Chapter 5 Her Hideout
"What did you say? Qin Shaozong really said that? Are you sure you didn't hear wrong?" Jiang Chonghai asked the person in front of him repeatedly.
If Dai Li were here, she would definitely recognize the man being questioned as Manager Lin, whom she had encountered before.
Steward Lin nodded repeatedly: "I heard right. Lord Qin did say that his beloved concubine went missing in the manor and that he was going to search for her in the manor. He also asked Lord Jiang to be understanding."
Jiang Chonghai's younger brother, Jiang Chongjiang, frowned upon hearing this: "My beloved concubine is missing? When Qin Shaozong came, I followed him from beginning to end and escorted them all the way to the palace. I remember they were all men. Where did my beloved concubine come from?"
Steward Lin said in a low voice, "She was probably hiding in the carriage and didn't show herself at first. I saw her later; that lady was beautiful and looked very well-maintained. Moreover..."
At this point, Manager Lin paused slightly, a hint of hesitation on his face.
Jiang Chongjiang's curiosity was piqued by that statement. "And what? Just say what you have to say. What kind of behavior is this, stammering like that?"
"If I am not mistaken, she was wearing a pair of leather shoes at the time." This discovery was also a coincidence; at the time, he only wanted to observe the expenses that the noble Qin Shaozong provided for his beloved concubine.
Oxen are large livestock. Farmers are not allowed to kill oxen for plowing. Basically, oxen are only sent to the butcher's knife when they die of illness or are too old to plow the land, and only then can beef, hides, and tendons be harvested.
Of course, Jiang Chonghai was well aware that many rules simply couldn't restrain the powerful and influential, especially the extremely powerful and wealthy. If Qin Shaozong wanted to boast, he believed even the strongest bull would die of illness that very day.
If the woman was indeed wearing leather shoes, she must undoubtedly be Qin Shaozong's favorite concubine. After all, a man who could afford to provide his concubine with leather shoes was no ordinary man.
"Go wait outside first," Jiang Chongjiang waved away the forest steward.
After the door closed again, Jiang Chongjiang said, "Although I don't know why a favored concubine suddenly appeared, it's a fact that Qin Shaozong is looking for someone. Brother, is this incident at this critical juncture something Qin Shaozong did on purpose? Could he know something and be testing us now?"
Jiang Chonghai stroked his chin with his short, stubby fingers: "What you said is not impossible. Qin Shaozong is a cunning and treacherous man, full of tricks. He used a chilling spy scheme to take over Bingzhou. Who would have thought that Kuang Ye, who served under Rong Bingzhou for seven years, risking his life for him and acting as his most capable right-hand man, was actually a spy planted by Qin Shaozong long ago."
Speaking of the devastating defeat in Rongbing Prefecture a year ago that shocked all the prefectures, Jiang Chonghai still feels lingering fear.
A trusted subordinate who has followed you for years, who would shield you from open and hidden attacks, even going through fire and water for you, suddenly turns against you. He first eliminates your other confidants, then drugges you, and finally seizes control, opening the city gates to welcome the enemy...
If this happened to other powerful rulers, would they be afraid?
The answer is naturally fear.
After news of Bingzhou's annexation spread, the powerful rulers were traumatized. It's no exaggeration to say that during that period, everyone was on edge, and even the governors sometimes looked at their trusted confidants with suspicion.
If Qin Shaozong could plant a spy next to Rong Bingzhou for seven years, and the spy even penetrated to the core level, who knows if he wouldn't use this insidious trick, which is almost like cutting off the fuel supply, a second time?
Who will be the next Rong Bingzhou? Nobody wants to be the next Rong Gong.
Jiang Chonghai was also terrified.
Jiang Chongjiang hesitated and said, "Brother, there are more than twenty people who followed Qin Shaozong into the mansion. Now that he wants to find someone, he might mobilize them all. If we let them move around freely, wouldn't that cause chaos?"
"It won't cause chaos. The only truly important places in the mansion are the study and the secret storehouse. Just increase the guards in those two places; the rest is fine." Jiang Chonghai paced back and forth in the room a few times. "If they want to find someone, let them. Don't stop them. If they want the servants and men in the mansion to help, just have them put on a show; there's no need for them to actually put in the effort. We'll remain calm and wait and see what Qin Shaozong is really up to."
Jiang Chongjiang beamed: "Brother, you really have a way."
*
Dai Li stood beside a pavilion, hidden in the night, staring blankly in a certain direction, her eyes unfocused. It was more like she was in a daze than observing.
In fact, Dai Li's thoughts were indeed becoming increasingly confused.
Yes, a little maid who spoke rather strangely arrived not long ago, about nine years old and around this height. He kept saying that he wasn't originally from this place...
However, no.
The person she was looking for was not found in this second maid's residence either.
If my son isn't here, could he be somewhere else in the mansion? Or is he not even in this mansion, or even in this era?
Thinking of her last guess, Dai Li's temples throbbed violently. Gazing at the boundless night, she felt only confusion and despair.
“No, Zhouzhou couldn’t possibly not be here. The school bus and the surveillance cameras on the road clearly show that no one got off the bus before it plunged into the river. All the windows on the school bus were not badly damaged, the driver was there, the teacher was there, and the other children were there, but Zhouzhou was the only one missing. He must be here, he must be here…” Tears welled up in Dai Li’s eyes.
News reports indicate that 39 people died in the Hongtaiyang Bilingual Elementary School bus crash into the river, including one driver, two teachers, and 36 students. This number is based on the number of bodies found inside the school bus.
However, almost no one knows that there were forty passengers on the school bus at the time, not thirty-nine.
Dai Li didn't see her son on the school bus that plunged into the river. He was gone; he went into the river with the bus, the windows were intact, but he was strangely not inside.
They were never seen alive, nor were their bodies ever found.
Initially, Dai Li held great hope that her son had gotten off the bus alone halfway through the journey, and that after the school bus plunged into the river, he was swept out of the bus by the current and carried all the way to the riverbank where he was rescued by kind-hearted people.
She watched the surveillance footage again and again, searched the riverbank repeatedly, and even hired a search and rescue team at great expense. Day after day she waited, and bizarre dreams haunted her night after night. But six whole months passed, and Dai Li neither found the body nor witnessed a miracle.
"Since she's not inside the manor, I'll look for her outside." Dai Li tilted her head slightly, the watery light in her eyes quickly disappearing.
She had an inexplicable intuition that her child must be living in this unfamiliar era.
but……
A commotion arose not far away, as if a large group of people had gathered together, and faint sounds drifted over.
"We'll go this way, you guys go that way."
"Okay, come back in 25 minutes to meet up and exchange information."
Dai Li looked at the noisy place with mixed feelings, and after a moment she quickly turned around and went somewhere else.
Normally, the household would never be so noisy and disruptive when distinguished guests arrive, unless it was at the request of the distinguished guests.
He discovered it.
Those who could expose her lie must have sent someone to the courtyard where the dancer lived. The two courtyards there have already undergone one round of questioning; a second round shouldn't be coming so soon.
The West Garden was located on the edge of the mansion. She remembered that there were two very healthy crabapple trees in the West Garden. She might be able to hide in the trees to avoid the rest of the search, and then try to climb over the wall to leave the mansion before dawn, when it was darkest and people were most exhausted.
In fact, this was the only way, because Dai Li didn't have a map of the mansion. She had gotten this far by asking for directions.
She knew nothing about other places, such as the location of the mansion's warehouse, the residences of the mansion's concubines, or the kitchen.
*
"My lord, we found a hidden package in the back garden." Mo Yanyun returned carrying the package.
The color of the "package" was familiar; it was jet black under the lamplight, and you could even see a section of the sleeve hanging loosely.
Mo Yanyun opened the package and found a purple long dress, a black top, and a pair of shoes inside.
"My lord, are these the clothes that the young lady was wearing earlier?" Dai Li had come out dressed in men's clothing, so Mo Yanyun hadn't seen the clothes underneath.
Qin Shaozong picked up a strap on a sandal with his finger and said ambiguously, "Cowhide?"
Mo Yanyun was slightly taken aback. He reached out and pinched the sole of the shoe, exclaiming in shock, "My lord, this cowhide is so soft and smooth. It's top-quality material. That fellow surnamed Jiang is too extravagant. He actually used such fine material to make shoes for his concubines!"
There are differences between different types of cowhide. Even if they are made from the same piece of high-quality material, they can be vastly different depending on the tanning method and the materials used.
"It has nothing to do with Jiang Chonghai." Qin Shaozong loosened the straps of his sandals and then touched the purple dress. The fabric felt soft and smooth to the touch, like a pool of spring water in his palm.
The long dress was fragrant, and he smelled that faint, elegant fragrance again. It was not strong or pungent, but rather quite soft and pleasant. Qin Shaozong smiled and said, "I'm afraid even Jiang Chonghai himself couldn't use this kind of material."
When the request for personnel was made, Jiang Chonghai was taken aback.
Looking back now, that moment of stunned silence wasn't out of reluctance, but rather confusion. He simply had no recollection of the name "Fengchun."
Mo Yanyun was increasingly confused. It had nothing to do with Jiang Chonghai? But if it had nothing to do with someone surnamed Jiang, how could she be in this Jiang residence? She couldn't have just appeared out of thin air: "But, my lord, she is in the residence."
Qin Shaozong didn't respond. The man gazed into the distance, the lamplight focusing into a small dot in his light brown eyes, like the sharp tip of a knife, or the gaze of a tiger locking onto its prey. "Search the back garden and the east and west gardens at midnight. You might find something."
Mo Yanyun looked puzzled. He subconsciously turned to look at his side, habitually wanting to ask Yan San for help, but then remembered that Yan San was busy with something else. He could only try to think for himself, and his two thick eyebrows immediately furrowed into a big "eight".
Qin Shaozong ignored his subordinate, whose face was full of curiosity, and turned to go back to his room.
Mo Yanyun stood in the courtyard, muttering, "I know they're moving out at midnight; it's late and quiet, which will eliminate many unimportant people. But why the back garden and the east and west courtyards? Didn't we already ask about those places..."
Mo Yanyun has a habit: when he can't figure something out, he will start from the beginning to see if he can find a new starting point.
What was it in the beginning?
Oh, right, after checking, there was no "Fengchun" in the manor. Then Yan San said he met a steward surnamed Lin, who claimed that the beautiful woman asked him for directions...
Mo Yanyun suddenly shuddered, as if a light had suddenly turned on above his head.
Her asking for directions indicates that she is unfamiliar with the layout of the mansion. In today's large-scale search for missing persons, those unfamiliar with the environment will instinctively choose the place that makes them feel safest, that is, the place they are most familiar with.
For example, she chose to hide the package in the back garden.
The East and West Courtyards had already been searched, so normally a second round of searches shouldn't be happening so soon. Besides, these two courtyards are full of beautiful women, some of whom are newcomers. She can hide there much more discreetly than in other places.
Mo Yanyun suddenly realized what was happening, and at the same time, he couldn't wait for time to pass quickly.
Once the beautiful woman is captured, all doubts will be resolved.
Midnight is approaching.
A note from the author:
[Rose] Dengdeng is here right on time! [Heart]
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