After staying in the military camp for a day, Wu Chengsi returned to the palace and found Wen Rong waiting at the gate.
As soon as he saw him, he hurried over and said, "Your Majesty, it's not good, the fourth lady left a letter and ran away!"
In a room in the Qingzhu Courtyard, Wu Chengsi clutched the letter left by Shangguan Wan'er, his face ashen.
Shangguan Wan'er's letter was very brief. She only said that she did not want to see Wu Chengsi at war with the Queen Mother because of her, so she chose to leave and asked Wu Chengsi not to look for her.
It was the first time for Liu Lanshuang and Xu Wenqing to see his expression like this, and they did not dare to speak.
Li Zhiying had a deeper relationship with the couple and advised her: "Husband, we have sent people to find her. We believe she will be found soon."
Wu Chengsi shook his head. If Shangguan Wan'er was such an intelligent woman, she must have been prepared if she left intentionally.
What Wu Chengsi didn't understand was why she left suddenly?
When they parted yesterday, there was no sign of her running away, so something must have happened today that prompted her to leave without saying goodbye.
"Zhiying, has Wan'er been out today?"
Before Li Zhiying spoke, Xu Wenqing hurriedly said: "She left the yard in the morning and didn't come back until the afternoon."
Wen Rong took two steps forward and said, "Your Majesty, the fourth lady went out of the house this morning. She went out with Miss Qiuchan, and she didn't even bring any bodyguards with her."
Wu Chengsi's eyes flashed slightly. He had already investigated clearly and knew that Qiu Chan was Wu Mei's person.
Just because Qiu Chan was one of the first two girls who followed him, and he had a good relationship with Wu Mei before Shangguan Wan'er's incident, he kept her by his side.
"Go and call Qiu Chan over!" He ordered coldly.
Yu Mian had the best relationship with Qiu Chan and said hurriedly: "My lord, don't worry, I'll call sister Qiu Chan over."
Just as he was about to go out, suddenly, Lu Xiong hurriedly came to the house and said, "Your Majesty, something happened. A maid just committed suicide in the house!"
Wu Chengsi's heart twitched violently, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Is it Qiu Chan?"
Lu Xiong nodded and said yes, and then added: "Fortunately, a personal guard was patrolling nearby and heard the noise and rescued her."
Wu Chengsi stretched out his hand to support the table, breathed a long sigh of relief, calmed down for a while, and said, "Let's all go over and take a look."
When Wu Chengsi and the three ladies came to Qiu Chan's room, they saw several servants and maids standing in the room.
Seeing them arriving, everyone saluted.
In addition to the servants and maids, there was also a bodyguard in black standing in the house.
That man has a simple and honest face and a pair of eyes as small as soybeans. He is exactly the one among the ten bad guards.
Wu Chengsi asked: "Da Huang, was it you who saved Qiu Chan?"
Dahuang nodded.
A maid whispered: "Your Highness, fortunately Huang Guard happened to be patrolling nearby and heard the sound of the chair falling, so he rescued Sister Qiuchan."
Wu Chengsi slowly came to the bedside. Qiu Chan was lying on the bed, her face was pale, and Dr. Mei was taking her pulse.
Wu Chengsi saw a mark on her neck and sighed: "Qiu Chan, why are you doing this!"
Qiu Chan pulled up the quilt and covered her face, crying: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry for you, you should just let me die!"
Wu Chengsi was silent for a long time and then ordered: "You all go out, the ladies and I have something to say to Qiu Chan."
Everyone respectfully agreed and went out one after another.
As a deacon girl, Qiu Chan was kind to others and never bullied others, so she was very popular. Many servants and maids looked worried when they went out.
Wu Chengsi said nothing and paced slowly in Qiu Chan's house.
This is his first time in Qiu Chan's room.
The house is not big, but it is kept spotless and decorated quite exquisitely.
There is a half-sewn piece of clothing on the table. It is worn by a child and must have been sewn for Wu Zongxiu.
The material is the finest Suji fabric, which Li Zhiying gave her as a gift during the Chinese New Year last year.
There are some small ornaments on the cabinet, which were either rewarded by Wu Chengsi or given by Li Zhiying.
There is a brocade box on the top floor. When you open it, you will find a broken inkstone inside.
Wu Chengsi immediately remembered that once Yumian clumsily touched the inkstone in the study to the ground. Wu Chengsi gave the inkstone to Qiu Chan and asked her to throw it away.
Unexpectedly, she carefully preserved it.
Wu Chengsi sighed, and he no longer blamed Qiu Chan. He thought to himself: "She is a weak woman, how could she disobey Wu Mei's order? I can't blame her for this."
Li Zhiying, Liu Lanshuang and Xu Wenqing also looked at the room silently. Qiu Chan usually behaved well, and the three women all had a good impression of her.
Xu Wenqing picked up the baby clothes and looked through them silently. Liu Lanshuang sat on the chair, silently.
Li Zhiying stood next to Xu Wenqing, also looking at the little clothes, when she suddenly noticed that Wu Chengsi winked at her.
She immediately understood what her husband meant, walked slowly to Qiu Chan's bedside, and asked, "Qiu Chan, do you have anything to say to us?"
Qiu Chan still covered her face with the quilt and sobbed in a low voice: "My little servant is sorry for the prince and his wife. I just want to die quickly!"
Li Zhiying said softly: "Qiu Chan, we all know that you are from the Queen Mother, but you have been following the prince longer than me, so the prince cannot bear to drive you away."
Qiu Chan pulled down the quilt, revealing a pair of red eyes, and said: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's kindness... I can't repay you in this life... I can only repay you in the next life as a cow or a horse!"
Li Zhiying frowned and said: "As I said just now, the prince does not blame you, and you should not always say things that seek death!"
Qiu Chan covered her face and said, "But, it was because of my maid that the fourth lady left the letter and ran away. My maid, my sin is unforgivable!"
Wu Chengsi finally couldn't hold it any longer and asked, "Why did Wan'er leave? What did you do when you left the house together?"
Qiu Chan sobbed a few times and whispered: "When I left the mansion yesterday, I met Commander Huan on the road. She asked me to deliver a letter to the fourth lady, and then take the fourth lady to a bookstore in the West City."
Wu Chengsi frowned and said, "Who is Commander Huan?"
Qiu Chan hesitated for a moment and said, "She is the secret guard commander of Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother."
Wu Chengsi raised his eyebrows and said, "After Wan'er received his letter, did she just follow you?"
Qiu Chan bit her lip and said, "Yes, the fourth lady immediately left the mansion with me after reading the letter. Your Highness, I, I really didn't know that the fourth lady would leave the letter and run away after meeting with Commander Huan!"
Wu Chengsi nodded and asked, "What happened next?"
Qiu Chan said: "I followed the fourth lady to the bookstore. The fourth lady asked me to wait outside alone and went in by myself."
Wu Chengsi asked: "Did she say anything to you on the way?"
Qiu Chan lowered her head and said, "She was worried all the way and didn't say a word."
Wu Chengsi asked again: "Did she change anything when she came out? Or did she say something special?"
Qiu Chan thought for a while and said: "She seemed to be more worried when she came out. She ignored me when I talked to her. She was almost hit by a carriage on the road."
Wu Chengsi remained silent for a while, and after a long while, he softly said: Qiu Chan, what are your plans in the future? I don’t plan to keep another eyeliner of the Queen Mother in the house."
Qiu Chan's face turned pale and she said: "I, I understand, tomorrow... or not... I will pack my luggage and leave the palace later."
Wu Chengsi sighed: "Silly girl, you are not young anymore, do you want to continue to do such a shameful job?"
Qiu Chan shook her head desperately and said sadly: "Your Highness, please don't drive me away. I will never leave the house and the Queen Mother will not be able to give me orders!"
Wu Chengsi said: "Then what if she sends someone to sneak into the house to convey the mission to you?"
"Then, I won't listen either! I would rather die than do anything sorry to you again!"
Wu Chengsi nodded and said, "Okay, then you can stay."
Qiu Chan turned from sadness to joy and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, the fourth lady left because of me. I will go out of the house to help you find her!"
Li Zhiying smiled and said: "You just said you would never leave the house, aren't you afraid that the Queen Mother will send someone to find you again?"
Qiu Chan's face turned pale and she stopped talking.
Liu Lanshuang said slowly: "You have betrayed the Queen Mother now. It will be dangerous if you leave the palace. Just let the guards do the job of finding someone."
Qiu Chan didn't dare to insist anymore and nodded in agreement.
Wu Chengsi suddenly said: "Qiu Chan, if you get any news on weekdays, how do you contact the Queen Mother's people?"
Qiu Chan said without hesitation: "There is a Hu Cake Shop near Dongshi Tianqiao. I just need to give the information to the shopkeeper of that shop."
Wu Chengsi thought for a moment and said slowly: "Qiu Chan, I want you to do something for me."
That night, the sky was overcast and the moon and stars were sparse. Qiu Chan, carrying a bamboo basket, crossed the crescent-shaped overpass and slowly arrived in front of the cake shop.
She picked at random, took two, paid for them and left.
The shopkeeper looked around, took the piece of cake Qiu Chan had picked out in his hand, and went back to the inner room.
He lit the oil lamp, then tore open the cake and took out a piece of paper.
He didn't read the note and put it into a bamboo tube.
The next day, when a customer in black came to buy Hu cakes, he stuffed the bamboo tube into the cake and handed it to the man.
The man in black took the cake and walked along the street for a while until he came to a porcelain shop.
After entering the store, he passed through the ear door and went to the backyard. There were seven or eight waiters standing in the backyard. One of them came up and asked: "Are there any new flowers?"
The customer in black nodded, gave him the biscuits directly, turned around and left without saying a word.
The waiter in the backyard took out the bamboo tube from the cake, went outside a house, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A female voice came from inside the house.
The clerk pushed the door open and walked in, only to see that the house was clean and tidy. A woman in her forties, dressed in white, was sitting on her knees on a brocade table, playing with several potted plants.
The clerk stepped forward and said, "Commander, there are flowers blooming."
The woman in white said calmly: "Which garden is it from?"
"Zhouyuan!"
The woman in white had a serious look on her face, put down what she was doing, and said in a deep voice: "Bring it to me and let me take a look."
The waiter handed the bamboo tube over, and the woman in white frowned immediately after reading it.
The guy asked: "Commander, what's wrong?"
The woman in white was silent for a while and said: "You don't have to worry about this." After a pause, she asked again: "Where is the target now?"
The waiter said: "Judging from the time, we should have arrived in Shangzhou."
The woman in white hummed and said: "King Zhou has many eyes and ears. Please tell her not to stop on the road, so as to avoid the search by Prince Zhou's Mansion."
The clerk nodded and suddenly whispered: "Commander, I have something I don't know whether to say or not."
The woman in white said calmly: "Speak."
The clerk said cautiously: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother's order is to kill the target. If you do such a thing behind the Queen Mother's back, I'm afraid she will be unhappy if she finds out."
The woman in white said coldly: "Do you understand the Queen Mother's thoughts better than me?"
The guy didn't even dare to say it.
The woman in white snorted and said: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother has a stalemate with the King of Zhou because of this woman, and now she is unable to advance or retreat. With her temperament, she will never give in. At this time, we need to step forward to share her worries."
The clerk smiled slightly and said: "I understand, so you ask the woman to leave Chang'an, so that the conflict between Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother and the King of Zhou will be gone."
The woman in white nodded and said: "As time goes by, when King Zhou forgets about her, it will be easy to take her life again."
…
"...The woman in white finally said, once you forget the Fourth Madam, it will be easy for the Queen Mother to kill the Fourth Madam!"
In the back hall, Feng Ying told Wu Chengsi everything she overheard.
Last night, Wu Chengsi asked Qiu Chan to write a letter, saying that he was suspected by the people in the palace and hoped to be transferred out of the Zhou Palace as soon as possible.
Then they sent Feng Ying and Long Yang to follow the clues and find the secret guard stronghold, and then overheard their conversation.
After Fengying finished speaking, Wu Chengsi was thinking quietly, and Xu Wenqing suddenly said: "What is the flowering and Zhouyuan they are talking about?"
Wen Rong explained: "Back to the third lady, this should be the incision, blooming means that there is news about the work they sent to other people's houses, and Zhouyuan refers to our Prince Zhou's house."
Xu Wenqing nodded, patted his chest and said, "Finally we know the whereabouts of sister Wan'er. Your lord, let's send someone to recover her immediately, shall we?"
Fengying volunteered and said, "Your Majesty, please send me. I will definitely bring the fourth lady back."
Long Yang said: "Your Majesty, Fengying's tracking skills are not as good as mine. Can you send me there?"
Wu Chengsi frowned, as if he was thinking about something.
Just as Feng Ying was about to speak, Feng Wu hurriedly held her back and whispered: "His Highness is thinking about something, please don't interrupt."
Fengying curled her lips and stopped talking.
After a long while, Wu Chengsi suddenly sneered and said, "These secret guards are really capable."
Feng Ying whispered: "Your Majesty, those people are actually nothing special. That Commander Huan should not be able to defeat me!"
Wu Chengsi glanced at her, turned to Wen Rong and ordered: "Go to Dali Temple immediately and ask Zhuge Nan to select a few government servants who are good at tracking."
Both Feng Ying and Long Yang's eyes widened.
Feng Ying couldn't hold back her words. She was about to say that her tracking skills would not be inferior to those of Dali Temple. Wu Chengsi said, "You have other tasks." She immediately shut up.
That night, Zhugenan personally led several officials from Dali Temple to leave Chang'an City from the south gate and headed towards Shangzhou.
Two days later, Zhuge Nan sent someone back to report that Shangguan Wan'er had been found on the road and that she was heading towards Fangzhou.
A few days later, Zhugenan sent another message, saying that Shangguan Wan'er had also been found in Fangzhou, but she was walking very fast, heading eastward, and he had not caught up with her yet.
For several days in a row, news continued to arrive from Zhugenan. However, although he found Shangguan Wan'er's traces every time, he was always one step slower and could only follow her.
In the blink of an eye, the time has arrived on December 30th, and the annual royal banquet and the coming of all nations have arrived again.
Wu Chengsi had long lost interest in such grand events, and because of a rift in his relationship with Wu Mei, he simply excused himself from illness and did not attend these two grand events.
On the fifth day of the new year, Zhugenan finally received another news.
The news was very bad this time. After Zhugenan chased him to Chuzhou, he lost sight of Shangguan Wan'er!
Chang'an City, Dongshi.
In a calligraphy and painting shop, a secret guard said respectfully: "Commander, Zhugenan's people returned to Chang'an today."
Huan Xiu was still wearing white clothes and was standing behind the desk practicing calligraphy. She said without raising her head: "Where is Zhugenan now?"
A lean middle-aged man next to Huan Xiu said: "Commander, he is already in Chuzhou. This should be the last news Wu Chengsi receives."
Huan Xiu finished writing the post in his hand in one breath, smiled slightly, and said: "Vice Commander Chang, what do you think of my post?"
This lean man's name is Chang Xuan, and he is the deputy commander of the secret guard. He obviously understood what the woman was asking, and said with a pun: "High, really tall!"
Huan Xiu laughed loudly and said: "Wu Chengsi should have given up now. Her Majesty the Queen Mother no longer has to worry, and she can execute Shangguan Wan'er with peace of mind."
Chang Xuan smiled and said: "Others say how shrewd Wu Chengsi is, but when he meets you, the commander, he will only be fooled around."
Huan Xiu said calmly: "After all, he is also a man, and care will lead to chaos. It is normal for him to have difficulty keeping calm when it comes to the woman he loves."
Chang Xuan said: "Even so, only you, the commander, have the ability to play with him."
Huan Xiu waved his hand and said: "Okay, when did you become so fond of flattery? How are you doing what I told you to do?"
Chang Xuan smiled and said: "Don't you feel at ease when I do things? The people have been selected. After the King of Zhou and the Queen Mother reconcile, we will incorporate those people into the army."
Commander Huan nodded and said solemnly: "Her Highness the Queen Mother did not expect Wu Chengsi to have such deep control over the army. She only gave us five years. We must hurry up during these five years."
Chang Xuan snorted coldly: "Wu Chengsi really doesn't know how to advance or retreat. He thinks that by controlling the army, he can confront the Queen Mother. After weakening his power in the army, King Pei and King Yin will be his role models!"
Huan Xiu remained silent. She knew the Queen Mother best and knew that she still had feelings for Wu Chengsi, but she was dissatisfied with his excessive power, so she took action.
"I will go into the palace immediately and report the news to Her Majesty the Queen Mother. You have been paying more attention to the Su Mansion and the Li Mansion recently, and take note of the people they interact with!"
Chang Xuan smiled and said: "These two old guys are following the King of Zhou and the Queen Mother to fight against each other. I have sent people to keep an eye on them a long time ago."
Commander Huan frowned and said: "They are all pillars of the court who have made countless contributions and have extremely high prestige. Her Highness the Queen Mother just wants them to retire early. You are not allowed to mess around."
Chang Xuan curled his lips and said: "I know, alas, Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother is sometimes too kind. Now that she is in power, she will directly kill everyone who opposes her, so no one will dare to oppose her anymore?"
Commander Huan shook his head and said: "If you haven't read the book, you naturally don't understand the key points here."
Chang Xuan snorted secretly, lowered his head, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Commander Huan also had the status of a female official in the palace. After changing his clothes, he came to the Zichen Palace and saw Wu Mei discussing with several ministers about moving to Luoyang.
After Wu Mei saw her coming in, she said, "You should do what I just told you first."
Several ministers responded in unison, resigned and left the palace.
Huan Xiu immediately went up to the throne and told Fu Er about the recent progress of the situation. After Wu Mei heard this, she said calmly: "So, Cheng Si is not suspicious at all?"
Huan Xiu smiled and said: "Yes, His Highness the King of Zhou is probably throwing a tantrum in the palace because he lost the trace of Shangguan Wan'er."
Wu Mei nodded and said: "That's good. Come with me to see Shangguan Wan'er. It's time for me to end my relationship with her."