Chapter 100 Escape 2 Where did my wife go?
Su He went directly to the inn to meet Zhang Xiuhua.
The inn was at the entrance of an alley, with not many visitors and an inconspicuous location, which was perfect for them to stay.
Zhang Xiuhua sorted all the belongings into categories and put them into boxes that had been prepared temporarily.
Without the support of the Xie family, these valuables would become their foundation.
She asked, "Miss, when are we leaving the city?"
Su He glanced at the sky outside the window and asked, "When will Master Fang come to pick us up?"
Zhang Xiuhua thought for a moment and said, "The letter I sent a few days ago should have arrived today."
Su He replied, "To avoid suspicion, we can have Master Fang disguise himself as a merchant and transport our valuables out of the city first. We can then leave the city a day or two later."
Zhang Xiuhua nodded. "Young lady, you're right. The world is harsh on women. If the guards at the city gates saw a young woman leaving the city alone with a large amount of property, they would inevitably become suspicious."
Then he asked, "Miss, are you really going to Fuzi Mountain to look for Bai Jinan?"
She always felt that Old Man Bai was a dangerous person. After all, she had found the seal on the scroll under his bed.
Su He could only make up a story: "I've been reshaping my bones for several months. I need to have Senior Bai examine me again so that I can completely eliminate all the toxins in my body."
Zhang Xiuhua was puzzled. "Doesn't the young lady take the antidote every month? Didn't they say the poison will be eradicated after a year?"
Su He smiled and continued to talk nonsense: "No matter how to eradicate it, we still need to let Senior Bai check it out, right?"
Zhang Xiuhua had no choice but to emphasize, "After the examination, Miss must leave Fuzi Mountain as soon as possible and find a suitable place to settle down."
Su He nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to my aunt."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
Zhang Xiuhua paused and asked, "Who is it?"
It was Fang Yicheng's voice: "Aunt, it's me."
Zhang Xiuhua immediately went to open the door.
Fang Yicheng still looked exhausted. After entering the house, he didn't even have time to greet everyone. He just said, "There are soldiers in the city searching for the murderer of the Zhou family's young master."
Su He paused after hearing this and said, "Do you know which government office these soldiers are from?"
Fang Yicheng replied: "It should be the Dali Temple."
Zhang Xiuhua was so frightened that her legs were trembling: "My son-in-law is really... he's holding on to us."
Su He's expression remained unchanged as she ordered in a deep voice, "Aunt, I'm afraid we can't stay in the capital anymore. We must leave the city today."
Zhang Xiuhua nodded hurriedly: "Okay, let's go today. The sooner we leave, the better."
Su He pointed to the boxes and crates beside him and said, "Mr. Fang, please transport these valuables out of the city first. My aunt and I will follow closely behind. We will meet at the dilapidated temple outside the city. The reward will be calculated separately."
Fang Yicheng stared at her for a moment and said, "Thank you for your trust, young lady."
Afterwards, Fang Yicheng changed into a merchant's attire, rented a carriage, and hired two servants to escort him. He then successfully passed through the city gate and left the city.
Su He and Zhang Xiuhua first checked out of the inn, rented a carriage, and rushed straight towards the city gate.
Before reaching the city gate, she stopped the carriage.
Looking out the car window, I could see a crowd of people gathered at the city gate. From time to time, I could hear the guards shouting, "You want to leave the city without any identification? Come on, arrest me."
He also rebuked: "Anyone who does not have a pass will be given a lighter sentence if he confesses voluntarily."
Zhang Xiuhua was so frightened that her face turned pale. "Normally, they don't ask for a pass when we leave the city, but today they ask for this. Could it be that the son-in-law has discovered us?"
Then he asked, "Miss, what should I do?"
They fled in a hurry and had no travel permits or other documents on them.
Su He's eyelashes fluttered. "I didn't expect Xie Wuhen to pursue the murderer in the city while also imposing martial law at the city gates. Such drastic measures, he won't stop until he achieves his goal."
Zhang Xiuhua was almost crying: "Will our son-in-law capture us and behead us?"
Su He breathed a sigh of relief: "Aunt, don't panic."
Zhang Xiuhua pressed on, "Miss, have you come up with any ideas?"
Su He said casually, "Xie Wuhen wants to catch the murderer of Zhou Yuanze, not the young mistress of the Xie family."
Zhang Xiuhua was stunned when she heard this: "Miss, are you thinking..."
Before she could finish, Su He took out a coat commonly worn by noble ladies in the city from her bag and said, "Aunt, please help me change my clothes. No matter how many guards there are, who dares to stop Madam Shaoqing's carriage?"
Zhang Xiuhua wiped the sweat from her forehead and hurriedly changed her clothes.
After changing his clothes, Su He patted the carriage wall and told the driver: "Continue to leave the city."
The driver replied "Yes" and started driving the carriage.
As expected, as the carriage approached the city gate, it was stopped by two guards.
One of the guards shouted, "Get out of the car immediately and check your identity and pass."
Su He did not get out of the carriage. Instead, he gently lifted the curtain and politely asked the guards below, "I wonder what happened in the city that they're checking your identity documents?"
Seeing her elegant attire and conversation, the guards were naturally more polite in their words: "Madam, please do not ask any more questions. Please cooperate with our mission."
Su He smiled and said, "I'm so sorry, I forgot to bring my ID when I went out today."
The guard replied in a deep voice, "Forgive us for being unreasonable, but I'm afraid Madam won't be able to leave the city today."
Su He still had a smile on her face. "To be honest, I'm the wife of Xie Wuhen, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple. I'm leaving the city today to visit the melon fields outside the city so I can buy some fresh fruits for the family. I wonder if this big brother can be flexible?"
When the guards heard that she was the wife of the Shaoqing, they were stunned. Wasn't it the Shaoqing who ordered a thorough investigation of the woman who left the city?
He didn't dare to believe it: "Madam, are you serious?"
Su He said calmly, "If you don't believe me, you can send someone to the Dali Temple to get my husband. We'll know for sure."
The guard next to him happened to be an officer from the Dali Temple. He was also present when Su He went to the Dali Temple last time to help Xie Wuhen drive away the group of onlookers.
The guard studied Su He for a moment, then hurriedly pulled his companion aside and whispered, "What this lady said is true. She is indeed the wife of the Shaoqing."
The companion asked back: "Could it be that you have seen it?"
The guard nodded: "Yes, I have seen it."
When the two guards turned around, they saluted Su He with their fists clasped.
The guard who had spoken earlier said, "Since she is the Madam of the Young Master, I have no reason to stop her." He then waved to his colleague nearby and shouted, "Let her pass."
Colleagues understood and quickly removed the barricades at the city gate.
The driver cracked his whip and the carriage drove out of the city gate unimpeded.
Su He looked at the capital city receding outside the car window and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Zhang Xiuhua was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She sighed with emotion: "So, we are finally safe."
Su He replied: "Yes, it's safe."
Zhang Xiuhua glanced at Su He's tired face and asked, "Could it be that Miss... is reluctant to leave?"
Su He denied: "My great revenge has been achieved, but I feel a little empty inside."
Zhang Xiuhua then asked, "Will Li Shuli be caught if we leave the city like this today?"
Su He thought for a moment after hearing this and stopped the carriage again.
She found a beggar on the roadside, gave him some silver and a bag of food, and asked him to go into the city to pass on a few words to the young lady of the Xie family.
Finally, he emphasized, "This message must be delivered to the young lady herself, and it must be delivered before dark."
The beggar got food and a big bag of silver. He was very happy and said, "Don't worry, madam. I will definitely get things done." After saying that, he ran into the city gate.
Zhang Xiuhua was still a little worried: "Miss, do you think Li Shuli can really deceive the son-in-law?"
Su He replied: "I have tried my best. As for whether I can deceive her or not, it depends on her ability." After saying that, he looked at the towering city gate again, turned around and walked into the carriage.
When Su He successfully left the city, Xie Wuhen also successfully captured several suspicious women.
He didn't know what the princess looked like, so he could only start with her identity documents.
But after interrogation, it was found that the women were either merchants, villagers from outside the city, or escaped slaves, and nothing was found.
Wu Sheng was a little discouraged. "Boss, we've tried so hard but still can't find the princess. How are we going to explain this to the Emperor?"
Xie Wuhen looked at the night outside the window and was silent for a while.
After a while, he replied, "Just keep looking. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Liuzi came in and reported, "Boss, the guards from West City just sent another message."
Xie Wuhen asked, "What's the news?"
Xiao Liuzi stammered, "They say...they say there's another woman leaving the city through the west gate...she has no identification documents, but she's not even in the register."
Xie Wuhen frowned: "Why is it not recorded in the book?"
Xiao Liuzi replied, "Because that woman... is the young lady."
Wu Sheng paused when he heard this: "Young Madam again?"
Xie Wuhen turned and walked out of the house, saying as he walked: "Prepare the car and return home."
It was already dark, and the carriage passed through the streets and alleys and soon arrived at Xie's house.
When Xie Wuhen approached the gate of the mansion, he happened to meet a beggar coming out of the mansion. Without greeting him, he slipped away through the corner gate.
He asked the gatekeeper, "What did that beggar do when he came into the mansion just now?"
The gatekeeper replied, "He said he was here to look for the young lady."
"Did he tell me what he wanted to see the young lady about?"
"He said he wanted to pass on a message to the young lady, but I don't know what it was."
Xie Wuhen said "hmm", walked into the gate of the mansion, and then walked into the archway of Chunhua Courtyard.
Li Shuli was preparing dinner in the spare room. Although he came back late today, she still waited for him to have dinner together.
When Xie Wuhen stepped into the leisure room, she happened to look up at him.
The moment their eyes met, they were both stunned.
Then Li Shuli smiled slightly, "Oh, my husband is back. I will change your clothes for you now." As she spoke, she walked forward and reached out to unbutton his chest.
He instinctively took a step back, dodging her outstretched hand, and then looked at her solemnly: "When did my wife become so concerned about my changing clothes?"
Li Shuli paused, a hint of embarrassment rising from the corners of her eyes. "I'm just worried about my husband... He's been busy all day, isn't he tired?"
She hated herself for having done something unnecessary. That bitch Su He's records did not mention changing clothes for Xie Wuhen.
Chunlan, who was standing next to her, whispered, "Miss, you changed your son-in-law's clothes in the morning and again in the evening. This way, the day can be considered... complete."
Xie Wuhen stared at Chunlan suspiciously: "When did it become your turn to solve your master's problems?"
Chunlan choked and fell silent.
Li Shuli could only murmur in agreement: "Although Chunlan shouldn't have interrupted, this poor concubine... did think so."
He bent down and sat down at the table, looking at her again.
He felt that she was particularly unfamiliar at this moment. The tone of her voice, the smile on her lips, and even the way she arranged the food were all very different from before.
Everything in this room was strange today, a strangeness he couldn't put his finger on.
Xie Wuhen asked directly: "Has my wife been out of the city today?"
Li Shuli nodded: "Yes, it's because of Uncle Qing and the others selling fruits and vegetables."
He then asked, "What did that beggar tell you just now?"
Li Shuli replied, "Uncle Qing sent him to tell me that the price has been agreed upon."
He asked, "Where are these fruits from, and what's the price?"
Li Shuli choked and could not answer.
She was just a young lady in the boudoir. Even though she had been taken in by the peasant couple for some time, she had never been exposed to the trade between merchants. How could she know the prices of fruits and vegetables?
Chunlan had to interrupt again: "My dear son-in-law, it's the fruit farm outside the East City. The price we agreed on is three cents per catty."
Fortunately, she had heard Xiaolian talk about selling melons, so she could catch up with the topic at this moment.
Xie Wuhen said in a cold tone: "Chunlan, you are overstepping your bounds again."
He called Chunlan with his mouth, but his eyes were fixed on Li Shuli.
Chunlan's throat tightened with fear. "It's...it's my fault. I'll leave right away."
After she finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Li Shuli and turned to leave the house.
There were only two people left in the house.
Xie Wuhen's expression eased slightly, and he said, "Madam, please sit down too."
Li Shuli assumed his doubts had been dispelled and hurriedly sat down beside him. "My dear, you must be hungry. How about we start eating?"
He shook his head: "No rush."
Then he looked at her meaningfully and said, "I bought you jewelry last night, why aren't you wearing it?"
That bitch Su He didn't even have the time to tell her what happened last night.
She could only answer casually: "It is in the dressing box. I will wear it tomorrow."
Xie Wuhen pretended to be gentle and said "Okay".
Then he said, "The jewelry I bought this time is not wrapped in gold foil, so it lacks some vitality. Next time, I will definitely buy jewelry wrapped in gold foil for you. This way, I can show your nobleness."
Li Shuli nodded with a frown on her face. "Thank you, my dear husband. I am very happy."
Xie Wuhen suddenly pulled out a dagger and pressed it against her neck. His movements were so fast that it caught her off guard. He asked, "Who are you? Where is my wife?"
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