Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Looking for Things Because tomorrow is a rest day, Zhao Yao was in a good mood throughout his classes today. In the afternoon, after practicing the zither and finishing his lessons, he rushed out of Wende Hall like the wind, eager to return to Kunde Hall. "Mother, I’ll be back after dinner tomorrow," Zhao Yao said while packing his things. "Mother, is there anything you’d like me to buy for you?" "Mother doesn’t need anything, but whatever you want, just buy it," said Liang Zhaoyi, with a stern face, reminding Zhao Yao, "Don’t eat too much, be careful not to upset your stomach, understand?" She worried that once her son left the palace, he would eat constantly and end up with a stomach ache. This had happened before, after all. "Understood." "Do you really understand?" Liang Zhaoyi, doubting his assurance, poked his forehead and said, "If you upset your stomach again, you won’t be allowed out of the palace for the next three months." "What?" This punishment was very serious for Zhao Yao, so he quickly raised his hand and swore, "Mother, I swear I won’t upset my stomach." Alright, this time out of the palace, he would take it easy and not overeat. "It better be so." Liang Zhaoyi reminded him again, "Be safe." Zhao Yao patted his chest and promised Liang Zhaoyi, "Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll be careful." He added, "I’ve told my eighth brother that I’ll be sleeping all day tomorrow, so he won’t come looking for me." "Mother, you should tell the second mother and others that I need to catch up on sleep, so they shouldn’t come looking for me either." The matter of the secret passage out of the Cold Palace was something that Liang Zhaoyi and Zhao Yao hadn’t told Yu Meiren and the others. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust them, but the secret passage in the Cold Palace was such a secret that the fewer who knew, the better. Liang Zhaoyi nodded and said, "Alright." Zhao Yao slung his satchel over his shoulder, "Mother, I’m leaving." "Be careful." This wasn’t his first time leaving the palace through the secret passage in the Cold Palace, and Liang Zhaoyi wasn’t worried about him encountering trouble. Zhao Yao told Laiwang and the others to look after the place and then headed to the Cold Palace with Tong Xi. Lai Lu and the others were waiting for Zhao Yao, and when they saw him, they wagged their tails happily. [Yao Yao, we’ll go with you out of the palace.] Zhao Yao petted Lai Lu’s head and said with a smile, "Keep training and don’t slack off. I’ll check when I return." Lai Lu said, somewhat disappointed, [Alright, we’ll train hard.] "Once you’re done training, it’ll be Lai Man’s turn." Lai Man currently guards the Pei Mansion. There are many cats and dogs in the Pei Mansion. They take turns with Lai Lu and the others at the Cold Palace. "I’ll bring you treats when I return." Hearing about treats, Lai Lu and the others’ eyes lit up, [We want meat, big bones.] "No problem." Zhao Yao stood up and instructed Tong Le to take good care of and supervise Lai Lu and the others. After giving his instructions, Zhao Yao headed to the secret passage with Tong Xi. The entrance to the secret passage was under Noble Consort Pei’s bed. Before entering the entrance, they had to move some things. With a click, the entrance to the secret passage opened, and Zhao Yao and Tong Xi jumped in. The secret passage was pitch dark, so Zhao Yao took a fire striker out of his satchel, lit a candle, and was met with a rugged path ahead. This secret passage was narrow, allowing passage for only one person. Zhao Yao guessed that this passage was initially dug for Noble Consort Pei. Although she escaped the Cold Palace through it, she ultimately couldn’t escape her fate. Fortunately, Zhao Yao and Tong Xi weren’t too big, so they could fit through the passage. Tong Xi led the way with the candle, and Zhao Yao followed behind. The passage was long, and it took them nearly an hour to walk through it. The exit of the passage was in an unobtrusive woodshed in the Pei Mansion. Zhao Yao tapped on the wall of the passage exit. After a moment, the door at the exit slowly opened, and Zhao Yao and Tong Xi walked out of the passage. Before entering the passage, Zhao Yao and Tong Xi had changed their clothes, putting on tattered clothes. They also deliberately messed up their hair and smeared their faces with dirt to look like beggars. Zhao Yao and his companion did this deliberately to avoid attracting attention, as no one would pay attention to beggars. Lai Man and the others had been waiting for Zhao Yao at the passage exit and joyfully pounced on him when they saw him come out. Zhao Yao sat on the ground, surrounded by the cats and dogs guarding the Pei Mansion. [Yao Yao, you finally came, we’ve missed you so much.] Lai Man said while licking Zhao Yao’s face with his tongue. "I’ve missed you too." Zhao Yao kissed Lai Man and the others, "I have to study, so there’s no time to visit you on regular days. I can only come during rest days." [Yao Yao, you’ve worked hard studying.] "By the way, has anyone been lurking near the Pei Mansion lately?" [A few days ago, someone did come in.] "Came in?" Zhao Yao asked in surprise, "How many people came in, and what did they do here?" [Four people came in, they turned over every room as if they were looking for something,] Lai Man said, [but they didn’t find anything, and they haven’t come back or lingered around since.] "Looking for something?" Zhao Yao asked, puzzled, "What were they looking for?" [They kept saying ’that thing, that thing,’ but never mentioned what exactly it was.] Lai Man said, [It seemed pretty important from their behavior.] "An important thing?" Zhao Yao wondered, "Is there something important in the Pei Mansion?" [No, there’s nothing special in the Pei Mansion.] If there were truly anything important in the Pei Mansion, Lai Man and the others would surely know. "Then what could they be looking for?" [I don’t know.] Lai Man tilted his head and said, [They wore black clothes and masks when they broke in, as if they were up to no good.] "Strange, very strange." Zhao Yao instructed Lai Man and the others, "Keep an eye on the Pei Mansion. If those strange people come again, let me know right away." [Okay.] Just as Lai Man finished talking, he remembered something and added, [By the way, Yao Yao, those people have left the capital.] "Left the capital?" [That night, after they left the Pei Mansion, I secretly followed them. They stayed at the Peace Inn in the west of the city and left the next morning.] "Did they say where they were going?" [No, but they looked sinister, definitely not kind people.] Lai Man was a smart dog that understood humans. Over the years, it had roamed the capital and encountered all sorts of people, having honed keen observation skills. "Looks like I’ll have to visit the Peace Inn tomorrow to get some information." Zhao Yao decided to find out who these people were and if there was any danger. Tong Xi noticed it was dark outside and reminded Zhao Yao, "Your Highness, it’s getting dark; we should go, or Second Uncle will be worried." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦 "Lai Man, you’re coming with us," Zhao Yao stood up and patted his clothes, promising the other cats and dogs he would send them some treats later. Lai Man wagged his tail happily and followed Zhao Yao as they left the Pei Mansion. He ran ahead, scanned the surroundings, and, after confirming there was no one around, returned to inform Zhao Yao. Zhao Yao and his companions left the Pei Mansion and dashed into the nearest alley. Emerging from the alley, they were met with a lively scene outside. The sudden appearance of two beggars and a dog didn’t earn even a glance from passersby. Zhao Yao smelled the fragrance from a street food stall and his stomach growled in hunger. He couldn’t help but swallow. The food stall owner saw the beggar Zhao Yao staring intently at his stall and waved him off disdainfully: "Scram! Scram! Scram!" Zhao Yao, pretending to be frightened, immediately took off running. He then led Tong Xi and Lai Man through several twists and turns until they reached a dark alley. At the alley entrance, a young man stood, craning his neck and looking around. When the young man saw two beggars approaching with a big yellow dog, his face lit up with joy, and he hurried over. "Second Uncle, I’m here." Zhao Yao exclaimed happily as he ran towards the young man. Liang Run quickly stepped forward and embraced Zhao Yao. "I’ve missed you so much, Second Uncle." "I’ve missed you too, Second Uncle." Zhao Yao rubbed his face against Liang Run’s. "Let Second Uncle have a good look." Liang Run examined Zhao Yao closely and noticed that his adorable nephew’s face had gotten thinner. "You’ve lost weight; studying must be tough." "That’s right, studying is exhausting... gurgle gurgle..." Zhao Yao’s stomach growled before he finished speaking, hungry as he was. "Hungry, are we? Second Uncle will take you home for dinner," Liang Run said, carrying Zhao Yao as they walked home. "I’ve made hot pot and all your favorite dishes for you." "Second Uncle is the best," Zhao Yao said sweetly. "How has your mother been lately?" Liang Zhaoyi is Liang Run’s sister, and he had always been close to her since childhood. When she entered the palace, he cried for a long time. "Mother is doing well; she’s eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well." "Hasn’t been bullied, has she?" "Not at all." Liang Run was skeptical: "Really not?" "Really," Zhao Yao said earnestly, "Mother is very clever, there’s no way people could bully her, nor would she let anyone bully me." Indeed, his mother was the smartest of the concubines in the palace.