Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 293 Worry

The pawnshop suddenly fell silent.

Even the sound of cold sweat hitting the ground was crystal clear.

The "secret guards" around the Liu family were mostly an exception, but the word "secret guard" was like a legend in the minds of others. They could not be seen at all on ordinary days, but they did not expect to hear about it at this time.

Huang Fan stiffened. He suddenly understood why Fang Suozi wanted to talk to him alone. He also thought that the secret guards were His Majesty's confidants, and Huai Changmeng had probably already explained everything clearly.

He not only confessed to being engaged to his elder sister, but also to assisting her in drugging the lady...

Without saying a word, he turned and left. He had to go to the palace immediately to plead guilty; he could no longer harbor any illusions!

Zhang Darui hadn't expected to be left standing there by Huang Fan. He chased after him for a few steps, then turned back, full of doubt, "Are you just spouting nonsense? Do you think that just because you said those two words, I'll leave immediately and ignore this matter?"

How could a pawnshop owner possibly have any connection with secret guards? He simply couldn't believe it.

Fang Suozi's mouth dropped open. Was this county magistrate an idiot?

"You disagree with my request to speak privately, and you don't believe me when I tell you. What more do you want from me?"

"Produce the evidence."

Zhang Darui refused to compromise, "What if you heard the name of the secret guards from others and used it as a pretext to do evil? Wouldn't I have been deceived by you?"

Fang Suozi was speechless. "I have no evidence. If you're so capable, arrest me." Liu Yuechu only gave him one sentence, nothing else. How could he prove his innocence?

Besides, he had never heard of needing evidence to mention the words "secret guards."

"Do you think I wouldn't dare?" Zhang Darui felt mocked.

"Why don't you ask the county magistrate? A county assistant probably can't make this decision." Fang Suozi was indeed mocking, and in a sarcastic tone.

Although he disliked Wei Gongming's greed, he at least knew how to read the room. This guy in front of him, however, was a complete idiot; how could someone like that possibly be a county magistrate?

But his words ignited Zhang Darui's last line of defense.

"Arrest him and investigate whether he is connected to the traitor Meng Changhuai!"

"Sir, what if what he said is true?" The head constable did not know what relationship Fang Suozi had with the secret guards, but he was a man from Princess Chen's mansion and also the head of the secret service in the capital.

Not to mention others, even they themselves had dealings with the pawnshop every day, so naturally they didn't want to offend Fang Suozi.

Zhang Darui was furious. "Am I not good enough to speak?"

"Should we consult the county magistrate first before making a decision?" The head of the yamen runners wasn't afraid of offending Zhang Darui and directly rejected his order. Besides, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had already left, so what business did their county yamen have? This matter must be reported to Wei Gongming immediately.

The county government officials gradually withdrew, leaving only a few of Zhang Darui's men behind.

Fang Suozi, his face full of sarcasm, instructed the shopkeeper to take Zhang Darui away, saying, "Whenever you're struggling to make ends meet in the capital and need to pawn something to tide you over, you can come back to me."

Zhang Darui's eyes turned green with anger. He was, after all, a county magistrate. How could he be threatened by a shady character?

He insisted on taking Fang Suozi with him, saying, "If we shut down this pawnshop, I refuse to believe they won't find out a single problem!"

……

When Liu Yuechu heard the news, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time.

"How could something like this happen out of nowhere?!"

Fang Suozi's wife said urgently, "Now that the person has been arrested and the shop has been sealed off, what do you think we should do?" She knew that Fang Suozi was working for Liu Yuechu.

Liu Yuechu rubbed her temples. She thought that everything would be fine once she gave the person to Cheng Hai and that she would let it go after being approached by the county government to mention "secret guards". Who knew that the county government would deliberately make things difficult for her?

"Is Wei Gongming deliberately going against me?" She was unaware of the intrigues and power struggles within the county government and naturally assumed it was Wei Gongming's doing.

"The people from the county government secretly said that the man is going to search our shop. There are some things that really can't be left unchecked," said Suozi's wife, telling the truth.

Liu Yuechu considered it for a moment, then said, "Let them investigate, who's afraid of who?" She called Suozi's wife over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Locksmith's wife gasped, "Can it really work?"

"Why not? Let Suozi rest in there for a few days. Anyway, the county jail won't make him suffer. You can rest for a few days too."

……

While Zhang Darui was carefully examining the pawnshop, Huang Fan had already been kneeling outside the Imperial Study for a whole night and a day.

His legs began to ache, then he lost all feeling in them. He was too afraid to urinate and ended up wetting his pants. Furthermore, because he hadn't had any water, he felt dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.

He ultimately couldn't hold on and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Cheng Hai glanced through the window and walked to Emperor Qi Xiao's side. "Your Majesty, Lord Huang has fainted."

Emperor Qi Xiao snorted coldly, "The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a dignified third-rank official, actually did such a despicable thing. I am utterly disappointed!"

"At least he took the initiative to apologize."

"That's because he knew he couldn't avoid it, so he came to me to gamble and see if I would soften my heart."

Cheng Hai didn't dare to try to persuade him anymore, and could only stand aside in silence.

Emperor Qi Xiao also thought of Liu Yuechu, "Tell me about her, she has absolutely no connection with anyone else, yet she insists on meddling in other people's affairs? And she's pregnant, how can she have so much free time? Princess Chen doesn't even try to manage things, it's utterly absurd!"

"This servant has heard that the eldest son of the painting master Liu Zhong has taken a liking to Lord Huang's eldest daughter, but Lord Huang disagrees. After all, young master Liu had some dealings with the Left Chancellor's family, so young master Liu's marriage has indeed become a problem. Miss Wanwan is also Liu Yiren's good friend, so Liu Yiren has the intention of helping them get married, but she is a bit rash in her actions." Cheng Hai said with a smile, half praising and half scolding.

"You're still defending her? She's just meddling in other people's business!" Emperor Qi Xiao scolded, then paused for a long time before speaking, "Tell me, how much did Huai Changmeng tell her?"

This is what Emperor Qi Xiao is most worried about.

The departure of Prince Chun was the biggest reason for the estrangement between the Empress Dowager and him.

The Empress Dowager was determined to kill that woman and her child because she feared that the scandal would spread throughout the world and damage his reputation.

Looking back now, he realized that he hadn't heard from Prince Chun for a long time, and even his secret guards couldn't get a foot into his fiefdom.

“Huai Changmeng confessed that he told us everything, but I don’t think his words can be taken seriously.” Cheng Hai was not certain.

Emperor Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you want me to personally investigate?"

"Your Majesty, you haven't seen Consort Liu for a long time. Why don't you meet her in person?" Cheng Hai knew how suspicious Emperor Qi Xiao was. Even though he was the closest servant, his words were not as reassuring as if His Majesty had seen her in person.

Emperor Qi Xiao pondered for a moment and replied, "I will have lunch with her tomorrow. Have the Imperial Study make preparations in advance."

"And what about Lord Huang?" Cheng Hai asked at this moment.

Emperor Qi Xiao snorted coldly, "Wake him up, I have something to ask him carefully."