Chapter 4 She was incredibly bold.
Jiang Chonghai was stunned. At first, he felt relieved. So she had taken a fancy to a dancer. He had thought it was something else. But then he became a little puzzled.
Qin Shaozong had been a powerful figure in the north for many years and had seen countless beauties. Yet, there was a dancer in his mansion who could make him speak.
Feng Chun? How could he not remember that among the outstanding dancers, there was one named Feng Chun?
Despite his doubts, Jiang Chonghai said without hesitation, "It's a small matter. To gain the favor of the Lord is the greatest honor of her life. This woman is to be given to the Lord."
Qin Shaozong smiled and raised his glass.
As the sun set, the banquet came to a complete end. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Shaozong led his men away.
The long corridor was deserted, and Yan San spoke up: "At the banquet tonight, I observed that two or three of Jiang Chonghai's subordinates were taciturn and insincere, and they seemed to be avoiding some of my probing questions. My lord, it seems that the Prefect of Nankang County does not want to fully assist us in suppressing the bandits."
Qin Shaozong casually curled the corners of his mouth: "Not only does he not want to help, this person probably also wants to do something bad behind the scenes. Li Zan is a salt smuggler who started out selling smuggled salt. Where did he get his salt in the first place? Wasn't it obtained through collusion with officials?"
“But Nankang County and Li Zan’s stronghold Ying County are not adjacent. In fact, they are located to the west and east of each other, separated by several counties! Is it really possible for someone surnamed Jiang to have such a long reach that he can extend his reach across several counties to Ying County?” Mo Yanyun wondered.
Yan San replied, "You've got it backwards. The one with the long arms isn't Jiang Chonghai, but Li Zan."
Qin Shaozong: "Li Zan has now proclaimed himself Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, claiming to command 100,000 elite troops. How can a giant tree not have a complex and intricate root system?"
Mo Yanyun was still puzzled. "My lord, can you conclude that he is colluding with Li Zan simply because his subordinates showed signs of avoiding him?"
Qin Shaozong chuckled, "Of course not, but he's feeling guilty himself. Let's find an opportunity to secretly search the mansion; there's likely to be a pleasant surprise."
Mo Yanyun was puzzled as to where this "guilty conscience" came from, but looking at the curve of Qin Shaozong's lips, he thought to himself that it was strange.
Jiang Chonghai is colluding with salt smuggler Li Zan, which is not a good thing for them. Why does Your Excellency seem so pleased?
He didn't know, and dared not ask.
The journey wasn't far, and the group quickly returned to their resting courtyard. The courtyard was brightly lit, and a soft glow emanated from the rooms—the shimmering light of the luminous pearls within.
"No need to report anything important tonight." With that, Qin Shaozong walked straight to the main house in the middle.
Mo Yanyun and Yan San exchanged glances, both thinking of the beautiful woman who had come out of the side room that afternoon.
"Click." The door was pushed open.
The light from the open door spilled out, casting a tranquil glow around the man's black boots, which was quickly shattered by his footsteps.
Qin Shaozong initially thought Dai Li was in the inner room, but was too shy to see him, which is why she didn't come out immediately after hearing the door open. However, he soon realized something was wrong.
The room was so quiet that it was as if no one else was there.
Qin Shaozong strode into the inner room, his brown eyes sweeping across the empty space; there was no sign of that beautiful figure.
She didn't come back.
Did she encounter trouble on the way, trip over something, or...?
The latter guess flashed through his mind and was immediately rejected by Qin Shaozong.
His identity could be gleaned from the way he addressed her, and since he promised her that she wouldn't have to go back and even asked for her name, she couldn't possibly be unaware that she had a chance of escaping the Jiang family.
On one hand, he was crammed together with a multitude of dancers, performing for different people day and night; on the other hand, he lived a life of luxury, only needing to serve him.
Even a fool would know which one to choose.
Qin Shaozong turned and walked out.
Mo Yanyun was originally discussing with Yan San, and the two of them had not yet entered the house. When they saw Qin Shaozong return, they were both surprised, thinking that he had some important matters to instruct them on.
They did have something to ask, but it wasn't the "important matter" they thought it was.
"Mo..." Qin Shaozong suddenly changed his mind: "Yan San, go to the Dancer's Garden and bring Fengchun back."
The two were slightly taken aback.
It turned out to be nothing important.
Fengchun—that must be the name of that beautiful woman.
"Yes." Yan San bowed.
Yan San accepted the order and left, Qin Shaozong returned to his room, leaving Mo Yanyun standing there alone.
A burly man with thick black eyebrows muttered in the wind, "It seems this woman is no ordinary person, that she actually made the Lord take the initiative to search for her at this critical juncture... Wait, didn't the Lord initially want to order me to search for her?"
Mo Yanyun scratched his head.
*
The last rays of light faded into the distance, and the sky was completely shrouded in darkness. Tonight, there was neither a bright moon nor stars; the sky was so dark that it seemed as if a thick veil had been draped over it.
Dai Li stood in a corner of a courtyard, hidden in the night. She looked at the houses not far away and pursed her lips in resentment.
This was one of the mansions she had inquired about that included servants. But unfortunately, she had just checked and found that her child wasn't there.
My son isn't here.
Was she not in this house, or not in this mansion? Dai Li dared not imagine it was the latter.
"Who was that who came to ask questions just now? I've never seen her before. She's so beautiful. Is she the new manager?" came a whisper from inside the room.
"I always tell you you're young and ignorant, but you won't listen. How could someone with such looks be just a lowly steward? She's probably a new concubine the Lord has taken in. Everyone in the manor knows the Lord loves beautiful women, and he adds people to the household every few days. Those with the best looks become concubines, those with average looks become dancers, and those with the worst looks become maids. That young lady just now, I think, is much more beautiful than the currently most popular Lady Bin. I guess the winds of power in the manor are about to shift again."
"What are you two whispering about? Who has a more beautiful daughter than Lady Bin? I haven't seen her."
She was only here for a short while, and she's already gone. You missed out.
...
After listening to the corner of the wall for a while without hearing any useful information, Dai Li turned and headed towards another courtyard where the maids lived.
She needed to strike while the iron was hot and quickly finish investigating the other location. If her son was still not there, she would have to plan to leave the mansion.
*
Yan San was an efficient person, but this trip took him much longer than he had expected.
Two quarters of an hour later, Yan Sanfang returned.
With nothing to do, Mo Yanyun, who was sitting in the courtyard waiting for the moon to rise, turned his head when he heard the sound. He had intended to take a look at the beautiful woman and feast his eyes, but he found that only Yan San had returned.
Mo Yanyun was taken aback.
Why is only Yan San here? Where is the others?
Yan San walked straight to the front of the main house, without knocking to enter, but stood outside the door and reported: "My lord, the steward surnamed Sun in the backyard of the mansion told me that none of the dancers are named 'Fengchun'."
Mo Yanyun, who had been secretly listening, couldn't help but widen her eyes.
No, no one named Fengchun?
Who was the woman they saw this afternoon? She appeared out of nowhere and then vanished without a trace. Could she be a peony flower fairy in disguise?
"Click." The main door opened.
Qin Shaozong stood behind the door inside the room. He did not come out. The tall and imposing man had his back to the lights in the room. His face was hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to see his expression. Only a heavy sense of oppression spread through him.
Yan San continued, "According to Steward Sun, there are twenty-six dancers in the Jiang household, including seven Hu women brought back from the Prefect of Beijun a few days ago. Of these twenty-six, only three are over twenty-five years old: one Hu woman and two Han women. However, none of these three have a cinnabar birthmark on their foreheads..."
Mo Yanyun couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that she isn't a dancer?"
The beautiful woman who appeared in the backyard, if she was not a dancer, then she must have another identity: Jiang Chonghai's concubine.
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Yanyun saw Yan San shake his head: "No. I also ran into a steward surnamed Lin. It was quite a coincidence. Steward Lin said that he had seen that beautiful woman near the long corridor around 1-3 PM. Steward Lin didn't recognize her and asked her who she was. She replied that she was the Lord's concubine, and that her clothes had been accidentally soaked with tea, so she needed to change. She also asked him where the dancers of your mansion lived. Steward Lin didn't suspect anything at the time and told him the truth."
Yan San continued, “I went with Manager Lin to the East Garden where the Han female dancers lived. At that time, everyone was there except for two dancers who had gone out for a meal and had not yet returned. But I did not see ‘Fengchun’ there. When I asked the other dancers, they all knew nothing. They all said that they had not seen any strangers recently, let alone a beautiful woman with a cinnabar mole on her forehead.”
Mo Yanyun was stunned, becoming more and more confused as he listened.
The beautiful woman was a member of the household, and she was so beautiful that she was like a bright pearl wherever she went. Yet the steward did not recognize her.
She claimed to be a concubine of the lord... that's true, but the question is why she asked about the dancer's residence? The dancer's residence is not a secret; anyone who has stayed in the mansion for some time and is willing to inquire would know.
Could she not be a member of the household?
But that doesn't make sense. When the Lord asked Jiang Chonghai for someone earlier, he specifically asked for "Fengchun," and Jiang clearly agreed without any hesitation.
But she couldn't be found in the Han female dancer's residence, and no one even knew of her existence. Could she have just appeared out of thin air...?
"Have you been to the West Garden?" Mo Yanyun thought of other things. The East Garden was deserted, so the West Garden should be occupied; otherwise, why would she ask the steward about the dancers' lodgings?
Yan San nodded. He was always meticulous, and later he actually went to the West Garden to investigate: "I went. There was indeed someone in the West Garden who saw her around 3 PM. The Hu woman said that the other person claimed to be a friend of the Qin Ji from the East Garden, and her name was Song Lan..."
Mo Yanyun was speechless.
Songlan? Didn't she say her name was Fengchun? How come she changed her name in less than an hour?
But what shocked him even more was yet to come, because Yan San said, "According to 'Songlan,' she was originally from the south. When she went north with her husband to make a living, she was unfortunately robbed on the way. After many twists and turns, she finally arrived at the Jiang residence recently. Since she was not assigned any places, she temporarily stayed in the East Garden. All the Hu women in the Jiang residence were newcomers and did not know much about the situation in the residence, so no one suspected anything. She asked for a gray-blue dress and some rice noodles in the West Garden, and then left without staying in the West Garden for long."
Mo Yanyun felt as if he had fallen into a fog.
Her name is fake, and her experiences keep changing. Who exactly is she? What are her intentions?
"How dare you!" Qin Shaozong laughed in anger.
Mo Yanyun shuddered, his thoughts suddenly racing in another direction:
Regardless of who that beautiful woman was or why she acted strangely, the fact remains that she tricked the lord!
Who are their rulers?
He was the only person in the imperial court to be granted the highest noble rank based on military merit, comparable to the Three Dukes; he was a man who could beat the tigers and wolves of the North into dogs that wag their tails.
Over the years, what conspiracies and schemes haven't I seen, what open and hidden attacks haven't I blocked?
Mo Yanyun could confidently say that those who played tricks on their lord last time had all been chopped into pieces and reincarnated in dogs' bellies.
Well, although this trickery is nothing compared to all those conspiracies, it's the first time I've ever been tricked by a woman.
"My lord, this matter is probably not easy to resolve now," Mo Yanyun said in a low voice.
They came to the Jiang residence for other reasons, not to mention that the Jiang family may have other motives. How could this situation be disrupted by a young woman?
Perhaps the other party also felt that they were just guests and shouldn't make a big fuss in the host's home, so they used the name of the nobleman to their advantage.
Qin Shaozong chuckled lightly: "Afraid? If you're worried about such a small matter, you might as well not bother looking for the salt smuggler Li Zan. Just go home, hide in your room, and cover your head with a blanket so that no one else knows you're easily trembling with fear."
Mo Yanyun was stunned.
Does Your Excellency mean you intend to hold a grudge against her?
A note from the author:
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Do you have any nutrient solution for the babies? [Let me see][Heart][Cat paw]
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