Chapter 77 A Chance Encounter
The wind on the Jin River has subsided, causing the boats that rely on the wind to slow down as well.
The gyrfalcon flew in from the west again, and after a slight turn of its sharp eyes, it locked onto a room with an open window on the first floor of the ship.
With wings pressed to the side, a white-brown shadow descended from the sky like lightning.
The gyrfalcon landed on the window, and the gyrfalcon cried out before folding its wings and waiting for someone to come over.
In the main hall, the group of people who were brewing tea and chatting stopped at the same time. Feng Feng, who was close to the window, went over and took the small bamboo tube from the gyrfalcon's leg.
"My Lord".
Qin Shaozong accepted it.
Two days have passed since the last letter, and it should arrive in Sweetwater County in one more day. Unless there is a major change, they wouldn't be sending letters so frequently.
Qin Shaozong pulled out the silk cloth inside and opened it. Upon seeing it, the man was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly, and the laughter grew louder and louder.
The feeling at this moment is hard to describe. It's exhilarating, triumphant, and fortunate, with a touch of schadenfreude that I can't share with outsiders.
She ran away!
She was dissatisfied with him back then, and was able to run away from him; now she is indeed dissatisfied with them and is running away again.
She always managed to impress him.
Sweetwater County is located on the border of Yan and Si provinces. She went east, leaving Si province and returning to Yan province.
She's moving closer to him!
However, as he watched, the high curve of Qin Shaozong's lips gradually flattened out.
Xie Yuanxiu?
This Xie San actually got involved, and even personally led a team into Yanzhou to search for someone. Could it be that this fellow has seen the lady before...?
Qin Shaozong slowly tightened his grip on the silk cloth, which crumpled into a ball in his palm.
His emotional shifts while reading the letter were too obvious; initially he was overjoyed, but later his smile faded and his aura became heavy.
The surrounding military officers were astonished at the sight.
Since Lady Dai's disappearance, the Marquis has long been displeased. Now, having just shaken off his gloom, his face has darkened again. Is this news good or bad?
Mo Yanyun couldn't help but ask, "My lord, what did the letter say?"
Qin Shaozong didn't immediately respond to him. Instead, he loudly summoned a soldier outside and said, "Go and relay my order: turn around and head to Xiagu immediately. Also, tell Wei Qing's ship behind us not to change course with me. Let him take his men to Jiulu County and act according to the situation."
The warship had several decks and could actually carry quite a few soldiers. However, the soldiers from the north were used to traveling on land and were unparalleled in horsemanship, but they looked worried when they arrived on the turbulent rivers.
Many soldiers were unable to board the boat.
Besides the fact that soldiers are not used to traveling by water, another reason is that the more people a ship carries, the heavier the ship becomes, and the slower it will travel upstream.
Qin Shaozong couldn't wait any longer, so he divided the journey into ten ships, each carrying no more than thirty people.
The guard obeyed and left.
Everyone was surprised. "My lord, are we not going to Sweetwater County? Why is that?"
"Did they move Lady Dai's body?"
"Or are they on another mission, which is why they took Lady Dai and left Sweetwater County?"
Listening to their speculations, Qin Shaozong's anger at learning that Xie San had personally led troops to arrest people subsided slightly.
Well, one by one, they all guessed wrong.
"How could she be compared to an ordinary woman?" Qin Shaozong sneered.
The group looked at each other, completely baffled: "Please enlighten us, Your Excellency."
Qin Shaozong laughed and said, "The lady ran away while they were holding the ceremony. She left Tianshui County alone and may be in Xiagu or Jiulu County now."
Everyone was speechless.
They ran away?!
After the initial shock, I couldn't help but admire her. She truly lived up to her reputation as Lady Dai, a remarkable woman indeed!
*
Xiagu County.
After the story was altered, Dai Li became bolder and openly went out on the street, changing her route to a fabric store to buy herself a new outfit.
There was nothing she could do; she only had one set of clothes left, and it was the same set that Cao Xiang had worn back then.
The maid at the previous inn had seen her before, and the person coming later would definitely ask the maid to describe her appearance and clothing, so she would have to change again.
"Young lady, I only sell fabrics here, not complete sets of clothes," the fabric shop owner said.
Buying fabric individually is cheaper; everyone in the lower classes knows needlework and will spend their money wisely. Not only are complete sets of clothes much more expensive, but they also don't include any leftover scraps or bits of fabric after the clothes are made.
Dai Li looked disappointed and was about to go look around elsewhere.
Seeing that she wanted to leave, the shopkeeper quickly said, "But making clothes isn't difficult. I know a skilled embroiderer, and her three daughters are also excellent embroiderers. A simple dress can be completed in a day at most if the mother and her three daughters work together."
Dai Li was unwilling to wait any longer; she wanted to buy the ready-made clothes and change into them immediately.
So she bid farewell to the fabric shop owner, but perhaps she was having bad luck that day, because she visited four fabric shops in a row and none of them had ready-made clothes for sale.
Dai Li stopped in her tracks, an indescribable feeling preventing her from searching for other fabric shops.
She returned to the first fabric shop by the same route. "Shopkeeper, could you please introduce me to the embroiderer you mentioned earlier?"
The shopkeeper gave an address, then said, "Take the cloth to East Street and find Madam He. Tell her I recommended you. She will definitely treat you as an honored guest and won't dare to neglect you. It's just..."
Finally, the shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and said, "Hiring Madam He will require an additional payment."
He was certain that Dai Li would agree; after all, if you're buying ready-made clothes, why would you be short a few dollars?
Dai Li nodded in agreement and headed east on the street, carrying the cloth. Following the address, she easily found the He family's wife that the shopkeeper had mentioned.
Three generations were crammed into the small house in the "urban village". The house was so small that Dai Li didn't go in. She just left the cloth and deposit at the door and agreed to pick them up the next day.
After completing one task, Dai Li went to find another post station.
Unbeknownst to her, shortly after she left the He family, a group of men who had been raiding cloth shops since morning arrived in front of the shop where she had previously bought cloth.
"...I have seen it, and it left a deep impression on me."
Upon hearing that harboring a criminal was equally punishable, the shopkeeper dared not conceal anything and immediately recounted what had just happened: "That young lady was in a hurry to buy ready-made clothes. At first, when she saw that I didn't have any, she left. About three-quarters of an hour later, she came back. I guessed that she couldn't find them anywhere else, so she finally decided to go to the embroiderer I recommended to her."
"What is the name of the embroiderer you recommended, and where does she live?"
The shopkeeper said, "The He family lady on East Street has three daughters. You can find out by asking her when you get to East Street."
After saying this, the shopkeeper cautiously asked, "I wonder what crime that young lady has committed? She seems quite ordinary to me, no different from any other woman."
The leader scolded, "Just cooperate honestly, why are you asking so many questions?"
The group arrived quickly and left in a hurry. Not long after, the door of the He family's wife's house was knocked on again.
Meanwhile, several teams went to various post stations, examining their registers one by one. The matter escalated considerably, eventually attracting the attention of the governor of Xiagu.
However, just as this Prefect Gao was feeling displeased that someone was defying the laws of nature, his servant came to report that a distinguished guest had come to visit.
"Distinguished guest? Who are you from?" Gao You asked lazily, sipping his wine.
The servant said, "This is the third son of Xie Sizhou, the Third Young Master Xie."
Gao You paused, hissed, and his expression turned serious.
It's true that Xia Valley, which he governs, belongs to Yanzhou, but it's located to the west and not far from Sizhou. The power transition in Sizhou is closely watched by a group of powerful and influential families, including Gao You.
Now that the most likely heir to Sizhou has come to our door, we cannot refuse him entry. Let's see what he's up to.
"Please take good care of me. I'll change my clothes and then come over."
...
What happened in the Gao residence was unknown to outsiders. Many people only knew that in the afternoon, a large number of city guards mobilized, traveling together with several other groups to various post stations in the prefecture.
Meanwhile, the city's military patrols posted notices in various bustling areas, claiming that a female thief had recently entered the city and ordering commoners not to harbor outsiders.
Posting notices was not enough; the military patrols went in batches to several large gathering places of ordinary people, namely urban villages, to spread the word by alley.
Xie Yuanxiu walked out of the Gao residence, took the horse brought by his subordinate, and rode to a mansion.
The mansion had a simple exterior, but its interior was extraordinary. Xie Yuanxiu took in the surroundings without making a sound, thinking to himself that the foundation of the Qinglian Sect was truly profound.
They hadn't even been in Xiagu for twelve hours, yet Diting had already managed to bring them this decent place to live.
As he approached the main hall entrance, he heard a hearty laugh coming from inside. It was Di Ting laughing and saying, "Perfect timing!" As he entered, he saw someone stepping away.
I guess they just reported some good news.
The thought of finding that beautiful woman and being able to sleep with her filled Xie Yuanxiu with a burning desire. He didn't even bother to listen to Di Ting's earlier words, and went straight to asking, "Is there any news about her?"
Di Ting, who was outside, put on a silver-white mask that covered his lips. Upon hearing this, he curled his handsome lips and said, "Indeed, and it's good news."
But instead of saying it directly, he asked, "How did the Third Young Master's talk with Lord Gao go?"
Xie Yuanxiu didn't want to hear that. After simply replying, "It's alright, he's very cooperative," he hurriedly asked, "What good news? Do you know where she's hiding? It's getting dark, so we shouldn't delay. We should hurry and invite my sister home."
"We don't know where she's hiding," someone suddenly said.
It was that same unpleasant, hoarse voice again. Xie Yuanxiu frowned in repulsion, his excitement once more extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
He instinctively turned his head and saw that black figure again. The person was dressed in black, wearing a black mask, seemingly blending into the darkening sky outside the window.
Despite having met many believers, Xie Yuanxiu just couldn't stand this person, and he also sensed a hidden hostility emanating from him.
He must have never seen this person before, it's really inexplicable.
Xie Yuanxiu's excitement had mostly subsided. "Since we don't know where you are yet, when can we talk about good news?"
Di Ting: "She once went to a fabric shop, trying to buy ready-made clothes there, but the shop didn't have any ready-made clothes for sale, and the shopkeeper only sold her fabric."
"What kind of good news is this?" Xie Yuanxiu asked eagerly.
Di Ting chuckled and continued, "Seeing that she was in a hurry for the clothes, the shopkeeper recommended a seamstress on East Street. We sent someone to the seamstress's house and learned that she had arranged to pick up the clothes at the beginning of the evening tomorrow. So, Third Young Master, do you still think this isn't good news?"
Xie Yuanxiu was slightly taken aback, then overjoyed.
Will you pick up your clothes tomorrow at the beginning of Youshi?
Since we've already made the appointment, all we have to do is wait patiently, and we're sure to catch her!
...
As the search for her outside intensified, Dai Li had already moved into the guesthouse.
Yes, she still lives in the same inn today.
Compared to yesterday's room, she specifically chose a larger and better-equipped one today.
Since she was using the name "Lotus Scholar," she figured those rigid, methodical people wouldn't understand it anytime soon.
Dusk had fallen, and the sky was shrouded in a gray, dark hue. Dai Li sat by the window, opening it slightly to observe the main street from inside.
People came and went on the street, including soldiers in armor and others in ordinary clothes who would talk to the soldiers.
The people were dressed differently; some were plain, while others looked wealthy, clearly indicating they were not from the same family.
Dai Li seemed to be deep in thought.
Are they believers? It seems there are quite a few believers in this Xiagu County.
Dai Li gently closed the window and lay back down on the couch. A set of clothes was too difficult to wash; new clothes had to be prepared.
I'll go to the embroiderer's place tomorrow to get the clothes, and then I won't go out for the next few days.
Dai Li lay on the couch with her eyes closed and fell asleep without realizing it. She usually slept very well, but tonight she had a series of nightmares.
I keep dreaming that I was captured by the Qinglian Sect, then imprisoned, and never saw Zhouzhou again.
Dai Li woke up in the middle of the night with a start, and when she fell asleep again, she still had the same dream, which made her feel listless when she woke up the next day. She didn't feel better until the afternoon.
I had arranged to meet He Xiuniang to pick up some clothes today, around 5 PM, but Dai Li didn't leave until almost 3 PM.
He Xiuniang lived on East Street, while Dai Li lived on West Street, which were in two different directions. It would take about 45 minutes to walk there.
Soldiers could still be seen hurrying along the main street, and some pedestrians were discussing the notices posted in the city.
Dai Li's pace slowed down, and she finally stopped when she was near East Street.
Notices were posted throughout the city, and the news of the "female thief" had spread far and wide. It was hard to say that He Xiuniang had also heard about it. Just like back in Taiping County, when she stayed at Lin Niangzi's house, thinking she was safe, she was still caught by Qin Shaozong.
You can't go directly there.
Dai Li looked up at the sky. Dusk had arrived, and the sunset was beautiful, like an unfolded oil painting.
Two or three children were playing in the mud at the alley entrance, muttering to themselves in baby talk. Dai Li looked at the children, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
She walked toward them.
...
"Knock knock." A knock came from outside the door.
He Xiuniang shuddered and subconsciously turned to look at the man beside her, shrinking back in fear: "My lord, she's here."
Xie Yuanxiu stared intently at the doorway, his eyes filled with an astonishing fervor that sent chills down He Xiuniang's spine. "Go open the door and invite her in."
He Xiuniang obeyed without question.
"Click." The door opened.
However, the expected figure was not seen outside; only three little kids stood at her door.
"Madam He, we've come to collect the clothes we ordered yesterday. This is the final payment for you. Please bring the clothes." The three children said in unison.
The child's innocent voice sounded quite cute, but to Xie Yuanxiu it was like stepping off a bottomless abyss, his hopes suddenly dashed, and the huge difference made his otherwise handsome face twist in pain.
"Where is she?!" Xie Yuanxiu kept walking outside.
The children were intimidated by his imposing manner and dared not utter a word.
Seeing this, the embroiderer, who was hiding in another part of the alley, quickly stepped forward and squatted down. She was a young woman, and when she deliberately spoke in a gentle voice, it had a very good soothing effect.
After just a few words, the children who had been trembling like quails calmed down.
The embroiderer quickly asked, "Who sent you? Where is that person now?"
"She was a tall woman with a very pleasant voice."
She said she wanted to ask us for a small favor, to help her get her clothes.
"She also said she'd treat us to flatbread after she was done. Yes, flatbread! I'm planning to have two!"
The three children, one after the other, gave a general account of what had happened.
The embroiderer thought to herself that they were indeed very cautious, sending a scout stone first. She looked up at Xie Yuanxiu, "Third Young Master, why don't we go with the flow and let them take the clothes back first?"
Xie Yuanxiu had recovered from his great disappointment and was now full of energy again. "Yes, go with the flow, go with the flow is good!"
...
Dai Li stood at the alley entrance, gazing at the East Street entrance not far away. A short while later, she saw three small figures emerge, the one in the middle carrying a burlap sack.
Dai Li's gaze fell behind them, and she saw that after the three of them walked out, another woman emerged from the alley.
The woman was short, dressed plainly, and carrying a basket. There was no one else behind her.
Dai Li looked at the girl for a moment and saw that she was just walking forward without looking around, so she figured she was probably an ordinary person.
Suddenly, the other person looked over and their eyes met across a distance.
A chill suddenly ran up her head. Dai Li couldn't explain why, but her alarm bells suddenly went off. Before she could even think of what was happening, her body had already shrunk towards the alley entrance before her mind could react.
"She's there!"
"Quick, chase after them!"
Someone shouted loudly from not far away.
Dai Li's mind went blank for a moment, and she instinctively took off running into the alley. This alley had many forks, and she had been here before, so she was quite familiar with the terrain. She should be able to shake them off here.
After turning two corners, just as Dai Li was about to turn into the lower part of the "Y" shape, a figure suddenly darted out from behind her in the lower alley next door.
The other person grabbed Dai Li's arm with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, blocking her into the alley.
"Mom, please don't move or make a sound."
Author's Note: Zhouzhou is here! [starry-eyed]
I need nutrient solution.
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