Chapter 6: You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth? ...
West Garden.
"Mika, why aren't you asleep yet? You might have to perform a dance for our distinguished guests tomorrow, so get some rest."
"Did you hear any noise outside just now? A rustling sound, like branches and leaves rustling in the wind, or like a cat darting through the grass."
“It does seem a little, but why worry about that? You yourself said it was the wind and the fox spirit causing trouble, not some ghost. If it weren’t for the fact that it’s not safe to go out tonight, I would definitely go out and take a look for you.”
"Never mind, go to sleep, it seems there's no movement again now."
...
The branches and leaves of the jujube tree stopped swaying, and a figure could be vaguely seen under the tree. Dai Li endured the discomfort in her left ankle and limped out, thinking to herself that the saying "it's easy to climb up but hard to climb down" was absolutely true. Everything went smoothly when she climbed up, but she accidentally twisted her ankle when she came down.
The West Garden was very quiet, and this silence spread all the way to the entrance of the courtyard and the walkway outside. In the dark night, it created a chilling and eerie atmosphere, but the taut string in Dai Li's heart actually relaxed a little.
It's good that no one's around; it's good that no one's around. She can take this opportunity to change her surroundings.
Yes, Dai Li plans to change her hiding place.
When she had this thought, she was already in the tree, or rather, she had climbed high enough, adjusted her posture, and was planning to stay in the tree for the night.
But at a certain moment, when a cool breeze swept by, Dai Li shivered. It was then that her soul seemed to float out of her body and slowly rise to a high place, allowing her to view the whole situation from a third-person perspective.
The fallen leaves that obscured her view were no longer an obstacle; she saw more possibilities.
She could think of hiding in the West Garden. Did he, who already knew that "Fengchun" was a non-existent person, also think of the same thing?
If he had seen the steward, he would know that she had asked him for directions, and it would be easy to deduce that she was unfamiliar with the mansion. By combining factors such as unfamiliarity with the terrain, ease of hiding for a young woman, and convenient access to leave the mansion, it would be very easy to narrow down the possibilities.
The transmission of the Thirty-Six Stratagems and Sun Tzu's Art of War made Dai Li never doubt the wisdom of the ancients, especially those powerful clans and nobles who almost monopolized knowledge.
Of course, it was only Dai Li's guess that she had seen the manager; whether he had actually met with him, she had no idea. But the sword of Damocles was hanging over her fragile nerves, making her willing to risk a transfer.
In the darkness of the night, just as Dai Li stepped out of the West Garden and was about to enter a long corridor, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
Judging from the sound, there were definitely more than just one or two people coming.
Dai Li's breath hitched slightly, and she didn't dare to look back. She quickened her pace and walked into the corridor. Earlier, after she had used the identity of "the concubine of the Marquis" to leave his courtyard, she did not return the way she came, but took the opposite route. Therefore, Dai Li now knew very well that the courtyard next to that man's was also a pavilion used to entertain distinguished guests, and it seemed that his subordinates lived there.
Below the two courtyards, there was a small space shaped like the Chinese character "品" (pin). This area was used to park horses and carriages. Dai Li remembered that when she passed by, only people occasionally walked through the inner archway, and there was no one guarding the outside.
This is not surprising. After the cart stops and the cargo is unloaded, it will be empty, and the horses that pulled it will be led to the manger at the front to be fed hay. You can see the horses directly from the inner archway without having to go outside.
Dai Li planned to hide in that small area, which was the only place she knew that she could barely find shelter.
Who would have thought that this seemingly weak woman would dare to venture into dangerous territory and play a trick on those in the dark?
*
No sooner had Dai Li left than Mo Yanyun led his men to the West Garden. His arrival was completely different from Dai Li's; he simply waved his hand, and the soldiers who came with him flowed into the courtyard like a stream.
"Light the lamps, and everyone, get dressed and come to the courtyard."
"What happened?" a Hu woman asked timidly.
"Enough with the nonsense, just follow my orders and get to work quickly."
Soon, all the Hu women inside came out, huddled together like birds that had fallen into the water, trembling as they watched the men stride into the room.
The West Garden consisted of two buildings, each with two floors, intended solely for the Hu women. However, all the women inside came out, and the two buildings were thoroughly searched, inside and out, in every possible hiding place, but nothing was found.
Mo Yanyun furrowed his thick eyebrows and turned his gaze to the Hu women in the courtyard, examining them one by one with a lantern.
The Hu women and Han women look quite different, and it's not something that can be easily faked. So after only one look, Mo Yanyun was quite certain that "Fengchun" was not among them.
That's strange. She's neither in the house nor among the crowd. Where is she hiding?
"Let's look up at the trees too," Mo Yanyun said, pointing to two crabapple trees.
Immediately, some agile elites climbed the tree, reaching the top of the crabapple in no time. They went up quickly and came down just as quickly, because they also came up empty-handed.
Mo Yanyun muttered to himself: "The Lord ordered a search of the back garden and the east and west gardens, but we haven't found her in the west garden yet. Could she be hiding in the back garden or the east garden?"
Thinking of this, Mo Yanyun casually pointed to two people: "You two stay here until the end of Mao Shi (5-7 AM), the rest of you come with me."
As Mo Yanyun was leaving the West Garden, she remembered something and turned to the group of Hu women in the courtyard, saying, "If that 'Songlan' secretly returns tonight, report it to the guards immediately. Those who know but do not report will bear the consequences."
The group of Hu women nodded repeatedly in fear.
*
Dai Li walked with trepidation, constantly praying that she wouldn't run into anyone else and that the journey would be as smooth as her previous return to Xiyuan.
Perhaps she was lucky, or perhaps it was just that it was late at night, and she was the only one walking this stretch of road.
Dai Li breathed a sigh of relief, but it seemed she had relaxed too soon. Just as she finished breathing, a bright light suddenly appeared from the side not far away, along with two petite figures.
She was currently at the intersection on the left side of the "H" lane, while the other person was on the right lane, only a few meters apart. The warm lamplight fell on Dai Li's round-toed silk shoes, and the sudden encounter startled both of them slightly.
Dai Li was the first to react, taking two steps back to disappear back into the darkness. Even though she had only encountered a maid instead of a guard, it would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous.
Now that the search for her has spread throughout the entire manor, it is quite conspicuous for others to see her walking alone outside late at night at this critical juncture.
"You must be that..." The tall maidservant hadn't finished speaking when someone beside her tugged at her sleeve forcefully. The two turned their heads and pretended to be busy with their lanterns.
Watching their departing figures, Dai Li seemed lost in thought. Something flashed through her mind, but it was too fast for her to grasp.
The rest of the way was fortunately uneventful. Dai Li deliberately took a detour and entered the "parking lot" from the back. As she expected, there was no one guarding the place. The carriage and horses had been separated, with the former lined up against the wall and the latter led to the manger.
The courtyard was quiet; even the chirping of insects had fallen silent, with only the occasional tail flick and snort from the horses.
Dai Li let out a long breath, limped along the wall, and finally sat down against the wall inside one of the carriages.
I should be able to get through tonight, but what about tomorrow...?
*
"My lord, I've searched the back garden and both the east and west courtyards, but I haven't found any trace of Fengchun." Mo Yanyun was also puzzled; the lord rarely miscalculated. Well, although it wasn't a big deal.
Qin Shaozong raised an eyebrow slightly: "None of them?"
Mo Yanyun nodded: "Your subordinate led men to search all three places inside and out, leaving no box or hidden compartment that could hide a person unsearched, but she is definitely not here."
After a pause, Mo Yanyun guessed, "Could she be hiding in the concubines' quarters?"
He still felt that the beautiful woman was inextricably linked to Jiang Chonghai; otherwise, how could he explain her presence at the Jiang residence? Since they were acquainted, she could hide in many places.
Just as Qin Shaozong was about to speak, he suddenly heard a group of footsteps coming from outside. It was Yan San who had returned.
The soldiers who had accompanied Yan San stopped at the courtyard gate. Yan San went inside alone and lowered his voice, saying, "My lord, the Jiang family's secret treasury is astonishingly thick. A prefect's salary is two thousand shi of grain, and his monthly salary is one hundred and twenty hu. However, the value of just a corner of Jiang Chonghai's private treasury far exceeds the wealth that twenty prefects could accumulate in ten years without eating or drinking."
Mo Yanyun stared in disbelief: "So many?"
"The secret vault is guarded all around, with shifts changing every two hours. I suppose Jiang Chonghai also knows that this place is not suitable for public display." Yan San's tone was calm, as if the effort he spent sneaking into the vault was insignificant.
"He ate quite a lot; he's not afraid of stuffing himself to death," Qin Shaozong teased.
Mo Yanyun frowned and said, "Judging from the treasures hidden in the warehouse, the relationship between Li and Jiang is probably extraordinary. My lord, we have not concealed our purpose in this military campaign. Li and Jiang are in cahoots, and it is very likely that Jiang Chonghai will not cause trouble in secret."
"That's exactly what I wanted. I was afraid he'd be a coward, too timid to move like a quail." Qin Shaozong looked up at the sky. The dark clouds hadn't dispersed yet, so it seemed there would be no moon tonight. It really was a perfect night to hide.
Mo Yanyun's brows immediately relaxed. It seemed that the Marquis had already made a plan, so he didn't need to worry.
Qin Shaozong looked at Yan San and changed the subject: "Have you found any trace of Feng Chun around the warehouse?"
Yan San shook his head and said no.
Qin Shaozong smiled enigmatically: "She's quite good at hiding. Well then, let's leave it at that for tonight. She can run away one day, but she can't hide the next."
Now that the battle is over, you are free to do as you please. Those who want to rest can do so, and those who want to do other things can do something else.
Mo Yanyun was the latter. He didn't immediately enter the side room, but instead walked towards the back, intending to pass through the small courtyard of the stable and then through the adjacent pavilion. The room used to entertain distinguished guests was fully equipped and had everything one could need, but it lacked something that was very important to him.
The book of beauties he would flip through every night before bed was in his luggage box, which was still in the pile of luggage boxes next door.
No problem, just go get it, it's only a few steps away.
*
Dai Li sat against the wall, trying to curl herself up as much as possible. She hadn't noticed it before because she was so focused on getting on her way, but now that she had settled down, the pain in her left ankle became very clear.
Dai Li reached out and touched her ankle; it hurt, and it seemed a little swollen. Just as she was worrying about whether she would recover by tomorrow, she suddenly heard footsteps.
Someone is coming.
The visitors entered the adjacent courtyard, and faint voices could be heard, their pitch and tone inconsistent and indistinct, making it impossible to discern the specific content.
Dai Li was mentally prepared for someone to come over, so she wasn't flustered. She figured that after they finished talking, they would all go back to their rooms and get some sleep.
Just as she expected, the voices suddenly fell completely lower, but it was also slightly different from what she had imagined. Someone actually entered this small place through the small archway.
Hearing the footsteps, Dai Li silently curled her fingers, not daring to breathe.
The small arched gates of the two courtyards face each other horizontally, so if one were to move about normally, one would not notice her hiding behind the carriage.
Please, please, no accidents happen...
"Wheele!"
In the stable, a particularly robust, bright red horse suddenly neighed.
Mo Yanyun turned his head and said with a smile, "The stables here are a bit small and crowded, Chi Jiao, you'll have to bear with it for now."
After speaking, he continued walking forward and soon entered the small archway on the other side. Not long after, Mo Yanyun returned with a book.
"Wheele!"
The tall horse in the stable neighed again.
Mo Yanyun chuckled and said, "Red Dragon, you can't leave even if you're not happy. Your master says you can only leave. You'd better stay here obediently for the next few days, and you'll certainly be provided with plenty of good fodder... Lord?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall figure passing through the archway. Before Qin Shaozong could ask, Mo Yanyun explained, "It's probably because this stable is a bit small, and Chi Jiao isn't too happy about it."
Horses have always been a rare commodity. In today's increasingly chaotic world, a mediocre horse can be worth twenty years' income for an ordinary person.
When the mansion was first established, Jiang Chonghai never imagined that it would receive so many cavalrymen at once, so now the two mansions share a single stable.
Qin Shaozong responded, and his gaze passed over the small archway opposite, where he saw soldiers moving back and forth in the neighboring courtyard, busy with their own internal affairs after the search was over.
Everything was in perfect order.
Qin Shaozong walked over, stroked the red dragon's mane, patted its neck, and after comforting it, he turned and walked back.
Just as he was about to go out, the wind changed direction. It went from a north wind to a northwest wind.
In the cool breeze, Qin Shaozong caught a faint, delicate fragrance. The man abruptly stopped, his long, narrow brown eyes slowly narrowing.
A note from the author:
You all say it's not enough, but all I can say is: Stop it, hurry up and write! [crying emoji]
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