At the same time, Chen Qushui, who was far away in Kyoto, was awakened by a loud thunder.

He jumped up with a start and heard the sound of rain falling from the sky.

Turns out it was raining!

He covered his chest, and it took him a long time to calm down.

During these days in the Duke of England's Mansion, Chen Qushui was truly on guard at all times - although Song Mo had released him from prison some time ago, for him, as long as he did not leave the Duke of England's Mansion, he would be like being in a tiger's den.

He sat quietly for a while.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the strong wind made the branches crackle. The scent of benzoin from the bedside table floated in the air, giving people a sense of peace and tranquility.

Chen Qushui couldn't help but smile.

When did this Usnea light up the benzoin?

Are you worried that he won’t sleep well?

Song Mo sent two servants, aged twelve or thirteen, to "serve" him. One is called Songluo and the other is called Wuyi, both are names of tea. Songluo is lively and Wuyi is calm, but both of them are very smart. They say what they should say and don't say anything they shouldn't say. He was very considerate about food, clothing and other expenses, and was also somewhat literate, so when he flattered him, his words were always meaningful. He often marveled at the splendor of the Duke of England's Mansion - they could easily come up with two servants like this, how could they have done that without a hundred years of accumulation?

He remembered that the study window was not closed.

The study room is most afraid of moisture.

Chen Qushui called out to the servant on duty: "Songluo! Songluo!"

No one agreed.

Chen Qushui frowned.

I don’t know if it’s because they are following orders, or if it’s the rule of the Duke of England’s mansion, but usually the two servants never leave his side, but today he can’t call anyone?

He was secretly surprised, and the corner of his eye fell on a white mourning dress.

This was sent by a servant named Zeng Wu.

The Duke of England's wife passed away, and everyone in the Duke of England's mansion had to wear mourning clothes.

He explained to Zeng Wu: "I am just a temporary guest here, so I just dress simply."

Zeng Wu rolled his eyes and said disdainfully, "Since you eat and drink at the Duke of Yingguo's house, you must abide by the rules of the Duke of Yingguo's house. Don't think that you can be different just because you are Mr. Yan's confidant. Even if Mr. Yan comes back, you still have to wear heavy mourning."

Chen Qushui moved in using the excuse that he had an old relationship with Yan Chaoqing.

Of course, he would not share the same opinion with Zeng Wu for this, and silently accepted the mourning clothes.

Zeng Wuzhi walked out with a proud look on his face, muttering as he walked, "You just used an excuse to get to know Mr. Yan, fooled the prince, and came to our house to eat and drink for free. What's so great about that? You dare to act like that in front of me and make me angry. I'll go to the Duke and file a complaint against you, and you'll have to pay the consequences!" His tone was full of disdain and contempt.

Chen Qushui could only smile bitterly.

More than one person in the Duke of England viewed him this way.

But it’s better this way, no one will notice him.

He found a robe from the tall cabinet beside him, put it on, and went to the study.

The four ice-cracked windows let the study room bright and airy when open during the day, but now it is a bit troublesome to close them.

Just as Chen Qushui was about to put away the bracket, he saw Saussurea running towards him with a banana leaf on its head.

He thought of the benzoin in his room, and with an moved heart, he hid behind the window.

Soon, light footsteps were heard under the corridor, and they walked to the ear room next to the inner room.

That is Songluo and Wuyi’s bedroom.

Where has he gone so late?

Chen Qushui pondered and walked out from behind the window.

Someone was running towards this side in the rain.

Chen Qushui looked carefully and found that it was Wuyi.

Like Songluo, he went straight to the ear room.

Chen Qushui felt that something was unusual.

He thought about it, then tiptoed to the door of the ear room and listened to the noise inside.

"Hurry up and change your wet clothes, or you might be discovered by Mr. Chen."

Although Wuyi's voice is small, it can be heard very clearly on a night like this.

"What bad luck! How could we encounter such heavy rain!" Songluo muttered softly.

Wuyi asked, "Did you find out anything?"

"I didn't find out anything." Songluo's voice sounded a little frustrated. "I only know that the Duke personally instructed Wang Xi to arrest the people. As for why, no one knows. We can only wait for the Prince to come back to deal with it." He said, confused, "It's so strange. I don't know many of the guards in the mansion now. They repeatedly questioned my identity. If I hadn't met Guard Xie, I would have almost been unable to come back! In the past, new guards would be led by someone for a few days and would only be allowed to patrol after they knew most of the people in the mansion. But this time, out of the four people, I only know Guard Xie..."

"So I feel something is wrong!" Wu Yi's voice sounded very worried. "Brother Chen Tao is the prince's close servant. The prince has praised him for being cautious more than once. He even gave his own money to Brother Chen Tao. What did Brother Chen Tao do wrong? And Guard Wen, when the prince left, he told him in front of me that he should take care of our yard more while the prince was in Liaodong. He also told me to find him if I have any problems. But I looked for him several times and couldn't find him. What on earth is he doing..."

They both fell silent at the same time.

Chen Qushui hurried back to his room and lay down.

After a while, Songluo walked in.

"Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen!" He called Chen Qushui in a low voice.

Chen Qushui turned over with a groan.

Songluo let out a long sigh and lay down on the big kang next to the window outside the screen.

But Chen Qushui couldn't fall asleep.

He knew Chen Tao. Just as Wuyi had said, he was a very careful young man, taciturn, but good at observing people's expressions. With his personality, it would be perfect for him to be a personal attendant.

What could he have done wrong?

I wonder what happened to Dou Zhao?

With Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng by her side, she should be safe.

What happened that day was truly horrifying. If the young lady hadn’t acted decisively, they would probably have all died at the farm, right?

Unfortunately, she has to marry Wei Tingyu!

That brainless guy didn't even think about the huge gap between him and Song Mo in both age and status. Why should Song Mo be so polite and humble to make friends with him?

Should I remind Wei Tingyu?

He definitely couldn't be told about the farm, so he had to make up a new reason for the Fourth Young Lady's acquaintance with Song Mo. But lies are like a big snowball, they will get thicker and thicker as they roll.

Chen Qushui sighed and listened to the rain all night.

The next morning, the rain was much lighter.

Wu Yi smiled and said to him, "I have something to ask Guard Wen. Can Mr. Chen give me a day off?"

Chen Qushui thought of the conversation between Wuyi and Songluo last night, and smiled calmly: "You go! Songluo is by my side."

Wuyi thanked him again and again, and went out happily.

He didn't come back until noon. After lunch, he said he was going out to look for Guard Wen again: "...didn't find him, or did he go out for something?"

This Wen guard looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, a young man with a curly beard, and had never married. He lived alone in a group of houses on the east side of the Duke of Ying's mansion.

In the afternoon, Wuyi still hadn't found Guard Wen.

Zeng Wu came over with an umbrella, accompanying a tall and burly man.

He introduced to the man: "There are only three people in this courtyard. One of them is an old man, a down-and-out scholar, who is Mr. Yan's confidant. He was taken in by the prince and lives here. The other two are servants serving this scholar. One is called Wuyi, who used to sweep the floor in the study of Yizitang; the other is called Songluo, who used to take care of the flowers and plants in Yizitang, and later transferred here to look after the courtyard. He can help Chen Xiucai carry food and hot water, which can be useful." He said, calling Chen Qushui: "Hey, come here and meet Guard Chang. He will be the guard of Yizitang in the future, so you should keep an eye out."

Chen Qushui was horrified.

When Song Mo is away, Yizitang is actually going to change guards?

What exactly happened?

Chen Qushui didn't dare to reveal anything and hurried forward to salute the guard.

Guard Chang glanced at him coldly and walked around the room.

Chen Qushui was shocked.

The man had a pair of big hands that were like a palm-leaf fan, rough and strong, with a jade ring on his thumb.

He had seen such a man under the command of Duke Dingguo.

They are all experts in archery.

Guard Chang walked out of the room and walked around the yard with Zeng Wu holding an umbrella.

The places where he stopped were all important places in the yard.

If bows and crossbows were deployed there, the entire yard would be within range.

Chen Qushui was sweating profusely, but he managed hard not to show any strange expression.

But after the guard Chang and Zeng Wuyi left, he immediately called Wu Yi over and asked, "How many guards did the prince leave behind? Do you know what they have been doing these days?"

Wuyi also felt something was wrong.

How can Yizhitang change its guards without the approval of the Crown Prince?

Although he didn't know Chen Qushui's origins, he knew that Chen Qushui was detained here.

To be valued so much by the prince, he must not be an ordinary person.

Out of caution, he did not tell Chen Qushui how many people Song Mo left behind, but only told him: "I didn't see any of the guards."

Song Mo went to Liaodong, Song Mo's chief of staff Yan Chaoqing went to Haozhou, and Xu Qing, the best fighter, stayed in the Jiang family. The defense of Yizhitang was empty, Chen Tao was imprisoned, and the other guards were nowhere to be seen... When Song Mo came back, Yizhitang had already fallen into the hands of others...

Lure the tiger away from the mountain and remove the firewood from under the pot.

This is the emperor's usual method of dealing with the generals guarding the border.

Then who is the one who deals with Song Mo?

A figure vaguely emerged in Chen Qushui's mind, but he couldn't believe it.

Why did that person do that?

What reason would that person have to do this?

Chen Qushui suddenly felt as if his brain was not working properly.

He couldn't help but say to Wuyi: "I want to write a letter back to Zhending, can you help me send it?"

Chen Qushui often wrote letters to Zhending, and Wuyi helped to send them to the post office.

Wuyi should be “good”.

Ever since the prince promised Chen Qushui that he could send letters back at any time, those letters were all read by Mr. Yan.

This time, Mr. Yan is not here, but he can also help out.

Chen Qushui wrote things like, "The flowers in the yard are blooming," "Today, a new guard has arrived at the Duke's Mansion. He looks unfamiliar and it will take some time to recognize him," and other family matters.

However, Yizitang was under martial law and the letter was not sent. Wuyi was interrogated repeatedly. If he had not been smart, he would have almost not been able to return.

Chen Qushui took a breath of cold air.

If something happened to Song Mo, would Miss Dou Si be involved since he lived in Song Mo's Yizitang?

Life is not easy for her as a girl. What should she do if she loses the favor of the elders of the Dou family because of this?

Chen Qushui gritted his teeth and whispered to Songluo: "Based on my experience, the rain will stop at midnight at the latest. Can you take advantage of this rainy day to sneak out of the house? Didn't they send someone to inform the prince that the lady had passed away? The prince will definitely enter the city from Anding Gate. You go to Anding Gate and guard it. Try to intercept the prince and tell him everything that happened at home!"

Songluo's face was tense and he nodded heavily.

There was a noise outside.

"The prince is back! The prince is back!"

The sound spread out in the Duke of England's mansion like waves, hitting Chen Qushui's body, making him turn pale and fall into the armchair.