Her guards

Chapter 194 The Oriole's Hunt

The melodious sound of bells echoed in Tianning Temple, accompanied by the chanting of monks outside the main hall. Consort Li knelt on a prayer mat, surrounded by the smoke of incense.

"Thank you for your blessings, my parents," she said devoutly. "I thought I had done nothing for nothing, but after all the twists and turns, my wish came true."

She couldn't help but burst out laughing as she spoke.

The doctor, Dr. Li, who was kneeling opposite him, frowned: "Keep your voice down."

Consort Li smiled and said, "I trust my brother's prudence; everything here must be arranged perfectly."

Doctor Li's expression was somewhat arrogant. Indeed, the entire Tianning Temple was now filled with his people, and not a single blade of grass or tree would reveal any information about its inner workings to outsiders.

Everyone knows that the Marquis of Yichun's family is powerful and influential, but the Marquis of Yichun was just a local marquis back then. It was the Li family that had been powerful and influential in the capital for generations, and they had raised countless disciples under their reputation for integrity.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he smiled.

"The Marquis of Yichun and his family must hate His Majesty very much at this moment."

"His Majesty also hates Marquis Yichun," Consort Li said with a smile. "Now I think it's a good thing that Yang Luo didn't die back then. If His Majesty had only heard that the Yang mother and daughter were dead, he might have cried a little and moved on, until he saw the child with his own eyes."

Past friendships become more real, and pain becomes even more intense, with both new and old grudges surging into the heart.

At this point, Consort Li felt a little regretful.

"It would be even better to see this child die right before my eyes."

In that case, the emperor wouldn't just detain Chai Du; he would probably also bring the Marquis of Yichun directly to the Dali Temple.

Unfortunately, the assassins sent out failed again.

“Wei Jiao was sent by the emperor to protect Yang Luo. Even with his arm injured, he is not easy to deal with,” said Doctor Li. He didn’t seem to care. “It doesn’t matter if he’s not dead. As long as His Majesty knows that his daughter has been threatened with death all along, that’s enough.”

Consort Li nodded: "Previously, Ji Ying was brought out, but then the matter was downplayed. His Majesty even executed the servant of Ji Ying that we had bribed. We thought His Majesty really intended to let him off lightly, but it turns out he had already investigated in secret." As she said this, her eyes lit up with joy. "Now can we produce the irrefutable evidence we have prepared?"

When the blood letter from Ji Ying came out earlier, Physician Li did not add fuel to the fire or provide more evidence. Instead, he stopped all action and waited very cautiously for His Majesty to make the first move.

His Majesty's intervention proves that he truly intends to avenge the Yang mother and daughter and break ties with the Chai family.

If they then present the real evidence, the Chai family will be severely punished, if not killed.

Doctor Li smiled, stroked his beard, and nodded: "Yes, everything is ready. We're just waiting for now."

The blade that fell in White Horse Town can now finally be harvested.

As the bell of Tianning Temple rang, the tightly closed mountain gate opened, and Consort Li emerged, surrounded by palace maids and attendants. Doctor Li and his wife, along with their children, followed closely behind, joining the monks in a respectful farewell.

The imperial concubine's carriage departed under the escort of the imperial guards. However, the Li family did not take the opportunity to leave with her. Instead, they had their children distribute sacrificial offerings to the poor people in front of the temple. The Li couple then rode in a simple carriage and delivered some rice and vegetables to a private school called Zhulin Temple.

This is a place where poor families in the capital study. Tuition is not charged, and a meal is even provided. Not only do many children come here to study, but some poor scholars also come here to get a meal.

The surrounding people were not surprised to see the Li family's carriages and horses; this had been a common sight for many years.

"Dr. Li is truly kind-hearted."

"Dr. Li really takes good care of scholars; I even want to go back to school now."

The crowd exclaimed in admiration, and many children rushed over to ask for some food.

The Li family's carriages and horses quickly departed. As dusk fell, classes ended at the private school, and several teachers, carrying rice and grain, walked through the crowds on the street to go home.

However, what they didn't know was that each private tutor was followed by a number of eyes, whether it was mischievous children, hawkers, or women chatting and laughing together.

As one of them approached his house but turned into another alley, a mischievous child behind him, holding a piece of food, swallowed the cake and blew a toy whistle.

At the same time, several servants walked out of the Dali Temple, looking relaxed and happy.

"I'm not on duty again tonight."

"I even got a tip today."

"His Majesty has come again, and everyone has received a reward."

"I wonder if His Majesty will come again tomorrow."

They dispersed, chatting and laughing. One of the old servants, clutching the reward money in his hand, smiled even more broadly and even bought a piece of meat to take home.

"Grandson, you must be tired from studying today." He pushed open the simple courtyard gate. "I bought you something."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression turned to astonishment as he looked at the strange man standing in the courtyard, while his beloved grandson, who was studying at the Bamboo Forest Temple, was being held in the man's hand.

The grandson's mouth was gagged with cloth, and he struggled in terror.

The old handyman dropped the meat in his hands and was about to cry out, but someone suddenly appeared behind him and covered his mouth, while the courtyard gate was slammed shut at the same time.

Night fell over the imperial city. The Hall of Diligent Governance was brightly lit, and the guards outside were heavily armed. However, when they saw Wei Jiao coming, they did not stop him or announce his arrival. They let Wei Jiao push open the hall door and walk in with a bang.

There was no emperor in the palace. Wei Jiao walked to a side room, lifted the heavy curtain, and saw a girl lying on a couch, stuffing a dried apricot into her mouth.

"Senior brother, you're here! That's great! I feel safer now," Mo Zheng said with a smile.

"Safety?" Wei Jiao frowned and said, "Isn't it safest to stay by the emperor's side? Didn't you say His Majesty should go and see the evidence? Why didn't you go?"

If she went, Wei Jiao would definitely go with her. With her there, it would be inconvenient for the emperor and Yang Luo and her father to talk, so she deliberately stayed in the capital.

"Alas, I was so excited to see Chai Du today that I was heartbroken and felt extremely weak. The imperial physician told me to rest more," Mo Zheng said. After saying that, she picked up a dried fruit, squeezed it out with a crisp crunch, and put it in her mouth.

He looked heartbroken, but there was no trace of heartbreak or despair in him. This bastard wasn't even pretending anymore. Wei Jiao sneered and looked around: "So, you only sent your maid with His Majesty?"

He looked at the girl again. "You are quite remarkable, maid. You show no fear or timidity in front of His Majesty."

Mo Zheng smiled and said, "Haven't you heard the saying 'like master, like servant'? My mistress is capable, so of course my maid is capable too."

The capital city, shrouded in night, feels quieter than usual.

Countless figures surrounded a narrow alley, and then two figures slowly walked into a courtyard and stood outside the window looking into the room.

Inside the room, an old servant knelt on the floor, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Yes, it was my private tutor who told me to do this. My grandson studies under him, and I admire him very much."

"I relayed the message to the servant of the Ji family on his behalf."

"I didn't see the specific message; it was a note, and the servant ate it after reading it."

The emperor glanced around the room before looking away at the young woman standing beside him, his expression one of surprise: "A-Luo, you found out already?"

His expression was complicated.

He was already surprised when A Luo said Ji Ying was in her hands, but he didn't expect that besides Ji Ying, A Luo had done so much more. She brought a large number of people and searched for the murderer herself.
He originally thought that his daughter had gone to great lengths to find him, meet him, and recognize him, so that he would help her find the murderer.

Actually, the daughter had already done all of these things herself before she found him.

His daughter is truly exceptional.

It exceeded his expectations.

Yang Luo looked at him and smiled: "Your Majesty, since I was born with such an extraordinary father, my mother naturally has to make extraordinary preparations for me."

Because such an unusual father would bring her misfortune.

His daughter, Luo Ying, had never received any care from her father since birth, and instead had to endure the threat of death. The emperor's eyes stung with tears, and he could still hear his daughter's voice.

“I didn’t know who wanted to kill me, but I guessed the killer was from the capital. After all, not many people in the world know my identity, and not many people care about my identity.”

The emperor understood her meaning. Yang Luo also suspected him of being the murderer, since she had previously asked him directly if he had killed her mother.

"So my people started keeping an eye on all the powerful and influential people in the palace."

"I am in the light, and I am in the dark."

"They thought I was alone, weak and easy to bully, and hunted me like prey."

"But actually, I'm also hunting them."

"I finally discovered a lot of anomalies, especially after Ji and Ying were thrown out."

"Through this menial job at the Dali Temple, we discovered that the Li family was raising manpower through their private school."

"By keeping an eye on the private school, we discovered that Chai Du's confidant had been bribed by the Li family."

"This person is in charge of looking after the mine and went to Beijing more than ten days ago."

She turned around to indicate this as she spoke.

“I think the Li family will soon have him come out to testify against Chai Du.”

"My men have found his hiding place today. Your Majesty, come with me to see it..."

Before she could finish speaking, the emperor shook his head and interrupted, "No need to look, A-Luo. I believe what you say. Lady Li is the mastermind behind this. I will order the confiscation of her property immediately."

Yang Luo looked at the emperor.

The murderer who harmed so many people in her previous life and made her die in a daze was utterly powerless in the face of the emperor's authority.

She felt somewhat dazed; the result seemed both real and unreal.

Power.

"Your Majesty," she said, reaching out to pull the emperor's hand, "why don't we wait a moment?"

"Waiting for what?" The emperor was taken aback.

Yang Luo looked at the emperor and said, "Why don't we wait until Chai Du is identified as the culprit?"

The emperor's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Your Majesty," Yang Luo said softly, "don't you think this is a good opportunity?"

The emperor looked at the girl before him, seemingly wanting to say something, but he only moved his lips slightly.

Yang Luo laughed: "Is Your Majesty implying that I hate the Marquis of Yichun's family?"

She no longer looked at the emperor, but gazed at the night scene in the courtyard.

"I do hate it."

"Although they didn't harm my mother."

“But I saw them bully my father with my own eyes.”

“My father bullied me and drove my mother away. My father bullied me and can’t acknowledge his own daughter.”

"Father!" The emperor was startled, and tears welled up in his eyes. Luo Ying had called him "Father!"
(End of this chapter)