Li Changting

In a fit of anger, the deer grabbed the little melon and flicked its head.

He originally wanted to give Xiaogua a good scolding, but Xiaogua was just too cute, even hugging and rubbing his fingers, which made him unable to bear it. So he had no choice but to confiscate Xiaogua's midnight snack as a small punishment.

After disciplining Xiaogua, Youlu stared at the corpse of the poisonous scorpion and fell into deep thought.

Ever since I started raising Xiaogua, a guard has been bringing insects every morning and evening, but every time the insects are brought, they are dead. This is the first time this has happened.

Everything was fine for the past few days, and all that was delivered were dead insects. He had gotten into the habit of assuming the box was safe, which is why he opened it without checking. Little did he know that this ingrained way of thinking would almost cost him his life.

If it weren't for Xiaogua, or if he had been any more careless, he might have been the one to die tonight.

He was supposed to leave for Xiangyang tomorrow, but the accident happened on the last night before his departure. This unexpected event was just too coincidental.

Xiao Gua's food was arranged by Eunuch Kang, who was always reliable and the person he hired would never make such a basic mistake, so this was definitely not an accident.

Either the guards who delivered the insects were bribed, or the insects were switched. Either way, it shows that Yixin Palace is not safe.

"We haven't even set off yet, and they're already resorting to underhanded tactics. I wonder who's in such a hurry." Youlu casually tossed the scorpion into the cold jade box and chuckled coldly.

Little Gua jumped up, rolled the scorpion into its mouth, and happily chewed it.

[It must be the Third Prince's gang!] The Pixiu was so angry it sharpened its claws. [I'm going to scratch their faces black!]

"I don't think so," Youlu shook his head.

"Everyone knows that I don't get along with the Third Prince. If anything happens to me, the Third Prince will be the prime suspect. Besides, Consort Yi just suffered a loss and hasn't dared to complain to the Emperor these past few days. I don't think they'd be stupid enough to make a move at this time."

Pixiu scratched its head, "Then who else could it be? It can't be Consort Ling, can it?"

"She doesn't have that kind of brain," Youlu denied, though she already had a vague suspicion in her mind.

He patted the Pixiu's bottom and said, "Who cares who it is? Let's go to sleep first. Tomorrow I'll tell Father Emperor to check everyone in the palace. This is supposed to be the Emperor's bedchamber? This Yixin Palace is like a giant sieve; anyone can come in and steal chickens and dogs."

Pixiu nodded, found a spot, and nestled obediently in his arms to sleep.

The night was a close call, but ultimately a pleasant surprise.

The next morning, Youlu dragged his suitcase from the side hall. Emperor Wulong, citing his busy schedule, did not see him off. He could only tell the Empress, who had come to see him off, about what had happened the night before. Then he took a carriage alone to Shili Pavilion outside the West Gate to meet up with the eldest prince and others.

Under the blazing sun, willows swayed gently outside the Shili Pavilion, as thirty horse-drawn carriages made a grand procession.

Cang Shuyue rode his tall horse, inspecting the first carriage to the last, carefully checking the seals on the boxes, while his eyes kept glancing towards the imperial city.

Besides the coachman, each carriage was also equipped with two strong and burly guards. Each guard had eagle-like eyes and a cold, imposing aura, clearly skilled in martial arts. These were all elite soldiers personally selected by Cang Shuyue.

The eldest prince was saying goodbye to Su Yan'an in the pavilion. Prime Minister Su and Xu Zheng were also there; they had come specifically after court.

When Youlu arrived, he saw Prime Minister Su and Xu Zheng each holding one of the Crown Prince's arms, reminding him of things to pay attention to and instructing him to take good care of Youlu. The two of them pulled the Crown Prince back and forth, as if they wanted to split him in two.

Upon seeing the deer, the eldest prince cried out as if he had found a lifeline, "Seventh brother, save me!"

Youlu jumped off the carriage with Xiaogua in his arms, grinning, "I can't take their torment. Eldest brother, you should sacrifice yourself."

The eldest prince was on the verge of tears, but fortunately, Xu Zheng and Prime Minister Su quickly let him go.

After giving his instructions to the eldest prince, Prime Minister Su walked up to Youlu, hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed, saying, "Your Highness, please take good care of yourself."

That's all.

Youlu was filled with questions.

Am I going to leave and never return?

Pixiu: [They probably think you won't come back.]

"They still don't understand me enough. My father understands me best." Even before leaving, Youlu already missed his old father.

In fact, Prime Minister Su was not worried that he would not be able to return, but rather felt ashamed. He knew that this trip was fraught with danger, but as elders, they were powerless to help him and could only let him go into danger.

Xu Zheng said a few more words.

"There will definitely be hidden dangers along the way. Your Highness must protect yourself at all times and always put yourself first."

"Furthermore, Minister Qin asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that he is unable to come to see you off and asking that you not be offended. He also said that the matter of refining Gu is not urgent, and that he and Madam Qin can wait."

Seeing his tired expression and the serious look in his eyes, Youlu couldn't help but ask with concern, "Have you run into some trouble?"

Xu Zheng smiled wryly, "I can't hide it from His Highness."

He looked around and, seeing that no one else was around, lowered his voice and said, "That day, Lao Zhou and I rushed back in time and stopped his youngest daughter. We had to persuade her to stay. But from her, I learned that the disappearance of Zhou's eldest niece might be related to the Yi family. I've been investigating secretly these past few days, but unfortunately, I haven't found any evidence yet."

When it comes to anything related to the Yi family, You Lu immediately thought of Yi Xunyuan. It's a pity he didn't check Yi Xunyuan's future and past that day, otherwise he could have found some clues.

But it doesn't matter, he might be able to find some clues by looking at Lao Xu's future.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but frown.

Over the next month, a series of young men and women went missing in Shengjing, including several daughters of wealthy families and officials. After receiving the reports, Old Xu investigated thoroughly, and all the clues he found pointed to the Yi family, but he lacked evidence and remained unable to solve the case.

As more and more people went missing, the families who reported the disappearances felt that Lao Xu was not doing his job, and in a fit of rage, one of them stabbed him to death. All the missing persons cases became unsolved mysteries.

"No way! The previous death calamity hasn't been fully resolved yet, and now he's encountered a new one. Lord Xu is really having a tough time!" Pixiu exclaimed.

Xu Zheng's vision went black. His first reaction was not fear that he had encountered another calamity, but rather indignation that someone would dare to act so recklessly under the emperor's nose.

He took a deep breath and said, "I didn't want to trouble Your Highness, but this is a matter of life and death. I hope Your Highness can help me with the calculations. Thank you for your trouble."

Xu Zheng bowed deeply.

Having overheard this, Prime Minister Su said, "This matter is of great importance; Lord Xu should not have concealed it."

Xu Zheng said awkwardly, "I know the young prince's abilities, but I don't want to trouble him with everything, so I planned to handle it myself, but alas, I'm useless."

He was a citizen of Dayong, and the heavy responsibility of saving Dayong should not fall on Xiao Lu's shoulders alone. He wanted to share some of the burden as much as possible, but unfortunately, he was ultimately unable to help.

Lu patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "There's no need to belittle yourself. Old Xu, you're the best local official I've ever met."

Xu Zheng's eyes filled with tears.

Yu Lu told him the identity information of some people who would disappear in the future, whom she had just seen, and said, "What to do next is entirely up to you."

Xu Zheng nodded solemnly: "I will send people to keep an eye on these people, firstly to protect them, and secondly to wait for them to come to their doom. If we can catch the murderer, we might gain something."

"I will also inform His Majesty of this matter and ask for his secret assistance," said Prime Minister Su.

Just as he was about to speak again, Gu Cheng rode over on horseback, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, shouldn't we set off now? We shouldn't delay the time and worsen the disaster."

As soon as he finished speaking, five pairs of eyes stared at him, sending a chill down his spine.