Xu Yao and Lin Zhining left two days after Xu Di left.
Before leaving, Xu Yao took Xu Zhi's hand and said, "Ninth Sister, if you have time, come to Gaoqing to find me."
Xu Zhi smiled and nodded, escorting the reluctant Xu Yao all the way to the post station twenty miles away. Only when Xu Yao and her party turned a corner and disappeared from sight did she return home.
Back home, before lunchtime, they heard a flurry of shouts from the street. Before Xu Zhi even reached the gate of the hospital, Bai Ying rushed over and whispered, "It's Lord Chu's house over there. They've sent quite a few armed guards."
Xu Zhi remembered Xu Di's words and knew that these were the people who were arresting Chu Huaigui and bringing him to the capital. She instructed Bai Ying to have her family guard the gate and not to go out and ask around. Remembering that the Feng family's courtyard was next to Chu Huaigui's, she also told Bai Ying to quickly go next door and give them a heads-up.
Xu Bai and the others rushed over from the backyard, about to go to the door to see what was going on, when Xu Zhi grabbed Xu Bai and whispered a scolding, "What are you going to do? Do you know what's going on outside? Hurry up and go back inside."
Xu Bai patted Xu Zhi's arm and said with a smile, "Good sister, we won't go out. We'll just peek through the crack in the door. Don't worry, we're not clueless kids."
Chen Yukang had already darted over from behind. Xu Zhi couldn't hold him back and he darted to the front. Xu Bai saw this, broke free from Xu Zhi's hand, and ran after him.
Xu Zhi could only instruct the people in the manor to keep a close eye on the two people and make sure they didn't go out onto the street. The street was in chaos right now, and these two people hadn't fully recovered from their injuries yet. If they were to get hurt or injured, they wouldn't even have a place to cry.
Bai Ying returned from next door and saw several people standing at the door. She said anxiously, "Oh dear, what are you doing at the door? Go back inside quickly."
Xu Bai pulled Bai Ying aside and asked, "Sister Bai Ying, what's going on outside?"
Bai Ying closed the gate and whispered, "It's the Chu family over there. They're probably from the capital. There are quite a few of them. I just saw Lord Chu get into a carriage. I wonder where he's going."
Xu Bai said excitedly, "The net of heaven is vast, yet nothing escapes it; this is truly retribution."
Xu Zhi gently patted him and said, "Don't talk nonsense. How could we say such things? Alright, we've seen the excitement. Let's go back quickly. The city has been unstable these past few days. None of you should go anywhere. Just stay in the backyard, understand?"
The group lazily said "I understand" and then dragged their feet to the backyard.
Zheng Boyuan didn't return home until very late that night. Zhao's wife had already gone home. Xu Zhi went to the kitchen and made a bowl of shredded pork noodles. Zheng Boyuan ate every last drop, soup and all, and only after finishing did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Zheng Boyuan stretched and sighed comfortably, "Things are finally over. These past few days have been exhausting."
Xu Zhi was actually very curious about Chu Huaigui's situation and asked, "So, Lord Chu was really taken away by people from the capital this time?"
Zheng Boyuan nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, not only were the people taken away, but all the accounts from these past years were also taken away. You don't know until you investigate, and once you do, you really don't expect it. This Lord Chu seems to be a very low-key person, but who knew he could have embezzled so much."
Xu Zhi sighed and said, "How much of the money he embezzled actually ended up in his own pocket? Have you ever asked him if he keeps his own ledger?"
"How could I not have asked? He wouldn't say, but he secretly told me that he regretted getting on that pirate ship. It's just a pity that it's easy to get on but not easy to get off. He has done a lot of things over the years, especially the disaster relief funds in Miaozhou, which he handled all by himself. It's just a pity that he ended up with a disgrace and even lost his life. It's a real shame."
Zheng Boyuan felt somewhat sorry for Chu Huaigui's experience. According to what Chu Huaigui told Zheng Boyuan, he had entered officialdom with a heart of loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and petitioning for the people. Unfortunately, he was later led astray and boarded the ship of the Third Prince. In recent years, for the sake of the Third Prince, he embezzled a huge amount of silver from Miaozhou. Some of this silver did not even pass through Chu Huaigui's hands before it was intercepted in the capital.
Thinking of something Chu Huaigui had told him, Zheng Boyuan said with some confusion, "Before he left, he told me to be careful of people coming from the capital. I've never understood why. People coming from the capital are all sent by the Emperor. Who should I be careful of?"
As Zheng Boyuan finished speaking, his voice grew softer and softer. Xu Zhi looked at Zheng Boyuan in surprise. Zheng Boyuan quickly sat up and hurriedly left.
Xu Zhi waited and waited until the third watch of the night, but no one came back. Finally, she lay on the couch fully clothed and drifted off to sleep until the fifth watch of the night, when Bai Guo gently woke her up.
Zheng Boyuan came in from outside, looking exhausted and haggard. Xu Zhi quickly poured him a cup of warm tea. Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "I really didn't expect that Chu Huaigui would be murdered just a dozen miles from Miaozhou."
Xu Zhi asked in surprise, "Is Lord Chu dead?"
Zheng Boyuan nodded, his head feeling numb intermittently, probably because he hadn't slept all night.
Xu Zhi grew increasingly frightened, and grabbed Zheng Boyuan's hand, saying, "Brother Boyuan, will those people come back? Are we safe here?"
Zheng Boyuan quickly reassured her, "Azhi, don't be afraid, it's alright. We're very safe in Miaozhou. Chu Huaigui actually didn't want to live anymore. Even if he went to the capital, what good would come of it? He might as well end it all on his way back to the capital. Besides, that ledger he secretly kept was already on its way to the capital. Chu Huaigui secretly sent it out. He told me that he regretted it."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
