Let Me Go, I’m Not Pregnant - Chapter 49

In Luo Town, it was always others who reported to the authorities to complain about Liu Kuang, never the other way around. 

So, seeing him in this state today, along with the suspicious marks on the three burly men, the magistrate couldn’t help but overthink things.

The magistrate cast a complicated look at Liu Kuang. He had advised him several times to restrain himself, if only for the sake of Prime Minister Liu, to avoid bringing trouble upon himself in the future.

And now, look at this—wasn’t this just karma?

He glanced at the three men on the ground, feeling a headache coming on. He wondered whether Liu Kuang had wronged some family’s girl and was now facing retribution.

Or maybe it was three girls?

“This young master… didn’t do anything!” Liu Kuang gritted his teeth and glared at the magistrate. “These three men are…”

Seeing the corners of Liu Kuang’s eyes redden with anger, the magistrate hurriedly tried to soothe him. “Ah, yes, yes, yes, how could Young Master Liu ever do anything wrong? It must be these three who had wicked intentions and… they…”

Hearing this, Liu Kuang became even more furious. Just as he was about to shout, he was interrupted by a sudden cough from behind. Liu Kuang froze.

The magistrate’s attention was drawn to the source of the cough, where he noticed a couple standing behind Liu Kuang, along with a young man. The young man had his face covered, making it difficult to discern his features, but from his demeanor, he seemed to be someone of wealth and status.

The magistrate had been in Luo Town for a long time and had never seen these people before, which made him suspicious.

Luo Town was close to the capital, and he had heard that the emperor was planning to travel incognito, but given his low rank, he hadn’t been privy to the specific time or route.

These people could very well be the emperor’s entourage.

But then…

The magistrate reconsidered. If this person was indeed the emperor, and he was accompanying Liu Kuang, he must have already known about Liu Kuang’s sordid affairs. So why hadn’t he dealt with Liu Kuang on the spot?

With this thought, the magistrate relaxed. If the emperor was traveling incognito, it was to catch wrongdoers in the act. Since Liu Kuang hadn’t been apprehended, why should he be worried? He had handled many of Liu Kuang’s dirty affairs and held plenty of incriminating evidence. The Liu family wouldn’t let him fall.

The magistrate then asked Liu Kuang, “How does Young Master Liu wish to deal with these three men?”

Should they be drowned in pig baskets? Or… perhaps castrated?

Liu Kuang was so angry he felt faint. Tightening his grip on the magistrate’s collar, he ground out, “These three… are the former prime minister’s men, understand?”

The magistrate’s eyes widened in shock.

The former prime minister’s men?

He felt his breath hitch in fear.

He looked at the three men, who were tightly bound, their poison teeth removed long ago. They had no means to commit suicide and couldn’t even argue back.

Liu Kuang then recounted last night’s events in detail, carefully omitting that their target was Luo Shen. He only said that the remnants of the former prime minister’s faction bore a grudge against Prime Minister Liu and sought to kill Liu Kuang to ensure the prime minister had no heir. Liu Kuang had escaped and was saved by General Gu and his companions.

The magistrate listened, his heart pounding.

It wasn’t just the mention of the former court’s upheaval that alarmed him; it was also Liu Kuang’s words—

As soon as this reached Prime Minister Liu, who was fiercely protective of his son, he would never let the former prime minister’s men go.

This was a clear signal that they were gearing up for a deadly confrontation with the remnants of the former regime.

The magistrate didn’t dare to delay and immediately ordered the three men to be taken away.

After finishing, Liu Kuang added, “These three are the former prime minister’s men, so during interrogation, they might deliberately say things to mislead you. Don’t believe them!”

The magistrate nodded gravely, looking at Liu Kuang as if he could already see his future filled with promotions and success.

After all, he had saved Prime Minister Liu’s beloved son!

And he had caught three of the former prime minister’s rebel soldiers!

If the emperor found out, would he ask for power or money as a reward?

The magistrate couldn’t contain his excitement and immediately sent a letter to Prime Minister Liu’s residence.

Given Liu Kuang’s propensity for getting into trouble, Prime Minister Liu had placed an informant within the magistrate’s office, so it wasn’t long before the prime minister heard of the incident.

When he heard, he was so angry that his eyes turned red. Overcome with fear, he immediately dispatched five elite guards to protect Liu Kuang and began coordinating efforts with Gu Xingzhi to hunt down the remnants of the former prime minister’s faction.

Gu Xingzhi read the letter, his expression darkening twice.

They had only just arrived in Luo Town, yet their place had already been infiltrated. How were they going to handle the next 60 days?

He agreed, “Send people to scour the area. Make sure to root out every last one of them.”

Prime Minister Liu felt a bit more at ease. With Gu Xingzhi’s backing, mobilizing elite soldiers wouldn’t be difficult, and he was sure they’d find something soon.

He lowered his gaze, his mind racing.

Suddenly, he thought of something. “Lord Gu, this time, His Majesty is traveling incognito, and secrecy is of utmost importance. But now that the former prime minister’s men have suddenly targeted my son, I fear it’s a tactic to force me to deploy my forces.”

Gu Xingzhi looked up at him. “What do you suggest, Prime Minister Liu?”

“My family has only one son, whom we cherish dearly. If he were to die, I would never rest until I had exterminated the former prime minister’s men. But my son is in Luo Town without bodyguards, and yet he managed to survive an attack by three assassins. I suspect the enemy’s real intent is to distract the Liu family’s forces while they observe His Majesty’s movements. I fear the secret of His Majesty’s journey has been leaked.”

Everyone present understood what he was implying.

“But the map doesn’t specify which city His Majesty would visit first.”

“Are you suggesting they believe Prime Minister Liu’s status means you’d be entrusted with His Majesty’s whereabouts, and they’d attempt to assassinate your son to uncover His Majesty’s location?”

Prime Minister Liu nodded. “Exactly.”

“Then, is His Majesty in Luo Town or not?”

“Yes, yes.”

Prime Minister Liu sighed. “My son is unaccomplished, and I only want him to live a carefree life. He has stayed in Luo Town for two or three years now and has never left. Even if His Majesty were here, he wouldn’t recognize him. I suspect they are testing the court’s reaction.”

If the guards sent to protect Liu Kuang included imperial soldiers, it would confirm their guess.

If not, then they would conclude it was false.

They likely assumed that given Prime Minister Liu’s high position, he would have been informed of Luo Shen’s first destination.

And Prime Minister Liu would have persuaded Luo Shen to go to Luo Town so that Liu Kuang could show himself in front of Luo Shen, redeem his reputation, and shake off his notoriety as a debauched playboy.

But they hadn’t considered that Prime Minister Liu was solely focused on his daughter’s future and hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Liu Kuang being targeted.

Prime Minister Liu was deeply worried. “I’ve already sent people to investigate. As for the remnants of the former prime minister’s faction, I entrust you, Lord Gu, to swiftly root them out!”

The enemy’s intentions were clear, which only made Prime Minister Liu more anxious.

If Luo Shen truly had gone to Luo Town, any conflict would undoubtedly endanger Liu Kuang.

His heart was full of unease. After all, the former prime minister’s men had been in hiding for so long that no one knew their whereabouts. Even with Gu Xingzhi’s skill, it would be difficult to track them all down.

As he mulled over this, he suddenly thought of Luo Ming.

Those people couldn’t possibly have forgotten about Luo Ming!

But Luo Ming was now imprisoned in the harem, and the only one who could visit him was Gu Xingzhi.

So, Prime Minister Liu spent the next two hours bombarding Gu Xingzhi with an analysis of various torture methods to interrogate Luo Ming.

Gu Xingzhi was left utterly bewildered, and even after the meeting ended, his mind kept replaying their conversation.

Unconsciously, he found himself at the entrance to the Cold Palace, where he overheard Luo Ming’s usual complaints from inside.

“Chang’an, Chang’an, why hasn’t my brother come to see me after all this time?”

Chang’an: “Shut up.”

**Luo Ming**: “Chang’an, if I shut up, then you’ll be the only one talking, won’t you? But you’re not saying anything, and it’s driving me crazy!”

**Chang’an**: “Then go die.”

**Luo Ming**: “Chang’an, how dare you insult the Prince!”

Chang’an rolled his eyes and fell completely silent.

It was hard to tell who was tormenting whom.

Gu Xingzhi gave a signal to a palace attendant, who immediately pushed open the door. The two people in the courtyard looked over simultaneously, and Chang’an immediately knelt and bowed. “Greetings to Lord Gu.”

“No need for formalities.” Gu Xingzhi stepped forward. Luo Ming immediately stood up, intending to rush over, but after taking just one step, he noticed a familiar, threatening glare aimed his way. He silently retracted his foot and tiptoed to peek behind Gu Xingzhi.

“Lord Gu, where’s my brother?” Luo Ming frowned. He was in the Cold Palace and no one had told him that Luo Shen had left the palace early, so he had been waiting eagerly for days without seeing him.

“The Emperor has important matters to attend to.” Chang’an glanced sideways at him. After all this time, he was still so clueless.

Then he turned to Gu Xingzhi. “What would you like to ask, my lord?”

Gu Xingzhi asked, “Prince Qin has been in the palace for many days now. Has there been no sign of recovery?”

If he kept playing dumb, Gu Xingzhi was considering whether or not to use torture.

Chang’an bowed his head and replied, “The imperial physicians have examined him and said his body is fine, and the blood clots in his brain have also cleared up. The memory loss could be due to psychological issues, or…”

He glanced at Luo Ming twice, deliberately raising his voice. “He’s faking it!”

Luo Ming immediately shot him two glares in return. “You’re the one faking it! Your whole family is faking it!”

Chang’an shrugged. “Prince Qin, I am an orphan.”

Luo Ming: “…”

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Gu Xingzhi felt his head ache. He spoke in a deep voice, “I’m here today to ask you about the former Prime Minister.”

One of them had come to repay the former Prime Minister’s kindness.

The other had blood ties with the former Prime Minister.

Gu Xingzhi first looked at Chang’an. “Chang’an, the Emperor has treated you well. You should think carefully. Do you still want to repay the former Prime Minister, or do you wish to repay the Emperor?”

Then he looked at Luo Ming. “The former Prime Minister’s old subordinates have already made their move. Do you think they’re trying to elevate you to the throne, or control you and elevate someone else? You should decide for yourself.”

Luo Ming was confused and asked, “I have no intention of killing my imperial brother. If you don’t believe me, you can bring the culprit here to confront me.”

Gu Xingzhi stared at him, examining his face closely, not missing a single detail. “That little guard? He was beheaded at the Noon Gate two days ago.”

Luo Ming’s pupils trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. “I don’t believe it. Even if it’s true, maybe he was colluding with outsiders to harm me.”

Gu Xingzhi didn’t give him the luxury of disbelief. He pulled out an item from his sleeve and tossed it to Luo Ming. “This was his personal belonging. Before his execution, he told me that this token signifies his presence.”

Luo Ming held the small human-shaped token, suddenly feeling like it was burning hot.

“Right, there’s also that Miss Xu,” Gu Xingzhi added. “I’ve thoroughly investigated her as well. She was indeed innocent, but she made a deal with you, Prince Qin. Two days ago, she was sentenced to exile according to the law.”

Luo Ming’s small mouth hung open, his mind completely blank.

Gu Xingzhi reminded him, “That little guard left behind some other items. I’ll keep them in my care for now. When Prince Qin has a clear mind, I’ll return them to you.”

With that, he was about to leave.

Behind him, Luo Ming’s voice suddenly rang out. “Stop!”