise, it could shatter the current peace. If Emperor Yuanjing finds out that I have a princess in secret, he certainly won't let it go easily.

Xu Qi'an nodded silently, his tone calm. "What does the general wish to ask?"

The Imperial Guard Commander said in a deep voice, "I would be grateful if Young Master Xu could gather everyone in the manor. Also, this is not the place to talk; let's go inside and discuss this further."

Xu Qi'an immediately ordered the gatekeeper, Lao Zhang, to gather the servants of the mansion, while he, along with the commander of the Imperial Guards, Li Yuchun Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao, entered the inner hall.

Because the servants had all been gathered in the courtyard, no one served tea. Xu Qi'an sat in the main seat, looking at the commander of the Imperial Guards with a blank expression.

"What kind of attitude is this? It's downright arrogant!" The Imperial Guard Commander glanced at him, his face also hardening, and said:

"His Majesty has already heard about the Princess's abduction from the delegation. However, some details remain unknown. Please, Young Master Xu, tell us the truth."

Seeing Xu Qi'an nod, the Imperial Guard Commander continued, "According to the description given by the maid who escorted the Princess back to the Prince of Huai's residence, after the Princess was abducted, Young Master Xu caught up with the four leaders of the barbarian tribes. Is this true?"

Xu Qi'an answered truthfully, "Yes."

The commander of the Imperial Guards pressed on, "And then what happened?"

"Of course he escaped later. Does the general think that I, a sixth-rank martial artist, am capable of fighting four fourth-rank experts? Even if I had the magic book bestowed by the Confucian School, I still couldn't do it, right?" Xu Qi'an said in a rhetorical tone.

The commander of the Imperial Guards did not refute this, which was tantamount to acknowledging it, but he was not entirely convinced. He narrowed his eyes and pressed further:

"Since you know you are no match for him, why did you chase after him, Lord Xu?"

Xu Qi'an remained calm. "I didn't know at the time that there was another fourth-rank expert lying in wait. The reason I chased after them was simply to fulfill my duty as a subject and see if there was any chance to rescue the princess. When I saw that it was hopeless, I naturally gave up."

Fulfilling your duty as a subject? Of all the officials in the court, you are the most inhuman. The commander of the Imperial Guards remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly revealed a meaningful smile:

"It seems no one ever told you the Princess was still alive, right? According to the maid, the 'Princess' had already died at the hands of the snake demon Hongling. How did you know the Princess was still alive, Lord Xu?"

When Xu Qi'an arrived, the fake princess was already dead.

The mission reported that the princess had been abducted and her whereabouts were unknown because they had not witnessed it. However, Xu Qi'an clearly saw it, and logically, in his understanding, the princess should have been dead.

Now, Xu Qi'an shows no surprise at the fact that the princess is still alive. What does this signify?

Faced with the Imperial Guard Commander's questioning, Xu Qi'an also revealed a meaningful smile, "It seems no one has ever told you that I didn't know she was a fake princess."

The commander of the Imperial Guards frowned.

Xu Qi'an smiled confidently, "At that time, Chu Xianglong abandoned the delegation and fled alone. He not only carried the 'Princess' on his back, but also had his guards carry the maids to escape with him."

"Heh, Chu Xianglong is no saint. If I couldn't see the real princess mixed in with the maids, wouldn't my title as the number one constable of the Great Feng be just an empty boast?"

The commander of the Imperial Guards was stunned. He was powerless to refute Xu Qi'an's words and even felt that this was how it should be.

If the fake princess could deceive Xu Qi'an, then he wouldn't be the legendary detective.

At this moment, a member of the Imperial Guard walked to the entrance of the inner hall and respectfully said, "Commander, the inspection is complete."

The commander of the Imperial Guards immediately stood up and said, "Farewell."

He didn't even look at Li Yuchun and the other two, and left with his men.

Inside the hall, only the former colleagues remained. The four people, who used to have a deep friendship, couldn't find anything to talk about and remained silent.

After a long while, Li Yuchun stood up, and Xu Qi'an quickly followed suit. Brother Chun walked up to him, examined him for a moment, then reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his chest, and said calmly:

"Wrinkled clothes look less presentable; you need to remember to take care of these little things yourself."

After saying that, he whispered, "Well done, I'm proud of you."

"Boss." Xu Qi'an's eyes welled up with tears.

Li Yuchun waved his hand and looked at Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.

"Ningyan, you should leave the capital as soon as possible."

Song Tingfeng opened his arms and embraced him, whispering in his ear, "His Majesty will not let you off."

Zhu Guangxiao said in a muffled voice, "Once we leave the capital, we shouldn't come back. The three of us brothers may never see each other again. But it's better than not dying."

Xu Qi'an grinned and said, "I'm not leaving for now. If you have time to go to a brothel for music sometime, it'll be on me."

He escorted the three out of the inner hall. Just as they reached the door, he saw Zhong Li carefully moving towards him, pressed against the wall, glancing left and right as she went, wary of any potential dangers.

Then, she and Li Yuchun stared at each other, exchanging glances.

Xu Qi'an clearly saw that Chun Ge's neck was covered in goosebumps, and then, as if he had encountered something terrifying, he instinctively jumped back and kicked out at the same time.

Bang!

Zhong Li was kicked away and rolled away to a distance.

Li Yuchun opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing. She didn't dare to look at Zhong Li and walked away, covering her face.

Xu Qi'an rushed over and helped Senior Sister Zhong up. She asked, her voice trembling with tears, "Why did he hit me?"

"."

Xu Qi'an opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer. He patted her head affectionately and said, "He's a weirdo. If you see him in the future, avoid him."

The commander of the Imperial Guards left the Xu Residence with his subordinates, riding their horses for a while before slowing down and asking, "How is the Xu Residence?"

The subordinate replied, "There have been no new servants in the mansion recently, nor any signs of disguise. We have ascertained everyone's identity, and we can verify their identities with the household registration departments of the mansion and Changle County later."

"Furthermore, we conducted a brief search of the Xu Residence and found no women of unknown origin."

It seemed he truly had no connection with the princess. The Imperial Guard Commander nodded and gave the order:

"During this period, have people keep an eye on the Xu Residence, paying attention to everyone who enters or leaves. If any new servants arrive, report it immediately."

The subordinate nodded in agreement, then asked, "Should we send someone to keep an eye on Xu Qi'an?"

The Imperial Guard commander said irritably, "You think you can keep an eye on a sixth-rank martial artist?"

"."

Upon returning to the palace, the commander of the Imperial Guards reported the matter truthfully. Emperor Yuanjing did not respond, neither instructing further investigation nor saying that the matter should be dropped.

The afternoon sun was slightly scorching, and the green leaves shimmered with iridescent colors in the blazing sunlight.

Auntie decided to make plum juice for everyone, which was well received by Xu Lingyin, Lina, and Chu Caiwei.

Xu Qi'an pushed open the door to Erlang's study. Xu Erlang was playing chess with Chu Yuanzhen, drinking and chatting at the same time.

Xu Baipiao tapped the table twice, attracting the attention of the two men, and said after a moment's thought:

"Erlang, I remember there was an official position that recorded everything the emperor said and did in the palace, no matter how small."

Chu Yuanzhen smiled and said, "It's the Imperial Diarist."

Xu Qi'an immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, that's the Imperial Diarist, um, someone from the Hanlin Academy, right?"

Xu Erlang raised his chin and nodded, saying, "The Hanlin Academy is responsible for compiling historical records, and the daily records of the emperor's activities are one of the important bases for compiling history. Naturally, it is the esteemed members of our Hanlin Academy who should serve as the Imperial Diarist."

Xu Qi'an pressed further, "Can you get in touch with them?"

Xu Erlang hesitated slightly, then nodded. "It's a bit difficult, but it's possible."

Xu Qi'an whispered, "I want all the daily records of Emperor Yuanjing's life since his ascension to the throne."

Xu Erlang flatly refused. "Absurd. The daily records cannot be brought out, and besides, they cannot be copied openly."

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "I didn't have anyone copy it down, nor did I ask you to bring it out. You're not supposed to memorize it and then recite it to me. An eighth-grade Self-Cultivation Realm should have a photographic memory by now."

Xu Erlang's face paled. "That's tiring too, the daily records are too long."

Xu Qi'an patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "Weren't you flirting with Miss Wang? I'll teach you a secret technique in a while: the Forty-Eight Hands of Edo."

The next day, Xu Qi'an rode his beloved mare to a restaurant, booked a private room, ordered food and drinks, and waited patiently.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Chief Constable Chen of the Ministry of Justice and Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review arrived one after the other.

The two men were dressed in plain clothes and acted furtively, seemingly afraid of being recognized, and had made simple disguises.

"Lord Xu is now a taboo figure. You must be careful when meeting with him in private." The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review wore a sly smile as he leisurely ate his food and drank his wine.

Chief Constable Chen, his face stern, cut to the chase. "What do you want with us?"

Xu Qi'an poured wine for the two of them and said with a smile:

"I would like to trouble you two with a matter. I would like to investigate an old case. The person involved is named Su Hang, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 29th year of the Zhende era. In the 14th year of the Yuanjing era, he was demoted to the position of prefect of Jiangzhou for unknown reasons. The following year, he was executed for accepting bribes and embezzling public funds."

"This man was once one of the high-ranking officials, and his status was not low. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review must have his files. I would like to take a look."

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review frowned. "I've never heard of this person before. Why is Lord Xu suddenly investigating a case from over twenty years ago?"

Xu Qi'an casually explained, "To be honest, Su Hang's eldest daughter is my concubine."

After he finished speaking, he saw the expressions of Constable Chen and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review suddenly change.

"???"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review swallowed hard. "The man who died in the 14th year of the Yuanjing era... his eldest daughter was your concubine?"

Officer Chen didn't speak, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Xu Qi'an seemed to say: You like this kind of thing?

Um, Su Su's real age is indeed old enough to be my mother. Xu Qi'an realized this and smiled nonchalantly:

"Just kidding, actually she's the daughter of his eldest daughter, and she's my concubine. Back then, due to an accident, the eldest daughter happened to be away from home, so she escaped unharmed."

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review nodded. "This matter is easy to handle. We'll meet here at the same time three days from now. I'll bring you the case file, but you can't take it with you. After you've read it, I'll take it back."

Officer Chen replied, "Me too."

Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you both."

As he spoke, he took out two silver notes with a face value of one hundred taels each.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did not accept the offer, and said self-deprecatingly, "I just said that Lord Zheng has awakened my conscience, so don't smear me again. A meal with you is my reward."

Officer Chen: "Me too."

"Are you Zhang Yide? "Xu Qi'an thought to himself, raising his glass and smiling in acknowledgment.

After a hearty meal and drinks, he mounted the mare and rode towards the yamen, following the rhythmic undulations of the horse.

There's another great beauty waiting for her to settle in.

After lunch, the princess returned to the inn in a sullen mood and sat in front of her dressing table without saying a word.

She suspected she had been abandoned; the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect had been gone for four days without a trace. And that wretched man seemed to have completely forgotten about her.

He never came to see her again.

She still had enough money to stay at the inn for ten days, but without anyone to rely on, she could no longer find a sense of security.

Especially today, after breakfast, the princess disguised herself as an ordinary woman and strolled around the city alone, eventually ending up at the theater.

The opera house is so interesting; it's lively and there are great shows to watch.

She took out five copper coins and went inside to watch a play. The play was about a rich girl who fell in love with a poor scholar, but because they were not of equal social standing, her family disapproved, so the two eloped.

At the beginning, life was sweet and happy. The scholar studied hard for fame and fortune, and the rich girl learned to do embroidery and cook with her delicate hands. Life was poor, but it was still manageable.

But gradually, as the money brought by the rich girl ran out, and the scholar only knew how to study, his life became increasingly difficult.

So the rich girl was abandoned by the scholar and kicked out of his home.

She walked alone in the street, looking desolate, and finally chose to drown herself in the river.

As she watched the ending, tears streamed down the princess's face; she felt as if she were that poor rich girl.

She was tricked out of her home with sweet words and then cruelly abandoned.

"That Xu Qi'an must have forgotten about me, and thinks I'm a burden." The princess sat in front of her dressing table, silently shedding tears.

Just then, there was a knock on the guest room door.