allonlinenovel Chapter 253 Zhou Lingfu is a runaway slave?
Chapter 253 Zhou Lingfu is a runaway slave?
Shen Qionghua immediately shook her head when she heard this. "No, no, this is just a hypothesis. If I knew someone was trying to frame the Zhenguogong Mansion, how could I not tell you?"
"I just had some thoughts after what happened yesterday."
"After all, we are already at war with Prince An and his faction. Now that Prince An has been entrusted with an important task by the Emperor to lead the troops into battle, the morale of Prince An's faction is high."
"Prince An has always regarded the prince as a thorn in his side. What if there is such a powerful and arrogant person who overestimates his own abilities and has evil intentions? We must always take precautions in advance, right?"
"After all, in the eyes of the world, the Duke of Zhenguo is the prince's greatest reliance. If..."
Things have come to this point, and Luo Xiyao can figure out the rest on her own without Shen Qionghua's persuasion.
Luo Xiyao lowered her head and frowned, thinking for a while. After a while, she said, "Qionghua, you are right. There are many people who are not in their right minds. It is always right to be cautious in this situation."
"Don't worry, I will send more guards to the palace and order them to take turns guarding it."
Shen Qionghua continued, "Not only that, the Duke of Zhenguo's study should be guarded by another trusted aide."
Luo Xiyao frowned. She understood Shen Qionghua's implication. "That's not necessary. The guards at the Duke's Mansion are either veterans who followed my father into battle, or their descendants..."
Shen Qionghua interrupted her, looked into Luo Xiyao's eyes and said, "Nothing in this world is unchangeable. Money and power can also move people's hearts."
Seeing that Luo Xiyao was still hesitant, Shen Qionghua said, "I also had a maid who grew up with me, but she betrayed the Shen family in order to become the concubine of the Yongning Earl."
Luo Xiyao's expression changed.
Shen Qionghua continued, "This is just our speculation. We're just in case, so it's not appropriate to make it public. It only needs to be known between the two of us."
"The person assigned to guard the study can just hide in the dark. This will give us peace of mind while also preventing the other guards from feeling we don't trust them and chilling their hearts."
"If nothing happens, we'll just pretend it never happened. If something does happen, it's because you're cautious. The guards will just think you're being thoughtful."
Luo Xiyao was undoubtedly persuaded by Shen Qionghua. She stroked her chin and thought, "In that case, there's no need to alert my father. I can just use my secret guards directly."
"Have them guard the study in the dark day and night. That way, any unusual movement can be detected instantly."
Luo Xiyao has a secret guard team consisting of eight people. The two secret guards who were previously lent to Shen Qionghua to check on Xie Nanyuan's whereabouts were from this secret guard team.
Needless to say, their skills were very good. Even Xie Nanyuan didn't notice it at the first time. Although Xie Nanyuan didn't fully think about this aspect at the time and was completely careless, it also proved that their skills were indeed good.
Shen Qionghua was also planning to use this secret guard team. When Luo Xiyao brought it up on her own initiative, she nodded in satisfaction.
This secret guard team was originally formed by the Duke of Zhenguo. They guarded the study of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Even if their whereabouts were discovered by the Duke of Zhenguo, it would be easy to explain.
Shen Qionghua originally thought that it would take some effort to persuade Luo Xiyao, but who knew that the other party would be so receptive and give in so easily.
After resolving the big issue in his mind, Shen Qionghua felt much more relaxed and was in the mood to drink tea and chat with Luo Xiyao.
The two chatted for a long time until the maid below reported that Prince Rui had left. Shen Qionghua sat for another quarter of an hour before getting up and leaving.
Before leaving, he did not forget to hold Luo Xiyao's hand and reminded her not to forget what he had just said.
The constant chatter made Luo Xiyao, who was originally calm, a little nervous, as if someone really wanted to frame the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
After seeing Shen Qionghua off, he hurried back home to start making arrangements.
After making the arrangements, Luo Xiyao also wrote a letter to Shen Qionghua, reassuring her, and Shen Qionghua was very pleased.
Of course, these are all things to follow.
At this moment, Shen Qionghua was sitting in the carriage returning to the Shen Mansion. Shaoyao was sitting beside her, handing tea to Shen Qionghua with a smile on her face.
Although she didn't know what the young lady talked about with Princess Pingning, it was obvious that the young lady was in a good mood at the moment.
Ever since she learned about the war at the border, the young lady has been in a depressed mood and very worried. Now she is finally happy and can finally let go of the worry that had been hanging in her heart.
Shen Qionghua took the teacup, drank it, and lifted the curtain to look at the scenery outside.
Suddenly, her eyes blurred and a slightly familiar face flashed before her eyes, and then the carriage stopped suddenly.
The carriage was shaking, and the tea in Shen Qionghua's hand almost spilled all over her.
After Shaoyao steadied herself, she quickly took the teacup from Shen Qionghua's hand and wiped it with the spare handkerchief in the carriage.
"Ouch, I almost got it all over me."
Perhaps Shaoyao's complaining tone was heard by the groom outside, who quickly explained, "Miss, someone was catching a runaway slave, and that scared the horse."
Shen Qionghua frowned, brushed away Shaoyao's hand, and lifted the curtain.
I saw several guards on a crowded street not far away, pinning a disheveled woman to the ground and beating her.
The woman struggled continuously but made no sound.
Shen Qionghua looked at the guard's clothes and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is that a guard from Prince An's Mansion?"
The groom took a closer look and said, "To answer the young lady, it seems so."
The people around seemed to be frightened by this scene. No one dared to step forward and they all avoided it, but some were reluctant to leave.
Until the beaten woman's breathing became weak and she could no longer struggle, she was dragged up like a dead fish, and then a black hood was put on her and she was dragged away by the guards.
Although a hood was immediately put on her head when she was dragged up, Shen Qionghua still saw clearly why she did not make any sound of pain - her mouth was stuffed with rags.
After everyone left, the street quickly returned to its previous bustle, as if what had just happened had never happened.
Shen Qionghua lowered the curtain and the carriage started again.
Shaoyao, who was standing by, had seen the entire scene unfold, and felt sympathetic. She couldn't help but say, "Everyone says Prince An is respectful to the virtuous and humble, a modest gentleman. He's just good at pretending."
"As soon as I left the capital, I saw a servant trying to escape. Who knows what happened to him in Prince An's mansion."
"The guards at Prince An's Mansion are really ruthless."
Shen Qionghua took the cup of tea she handed over again, took a sip, and raised his eyebrows when he heard her words.
Runaway slave?
I’m afraid that’s not necessarily the case.
The face that just flashed by was clearly Zhou Lingfu, the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion.