Chapter 323: Unpresentable, Beloved Object
Zhao Mingyan could have pulled away, but he stopped in his tracks at her few soft words and complied with her wish.
It was the first time he’d ever had to hide so shamefully in a cabinet.
The cabinet was tidy enough, just a bit short. Given his height, he had to stoop and bend his waist just to stand inside.
With Prime Minister Su’s footsteps right at the door, Ji Qingwu couldn’t think of a better plan. She pressed her palms together and gave him a quick, prayer-like bow. For now, she could only inconvenience this great personage.
A dark undercurrent flickered in Zhao Mingyan’s eyes.
Just as she was about to close the cabinet door, an arm shot out and pulled her in with him.
Ji Qingwu watched as the cabinet door swung shut before her eyes, plunging her into darkness.
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open.
Wei Tongyou recalled the short maid’s mannerisms—she was supposed to be lively and chirpy. So, she called out a greeting in a high voice, then emulated the servants in her own household, lowering her head as she opened the door for Su Fengyue.
The door stood open. Su Fengyue stood at the threshold and paused, seeming to sense something was amiss.
Wei Tongyou’s heart clenched.
Su Fengyue asked, "Where is Hanzhang?"
Wei Tongyou lifted her head and peered past the door. Indeed, Ji Qingwu was not in the room.
’Was she taken away?’ She lowered her head to hide the panic in her eyes.
"...An ingredient was missing from your stew, my lord. Sister Han Zhang has gone to the rear kitchen to supervise the cook while it’s remade."
Su Fengyue nodded with a grim face, having no time to inquire further about the maids’ whereabouts.
Ever since he had stepped out of his carriage and entered the manor, he had worn a heavily preoccupied expression, lacking the peaceful demeanor he usually displayed in public.
’It’s hard to say if it’s because of his beloved daughter’s untimely death, or for some other reason.’
A middle-aged man in a navy blue robe followed behind Su Fengyue.
The middle-aged man glanced at Wei Tongyou, but Su Fengyue waved a hand. "Nong Ying, you may go."
Wei Tongyou had seen this sort of scene many times in the Wei Family estate. ’Judging by this man’s attire and the shrewd, worldly look in his eyes, he must be the manor’s steward.’
When two people were about to discuss a confidential matter, all servants were expected to give them a wide berth.
Wei Tongyou bowed her head in assent and quickly departed, stopping just outside the courtyard gate.
The middle-aged man glanced outside, then shut the door to the room and followed Su Fengyue into the main hall.
As they passed through the flower hall, the storage cabinet to the side looked perfectly normal. No one would have guessed that two people were hidden inside.
Su Fengyue took a scroll from a scroll cylinder, and without unrolling it, placed it beside him.
He asked, "Shang Rong, how are you progressing with the task I assigned you?"
The middle-aged man’s identity was just as Wei Tongyou had guessed. He was indeed the manor’s steward, Shang Rong.
Because he had failed in his duty, he dared not look Su Fengyue in the eye.
He lowered his head and said, "My lord, I have had men search the entire manor, as well as all the places you frequent, but we have found nothing."
Su Fengyue said grimly, "I always kept that item with me. I’ve replayed that day in my mind countless times. The only thing out of the ordinary was my carriage horse suddenly getting spooked."
Shang Rong said, "I investigated the matter. While the horse was waiting at the Song family’s gate, it was bitten by a stray dog. On the way back to the manor, it suddenly had a rabies episode and began to run wild, nearly injuring you, my lord. The horse has already been disposed of."
Su Fengyue’s hand crushed the scroll out of shape. "I don’t believe in such coincidences," he said. "Someone must be plotting against me."
Having navigated the court for so many years, Su Fengyue didn’t believe in random chance, only in human design.
"Send more men to investigate. You must find the mastermind behind this."
Shang Rong lowered his head, troubled. He had already questioned the local residents, and no suspicious individuals had been seen.
Su Fengyue continued, "You know how important that item is to me. If it’s not found within three days..."
Shang Rong’s face turned ashen with fright. He promised, "I understand. I will be sure to retrieve my lord’s treasured possession."
Su Fengyue then asked, "Have any suspicious people been near the woodshed these past few days?"
Shang Rong immediately replied, "No, no one has gone near the woodshed. Rest assured, my lord, the location is secluded. It won’t be discovered."
Su Fengyue let out a long breath. He then unrolled the crumpled scroll in his hand, revealing the portrait of a woman.
All the portraits in the scroll cylinder were painted by Su Fengyue’s own hand.
This particular portrait, however, was one he had painted recently. It depicted a woman wearing a green veil and a matching silk-gauze dress, her figure enchanting.
Her facial expression was obscured, leaving only a pair of tender, affectionate eyes.
Shang Rong said in a low voice, "A few days ago, Lord Liu heard you had found a new favorite, so he sent over some ’new merchandise’ modeled after her. Would my lord care to indulge and relieve some of his weariness?"
Su Fengyue stared at the eyes in the portrait, and a sharp glint appeared in his own murky gaze.
"He is certainly a man who knows how to please," Su Fengyue said. "But let’s not be hasty. Prince Yong will be here shortly."
Shang Rong asked in surprise, "Is Prince Yong coming to pledge his allegiance to you?"
Then, a thought occurred to him. "But didn’t you already agree with the Fourth Prince of Xijin? The plan was to wait for the Emperor to die and the little prince to ascend the throne. Then you would seize the opportunity to stir up chaos, coordinate with Xijin from the inside, allow the Xijin Army to enter the capital, and completely annihilate the Imperial Family."
Su Fengyue replied, "Is there any wisdom in putting all one’s eggs in a single basket?"
This had only been their original plan—or, more accurately, Yu Wen Tianqing’s wishful thinking.
Now, given Su Fengyue’s position, there were plenty of sycophants eager to curry favor with him.
Su Fengyue wanted to make it clear to Yu Wen Tianqing that he had plenty of options besides him.
Shang Rong said, "You are right, my lord. Yu Wen Tianqing has been hiding in that old residence all this time, living off the charity of our Su family. But he shows no gratitude and even dares to pressure you to act sooner. He is ignorant of how hard you toil day and night at court. He’s nothing but an ungrateful wretch."
Hearing his steward speak ill of Yu Wen Tianqing, Su Fengyue’s graying eyebrows furrowed, and he rebuked him with a dark expression.
"No matter how flawed he is, he is still *her* son. Do not let me hear you speak those words again."
Shang Rong’s lips trembled. He knew that whenever the topic touched upon Yu Wen Tianqing’s mother, his master became like a different person, so he said no more.
Su Fengyue said, "Treat the search for that item as your highest priority. If you don’t find it within three days, I will hold you personally responsible. You may go."
Shang Rong walked out of the room, failing to notice anything unusual about the cabinet near the door.
But for Ji Qingwu, who was inside the cabinet, things were very wrong indeed.
The cabinet was cluttered with miscellaneous items like flowerpots and jars, leaving little room for her feet.
Having been pulled in, she was already off-balance and lurching forward. She could only steady herself by pressing both hands against the Emperor’s chest.
She was afraid that any movement would make a noise, so she had remained frozen in that position.
The height of the cabinet, at least, was a perfect fit for her; she didn’t need to stoop or bend over.
After the cabinet door had shut, Su Fengyue and the other man had entered the room, making Ji Qingwu even more tense and too afraid to move a muscle.