Meanwhile, Ling Xiao seized the opportunity to continue investigating Zheng Chunhua and her son within the Fourteenth Prince's residence, finally finding a clue in the kitchen. (Mobile version m)
One day, Ling Xiao was temporarily assigned to guard the courtyard near the kitchen. He suddenly needed to relieve himself, so he secretly went around the back door to relieve himself. Unexpectedly, he saw a servant sneaking around the bamboo grove path near the kitchen, trying to pass through the grove.
Suspicious, he boldly shouted from behind, "Who's there? Stop! What are you doing, sneaking around like that?..."
The servant was so frightened that he stopped in his tracks.
Ling Xiao stepped forward, feigning a search, and sized him up. He saw the man carrying a lunchbox, head bowed and silent. Ling Xiao sternly rebuked him, "Which courtyard are you from? I've never seen you before. Did you come in to steal something?"
The servant nervously raised his head: "Ahhhhh...ah..."
A mute? Ling Xiao, seeing that he couldn't utter a word for a while, was about to force him to lead the way. Suddenly, the steward appeared, blocking the servant's path and sternly rebuking Ling Xiao: "What are you doing?"
Ling Xiao quickly bowed and smiled obsequiously, "Steward, I'm on duty in this courtyard. I just happened to see this servant sneaking around trying to cross the bamboo grove, and I found it strange. I was worried he might be a suspicious person, so I asked him a few questions..."
The steward glanced nervously at Ling Xiao, but Ling Xiao's playful grin made him relax. The steward waved for the servant to leave, then continued to admonish Ling Xiao: "Just do your own job well, and don't ask about anything else. And don't meddle in other people's business..."
Ling Xiao obeyed without question, bowed and apologized, but kept his eyes fixed on the departing servant's back and the direction he was heading.
After this incident, Ling Xiao focused his attention on the kitchen and indeed discovered that this servant was bringing out meals from the kitchen every day. Judging from the food boxes, it didn't seem to be delivered to any master, and the amount of food was enough for two people. Moreover, since he was mute and no one spoke to him, he could come and go freely and seemed to know the place well, so it appeared that he had been delivering food for more than just a day or two.
Ling Xiao finally seized the opportunity to follow him, passing through the bamboo grove behind the courtyard, before discovering a secluded path. The path was hidden by the trees, which explained why Ling Xiao hadn't noticed it before. After walking for a while, they finally saw an abandoned courtyard. Ling Xiao then remembered that the Fourteenth Prince had strictly forbidden him from going to a separate courtyard, so this must be it.
Ling Xiao dared not approach, and could only observe from a distance. He found that the courtyard was dilapidated and old, with fallen leaves everywhere and dusty, and no one had cleaned it. If he hadn't followed them all the way here, he would never have imagined that anyone would live here.
A servant carrying a food box arrived at the door, knocked a few times, and the door opened a crack. The servant didn't go in, but simply handed the food box to the hand reaching out from inside, nodded, and withdrew. The door immediately closed, and the servant returned the way he came. Ling Xiao hadn't seen who opened the door. After the servant was gone, he walked around the courtyard but found nothing that could provide a glimpse inside. Not daring to sneak in, he could only hide and observe secretly.
Ling Xiao noticed that the courtyard was never opened, and there was no sound from inside. Apart from the servants bringing three meals a day, no one went in or came out. Ling Xiao was quite intrigued and concluded that someone important lived there, hence the secrecy.
Ling Xiao was afraid of alerting the enemy and, not knowing much about the area, wasn't entirely confident, so he didn't act rashly during the day. However, not wanting to give up the idea of going in to investigate, he thought it over and decided to come back later that evening.
This book comes from
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
