Two-way game
Suddenly a sound came from outside the temple.
Li Zeli listened intently, holding his breath. The sound grew louder as it approached; there were quite a few people coming.
Li Zeli had a bad feeling and looked around, searching for a place to hide.
"This is it! I've brought you here. You'd better keep your word and spare my life!" The beggar's voice came from outside.
"Enough with the nonsense. If we find the person, that's fine. If not, you..."
"Sir, this has nothing to do with me! I was just trying to earn a living, that's why I helped deliver the message. The man only told me to bring the message here to find him, he didn't tell me anything else, I don't know anything!"
The beggar knelt down with a thud and begged for mercy.
"Besides, I was arrested by the adults before I even saw the recipient of the letter. Everything I said is true. Please, sir, let me go!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zeli broke out in a cold sweat.
If Zhang Zhao cannot lend a hand, he fears he will truly have to stay here.
"Search the temple!"
The sound of the door being smashed open was like a death knell, reaching Li Zeli's ears.
Hiding him in the temple is difficult, but hiding the letter is not. I wonder if he has a chance of survival if he is caught, the people who come to find nothing on him, and he insists that he knows nothing.
The sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets grew closer, and Li Zeli, hiding in the base of an abandoned Buddha statue, decided to take a gamble.
He reached for the envelope in his pocket, and just as he was about to take it out and hide it, another sound came from outside.
Li Zeli stopped what he was doing and listened carefully.
"Why would Lord Zhang come here?"
"Of course I followed you. I saw you carrying swords as soon as I came out, so I followed you to see what big case it was?"
"You jest, sir. It's just a private matter."
"Oh? A private matter? If someone dies, then it's no longer a private matter!"
"You jest, sir. How could we knowingly break the law?"
"The death of the beggar at the gate?"
"He was a runaway slave. I was entrusted to come here to capture him and take him back. I didn't expect him to resist so stubbornly, which led to my mistakenly killing him. But dealing with one's own slave is not an official matter. The fact that someone died was all a coincidence. Even if the officials hadn't come, the master would have reported it to the government and paid a fine afterward."
"If that's the case, then the matter is settled. Why are you still searching here?"
"This runaway slave stole his master's property. We're searching this place to report back! Please do us a favor, Lord Zhang, we'll leave as soon as we're done searching."
Upon hearing this, Li Zeli quickly said, "Lord Zhang, please wait. I previously asked Brother Chen Wenfang to introduce me to something, and I didn't expect to meet you here today. Please give me the opportunity, my lord. I invite you to have a meal."
Upon hearing Chen Wenfang's name, Zhang Zhao understood and readily agreed.
Li Zeli was about to leave with Zhang Zhao when he was stopped.
"Wait a minute, what is Lord Li doing in this deserted temple?"
"To my shame, I've come to do exactly what you asked. I heard the runaway slave stole something and wanted to return it to its rightful owner to curry favor. But I've searched the temple and found nothing. If you don't believe me, sir, you can search at your leisure. I'll head back to the city with Lord Zhang now." Li Zeli bowed and walked to Zhang Zhao's side.
Everyone present knew that the escaped slaves were just an excuse to cover up some unspeakable truths.
Li Zeli was an official appointed by the court, and with Zhang Zhao protecting him, the opportunity to kill him had been lost, so they had no choice but to give up.
The newcomer watched him leave with Zhang Zhao with resentment.
Li Zeli sensed the killing intent and quickly moved a few steps closer to Zhang Zhao.
Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to rely on Zhang Zhao to extricate himself.
Li Zeli followed Zhang Zhao into the carriage.
As soon as the curtain fell, he gave a detailed account of his contact with Chen Wenfang.
"Where is that route map now?" Zhang Zhao asked after listening.
"I copied the image onto a handkerchief with brush and ink, and then burned the clothes I wore that day," Li Zeli hurriedly replied.
As he spoke, he took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Zhao.
“Lord Zhang, I am afraid of death and have no intention of getting involved. I hope you will do me a favor and allow me to go home as soon as possible,” Li Zeli pleaded.
Zhang Zhao didn't answer, but took the envelope first.
After a while, Zhang Zhao said, "I know that Lord Li loves his wife, but I don't know what the secret of this letter is. I don't see any connection between it and the route map!"
Li Zeli looked up and saw that Zhang Zhao was holding the letter he had written to An Hongdou before he left to let her know he was safe.
Li Zeli's heart tightened, realizing that he had probably mixed up the two letters in his haste that day.
It's just unknown whether An Hongdou will be implicated.
Li Zeli quickly explained the whole story to Zhang Zhao and guessed that the route map had been sent to An Hongdou.
"Please allow me to return home, Lord Zhang. I will certainly send the route map back."
"Lord Li, there's no need to trouble yourself with this matter. You've been frightened today, so why don't you come to my residence to rest for a few days? We can discuss this further once we retrieve the route map."
Zhang Zhao made his stance clear, and Li Zeli had no right to refuse, so he had no choice but to agree.
Zhang Zhao instructed Li Zeli to write a letter, which he then gave to his subordinate Zhang Ping along with the previous letter reporting that he was safe.
After receiving the order, Zhang Ping immediately set off for Qingyin County.
"Lord Zhang Ping, please wait!" Li Zeli, feeling uneasy, stopped Zhang Ping and pleaded, "I hope you will conceal your whereabouts and not cause trouble for my wife. If there are any suspicious people, please protect my family. I will repay your kindness in the future."
Qingyin County.
An Hongdou continued to lead the girls in their embroidery work as usual.
Since the letter in her room was rummaged through that day, she has not noticed anything else unusual.
It seems the visitors didn't find anything and gave up.
But An Hongdou was still worried; she began to worry about Li Zeli's safety.
Now, the only influential person she can turn to is Feng Qiang. But she doesn't know if Feng Qiang knows about this, or if the Feng family is involved, or what role they play.
An Hongdou dared not act rashly, fearing that not only would she not be able to help Li Zeli, but she might also bring trouble upon Wu Linglong.
She and Wu Linglong were currently working in different places, and she didn't even have anyone to discuss things with, which made her even more upset.
When all other options are exhausted, one can only focus on the immediate task at hand and wait for the right opportunity.
That day, An Hongdou had just finished lunch when Zhang Ping came to her door.
"Madam Li, I have come here to retrieve something at the request of your husband, Lord Li Zeli. Please forgive me for disturbing you."
Zhang Ping spoke politely and then took out Li Zeli's handwritten letter.
An Hongdou took the letter and examined it carefully; it was indeed her husband's handwriting.
But An Hongdou was still somewhat hesitant, worried that it might be a case of all's fair in war.
“What does Your Excellency wish to obtain? Please tell me, and I will fetch it. I am but a woman, and I know nothing of you men’s affairs. My husband has never entrusted me with anything. If Your Excellency does not specify, I will not know what to hand over,” An Hongdou asked tentatively.
"Has Madam read Lord Li's recent letter?"
"It's just a routine of letting people know they're safe. It's always the same thing. They never share when they'll be back or what interesting things happened on their trip. I'm too lazy to read it."
An Hongdou acted as if she didn't care and was unaware of the situation. This truly confused Zhang Ping, who believed that An Hongdou hadn't opened the letter yet and was unaware of the details.
"Please give me the letter, Madam. Lord Li said it was sent by mistake. The letter for Madam is here." Zhang Ping handed the letter that had been mistakenly left behind to An Hongdou.
An Hongdou took a look and found that the content was almost the same as before, with no other information besides reporting that she was safe.
An Hongdou asked Zhang Ping to wait a moment while she went back to her room to retrieve the letter.
After returning to her room, An Hongdou pondered for a moment in front of her dressing table before taking out the letter she had copied.
"Sir, this is the letter." An Hongdou handed it to Zhang Ping.
After thanking him, Zhang Ping accepted the letter and immediately opened it to read it.
An Hongdou picked up her teacup to cover her embarrassment, intently observing Zhang Ping's reaction.
Zhang Ping was stunned at first, then his eyes darted around as if he were thinking about something. After a moment, he calmed down, revealing no unusual emotions.
“Madam Li, I am an ally of Lord Li, and I have indeed come here on his behalf. I wonder how I can gain your trust?” Zhang Ping asked An Hongdou directly.
Judging from Zhang Ping's behavior, he doesn't seem to be lying, but it still warrants further investigation.
On the one hand, it's best to be cautious, and on the other hand, how could she expose herself for lying right after saying she hadn't seen it? An Hongdou decided to continue playing dumb.
Of course, An Hongdou also had her own considerations; she wanted to know what Li Zeli was doing.
Asking rashly will certainly not yield an answer.
They would either refuse to tell her outright or give her a perfunctory lie. An Hongdou had expected this.
Now, it's a battle of wits between her and Zhang Ping.
If Zhang Ping wanted to get what he wanted, he naturally had to gain her trust first, so that she would have the upper hand.
Of course, what Zhang Ping said must be half true and half false, and she still needs to carefully discern the truth.
An Hongdou put down her teacup, cleared her throat, and continued to feign ignorance, saying, "I don't quite understand what you're talking about, sir. I've already given you the letter my husband sent earlier. What else do you want, sir?"
Zhang Ping stood up, bowed, and said, "Madam is wise, please don't play tricks on me. What you hold in your hands was obtained at the cost of many colleagues' lives, and it is of great importance. I hope you will do me a favor and let me go back to report as soon as possible, so that I can seek justice for the exploited people and for my colleagues who sacrificed their lives here."
This is an attempt to establish a moral high ground, force her to feel guilty, and thus achieve their goal.
An Hongdou understood perfectly; this was a tactic that scholars were most adept at.
Young people are often shy and can't handle such a big compliment, which often allows others to achieve their goals.
But An Hongdou has matured, and the rumors and gossip are nothing to her. With a firm goal in mind, no amount of criticism can shake An Hongdou's resolve.
Whether it was taking on apprentices, building embroidery pavilions, donating money, or helping disaster victims, the discussions and comments that An Hongdou heard were always mixed.
She went from being unable to sleep at night and having no way to defend herself to accepting criticism and letting others judge her, gradually building a firm sense of self-confidence.
Zhang Ping's words were nothing compared to his past experiences, and had no effect on An Hongdou whatsoever.
“Why are you saying things that I can’t understand, sir? What do you mean by trying to gain my trust again? What do you mean by me playing tricks on you? I am a weak woman who never leaves the house, and my husband has always been in charge of everything at home. Now that my husband has been away from home for a long time, I am completely lost and don’t know what to do. Why don’t you call my husband back? He will surely know what you need.”
"Madam is too kind. Lord Li has official duties to attend to and cannot leave."
“Oh? My husband is just lucky to have become a minor county magistrate, the lowest-ranking official. Judging from your demeanor, Your Excellency’s rank must be above my husband’s. How can a lower-ranking official make his superior run errands? What important matter could it be that he couldn’t get away, but that warrants Your Excellency’s personal visit?” An Hongdou questioned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
