The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

"Knock knock!" Cai He went forward and knocked on the door. There was a sound of footsteps, and the door opened. From inside came a slender young woman with narrow shoulders and waist, willow-shaped eyebrows and oval face, and a woman's bun.

Although it was the coldest time of the year, she wore little, revealing her slender neck. She deliberately left a few strands of hair on her forehead, which further highlighted her unique charm.

The woman leaned against the door, her peach blossom eyes gazing up and down at Lu Yun and his servant. Seeing Lu Yun dressed as a Taoist priest, she muttered, "Which mansion are you from?"

Caihe stopped the young lady and shouted loudly to the inside, "Princess Ning'an, I've come to visit Lord Zhao." When she heard it was the princess, the woman immediately restrained her demeanor and said with a smile, "Why didn't you tell me earlier, princess? Please come in quickly." After that, without waiting for the people inside to reply, she took the initiative to lead the two in.

Lu Yun took the lead, passing the two of them and walking quickly toward the lighted room. The room was divided into three rooms by partitions. The study was plain, with a ceiling-high bookcase, a desk, a chair, and a vase of begonias by the window. In the middle, a fumigation basket sat, and the room was warm and cozy.

After seeing Lord Zhao's appearance clearly, Lu Yun couldn't help but take a few more glances. The young man was wearing a washed-out blue cotton robe. He was thin and tall, with handsome features and a circle of blue stubble on his chin. He was elegant yet a little melancholy.

"Your humble servant pays respects to Princess Ning'an. I was unaware that you were coming, and I apologize for not welcoming you." Lord Zhao bowed and apologized.

Lu Yun coughed lightly, signaling him not to be so polite, and then went straight to the point. "I'm here to discuss the disappearance of Zhang, the wife of Lu Lingcong, the Minister of Public Administration. I heard that Your Majesty has already handed the matter over to the Dali Temple for investigation, so I've come to inquire about the truth. Zhang is my mother, so please tell me everything you know, Lord Zhao."

The young man slowly stood up and sat on the chair, his handsome eyebrows slightly wrinkled. "Please forgive me, Princess. This case has not yet been investigated, and I am really not in a position to disclose any information."

He turned out to be a stubborn donkey. Lu Yun glared at him and said, "I know it's not easy for Lord Zhao to be an official. I don't want to make things difficult for you. I just want to ask Lord Zhao to tell me the time and place where my mother encountered the robbers, how the government is searching, and if there is more detailed information." Lu Yun was afraid that he would not tell her yet, so she pulled up a flag and said, "The concubine of the Third Prince's Mansion, Concubine Li, is my cousin. She has an extraordinary relationship with my mother and is very worried about her safety."

The young man finally raised his eyes, briefly glancing at Lu Yun's face before lowering them again. His voice was gentle, "Your mother disappeared seven days ago near Panlong Mountain in Lianze County, Luzhou. Only some empty boxes, a few pieces of clothing, and a few bloodstained swords were left at the scene. The local authorities sent people to search the mountain the next day, but to no avail. Four days later, the case was reported to the court and handed over to the Dali Temple for investigation."

After a pause, he stood up and bowed to Lu Yun, his voice firm, "I have received the official document to personally conduct an on-site inspection. I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. Please rest assured, my lady, and please also rest assured, Her Majesty Li Fei."

After returning to the manor, Lu Yun immediately picked up her pen and wrote three letters, one to her uncle, one to her master, and the last one to Concubine Li.

The day after tomorrow would be the day when Emperor Longqing would ascend the mountain to offer sacrifices to the Holy Empress Dowager. Lu Yun decided to secretly follow Lord Zhao to Luzhou to investigate. She would ask her master to cover up for her if His Majesty asked. Every year at this time, she would bring Dashou to copy the "Lingbao Wuliangduren Shangpin Miaojing" thirty times and hand it over to her master. She had already copied it twenty-two times, and she needed to finish the remaining eight while there was still time.

She asked Caihe to bring more candles, lamp oil, banknotes, and charcoal, and asked the kitchen to prepare more snacks and food. After burning incense and bathing, Lu Yun closed the study door, instructed that no one should be disturbed unless it was urgent, and then began copying scriptures.

The candlelight in the study remained on for a whole day and night. Except for eating and changing clothes, Lu Yun never stopped working. Finally, after the first cock crowed on the third day, he had finished copying the remaining eight articles.

Lu Yun rubbed her wrist which was about to lose sensation, packed up the scriptures on the table and put them in a wooden box. She would give it to Nanny Guizhi later and ask her to take it to the mountain and give it to the master personally.

After eating a few snacks, Lu Yun finished her homework for the day and began to pack her luggage to take away, focusing on keeping everything light.

Even so, the wooden boxes in the carriage were almost full. Seeing Cai He was trying to stuff more things in, Lu Yun hurriedly persuaded her, "It's enough. Don't take any more."

Cai He said unwillingly, "Master, these are the snacks and dry food that the kitchen has just made. There are a few more big bags at the back." What if you get hungry on the way? Nanny Guizhi nodded in agreement.

Lu Yun felt depressed upon hearing this. She really couldn't refuse this reason. Over the past few years, from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, her appetite had become well-known to everyone.

"Okay." Lu Yun nodded helplessly.

Leaning on the warm hill of dry food, Lu Yun said goodbye to everyone in the manor and went to the capital with Caihe. At the city gate, she happened to meet Lord Zhao who was standing in front of a carriage.

Perhaps he was in a hurry, so Lord Zhao was wearing a lot of clothes today. He was wearing a black cloak and standing in the snow, he looked like a tall green pine tree, attracting the attention of many women.

Noticing Lu Yun's gaze, he hesitated for a moment and walked over to greet Lu Yun. "Greetings, Princess. Are you going to the Marquis of Ping'an's Mansion?"

Lu Yun smiled at him and said, "Wherever Lord Zhao goes, I will go." The passers-by who were watching secretly took a breath and began to imagine a drama of a young lady and a young man eloping for love.

"This - I'm afraid it's against etiquette." Lord Zhao obviously disagreed, and his handsome eyebrows frowned slightly.

"Don't talk nonsense, Lord Zhao, you should set off quickly. It's getting late and the snow makes it difficult to travel. If you delay any longer, you may not be able to make it to the post station to stay." Lu Yun couldn't bear to listen to his nagging and asked Caihe to lower the curtain. "We just have the same destination. Whether Lord Zhao goes or not, I will go."

Zhao Qingyu was helpless and didn't say anything. He was already planning to go to his place of residence and hire a few martial arts masters to protect them all the way north. A princess who had become a nun was still a princess. If something happened on the way, he would be blamed.

Lu Yun had no idea what Lord Zhao was worried about. She just hoped that the carriage would go faster and faster so that she could get to Luzhou as soon as possible to find clues and bring her mother and her brothers and sisters back safely.

In the Yannian Hall of the Marquis Ping'an's Mansion, a beautiful woman in plain clothes was talking and laughing with the old lady.

"Old lady, do you like the Lu'an tea I brought you last time?" The beautiful woman spoke warmly. "If you like it, I have a few more boxes. I'll bring you some next time."

The old lady was so happy that she grabbed the woman's hand and patted it again and again. "You are still as considerate as you were back then. It's a pity that you are not destined to be with us. My dear child, it would have been great if we could have married you back then."

Seeing the old lady's increasingly incoherent speech, Qin coughed a few times and changed the subject. "Madam Guan, I see that the fragrance you have on you today is very pleasant. Did you buy it or mix it yourself? If it's convenient, could you tell me the recipe? I'll have someone mix some for you later."