After so many things happened, Tang Nian drifted off to sleep again after Lou Mu left, and slept until the sun was high in the sky.
The numbness in my calf caused by the ghostly energy had completely disappeared, and although it was still bandaged, the wound had healed completely.
After breakfast, Lou Mu still didn't come to find Tang Nian. She was also embarrassed because of what happened yesterday, so she obediently took Jing Yao to feed the koi by the pond, but Lou Mu didn't come for a long time.
Tang Nian, who was always energetic and outgoing, could hardly stand such boredom.
"Jingyao, where is Lou Muren?" She idly poured all the crumbs from the plate into the pond, and the plump koi fish rushed to the surface.
"It seems something happened in the palace." Jingyao usually didn't concern herself with court affairs, but she could tell Tang Nian about other things she had heard. "Miss, two more people went missing in the city last night, causing widespread panic. Even Steward Lu in the manor doesn't dare to send anyone out to buy things, and only sends things to the manor."
"Disappeared again?" Tang Nian's yawn stopped abruptly halfway through. "Where did it disappear to?"
Last night, due to the sudden attack by those men in black, the imperial city was under increased guard and patrols all night. How did the Emperor of Chu manage to transport these people into the palace? Could it be that there are confidants of the Emperor of Chu in the Imperial Guard?
But that shouldn't be the case. Such a private matter is known only to the Emperor of Chu and the Celestial Master Wang in the entire palace. He couldn't possibly risk letting others know.
"One was the owner of a steamed bun shop in the south of the city, who disappeared while delivering steamed buns to a family in the east of the city; the other was a young lady from a wealthy family in the east of the city, who disappeared from her mansion."
Jing Yao didn't know, but Tang Nian knew perfectly well.
These two people were people in the capital city with a strong ominous aura that Tang Nian had calculated while staying at his residence. Who knew that two more people would disappear so soon? They are probably in grave danger.
However, it's in the east of the city.
The place where she and Lou Mu were attacked yesterday was also in the east of the city, which seems to be related to those inhuman and ghostly creatures from yesterday.
Tang Nian clapped her hands and stood up, suppressing her curiosity to investigate, and led Jing Yao to the pavilion by the lake to sit and enjoy the cool air.
Before they knew it, it was dinner time, but Lou Mu still hadn't returned to the mansion. Tang Nian paced back and forth in the room, making Jing Yao feel a little dizzy.
"Jingyao, do you have any men's clothing in the manor that would suit me?"
"Yes, there is, but Miss, the master instructed me not to let you leave the manor." Jingyao was also an honest fox.
"Oh dear, if you don't tell and I don't tell, who will know? Here's what we'll do: you stay here disguised as me to deal with the servants, and I'll go out for a stroll and be right back."
“But…” Jingyao still felt uneasy and didn’t know how to persuade Tang Nian.
"Look, even your building manager has assigned you to my office, so of course you have to listen to me, otherwise..." Tang Nian chuckled, making Jing Yao a little scared.
Jingyao eventually gave in and had to admit that Tang Nian was right. She could only find her a set of men's clothing that fit her well.
"Miss, why don't I go with you?" Remembering Lou Mu's instructions, Jing Yao still wanted to struggle a bit.
"No, no, no, look there are other people in the yard, someone has to stay in the house to keep watch."
What a joke! How is she supposed to get anything done if she takes Jingyao out with her?
After saying that, Tang Nian did not alert the spies who were watching them. She skillfully flew out of the mansion, scaling walls and rooftops on the streets, dodging patrols of soldiers, and arrived at the place where Jing Yao had mentioned the steamed bun shop owner had disappeared.
With a civilian recently gone missing, the city was under tight security, not to mention the crime scene. Tang Nian wisely chose not to go to the mansion to investigate, but instead went to the alley where the steamed bun shop owner disappeared.
She had already inquired with Jingyao and carefully made her way to the vicinity of the alley.
This was a dead end, and Tang Nian couldn't see what was inside the alley at all.
She thought for a moment, then jumped off the roof and stood at the entrance of the alley. After listening for a long time without hearing any sounds from inside, she carefully crept into the alley.
It's called a hutong, but it's really just a gap between two households.
In the dim moonlight, one could only make out a thick wall standing in the alley, with the small doors of two households on either side.
There seemed to be a dark figure in front of one of the small doors.
But she didn't sense anything amiss.
"Who?" Tang Nian gripped the sword in her hand tightly.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and then a black figure flew over like a ghost. A streak of silver light flashed by, and Tang Nian flicked her sword, knocking away a dart.
Without pausing, she raised her sword in front of her, blocking the oncoming longsword.
Upon seeing this, the figure stepped back, and Tang Nian then realized that it was the same group of people she had encountered yesterday, dressed in black and wearing a black hat.
The moon was obscured by thick clouds, so Tang Nian could only rely on the sound of the opponent's sword slicing through the air to judge her dodging movements.
The shadowy figure seemed tireless, its sword strikes growing faster and faster. Tang Nian dodged left and right, her delicate hand deftly flicking the sword away from the shadowy figure's hand.
She stepped forward, raised her sword and aimed it directly at the shadowy figure's head, but in the next second, the shadowy figure dodged to the side, and then a dart flew from the other side of the wall.
Tang Nian's eyes widened, but she couldn't dodge in time. Suddenly, a sound came from behind her, and a dark object grazed past her ear, hit the dart, and flew back behind her.
It is a folding fan.
Tang Nian turned her head sharply and saw a dark figure standing at the entrance of the alley. With just one glance, Tang Nian recognized it as Lou Mu.
Her eyes lit up, and then with a "bang," Tang Nian quickly turned around, but only managed to grab the black-clad man's cloak. When she saw the pale and bluish face under the cloak, Tang Nian froze on the spot, letting the black-clad man disappear before her eyes.
Lou Mu did not enter the alley, but stood quietly. When Tang Nian walked towards him, he turned around and left. Tang Nian followed him out and saw a row of patrolling soldiers holding torches standing on the street.
Lou Mu coldly waved his hand, signaling the leader to go inside, and then got into the carriage without looking back.
Tang Nian quickly jogged to catch up, lifted the curtain, and sat down next to Lou Mu. Neither of them spoke, and this continued until they returned to their residence.
Tang Nian blocked Lou Mu's attempt to close the study door, then squeezed into the study with a fawning smile.
"Um... I can explain." Tang Nian looked at Lou Mu's tense and silent appearance the whole way, and knew without thinking that she had caused trouble.
"What did you do wrong?" No one had been in the study all day, so Lou Mu poured himself a cup of cold tea and gulped it down.
He never expected that Tang Nian, with her physical condition, would dare to act recklessly outside. Did she really not know that those things were targeting her?
"I shouldn't have acted on my own and ruined your plans," Tang Nian said, taking responsibility for her actions.
Lou Mu was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I'll let it go this time, but don't go out without permission again next time."
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