Chapter 177 Entering the Depths of the Reeds
"Today is the fourth day since the notices were posted. Many people have been sent out, and all the post stations in the prefecture have been searched. But strangely enough, we have found nothing." Bai Jianping rested his chin on his hand and frowned.
Qiao Wangfei guessed, "Could it be that the mistress and the second young master have already left?"
“But that’s impossible. Didn’t Hu Bao say that they hadn’t been found at any of the city gates?” Mo Yanyun frowned.
Qiao Wangfei said in a low voice, "Don't forget, when we first met the Second Young Master, he clearly had scars on his face, but they disappeared later. He seems to be skilled in disguise, is it possible that..."
Hu Bao shook his head and said, "Impossible. The Lord had specifically instructed me to have the soldiers pay close attention to those women who were ugly in appearance but similar in stature to the mistress, especially those with long, black, and smooth hair."
A face can be concealed, a body can be made to appear larger by stuffing clothes into it, and walking with a hunched back can make one appear shorter.
But hair, which is nourished by blood and energy, is either black and shiny or dry and yellow; it's not easy to change.
The room fell silent as the group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Mo Yanyun hesitated and said, "Was the person the old man at the clinic really the mistress and the second young master? Could it be that he's old and his eyesight is failing him? After all, he's quite old. Otherwise, how can we explain why, despite the notices being posted everywhere, all the post stations being thoroughly searched, and the military patrols being mobilized in full force, they still couldn't find them?"
Bai Jianping: "There's no way I could be wrong! The woman the old physician described was wearing a black riding outfit. I swear on my life, she looks exactly like the mistress from that night."
Qin Shaozong was playing with a small tiger-shaped pen rest, listening to their argument without saying a word.
"Thud." The small pencil pillow was slammed down.
Like the sound of a gong striking, the hall fell silent once more.
“The lady must still be in Xin County. We should just wait. She can’t hide for long.” Qin Shaozong pulled out one of the visiting cards from the mountain of them. “Write a reply to Prefect Huang. I will pay him a visit tomorrow.”
*
Xin County was located in Yuzhou. Although it was not as large as other county towns, the Min River flowed in front of it, and another river flowed below it. The two rivers did not converge, but formed a sideways "eight" shape, sandwiching Xin County between them.
Where there are rivers, there are naturally cargo ships. The constant flow of ships and convenient transportation brought it an economy that other counties envied.
Huang Shichang, as the prefect of Xin County, had a lecherous habit, but because he was usually fair and extremely good at changing his mind, he managed to get through several power transitions safely.
Now that he had received a reply, Prefect Huang immediately ordered his servants to clean the house and prepare to welcome the distinguished guest.
The doors and windows were polished, and basket after basket of ingredients were brought into the kitchen—anything that flies, walks, or swims. In addition, the dancers and maids were carefully arranged, each one as beautiful as a flower, to please Grand Commandant Qin, and ideally, to get him to ask for a few.
The initial setup wasn't difficult, but when it came to the mention of the lady, the butler was a little unsure.
Xin County was more prosperous than other counties, and Huang Shichang was very wealthy. He loved beautiful women, and his mansion had more than ten courtyards to house the flowers he picked from all over the place.
They are all flowers, but there are big differences between them.
Some are in full bloom and are favored by their owners; others, though still colorful, have been abandoned by their fickle owners; still others, once the most beautiful in the town, are now damaged for various reasons and no longer as splendid as before.
Anyway, the place was adorned with flowers, and the entire courtyard was filled with beautiful concubines.
The steward asked thoughtfully, "My lord, do you think the beauties from Qingfeng Garden and Luohua Garden should participate in tomorrow's banquet?"
The two pavilions he mentioned were where Huang Shichang housed his former lovers. The beauties were still in their prime, yet they had already lost their master's favor.
“Of course.” Huang Shichang then recalled a few more outstanding names of his ex-lovers. “Have Leng Yu and Xiao Tong go forward to serve them.”
The butler responded.
Time flew by, and a night had passed in the blink of an eye. As the sun peeked out from under the first rays of sunlight, the heavy main gate of the prefect's mansion was opened wide.
The main gate opened early, but it wasn't until nearly noon that a group of people slowly and leisurely approached from a distance.
The owner of the mansion was already waiting at the side. As soon as the man on the tall horse dismounted, Huang Shichang hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Welcome to Grand Commandant Qin's humble abode. It is an honor to have you here!"
Qin Shaozong looked down at the short prefect who was only as tall as his chest. The other man had a pair of narrow eyes that were very charming, like a dog wagging its tail. "No need for formalities. Prefect Huang is the magistrate of the new prefecture. I should have come to visit earlier, but I was too busy with official duties and it has been delayed until today. I hope the prefect will not be offended."
Huang Shichang hurriedly replied, "Grand Commandant Qin's honor in coming to the capital is greater than mountains and rivers; his gracious presence has illuminated my humble home. Today is my greatest fortune, so how can there be any question of 'strangeness'?"
Qin Shaozong clicked his tongue inwardly. This Prefect Huang's political achievements were mediocre; it turned out he had been using all his energy on flattery.
Huang Shichang hurriedly welcomed Qin Shaozong into the house, placing him at the head of the table in the main hall, while he himself sat below. The other accompanying military officers were arranged in rows at the lower level.
Qin Shaozong arrived around mealtime. After taking his seat, he chatted with Huang Shichang for a while. When Huang Shichang saw that it was almost time, he clapped his hands and ordered wine and dishes to be served.
*
The Prefectural Governor's Residence, the Fallen Flower Garden.
Dai Li sat in the room, watching Xiao Tong apply makeup in front of the mirror, making her final preparations.
Xiao Tong looked at Dai Li in the bronze mirror: "Qing He, the steward said that a distinguished guest has come to the mansion today, and he is a noble person from Chang'an. Wish me luck, maybe after today I will be able to leave the prefect's mansion and go to Chang'an with the distinguished guest."
The woman in the bronze mirror had a beautifully contoured face, but a keloid scar on her left cheek stretched from the corner of her eye to her jawline, ruining the overall beauty of her face.
Xiao Tong had seen quite a few dancers with disfigured faces. The prefect's wife was known for her jealousy and had often taken her anger out on dancers. Several unfortunate women in the household had their faces slashed because of the mistress of the house.
Lord Huang felt somewhat guilty, so he set up a courtyard to raise them, just like raising a few more cats and dogs.
but……
The girl named Qinghe, who had moved into Luohua Garden a few days ago, looked very unfamiliar, like a newcomer. But the Lady of the Prefect had passed away two years ago, and she remembered that among the disfigured dancers, there didn't seem to be anyone with that name.
"May your wish come true," said "Qinghe" in the bronze mirror.
Xiao Tong curled her red lips and looked away, "Thank you for your kind words."
Who cares why? There are plenty of beautiful women in the manor. Today a few are sent by some official or merchant, tomorrow a few are found by Lord Huang himself, and the day after tomorrow one or two are sent away. With so many coming and going, sometimes even the steward here can't remember them all.
After tidying herself up, Xiao Tong left the courtyard with a leisurely air.
Dai Li watched her retreating figure, slowly exhaled, and calmed her heart, which had suddenly accelerated.
Her decision to hide among the concubines of wealthy families was actually inspired by her past. When she first arrived in this new world, she mingled in the backyard of the Jiang family mansion in Nankang County.
She discovered that as long as there were enough concubines, or if there was a significant generation gap or estrangement among them, there would be loopholes to exploit.
However, Xiao Tong seems to have some doubts now.
It was also her fault for arriving in such a hurry, climbing over the wall without much preparation, and accidentally ending up in the wrong courtyard. She had originally intended to go to Pingqiu Garden, which was said to house disfigured women, but after arriving here, she happened to ask some questions and make a few small requests, so she simply went with the flow and stayed.
"It should be alright..." Dai Li comforted herself, her thoughts drifting to her son who had also sneaked into the mansion.
I wonder how Zhouzhou is doing now.
The handyman is just pulling weeds around the yard; he should be fine with that.
Xiao Tong didn't return until almost noon. He left full of energy and high spirits, but when he came back, he looked like a withered cabbage in the field, all his spirit gone.
"What kind of people are they?" Xiao Tong complained. "It's one thing that the nobleman at the head of the table didn't like us, but one of his subordinates clearly chatted happily with me, even fed me wine, and praised my beauty repeatedly. I could see that he was very interested in me, so how did we fail at the last minute?"
Dai Li knew beforehand that there would be distinguished guests today, but she hadn't heard the steward or the other beauties mention who they were. Now, hearing Xiao Tong's description, she felt a chill run down her spine. "Are all the guests tall and burly men?"
Xiao Tong first said yes, then said that Lord Huang addressed the nobleman at the head of the table as Grand Commandant, "That's the Grand Commandant! The emperor is young, so doesn't everything in the court depend on the Grand Commandant?"
Dai Li pursed her lips.
Today's distinguished guest is indeed Qin Changgeng.
"Have they left?" Dai Li asked.
Xiao Tong nodded and said, "Of course. Today, Lord Huang has only hosted a lunch banquet, not a dinner banquet."
*
After a satisfying meal, the guests departed, their enjoyment complete.
After being escorted out of the main gate by Huang Shichang, Qin Shaozong rode the Red Dragon back home, keeping the reins loose so the horse could walk slowly.
The group of military officers behind him were discussing what had just happened.
"This new prefecture isn't very large, but it's surprisingly quite wealthy. Lord Huang must have some resources!"
"Ultimately, it's because this place has convenient transportation, with access to all directions, both by water and land, which naturally attracts many merchants. People from the north and south come to take a look."
"Hey, you know what, there were so many beauties in that hall just now—gentle, fiery, aloof, charming, there was a real variety of beauties, it was dazzling. Tsk, Huang Shichang knows how to enjoy life. With so many beauties, can he even remember them all? Maybe he doesn't even recognize them all."
Qin Shaozong suddenly reined in his horse.
The braking speed was a bit too great and sudden. After the red dragon he was riding stopped, he snorted unhappily and stomped his feet twice on the spot.
"My lord?" Bai Jianping and the others also reined in their horses.
"What did you just say?" Qin Shaozong turned his head to look at Mo Yanyun.
Mo Yanyun froze, his brain momentarily blank at the overly sharp and cold gaze. He stammered, "Wh-what?"
Then, recalling what had just happened, Mo Yanyun whispered, "I said there were many beauties in that hall..."
Qin Shaozong: "That's not the sentence."
Mo Yanyun racked his brains to recall, and tentatively asked, "This Huang Shichang is someone who knows how to enjoy life..."
Qin Shaozong remained silent, his long fingers holding the reins rapidly tapping the leather rope.
He suddenly remembered something from the past.
Back when she was at the Jiang family mansion in Nankang County, she used the aliases "Fengchun" and "Songlan" and hid in the backyard, moving with the agility of a swimming fish.
Now, the entire county's post stations have been searched, the city gates are under martial law, and the eastern district has sent people to sift through the area again and again, but there is still no trace of the fox. It's as if he vanished into thin air.
Will she resort to her old tricks again?
Qiao Wangfei realized what was happening and asked, "My lord, do you suspect that the mistress is hiding inside the Huang residence?"
Qin Shaozong: "She may not be with Huang Shichang. She may be hiding in a wealthy family in the surrounding area of the prefecture. Don't alert her. First, send someone to secretly investigate the number of concubines kept by wealthy families in the prefecture."
After the order was issued, Qin Shaozong received a document before sunset that day.
The mulberry paper listed a number of prominent families in the new county, with detailed information on who was in the family, whether the parents were still alive and the family had not yet separated, and the number of servants, maids, and female relatives in the household.
Qin Shaozong picked up his wolf-hair brush and crossed out all the female servants in his household who numbered less than a hundred. After this elimination, only a handful of households remained on the paper, easily countable on one hand.
The man tapped his long fingers lightly on the table, and then, based on the circumstances of each family, crossed out two more large households.
Those families that haven't separated and whose brothers still live together may seem to have many female relatives at first glance, but when divided among the various rooms, it's actually not that many.
The Huang family, headed by Prefect Huang Shichang, was highlighted by Qin Shaozong.
Huang Shichang's parents had passed away, and he only had two younger sisters who had married and moved away. His collateral relatives were still in Xin County, but they did not live with him.
Huang Shichang's mansion contained only his children, and his many beautiful concubines and servants.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Shaozong wrote a visiting card, then summoned Bai Jianping from outside, "Send the card to the Huang residence. Also, have someone keep a close watch on the gates of the Huang, Jiang, and Zhao families' residences."
"only."
*
Huang Mansion.
The banquet had clearly ended smoothly, and Qin Changgeng had left with his subordinates. However, for some reason, Dai Li felt inexplicably uneasy.
She secretly speculated, and finally attributed her unease to Xiao Tong's growing curiosity about her, who was sharing a room with her.
"Qinghe, where are you from?" Xiao Tong stared intently at Dai Li.
Dai Li said her homeland was in the south.
Xiao Tong smiled. "You do look like you come from a water town. By the way, how did you get into the manor?"
Dai Li lowered her eyes, feeling a little annoyed. "Actually, it all boils down to 'luck'. I was disfigured before, and I thought I would be poor and destitute for the rest of my life. But unexpectedly, I was taken in by the Lord of the Prefecture."
Xiao Tong smacked his lips at these words.
Tsk, it's like a riddle; it says something, but it also seems like it says nothing at all.
She wanted to ask more questions, but then she heard someone rushing in from outside. Xiao Tong was puzzled; she thought she heard Steward Li's voice.
The person outside spoke again, and it was indeed Steward Li!
Xiao Tong hurried outside and saw the steward say to her, "Xiao Tong, have everyone in your garden come out."
"Manager Li, what happened?" Xiao Tong asked.
Manager Li scolded, "Why ask so many questions? Just come out when I tell you to. All of you, go to the hall. Our distinguished guest has important business."
The words "distinguished guest" drifted into the room and reached Dai Li's ears, startling her so much that her pupils constricted and her fingers curled up instinctively.
Another distinguished guest? And they've ordered all the ladies in the garden to leave—what are they planning?
Could it be that the steward was acting on Qin Changgeng's orders? But he was just here yesterday, and she didn't hear Xiao Tong mention anything about trouble at the banquet. Why would he suddenly come back?
With her mind in turmoil, Dai Li noticed that among the women who were leaving the room, one of them stopped and looked back at her, as if wondering why she hadn't left yet.
Dai Li had no choice but to get up and go to the courtyard with the group of women. She deliberately hunched her back to make herself similar in height to the women next to her, and stood at the back with her head down, successfully blending into the flower bushes.
Manager Li, who hadn't noticed the extra person, said, "Everyone from Luohua Garden is here, right? Follow me."
After leaving the courtyard, they met other girls from other courtyards, and their group grew larger.
After walking a short distance, Dai Li slowed down and quietly moved to the back of the line, but Xiao Tong noticed her.
"Qinghe, what's wrong?" Xiao Tong asked.
Dai Li looked worried. "I think I have an upset stomach and need to go to the outhouse. Don't tell the steward yet, I'll be back soon and will go straight to the main hall later."
"Alright, go and come back quickly."
The people next to her weren't familiar with Dai Li, and each minding their own business, unlike Xiao Tong who showed concern, they didn't say anything.
Dai Li secretly left the group.
*
main hall.
Qin Shaozong stared expressionlessly at the women who lined up in the hall and stretched all the way to the front courtyard.
Huang Shichang's small mustache was twitching, his mood fluctuating wildly. He couldn't figure out what the new Grand Commandant was up to, but that didn't stop him from showing his loyalty.
Seeing that his concubines were all standing in neat rows, Huang Shichang hurriedly said with a smile, "Grand Commandant Qin, all the beauties in my harem are here. Take away any that you fancy. It is their great fortune to serve by your side."
Qin Shaozong could only give a perfunctory reply.
A burly man walked past a cluster of flowers. Some of the women looked at him with eyes full of spring water and flirtatious glances, while others were intimidated by his imposing presence and subconsciously bowed their heads in fear. Still others seemed to realize that there might be a "turnaround" and their eyes shone brightly.
Bai Jianping, Qiao Wangfei, and the others were also watching, but after looking at all the hundreds of women, they found nothing.
"Is there anything I've missed?" Qin Shaozong asked in a deep voice.
Huang Shichang had no idea whether anyone was missing. He couldn't even remember how many people were in his backyard. He immediately called over two stewards and asked them to count and report the number.
It took a full quarter of an hour to finish the inventory. The steward said, "Reporting to Grand Commandant Qin, everything is here."
Qin Shaozong suddenly announced loudly: "If any of you have a friend who recently left under some pretext, the person who reports and exposes him will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, a house and a good shop, and will be freed from slavery."
His words shocked everyone present, and the surrounding crowd erupted in uproar.
Huang Shichang looked at Qin Shaozong in astonishment, "Grand Commandant, what is this...?"
His words abruptly stopped when he saw Qin Shaozong raise his hand to stop him.
Qin Shaozong: "I'll say it one last time: there will be a reward for those who report and expose wrongdoing! This is a one-time opportunity. If I leave, the reward will be forfeited."
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A moment later, a trembling female voice rang out, "Qing, Qinghe just went to the outhouse, I don't know if she has returned yet."
Author's Note: The focus of this part isn't actually the chase, but rather eliminating Qinglian and having a complete heart-to-heart talk, so... well, we'll meet soon! [droopy-eared rabbit head]
Please, I need nutrient solution! [Please!]
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