Chapter 28, Brother-in-law?
As soon as the official boat docked, the post station attendants on the shore came running up to greet it with lanterns.
Pei Zhiwei helped her mother off the boat, while Xiao Yunzhan walked behind, subtly observing the shore.
Among the boatmen coming and going, there was one who kept glancing towards the official boat, not even noticing that half of his cargo was tilted to one side.
There was also a handyman leaning against the side of the boat, his hands in his sleeves and not moving, not like someone waiting to take on work.
He turned his head and gave Pei Lin a look. Neither of them said a word, but they both knew very well that although Guandu in Sizhou looked peaceful and bustling with people, there were actually eyes watching them closely.
"Yun Zhan?! It really is you!"
A hearty laugh, tinged with surprise, rang out from the other end of the inn.
Pei Zhiwei looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a scarlet brocade robe striding over. The material looked like the finest brocade from Jiangnan. Without needing to look closely, the words "precious" were clearly visible.
The man approached, a warm smile on his face, and reached out to pat Xiao Yunzhan on the shoulder.
"Brother-in-law?" Xiao Yunzhan raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "What are you doing in Sizhou?"
The one who arrived was Gu Boheng, the third son-in-law of the emperor, who is now the governor of Suzhou.
Gu Boheng smiled and patted Xiao Yunzhan's arm.
"I just finished my routine inspection of the princess's estate in Sizhou and was on my way back to Suzhou. What a coincidence to run into you here!"
He changed the subject, moved closer to Xiao Yunzhan, lowered his voice, but deliberately made sure that others could hear him.
“Speaking of which, Yao was just telling me a few days ago that it’s been a few years since she last saw you. Now she keeps complaining that her younger brother has grown up and doesn’t miss his older sister anymore.”
Xiao Yunzhan smiled helplessly: "Brother-in-law, you're right. I'm the one who writes to my third sister the most frequently."
“Ten thousand letters from home can’t compare to seeing him once.” Gu Boheng patted his arm affectionately again before looking at Pei Lin and bowing respectfully.
"This must be Pei Shaoqing, who has just returned to the capital. I've heard so much about you back then. I even heard about the horse theft case you solved in Hedong back in Suzhou."
Pei Lin quickly returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Your Highness. It's just what I should do."
Gu Boheng then turned to Pei Zhiwei, his eyes filled with curiosity: "Is this Madam Pei? I've long heard that Young Master Pei has a clever daughter, and seeing her today, I can see that she is indeed extraordinary."
"This humble woman greets the Prince Consort."
"Don't be so reserved," Gu Boheng said with a smile, waving his hand before bringing the conversation back on track: "I heard from the people at the official post station that you're heading to Jiangnan? Could it be because of the Uyghur merchant caravan case?"
Xiao Yunzhan nodded, "That's right, His Majesty ordered me to go and investigate with Pei Shaoqing."
"What a coincidence!" Gu Boheng's face lit up with joy, and he grabbed Xiao Yunzhan's arm and wouldn't let go.
"I'm heading back to Suzhou now, why don't you come with me?"
My boat was specially commissioned by Ayao; it was much more spacious than ordinary official boats, with soft beds and a small kitchenette where I could cook fresh fish soup.
As he spoke, he pulled a goldfish charm from his sleeve and waved it.
“I have this; it can sail at night. We can set off tonight and arrive in Suzhou tomorrow. If you were to take a regular official boat, you would have to wait until dawn tomorrow, which would be a waste of time.”
Just as Xiao Yunzhan was about to decline, he saw another person approaching from the opposite side, wearing a scarlet official robe and a silver fish-shaped pouch hanging from his waist. He was walking hurriedly and was none other than Zhang Chengye, the transport commissioner of Suzhou.
Zhang Chengye greeted him from afar with his hands clasped in front of him, and said in a loud voice as he walked, "Your Highness! I've finally found you! I was worried you were leaving early!"
Gu Boheng turned around and laughed, "You're quite well-informed. What, you want to hitch a ride back to Suzhou with me?"
Zhang Chengye, having been exposed, coughed softly and chuckled awkwardly, "Your Highness is making fun of me..."
Seeing his expression, Gu Boheng pulled Xiao Yunzhan over and introduced him with a smile: "This is His Majesty's younger brother, the famous Prince Rui."
Zhang Chengye quickly bowed and said, "This humble official, Zhang Chengye, greets Your Highness Prince Rui!"
Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly, "Lord Zhang, there's no need for such formalities."
Gu Boheng then pointed to Pei Lin and continued to introduce him: "This is the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Pei Lin. He has come south with Prince Rui to investigate a case."
The lady next to me is Lord Pei's wife and daughter.
Zhang Chengye then turned to Pei Lin, "Greetings, Pei Shaoqing! Greetings, Madam Pei and Lady Pei!"
I have long heard of Lord Pei's ability to solve cases in Hedong.
"It is truly an honor for this humble official to meet Your Highness and Lord Pei today."
Pei Lin returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Lord Zhang."
After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Chengye quickly moved closer to Gu Boheng, a sincere smile plastered on his face.
"Your Highness, you just said you wanted to take His Highness and Lord Pei away? That's wonderful!"
To be honest, the official boat I own is an old one that was retired by the canal transport office a few years ago.
Even the old nanny in my household pulls a more stable cart than this.
Your ship was specially commissioned by the princess; it is certainly safe and secure. I would like to ride along for a while so I can return to Suzhou sooner to handle urgent matters related to the canal transport. I hope Your Highness and the Prince Consort will grant my request.
As he spoke, he turned to Xiao Yunzhan and bowed again, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will not cause any trouble. I will stay in the corner of the cabin and will not disturb you and Lord Pei's discussion."
"Go away, you're the one who can pretend the best."
"Since you've said that, it would seem petty of me not to bring you along," Gu Boheng said with a smile.
The two of them were clearly prepared, working in unison.
Before Xiao Yunzhan could speak, Pei Lin interjected with difficulty, "We shouldn't refuse the Prince Consort's kind offer, but our original official boat is still moored at the shore, and it's carrying quite a bit of luggage..."
“The luggage is no problem!” Zhang Chengye replied immediately.
"I'll send someone to fetch it, and I guarantee nothing will be missing. Besides, the prince consort's boat is much safer than ordinary official boats, so you two can rest assured."
Gu Boheng also chimed in, "Yes, Yun Zhan, A Yao misses you terribly. If she finds out I didn't bring you along when I saw you, she'll definitely make a scene."
"Young Master Pei, Madam Pei, please don't stand on ceremony. Just consider it a rest stop on my boat."
Having said all that, further refusal would be too deliberate and might only alert the enemy.
Xiao Yunzhan pondered for a moment and nodded: "In that case, I'll trouble you, brother-in-law."
Pei Zhiwei stood aside, feeling even more anxious.
He was supposed to exchange messages with Li Rong at the official post station, but now he couldn't go there.
The hidden compartments of the original official ship have not yet been investigated. If the ship is changed, the secret guards will not receive further instructions, and the previous clues may be lost.
Seeing that they agreed, Gu Boheng immediately sent people to move their luggage.
He pulled Xiao Yunzhan toward his boat, talking incessantly about the scenery of Suzhou, from the plum blossoms in Xiyuan Garden to the crabs of Taihu Lake.
Zhang Chengye stayed by Pei Lin's side.
One minute they were asking Pei Lin about his plans to investigate the case, the next they were talking about the canal transport situation in Suzhou. They kept bothering him with their questions, and Pei Lin didn't even have time to find an opportunity to leave a secret signal for his bodyguards.
Once on the prince consort's ship, Pei Zhiwei realized that Gu Boheng's description of "luxury" was not an exaggeration.
The ship was nearly two feet wider than an ordinary official ship, and the cabin was covered with thick wool blankets that felt soft underfoot.
The table was covered with fine incense, its fragrance filling the entire cabin.
"You all rest first, I'll go tell them to set sail," Gu Boheng said with a smile, then pulled Xiao Yunzhan to the bow of the boat.
Zhang Chengye sat at the table, chatting with Pei Lin.
Pei Zhiwei sat in the corner, calculating in her mind. The original official boat was still moored at the ferry. If it wasn't checked tonight, the things on the boat might have been moved by tomorrow morning.
With His Highness and Father currently tied up and unable to leave, and the secret guards not receiving orders, she was the only one left to go.
She looked out the window; night had fallen, and the prince consort's boat began to move slowly.
"Mother, I'm going back to rest now," Pei Zhiwei said softly to Yan Jinghong as she stood up.
Yan Jinghong was taken aback for a moment, then understood and nodded.
Pei Zhiwei quickly walked back to the cabin where they were to rest, took out her night clothes, changed into them, and crouched down to sneak out quietly.
There were only two boatmen steering on the deck. She hid in the shadow of the sails and quickly walked to the stern.
Once she was sure no one was watching, she took a deep breath and looked towards the former official ship in the distance.
We're already quite far away; if we delay any longer, we might miss the prince consort's boat on the way back.
She lightly touched the railing at the stern with her feet, and her body floated out like a shadow. Using the reeds on the water for leverage, she took flight again without even splashing water.
Besides her talent in investigation, Pei Zhiwei has also mastered the art of lightness skill to the point of leaving no trace in the snow. If we're talking about lightness skill alone, there are few in the martial arts world who can surpass her.
Even so, there is a limit. If the delay is too long and the prince consort's ship sails far away, even she will not be able to catch up.
The official boat was quiet, with only two courier guards dozing off at the bow, their snores carrying far away.
She held her breath, dived into the bottom of the cabin, and circled around it, her fingers tracing every inch of the deck.
After searching for almost half an incense stick's time, I finally found a different piece of wood in the corner of the cargo hold.
The wood grain was different, and the seams at the edges were slightly larger, as if it had been nailed on later.
Just as she was about to reach out to pry it open, she heard footsteps in the distance and the light of lanterns flickering in the distance—it was the patrol boat guards!
She quickly shrank back, hiding in the shadows of the cargo hold, and made her breathing extremely soft.
The guards paused for a moment beside the cabin, chatting idly while peering out to see if anything unusual was amiss.
Only when the lantern light completely disappeared into the night did Pei Zhiwei dare to peek out.
Without time to hesitate, she gripped the gap in the wooden board and gently pried it open with a "crack," revealing a dark hole.
Pei Zhiwei slipped inside, took out a luminous pearl the size of an egg, and used its light to see what was inside.
The neatly stacked "counterweight bricks" are each half a foot square, but when you pick them up, they feel different from ordinary bricks.
She forcefully broke off a corner, and immediately white salt grains were revealed inside—it was smuggled salt!
So that's what was hidden in the hull! She quickly wrapped the corner of the salt brick in a handkerchief and tucked it into her bosom.
She dared not delay any longer, knowing that if she didn't leave soon, she would really be left behind.
Carefully cover the wooden plank to make sure there are no visible marks, then turn around and run to the stern of the boat.
We spent too much time looking for the mezzanine, and the prince consort's ship sailed too far.
Pei Zhiwei gradually began to feel her breath rising from her dantian.
Having finally caught sight of the outline of the prince consort's ship, she steeled herself, mustered her strength, and charged towards the stern like a black arrow.
The moment his toes touched the deck, his knees gave way and he slammed into the wooden planks with a thud.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the night. "Who's there?"
The lantern light from the east side of the deck shone instantly, and the guards only needed to take two more steps to spot her.
Pei Zhiwei's heart jumped into her throat. Her dantian was completely empty, and there was nowhere to hide. She could only shrink into the pile of ropes at the stern of the ship.
He heard the soft sound of a guard drawing his sword, and someone shouting, "Raise the lantern higher!"
The light and shadow were less than ten feet away from her.
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