Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 159 Confrontation
The night was dark, and the wind was cold outside the inn. Snowflakes were falling, dyeing the entire capital city silver-white. Inside the inn, the candlelight flickered, illuminating several figures.

As soon as Lu Jing and Su Qingwan entered the inn, Qingyun and Qingyi came to greet them. Qingyun looked anxious and asked in a low voice: "Princess, why did you come back so late? It's been curfew for a long time, and we are so worried!"

Su Qingwan's face was pale and her lips were purple, obviously she was very cold. She forced a smile, her voice trembling a little, "I was delayed on the way, it's okay."

Qingyi hurried forward and put a thick cloak on Su Qingwan's shoulders, saying distressedly: "Princess, please go into the house and warm yourself up. I will make you a bowl of ginger soup."

Lu Jing stood aside, his eyes always on Su Qingwan. He ordered in a deep voice: "Qingyun, Qingyi, take good care of the princess and don't let her catch a cold."

Qingyun and Qingyi responded quickly and helped Su Qingwan walk into the inner room. Su Qingwan looked back at Lu Jing, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing.

At this time, Zhou Jingming hurried into the posthouse with a serious look on his face. He walked quickly to Lu Jing and whispered, "Zi Yu, something happened! General Mu is missing, and the Earl of Anping is sending people to look for him. This matter has alarmed the emperor, and the emperor has ordered the Jinyiwei to assist in the investigation."

Lu Jing frowned slightly and asked in surprise, "General Mu is missing? When did it happen?"

Zhou Jingming shook his head. "I don't know the exact time, but Lord Anping said they were walking around Lantern Street tonight, but he was nowhere to be seen. His horse was wandering around the street, but he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe something happened."

Lu Jing nodded, his eyes inadvertently sweeping across Su Qingwan's back. Su Qingwan seemed to have heard their conversation, and her steps paused slightly, but soon continued to move forward.

"I'll go back to my room first." Su Qingwan said lightly, her tone calm, as if she didn't care about General Mu's disappearance at all.

Lu Jing watched her leave, but countless questions surged in his mind. He turned to Zhou Jingming and said, "Let's go, let's talk outside."

The two walked out of the inn, and the cold wind blew in their faces. Zhou Jingming rubbed his hands and asked in a low voice: "Zi Yu, where did you go tonight? Why did you come back so late?"

Lu Jing looked normal, and said calmly: "I accompanied the princess to the Lantern Street. She was in a good mood and strolled around for a while longer."

Zhou Jingming nodded, then suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "You said that General Mu's disappearance might be related to Ning Yuanhou and General Chen. I heard that they had a fight in Huadeng Street, and the people involved were summoned to the palace by the emperor."

Lu Jing's heart trembled, but he recalled that scene. Why was General Mu so shocked when he saw Lu Nianqing's face?

"Lu Nianqing was there when they started fighting, and he was the one who stopped them." Lu Jing asked, "You and the Prince Consort have a good relationship, so when did you see Lu Nianqing's true face?"

"I hardly saw him when the young master was a child, and I only saw him this year when he returned to Beijing." Zhou Jingming scratched his head and lowered his voice and said, "This is strange. Lu Nianqing is the most beloved grandson of Prime Minister Lu and the son of the eldest princess. He has been given high hopes since he was a child. But when he was a child, the eldest princess sent him to learn martial arts, and others almost never saw his true face. Even the prince consort said that he could hardly recognize his own son."

Lu Jing frowned, "What else did the Prince Consort say?"

Zhou Jingming looked around, leaned close to Lu Jing's ear, and lowered his voice even lower, "The Prince Consort said privately that Lu Nianqing doesn't look like him, nor like the eldest princess. Don't you think this is a bit strange?"

Lu Jing was shocked, and Su Qingwan's performance on Lantern Street flashed through his mind. Why did she want to kill General Mu? Was it because General Mu saw Lu Nianqing's face and discovered some secret? And why was the princess so nervous about this secret?
He took a deep breath, suppressed the doubts in his heart, and said to Zhou Jingming: "Let's go, let's go find the missing General Mu."

The sky was slightly bright, and the streets of the capital were still covered with a thin layer of fog. The Jinyiwei searched the whole city for the whereabouts of General Mu, but found nothing. In the Jinluan Palace, the atmosphere was solemn, and the civil and military officials stood on both sides, whispering about the disappearance of General Mu.

Lu Jing stood in the center of the hall, looking solemn, and reported to the emperor with his hands clasped: "Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei has searched all night and still cannot find the whereabouts of General Mu. I have sent more people to continue the search."

The emperor frowned and said in a deep voice: "General Mu is an important official of the court. How could he disappear for no reason? My dear Lu, please find out the truth as soon as possible." Lu Jing bowed his head and replied: "I obey your order."

At this moment, General Mu's wife suddenly rushed out of the crowd, knelt on the ground, and cried: "Your Majesty, please help me! My husband had an argument with Ningyuan Hou and General Chen on Huadeng Street last night, and then disappeared. I suspect that they killed my husband!"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the hall. Ning Yuanhou and General Chen's faces changed, and they stepped forward to explain.

Ning Yuan Hou snorted coldly, his tone was full of disdain: "Madam Mu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! I was watching the lanterns with my family last night, and we were together from beginning to end. The people on the street can testify, how can you frame me out of thin air?"

General Chen also stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "Madam Mu, General Mu is a heavy drinker. It was freezing cold last night, so it would be understandable if he passed out drunk in a corner. How can you pin this on me?"

Madam Mu raised her head, her eyes full of resentment: "You two have always had a grudge against my husband, and last night you had a big fight on Lantern Street. Now that he's missing, how can you be excused from this?"

Ning Yuanhou sneered and retorted, "Madam Mu, you keep saying that there is a grudge between us and General Mu, but what evidence do you have? If there is no evidence, it is a false accusation of an official appointed by the court, which is an even greater crime!"

The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly tense, and all the civil and military officials looked at each other, no one dared to interrupt. At this time, the Earl of Anping slowly walked out of the queue and sneered, "Marquis Ningyuan, General Chen, do you two have witnesses and evidence to prove your innocence? How about letting Young Master Lu Nianqing, who was present last night, confront you?"

As soon as these words came out, the eldest princess's face suddenly changed, and she hurried forward and said, "Your Majesty, Nianqing went out last night and was caught in the wind. This morning, he had a high fever and is recuperating at home. I'm afraid he can't come."

However, the Earl of Anping refused to give up and said, "Princess, General Mu's life or death is uncertain. This matter is of great importance. Please consider the overall situation and let Young Master Lu come to testify."

The princess wanted to say something else, but the emperor raised his hand to stop her. "Someone, go and summon Nianqing to the palace."

The eldest princess' heart tightened, but she could no longer refute, so she could only step aside, secretly anxious.

Soon, Lu Nianqing was brought to the throne room. He was wearing a plain robe and an exquisite fox mask that covered most of his face. The princess was slightly relieved to see him wearing a mask.

Lu Nianqing walked to the center of the hall and saluted respectfully to the emperor: "Your Highness, I am Nianqing, your Highness."

The emperor nodded and asked in a deep voice, "Lu Nianqing, did you see General Mu, Marquis Ningyuan, and General Chen on the Lantern Street last night?"

Lu Nianqing lowered his head slightly and spoke in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I did see General Mu on Huadeng Street last night. He had an argument and fight with Ningyuan Hou and General Chen. Later, Ningyuan Hou and General Chen left, and General Mu was the last to leave. I did not see General Mu being killed."

Ningyuan Hou and General Chen showed a hint of pride when they heard this. But Anping Bo refused to give up and asked, "Young Master Lu, why are you wearing a mask? Can you take off the mask and let everyone see your true face?"

The eldest princess frowned and clenched her fists nervously.

Lu Nianqing was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "I have been weak since childhood and have an ugly face. I am afraid of disturbing the emperor, so I wear a mask to cover it up."

The Earl of Anping sneered and was about to ask again, but the Emperor raised his hand to stop him: "Enough! Now that Nian Qing has testified, this matter ends here for now. Lord Lu, continue to search for General Mu's whereabouts and make sure to find out the truth as soon as possible!"

Lu Jing bowed his head and replied, "I obey your order."

Everyone in the palace had their own thoughts. The eldest princess looked at Lu Nianqing's back with a complicated look in her eyes. Lu Jing's eyes fell on the fox mask, and his doubts deepened.