The task Feng Xi Wu had given Li Su was to protect herself, yet now that she was in the manor, Li Su had run out.
Lu Qing Wan felt a sense of dread. "Which of the capable dark guards is present? Have Li Qing, Ying Yi, or Shen Qing Zhou come to see me, any of them will do."
As soon as she finished speaking, she sprang from the bed with a powerful flip, quickly put on her clothes, and began to wash up.
Seeing this, Liang Xia did not dare to delay for a moment, her little legs carrying her swiftly to find someone.
To Lu Qing Wan's surprise, not only was Li Su gone, but Li Qing and Ying Er were also missing. The one who came to see her was Shen Qing Zhou, who was in charge of guarding the outer perimeter of the prince's manor.
He had not arrived particularly quickly. By the time Shen Qing Zhou entered the room, Lu Qing Wan had already finished dressing and grooming, sitting at the table waiting for the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
Seeing Lu Qing Wan, Shen Qing Zhou was about to bow, but was interrupted by the latter. "Enough with the empty courtesies. What happened outside?"
Shen Qing Zhou's eyes darted around, and he seemed to hesitate to speak.
Lu Qing Wan casually touched the Myriad Phoenix King on her hand. "Think carefully before you speak. If you deceive this consort, there will be no good end."
Her change in tone, "this consort," had already indicated her stance.
As soon as Shen Qing Zhou saw the Myriad Phoenix King, he knew that he could not, and should not, conceal anything from Lu Qing Wan.
Therefore, he hardened his heart and poured out everything like beans from a bamboo tube.
"Yesterday, after the late Emperor's funeral procession, he rested by the moat on his way back that night.
This morning, a woman appeared with the prince's personal jade pendant and handkerchief, demanding the prince take responsibility and making the matter widely known.
The new Emperor reprimanded the prince for disrespecting the late Emperor and intended to revoke his regency. Fortunately, thanks to the intervention of Prime Minister Wen, Prince Nan, and Scholar Chi, he did not succeed.
However, this matter is still being debated. If it is not thoroughly investigated, even if the regency is preserved, the prince's reputation will suffer irreparable damage.
Li Su and Li Qing have both gone to help find evidence."
Lu Qing Wan was genuinely shocked, yet she felt that given Feng Qing Heng's animosity towards Feng Xi Wu, it was already remarkable that he had held back until after the tranquil ceremony.
Thinking this, she calmed down. "Which noble lady is the one who colluded with Feng Qing Heng to slander the prince?"
Shen Qing Zhou was momentarily surprised and asked an irrelevant question, "Does the Consort believe the Prince?"
"Tsk," Lu Qing Wan clicked her tongue impatiently. "One is the person I spend my days and nights with, the other is a dead scumbag who wishes for my family's ruin. Do you think I believe the Prince?"
Shen Qing Zhou quickly slapped himself. "The one slandering the prince is the fourth daughter of Yong An Bo's manor, the daughter of the former Yong An Bo, and the sister of the current Yong An Bo."
After speaking, Shen Qing Zhou muttered again, "How did the Consort know that the one slandering the prince must be a noble lady? Couldn't it be an ordinary woman?
It's just to slander the prince for disrespecting the late Emperor, why implicate the reputation of a noble lady from a marquis's manor?"
"Because an ordinary woman would not cause such a sensation, nor could she achieve so many objectives with one move."
A familiar voice sounded, and both of them looked up in surprise to see Lian Yu, whom they had not seen for several months, walking slowly with a confident stride.
The surprise in Lu Qing Wan's eyes had not yet been concealed. "When did the strategist return?"
"To tell the truth, Consort, I returned with the Prince. The reason I did not enter the city immediately was that I was waiting for this day."
Lian Yu, having left the battlefield, had changed into his favorite white robe. His silver hair was tied up with a crown, and he wore a white robe. Even in the dead of winter, he did not seem to wear an extra layer, as if he were insensible to cold or heat.
Lu Qing Wan gestured for Lian Yu to sit. "Strategist, you returned to the manor at this time, I presume the Prince has made other arrangements? Is there anything you need me to do?"
Lian Yu sat down without ceremony, took the teacup Lu Qing Wan handed him, and drank it in one gulp before speaking.
"The new Emperor's choice of a young lady from Yong An Bo's manor to slander the prince is likely intended to further exploit the situation arranged by Imperial Concubine Wen.
By using the young lady from Yong An Bo's manor to bring up the death of the old Yong An Bo, if Imperial Concubine Wen were to interfere again, now that His Majesty is dead and Prince Chen has ascended the throne, there would be no one to prove the prince's lineage and innocence.
Lu Qing Wan's expression grew serious. "Did someone contact Imperial Concubine Wen yesterday during the late Emperor's funeral?"
"No relevant news has been received yet, but the facts are before us, and this is my inference.
I even worry that if the matter escalates, they will bring up Imperial Concubine Wen to deal with the prince.
You know Imperial Concubine Wen; she is definitely a weighty weapon that can be used against the prince."
Every word Lian Yu spoke made sense, but they did not hit the core issue.
Lu Qing Wan, impatient, asked him urgently, "I know all this. What is your and the Prince's counter-strategy? Tell me your counter-strategy, what do you need me to do?"
"No matter what the new Emperor does, please believe that the Prince is innocent, and he has no entanglements with that young lady from Yong An Bo's manor.
Furthermore, please allow me to use the imperial decree and token the late Emperor gave you when necessary."
Lu Qing Wan handed the imperial decree and token to Lian Yu without a second thought. "Stop with the useless talk, is there anything else?"
Lian Yu was about to shake his head when Lu Qing Wan suddenly added, "The night before I went to the palace to mourn, a martial artist of the seventh level broke into the prince's manor. He said I was the person Feng Xi Wu valued most, and therefore, he should kill me.
Also, he recognized the Myriad Phoenix King. I can confirm that he saw the Myriad Phoenix King not with the reverence that Li Qing and others show me, but rather used the Myriad Phoenix King to confirm that Feng Xi Wu was the person he was looking for. Lian Yu, you should know what I mean, right?"
Lian Yu was so startled that his fingernails dug deeply into the table. "You mean, people from... over there?"
Lu Qing Wan neither confirmed nor denied. "Feng Qing Heng's position is unstable. If he wants to cause trouble, we can manage to have it both ways, and naturally, we can attend to the wishes of the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor.
If all else fails, we will disregard those matters; I and the four hundred thousand Xuan Jia Army can at least guarantee his life.
But once people from over there get involved, even the prince's life may not be guaranteed. I don't know who you are facing, but you should know how to protect him, right?"
Lian Yu immediately stood up and cupped his hands towards Lu Qing Wan. "Please trouble the Consort to have people guard the imperial mausoleum and prevent anyone from taking Imperial Concubine Wen out of the mausoleum.
The rest, leave it to me. I will definitely bring the Prince back safely."
Lu Qing Wan stood up. "It would have been better if you had said so earlier. Ru Yue will stay to care for the young heir; the rest of you, go to the imperial mausoleum and defend Imperial Concubine Wen to the death!"
With her command, several women disguised as ordinary young ladies leaped down from the roof. Lian Yu suddenly remembered Lu Qing Wan's other identity, and his eyes brightened.
Before he could speak, Lu Qing Wan suddenly said, "The Prince repeatedly warned me not to leave the manor. Is it that someone outside intends to use me as a stepping stone?"
As Lian Yu was contemplating, Lu Qing Wan preemptively warned him, "Don't think of deceiving me into spending money and effort, and then hiding it from me. That's going too far!"
Lian Yu smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Didn't you place a curse on both Feng Qing Heng and Yu Chu Wei? They wanted to capture you to break the curse. They failed the first time, and they are still plotting to get you?"