Chapter 13

Chu Zhaoyou’s stomach grumbled with emptiness, and he was filled with frustration. He found sitting uncomfortable and decided to kneel, clutching the cloak beneath him.

As he thought about why he couldn’t sit for long, Chu Zhaoyou’s cheeks puffed up, and he looked visibly annoyed.

The exterior walls and windows of the Fuxian Hall were mostly carved with hollow patterns, with gaps larger than a face, allowing those outside to clearly see the candlelight and shadows inside.

The group accompanying the Regent Prince dared not make a sound, lowering their heads to minimize their presence. They regretted having such keen hearing and wished they were ordinary guards who couldn’t hear anything.

Everyone thought the Regent Prince would be furious and worried about the young Emperor’s safety.

However, the Regent Prince’s response was unexpectedly calm. “Did I lock him inside?”

Qian Shicheng replied, “Of course not.”

Then why did he suddenly curse at me? And in such vulgar language? He’s picked up some coarse language from the streets!

The Regent Prince furrowed his thick, black eyebrows, feeling that the young puppet not only cursed at him but also harbored malicious thoughts.

He had accumulated too many tasks and hadn’t had time to confront him, yet he was the one being cursed at.

Xiao Heng chuckled and lingered his gaze on Chu Zhaoyou’s figure, resisting the urge to go in and intimidate him.

He realized that he was easily provoked by Chu Zhaoyou, which was not a good sign. His rational side told him to exercise restraint.

“Stop standing there! Why aren’t you continuing your patrol?”

Seeing Qian Shicheng still dazed, Xiao Heng’s expression turned impatient. “You can’t even guard the four city gates properly, let alone the twelve smaller gates in the palace. How many times do you want people to run around?”

Xiao Heng left first, leaving Qian Shicheng with a bitter expression. Who knew what kind of maniac the other person was to break through the city’s defenses? Once he caught him, he would surely regret ever setting foot in this world.

“Do you have any leads on the notorious thieves I asked you to investigate?”

Chu Zhaoyou didn’t want to describe the appearance of the notorious thieves, but there were only a few skilled thieves, making it easy to narrow down the search.

Qian Shicheng promptly reported, “There are a total of seventy-eight registered notorious thieves across the provinces, with thirty still at large. Nineteen of them are known for seducing women, and it’s said that seven or eight of them have been active around the outskirts of the capital recently.”

Xiao Heng furrowed his brow. “Is that all?”

Qian Shicheng hesitated. It had only been a few hours, and finding these clues was already quite an achievement!

“Start by investigating the young and wealthy individuals with limited mental capacity,” Xiao Heng pondered for a moment, swiftly identifying the key points from Chu Zhaoyou’s words and instructing Qian Shicheng accordingly.

The Regent had always been accurate in his profiling of criminals’ personalities. When the Ministry of Justice faced a dead end in solving cases, the assistant ministers often sought his advice with trepidation.

Although Qian Shicheng didn’t understand how the deduction of “limited mental capacity” was made, he knew that following the Regent Prince’s orders would not lead him astray.

Xiao Heng inquired again, “Have the search team returned from Jinshui Village?”

Unable to free himself at the moment, he couldn’t personally visit the dilapidated house where Chu Zhaoyou had woken up. Instead, he dispatched a sketch artist and a clever subordinate to search for clues and bring them back to the Regent Prince’s residence.

“They are expected to arrive by daybreak.”

“Good.” Xiao Heng nodded slightly. A gust of wind blew the leaves off the treetops, swirling around his feet and following the Regent Prince’s steps as he entered the North Gate.

The North Gate was nestled within a few meters of the city wall, and the moonlight only managed to cast a slanted glow halfway inside.

Just as he was about to step out of the palace, his figure suddenly halted. After a moment, Xiao Heng instructed, “Notify all departments that the court session will proceed as usual tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was supposed to be a day of rest, but with the Regent Prince absent for three days, holding a court session to keep the ministers on their toes was necessary.

Qian Shicheng: “Yes, I will immediately inform the Emperor.”

The Regent Prince raised his chin slightly, and his narrow phoenix eyes casually fixed on Qian Shicheng.

Qian Shicheng’s heart skipped a beat. Did the Regent Prince mean that he hadn’t handled the matter properly?

How could that be?

Following the Regent Prince’s gaze, he saw… darkness? He suddenly remembered the drafty hall and the person kneeling in front of the tablets.

Qian Shicheng replied, “I will inform His Majesty immediately.”

Xiao Heng’s tone was indifferent. “Let him go back to sleep before attending court. If he dares to snore in the court again, I will break his neck.”

Qian Shicheng stood in place, watching the Regent Prince stride away, feeling puzzled. Wasn’t he just asking the Emperor to go back to sleep?

Strangely, Qian Shicheng had a dreadful thought – he felt that the Regent Prince, after being scolded by the young puppet, seemed a bit childish and surprisingly didn’t get angry at Chu Zhaoyou.

The Regent Prince’s words were more effective than an imperial decree. Intercepting the Empress Dowager was certainly not a problem.

Chu Zhaoyou and Eunuch Xue successfully left the Fuxian Hall, feeling conflicted about the Regent Prince’s request.

He remembered the matter of Yuexu and asked, “How is the matter progressing?”

Eunuch Xue replied, “Following Your Majesty’s instructions, I found General Lu’s men. By now, Prince Zhang has likely been ensnared.”

“Good.” He looked around, saw no one, and asked in a hushed voice, “Do I have an aunt?”

“What?” Eunuch Xue’s hearing was not as sharp.

Chu Zhaoyou raised his voice slightly. “General Lu said that I have an aunt.”

Eunuch Xue’s expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice even more cautiously. “There is such a person… But after Your Majesty turned ten, Lady Zhao disappeared.”

Chu Zhaoyou observed Eunuch Xue’s expression and felt that it was more than just a lack of contact. It was likely a complete falling out. He asked, “Why?”

“Your Majesty was close to the Empress as a child and distant from your aunt. Lady Zhao left and there has been no news since.”

She left because I wasn’t close to her?