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

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, a sedan chair was carried out of the side door of the Third Prince's residence and headed straight for Qingping Temple in Xishan. The only rumor to the public was that the concubine had gone to Xishan to pray for blessings, not to become a nun.

When Lu Yun went over, she saw her eldest cousin in plain clothes sitting in the room chanting scriptures, with a calm expression on her face, tapping the wooden fish in her hand one by one.

Lu Ling didn't recognize her until she saw the little rabbit purse on Lu Yun's body. She hesitated and asked, "Are you my third cousin?"

Lu Yun nodded and looked at the furnishings in the room. Although simple, it had everything it needed. There was even a small charcoal brazier in the middle, so the room was not too cold. It seemed that someone was secretly watching over it.

After Lu Yun handed the firewood, charcoal, and rice she had brought to Xiang Xing, she said, "It's peaceful and peaceful up in the mountains. I have some friendship with Master Liao Fan from the temple, so don't worry."

Lu Ling was surprised and touched. She never thought that one day she would be taken care of by this little sister. "Thank you very much. I don't have much to eat or use in the temple. If you don't mind, could you please let me donate the rest to the temple's charity?"

Lu Yun smiled and said, "It's given to me, so naturally I'll let my sister deal with it."

After returning from the mountain, Lu Yun was filled with questions. She first asked Aunt Guizhi, "Auntie, what kind of circumstances would make a person choose to become a monk?"

Aunt Guizhi didn't even think about it and blurted out, "Of course she encountered something that made her extremely sad."

"For example?" Lu Yun was puzzled.

"For example, due to the death of relatives, broken engagements, or to escape worldly pressures, she had seen many concubines in the palace who became nuns."

Lu Yun felt that these reasons seemed to have little to do with her.

Zhou Boli came to Bishuiyunju with the information he had heard. He gave Lu Yun a wink, and the two of them came to the water pavilion.

"How is it?" Lu Yun looked at Zhou Boli.

Zhou Boli pulled out a piece of paper. "This Guan Madam's real name is Guan Siwei. She is the younger sister of Marquis Cheng'en. She married Li Hong, the son of Prime Minister Li, early in life. Li Hong died young and she has been a widow in the countryside of Gusu ever since. Five years ago, when Lord Lu became the Governor of Jiangsu, she took the opportunity to contact Madam Zhang. Later, when Lord Lu was transferred back to Kyoto after his term expired, she also left Gusu and returned to Kyoto to live in Mei'an in the western suburbs. She is related to the Crown Prince, and according to seniority, the Crown Prince should call her aunt."

Lu Yun grasped the key point, her eyes darkening, "The private sale of official salt in Luzhou is related to the Crown Prince."

Zhou Boli looked out the window. "It's hard to say without evidence. But the assassination of Madam Zhang is closely related to this official's wife. Marquis Cheng'en and his wife have been searching the capital for a widower of marriageable age recently, probably hoping to let her remarry." He stopped there.

Lu Yun immediately understood. "You mean, she wants to marry my father? But my mother is just missing, not——"

Zhou Boli said calmly, "The mistress of a noble family in Kyoto has been missing for over two months. It's better to say she's passed away than to say she's unpleasant."

Unless someone can prove that nothing happened during the months they were out there.

Lu Yun's mind went blank, this touched upon her blind spot in knowledge.

Zhou Boli looked at someone's eyebrows that were so thick that they could almost pinch a mosquito to death, and couldn't help but give a reference answer. "In fact, it's very simple to solve this problem. As long as there is someone who is willing to endorse your mother and admit that he knew everything from beginning to end and was willing to cooperate." This person either has supreme authority or is the closest person.

The third prince was in a very bad mood these days until a letter was presented to his desk. After reading the letter, he immediately took his people out of the mansion.

The group arrived at a house with a few gray-brown branches sticking out from the wall. Before he could knock, the door opened. A dark flashed in his eyes, and he hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

The yard was empty, as if no one had lived there for a long time. The third prince raised his hand and touched the desk. There was no dust, which seemed to indicate that someone cleaned it regularly.

"Your Majesty, I greet you." Ma came out from behind the screen and bowed to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince was somewhat surprised. He had not expected it to be his mother-in-law. He personally stepped forward to help her up. Perhaps due to overwork, his mother-in-law's hair had turned mostly white, and her face had a few more wrinkles, making her look much older.

"I wonder why my mother-in-law asked me to come here?" The third prince asked patiently.

Ma's tears flowed before she could say anything. She fell to her knees with a thud and said, "Please, Your Highness, please save my son Qingyu."

Wasn’t the brother-in-law sent to Luzhou to investigate Madam Zhang’s disappearance? The Third Prince frowned. “Why hasn’t he come back yet? What happened?”

Ma took out a package and an envelope and placed them on the table. "It's hard for me to explain the reasons. Here are the evidence and the letter. Please review them, Your Highness."

The Third Prince took the letter first, his expression remaining unchanged until he opened the package and saw the blue ledger. His face suddenly changed. He had been secretly investigating, hoping to obtain evidence before the Crown Prince, but he never expected the ledger to be delivered to him like this.

"Excuse me, mother-in-law, where did this account book come from? Does anyone know that it is in your hands?" The third prince was nervous and looked at his mother-in-law intently.

Ma shook her head slowly. "I didn't know. This account book and this letter were delivered together with the account book from the shop. After receiving the account book, I realized its importance, so I never showed it to anyone. I shouldn't have been so abrupt in inviting you here, but Qingbo avoided seeing you because he was sick."

The third prince immediately understood what his mother-in-law meant. He suppressed his anger and returned to the mansion. Looking at the lights in the main room, he slowly stopped.

Doesn't the Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion not want to get involved in the fight between him and the Crown Prince? Why not add fuel to the fire? If Zhao Qingyu alone is not enough, what if the Dingyuan Marquis's son is added? The Third Prince curled his lips into a sneer.

In order to celebrate the New Year, the imperial court would not hold court meetings from the 28th day of the 12th lunar month to the third day of the New Year, and officials would not have to report for duty during their leave.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky was still pitch black, and officials trudged along, shuffling along the road to the imperial court meeting, braving the howling cold wind. Everyone wore a smile, even the Third Prince's faction and the Crown Prince's faction, who had always been at odds with each other, would greet each other with a smile.

At this time, a fast horse came galloping towards the capital, and the gate of Dingyuan Marquis's mansion was knocked.

"Second Master, the prince was assassinated on the way back and injured his arm." After hearing the report from the hall, Zhao Tongyi's eyes turned black. He struggled to speak, "What about the third young master?"

"The third young master has an old injury and has caught a cold. He and the prince have been temporarily settled in a farmer's home." When Zhao Tongyi heard the word "cold", his eyes went dark and he finally fainted.

Meanwhile, the court is in turmoil as the Crown Prince is impeached for his involvement in the illegal sale of official salt in Luzhou, endangering the country. This also involves the story of Madam Zhang, who was assassinated by the Crown Prince because she had evidence of the illegal sale of official salt.

Emperor Longqing sat high up at the top, with twelve jade lotus roots hanging from his forehead, making it difficult to see his true appearance.