Chapter 104 Leaving Hangzhou
As expected, things went exactly as Min Qiaoshi had predicted. Within a day, rumors about Min Qiaoshi and the Li family's massacre were flying everywhere in Hangzhou.
Some say they witnessed a conflict between the Li family members and a group of strangers on the evening of the day they died, and that the Li family was murdered in the middle of the night. It's hard to say whether it wasn't a revenge killing.
Immediately afterwards, someone discovered that the group of strangers were people from the side of the Dowager Lady of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion.
Then, an insider investigated further and discovered that the house where the Li family lived was originally the dowry house of the Dowager Lady of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion, which the Li family had forcibly taken from the Qiao family years ago.
Speaking of which, the Lady of Xuanping Marquis hadn't returned for decades, and the Li family had lived in this house for almost twenty years. Who would have thought that the main character would suddenly return?
They deserved to suffer this calamity.
Almost everyone was convinced that Min Qiaoshi had sent people to do it.
Although government officials had come to the inn to question people, they hadn't found anything wrong. But outsiders didn't care about that; they only trusted their own intuition.
The sudden massacre of the entire family also affected Qiao Qingchen's family's visit to the inn.
Aunt Wei was old and was so frightened by the news of the massacre that she couldn't leave the house.
Qiao Qingchen's wife and two daughters-in-law all had to stay home to take care of Aunt Wei. The two daughters-in-law were worried that their grandchildren were still young and would cause trouble for their grandfather and father if they went out, so they didn't want them to come along.
In the end, only Qiao Qingchen and his two sons came to the inn to see Madam Min.
After hearing Qiao Qingchen's explanation, Madam Min didn't say much. She simply chatted with the father and his two sons for an hour, had them stay for lunch, and then saw them off.
After seeing the people off, Madam Min suddenly felt very bored.
The initial joy of seeing relatives was gone, as was the happiness of returning to my hometown.
Min Qiao lay down on the bed in the inn, intending to take a nap, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned.
Why would she leave her perfectly good Songhetang and her leisurely, wealthy life behind to make this long and arduous journey?
Is it here to be a laughing stock?
Or is it to get caught up in all this messy scheming and exhaust yourself?
Pshaw! Neither!
She came back to see her parents and to pay respects to her grandfather!
But the Qiao family has moved back to their old home in Xincheng County, so what is she still doing staying in Hangzhou?
Thinking of this, Madam Min Qiao suddenly sat up and called out towards the door, "Someone come here!"
Granny Fang entered in response, "Grand Madam?"
"Tell Yang An to prepare the carriages and horses and pack our bags. We'll set off for Xincheng County first thing tomorrow morning."
Granny Fang was taken aback, then her face lit up with joy. "Oh, I'll go tell him right away."
Once Madam Min made up her mind, things were arranged very quickly.
Fang Mama asked halfway through whether she needed to inform Qiao Qingchen.
Without a second thought, Madam Min refused.
Since Aunt Wei and the other women are wary of her, why should she put Qiao Qingchen in the middle and make things difficult for her?
The next morning, Madam Min and her entourage left the city in a grand procession.
Min Qiaoshi and several young maids, including Ajiu, rode in one carriage, while Granny Fang, Yang An, and Hongbao rode in another. The remaining servants and young men escorted more than a dozen carriages of goods, accompanied by over thirty bodyguards.
These bodyguards all came from the capital with Min Qiaoshi and her entourage. Yesterday afternoon, Yang An made another trip and managed to bring them back before they left.
Originally, Madam Min thought that after the incident with the Li family, she might encounter obstacles when leaving the city.
In fact, leaving the city went very smoothly.
The soldiers guarding the city simply conducted a routine questioning and then let them pass, without any hostility or difficulty whatsoever.
Madam Min Qiao knew in her heart that Hangzhou did not welcome her!
Regardless of who orchestrated the Li family's actions, one thing is certain: their ultimate goal was definitely to target her.
Does the fact that they can let her leave so easily mean that the other party hasn't completely broken off relations yet, and that the two sides haven't reached the point of life and death?
After leaving Hangzhou and heading southwest, you will arrive at Xincheng County two days later.
As soon as Madam Min Qiao left Hangzhou, she had Yang An send someone to the Qiao family's old residence to inform them of her return.
So this time, she met the Qiao family outside the city gate before she even entered the city.
Although it was just a steward who came, Madam Min still breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Greetings, Madam. The Old Master and the Old Madam sent me to guide you."
The butler sent by the Qiao family to pick them up was a middle-aged man in his forties, with an ordinary appearance, the kind of person who would be easily overlooked in a crowd.
When he stood in front of the carriage to pay his respects, his face was expressionless, and his tone was polite but distant, without the slightest hint of intimacy.
"Thank you for your trouble. May I ask your name?" Madam Min asked the man through the car window.
"Madam, you can just call me Steward Li."
Madam Min nodded slightly. "Steward Li, are the old master and old lady still in good health? Is everything alright at home?"
Steward Li did not answer, but said in a cold tone, "Madam, please come into the city with me to settle down first. Once we meet, everything will be clear."
Ajiu, Ayi, and the others were all sitting in the car when they heard what Manager Li said, and they all frowned.
Ajiu lifted the curtain at the front of the carriage and looked at Steward Li, wanting to see who was speaking so rudely to the Grand Madam.
But as soon as Ajiu looked over, Steward Li keenly looked back at her.
That gaze was cold and gloomy, disdainful and sarcastic, devoid of any warmth.
Ajiu felt her whole body stiffen, her grip loosened, and the carriage curtain suddenly fell, blocking their view of each other.
Madam Min didn't say anything more to Steward Li. She lowered the carriage curtain and instructed the caravan to follow Steward Li.
The carriage started moving again, but the atmosphere inside was surprisingly somber.
Ayi was the first to notice that Ajiu was acting strangely.
"A-Jiu? A-Jiu?"
From the very beginning, Ajiu remained tense, as if facing a formidable enemy, with a solemn expression.
Others also noticed Ajiu's unusual behavior.
"What happened?"
"Ah Jiu just lifted the curtain and glanced at Manager Li, and then this happened."
"Isn't Manager Li a member of the Qiao family? What's the problem?"
The group started talking all at once.
Min Qiao raised her hand to stop the group, then looked at Ajiu and reached out to pat her shoulder, "Ajiu?"
Ajiu convulsed as if in a spasm. When she came to her senses, she looked at Madam Min Qiao in horror, "Madam, that person, that person..."
"You mean Steward Li?"
Ajiu nodded frantically, her expression filled with fear. "That person is the man in black who killed someone at the Li family's house a few nights ago!"
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Madam Min Qiao clutched her clothes in disbelief. "What did you say?"
"That night, I squatted on the big tree outside the Li family's wall, and I saw those cold eyes clearly!"
Ah Jiu was trembling all over. "He's the man in black, he's from an assassin organization... I can't beat him! I'm no match for him!"
She had witnessed that man's skills; she knew she wouldn't last three moves against him.
Both were seasoned killers. She was ten years old, still a child. Her opponent, on the other hand, was forty, a vigorous adult in his prime. In terms of physical strength, experience, and skill, she was far inferior to him!
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