Chapter 61: Empress Dowager Forces Marriage (4)

How could he look at her with such a pitiful look? No, she couldn't soften her heart; he was a fox. Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Qing looked away and replied, "You have Mo Bai by your side."

"He asked for leave tonight." Lou Xiyan said sincerely. Zhuo Qing rolled her eyes fiercely. Mo Bai had never been inseparable from him. He was currently ill; how could he ask for leave! This excuse was bad enough!

Mo Bai, standing outside the door, had black lines all over his head, feeling that he was very redundant. Did the Master's words mean he should disappear tonight?

Seeing his pale face, but his hand still firmly on her waist, Zhuo Qing chuckled, "Then what do you want?"

"Stay and accompany me." Lou Xiyan almost blurted it out. After saying it, he also felt that he was a bit reckless; making such a request was indeed a bit excessive.

The meaning of this sentence, wouldn't it be the meaning she thought? She couldn't be blamed; as a modern woman, the meaning behind this sentence was self-evident.

Zhuo Qing stared at him blankly. Lou Xiyan sighed lightly and said, "Don't worry, I just want you to accompany me by my side. Before the wedding night, I won't do anything excessive to you."

"Are you sure?" Zhuo Qing raised her eyebrows.

Lou Xiyan replied solemnly, "I guarantee." To show his sincerity, he also loosened his hand.

Zhuo Qing wailed; she was afraid she couldn't guarantee it!

Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Qing took off her shoes, stepped onto the bed directly, and lay down on the inner side of the bed. Looking at Lou Xiyan who was still sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhuo Qing said, "Sleep."

Lou Xiyan finally came back to his senses and lay down blankly. Zhuo Qing turned her back and said faintly, "Good night." Then she closed her eyes calmly.

The side-lying sleeping posture made her graceful and charming figure look even more tempting. Her long hair, as soft as seaweed, was draped over her side, and a faint fragrance lingered on the tip of his nose. Lou Xiyan only heard his hoarse voice respond: "Good... night..."

This was truly self-inflicted... Could he still sleep tonight?

Ministry of Justice Prison

In the dark prison, there were only a few torches burning with a crackling sound in the aisle. Under the reddish light, two women sat and stood, looking coldly at each other.

"What do you have to say to me?" Gu Yun looked at the woman who was calm in the prison. When they were fighting, she whispered in her ear—"I have something to say to you alone," so she came.

Qu Xin leaned against the stone wall and snorted, "Don't worry, I don't want you to plead for me. I know very well what I have done; paying for a life with a life, there is nothing to complain about. But I am not reconciled; my brother was wronged, and I want to ask you to help me find the mastermind behind the scenes."

"You can rest assured; so many people have died in this case, I will definitely not let the mastermind behind the scenes go unpunished." Although the murderer of this case had been found, she wouldn't stop there.

Staring at Gu Yun's firm eyes for a long while, Qu Xin took out a very neatly folded note from the inner pocket of her black tight-fitting clothes and handed it to Gu Yun.

Gu Yun took it and asked, "What is this?"

Qu Xin explained, "I could have killed Yang Lu at any time, but I chose to marry him just to find out the mastermind behind him. But over the years, except for Li Zhi, he had no contact with any suspicious people, and what he treasured most was this piece of paper."

Gu Yun opened it and saw it was densely written with words, but they were all the words "left, right, left, right, front, back, front, back," repeated over and over again. It was impossible to see what it meant. Could it be a signal code similar to Morse code, or did it need to be combined with things like the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, or mysterious arts to be solved?!

"I discovered this piece of paper a year ago, but after thinking about it for a year, I still couldn't understand what it meant. I thought, perhaps you could see through it." She had studied it for so long to no avail, so she could only pin her hopes on this smart and sharp woman in front of her.

Gu Yun was confused; she didn't understand what it meant either. Perhaps she could ask Qing; her mother was a professor of Sinology, maybe she could understand.

"You go."

Gu Yun raised her head and saw Qu Xin already lying on the stone bed with her back to her, looking unwilling to talk to her anymore.

Gu Yun didn't say anything, nor could she say anything. No one could comfort her; all she could do was break this case as soon as possible.

In front of the simple and spacious Prime Minister's Mansion, a large azure carriage stopped, and more than a dozen guards with swords protected the carriage in the middle. With tall and sturdy figures and sharp, compelling eyes, one could tell at a glance that they were masters.

A group of people was already standing outside the Prime Minister's Mansion. Lou Xiyan and Lou Muhai stood at the very front, and Lou Xiwu and Xue Xianxin stood beside them respectively. Compared to Xue Xianxin's joy, Lou Xiwu appeared uninterested, and even somewhat impatient.

An old nanny in her fifties walked to the carriage and gently lifted the carriage curtain. A pair of well-maintained hands stretched out from inside, and the old nanny hurriedly supported her, respectfully inviting the person inside out.

The Western Empress Dowager stepped off the carriage gracefully and calmly. Her accessories were still few, but a gorgeous dark purple robe had already set her off to be noble and compelling.

Following behind the Empress Dowager was Princess Zhaoyun, whose light goose-yellow long dress made her look even more gentle. Two clever palace maids supported her on the left and right. Perhaps she didn't want people to see her haggard appearance, so she wore a thin gauze hat, blocking everyone's sight.

Looking at the clear shadow in front of her that seemed to be able to float away with a breeze, Lou Xiyan frowned. It had only been half a month; how could she torture herself like this?!

Through the thin gauze, Yan Ruxuan was also looking for the gentle man who had followed her for many years. Today, the Empress Dowager told her that Brother Yan entered the palace overnight for her last night and invited her to the Prime Minister's Mansion to recuperate. She couldn't believe her ears; she thought he didn't want her anymore. It turned out he still cared about her.

"Empress Dowager, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years; Princess, ten thousand blessings and peace." There was no avoiding the greetings and bows, but the Lou family was a prosperous family after all, and they were at the entrance of the mansion, so the Western Empress Dowager hurriedly raised her hand and smiled, "No need for formalities outside the palace."

Looking at Lou Muhai, the Western Empress Dowager smiled familiarly, "Great General Lou, haven't seen you for many years, you are still as sturdy as ever."

Lou Muhai laughed heartily and replied loudly, "Empress Dowager, you praise me too much. Time spares no one; this old minister is getting worse than before."

Having long been accustomed to Lou Muhai's volume, the Western Empress Dowager didn't care and sighed lightly, "Now it's the world of young people. Xiyan is so capable, truly a pillar of the country; you should also think about enjoying your old age."

Sweeping a glance at Lou Xiyan, who was standing quietly beside him, Lou Muhai smiled bitterly in his heart. In this life, he was afraid he would have no chance to enjoy such old age.

Always being a concubine, the chance to see the Empress Dowager was few after all. As soon as the Empress Dowager got off the carriage, Xue Xianxin hurriedly greeted her, supporting the Empress Dowager's other hand, flattering her to the extreme. Lou Xiwu rolled her eyes, unable to stand it; no backbone was no backbone!

The Western Empress Dowager took the opportunity to pat Xue Xianxin's hand and smiled, "Xianxin, Xuan'er will be bothering you in the mansion for these days, please take good care of her."

The Empress Dowager actually remembered her name! Xue Xianxin was overjoyed and replied repeatedly, "Empress Dowager, what are you saying? It is our family's blessing that the Princess can come to the Prime Minister's Mansion to recuperate. I will definitely take good care of the Princess and raise her to be white and fat."

"That's good."

Lou Xiwu lowered her head in boredom, waiting for this boring conversation to pass quickly. Who knew the Western Empress Dowager suddenly walked in front of her, lifted her chin, and smiled, "This must be Xiwu; haven't been to the palace to see me for a long time, almost didn't recognize you, grown into a big girl, truly spirited."

Taking a step back awkwardly, Lou Xiwu replied sheepishly, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for the compliment." She had never liked the Western Empress Dowager, although she was always smiling.

Yan Ruxuan's thin body was heartbreaking to look at. He had always treated her like another sister. Seeing her become like this, Lou Xiyan felt very guilty and said in a low voice, "Cuixin Courtyard has been cleaned up. It is quiet and peaceful there, very suitable for recuperation. The Princess must be tired from the journey, go to the courtyard to rest."

The Western Empress Dowager looked as if she had just come back to her senses and smiled, "I was just busy talking, Xiyan is still thoughtful."

Cuixin Courtyard was in the deepest part of the back garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and the environment was indeed elegant and comfortable, but it was not the place in the Western Empress Dowager's mind. The group passed by Zhaixing Pavilion, and the Western Empress Dowager suddenly stopped and said softly, "Zhaixing Pavilion! This name is well chosen."

After speaking, she stepped into the courtyard regardless of the people behind her.

Lou Xiyan's eyes flashed slightly, and he also followed in slowly.

After looking around the courtyard, the Western Empress Dowager smiled happily, "This courtyard is quite good; there is a lake in front, and you can see this pool of new lotus flowers." Most importantly, it was right next to Lou Xiyan's Lanyue Lou. The so-called "near water towers get the moon first," this should be the place where Xuan'er lived.

Walking to Yan Ruxuan's side, the Western Empress Dowager asked softly, "Xuan'er, there are the lotus flowers you love most, is it okay to live in this courtyard?"

Yan Ruxuan raised her head slightly and saw the small building not far away. That was exactly Lou Xiyan's Lanyue Lou. Thinking that she could live so close to him, Yan Ruxuan was very happy in her heart, but still replied reservedly, "Everything is arranged by Mother."

Nodding with satisfaction, the Western Empress Dowager smiled at Lou Xiyan, "Xiyan, don't go to Cuixin Courtyard, let Xuan'er live here."

After hearing the Western Empress Dowager's words, Lou Xiyan's face remained the same, but Lou Xiwu muttered on the side: "Someone already lives in this courtyard."

Although Qing Ling was hateful, by comparison, she looked more pleasing to the eye than Yan Ruxuan, this woman who pretended to be noble.

"Is that so?" The Western Empress Dowager frowned slightly and sighed with a smile: "It turns out someone already lives here, but I didn't think it through." No need to think to know who lived inside. She wanted this courtyard today!

Xue Xianxin hurriedly flattered, "Empress Dowager, what are you saying? If the Princess likes it this way, let that person move out, it's fine. Of course, the Princess is more important." That stinky girl Qing Ling, this time there was finally someone who could dampen her spirit!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 62 =====

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