After Murong Jie returned home, he saw Su Qing wandering around the main hall like an ant on hot pan.
Seeing him come in, she rushed forward and said in a low voice: "Not only is Zi'an missing, Xiao Tuo is also missing. Xiao Tuo's servant said that Zi'an went to look for him before he disappeared."
Murong Jie asked, "You mean, they disappeared together?"
"I guess that's the case." Su Qing said worriedly, "I've ordered people to search the entire capital, but there's no trace of the two people. We've also searched outside the city. Now the Grand Princess has gone to the epidemic area. She analyzed that Master Liang should send someone to inspect the epidemic area, so she'll just hold on there for now."
Murong Jie couldn't help but worry, "Where did they go? Did they ask the people in the courtyard? What did they say?"
"I've asked Ni Rong and Boss Dao, and they said Xia Zian came back once and only gave Wang Yu an injection, and then left. At the time, everyone thought she had returned to the epidemic area, so no one asked about it. Now two days have passed, and I'm afraid someone will speculate that she ran away. After all, she signed a military order, and there are still six days left before the agreed half month."
Murong Jie knew that Zi'an would not leave without a reason, and she would not run away.
He had analyzed with her that the military order did not bind her in any way, so she didn't need to be afraid even if she really had to be questioned before the emperor.
But where did she go? And she left after going to see Xiao Tuo. Could it be that she wanted Xiao Tuo to accompany her to find a prescription
Does she have an idea
But why not come and tell him
Murong Jie did not think any further. He was a man of action, so he ordered his men to prepare the horses and asked Su Qing to gather the guards to go out and look for Zi'an.
But before he left, Ah Fu came and said, "Your Majesty, the noble concubine asks you to come over."
Since Aunt Sizhu's death, the two have never met each other again. Murong Jie did not go to pay her respects, and she would not send anyone to summon Murong Jie. Although the mother and son lived under the same roof, they just pretended that the other did not exist.
At this critical moment, she wanted to see him, and Murong Jie couldn't help but be concerned.
"What happened?" he asked coldly.
"No, the noble concubine only asked me to fetch the prince, but she didn't say what it was about." Ah Fu said.
Su Qing stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please go for a while. Perhaps the noble concubine will know where Xia Zian went."
Murong Jie's eyes suddenly turned cold, remembering that she had attacked Zi'an before, and he did not rule out the possibility that she would attack her again this time.
When Murong Jie arrived at Qingning Pavilion, the white lanterns used for Aunt Sizhu's funeral had not been taken down yet. The whole yard was filled with white. The huge paper crane that had flown high in the sky was still hanging on the treetop, with the words "Ride a Crane to the West" written on it.
A familiar stinging feeling surged into his heart, and his eyes were almost filled with hatred.
After a brief pause, he strode in, his expression returning to normal.
The noble concubine was in the bedroom. Ah Fu led him outside, opened the curtain, bowed and said, "Noble concubine, the prince is here."
A tired voice came from inside, "Come in."
Ah Fu came out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please."
Murong Jie lifted the beaded curtain and walked in slowly.
She was half lying on the bed, her face was pale, her drooping hair was somewhat frosted, and her face without makeup looked much older.
Seeing him come in, she asked the maid to help her sit up, then raised her hand for the maid to leave.
Murong Jie stood there, not even raising his eyebrows, and asked indifferently, "Is there something that the noble concubine wants me to do?"
The noble concubine smiled sadly, "You hate mother, don't you? You don't even want to call me mother."
Murong Jie recalled that Zi'an called Xia Prime Minister, but she never called him father or dad. It seemed that sometimes, in front of certain people, you were not even willing to pretend to do so.
"If you have something to say, just say it." Murong Jie's cold face already showed some impatience.
"You can be so cold to the person who gave birth to you, how good will you be to Xia Zian?" The noble concubine put away her previous sadness and said coldly.
"This obviously has nothing to do with you."
The noble concubine sat up a little, with a broken coldness in her eyes, "It's okay, don't worry, I'm not asking you to come to see me, and I never expected you to visit me while I was lying on this sickbed. I asked you to come today because you are still the regent of the Great Zhou. Your brother wants to return to the capital and needs your consent. Now that I'm sick, I can't be without someone to serve me. I want you to issue an order to allow your brother to return to the capital to take care of him."
Murong Jie smiled faintly, "Your Majesty has no shortage of servants around her."
"Is it the same? I need my son by my side. Among all the maids and servants in this mansion, which one is on the same side as me?" The noble concubine said sternly.
"Your Majesty is full of energy, which shows that her illness is not serious. It is not to the extent that Prince Nan Huai needs to return to the capital to take care of her."
The noble concubine was so angry that she coughed several times in succession. After coughing, she gasped for breath, stood up by the edge of the bed, and with the help of the maid, walked in front of Murong Jie.
She tried to straighten her back and raise her head. Even though she was ill, she still had an overwhelming aura. "I only have one question for you. Will you issue this decree or not?"
Murong Jie didn't even think about it, "Impossible!"
The noble concubine took a step back and stared at him with vicious eyes, "Well, if that's the case, Xia Zian can't come back."
Murong Jie raised his sinister eyes and asked, "Did you order someone to capture her?"
The noble concubine sneered, "You consider a shameless woman of unknown origin more important than your own mother. It is obvious that the filial piety that our ancestors emphasized was not passed on to you."
Murong Jie's face was cold, and his tone was even colder, "Did you capture her?"
The noble concubine raised her hand and asked the maid to help her sit on the chair. She tried to straighten her back and slightly raised her chin, her eyes sharp, "One for one. I will return Xia Zian to you, and you, issue an order to let your brother come back."
Murong Jie's voice was filled with storm, "I said it's impossible."
"Then Xia Zian must die." The noble concubine said hatefully.
Murong Jie took a step closer, his eyes flashing with a dangerous and bloodthirsty light, "If anything happens to Xia Zian, Prince Nan Huai will be her last resort!"
"You dare?" The noble concubine shouted, slammed the table and stood up. The sickness she had just shown disappeared immediately and her face turned ashen.
Murong Jie smiled coldly, still staring at her, "You try!"
The noble concubine used all her strength to slap him in the face, and said tremblingly: "That's your own brother, rebellious son. How could I give birth to such a rebellious son like you? I might as well have strangled you to death when you were born."
Murong Jie's eyes turned cold, and his lips raised a sarcastic arc, "You wouldn't, the year this king was born, you were named a concubine, and you were reluctant to give it up."
"Get out!" The noble concubine was like a madman. She picked up the cup on the coffee table and threw it at him.
Murong Jie took it with one hand, stretched out his hand, and suddenly loosened it, and the cup fell to the ground and broke into pieces. He said word by word: "I promise you, if Zi'an gets into trouble, King Nan Huai's head will be like this cup!"
After saying that, he smiled coldly, turned around and left.
(End of this chapter)