CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: TREASURE MAP?

After discussing matters with Liang Run, it was already late.

Happy times are always short-lived, and Zhao Yao, no matter how unwilling, had to return to the palace.

"Ah, how did the day pass so quickly?" A day is truly too short; he hadn’t played enough yet and already had to return to the palace. "Next time I leave the palace, I’ll have to wait until next month." Just thinking about having to wait a month to leave the palace again made Zhao Yao feel like the whole world had turned grey.

Liang Run also couldn’t bear to see his nephew go, hoping he could stay a few more days, but his nephew, being a prince, couldn’t linger outside the palace for long.

"A month will pass quickly."

"It’s like a year; a month is like thirty years." Zhao Yao slumped his shoulders and said with a bitter face.

Liang Run was amused by Zhao Yao’s miserable expression. Stifling his laughter, he changed the topic: "When is Prince Dai returning to the capital tomorrow?"

"It seems to be in the afternoon." Mentioning Prince Dai’s return to the capital successfully diverted Zhao Yao’s attention, "Once Second Brother returns, both the capital and the palace will become unsettled."

"You and your sister be careful in the palace. If anything happens, have your bird friends send me a message, and I will find a way to help you."

Zhao Yao smiled reassuringly at Liang Run: "Uncle, Second Brother’s return won’t affect Mother Consort and me, so don’t worry about us." Second Brother’s return would have the greatest impact on Crown Prince Brother. As for him, an unfavored prince, there was no impact.

"Really no impact?" Liang Run believed Prince Dai’s victorious return this time was bound to stir up turmoil. He worried that Zhao Yao and Liang Zhaoyi might be innocently caught up in it.

"Mother Consort and I are not important people, how would it involve us?"

As they were speaking, Tong Xi appeared at the entrance to the study, knocking gently on the door to remind Zhao Yao: "Young master, it’s getting late, we should go back."

"Uncle, if anything comes up, write a letter and give it to Lai Man; it will come into the palace to find me."

"Alright."

Zhao Yao gave a few more instructions, then changed into beggar’s garb, preparing to return to the palace.

Liang Run escorted Zhao Yao to the alley entrance, "Yao Yao, you and your sister must take care in the palace!" Sometimes, he felt it was good for his sister and Yao Yao to be in the palace. Sometimes, he felt it wasn’t.

"Uncle, don’t worry at all; Mother Consort and I will be fine." In the palace, he and Mother Consort were nearly invisible; with Prince Dai’s return, no one would pay them any attention. "Uncle, I’m leaving now, please take care of Ding Yuan and Uncle Zhang."

"Don’t worry, I will nurture them well."

Zhao Yao said no more, waved to Liang Run, and left with Tong Xi.

Liang Run stood at the alley entrance for a long time before turning back inside.

Zhao Yao and Tong Xi walked through the dark alley. Unexpectedly, halfway through, they encountered those beggars who had beaten Ding Yuan before. Seeing the bulging bags on Zhao Yao and Tong Xi’s backs, greed flashed in their eyes, and without a word, they attempted to snatch their bags.

Shortly after, a few screams echoed in the dim alley, but it didn’t attract attention from others.

Such incidents were common, and passersby, long used to them, would not interfere.

The beggars attempting to rob Zhao Yao were knocked to the ground, grimacing and curling up in pain.

Zhao Yao had Tong Xi teach them a harsh lesson, a small revenge for Ding Yuan.

Before entering the Pei Mansion, Zhao Yao first had Lai Man look around to see if anyone was lurking nearby.

Lai Man carefully checked the vicinity of the Pei Mansion and, confirming no one was around, went to find Zhao Yao and the others.

Zhao Yao and Tong Xi stealthily entered the Pei Mansion. He did not hurry back to the palace but first fed Lai Man and the others. Then, he inspected several important rooms in the Pei Mansion.

The Pei Mansion had been abandoned for twenty or thirty years; many rooms were dilapidated and overgrown with weeds, looking sinister and eerie under the pale moonlight.

Tong Xi held a lantern, lighting the way for Zhao Yao. Seeing Zhao Yao knocking on the floor repeatedly, he curiously and puzzledly asked: "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

"I’m checking for secret passages." Zhao Yao knocked on the floor for a while but found no secret passages or compartments. "I was overthinking; there’s nothing."

"Your Highness, if there were any secret passages or compartments here, they would have been discovered long ago."

"That’s true."

"Your Highness, if we don’t return, the noble princess will be worried."

"Then let’s go."

Before entering the secret passage, Zhao Yao instructed Lai Man to guard the Pei Mansion well. If any strange people came looking for something, it must inform him.

In Kunde Hall, Liang Zhaoyi was waiting for Zhao Yao. Seeing that dusk was ending and her son still hadn’t returned made her a bit worried.

Just as she was about to head to the Cold Palace, Zhao Yao and Tong Xi returned.

Seeing her son return safe and sound, Liang Zhaoyi breathed a sigh of relief. She pinched Zhao Yao’s chubby cheeks and sternly asked: "Why are you back so late?"

"It hurts... Mother Consort, forgive me..." Zhao Yao pleaded, saying, "Something happened on the way back."

Hearing this, Liang Zhaoyi finally let go, frowning slightly as she asked: "What happened?"

"Some beggars tried to rob us..." Zhao Yao briefly recounted to Liang Zhaoyi what happened on the way back.

"As long as you’re fine, first take a bath, then have dinner later." Although Tong Xi was an eunuch, his skills were formidable, so Liang Zhaoyi felt secure letting her son leave the palace with him.

After bathing, Zhao Yao changed into clean clothes. Liang Zhaoyi had Gui Xing and the others bring dinner directly to the side hall.

Sitting on the couch, Zhao Yao had dinner while telling Liang Zhaoyi about his experiences outside the palace.

Liang Zhaoyi listened intently and agreed very much with Zhao Yao’s idea of having Liang Run adopt and nurture some beggars and orphans. She felt it was strange for people from Shu to be sent to the Pei Mansion to search for things.

"In the past two days, I have carefully looked through the books and notes left by Noble Consort Pei but found nothing special."

"Mother Consort, what do you think could be in the Pei Mansion that Han Zhong would risk sending people to the capital to find?"

"It should be something important, but back when the Pei Mansion was confiscated, everything was put into the national treasury."

"Mother Consort, do you think it could be a treasure map?" Zhao Yao speculated wildly, "Back then, the Pei Mansion was at its height and must have been very wealthy. Could they have preemptively moved a fortune elsewhere, and Han Zhong found out?"

"Unlikely. At that time, the Pei Mansion was indeed at its peak due to Noble Consort Pei’s favor, but it wasn’t a prominent family. Even if they accumulated money, it couldn’t have been much." Liang Zhaoyi analyzed, "Moreover, the Pei Family didn’t foresee Noble Consort Pei losing favor, so they wouldn’t have secretly moved a treasure elsewhere as a precaution."

"So if it’s not a treasure map, what is it?"

"I don’t know."

"Forget it, it doesn’t matter, Han Zhong won’t send people to the Pei Mansion again." Zhao Yao didn’t want to think about it any longer and lowered his head to continue eating.

"Since this involves Han Zhong, it might not be simple." Liang Zhaoyi said solemnly, frowning deeply. "After all, Han Zhong is a remnant of the previous dynasty."

"Whether it’s simple or not has nothing to do with us; we don’t need to concern ourselves over it." Zhao Yao, although curious about what Han Zhong was looking for, knew curiosity could be dangerous. "If we become too involved, we might invite trouble."

Liang Zhaoyi nodded: "You’re right."

"Mother Consort, did anyone come looking for me today?" Zhao Yao asked, "Eighth Brother didn’t come looking for me, did he?"

"No," said Liang Zhaoyi, "With Prince Dai about to return to the palace, the Eighth Prince likely has no time to pay attention to you."

"That’s true. Eighth Brother has to stay by Crown Prince Brother’s side; he wouldn’t have the time to focus on me." Zhao Yao, full from the meal, set down his chopsticks, took the handkerchief from Gui Xing, wiped his mouth, and then his hands.

"With Prince Dai’s return, the palace is likely to be in turmoil again." Recently, the atmosphere in the palace had felt unusual. The undercurrents previously hidden beneath a façade of tranquility were already beginning to surge.