"Everything seems normal?" The squad leader's gaze sharpened. "But Gong Tao disappeared without a trace after hiding at her house, and that white-clad swordsman... more than half of our four brothers were killed by him, and the rest were all injured. Just who is this guy?"
"My subordinates have investigated and confirmed that the chivalrous man is none other than Ling Mo, who is known as the number one painter in the Tiansheng Dynasty."
"It was him!"
As a member of the government office, the squad leader occasionally heard of Ling Mo's name from conversations with his superiors. However, after the initial surprise, he was not too astonished and instead felt a sense of disdain.
However, what merit or ability does a mere wandering painter possess to create a few landscape paintings that would make people flock to him?
The landscape paintings in bookstores cost only a few taels of silver each, but the paintings of the legendary Ling Mo are so expensive that they are hard to find even at a thousand gold pieces. Such an exorbitant price, yet still so hard to come by.
Several months ago, Qiao Tongzhi also acquired a piece of calligraphy and painting by Ling Mo, which he treasured and would take out to appreciate in his spare time. He was fortunate enough to see the painting, but he did not find anything particularly remarkable about it.
"Hmph, he's nothing but a charlatan!"
He sneered and continued, "Continue to keep a close watch on him. Report back immediately if you discover any suspicious activity. I don't believe that a wandering swordsman like him can have clean hands. If I can get hold of something against him, I will make him pay the price and avenge our fallen comrades!"
"Yes, sir! But we can't find any trace of Gong Tao. What should we do?"
The squad leader frowned and asked in disbelief, "Can a person of flesh and blood, seriously injured, simply vanish into thin air?"
"Boss, we've visited all the clinics, but still no leads. Gong Tao's injuries are severe, he hasn't received any treatment, and now he's nowhere to be found. Could he have died somewhere?"
The squad leader shook his head slightly, his tone resolute: "We need to see the person alive or dead, otherwise how can we explain this to the governor?"
Before he could finish speaking, a thought suddenly struck him, as if he had caught a clue, and he muttered to himself, "External injury..."
Thinking of external injuries, which of the Jiang family's servants and guards wasn't injured?
He suddenly asked, "By the way, what has the Jiang family been up to lately? Where did she go, and who did she meet?"
Although he had personally searched the mansion, Gong Tao had disappeared again after appearing once, which made him feel that something was amiss.
The constable replied, "Madam Jiang has not stepped out of her house at all. In the past few days, apart from the occasional visit of a doctor, only a woman with a scar on her face has come to visit."
“The gate of her house was always closed. When the Cai family was not around, I climbed over the wall and secretly peeked inside. I found that the garden seemed to be undergoing renovations. Other than that, there was nothing unusual.”
Upon hearing this, the foreman's expression turned serious. "Jiang has been disturbing the earth in her residence without permission. This is no small matter. Why didn't you mention it before?"
Upon hearing this, the constable scratched his head in bewilderment, "I...I originally thought that renovating the garden was just a minor matter, so I didn't report it..."
Upon hearing this, the foreman's eyes widened, his anger flaring. "What kind of logic is this? Who would start construction without any reason? How can you be sure they're building a garden and not hiding fugitives wanted by the imperial court?"
"Quickly, gather everyone immediately, let's go check it out!"
The squad leader quickly gathered his men and hurried towards Jiang Huaiyu's residence. Jiang Huaiyu was surprised to see them arrive so suddenly.
"Oh, it's the esteemed head constable from last time. May I ask what brings you to my humble abode today?"
Jiang Huaiyu was of noble status, so the squad leader naturally dared not offend her easily. He smiled and said, "We just happened to be on official business nearby and passed by, so we came to say hello to Madam."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled gently and said politely, "The squad leader is very busy, I really dare not trouble you. By the way, I have met the squad leader twice, but I still do not know your name."
"My name is Peng Ting."
"Commander Peng, now that you've arrived, why not stay a while and have a cup of tea?"
Jiang Huaiyu seemed oblivious to the group of fully armed constables following behind Peng Ting, and continued to talk to him with a smile.
Peng Ting naturally understood that his purpose for this trip was not to taste tea. He stepped into the courtyard and went straight to the garden in the southeast corner. He found that it had indeed been renovated, with several new rockeries and strange rocks, as well as many newly planted flowers and trees.
"The lady's garden seems to have changed quite a bit since before?"
He stared sharply at Jiang Huaiyu, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Jiang Huaiyu gently smiled, "Indeed, I always find the strong scent of those flowers unbearable. I happened to have some free time recently, so I simply replaced them with a batch of new flowers and trees."
"Madam has been living here for some time now. What is the reason that you have delayed starting this project until now?"
Jiang Huaiyu looked at him firmly, "What do you mean by that, Commander Peng?"
Peng Ting smiled faintly, "Madam may not know, but before I became the head of the yamen, I took meticulous care of all the flowers, plants and trees in the yamen. It seems that the fruit trees here are planted in a somewhat improper manner. I am willing to take a look for you, so that they will not wither and decay soon."
Before he finished speaking, a subordinate quickly handed him a shovel.
He took the shovel and began shoveling soil in the garden without hesitation, leaving Jiang Huaiyu no room to refuse.
Jiang Huaiyu simply smiled slightly, signaled a servant to bring over a rattan chair, and sat leisurely to one side, her gaze quietly fixed on his every move.
Peng Ting turned over the soil in the garden with his shovel, but he still couldn't find any hidden cellars or tunnels.
"How is this possible..."
With a face full of doubt, he swung the shovel again, meticulously searching every inch of the land, even wanting to move the artificial hill aside to find out what was going on.
Jiang Huaiyu's lips curled up slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing: "I can tell that Peng Bantou doesn't really want to help me take care of the fruit trees; on the contrary, he wants to destroy my garden."
Peng Ting looked a little embarrassed and quickly clasped his hands in apology: "It was my presumption to damage your garden. I will personally arrange for people to restore it to its original state."
"No need for that."
Jiang Huaiyu's tone suddenly turned cold, "If Commander Peng has any suspicions about my place, or believes that I am hiding items or people here, he can speak frankly. Do you really think that wanted fugitive would still be hiding in my house?"
"How dare I? That crime is extremely heinous, and I am truly worried about your safety, sir."
"Am I supposed to be grateful to Commander Peng?"
Peng Ting forced a smile and replied, "Madam, there's no need to be so polite. If there are no other instructions, we'll take our leave now."
"Wait a minute."
Jiang Huaiyu slowly stood up, and said in a calm but firm tone, "Since Chief Peng has already become suspicious of me, if I don't let you investigate thoroughly, I'm afraid you'll come back again. Fine, I'll let you investigate more carefully, but..."
(End of this chapter)
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