Chapter 107: Search 6: Use Chunlan as bait to force her back! ...
Xie Wuhen was shocked when he heard this and immediately sat up straight: "How can we be sure it's her?"
Wu Sheng pulled out a portrait from his sleeve and said, "Look, boss, this was drawn by the person involved."
Xie Wuhen took the portrait and looked at it.
Although the portrait was crudely drawn, one could tell from the person's spirit and almond-shaped eyes that this person was undoubtedly his wife.
He asked anxiously, "Where is the person involved now?"
Wu Sheng replied, "It's at the foot of Fuzi Mountain, in a market town called Lizhuang."
He stood up and walked out of the house, saying as he walked, "Prepare the horses, and go to Lizhuang."
Wu Sheng followed him out and said, "Boss, this person only met the young lady, but he doesn't know where she went afterwards."
Xie Wuhen replied: "Let's go to Lizhuang and ask about the situation first."
The two of them hurriedly disappeared into the corridor outside the house.
Chunlan, inside the room, was panic-stricken, yet at a loss as to what to do. Helplessly, she clasped her hands together like Zhang Xiuhua and whispered, "May the gods and Buddhas bless the young lady and keep her safe."
Xie Wuhen rode out of the city and quickly headed towards Lizhuang at the foot of Fuzi Mountain.
It would have been a three-day journey, but he arrived in two days at full speed, and then went straight to find the person whose portrait he had painted.
The person involved is a woman in her forties, an old resident of Lizhuang. Because her home has many houses, she is called Sheniang.
Seeing Xie Wuhen in his official uniform, the nanny knew he was someone of some importance, so she didn't dare lie. "I did see that woman. It was raining that day. She was looking for a place to rent. I saw she was pretty and well-spoken, so I rented her a house behind my house." She pulled out a piece of paper and said, "Look, sir! This is the rental agreement I signed with that woman."
Xie Wuhen took the contract and looked at it carefully. The seal at the end was indeed the word "Su He".
She would rather rent a house than go back to the Xie family—or go back to him.
This rental agreement is not only her determination, but also his frustration.
He was silent for a moment, returned the contract, and asked in a deep voice, "Did she say anything to you at that time?"
The mother replied, "They were all talking about renting, nothing special."
Then a light flashed in her eyes, and she remembered something: "But after signing the contract, she walked out of the house and saw the missing person poster on the wall outside." She walked out of the house and walked to the wall outside, pointing at the wall: "The poster was posted at this position at the time."
He asked, "Where's the poster?"
"Tear it up."
"Who tore it?"
"them."
Xie Wuhen paused: "They?"
The shepherd answered truthfully, "The woman came with a man at that time."
Hearing this, he suddenly clenched his fists, his face turned cold, and his dark eyes seemed to be filled with thousands of troops.
Wu Sheng noticed something was wrong with his master, and hurried forward to whisper, "Don't worry, boss. Maybe... maybe it's a friend of the young lady."
Xie Wuhen suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart and asked in a hoarse voice, "She rented a house...but was it to live with that man?"
The mother shook her head: "She didn't say that. She just asked for a safe and convenient house."
Xie Wuhen breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Sheng also breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it, the young lady must be living alone, otherwise why would she ask for 'safety'?"
Xie Wuhen raised his eyes and looked at the wall on the other side. There was still a corner of the poster that had not been torn off.
He asked, "What did they say after seeing the poster?"
She Niang thought for a moment and said, "They were outside the house at the time, and I was inside. I didn't hear exactly what they said, but I vaguely caught a few words. I think the man asked, 'Do you want to go back?'"
Xie Wuhen pressed on, "How did she answer?"
"That woman seemed to say something like, 'Since you've already left, there's no need to go back,' and 'Everything between him and me was just a dream,' but as for the rest... I didn't hear anything else clearly."
Xie Wuhen clenched his fists again.
He thought that when she saw the poster and knew that he had forgiven her, she would come back to him again.
Little did she know that she was determined to leave and even thought that everything before was just a dream.
His heart was broken and he was filled with grief and anger.
Wu Sheng called out "Boss" cautiously.
He slowed down, a hint of anger in his eyes: "Did she say when she would move in?"
The mother shook her head: "She said that she would move in after a while, but she didn't elaborate on how long it would take."
Xie Wuhen ordered in a deep voice: "Mr. Wu, give the reward silver."
Wu Sheng replied "yes" and gave She Niang a big bag of reward silver.
Xie Wuhen walked out of the house with a cold face and looked into the distance.
The sky was gloomy, and the mountains of Fuzishan were shrouded in a hazy mist.
He stared at the rolling hills, speechless for a long time.
Wu Sheng asked in a low voice: "Boss, what should we do now?"
Xie Wuhen closed his eyes, exhaled heavily, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Since she rented a house here, she must be hiding nearby. Give the orders to search Lizhuang and Fuzishan."
Since she wanted to hide, he would do everything he could to find her.
Wu Sheng's heart sank as he glanced at the towering Fuzi Mountain. "Boss, this Fuzi Mountain is not just one mountain, but a group of mountains. We don't have enough manpower..."
His tone was cold and hard, and the hostility in his eyes grew stronger: "We will search as far as we can."
Wu Sheng had no choice but to lower his head and respond "yes".
When Xie Wuhen sent people to search Lizhuang and Fuzi Mountain, Su He, who was recuperating in Rong Cave in Fuzi Mountain, naturally got wind of the news.
Fortunately, the cunning Bai Jinan had been prepared. He had asked Fang Yichen to place some blinding objects outside the cave and installed a stone door at the entrance. From the outside, it looked like just a stone wall.
Zhang Xiuhua was terrified. "My son-in-law has actually found his way to Fuzi Mountain. This place... we can't stay here anyhow. Once the young lady recovers, we'll go down the mountain."
Su He sighed and then told Bai Jinan about the five-year agreement he had made with her.
Zhang Xiuhua was so angry that she beat her chest and stamped her feet, tears streaming down her face. "I knew it, I knew that old Bai was not a good person. Damn it, he actually... poisoned the young lady..."
The more she spoke, the sadder she became, and finally she couldn't help crying.
Su He comforted her: "I kept it a secret from you because I didn't want you to worry. Now that I have taken half of the antidote, the poison in my body has naturally been removed by half. You don't have to worry anymore."
Zhang Xiuhua choked back, "I'm just feeling sorry for the young lady."
Su He saw it clearly: "I am not wronged. In this world, there is always a gain and a loss."
Zhang Xiuhua then asked, "Miss, donating blood to that old man Bai's grandson...will it really not cause any harm to your body?"
Su He replied: "Even if Bai Jinan is considering his grandson, he won't let anything happen to my health."
At the end, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful: "I didn't want my aunt to suffer with me in this melting cave, so I even rented a house for her at the foot of the mountain. But now Xie Wuhen is investigating closely, so I'm afraid that house can no longer be lived in."
Zhang Xiuhua glanced at her sideways and said, "I'll be wherever you are. Why would I need to rent a house?"
Finally, he asked, "You didn't pay a deposit for the house, did you?"
Su He knew that she was worried about the money, so he immediately shook his head and denied it: "No, it was just a verbal agreement."
Zhang Xiuhua breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that no deposit was given."
When he had free time, Su He would walk out along a hidden crevice at the west end of Rong Cave to see what was happening outside the cave.
Outside the cave, there is still lush greenery and no human voices can be heard.
Fang Yicheng stayed by her side and said, "Don't worry, young lady. The Shaoqing searched this mountain yesterday and he won't be back."
Su He looked at the vast mountains and forests and said, "That's good."
Seeing her pale face, Fang Yicheng asked, "Miss, are you feeling pain again?"
Su He shook her head and said calmly, "Don't worry, Master Fang. I'm almost fully recovered." She sat down on a rock nearby and said, "But there's one thing I'd like you to do for me, Master Fang."
Fang Yicheng asked, "What's the matter?"
Su He replied, "Xie Wuhen seems to have discovered my identity, which is why he mobilized so many troops to search the mountain. Although I have left him, there is still a maid named Chunlan who remains in Xie's mansion. Mr. Fang, could you please inquire about Chunlan's situation for me? If conditions permit, it would be even better to rescue her. I will reward you handsomely then."
Fang Yicheng nodded and agreed: "Don't worry, young lady, I will leave for the capital tomorrow to inquire about the news."
Su He bowed his head and thanked him solemnly.
When Fang Yicheng was preparing to go to the capital, Xie Wuhen had already returned to the capital.
After days of sleepless searching, he looked thinner and even a little moody.
Wu Sheng was just worried that he was thirsty so he poured him a cup of tea, but he thought the tea was too cold and smashed the cup with a "bang". Wu Sheng was so scared that he didn't dare to say a word for a long time.
Finally, he murmured, "Even if... we can't find the young lady, the boss still has to live... We still have to live..."
Xie Wuhen growled, "Shut up."
Wu Sheng had no choice but to remain silent.
After a moment, Xie Wuhen ordered, "Send Chunlan into the house."
Wu Sheng lowered his head and replied "yes".
When Wu Sheng went to summon Chunlan, he couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "The boss has been a little moody these days. You should be more careful with what you say and do, so as not to cause bad luck."
Chunlan nodded: "I understand."
The son-in-law has been moody for more than just the past few days. Ever since the young lady left, the son-in-law has become a different person and has been moody for a long time.
After Chunlan entered the room, she bowed and called out "son-in-law".
Xie Wuhen sat in the rose chair, holding the book "Slave" in his hand, and asked directly: "Does your lady have any friends of the opposite sex?"
Chunlan paused and shook her head: "No."
She knew of Fang Yichen's existence, but she couldn't say it.
Xie Wuhen looked at her solemnly, half believing and half doubting.
Then he asked, "Is Zhang Xiuhua with your young lady?"
Chunlan murmured, "Didn't my aunt go back to her hometown?"
He sneered: "I sent someone to check, she didn't go back, your young lady sent her away first, right?"
Chunlan shook her head: "I don't know."
He asked, "Why didn't you leave?"
Chunlan's breath trembled and she dared not answer.
He sneered again: "You stayed here to help Li Shuli confuse the public, right?"
Chunlan knelt down with a plop: "Slave...slave dare not."
Xie Wuhen continued to ask, "Why does your young lady look the same as Li Shuli?"
Chunlan murmured, "Young lady and Li Shuli... look alike."
Xie Wuhen's tone became increasingly ruthless: "It's bone shaping, right?"
He remembered that a few days before Su He left, he had accidentally mentioned the bone shaping to her, and she was so panicked that she knocked over the teacup.
But at that time he had complete faith in her, so he didn't think of anything else.
Now when I think about it, I realize that there were flaws, holes and jokes everywhere.
Chunlan hunched her shoulders and lowered her head, not daring to refute.
Xie Wuhen sighed: "You are very loyal to your young lady."
Then he called out, "Someone come here."
Wu Sheng bowed and entered the house: "Boss, what's the matter?"
The man in the rose chair closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
He looked exhausted and desperate, forbearing and cruel. After a moment, he opened his eyes and ordered slowly, "Take Chunlan to the woodshed."
Wu Sheng choked up: "Why...why was he taken to the woodshed again?"
He replied, "Just do as I tell you."
Wu Sheng asked cautiously, "What exactly is the boss going to do?"
He gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening: "Since she doesn't want to come back, I will use Chunlan as bait to force her to come back!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com