Chapter 172 Chasing his wife thousands of miles away
Qin Shaozong's movements were so large they were frightening, even causing the heavy rosewood table in front of him to tremble.
"What did you say? Qin San and his wife left separately? When did this happen?" Qin Shaozong's face was ashen. "Xun He, tell me everything, big or small!"
A heavy, oppressive force swept over them like a wave, causing Xun He and those around him to tremble in their hearts, and their remaining drowsiness vanished completely.
Lord Jun is a good superior who cares for his subordinates. In the past, they would return quickly on horseback, deliver the letter, and then go to rest. Given how much Lord Jun values his mistress, he wouldn't be surprised to be summoned and questioned later.
But this is too fast...
Xun He pondered for a moment, but dared not be negligent on the surface. He hurriedly recounted the important events that had occurred along the way after Dai Li left Chang'an.
He began his account after leaving the city, saying that Dai Li was not in a hurry to travel, and the group was moving very slowly. He also mentioned that Yan San sent a letter later, vaguely mentioning the upheaval in the Shi family and urgently summoning Shi Rongyue back. He further said that Dai Li was still enjoying her sightseeing, so she split the group in two, with half of the troops rushing back to the north, while the other half followed Dai Li eastward to travel...
The veins on Qin Shaozong's forehead throbbed. He hadn't even finished listening; he only heard "divide the troops" before he angrily rebuked, "Nonsense!"
Xun He's breath caught in his throat, a sense of horror rising within him as doubts arose within him.
No, why is Your Majesty reacting so strongly? After the messenger from the north brought the letter from Commandant Yan, he clearly received orders from the mistress to go to Chang'an.
Does Your Excellency not know of this matter?
What went wrong? Could it be that the messenger died en route, preventing the lord in Chang'an from receiving the message?
Thinking this way, Xun He asked, "My lord, before we went east, the mistress sent a messenger to Chang'an. Did you not receive the letter?"
Qin Shaozong's face turned ashen.
Of course not!
This stack of letters is the first one she has written since she left.
His suspicion stemmed entirely from the fact that her courtesy name was different from usual, which aroused his doubt, prompting him to summon a messenger for details. And what he learned was astonishing: she had parted ways with Qinian and was even planning to go sightseeing afterwards!
Qin Shaozong did not answer, but Xun He knew the answer from his expression. His heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, "My lord, could it be..."
Xun He dared not say what followed the word "could it be?"
Qin Shaozong's anger surged, but at the same time, something slowly sank down.
The letter looked thick, but it was actually only two and a half pages long; and the messenger who claimed to be going to Chang'an had disappeared without a trace. Whether he had an accident on the way or there was no such person at all, it was still uncertain.
There was also the parting of ways midway, with the four hundred people split in half, leaving her with only two hundred people. Xun He even said that she was happily preparing to go sightseeing.
Traveling east, sightseeing and enjoying the scenery?
Oh, so do we need to take a boat afterwards?
Perhaps having learned from past mistakes, and more than once, Qin Shaozong keenly sensed something amiss. "Tell me what happened next."
Xun He swallowed hard, wanting his fellow messenger to report. He had started it all; it was time to let someone else take the lead. He couldn't bear all the blame alone!
This fleeting glance from the side took Xun He by surprise. His comrade beside him, whether startled or for some other reason, was actually in a daze.
"Xun He." A heavy voice descended from above.
Xun He cursed his bad luck inwardly and hurriedly reported the follow-up.
As Qin Shaozong had predicted, Dai Li's "preparations" to go sightseeing turned into an "ongoing" event.
She not only planned to travel by water, but also to divide the original two hundred people further. One group would travel by land, while the remaining fifty or so would accompany her.
Qin Shaozong suddenly asked, "Has Bai Jianping written me a letter?"
Xun He actually knew about this; he was the one who found the paper that Commander Bai used to write the letter. "Yes..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the man kicked over the heavy sandalwood table not far away. Some of the inkstone and unfinished papers on the table fell to the ground, while others fluttered up in the air.
The place was a complete mess.
Qin Shaozong's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, as if they were about to spit fire.
The seemingly thick and impressive family letter; the fact that it made no mention of Qin San and her journey east; the messenger who supposedly set off but whose whereabouts are unknown; Bai Jianping's missing letter; the division of troops after the initial division; and finally, fewer than fifty people accompanying her...
Each event served as a small anchor point, outlining a conjecture that infuriated Qin Shaozong and was difficult for him to accept.
The fox is trying to escape again!
His brown pupils narrowed, his heart pounded as if it were about to explode, the veins in his heart throbbed with pain, and his internal organs were also violently affected.
Anger, doubt, confusion, and a bitterness even worse than medicine mingled together, causing Qin Shaozong's vision to go black for a moment.
Just as Xun He thought he dared not even breathe loudly, someone said:
"My lord, I have important matters to report."
Xun He couldn't help but turn his head, staring dumbfounded at his comrade beside him.
No way, brother, why are you being so reckless? Trying to provoke a tiger will only lead to trouble!
The man forced himself to say, “Before I left, the mistress privately instructed me that if I encountered your fury after delivering the letter, I should tell you that she left a letter in the main room with a reason for it, and that you should read it carefully and consider it before making a decision.”
Qin Shaozong strode forward and lifted the soldier who had been kneeling in fear with one hand. "What else did she say to you?"
"No, that's all. That's all the instructions the mistress gave. I recited them silently the whole way, not daring to say a single wrong word."
Qin Shaozong released his grip. "Where did the group reach when you left?"
Xun He quickly gave a place name.
Qin Shaozong said in a deep voice, "Pass down my order to have Qiao Wangfei get Dongtun ready immediately. I'm traveling light!"
The two were ordered to leave the room.
As soon as they left, Qin Shaozong looked around the house. The main room was divided into an outer room and an inner room. The outer room had an incense table, a treasure shelf, soft chairs and small tables, and a painting of an old man fishing alone on a cold river was hanging on the wall.
The inner room features a huanghuali wood openwork dressing box inlaid with gold and jade, alongside wooden clothes racks and chests. At the far end is a spacious and exquisite canopy bed with sturdy square pillars, all decorated with carvings.
Since she left, there are fewer items in the house, but there are still quite a few large pieces of furniture.
Qin Shaozong went straight to the canopy bed, first picking up Dai Li's pillow, only to find it empty. He continued to search the surrounding items, from the dressing case to the box containing small objects, and then to the wooden chest for clothes, but found nothing.
After a thorough search, Qin Shaozong calmed down considerably, but this calmness was only superficial, like a large bowl overturned on a raging fire, preventing it from soaring higher once it reached its peak.
With a furrowed brow, Qin Shaozong looked around again, paused for a moment on the heavy trunk, and finally suppressed his anger as he lifted it up.
There really was a letter tucked under the trunk. Qin Shaozong was furious but laughed. This trunk was so heavy, and she had gone to such lengths to hide a letter.
With a "thud," the heavy box was carelessly tossed aside. Qin Shaozong bent down to pick up the letter, only to realize upon picking it up that it wasn't a letter at all.
There are two letters.
One letter was addressed to "Prayers for a Good Year," and the other to "Chang Geng."
Qin Shaozong, with a cold face, took the letter that had been given to him and removed the sealing wax.
Venus is hereby wishing you good health.
Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. You have the ambition to become a dragon, and you will surely bring peace and stability to the world in the future. As the saying goes, those who occupy high positions in the court should be concerned about the people. With your compassionate heart, I have no doubt that the people will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Publicly, I am very pleased, but privately, I am worried.
I discovered that there seemed to be opposing forces behind Zhouzhou and Qinian, a fierce and uncompromising struggle. As I read through history books and reflected on the past and present, I saw that the calamity of succession disputes inevitably led to fratricide and the collapse of ancestral temples. I was deeply saddened and had to take heed of this.
We have been married for almost a year, and our families are harmonious. I wish to grow old with you and spend the rest of our lives together.
However, we are husband and wife, and also parents. Zhouzhou is my flesh and blood, and I regard Qinian as my own son. I do not wish for either of us to suffer a tragic end. In order to avoid future internal strife that could endanger our family and the nation, after much deliberation, I have reluctantly written this letter of divorce, parting ways with you in peace.
That's all for now, I won't go into details again.
May the nation be peaceful and prosperous from this day forward, may your descendants enjoy peace and happiness, may all your wishes be fulfilled, and may all your paths be smooth and successful.
Dai Li bowed her head.
Qin Shaozong was breathing heavily, as if he had swallowed a salty, damp wind, which scraped against his throat. His limbs and bones were also filled with this cold emotion, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
until……
His gaze inadvertently drifted downwards and he noticed a slight dent at the very bottom of the letter.
The once smooth paper now has a very shallow dent, as if it were caused by water stains that had been dampened and then dried. Because the paper is not torn, this small dent is not obvious, and a careless person would not notice it at all.
Qin Shaozong was taken aback, staring at it for a long time before unhesitatingly opening the letter Dai Li had left for Qin Qinian. The two letters were of similar length, but the one she wrote to Qin Qinian was mainly a request.
He quickly read it through, then carefully felt the letter from beginning to end. The letter was quite smooth, without any small creases or wrinkles.
The imposing man held a letter in his hand, his head bowed. His face was not clearly visible in the dimming room. His anger seemed to have subsided compared to before, and his emotions were hard to fathom.
Qin Shaozong tucked the two letters into his robes and strode out. Just as he stepped out of the main courtyard, he saw Nalan Zhi and Cui Shengping approaching together, both walking hurriedly with solemn expressions.
"My lord." The two bowed to Qin Shaozong.
Qin Shaozong stopped and said expressionlessly, "Wugong, Haiqing, you've come at the right time. I'm leaving Chang'an for a few days, so I'll leave everything in Chang'an to you two."
When Qin Shaozong said he was leaving, Nalan Zhi and Cui Shengping showed no surprise. In fact, that was precisely why they had come.
Cui Shengping hurriedly said, "My lord, you mustn't! The Yu family is finally showing signs of backing down. How can you leave at this time?"
Qin Shaozong sneered, "Trying to reason with them is just giving them face. If the Yu family still dares to act arrogantly, we can just find some pretext to uproot them completely, as another example to warn others. After all, these years they've lived on a mountain of money in Chang'an, colluding with the Wang and Dong families. How could they not have done those things that sucked the people's blood and burned them for firewood? Do they really think they're something special?"
As he entered middle age, Qin Shaozong's youthful arrogance waned considerably. His truly piercing sharpness, aloofness, and disdain seemed to have gradually faded with time. Apart from the occasional sharp retort, he was usually calm and tolerant.
It's been a long time since we've seen such superficial and aggressive behavior.
Cui Shengping hurriedly advised, “My lord, it is true that killing the chicken to scare the monkey is effective. However, this move must be done with restraint. If the same trick is used again and again, it may earn you a reputation for being ‘bloodthirsty.’ If it causes panic among the prominent families of Chang’an and makes them band together, it will be very unfavorable in the future.”
"My mind is made up, Haiqing, there's no need to persuade me any further." Qin Shaozong glanced at her coldly. "If you feel powerless to deal with the future situation, you can consult Wugong or Zhang Quanshu next door for advice."
Cui Shengping was greatly shocked, his thoughts were extremely complicated, and he was unable to speak for a moment.
Qin Shaozong left those words behind, walked past the two men, and left without looking back.
The outskirts of Chang'an.
Upon receiving the order, Qiao Wangfei quickly organized his troops, and as soon as Qin Shaozong arrived, he swiftly followed him eastward.
*
Thousands of miles away, in Wuwen County.
Wuwen County was the third small county that Dai Li arrived at after traveling by water.
In the first small county, which was also the place where the troops were divided again, Dai Li recruited seven bodyguards; there was a bodyguard agency in the second small county, but unfortunately they were on other missions and no one was available in the agency.
After continuing eastward for a while, they arrived at Wuwen County and then searched for the escort agency again.
Not long ago, they recruited people.
Eight more martial arts instructors were recruited, bringing the total to fifteen, which was exactly the number initially planned.
Qin Yanzhou walked to Dai Li's side and whispered, "Mom, among the eight newly recruited bodyguards, the one with black hair on his lip is not very honest. I think I smelled a familiar scent on him. This person may be a believer."
Dai Li: "That means the fish has taken the bait."
Author's Note: Someone in my family is in the hospital, and I need to go visit them. I'll stop updating here for now [crying emoji]
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