On the eve of the Lantern Festival, a major event occurred in Lingye City.
After the establishment of the new dynasty, in order to show that the emperor and the people were in harmony, every year on the Lantern Festival, the emperor would take his concubines, princes and ministers to the Imperial Street to watch the lanterns and enjoy the festivities with the people.
Following the example set by the emperor, the prefectures and counties below the capital also began to pay attention to the Lantern Festival.
As the lanterns of Lingye City filled the long streets, some people were destined to have a bad holiday.
Inside the Baishui Garden in the north of the city, the head steward, dressed in brocade robes, was brought out, his face full of impatience.
"We can talk about it after the holiday. The masters and young masters in the family are all very busy these days."
The person opposite, dressed in embroidered official robes, smiled slightly.
"There's no need to trouble the Bai family patriarch and young master. Someone has reported that a missing woman is being hidden in Baishui Garden, and I have been ordered to search for her."
After displaying the token to everyone, the embroidered official's face immediately darkened.
He gave a stern order:
"Search them—leave no one alive!"
…
This occurred long before the Embroidered Robe Envoy began searching the White Water Garden.
The women who had been abducted from the garden were locked in a secluded storage room.
A woman dressed in blue stood outside the door, wrapping the lock with iron chains.
The people inside were already in complete chaos.
"Tang Qin, what do you mean by this?"
The woman in green said calmly, "It's nothing special. Didn't you always say that there were too many people and it was too noisy in the garden, affecting your future? I thought about it later and realized you were right."
"What do you mean?" the person inside the door asked.
The woman in green said, "Don't you understand? Of course, I'll burn you all here, and I'll go to the noble mansion in the capital alone."
"You're insane! Aren't you afraid the managers will skin you alive?!"
The door was being pounded on loudly.
The woman in green kicked aside the wooden bucket that was in her way. Her demeanor was anything but graceful.
She's been in this godforsaken place for almost two months.
I spend every day painstakingly learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; I'm so worried I'm almost bald.
With the day of her delivery to the capital fast approaching, once she enters the capital, this hidden pawn will be deeply embedded within the enemy's ranks.
Little by little, we'll uncover their true colors.
This must be an incredible achievement; if she accumulated enough, she could be transferred back to the capital as a captain.
Unexpectedly, something went wrong.
The plan had to be changed at the last minute.
After two people died in the garden, the manager brought in a third one from outside.
The worst part is the third one; she's the daughter of a military officer.
My maternal grandfather still wielded considerable power in the capital, and refusing to yield, he started a disturbance.
The Embroidered Robe Envoy could no longer pretend he hadn't seen anything and had to use swift and decisive measures to clear the area.
However, it's good that it was launched first.
Although they could no longer act as undercover agents, the Embroidered Uniform Guard still obtained some rosters containing the names of women who had been sent to the capital over the years.
Starting with them is also a good approach.
.
An hour later, the calamity in Baishuiyuan was finally over.
The butterfly lanterns hanging in the woods were pulled to the ground and trampled on before they could be lit.
Everywhere you look, there is a scene of utter devastation.
The second manager of the garden was incredibly audacious.
Taking advantage of the remoteness of Baishuiyuan and the fact that the owner rarely came, they actually colluded with bandits to abduct women and sell them at high prices.
All those involved in the case were arrested by the Embroidered Robe Envoy.
…
Inside another unassuming, low-key residence in Lingye City.
"What about the women selected this year?"
The young master of the Bai family, who was testing the new ink at his desk, asked.
The person who replied dared not be negligent.
"As soon as the news came, people were sent to clean up. But the Embroidered Robe Envoy was prepared and had already sneaked into the garden to rescue them all."
The young master nodded.
He examined the newly written characters, their ink still dripping wet, on the desk.
"It's good that they were rescued; after all, they were lives saved."
Servant: "Young master, rest assured, Steward Wu will take full responsibility for this matter and will not implicate anyone else."
Young Master: "Clear away the rest of the people in the garden."
He spoke casually, as if he were instructing someone to wipe the dust off the table.
Servant: "Everyone?"
The young master was nonchalant.
“Everyone. Some time ago, someone reminded me that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already taken notice of Baishuiyuan. I was careless and always felt that someone was protecting them, so they wouldn’t be so bold.”
“But,” the servant hesitated.
"But the appointed time is fast approaching. If no beauties are presented as tribute this year, I'm afraid the important figures in the capital will be unhappy."
The young master laughed.
"They'll probably be unhappy, but we can coax them later. If the fire starts, it won't burn those big shots, but it will burn us to ashes. At that time, no one will care about these beauties and will go to the fire to save us."
He threw the ink-stained brush back onto the paper.
"The pine scent is too strong; reduce the fragrance by another 30%. Destroy this entire batch of new ink and start over."
.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, Qi Su and his group finally arrived at the outskirts of Ganjing.
They traveled all night and finally stopped as dawn broke.
This is a three-way intersection.
The road directly ahead leads to the official road.
His Highness the Prince of Qishan reined in his horse and looked at the people beside him.
The hood of her cloak slipped off her head, and the young woman yawned, her round eyes sparkling.
Before he could speak, she waved her hand.
"I understand, I understand. You've already made yourself very clear. Well then, farewell, and be careful!"
She spurred her horse and galloped straight ahead, but after running about three or four zhang (approximately 10-12 meters), she turned her horse around and came back.
They circled around the King of Qishan.
The whip cracked, and it lightly lifted his chin.
"Do you still remember our engagement? I don't expect to hear about His Highness Prince Qishan and Princess Anle's wedding right after the Lantern Festival, do I?"
“You don’t need to worry about this,” the young man on horseback replied calmly.
"I'm not worried," the young woman smiled at him.
"You're the one who should be worried."
"I never have any cases of infidelity or remarriage, only widowhood. Think it over carefully."
After she finished speaking, she whistled.
The horse galloped away in the dim morning light.
The young man's dark eyes were fixed on the direction she left in.
A moment later, he pulled on the reins. The group of riders headed towards the fork in the road to the left.
.
As dawn broke, Qi Su entered the capital city.
As she passed through the long and deep city gate, the scene before her eyes overlapped with Qi San Niangzi's memories of this trip to the capital.
The eaves are like scales, the buildings are like smoke, and the prosperous scene stretches as far as the eye can see.
This is the capital city.
It is the capital city that Qi San Niangzi longs to return to.
It was also a place that Aunt Ji couldn't forget, a place she kept in her mouth and thought about three or four times a day.
It truly was a life of wealth and prosperity.
Qi Su touched her chest.
This pounding, passionate emotion probably belongs mostly to that Third Sister Qi.
No rush. Now that I'm back, there will be plenty of time to sort out those old stories and acquaintances.
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