Let Me Go, I’m Not Pregnant - Chapter 26

Luo Shen turned around and saw the newcomer, surprised, “You’re back?”

 

The person who arrived was dressed in plain attire, with a young and expressionless face. He looked at Luo Shen and nodded, “I returned last night, but it was already late, so I didn’t inform Your Majesty.”

 

He held the late emperor’s token, which allowed him to enter and exit the palace freely.

 

Luo Shen looked at him closely, “Why the hurry? Hasn’t the courtyard been cleaned up yet?”

 

The person looked at Luo Shen and nodded, saying, “It’s just that the circumstances are urgent, and I did not want to delay.”

 

He lowered his eyelashes, concealing the trace of anxiety that had flashed in his eyes. He turned and began leading Luo Shen back, asking, “Where did you stay last night?”

 

“Right here in this courtyard,” responded Luo Shen. “I had a late-night discussion with the former chancellor.”

 

Luo Shen’s footsteps halted, and he released his grip on the person’s hand, turning to look back at the courtyard where Gu Xingzhi was. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly.

 

“Is that so?” Luo Shen’s voice was tinged with coldness. “It’s best for you to stay away from him given your identity.”

 

“I understand,” the person replied nonchalantly. He patted the part of his clothing that had been held by Luo Shen, following him into the study.

 

“During this period, you should continue to stay in the courtyard where you used to live,” Luo Shen said as they entered the study. “After a month, I will publicly reveal your identity and host a banquet. You can reappear at that time.”

 

The person sat down and nodded, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

Luo Shen glanced at him with a darkened expression, pretending not to have heard the words. He took out a portion of the documents that the late emperor had entrusted him with, meant for the person, and handed them over. He asked the person to familiarize himself with the content.

 

“You can go now,” Luo Shen said.

 

The person got up and slowly walked out of the study.

 

Inside the room, Luo Shen stared at the door where the person had just left, recalling the image of the late emperor before his death.

 

Back then, the late emperor was worried that Luo Shen might not be able to handle the throne and would be manipulated by Luo Ming. To prevent this, he had arranged for a group of orphans to be sent to the palace.

 

Among them was the person who had just left, Gu Xingzhi. At that time, he was being prepared to become a shadow guard, but his exceptional intelligence had caught the late emperor’s attention. The late emperor decided to nurture him further.

 

While Gu Xingzhi was talented, he could never surpass the blood ties between Luo Shen and Luo Ming. The late emperor didn’t have the heart to openly reveal his intentions until his death, which was to make Luo Shen the emperor. He wanted Luo Shen to grant Gu Xingzhi a suitable position, and in return, Gu Xingzhi would assist in dealing with Luo Ming and ensure Luo Shen’s well-being for the rest of his life.

 

Naturally, the late emperor’s real wish was for Luo Shen to abdicate in favor of Gu Xingzhi. However, allowing Luo Shen to sit on the throne for these few months was part of a plan. When Luo Shen eventually relinquished the throne, he would be indebted to Gu Xingzhi, and the public and the officials would be watching closely. In the end, it was to ensure that Gu Xingzhi would not forget his gratitude.

 

The late emperor’s favor towards him was truly excellent, even making Luoming handle matters for him.

 

To be honest, Luo Shen didn’t really need to investigate the case from six months ago.

 

Upon careful consideration, it was most likely intentionally left by the late emperor. He pretended not to find it at the time, just to hand it over to Changqing.

 

Luo Shen narrowed his eyes and saw a bundle of letters on the table. He tore one open with ease, and the letters spilled out across the table.

 

He was about to open one of them when Chang’an entered the room and said it was time for the morning court.

 

Those ministers sure liked to talk, and they were creating quite a commotion, forcing him to hold a court session.

 

He mumbled an acknowledgment, got up, adjusted his clothes, and stepped out.

 

Morning court.

 

Gu Xingzhi stood by the door, and several officials whispered privately.

 

“Did something happen at Prince Qin’s mansion last night?”

 

“Someone kidnapped Prince Qin, and he hasn’t returned yet. The whole mansion is in a frenzy!”

 

“Who could be so bold as to kidnap Prince Qin? Do we have any leads?”

 

“We don’t know yet. It’s said that Prince Qin attended a fireworks festival last night and was kidnapped afterward.”

 

“Oh dear, what do we do? He’s supposed to have a wedding banquet tomorrow. If he doesn’t come back, can it still be held?”

 

…

 

Naturally, the Prime Minister had heard about this matter too, and he approached Gu Xingzhi. “Lord Gu, what do you think?”

 

A flash of Luo Shen’s image pretending to seek revenge privately crossed his mind. His lips involuntarily curled up before he realized and quickly straightened them, saying, “The person who kidnapped Prince Qin must be familiar with his leisure activities and deliberately waited for him. I believe it should be someone close to Prince Qin.”

 

The Prime Minister nodded. “I think the same. I’ll ask the Emperor for a decision later and see how we can rescue him. By the way, Lord Gu, how is your beloved doing? Have you found her?”

 

Gu Xingzhi’s eyes darkened. Since that day, he hadn’t seen Changnian again, and the jade pendant was still hanging around his neck, awaiting its return. He shook his head with a sigh, “She hasn’t been found yet.”

 

The Prime Minister also sighed, “If you can’t find her, it might be fate, perhaps she’s already married to someone else?”

 

Gu Xingzhi replied dismissively, “Maybe.”

 

“Lord Gu, you can’t linger beneath one tree; with your appearance and demeanor, there are plenty of women who admire and aspire to be with you, even the younger ones have dreams about you. If you have the time, consider visiting my home and meeting my daughter?”

 

Gu Xingzhi thought, “They’re really pushing me to marry,” and promptly declined, “I’m still fond of her. If she’s unwilling, I don’t want to marry anyone else for now.”

 

The Prime Minister’s expression turned awkward for a moment, “If that’s the case… Lord Gu, you’re truly devoted. I won’t play matchmaker then.”

 

As they were talking, Luo Shen entered the court. His eyes still had a hint of bruising, showing signs of sleep deprivation. In the eyes of the courtiers, this indicated that he had been losing sleep due to concerns for his kidnapped brother.

 

So, they started offering suggestions, hoping to help the compassionate emperor in any way they could.

 

Luo Shen listened earnestly and approved a few of their proposals, maintaining the image of a caring and worried elder brother. Then, turning to Chang’an, he leaked their plans for the rescue operation.

 

“Make sure Qin Feng is cautious. It’s best if Luo Ming can escape on his own, so it doesn’t seem too deliberate.”

 

Chang’an: “…”

 

“Oh, by the way, how much silver did Prince Qin’s mansion send?”

 

Chang’an replied, “They sent five million taels.”

 

Luo Shen’s teeth gritted at the thought.

 

They sure have a lot of money.

 

—

 

In the evening, a pursuit began.

 

In a remote, dimly lit room, Luo Ming opened his eyes and could only see a faint figure in the darkness, as if someone were cleaning a sword.

 

He made a whimpering sound, and the sound of fabric rubbing against the blade ceased. 

 

The next moment, a cold sword pressed against his neck.

 

Qin Feng lowered his voice, “Prince Qin, be careful. This sword has no eyes. Don’t hurt yourself.”

 

Luo Ming despaired, “Ugh…”

 

Qin Feng was about to retract the sword when he heard some commotion outside. He looked out cautiously for a moment and then smiled, “Stay here, Prince Qin. I’ll go deal with the intruders, and I’ll be back soon.”

 

Luo Ming shivered. He couldn’t understand why Qin Feng, who should be aware of the rescue mission, wanted to engage in a fight outside. 

 

This person was extremely dangerous!

 

He listened as Qin Feng left the room and quickly struggled to rub the ropes against the corner of a chair. He had done this many times, and every time he managed to free himself, he was discovered, resulting in numerous injuries on his hands.

 

But Luo Ming knew that this was his best chance. If Qin Feng came back, he might not have another opportunity to escape.

 

He gritted his teeth and, despite the bloodied hands, continued grinding the ropes until they finally broke. He sighed with relief and rushed to the door, only to find it blocked from the outside.

 

What to do? Luo Ming desperately searched for another way out inside the room.

 

All the windows seemed to be sealed shut. In his disappointment, he felt a gust of wind near his pants.

 

In the darkness, Luo Ming’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. He followed the breeze and discovered what appeared to be a small hole.

 

How could there be a dog hole in this room?

 

Luo Ming’s emotions were mixed. He finally had a way out, but it was a dog hole!

 

If anyone found out that the Prince Qin had crawled through a dog hole, would he ever show his face again?

 

Outside, the sounds of a struggle echoed, with weapons clashing and the distant cries of injured servants.

 

Luo Ming trembled and stared at the dog hole. It might be just a dog hole, but he was the Prince Qin, and he had to adapt to the situation. Surely no one would notice?

 

Luo Ming slowly crouched down, and with great effort, began squeezing through the hole. But when he was halfway through, his rear end got stuck.

 

“…”

 

Luo Ming tried to push himself out but failed. He then twisted his body and, inch by inch, maneuvered himself out.

 

Finally, his rear end was free, and he was about to celebrate when he heard a voice from above.

 

“Ah Ming, what are you doing?”

 

Luo Ming froze.

 

He slowly raised his head and, unsurprisingly, saw Luo Shen standing right in front of him in casual clothing, accompanied by Gu Xingzhi.

 

His face twitched, and he glanced back at the dog hole.

 

Could he crawl back through it?

 

Luo Shen seemed to see through his inner turmoil and quickly said, “Don’t crawl back through the dog hole! You’re Prince Qin; how can you crawl through a dog hole? Guards, take Prince Qin back and take good care of him!”

 

With those words, a group of guards, holding torches, surrounded Luo Ming in his undignified posture.

 

He looked beyond the crowd, cursing himself for not having been stabbed to death by Qin Feng.

 

But in reality, Qin Feng had engaged in a brief fight before pretending to be severely wounded and running away.

 

Luo Ming sighed, “We still have the wedding banquet tomorrow. I can’t be in such a disheveled state.”

 

He turned to the soldiers and commanded, “No one is to speak of what happened tonight. Otherwise, you’ll be dealt with according to military law.”

 

The soldiers all shouted, “Yes!”

 

Luo Ming sighed again.

 

Luo Shen spoke up, looking at Luo Ming’s utterly despairing face, “Ming, you’re not going to crawl back through that dog hole, are you?”

 

He suddenly… realized that Luo Shen’s voice sounded a lot like Changnian’s.