Chapter 18 Her Second Game with Him
Dai Li smiled broadly. "That's excellent. But I've heard similar arguments from you many times before. They can talk a good game, but what they deliver is always rotten fish and shrimp."
The fishmonger wasn't annoyed at all. Wealthy and powerful merchants always had high standards, and only those who were picky about the goods were the real buyers. "How about this," he said, "I'll bring a box of seafood the day after tomorrow at 1-3 PM. Your wife can send someone to check it. What do you think?"
Even with the round trip and the time spent collecting goods at the port, it would take at least until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, even working day and night.
The day after tomorrow, this timeframe coincided with Dai Li's plan.
“Okay.” Dai Li paid part of the deposit. “I will send someone to pick up the goods no later than the end of Shen time the day after tomorrow.”
Dai Li once told Qin Shaozong that her main purpose in leaving the mansion was to find a messenger to inquire about her son's whereabouts. This was done openly and was a necessary step.
Unlike fishmongers, who need to sell their goods as soon as they are fresh to get a good price, the monks are much more flexible. Therefore, even now, as evening approaches, there are still monks in the market.
Dai Li found an experienced fortune teller and described the situation in detail, but the man shook his head and said, "I don't have a child like that."
He saw that Dai Li was dressed in fine clothes, with a gold hairpin in her hair, and her dark blue cross-collar dress with flowing cloud patterns had a subtle sheen. It was obviously made of the finest material. Not to mention, this lady had fair and delicate skin, which meant she was definitely not from an ordinary family.
"I'll ask my brothers for you; maybe they have some," the old man secretly resolved. Even if they didn't, it wasn't impossible to try and find one that met her standards.
Dai Li stood there for a long time before finally turning away without saying a word.
*
The setting sun melts into gold, and the evening clouds merge like jade.
As the sun set, the carriage bearing the plaque of the Jiang family mansion rode home through the sunset, making this trip a truly fruitful one.
As soon as Yunrong returned, she went back to the main room with the help of her personal maid. She didn't want to move at all. Even when her most beloved grandson came to find her, she was sent back.
Just as she was falling asleep, the door opened and Jiang Chonghai entered from outside. "Where did you and Madam Dai go today? Did she mention anything special during your chat?"
Yunrong's head throbbed at the mention of "Madam Dai": "She has visited countless places, and has traveled through all three markets in the east, west, and north. No wonder she follows a military officer; her energy is incredible. I haven't heard her mention anything special. I'll have Taoxiang come and ask her later."
Jiang Chonghai stroked his mustache but said nothing.
After all, she is a woman, so she certainly doesn't know much. If there is any news, it's a pleasant surprise; if not, she won't be disappointed.
"Sigh, judging from her words, she wants to go out again for the next two days. I'm really exhausted. Could my two daughters-in-law accompany her tomorrow?" Yunrong complained.
“Nonsense! This is absolutely unacceptable!” Jiang Chonghai’s first reaction was to reprimand her. “In terms of official rank, I am inferior to Qin Shaozong. What kind of decorum is it to have my daughter-in-law accompany him? Wouldn’t that make Qin Shaozong feel that I am disrespecting him? We absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake at this critical juncture.”
Yunrong felt indignant, but she was too tired to argue with him.
Seeing that she looked really bad, Jiang Chonghai softened his tone: "You should still accompany her on the tour. If you get tired later, find a teahouse to rest. Just have those two maids keep a close eye on her afterwards."
Yunrong had no choice but to nod.
*
After parting ways with Yunrong, Daili returned to the pavilion.
Today's plan went smoothly, and she even learned that the Hutuo River was nearby—truly a blessing from heaven. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be able to leave Nankang County the day after tomorrow.
Dai Li's good mood lasted until she pushed open the door.
The brilliant afterglow of the setting sun poured into the room as the door opened, casting a warm and gentle glow across the floor. But this gentle light, as it crept deeper and gently climbed onto the man's black robe, abruptly stopped.
The man inside looked up. His expression was calm, but his eyes were deep, like a bottomless pool. "Madam is back."
For some reason, Dai Li felt a sudden tightness in her spine at that moment.
Something seems off.
Dai Li stood still for a moment, then casually entered the house, her first words being sarcastic, "Oh dear, what wind blew this busy person here?"
Qin Shaozong ignored her and instead said to the two maids who had followed Dai Li in, "You two go down. I have some private words with the madam."
Dai Li: "..."
The two women paused, then slowly withdrew.
"Click." The door closed gently, and the room fell silent with that soft sound. This silence seemed like a wildly growing vine, capable of binding one's legs and feet firmly in place.
"Have a seat," he said.
Dai Li lowered her eyes and walked over to sit opposite him. "Do you have something important to tell me?"
Qin Shaozong pointed to the tea set on the table and asked, "Do you know how to brew tea?"
Dai Li: "I only know the basics."
In this era, tea cultivation and tea drinking have become very common. Tea culture is not only regarded as a refined art, but also recorded by a renowned physician who wrote, "Drinking bitter tea for a long time is beneficial to one's mind," to record its medical value.
From the highest nobility to the lowest commoners, every household had tea. As for the quality, quantity, and matching teaware, that depended entirely on the family's wealth.
Dai Li looked at the fruit plate and teacup on the table, somewhat perplexed. Her earlier statement of "knowing only the basics" was not an understatement. Unlike the modern method of brewing tea by simply pouring boiling water over the tea leaves, tea in this era was not just that. In addition to tea leaves, ingredients such as dried melon, fruit pulp, mint, salt, and orange peel were added.
Dai Li genuinely had no idea how to add them, in what order, or which came first and which came last.
Feeling the heavy gaze pressing down on her, Dai Li simply gave up on thinking about it. The order didn't matter, as long as she could brew tea; she had already prepared him for it anyway.
"Although you don't need to return to your old residence in the future, your sudden disappearance will surely cause your former servants great panic, and they might even report it to the authorities." Qin Shaozong's voice was as calm as the water on the table that hadn't yet boiled.
Dai Li's hand, which was scooping dried melon, paused abruptly, and a small piece of dried melon from the edge of the wooden spoon fell "plop" onto the table.
For a moment, she felt that the table was no longer just a table, but had become the outer membrane of her sensitive heart. Otherwise, why would the melon slice falling off have almost startled her so much that she couldn't sit still?
No, it actually has nothing to do with dried melon; it's just that this topic is too dangerous...
Suddenly, a large, well-defined hand appeared at the top of my field of vision. The nails were neatly manicured, but there was a shallow scar on the back of the hand that extended to the index finger. The hand was dark-skinned, and the scar was conspicuous, looking at it at first glance like the white fangs of a wolf.
Qin Shaozong picked up the dried melon: "At this stage, we cannot afford any accidents. In order to prevent the old servants of the lady from alerting the enemy by seeing the officials, I would like to trouble the lady to write a letter and I will send someone to deliver it to the old servants of the lady."
Dai Li slowly raised her eyes to meet those brown eyes. "You don't need to worry that they will alert the enemy. How can a few mute women report to the authorities? As for the letter, it's useless. They are illiterate and can't understand it. Previously, my humble abode had two able-bodied and literate guards, but after my son was abducted, one of them was perhaps too remorseful and was taken away by a sudden illness. The other left a letter saying that he was going to seek reinforcements from his master."
Qin Shaozong smiled and said, "It's alright. I should go there and leave a letter to Qin Huali informing him of your whereabouts and telling him not to bother me again."
If she was just worried before, Dai Li now guessed that this person might have sent someone to the address ten miles west of the city, the fabricated address she had given him.
He became suspicious.
Otherwise, he wouldn't keep going on about this topic.
Dai Li felt a chill run down her spine as a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Just then, she saw Qin Shaozong put down the small melon slice and reach out as if to hold her hand.
The scene from last night flashed through her mind. This man was very perceptive; if he noticed that her palms were sweaty again...
Dai Li suddenly put down the small wooden spoon in her hand and stood up from her seat.
Qin Shaozong stopped reaching out and watched her walk around the table and finally kneel down beside him.
The kneeling position required lifting her skirt and using her hands to support her thighs to adjust her posture. Dai Li used this action to wipe the thin layer of sweat from her palms. "My lord, have you not found my old residence?"
Qin Shaozong's gaze was still on her hands. Her fair hands had long, slender fingers with healthy pink tips, like soft willow catkins in spring, or like fine jade carvings.
Upon hearing those words, Qin Shaozong looked away, his long eyebrows raised with interest, and instead of answering, he asked, "What makes you say that, Madam?"
Dai Li said seriously, "From the perspective of the powerful and influential people I have met, they are all cautious and meticulous, thinking three steps ahead for every step they take. Moreover, you are always busy, and you don't seem like a person with free time. You wouldn't mention my old residence to me for no reason. Therefore, I dare to guess that you may have sent people to look for it, but the soldiers were blocked by the maze and found nothing, which is why you are a little confused."
He still needs her now, so even if he has doubts, he won't be too aggressive.
Dai Li was certain.
Qin Shaozong took her hand from her knee, wrapped it in his palm, and sneered, "A maze?"
Dai Li's heart skipped a beat.
Qin Shaozong squeezed her fingertips and said mockingly, "Madam, are you going to say that a Taoist priest who came out of some mountain valley set up a maze in your place, making it impossible to find?"
Dai Li: "..."
Atheist.
Why would she encounter such a rare ancient species?
A gentle, tingling sensation came from the inside of my wrist, a fine, itchy feeling creeping along the meridians, as if superimposed with the heat of the setting sun outside the window, making me restless.
Dai Li pretended not to understand his unspoken meaning, "Hua Li didn't want me to have much contact with the outside world, so he built the house outside the city. But life requires supplies, and complete seclusion is not an option, so he chose a place ten miles outside the county to settle down. In the past two years, hunters have come to the door from time to time. After a while, Hua Li got annoyed and invited a man named Zheng Yangzi who claimed to have received the teachings of the Eastern Emperor to come to the house."
Dai Li secretly glanced at him, but couldn't see any doubt or curiosity on his face, or any admiration for the Taoist priest. His gaze was fixed on her palm, and he seemed more interested in her hand.
She continued, "It's strange, really. Zheng Yangzi simply placed a few stones in front of and behind my humble abode, and in the southeast corner, and everything changed. If it weren't for someone familiar with the place leading the way, ordinary people wouldn't be able to find the way to my abode at all. Since then, my abode has never been disturbed again. If my son hadn't been kidnapped while traveling, I probably wouldn't have left the forest..."
Seeing that he still didn't react, Dai Li finally resorted to a drastic measure, "If you are really curious, why don't I take you there myself another day?"
The man beside her finally looked up. The last rays of sunlight shone through the window onto his deep-set eyes, giving them a brilliant golden glow. The broken eyebrow on his left side, which was not connected, resembled a drawn sword, exuding a heavy and imposing aura. "Tomorrow I will have Yan San accompany you."
He clearly agreed with the idea of "taking a trip," but he wouldn't go himself.
Dai Li frowned and said with distress, "Tomorrow is not possible. I have appointments with the Lady of the Prefect and the Lady of the Prefect for the next two days. We have arranged to go to many places, and I have expressed great anticipation at the time. How about the day after tomorrow? I have not yet finalized the schedule with her for the day after tomorrow."
Qin Shaozong remained noncommittal, but suddenly asked, "You had no prior record, so how did you enter the city?"
It is said to be an identity credential, used for entering and exiting the city gates.
Dai Li whispered, "I promised some money to the peddler I usually work with, and asked him to find a caravan so that I could go into the city with him as a servant."
Qin Shaozong: "What is the peddler's name and where does he live?"
Dai Li shook her head, "I only know that his surname is Wang, and I don't know anything else. After all, the two guards were in charge of dealing with the peddler in the past."
"If you can't find your son after entering the city, how do you plan to leave?" Qin Shaozong asked again.
Dai Li glanced at him again, "If I can't find anyone, I don't plan to go out again. I'll just find a well-off family to stay with for now."
Qin Shaozong paused in his grip on her fingertips, noticing her somewhat cautious expression and the fact that she was secretly observing him. He chuckled softly, "Madam, you've got a good plan. Serving someone doesn't matter, you have to pick someone of value, right?"
"You asked me, so I had no choice but to tell you the truth, without any deception or falsehood. But that was all in the past. Now that you, my lord, are of noble birth, why should I abandon the essential for the trivial?" After she finished speaking, she saw that his expression was still cold and indifferent.
Dai Li lowered her head, untied the small bamboo token from her waist, and placed it in Qin Shaozong's palm: "I need not elaborate on the obsession of servants with the token. I was indeed impure in the past, but the past is gone, let it go with the wind. Since this token has been shown frequently to the Lord and Lady, it will probably no longer be needed. Could you spare a little attention to help me keep this token safe?"
As she spoke, Dai Li's gaze remained fixed on Chuan, her reluctance evident.
The large, bony hand slowly closed, and the information it transmitted was submerged by the rising dark tide, becoming invisible.
"You searched my body that night and know that this is the only one I have left. You must keep it safe." Dai Li said reluctantly.
Qin Shaozong simply said, "Don't worry, it won't be lost."
“My lord, I have something important to report to you.” Dai Li sat up straight. “Today I went out and visited Ruixiang Silk Shop, teahouse and Mingyue Residence, and spent a lot of money.”
Qin Shaozong felt that gaze secretly observing him again and found it amusing: "So what if it's spent? Is it worth it for you to be so worried, Madam? Could it be that the Qin Huali of the past was a miserly penny-pincher who only liked to shake his money bag and make the jingling sound of copper coins for you to hear?"
Dai Li's lips twitched.
This person is really...
A note from the author:
Tomorrow's update has been moved from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Please don't update in the morning! [cat paw emoji]
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