The courtyard was quiet. The lights in the west wing were off. Zhu Jiayu stopped thinking about Wei Qinglou and Rong Heng and fell asleep on the bed.
It was still pitch black outside the window, but suddenly a commotion arose in the courtyard, with footsteps and voices mingling together. Zhu Jiayu opened her eyes and heard the sound of the night watchman striking his clapper coming from the street.
Once, twice, three times.
She sat up and could still hear the sounds of footsteps and voices mingling in the courtyard. She got up, put on her coat, and grabbed a young soldier, asking, "Where have you been?"
The soldier didn't know her identity, but recognized her as a distinguished guest of the Junior Minister. He was hesitating whether to tell her or not when he suddenly saw the person behind her and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "The Junior Minister has arrived. Miss, you can ask him yourself."
Zhu Jiayu turned around, but before she could speak, she heard Wei Qinglou say, "It has been found out that the abnormalities in the city these past few days were all Rong Heng's doing. But just now, when my men went to arrest him, he escaped."
She frowned as she listened: "Did he escape from your people, or did he hear something beforehand, or sense something amiss, and escape before you?"
“The latter,” Wei Qinglou said succinctly, “We have already sent people to search house to house. The mountains and forests outside Songjiang City are dense and the terrain is complex, making it a good place to hide. However, we searched the area and found nothing.”
"What about the Mian River?" Zhu Jiayu pressed on, not waiting for Wei Qinglou's reply, and said urgently, "If you haven't been to the Mian River, I suggest you go and investigate now, it might not be too late."
The Mian River is a tributary of the Song River. Because of its rapid current, Wei Qinglou probably wouldn't think of taking people there. However, Rong Heng is an excellent swimmer, and crossing the Mian River would probably be a piece of cake for him.
Wei Qinglou gave Zhu Jiayu a deep look, then stopped the soldiers who were about to disperse and gave the order: "Everyone, go to the vicinity of the Mian River to search for Rong Heng. Dig three feet into the ground, and find this person!"
He walked out as he spoke, and Zhu Jiayu hurriedly followed him, saying, "I'll go with you."
Wei Qinglou frowned.
Zhu Jiayu pretended not to see his expression and said firmly, "I won't cause you any trouble. Lord Wei, please don't fuss over such a trivial matter. There are more important things to do right now, aren't there?"
She went with them to the stables, led out a horse, mounted it, raised the whip high in her hand and then lowered it, and the horse quickly galloped away like an arrow.
Seeing this, Wei Qinglou quickly spurred his horse and followed.
The area around the Mian River is covered with lush aquatic plants, swaying gently and reaching about waist-high. Compared to the complex terrain of the mountains and forests, this place is obviously easier to hide in. However, the ground beneath the aquatic plants is uneven and treacherous, with hidden currents. If one is not careful, one could easily slip and fall into the water, possibly losing their life.
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