Chapter 130 Returning to the Capital

“Your Royal Highness, they have discovered King Dingxi. With no more than one hundred people around, King Dingxi can’t escape at all.”

Donglin looked towards the mountain. Having been chasing his men for so many days, they finally had an opportunity to encircle and suppress them.

Xia Houmo kept his cold expression. “Send more people. Don’t let him run away.”

“Yes.”

…

On the mountain, King Dingxi was pulled into the dark by a black figure. He lifted the sword in his hand.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m here to help you, Your Royal Highness.”

King Dingxi paused and stared at him with question and vigilance.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t mind who I am. You just need to know that I can help you leave the Chu.”

“Conditions?” King Dingxi was not stupid and would not believe that someone would help him for no reason.

“Of course, I have conditions. But it’s not the time. The King of Jin’s chasing soldiers will arrive soon. Hurry to escape with me.”

King Dingxi watched him but didn’t move.

“Your Royal Highness, do you think you have any other options? You should be clear about the consequences of being caught by the King of Jin.”

King Dingxi gritted his teeth; he had no choice indeed! He might have a hope of life if he believed the people in front of him!

“Well, I believe you!”

The man smiled and led King Dingxi to a big stone. Then he pulled the big stone.

The big stone moved slowly and a secret tunnel appeared.

“Your Royal Highness, this way please.”

King Dingxi walked into the tunnel and the stone door was closed.

Before dark, Xia Houmo’s troops had captured King Dingxi’s rebels.

“Weird, where is King Dingxi? How can he run away with so many people chasing after him?” Donglin heard the news from the soldiers with a frown.

“Your Royal Highness, it’s getting dark.”

“Smoke him out. If he doesn’t come out, look for him at each border pass.”

“Your Royal Highness, you mean King Dingxi might have escaped?”

Xia Houmo lowered his eyes and tightened the reins in his hands. “If the smoke can’t make him come out, he must have run away.”

Donglin put on a stern look. “He has other helpers?!”

Xia Houmo looked towards the mountain with a dull look.

…

The sudden rebellion of King Dingxi made the incident of the Zhao family temporarily forgotten by the people. And the Zhao family seemed to have disappeared completely.

For almost a month, no matter how much effort Cheng Ran made, he couldn’t find their clues.

Now the New Year was approaching, the weather was getting colder and colder, and Su Muge was increasingly worried about Zhang.

In Peachblossom Courtyard.

Su Muge looked at the snow-covered courtyard with a serious look.

“Miss, it’s so cold outside. Be careful not to catch a cold.” Yueru took out her cloak and put it on her.

“Is there any news from Cheng Ran?”

Yueru shook her head helplessly. “Don’t worry too much, Miss. When King Dingxi rebelled more than a month ago, the city was in chaos. They may have left the capital at that time.”

Su Muge shook her head. The Zhao family must have a purpose to make such big trouble. Before the purpose was achieved, the people who instructed them wouldn’t let them go so easily.

“Miss, there is news from the King of Jin.” Xinche walked into the courtyard.

Su Muge nodded and turned into the house. “Get inside first.”

“Okay.”

Xinche was so cold that she warmed her hands by the fire. “It is said that the King of Jin has chased the rebels to the border and has collected King Dingxi’s troops. They are now on the way back to the capital.”

“What about King Dingxi? Has he caught him?”

Xinche shook her head. “There is no news.”

“Since the rebels have been caught, the Emperor’s mother will return to the capital.”

When Xia Houmo picked up the Emperor’s mother from Xiangshan Mountain to the capital, King Dingxi rebelled. For the safety of the Emperor’s mother, Xia Houmo sent her to Lancheng prefecture, which was a hundred miles away from the capital.

Now that the rebels had been caught and the New Year was coming, the Emperor would surely ask to take his mother back to the capital.

“Yueru, send Cheng Ran a message to find out when His Majesty sends people to pick up the Emperor’s mother.”

“Why do you want to know this, Miss?” Su Muge had no interaction with the Empress’s mother and wouldn’t deliberately find opportunities to please her.

Su Muge smiled. “You’ll know.”

As Su Muge thought, after getting the news from Xia Houmo, Xia Hourui sent people to Lancheng prefecture to pick up his mother.

King Dingxi’s rebellion had hurt the capital a lot, so the Emperor’s Mother entered the capital in a low-key way.

Su Muge was sitting in the teahouse on the Imperial Palace Street, gently rotating the teacup in her hand and watching the approaching queue.

It was freezing cold, and there were few pedestrians on the street. Such a large group of people walking on the street had still attracted considerable attention.

“Your Grace, please uphold justice for my son …”

Just as the queue was approaching the teahouse, a figure rushed out of the shop on the opposite street and knelt in the middle of the street. The voice was sharp and sorrowful, interrupting the tranquility of the entire street.

“Stop!”

The person walking in front of the queue stopped the queue and asked two guards to check the situation.

“Your Grace, please uphold justice for me! Your Grace!”

Hearing the energetic voice, Su Muge narrowed her eyes slightly. She had guessed that the Zhao family was likely to make trouble at this time.

The person kneeling in the middle of the street was Wang who had disappeared for a long time!

In the vermeil carriage came an old and hoarse voice. “What’s up?”

“I’ll find it out.” Later, a woman in an aqua-green front-opening robe got off the carriage.

When she came back to the carriage, the tip of her nose had already been frozen and red.

“Your Grace, a citizen was kneeling in the middle of the street and stopped the queue. She said that her son’s marriage was ruined and asked you to uphold justice for her.”

The Emperor’s mother in the carriage was turning the green beads in her hand gently. Hearing the words, she asked without opening her eyes.

“Who ruined her son’s marriage?”

“It’s the truth-born daughter of Su Lun, a Grade-9 Official of Ministry of Works. Her name is Su Muge.”

In the dark, the Emperor’s mother slowly opened her eyes.

“Su Muge?”

“Yes.”

The Emperor’s mother kept her countenance. “Bring her with us.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the name of Su Muge, a pretty figure sitting in the carriage behind the Emperor’s mother froze slightly.

In the bluish-yellow carriage behind the vermeil carriage, a woman was leaning in the carriage and fiddling with the book in her hand randomly.

“She is so bold to stop the queue!”

“Your Grace, do you want me to inquire?” An old mama whispered beside her.

The Empress shook her head carelessly. “No need to inquire. We’ll know after entering the palace.”

She was the Empress who had accompanied the Emperor’s mother to pay respect for Buddha on Xiangshan Mountain.

Seeing that Wang was taken away, Su Muge sitting in the teahouse frowned.

The incident of Wang seemed to have little impact on the queue. In a while, the entire queue disappeared at the end of the street.

“Miss, you are right. They have actually taken advantage of the Emperor’s mother!” Standing behind Su Muge, Yueru had seen the situation on the street. After taking advantage of Princess Linghua, they spared no efforts to destroy the reputation and marriage of the eldest Miss!

“Miss, what shall we do?”

“What can I do? I can’t rush to the Emperor’s mother to catch her, can I?”

“Miss, I’ve found him.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Ran pushed the door open and walked in.

Su Muge stood up. “Where is he?”

“I’ve caught him in the back alley.”

“Let’s go.”

When Su Muge came to the alley, Zhao Shun was held by two men.

“Um, um …” Zhao Shun was gagged and stared at Su Muge.

Su Muge stepped forward and ripped out the rag in his mouth.

“Su Muge, you ugly woman! How dare you catch me?! After marriage, I’ll kill you!” Zhao Shun scolded angrily.

“Snap” Cheng Ran slapped him in his face. “Do you think you can really marry the eldest Miss?!”

“Ah!”

Su Muge grabbed Zhao Shun’s collar coldly. “Say, where are you hiding now?”

“Hide? Why should we hide?!” Zhao Shun replied with flickering eyes.

Su Muge grabbed his neck and tightened her palms.

“I ask you again. Where are you hiding now?! Is my grandma with you?”

“Hm …” Zhao Shun was pinched so hard that his face turned purple gradually.

“Um, I, I say … Um, in, in the house in the back alley … Grandma, Grandma is also there.”

Su Muge released her hands and Zhao Shun took a deep breath.

“Find a place to watch him. Yueru, let’s go to the back alley.”

“Okay.”

“Miss, let me go with you.” Cheng Ran said.

Cheng Ran knew the way better than she did. “Okay.”

When the three arrived at the house, it was empty.

“Miss, has he lied to us?”

Su Muge shook her head. Just now she had exerted much strength; if she pinched his neck a little harder, he would be killed. Without experiencing many hardships, Zhao Shun had no courage to lie when he was threatened by death.

Su Muge walked into the house and found everything normal. The brazier was still burning in the room, and there was a hot roast chicken on the table.

“They have been taken away.”

“How do you know if they have run away for fear of being discovered, Miss?”

After a glance at the overturned teacup on the table and the cushion fallen to the ground, Su Muge picked up a purse from under the cushion.

“If they had left by themselves, they wouldn’t have forgotten taking away the money.”

There were 50 Liang in the purse, which was not a small sum of money for the Zhao family.

“Who would take them away? The person who instructs them?”

Su Muge gently rubbed the purse in her hand. The person who settled them here was definitely the one who instructed them. Wang had just been taken away by the Emperor’s mother, and the person needn’t have taken all the Zhao family away.

Therefore, the person who had taken the Zhao family away was much likely to be the Emperor’s mother!

“Miss, what shall we do?”

“Let’s go home first.”

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