After Jing’er had settled down at Ink Lotus Courtyard, Li Chen did not rush to have him taught and instructed. He allowed merely Jing’er to enter the forecourt, assigning a few eunuchs to accompany him so that he could go wherever he pleased.
Si De’s case was neither urgent nor unimportant. The people of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple needed to collect evidence from the northwest region. Since it took a few months to go back and forth, it would be considered great should they settle this case within a year.
Qi Yunruo received a thick letter from Rong Sanniang, staying quiet for a good while. Then he took out each page, reading them one by one.
He had read every word with care. Afterward, he placed the pages on top of the desk. Grinded some ink. Made a copy of the letter. As Qi Yunruo waited for the ink to dry, he was somewhat absentminded. However, he already knew well his next step. He neither felt regretful nor was there a possibility of him feeling that way.
Count Ziyang’s estate and Prince Chun’s estate both resided in the capital. However, the two estates were not close in distance. Qi Yunruo carried the thick letter outside, bringing two guards with him. He did not don his official’s robes.
Familiar with the route, he rode a horse to Count Ziyang’s estate, gazing at the front doors from afar. At the side, Fang Ge stared at it in silence. The other guard asked, “Are we looking for Second Young Master Qi?”
Qi Yunruo shook his head. He turned his horse and went toward the corner door of the estate. The path was narrow. Qi Yunruo climbed off his horse, rushed to the door, and knocked on it.
“Who is it?!”
Not a word left his lips. He knocked again.
The gatekeeper opened the door impatiently. As soon as he saw Qi Yunruo, he stilled. “Who are you?”
Qi Yunruo handed the letter to him. After a moment of being startled, the gatekeeper said with anger, “What’s this? Who are you? Do you know what this place is?”
Qi Yunruo said, “Hand this to Count Ziyang.” Then he turned around and left. Fang Ge approached him a few steps. Frowned. “Can this letter reach Count Ziyang’s hands?”
“If he doesn’t read it today, I’ll send another tomorrow. There’ll definitely be a day when he reads it.”
Agitated, Qi Yunruo gripped the reins of his horse. “Guard Fang, you can leave first. I want to be alone.”
Hesitation peppered Fang Ge’s face. Qi Yunruo said, “The capital is an important place and the emperor resides here. I also have the official seal of Prince Chun’s estate. Nothing will happen. After I stroll for a bit, I will return.”
Fang Ge nodded. “Your honored self should return earlier. Don’t worry His Highness.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
The neighbors of Count Ziyang’s estate were wealthy and respectable people. Qi Yunruo told Fang Ge to lead his horse home. Then he walked away, leaving behind the carved railings and jade inlays of the mansions around. All the sumptuous dwellings.
He must take back all that belonged to him. However, after returning to the capital, he realized that like him, the prince faced difficulties at every step. The amount of enemies staring at his back was anyone’s guess. Count Ziyang’s estate was the estate of his father-in-law. If he grew hostile against his own in-laws at this time, one would fear it’d create even more problems.
Not only did Qi Yunruo want to recover those items; he wanted to understand just what had occurred in the past even more. Why did his mother willingly wait for Qi Suxiao until her death? Why did she cry out the words “Your Majesty” right before dying?
If there were no issues, the officials in the capital wanted to live as close to the imperial palace as they could. The high-ranking officials of each government department. The Imperial Ancestral Shrine. All the estates that were closest to the imperial palace were those of the First-Ranked princes. The estates were all ordered around the imperial palace according to status, position, and financial resources, so the less well-to-do officials would buy estates farther away, and so forth. When Qi Yunruo realized he had entered an unfamiliar location, he looked left and right. For some reason, the doors to the residences ahead were shut tightly, and there were many people all over the place intentionally or otherwise sizing him up.
