Chapter 67 Trading the City for Her
In the study of the Qin residence.
Qin Shaozong was listening to reports on his duties. He had been in charge of Bai Ri City for several days, and a batch of the original Yanzhou officials had been replaced. How to fill the vacant positions was a matter of great concern.
This is a battle between two allied forces. Although Qingzhou is not the main force, it has made contributions. It is unreasonable not to give the other side even a little bit of meat.
“…My lord, Bai Ri City is preceded by Bai Ri Pass, a strategically important pass that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Bai Ri City must not be ceded. If Qingzhou starts fighting over it, we can simply give up some counties near Yanzhou,” Nalan Zhi said.
Qin Shaozong: "Wu Gong's words make sense."
After finishing two other matters, the discussion came to an end, and Qin Shaozong glanced at the sky outside the window.
The brilliant sunset painted the entire sky, but as time passed, a shadow appeared on one side of the sky, with a clear distinction between the light and dark areas, as if a corner had been swallowed up by a giant beast.
"That's all for today. We can discuss other important matters tomorrow," Qin Shaozong said to everyone.
Everyone bowed respectfully and left the study one after another.
Qin Shaozong also got up from his seat, intending to return to the main courtyard.
She should be back by now. There are still three fish left in the water tank in the yard from yesterday; they'll eat them all tonight.
He had barely stepped out of his study when he saw someone rushing towards him. Urgent reports were common, but upon recognizing the visitor, Qin Shaozong's smile flattened.
“My Lord…” Hu Bao’s face was slightly pale as he knelt down under that cold gaze: “Madam Dai is missing.”
Qin Shaozong's brown eyes narrowed into needles for a moment. He took a few steps forward, grabbed Hu Bao by the collar with one hand, and lifted him up. "When did this happen? How did she disappear?"
The string in Qin Shaozong's mind was buzzing, making his blood surge and his eyes turn bloodshot.
My first thought was that she had run away again.
The promise she made to him last night was merely a temporary measure and meant no real meaning.
Looking back now, the first time he brought it up with her, she said she needed a month to seriously consider it, and he agreed, so the matter was postponed. Later that night, when the topic came up again, she was very vague and never said "okay" once.
She lied to him again!
The hem of his clothes was digging into his neck, and the feeling was unpleasant, but Hu Bao still answered without stopping for a moment: "Late noon, before late afternoon. At that time, Madam Dai went to a jewelry store called 'Jin Fengyu'. The maid said that the second floor of the store was full of young ladies, including some unmarried young women, and told me to wait on the first floor..."
Hu Bao reported everything in great detail, including how he had been guarding the stairwell the whole time, how Nianxia and Bipo had asked him to buy honey tea and melons twice, and how they had hinted that the lady was resting and that was why he hadn't come downstairs yet, the surprise of the new guests, how he rushed upstairs and found that the two maids were unconscious, and most importantly, how Dai Li had vanished into thin air.
Speaking in one breath, Hu Bao, who had run back, was panting heavily. He felt guilty and remorseful. If Qin Shaozong hadn't been holding him up, he would have been able to kneel down.
"Your subordinate has failed in his duties; please punish him, Your Majesty."
Qin Shaozong suddenly released his grip, no longer caring about punishment, and immediately called out to the guards: "Send down the order, seal off the city! Seal off Bai Ri City!"
As he walked out, Qin Shaozong said coldly, "What about those two maids who were with her? They served her day and night, so they couldn't possibly be unaware of her schemes. If they refuse to talk, torture them."
Hu Bao said, "My lord, these two are still in the jewelry shop. For some reason, they have been unconscious. Even pinching their philtrum, wiping their faces with cold water, or stimulating other acupoints with needles cannot wake them up. It's as if they have taken some kind of medicine."
Qin Shaozong's temples throbbed, and a fire raged in his chest, burning his internal organs with pain.
It seems she's exceptionally well-prepared this time; has she learned from her previous mistake?
That's really great!
Qin Shaozong strode forward: "Notify Ding Congjian to come with me. Last time, it was the silk shop maid who covered for her; this time, it must be related to the jewelry shop's maids. Have you managed to control the maids over there?"
Hu Bao followed, saying, "They've all been taken into custody."
Qin Shaozong couldn't wait a moment longer. He was going to the stable to get his horse himself, but after turning a corner, all the anger that had been raging within him was suddenly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
Qin Shaozong suddenly stopped and stared intently at the tall, slender figure not far away.
Qin Yanzhou seemed to sense something, turned his head to look at Qin Shaozong, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a hint of barely perceptible doubt.
Qin Shaozong stood still in place.
She valued her son more than her own eyes, and there was absolutely no reason for her to leave alone, so she left him at home.
Was it a deliberate act of leaving in batches, going against the grain, or was there someone sabotaging things from the beginning, and it had nothing to do with her?
Hu Bao also saw Qin Yanzhou, and his expression changed.
Everyone knew how much Dai Li cherished her son, whom she had lost and then found. Logically, this shouldn't be the case...
"Keep this a secret, don't let that kid know yet. Have people secretly watch him all day, and keep watch around the courtyard at night. I need to know his every move," Qin Shaozong said in a low voice.
If it's the former he suspected, the other party will definitely make a move soon and will certainly go to meet up with her. By following the clues, he will surely be able to find out where she is.
But if it's the latter...
Qin Shaozong's eyes were frighteningly dark.
The distance wasn't close, so Qin Yanzhou didn't hear what the two people were saying. He only saw Qin Shaozong say something and then lead his men away in a hurry.
The young man looked away, seemingly unconcerned.
*
Horse hooves trod across the bluestone slabs bathed in the afterglow of dusk, and before the dust kicked up by the hooves could even rise, it was trampled back by the hooves of other horses.
The groups of people split up and went their separate ways.
A team of men was dispatched to each of the four city gates in the east, west, south, and north to seal off the city and inquire with the city guards about the general situation of people leaving the city that day.
In addition, he sent people to the household registration office to retrieve the household register, and then immediately began a door-to-door search without stopping. The group of people led by Qin Shaozong then followed him to 'Jin Fengyu'.
The tall man reined in the red dragon and then rolled off.
The northern soldiers guarding the shop bowed, and Qin Shaozong strode inside without looking to the side.
Inside the shop, the three servants were kept separate. Only after Qin Shaozong arrived did the guards bring the three together.
“My lord, these people are all servants in the shop. They were serving customers on the first floor before,” Hu Bao said.
The servants were pale and trembling.
One of them immediately knelt down, his knees buckling: "Your Excellency, I only started working on this site ten days ago, and I know nothing about it!"
The other two echoed this sentiment.
One said he had only been in the store for seven days, the other for eight; in short, they had only been there recently.
"Where is the shopkeeper?" Qin Shaozong asked.
“My lord, at that time there were only these three servants on the first floor of the shop. They said that the manager went out at noon, and before he went out, he ordered a servant surnamed Liu to watch the shop, and this servant surnamed Liu…” Hu Bao mentioned the middle servant, “…it was him.”
This person was the first to speak up, claiming to be a maid who had been hired just ten days ago.
Qin Shaozong's cold and sharp gaze swept over him, startling the other man. However, he did not ask any more questions and went upstairs first.
Second floor.
Nianxia and Bipo were still in the rest area, their positions barely changed. Ding Lianxi, carrying a medicine box, busied himself, taking their pulses after unloading the box.
Qin Shaozong looked around the floor.
There are many shelves, neatly arranged at equal intervals, and each section is clearly divided. At first glance, it is no different from the jewelry store next door.
But after walking a few steps inside, Qin Shaozong quickly discovered the secret behind the "Venetian blinds" shelf.
The area near the stairwell is much higher; you have to walk down a few steps to reach the shelves. Previously, when he stood at the top of the stairs, he could see the people behind the shelves through the openwork of the wooden frame.
You can clearly see where the other person is, what they are doing, and every move they make. However, if you walk into the shelf and look out from inside, you can't see anything.
Qin Shaozong closed his eyes.
He no longer needed to wait until tonight to verify whether that brat had made any moves; he was now certain that someone had kidnapped her. Because she couldn't possibly have orchestrated all this on her own without his knowledge.
As if in affirmation of him, someone said from the other side, "My lord, there is a secret passage here."
Qin Shaozong suddenly opened his eyes and fled in the wake of the sound.
The bronze mirror used for adjusting clothing and displaying jewelry was pushed aside, revealing a downward-sloping path. A row of small lanterns hung along the path, their candles burned out, offering no light whatsoever.
Standing at the crossroads and looking down, this dark walkway resembles a long snake with its jaws wide open, attempting to devour every passerby.
Qin Shaozong walked down the corridor and found himself in the backyard on the first floor.
The courtyard has a back door that leads to a back alley, and turning out of the back alley leads to the main street that connects to the four city gates.
"My lord, those servants might just be a decoy," Hu Bao said in a low voice.
Having only been here a few days and knowing nothing when asked, what else could it be but a pretense to get by?
"Go check the information about this shop," Qin Shaozong said before leaving through the back door.
Summer brings abundant rainfall, and it rained last night. The back alleyway isn't wide, and the walls on both sides block the sunlight, making it cooler than outside.
The bluestone bricks used for paving are scattered here; some are laid, and some are not.
Qin Shaozong lowered his eyes to look at the ground.
Both donkey dung and horse dung can be used as fertilizer after processing. Therefore, if these two items appear on the street, they will be picked up.
Of course, some people feel that it's better to keep the benefits within the family than to let others benefit, so they hang a bag on the back of the donkey and replace it when it's full.
Now the back alley is clean and tidy, with no donkey or horse droppings on the ground, as if no carriages had ever passed through here.
But it's only an impression.
Qin Shaozong noticed the faint hoof prints. He walked over and examined them closely. "A donkey cart."
Donkey carts are far less conspicuous than horse carts, and there are at least several hundred households in the county that own donkeys.
Moreover, this involved a secret passage, shelving, and even temporarily hired servants. Since the other party was willing to go to great lengths to set up this scheme, they must be determined to succeed in one fell swoop.
They certainly wouldn't be without even a few horses.
Even though he desperately didn't want to admit it, Qin Shaozong knew in his heart that there was more than a 50% chance that she had been moved...
Qin Shaozong's face was extremely grim.
"My lord, the two maids have woken up," a guard reported.
Qin Shaozong turned around without saying a word and went upstairs via the alley.
Ding Lianxi was packing up the boxes when he saw Qin Shaozong and bowed. "My lord, these two have most likely taken pills made from hyacinth seeds. I have just cleared the effects of the hyacinth seeds from their bodies. However, hyacinth seeds are easy to counteract, but the 'silence herb' cannot be counteracted in a short time."
Qin Shaozong paused: "Dumb grass?"
Ding Lianxi nodded. "Yes, they took the mute herb and can't speak for a while."
Nianxia and Bipo had already woken up. Seeing Qin Shaozong's terrifying expression and the circle of guards with swords surrounding them, they were immediately terrified and their faces turned ashen.
Both women wanted to speak, but when they opened their mouths, no sound came out. They immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
“If you can’t talk about your throat, then write it down.” After saying this, Hu Bao immediately realized that his words were inappropriate.
The chances of a maid being literate are slim.
"Can you read?" Hu Bao changed his question.
Sure enough, the two men shook their heads.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze, and everyone looked at Qin Shaozong, waiting for his instructions.
Qin Shaozong looked at the two women, his eyes like knives, "I'll ask, you answer. Nod if it's yes, shake your head if it's no. If I find out later that you lied..."
Before he finished speaking, the two women had already touched their foreheads to the ground, making the wooden board bang loudly.
Qin Shaozong: "Did you lose consciousness upstairs?"
Bibo nodded.
Nianxia shook her head, pointed downstairs, and even made a gesture as if she were relieving herself.
Hu Bao, standing to the side, exclaimed in shock, "How is that possible? I clearly saw you go upstairs!"
Nianxia waved her hands repeatedly, then raised her hand as if to swear an oath.
Qin Shaozong turned the ring on his thumb, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
Hu Bao joined the Northern Army before he came of age, and it has been twenty years since then. His whole family is in Yuyang, so it is impossible for him to betray him.
These two maids were chosen in Ying County, after a rigorous selection process. Ying County is hundreds of kilometers from Bai Ri City and previously belonged to different factions. Furthermore, the Lady's painting of the dragon bone waterwheel and the selection of maids happened almost simultaneously, within a span of no more than twelve hours, leaving them no time to make any arrangements.
In addition, there is a secret passage at the back, so if she fainted in the outhouse, she could indeed return upstairs through the secret passage.
Hu Bao was not lying, nor was the maid.
Qin Shaozong looked at Hu Bao, "Are you sure that what you saw was really her?"
Hu Bao nodded. "Confirmed. Putting aside height and appearance, even their clothes and hairstyles are exactly the same."
Upon hearing this, Nianxia burst into tears, repeatedly kowtowing and frantically gesturing with her fingers, deeply regretting that she was unable to speak.
Qin Shaozong then asked, "Do you recall buying the honey tea?"
Both women shook their heads, saying they had no recollection of it.
"When was the first time she asked you to buy honey tea?" Qin Shaozong asked Hu Bao, tilting his head.
Hu Bao, who had been guarding the stairs, was oblivious to the changing weather, so he called over the errand boy.
The guard said, "The honey tea was bought at the end of noon, and the melon was bought at the end of the afternoon."
“She was gone by noon.” Qin Shaozong said expressionlessly as he took off the cracked jade thumb ring. “Send men to the four city gates and ask them how many donkey carts left the city at noon.”
The guards obeyed and went ahead.
Qin Shaozong lowered his eyes to look at Nianxia and Bibo, "Before entering this jewelry store today, did anything unusual happen, such as someone stopping the car or taking the initiative to contact her?"
The two women shook their heads again.
Nothing unusual happened; everything was normal.
That's why Bibo and Nianxia were terrified. It was all over; no one could prove their innocence…
"Take them back to the manor first and have them kept under strict guard. Also, send someone to the Revenue Department to find out who the manager of 'Jin Fengyu' is, where he is from, who his family members are, and when the shop was acquired." After leaving these words, Qin Shaozong walked towards the stairwell without looking back.
He went downstairs, mounted his horse nimbly, his black robe billowing in a sharp arc, and before he could even land completely, the red dragon, whipped by a whip, charged out.
*
With Bai Ri Pass breached, a power shift was underway in Bai Ri City. Like Qin Shaozong before him, Nangong Xiong was now scheming to secure more important positions for his men.
Before he could even figure out how to start the conversation, a guard came to report that the Marquis of Wu'an had arrived.
Nangong Xiong was greatly surprised. He thought to himself that he had only just begun to think about something when Qin Changgeng actually showed up at his door. Could that guy be a fortune teller?
Moreover, it's already late afternoon, and the sky outside is already just a faint light. What could Qin Changgeng possibly be in such a hurry about?
Composing himself, Nangong Xiong went to greet the guests. Upon entering the main hall, he was slightly taken aback.
Qin Shaozong didn't even take a seat!
You should know that when I first went to see Fan Tianshi, this man didn't even bother to greet me, sitting there with an air of superiority. Now he's standing and waiting for me to come out.
For a moment, Nangong Xiong felt flattered, but this feeling came quickly and went just as quickly.
From the moment he entered, the other person's cold, even murderous gaze shot straight at him. If gazes could turn into blades, he would probably be cut into several pieces by now.
Nangong Xiong frowned in displeasure. "Qin Changgeng, what kind of look is that? When did I offend you?"
Qin Shaozong stared at him intently. "When will Nangong Qingzhou return her to me? If you return her, what harm is there in giving you this Bai Ri City?"
Nangong Xiong was taken aback at first, then asked repeatedly, "What do you mean, 'return the person to you'? Who is it? Who are you talking about? Tell me their name quickly, and I promise I'll bring them to you even if I have to catch them!"
Qin Shaozong suddenly turned and walked out.
Nangong Xiong chased after him, "Qin Changgeng, don't go! Tell me clearly who you're looking for! Hey, have you had dinner yet? Why don't you eat at my residence? We can drink and sing, and then have a detailed discussion about Bai Ri City."
Qin Shaozong remained silent, but quickened his pace and left the mansion in a short while.
The red dragon paced back and forth in front of the door, and snorted when it saw its master come out.
Qin Shaozong mounted his horse, but before he could crack the whip, the reins were grabbed by another hand, which was Nangong Xiong who had come after him.
"Qin Changgeng, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by returning the person and sending Bai Ri City back to me?" Nangong Xiong was itching to do something.
Qin Shaozong suddenly laughed and said, "I was just joking with you because I saw how much you wanted the city."
Nangong Xiong was stunned, then burst into a tirade, "Qin Changgeng, you bastard, you're making fun of me! Do you even know what it means for a man to keep his word?"
"I know, that's why there's a precondition." Qin Shaozong brushed away his hand holding the reins. "Why get angry over such a small matter? Alright, go back and have your meal. I'm going back to my residence too."
Nangong Xiong nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
This guy tricked me and then blamed me for being angry? Is there no justice in this world? Qin Changgeng is so arrogant, just wait, he'll get what's coming to him sooner or later!
Qin Shaozong spurred his horse, and the red dragon carried him swiftly away. After leaving Nangong's residence, the ease and indifference that had been on his face just moments before were completely swallowed up by the gloom, like the last glimmer of light in the sky.
This doesn't seem to be the work of someone from Qingzhou. So who is it?
Author's Note: Please give me some nutrient solution! [heart emoji]
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