The queen of the last days became a maid and just wanted to lie down

Xu Yao left in a hurry, as timid as a mouse.

As the two of them dispersed, the onlookers also left.

When Pei Shuo got on the carriage, Qing Mo couldn't help but feel curious: "Were you going to hit that fire-making girl just now?"

Pei Shuo glanced at him and said calmly: "Don't you think that girl looks like the female thief that night?"

Qing Mo couldn't help laughing: "Look at what you said. This girl has been in the Liu family for so many years. If she really has that ability, wouldn't the Liu family not know about it? I think you've become obsessed with catching thieves, and everyone you see looks like a thief."

A few days ago, Xiaolian, a maid in the mansion, was frightened by the prince. She went home and cried all night, fearing that she had offended the prince in some way.

Pei Shuo gave him an awkward look and said, "You're the only one who talks too much. Hurry up and get in the car."

"Prince, you haven't told me where you're going yet."

"Let's go to Mingqianlou. My cousin has made an appointment with me."

Bai Lingzhi ordered some food and wine in the restaurant. He saw Pei Shuo getting off the carriage from a distance. When the waiter went upstairs, he immediately poured him a glass of wine.

"Come here, this is the famous daughter's incense of Chennan country. I had to ask someone for help to get this jar, it's a good deal for you."

Pei Shuo took a sip of the wine and felt that it was indeed strong enough.

Then he sighed again: "You are better. You are relaxed and carefree, and you can go anywhere. Unlike me, I am trapped in the capital all day long and dare not even go out of the gate of the capital."

Bai Lingzhi seemed not to understand. "If you want to leave the city, take your money and servants with you and ride in a carriage. No one will stop you."

Pei Shuo rolled his eyes at him, "You know exactly what I mean."

As the only son of the Duke of Zhenguo, how can he do whatever he wants?

As long as his father held the military power, he would not be free. No matter where he went, he had to get permission from above. Going out to hunt or enjoy the flowers and scenery was nothing.

But if you want to go somewhere else, then he has no say in that.

Bai Lingzhi smiled and changed the subject, "I heard that you caught a thief some time ago and have made great contributions to the Palace Front Department, which has brought honor to you."

Pei Shuo looked a little aggrieved when he heard him mention this.

"The thieves we caught that day stole a lot of valuables, but they were just petty thieves."

There was no challenge at all for him. On the contrary, the female thief who had humiliated him a few days ago was very good at martial arts. If she had not been delayed by something, he would have chased her fiercely.

Qing Mo couldn't help but say, "Cousin, you don't know, my prince has been obsessed with catching thieves lately, and everyone looks like a thief to him. He just attacked Madam Liu's maid, and she was so scared that she fell to the ground and almost couldn't get up."

Bai Lingzhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him: "Even if you suspect she is a thief, she is still a young lady. How can you not have any sympathy for her?"

Pei Shuo paused and said stubbornly, "There is no difference between male and female thieves. You don't know how powerful the female thief was when I met her that day. Later, I went to the scene to see the traces of fighting. She was definitely a master. Moreover, she was fighting against seven or eight people alone. She is definitely not an ordinary person."

Unfortunately, the capital city is too big and full of people of all kinds. It would be extremely difficult for him to find the female thief in the vast crowd.

Qing Mo couldn't help laughing: "That lady Xu is just a fire-making girl. Even if she can hit people, she can only scare others with the fire stick at most. My Lord, you are just insane."

Bai Lingzhi, who was originally smiling, suddenly had a look of surprise when he heard the words "fire-burning girl".

"What fire-making girl?" He lowered his head to drink and asked casually.

Before Pei Shuo could speak, Qing Mo answered for him: "She is the new maidservant beside Madam Liu. She used to be the fire-making girl in their kitchen. I don't know what Madam Liu likes about her. She is dull and doesn't look very smart."

Not only did he promote her to be his personal maid, he also trusted her very much.

"My young master insisted that the back view looked like a female thief. Do you think that girl is unlucky?"

Pei Shuo was helpless, "Why are you so talkative?"

Then he threw a piece of cake to him and said, "Shut up your mouth."

After hearing these words, Bai Lingzhi was very sure that the person they were talking about was Xu Yao.

He had not expected his cousin to be so meticulous. He was thinking in his heart whether he should do Xu Yao a favor, but he had already excused her. "From your description, the female thief was very capable. How could such a person be so humble as to be a fire-making maid in someone else's house?"

"That's right. That girl has been staying at the Liu family since she was a teenager. How could the female thief our young master mentioned have such skills without decades of experience? My Lord, if you really want to catch a thief, you should go to those places where all kinds of people are mixed. Girls in such places are likely to have mastered such skills."

Pei Shuo was about to retort, but Bai Lingzhi picked up a dish for him.

"Brother, I'm not saying anything bad about you. Even if you work in the Palace Front Department, it's just an ordinary job. There's no need to risk your life. If you don't catch the thief, someone else will. The most important thing for you right now is your sister's matter."

Speaking of Pei Yi, Pei Shuo felt that there was some truth in it.

"What do you think His Majesty wants to do? Why is he suddenly holding a beauty pageant? The court didn't leak any news before."

Normally, for a major event like the selection of concubines, the Ministry of Rites should have prepared at least three months in advance. This time, they actually brought everyone into the palace within a few days, which was really weird.

Bai Lingzhi glanced at Qing Mo, and Qing Mo immediately understood. He walked out of the door, closed it, and stood outside to prevent others from approaching.

Bai Lingzhi then said, "According to the news from inside, the emperor's health may be a little unwell. I secretly asked the imperial physician to diagnose his pulse, but I don't know the specific situation."

"How could it be? There was no news at all before?"

"What do you think the palace is? If it weren't for the informant I planted and spent a lot of money to get the news, not to mention you, even the ladies in the palace might not know about this."

Even the informant only found out that the emperor was unwell, but no one knew how unwell he was.

After all, Your Majesty has been attending court meetings as usual these days.

"What does that have to do with the draft?"

As soon as Pei Shuo asked this question, he had a vague guess in his mind.

Bai Lingzhi smiled and drank a glass of wine. "Why else? On the surface, it seems that they are anxious to choose concubines for the two princes, but I think whoever your sister marries in the end may be the future crown prince."

Pei Shuo was shocked when he heard these remarks.

For the first time, he felt a little regretful for asking his sister to cancel the engagement so hastily.

If I had known earlier, I should have delayed it a few more days. It wouldn't have mattered if I let Zhao Mingbo act like a clown and cause a lot of trouble in the city.

I finally managed to escape from that shameless Zhao Mingbo, but now there are still people from the royal family watching me.

"Is there no way to let my sister avoid this disaster?" My father and mother's meaning was very clear. They did not want the family to be involved in the struggle for imperial power, and they did not want their daughter to be trapped in the palace.

Many wealthy and noble ladies in the previous dynasty died within a few years after entering the palace. Their families only hoped that their children would be happy and healthy, and were not willing to pursue the supreme imperial power.