Chapter 52
So where is Wen Weili, the woman who is being missed by so many people? As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. At this time, Wen Weili is still in the palace, but she has changed her appearance and name, replacing a little maid in Concubine Xu's palace.
"Xiaoling, have you lit the Three-Point Dream Incense that the Empress instructed you to do in the east wing?" Xingxiang, a senior maid in Concubine Xu's palace, asked as she lifted the curtain and headed into the room.
"In reply to my sister, I lit it on time. There is a bunch of red lotus and white jade incense prepared in the west wing. If you get tired of it in your dream, you can light one to get rid of the greasiness and wake up." Wen Weili replied.
Xingxiang, the maidservant who served Concubine Xu at night, was delighted to hear this. She was worried that the Empress would blame her for not sleeping well at night. Xiaoling was indeed the treasure of their palace. She quickly thanked her and rushed to serve Concubine Xu.
Meanwhile, Wen Weili pondered the secret message-stained incense paper in her hand. The person behind the scenes had arranged to meet her outside the palace in three days. What kind of organization would go to such great lengths to meet her? They had carefully cultivated several spies, deployed numerous tactics inside and outside the palace, and previously expended countless manpower and financial resources to conceal her whereabouts. She was truly excited.
Wei Li's disguised identity was a seventeen-year-old girl who was sold by her family to the palace to do dirty and tiring cleaning work when she was young. However, her appearance could only be considered clean, so she was chosen to serve Concubine Xu, who was still a beauty at the time, and was bribed by someone to become a hidden pawn.
Xiaoling has an ordinary appearance. After becoming a secret agent, she worked very hard. She asked someone to help her find her aunt and learned the skills of making and blending perfumes. She became a popular maid beside Concubine Xu. Just in time for the organization's mission, she handed over her identity to Wen Weili.
Wen Weili had been acting as a hidden agent for several months before she received this secret letter on the day of the Beginning of Spring.
Huangcheng Xingfu Restaurant is the largest restaurant in the city, with a constant stream of people coming and going every day. The fact that the other party agreed to meet here shows that he had made preparations in advance.
Wen Weili's face no longer resembled Xiaoling's. She had a beautiful face and was wearing a long silk gown with a golden and red grape pattern and a dark-colored jade button in the shape of a phoenix. As soon as she stepped within three feet of the restaurant, the waiter came up to greet her: "Please come in, distinguished guest." Then Wen Weili was led into a private room on the top floor of the restaurant.
"Miss Wen, I've long heard of your name." The man in plain clothes sitting at the head of the room stroked his beard, and there was no trace of disguise on his ordinary face.
"I've heard a lot about you." Wen Weili said politely. She was not in a hurry. It seemed that she was at a disadvantage, but the other party was trying so hard to protect her, which only meant that they were at a disadvantage in intelligence. She had secrets that she didn't know.
"Haha, Miss Wen is a smart person," the man said, picking up the teapot and respectfully pouring tea for Wen Weili. "Have you ever heard of 'Destiny'?"
Destiny? Wen Weili hadn't expected this organization to seek her out. It was a mysterious organization that had managed to survive generations of suppression by the Duanmu Dynasty. It accepted money from merchants, but never demanded it back; it sheltered the poor, but never forced them to work. Even during the critical times of the Duanmu Dynasty, when it was attacked by foreign forces and faced internal floods, it never rebelled.
This was an organization that was difficult for everyone to comment on. Were they after money? No, they were not short of it. Was it for the Wen Mansion behind her? No, she did not have the power to mobilize the entire Wen Mansion.
"I beg Miss Wen to join 'Tianming' and save the people of the world!" The plain-clothed man looked sincere. Judging from his expression, he sincerely believed from the bottom of his heart that Wen Weili could do the so-called 'saving the world' and begged like this.
Wen Weili smiled slightly. She already knew what Tianming was trying to achieve with this posturing. But perhaps it was just a show of force to lull her into lowering her guard; his real purpose was to penetrate deeper into her.
"Why do you insist on my joining?" Wen Weili looked puzzled. "If you need influence in the officialdom, wouldn't it be more helpful to ask me for help instead of convincing my father?"
Seeing that Wen Weili seemed to want to learn more, the commoner knelt down immediately and said, "Miss Wen, your medical skills are unparalleled in the world. Tianming is willing to honor you as our lord, as long as you are willing to teach us your medical skills."
"You're too kind," Wen Weili lowered her head, seeming embarrassed. "My medical skills aren't as good as my master's. How about I introduce you to someone else? If we work together as master and disciple, wouldn't we get twice the result with half the effort?"
"This..." The man in plain clothes pondered for a moment. He never expected Wen Weili to answer like this. The task assigned to him by the organization was to bring Wen Weili back today, but now Wen Weili's statement was not unreasonable, and it just happened to prove that they needed Wen Weili's medical skills. But who knows, is this Wen Weili's delaying tactic?
"That's good, but what if the royal family finds out..." The commoner wanted to use the emperor to 'force' Wen Weili.
Wen Weili seemed puzzled. "I've heard your organization is very powerful, and it's been so long since I started hunting. There's no need to rush into anything."
The man in plain clothes hesitated and had to take a step back: "Miss Wen, please allow us to prepare a few things. It is better to be cautious in everything." He had to go out quickly to contact his superiors.
"That's right. May I ask your name, sir?" Wen Weili agreed. She wanted to see what kind of rules the other party could come up with.
The man in plain clothes was unwilling to reveal it, saying only that it was "not worth mentioning." However, seeing Wen Weili's somewhat suspicious look, he reluctantly said, "Just call you Rong Ming." After that, Rong Ming hurried out of the room.
As the commoner left, the waiter brought some food to the table. "Please enjoy your meal, dear guest. Spring is in full bloom these days. Our Xingfu Restaurant faces the Dingxi River, with willow branches swaying on both sides and a refreshing breeze. This dish is perfect with our signature Duchun dishes, which are unique to this season. You can enjoy the scenery while you enjoy it."
"Thank you." Wen Weili knew that the waiter was here to guard her, so she didn't struggle. At the moment, it seemed that Xingfu Restaurant was also the territory of the "Destiny" organization, so she didn't need to use herself to test how complete the other party's preparations were.
Wen Weili picked up a piece of spring vegetables with chopsticks and put it into her mouth. The refreshing taste at first, with a slightly bitter and sweet aftertaste, made her indulge in the fresher and crispier taste before she even frowned. It is indeed a signature dish.
Thinking the dishes were good, Wen Weili took out some copper coins and gave them to the waiter outside, praising him: "But that chef from Wang Ju? I haven't tasted him in a while. Why not try his specialty, the white fish?"
"You're joking. We don't have a chef like Wang Ju here. We can cook white fish, but I'm afraid it's not the taste you want." The waiter took the tip money and smiled attentively.
Gazing at the shimmering water outside the window, Wen Weili handed a small bag of copper coins to the waiter and instructed him, "If it's not there, then forget it. Rong Ming isn't back yet, so buy some snacks. Go get some sugar cakes from the shop on the corner of East Street from Xian Han. Remember, get their sweet and savory ones."
Seeing the waiter hesitate, Wen Weili tapped the table twice. "I don't know why you're so secretive. What do you want me to do? I don't know when you'll be back. Is there something inconvenient that's stopping you from leaving? That really makes me panic. You're just buying some food, what can't you do?"
Wen Weili's implication was very clear. Since her superiors had invited her here and trapped her in a soft way, they obviously didn't want to fall out with her. If such a small request of hers was not met, they would not have cooperated like this.
The waiter was in a dilemma. He was assigned here to watch over the distinguished guest and not let him leave. But if he directly refused the guest, how could he bear the blame if the guest got angry and offended his master?
Thinking of this, he quickly smiled and said, "I'll go buy it right away. Please wait a moment." The waiter was also worried that the guest would leave as soon as he left, so he found an idle man on the street and asked him to buy the salty and sweet sugar cakes from the east corner of the street.
Holding the copper coins given by the distinguished guest, the waiter reluctantly opened the bag and counted out two copper coins to the idle man: "Remember, come back quickly. If you don't come back in a quarter of an hour, I won't give you the rest of the money."
The idler took the copper coin and ran to the east corner of the street without stopping. However, after turning left and right twice, he still couldn't find the salty and sweet sugar cake shop. When he thought about it, it was true. He had been an idler for so many years and knew every place on the street very well, but how come he had never heard of salty and sweet sugar cakes? He was really blinded by money.
But thinking of the extra money he had earned from the delivery, he found a random sugar cake maker and asked for sweet and savory sugar cakes. The sugar cake maker said it was difficult to make, so he replied impatiently, "Just make it, and if you want it, please."
Holding the sugar cake, the idle man completed his mission and was about to drink some rice wine and get some snacks with the money, but he was pressed to the ground by gravity. A cold sharp object was pressed against his neck. He was so scared that he dared not move, not even to cry for mercy.
"Who asked you to buy the sweet and salty cookies?" the man asked.
"It's Xiao Xuzi from Xingfulou! He has an honorable guest today." The idle man's mind raced. "Master! My brothers are working in the kitchen and know more. Please be kind. I didn't see anything. I'll get back to you after I ask." The force behind him loosened a little, and the idle man said, "The monk can escape, but the temple cannot. Master, even if I run away now, you can catch me, right?"
These words convinced the person behind him, and he let go of the idler. The idler ran out of the alley without looking back, and honestly ran back to Xingfulou to ask his brothers.
Wen Weili received the food box from the waiter and looked at the steaming hot sugar cake inside. She had no desire to eat it at all, because she knew that this salty and sweet sugar cake would be very unpalatable. She pinched out a small piece, and the crumbs fell into the food box. Wen Weili brushed it away with her handkerchief, and it accidentally fell into the food box.
After Wen Weili's repeated urging, Rong Ming quickly returned to his room. He confidently asked Wen Weili, "Miss Wen, you may not know. According to 'Heaven's Destiny', there has been an outbreak of an epidemic in the southwest. Your master will meet you there. Human lives are at stake. We should set off as soon as possible."
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