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Chapter 310: Returning to the Capital
Chapter 310: Returning to the Capital
Meng Qianqian felt a little embarrassed.
Was the little one here to find Bao Shu, or to find the dragon boots she had marked?
In the evening, the group arrived at the capital.
Lu Yuan and Meng Qianqian first sent Prince Zong Zhengxi back to the imperial palace.
As they got off the carriage, the little wolf pup bit tightly onto his dragon boots.
Prince Zong Zhengxi couldn't argue with the little wolf pup, so he could only scowl and gift the boots to it.
Yes, it was a gift from him to the little wolf pup.
It was definitely not robbed by the little wolf pup.
The group returned to the Duke's Manor.
Bao Shu had played to her heart's content for several days. She fell asleep in the carriage and didn't wake up until she got off.
After greeting Lu Yuan, Nurse Li looked at Meng Qianqian and the sleeping Bao Shu in her arms, unable to hide her excitement, and said, "You must be exhausted. Did you sleep all the way? You must have slept on the carriage ride too. How heavy she's become..."
Meng Qianqian curved her lips slightly, "Nurse, she's gained weight. Be careful not to hurt your hands."
Nurse Li hadn't seen the little one for several days, and she was eager to hold the sleeping Bao Shu. She took Bao Shu from Meng Qianqian and said, "Let Nurse hold you. Where did you gain all this weight? Oh dear, you really have gained quite a bit..."
"Nurse Li, let me hold her."
Qing Shuang spoke up.
"I can hold her..."
Nurse Li had only carried Bao Shu for a few steps before she became breathless. With the recent rain in the capital, the ground was slippery, and she was afraid of dropping Bao Shu, so she reluctantly handed her to Qing Shuang.
"Sigh, I'm getting old and useless."
Meng Qianqian smiled, "Nurse, you're still young. Ban Xia can't hold her for long either."
Ban Xia, who was walking behind with Tan Er, quickly nodded, "Yes, I can't hold her for long either."
Tan Er raised her index finger and said dramatically, "I can hold her all day!"
Ban Xia said, "Who are you comparing with? Why don't you say you can eat all day too?"
Tan Er's eyes widened, "If you're so capable, why don't you eat all day too? It's not like we can't afford it!"
Ban Xia: Is it a matter of affordability? It's that she can't eat that much!
There wasn't a second maid in the entire Duke's Manor who could eat as much as Tan Er.
She ate a lot, but she was also very strong.
Upon calculation, they hadn't wasted any food.
Nurse Li used to find the constant bickering between the two maids annoying, but after not hearing it for a few days, she felt a bit unaccustomed to the silence.
"As soon as you left, it started raining in the capital. It rained for several days and only stopped this afternoon. Did it rain at the hunting ground too?"
Meng Qianqian replied, "It rained there too."
"Oh, how did you manage to hunt? Did you get wet?"
Nurse Li's expression changed, and she pulled Meng Qianqian's hand to feel her forehead. Finding that it wasn't hot, she finally relaxed a little.
Meng Qianqian smiled and said, "It didn't rain continuously. It would rain for a while and then stop."
Meng Qianqian didn't mention getting caught in the rain. Her body had recovered long ago, and a little rain wouldn't harm her, but Nurse Li would worry.
Thinking of something, Nurse Li asked, "Oh, where is the Young Miss?"
Meng Qianqian replied, "She went to the palace with her grandfather and grandmother. Her little brother went too."
Nurse Li was surprised, "Has the Majestic King and his wife, along with the Young Master, already returned from Yua' City?"
Meng Qianqian said, "They returned early and stayed at the hunting ground for a few days. They just went to the palace."
The Majestic King was summoned by the Retired Emperor, while Liu Qingyun went to visit his good sister and also brought Bai Yuwei and Bai Qingchen.
Nurse Li quickly said, "Then I'll have the manor prepare some supper."
"It shouldn't be necessary."
The Majestic King would likely have dinner at the Retired Emperor's palace, and as for Liu Qingyun, Bai Qingchen, and Bai Yuwei, the Retired Empress would surely treat them warmly.
The two spoke as they entered the main courtyard.
Lu Yuan emerged from the study, donning a purple cloak.
"I'm going out for a bit," he said.
Meng Qianqian asked curiously, "You're leaving again so soon after returning?"
Lu Yuan replied, "I'll be back shortly."
"Oh, take an umbrella. It's going to rain soon," Meng Qianqian suggested.
"Alright," Lu Yuan agreed without refusing.
Meng Qianqian muttered to herself, "Where is he going at this late hour?"
Nurse Li followed Meng Qianqian into the room, removing her cloak and folding it over her arm. "Miss, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Nurse Li hesitated, "Someone from the Ministry of Punishment came by and asked if Celestial Dragon was at the Duke's Manor. I told them he wasn't there, and they asked if he had returned in the past few days. I said no. The ministry's guards even searched Celestial Dragon's courtyard. If it weren't for Manager Cen stopping them, they might have searched the entire manor. Miss, what has Celestial Dragon done? And isn't Minister Han on good terms with us? Why are they being so unreasonable?"
Chancellor Xing was known for his integrity and impartiality; he wouldn't show favoritism to the Duke's Manor just because of his relationship with Lady Xing.
What truly concerned Meng Qianqian was that Celestial Dragon had escaped custody, and from the Ministry of Punishment, no less.
Celestial Dragon was only detained in the ministry due to suspicion, and as the adopted son of the Chancellor, he would be released without charge once the truth was revealed.
But now, with this escape, even if he was innocent, he would be considered guilty.
Why would he do such a thing?
Meng Qianqian picked up the cloak that Nurse Li had draped over her arm. "Nurse, I'm going out for a moment."
Nurse Li asked worriedly, "Where are you going at this hour?"
"To the Ministry of Punishment," she replied.
"Miss—" Nurse Li lifted the curtain and rushed out, but Meng Qianqian was already gone.
Tan Er carried a plate of osmanthus cake out of the kitchen.
"Tan Er, stop eating! Miss is going to the ministry. Go and see!" Nurse Li instructed.
"Okay!" Tan Er shoved the plate into Nurse Li's arms, stuffed two large pieces into her mouth, and held one in each hand as she hurried off.
"And take an umbrella—" Nurse Li grabbed an umbrella, but Tan Er was already out of sight.
Nurse Li felt both angry and worried. "You remembered to tell your husband to bring an umbrella, but you didn't think of yourself at all."
As soon as Meng Qianqian and Tan Er rode out of the Duke's Manor, they encountered Si She at the entrance.
"Is Ji Li here?" Si She asked.
"He hasn't returned," Meng Qianqian replied, glancing at Si She. "You disappeared into the woods, and Lord Lu said you went to find Xun Qi. Did you see anyone else besides him?"
"Celestial Dragon," Si She answered.
Meng Qianqian tightened her grip on the reins. "So you did see him. Do you know where he went?"
Si She replied honestly, "I don't know. I only know that the Chancellor gave him an order to kill Lord Lu."
Meng Qianqian's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
Si She asked her, "Isn't Lord Lu with you?"
Meng Qianqian furrowed her brows. "He just left. Could he... be going to meet Celestial Dragon?"
Lord Lu hadn't mentioned meeting Celestial Dragon, which meant something strange was going on. The reason he didn't tell her was to keep her out of it.
Lord Lu knew that Celestial Dragon wanted to kill him! Meng Qianqian bit her bent index finger and whistled towards the mansion.
A hunting eagle soared past the high rooftop, flapping its wings and ascending into the dark, rolling clouds.
Meng Qianqian commanded the eagle, "Find Lord Lu!"
(End of Chapter)
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