Chapter 15
The presence of blood means that what Yu Sui said is true.
Huo Qubing emerged from under the carriage, his expression slightly grave. He beckoned the driver forward and asked, "Have you been guarding the carriage the entire time we've been in the building? Tell us everything you've learned today."
"Yes. After arriving at Shengping Tower, the masters went inside to have fun while I parked the carriage.
"Shengping Tower was very considerate in this regard. They set up a special resting place for distinguished guests' carriages and horses, and also prepared concentrated feed that horses like to eat to ensure that the horses pulling the carriages have enough strength and will not be exhausted on the return journey due to guests playing in the tower for too long.
"After I parked the carriage, I sat under the shed to rest. I didn't see anyone approaching the carriage. But..."
The driver thought for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "There's a table next to the shed where your servants and drivers can rest and drink water. I'm not sharing the same place with them, but half an hour ago, I was thirsty and the water bag on my waist was empty, so I went to fill a pot of water. It's not far, so the trip wouldn't take more than a few breaths."
Huo Qubing understood: "A few breaths of effort, if the opponent is agile, will be enough."
The driver was puzzled: "But not long after, Caiqin came to get her dress and got in and out of the carriage. We were both there at the time and didn't notice anything."
Caiqin nodded in agreement: "Yes. I once entered the carriage, but there was no one inside, and there was no movement around."
Huo Qubing curled his lips and said, "It's not surprising. The bloodstains are under the car. The man must have been clinging to the chassis. You naturally couldn't see it when you entered the car."
“You don’t have a nose as good as Yu Sui’s. If the smell of medicine and blood on him weren’t too strong, and the smell of hay and other things in the stable wasn’t covering it up, it would be really hard to detect.
"What's more, he quickly slipped under the carriage and hid himself without alerting the driver or the horses. This shows that he has excellent martial arts skills and is very skilled. How could such a person easily make such a noise and be discovered by you?"
The driver and Caiqin were both speechless.
Huo Qubing asked again: "Are there any other doubts?"
The driver thought for a while and said, "If you say that the humble man and the carriage are gone, then there is another story. Another driver came to take the carriage.
"Shengpinglou has front and back doors, and the carriage parking area is closer to the back door. If guests want to leave, they can go out through the back door on their own, or the coachman can drive the carriage to the front door and get on board.
"The driver left through the back door. Not long after he left, I heard a commotion. However, there was a distance between us, and the door and the wall, and the shouting from the fighting arena inside the building, so I couldn't hear clearly. I didn't know what was going on, so I didn't go to check.
“But later I heard from the servants in the building that the driver accidentally crashed the car, but fortunately it was not serious, there were no casualties, and the matter has been handled.
"This is a common occurrence, and I didn't pay much attention to it. Now that Lord Huo has asked about it, I remember that the carriage was parked very close to ours. I wonder if this is suspicious."
Huo Qubing frowned slightly and remained silent.
Shi Yi looked left and right, shrugged and spread his hands: "No matter which enemy the thief offended and is seeking refuge, or whether he is a wanted criminal from the government and is trying to avoid capture, even if he had been hiding under our carriage, he is gone now.
"We've checked the carriage thoroughly inside and out. There's nothing else wrong, so everything's fine. Just tell the security officer. Let's go back to the palace. I'm so tired."
However, Huo Qubing and Liu Ju did not move. He frowned, thought for a moment and asked, "Is the carriage parked inside the building?"
Although the question was a statement, they all knew the answer. The driver still replied respectfully, "Yes. The front door of Shengping Tower faces the main road, and parking horses and vehicles there is inconvenient."
"So the owner set up a special area inside the building. One side of the parking area is near the back door, and the other side is the courtyard building where the cockfighting takes place in the corner residence."
This meant that the second-floor wing they were in also faced the arena on one side, and the windows on the other side faced the vehicles. Liu Ling was on the second floor at the time and had come to meet them.
Liu Ju looked up to see the comments, but found nothing. This commentary was erratic. When you wanted to see it, it wouldn't appear for a month or two; when you didn't, it would pop up in front of you several times a day.
Liu Ju cursed inwardly, stroking his chin as he looked at the carriage, then tilted his head to look at Shengping Tower. His mind raced, and doubts began to arise: Was this "thief" related to Shengping Tower? Or was he related to Liu Ling?
After a while, I thought: No way, no way. Could there really be something wrong with Liu Ling?
Then I thought again: Not really, not really. He’s just a thief, what can that prove?
As he was thinking, Huo Qubing came forward and touched his head: "Cousin understands, don't worry, leave it to you."
Liu Ju: ???
Oh, no, I haven’t thought it through myself, what do you know.
Huo Qubing didn't explain much and ordered his deputy general Zhao Po Nu: "You escort His Highness and the three princesses back to the palace. I will investigate."
After saying that, he turned around and went back into the building.
Liu Ju:!!!
********
Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.
Lei had been apprehended, but no secret letter was found on him. The maid's expression was extremely grim, while Liu Ling, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
"To be fair, if I were Lei Bei, I wouldn't carry the letter with me either," Liu Ling said, "I would definitely keep the letter safe and give it to someone I trust.
"If this trip to Shengping Tower goes smoothly, I'll be able to retrieve the letter. If not, and I die, this letter will become the key to my revenge."
The maid's expression changed drastically at these words. She understood that this was probably Lei Bei's plan. She frowned, "I'll have someone use torture to pry open his mouth."
Liu Ling scoffed coldly: "Lei Bei is no pushover. How can his mouth be pried open so easily?"
The maid gritted her teeth and said, "We have to think of a solution. We can't keep on like this."
Liu Ling shook his head: "You are wrong, we don't have time for a stalemate."
The maid was puzzled, so Liu Ling reminded her, "Don't forget, Lei Bei had been on the palace carriage. When they were about to leave, Marquis Guanjun suddenly returned to Shengping Tower. He must have noticed something was amiss and became suspicious."
The maid thought for a moment and said, "After we captured Lei Bei, we brought him directly to this courtyard and didn't tie him up in the building. It's unlikely that the Champion Marquis will be able to find any solid clues in the building."
"Who do you think the Champion Marquis is? He was able to behead excessive Xiongnu and capture royal family members and high officials. He is definitely not just brave."
Liu Ling knew very well that to achieve such a record, bravery alone was not enough. He also needed strategy and tactics and keen observation to grasp the enemy and our own situation, make detailed analysis, and be able to respond flexibly.
Therefore, she decisively rejected this unrealistic hope and continued, "When we arrested Lei Bei, we had already made a noise in the back alley. Simply by connecting the dots, we could guess that there was something wrong with the carriage that came out at that time."
This is the clue, and by following this clue to track the carriage, it may only be a matter of time before we find them.
Maid: "Why not find a scapegoat and say it was a thief who stole things from Shengping Tower?"
Liu Ling glanced at her sideways. "A thief? Ordinary thieves can be dealt with on the spot. Why bring them here?"
The maid was speechless. This didn’t work, and that didn’t work either. What should she do?
She clenched her fists, her whole body trembling. No matter how she thought about it, she felt that their situation was dire and they were in a desperate situation. If Lei Bei died, the secret letter might be exposed; if Lei Bei survived, Huo Qubing might soon discover it. Was there any way out for them?
The maid was surprised and knelt down with gritted teeth: "Then we will follow the original plan and escort the princess out of the capital."
Liu Ling said nothing.
The maid knew what she was worried about and said, "I'll go and distract the embroidered robes messenger."
Liu Ling sneered: "Divert the Embroidered Uniform Envoy? Although the Embroidered Uniform Organization was established in the past two years and is still small and not strong enough, they are not pushovers.
"Do you know who this embroidered robe envoy hiding among us is? Could he be a lowly servant in our mansion, a seemingly ordinary street vendor, or perhaps a wealthy local squire with whom we have some acquaintance...
"We don't even know who the embroidered robe messengers are. How can we lure them out? If we can lure out one or two, how can we lure out three or four?
"They lurk in the shadows. If I remain in Chang'an without any major abnormalities, they will follow me from a distance. If I leave the capital, what do you think they will do?"
As the Princess of Huainan, staying in Chang'an required tacit approval from above, and leaving Chang'an also required approval, otherwise it would be considered treason. If the Embroidered Uniform Envoy discovered it, they would pursue it, possibly at the cost of life or death.
Liu Ling sighed softly, "Why else would we have taken action in the palace? Wasn't it just to create chaos in Chang'an, distract His Majesty and the Imperial Guards, and allow us to escape? Unfortunately, our plan went awry and failed."
Although he said it was a pity, Liu Ling did not feel lost at all. Instead, he felt a little relieved.
She looked at the maid and asked, "Have you ever thought about what would happen if I escaped?"
The maid was stunned, not being able to understand what she meant by "then".
Liu Ling continued, "And then I was chased and had to flee like a stray dog? Even if I left Chang'an, how far could I get? Even if I returned to Huainan, what would that do?"
"If I leave, I will be admitting my guilt. Your Majesty will definitely take action. Huainan is not fully prepared yet. If we act rashly, what are our chances of success?"
The maid shuddered.
"I planned what happened in the palace that day, but even so, I'm still unwilling to accept it. I wanted my plan to succeed, but I also wanted it to fail.
"Later, things went wrong in the palace, our plan failed, and news came that Lei was seriously injured. We didn't have to flee in a hurry."
Liu Ling's eyes flickered, sometimes brighter and sometimes darker. "At that time, I thought this might be God's hint to me. He gave me another chance to choose. If that's the case, how can I be a coward and run away again?
"If I escape, I'll only live a few more days. What's the point of that? I came to Chang'an to win, to elevate my status and live a better life, not to retreat in panic like a stray dog!"
The maid was so anxious that she almost cried: "My lady, at least if you escape you can still be with Xiao..."
When Liu Ling glanced at her, the maidservant suddenly shut up and swallowed the rest of her words.
Liu Ling sighed softly, his expression gradually softening: "He will understand me."
The maid was about to persuade him again, but Liu Ling raised his hand to interrupt her, "I'm not acting on impulse. I understand this situation is dangerous, but we have ways to break it."
"Lei Bei and I are old acquaintances. I also kept a trick up my sleeve. He didn't know that I was among the people chasing him, right?"
The maid immediately understood what she meant. As long as Lei Bei could cooperate with them and keep his mouth shut about certain matters, there was hope that this matter could be resolved.
But it’s a gamble, and a huge one.
The maid gritted her teeth and said, "My lady, do you really believe that Lei Bei will do as you wish? What if you lose the bet?"
"If I lose the bet, I will just die. It's no different from escaping and living a little longer before dying again." Liu Ling's expression changed, with a dazzling light in his eyes.
She drew out her long sword, swung it into a sword flower, and said, "Leave the thunder to me. You should know how to handle the rest."
Seeing her firm attitude, the maid had no choice but to agree: "Yes, I understand. I will ask all parties to cooperate."
Liu Ling nodded in satisfaction, then turned and headed towards the door of the cell where he was being held. The maid also summoned a few trusted aides to give instructions one by one, and then personally led the carriage over.
By then, Liu Ling had already killed the guard at the door and left the room with Lei Bei. It was unknown what the two of them said inside the room, but the atmosphere wasn't too tense, but it wasn't gentle either.
Lei was on guard everywhere, but Liu Ling looked calm and said softly, "Get in the car."
Lei Bei's eyes were filled with uncertainty: "Are you really going to let me go?"
"Liu Qian is my brother, and I know him best. He's narrow-minded and vindictive. This isn't your fault; he's just being aggressive and ruthless. I can't let you die innocently at his hands."
Lei's eyes flashed: "Aren't you afraid?"
Liu Ling naturally understood what he meant by "fear".
She turned around and looked at Lei Bei with burning eyes: "You and I have known each other for many years, and I thought there was always something different between us and others.
"Back then, it was you who gathered evidence for my husband's death. It was you who sacrificed your life to protect me when he attacked. It was you who held my sword when I fought back. Even my swordsmanship was taught by you personally.
"Lei Bei, I remember your kindness in protecting me when I was in danger; I remember your heroic act of fighting ten enemies alone in a melee; I remember your meticulousness and seriousness in teaching me the art of swordsmanship.
“I thought that even if we weren’t…”
Liu Ling paused for a moment before continuing, "We have a certain bond between teacher and student, and friendship. I can't bear to see you die. How about you?"
I can't bear to see you die. These five words carry a hint of gentleness, while "what about you" has a slight tremor, hiding a faint expectation.
Seeing Lei Bei's eyes trembling and his expression moved, Liu Ling took another step forward, closing the distance between them by another two inches, with their noses only a fraction away from touching.
She raised her head slightly, gazing at the man before her, and questioned him again, "Lei Bei, although Liu Qian and I are siblings, our relationship is ordinary. If you are resentful and want justice for yourself, or even revenge, I will not stop you. But do you really want me to die?"
If the secret of Huainan is revealed, Huainan will be destroyed and Liu Ling will surely die.
Lei Bei's heart tightened, his lips opened and closed, but he couldn't utter a word.
Liu Ling achieved his goal, retracted his gaze, and walked towards the carriage again: "Let's go."
Lei Bei sat on it almost stiffly. The carriage drove out of the courtyard, crossed the small road, and entered the main road. A man and a horse stood in the middle of the road. Who else could it be but Huo Qubing?
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