The first time in history

Qian Mingduo asked: "Whose army did Mr. Shen serve in? What crime did he commit? And who protected him?"

"Mr. Shen was the deputy commander of the Ruishi Battalion. Thirteen years ago, the Ruishi Battalion... was under the command of the emperor and his wife, Li Dan." Lu Ran closed his eyes and thought, "He killed the deputy commander of the Jianhu Battalion by mistake after getting drunk. He should have been beheaded, but..."

"But is it protected by the Imperial Aunt and Imperial Uncle?" Qian Mingduo said lightly.

Lu Ran nodded and handed the silk fan in his hand to Zi'er and Qing'er. "As a result, Mr. Shen was stripped of his military merits, beaten with 80 military sticks, and will never be employed again. He also used all his family property to compensate the deputy general he accidentally killed."

"When Mr. Shen opened the escort agency thirteen years ago, my third brother was still a child. It takes a lot of money to open an escort agency." Qian Mingduo said slowly: "Since his family was confiscated, how could he have enough money to open an escort agency?"

Lu Ran smiled and said, "If it weren't for someone's sponsorship, Mr. Shen wouldn't be able to open the escort agency. It might be that his savior funded him."

"It's the imperial aunt again." Qian Mingduo sighed softly, "If Mr. Shen hadn't died, I wouldn't have suspected her."

"The Third Prince asked Mr. Shen to assassinate the Second Prince. Mr. Shen must have informed *** of the entire plan." Lu Ran said, "And *** was determined to kill Mr. Shen and prove that it was the Third Prince who assassinated the Second Prince."

Qian Mingduo nodded, "The royal aunt is worried that one day Mr. Shen will reveal that she also knew about the assassination of the second brother by the third brother. If we kill Mr. Shen, there will be no evidence."

"I wonder if the sign on Mr. Shen's body will implicate His Highness the Third Prince?"

"There must be a connection, but the assassin and Mr. Shen have both been killed. For Third Brother Yu..." Qian Mingduo said, "There is no evidence."

"Ran'er." Qian Mingduo said, "The three of you should fan me. I feel much cooler."

Lu Ran smiled and said, "Maybe Mr. Shen was killed by the Third Prince. This is not impossible?"

"Anyway, it was either the imperial aunt who killed him, or my third brother." Qian Mingduo stretched lazily, "Anyway, it was either him or her."

Lu Ran nodded. "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

"Protect ourselves." Qian Mingduo walked to the bottom of the wooden ladder and looked at the dark room above. "Such a big thing happened in the capital, and the emperor is on his way back to the capital. Before the emperor makes a decision, we must protect ourselves."

Lu Ran walked up to Qian Mingduo and asked, "Is Your Highness worried that this place is unsafe?"

"My sixth brother was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, and my second brother died a violent death. If something happens to me again, my third brother will reap the benefits." Qian Mingduo's eyes suddenly focused, "Ran'er, our thoughts have always been on the four adult princes. Don't forget, there are two little princes in the palace?"

Lu Ran also came to his senses, "Although they are young, they are also the emperor's biological sons, and they can all become princes!"

"Ran'er, go and make the arrangements." Qian Mingduo stood up and said, "I want to meet Chu Xiang in person."

"Your Highness," Lu Ran said anxiously, "It's too dangerous. The situation is so chaotic now, I'm worried about Your Highness..."

Qian Mingduo held Ran'er's hand and said, "You still made an appointment with Chu Xiang to meet at the teahouse. Don't tell him that I want to meet him yet. When the time comes, I will act according to the circumstances."

It was late at night, and there was no light in Rui Yulan's room. She sat quietly on a chair, and a woman stood in front of her.

"You did a great job on this matter. Where do you want to go?" Rui Yulan asked.

"I want to... go back to Suzhou."

"You can go back to Suzhou, but you can't show up in public for the time being. I'll send someone to notify you in the future." Rui Yulan stood up. "Yujiao, Rujiao, you guys send Miss Ruyi off!"

Miss Ruyi wanted to say something to Rui Yulan, but when she saw Rui Yulan quickly disappear at the end of the corridor, she could only sigh helplessly.

"Miss Ruyi, please follow us." Yujiao said.

Miss Ruyi, who had just walked down the stone steps, suddenly felt a pain in her back. She opened her eyes wide, looked at the tip of the sword sticking out of her chest, and then watched the tip of the sword disappear.

She spat out a large mouthful of blood, slowly knelt down, and then slowly fell down.

In the shadow of the corridor, an indifferent gaze watched all this. Rui Yulan quietly walked to Miss Ruyi's side and said, "I actually like your Pingtan singing very much. It would be a pity to kill you. But... you know too much."

Miss Ruyi looked at Rui Yulan's embroidered shoes and slowly closed her eyes.

Teahouse, elegant room. Chu Xiang was still drinking a double serving of Biluochun, and he was still looking out at the canal.

Qian Mingduo looked at Chu Xiang, who was not too surprised by his appearance, and said with a smile: "Mr. Chu, how are you?"

"I pay my respects to His Highness the Fifth Prince."

Qian Mingduo supported Chu Xiang who was about to kneel down. "Rui Chen is now a wanted criminal of the imperial court. Mr. Chu, there is no need to be polite."

"Mr. Chu, can you reach heaven?" Qian Mingduo asked directly.

Chu Xiang shook his head, then nodded. "Chu Xiang obeys Chief Steward Gao, and Chief Steward Gao..."

"Rui Chen wants to ask Mr. Chu something."

"Your Highness the Fifth Prince, please speak."

Qian Mingduo looked out the window and said slowly, "Which lady in the harem is the imperial aunt on good terms with?"

"*** doesn't interact much with the ladies in the harem." Chu Xiang glanced at Qian Mingduo, "It's just...it's just that *** likes the ninth prince Rui Mao very much. She even said that she would teach him swordsmanship personally."

Qian Mingduo nodded slightly, "Did Ninth Brother learn from you?"

"The emperor has not agreed, so I have not received any teachings!" Chu Xiang bowed and said.

Qian Mingduo smelled Chu Xiang's tea and frowned, "The Imperial Aunt taught my ninth brother swordsmanship. How is my ninth brother's mother going to thank the Imperial Aunt?"

"Replying to the Fifth Prince." Chu Xiang looked at Qian Mingduo, "Chu Xiang doesn't know."

Qian Mingduo nodded, "Does Eunuch Gao know that the Royal Aunt wants to teach Ninth Brother swordsmanship?"

"Yes, I learned about it the day before I left for the palace."

"Since you know this, and don't..." Qian Mingduo smiled. He stood up and said, "Mr. Chu is the owner of Moyi Building, do you know the background of your owner?"

"The owner of the building is a mysterious figure that is hard to find. Although Chu Xiang has made many inquiries, he has found nothing." Chu Xiang asked, "Your Highness the Fifth Prince is cooperating with the owner of the building. I wonder if you know the owner's background?"

Qian Mingduo walked to the door of the elegant room, "Your host is a beautiful woman, a very powerful beautiful woman! Mr. Chu's tea is too strong!"

"Take care, Your Highness the Fifth Prince." The door curtain of the elegant room swayed slightly, and an elusive look flashed in Chu Xiang's eyes.

Chu Xiang returned to his seat and waved out the window. A young man came to the elegant room quickly. Chu Xiang whispered a few words to him, and the young man left quickly.