Chapter 248 Secretly Harsh Treatment
At night, Ning Yunxi was very sleepy and was about to go to bed when she heard a noise outside the window.
"Who?!"
The door was locked. Zhuang Rui chose an open window, climbed in, and responded in a deep voice through the screen.
"Don't panic, cousin. It's me, Zhuang Rui."
Ning Yunxi heaved a sigh of relief, picked up a coat and put it on neatly.
"It's late at night, what are you doing here?"
At this time, there was another figure outside the house, passing by the window and coming out the door.
Ning Yunxi walked around the screen and out of the inner room, just in time to see it.
"Who else?"
Zhuang Rui walked quickly and opened the door.
"And Lan'er."
Teng E'lan bowed before entering the door.
Zhuang Rui helped in time and expressed his opinion on his own initiative.
"No need to be polite, just come in and watch your step."
Ning Yunxi was so tired that she felt dizzy.
"Aren't you... sleepy?"
Teng Elan was well-behaved and polite. Even when she sat down, she kept her eyes lowered.
"Replying to the princess, I am sleepy. But Mr. Zhuang said that he has something important to discuss."
Zhuang Rui behaves in a very strict manner and rarely looks serious.
"Don't worry, cousin. We came here in secret, and no one followed us. Even the people from Yuexi Mansion were knocked out by my medicine. This trip is absolutely safe."
Ning Yunxi forced a wry smile.
"If you take them all down, how can Yuexi Mansion be safe?"
Zhuang Rui reached into his sleeve, took out two porcelain bottles and placed them on the coffee table.
"The drug is only effective for half an hour, let's go right away."
"This is the antidote, leave it to my cousin in case of emergency."
Ning Yunxi rubbed her eyes and tried to stay awake a little.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Zhuang Rui narrated the story solemnly and without smiling.
"If the three of us brothers and sisters have anything to ask, as long as it has nothing to do with the court, the emperor will agree without hesitation."
"In the afternoon, I went to the palace to ask for an audience. I noticed that the emperor's tone was not right, so I guessed that perhaps Lan'er's life experience was suspicious and it was related to the court situation."
Ning Yunxi was puzzled.
"How could Miss Teng's background be involved in the political situation? I heard from my mother that she is an orphan and has been without parents since she was a child."
Zhuang Rui's face showed a hint of distress.
"I didn't expect this either, so I came to discuss this with you."
"The Emperor pretended to grant his permission, perhaps hoping to take advantage of our wedding day and wipe out the root of the problem."
Ning Yunxi was shocked when she heard this.
"It seems that you can't get married rashly. You need to think about this matter carefully."
Zhuang Rui nodded.
"What my cousin said is absolutely right."
"Lan'er's life story still needs to be investigated slowly and secretly. It's inconvenient for me to do it, so I can only ask my cousin to do it for me."
Ning Yunxi had an idea.
"The Supervisory Office is responsible for Yu's imperial edict to find her biological parents. I have many samples here. Miss Teng is here. Please collect some samples. I will compare them in the library to see if I can find her biological parents."
Teng Elan pursed her lips and smiled, with a hint of anticipation.
"Thank you, Princess."
Zhuang Rui stared at Lan'er, feeling deeply worried.
"The emperor is watching closely, during this period, please take good care of Lan'er, cousin."
Ning Yunxi nodded.
"okay."
As she spoke, she touched the silver ring, took out the medical tools, prepared everything, and waved.
"Miss Teng, please come and sit over here."
Teng Elan left immediately.
"Yes."
Zhuang Rui followed him.
Ning Yunxi instructed carefully.
"It may be a little painful when the needle is inserted, just bear with it."
Looking at the unfamiliar medical tools, E'lan's eyes showed a bit of fear.
"Yes."
Zhuang Rui comforted softly.
"Don't be afraid, I'm with you."
In desperation, Zhuang Rui and Teng E'lan's marriage was put on hold.
When Gu Mengzhen asked the reason, Zhuang Rui replied perfunctorily that Lord Teng and Lord Wei were reluctant to let their beloved daughter get married, and wanted to be reunited for a few years before discussing the marriage.
With the protection of the Teng and Wei tribes, Gu Mengzhen could not do anything to Teng E'lan for the time being and could only endure it. At most, he summoned Mu Rong into the palace and scolded her to vent his anger. It was all her fault that led to the current situation.
The fiery red peach blossoms are spreading out on the branches, accompanied by the bright morning dew, at the gate of Prince Chen's mansion, with bright colors, fresh fragrance, and delicate as a painting.
A stranger from a faraway place begged on the streets and fled to Beijing.
As he had just arrived, he didn't know where to beg, so he came to Prince Chen's palace holding a bowl with a broken corner.
The people in Prince Chen's Palace were warm and hospitable. When they heard that the common people were in trouble, they welcomed him into the palace with great courtesy, saying that they would treat him to a hearty meal before bidding him farewell through the back door.
Yuanmin asked, why take the back door?
They replied that after a full meal, they would inevitably feel tired and the back door was close to the kitchen and dining room, so they made this arrangement.
Upon hearing such thoughtfulness, many beggars came to ask for food.
Many people passing by talked about it and praised His Royal Highness Prince Chen for his kindness.
Just when Yuanmin thought that he could finally have a full meal for the day, he didn't expect that the people in Prince Chen's Mansion were just pretending to welcome him into the front gate, but without staying for a moment, they directly drove him out the back door.
He was too late to react and had already fallen and was in great pain. As he was confused, he heard the beggars next to him whispering.
"How could His Royal Highness Prince Chen be so heartless? Didn't he open his warehouse to help the people and rescue us, the disaster victims and beggars, in the previous medical disaster?"
"He was just pretending to be generous and charitable. Before, I didn't know the truth and came here to beg, but I was always driven away. I deliberately chose the back door not because it was close to the kitchen and dining room, but because the back door was deserted and uninhabited. Only refugees and beggars like us made our homes here."
"You are new here and don't know the situation. In fact, a few days ago, there was a wave of public outrage because the prince used tricks to win over the people's hearts and secretly treated us harshly."
"Since there is public outrage, Your Highness should correct the situation. Why is it still like this?"
"He came out to explain himself, saying that his subordinates were greedy for money and secretly drove away the beggars without telling him. Then he sent away a few insignificant people, who might have been informants planted by his government, and just brushed it off. Finally, just like now, he continued to pretend to be generous and enjoy the good reputation."
"As a prince, how can you do this?"
"He insisted on doing this, so what could we do? We made a fuss, but before it caused any waves, he calmed it down to silence."
"Alas, it seems that the storehouse of Prince Chen's Mansion has other uses. Even a bite of food will not be given to lowly people like us."
"Lord Hongshun is worthy of his title, unlike the Prince of Chen who is a fraud. Every time I go to the Earl of Hongshun's mansion to ask for food, I don't always return with a full bag, but it is still worth the trip."
"Me too. Once, I had the honor of meeting the uncle. People say he is kind and generous. I knew it was true when I saw him."
After hearing this, Yuanmin went to the manor to beg.
As soon as he arrived at the Zhuang Mansion, he fainted on the ground before he could say a word.
Fang Zhixuan passed by and saw him, so he ordered his servants to send him to the guest room, prepare food, and ask the doctor in the mansion to examine him.
Unexpectedly, this person was suffering from an epidemic and it happened to be an attack, so he fainted at the door.
Fang Zhixuan was stunned.
"Epidemic?!"
Before the shock had worn off, someone from the Secret Service came with an imperial decree.
Secret Prime Minister Du Hanping, keep a safe distance and warn loudly.
"Please be patient, my Lord. Shengjing has found someone with an epidemic disease. The Imperial Hospital traced the source and found that it was a foreign disaster victim. I heard that my Lord took in a disaster victim. I am sorry for offending you. Please allow the Imperial Doctor to check and confirm that it is correct."