Chapter Forty-Two: Hovering
The character "瑾" (Jin) was coiled like a venomous snake on the yellowed letter paper, its twisted strokes exuding a sinister aura. Su Moqing's fingertips were icy cold, almost unable to hold the thin paper. Cao Jin—he hadn't given up yet! Although he was now in exile, his remaining influence still lingered, even precisely manipulating her longing for her father, setting this vicious trap to throw her into disarray and cause her to lose her composure.
She dared not delay for a moment, immediately crumpled the letter into a ball, and threw it into the bronze incense burner in front of her.
Flames shot up, engulfing the letter; black ashes swirled in the furnace, mirroring the turmoil in her heart. Cao Jin, still harboring his wicked intentions, even dared to try and use her to bring down the Shen family—what wishful thinking!
“Xiao Chun,” Su Moqing composed herself, her voice trembling slightly as she suppressed her anger, “Do you remember what the person who delivered that ‘family letter’ to me the other day looked like? Did he have any special markings?”
Xiaochun frowned and thought carefully for a while before saying, "Miss, that person looked very unfamiliar. He said he had just been transferred from Guazhou Town to work at the Imperial Household Department, and he spoke with a slight Jiangnan accent. By the way, he had a rather deep scar on the web of his right hand, like it had been cut with a knife. It looked quite frightening."
A scar! Su Moqing's heart skipped a beat, and a figure flashed through her mind. Cao Jin had a trusted bodyguard named Zhao Qi, a desperate criminal Cao Jin had rescued from death row. Zhao Qi was ruthless and cunning, and had a gruesome scar on the web of his right hand, a result of a fight years ago. Could it be that the messenger was Zhao Qi in disguise? Or had Zhao Qi also infiltrated the capital, working for Cao Jin?
She forced herself to calm down; she couldn't panic. The more critical the moment, the calmer she had to be.
She turned and walked to the desk, took out a piece of plain paper, ground the ink, and drew a branch of ink orchid on the paper—exactly the same as the one on the letter.
Then, using a secret code that only she and Shen Rulan understood, she marked the character "Jin" on the orchid leaves, along with the image of a messenger with a scar on his tiger's mouth, and the speculation that Cao Jin's remnants might be lurking in the capital.
This letter must be delivered to Shen Rulan as soon as possible so that she can take precautions.
However, the next morning, as soon as Su Moqing got up, she received a report from Lin Xiao.
Suddenly, several unfamiliar peddlers appeared outside the villa. Some carried loads of sundries and others pushed carts to sell pastries. They lingered at the villa's entrance all day long, but their eyes would occasionally peek into the villa, making them seem very suspicious.
Lin Xiao secretly sent people to follow and investigate. When they returned, they reported to Su Moqing with a serious expression: "Moqing, we are being watched. These people look like ordinary peddlers, but they are actually very skilled. They walk with a steady gait and seem to be hiding weapons at their waists. They are definitely not ordinary street spies, but rather like desperate outlaws from the martial arts world."
Su Moqing stood by the window, gazing at the seemingly idle peddlers outside the courtyard, her fingertips gripping the window frame tightly. Cao Jin acted swiftly; he had just delivered the letter and already sent people to monitor her.
It seems impossible to send a letter to Shen Rulan through ordinary means. If we are not careful, they will find out and not only will the letter fail to be sent, but we may also alert them.
She hesitated for a moment, then a resolute glint flashed in her eyes. She said to Lin Xiao, "Sister Lin, please prepare some things for me—a set of the most ordinary maid's clothes, a bucket of kerosene, and some flammable waste paper and wood chips."
Lin Xiao was taken aback, then understood her intention, and a look of worry appeared in her eyes: "Mo Qing, what are you going to do..."
“Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to take the risk.” Su Moqing said firmly, “They are watching us closely. Only by creating chaos can I take the opportunity to go out and deliver the message. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
Around midnight, thick smoke suddenly billowed from the kitchen of the villa, followed by a raging fire.
"Fire! Fire!" the maid on night watch shouted, and the courtyard was thrown into chaos.
Lin Xiao and his servants shouted for help while fighting the fire. The neighbors nearby were also alerted and rushed over with buckets of water to help.
Taking advantage of the firelight and chaos, a petite "maid" carrying a food box, head down, mingled with the crowd of onlookers and quietly slipped out through the back door of the villa.
This "maid" was none other than Su Moqing in disguise—she had removed her hairpins and jewelry, changed into coarse cloth clothes, and smeared some ash on her face, making her look no different from an ordinary maid. Inside the food box, on the surface, were a few pieces of pastry, but at the bottom, carefully wrapped in oiled paper, was a secret letter.
She walked briskly, not daring to stop for a moment, heading straight for Zhang Mingyuan, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. The situation was urgent; only by seeking his help could she quickly uncover the conspiracy of Cao Jin's remnants.
At the entrance of the Censorate, the gatekeeper, seeing that it was a young maid delivering snacks late at night, immediately became impatient and waved his hand to drive her away: "Go away! How dare you just walk into the Censorate? Get out of here and stop getting in the way!"
Su Moqing quickly took out a jade pendant from her bosom and handed it to the gatekeeper. It was a mutton-fat jade pendant with the words "Qingfeng" engraved on it. It was a gift from her to Zhang Mingyuan, the Imperial Censor, after she helped him clear his name.
"Please trouble you to give this to Lord Zhang," Su Moqing said in a low, urgent voice, "tell him that Su Moqing requests an audience to discuss important matters concerning the safety of the court, and begs Lord Zhang to grant me this audience."
Seeing that the jade pendant was of excellent quality and not an ordinary object, and hearing her earnest words, which did not seem like she was lying, the gatekeeper hesitated before taking the jade pendant and turning to enter the courtyard.
Before long, the gatekeeper hurried out and said to Su Moqing, "Lord Zhang wants you to come in. Follow me."
Su Moqing followed the gatekeeper through several secluded corridors and was led to a simple side room.
The door opened, and Zhang Mingyuan was sitting at the table waiting. He was dressed in casual clothes, his face grave. Upon seeing Su Moqing, he was startled at first, then stood up and stepped forward, his voice full of worry: "Moqing? What are you doing here? And dressed like this? Has something happened in the palace or the Shen family?"
Su Moqing quickly bowed and saluted, then took out the secret letter from the bottom of the food box and handed it to him. She then recounted in detail how Cao Jin's remnants forged family letters, sent people to monitor the villa, and how she discovered the "Jin" mark on the letter and suspected that Cao Jin had infiltrated the capital.
Zhang Mingyuan's expression grew increasingly grave as he listened. He tightened his grip on the secret letter, his brow furrowed. "Cao Jin was under tight surveillance during his exile. How could he have escaped? Although many of his former subordinates fled back then, most of them hid in the Jiangnan region. Now, they dare to sneak into the capital. Their schemes must be quite ambitious. If they succeed, not only will the Shen family be in imminent danger, but it will also likely implicate more court officials and cause a major disaster."
He pondered for a moment, then his gaze hardened: "This matter should not be publicized. If we alert Cao Jin, it will only provoke him into desperate measures. I will secretly mobilize manpower to investigate the whereabouts of Cao Jin and his remnants. You must stay at home and avoid any further risks. If there is any unusual activity, immediately have Lin Xiao send someone to deliver a message to me."
Su Moqing quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your help, Lord Zhang. I am deeply grateful."
“This is what I should repay, no need for formalities.” Zhang Mingyuan waved his hand. “It’s late, we shouldn’t stay here any longer. I’ll have someone take you home, please be careful on the way.”
Just as Su Moqing risked leaving the mansion to deliver the message, an uninvited guest arrived at the Shen family mansion in Yangzhou, a thousand miles away.
It was late at night when Shen Rulan was handling salt accounts in her study. Suddenly, she heard a series of urgent knocks on the door, accompanied by faint cries for help.
Shen Fu went to open the door and saw a person standing outside wearing a black cloak with the brim of the hood pulled down very low, covering most of his face. He was covered in blood and barely breathing.
Upon seeing Shen Rulan, the man staggered forward and knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing: "Young Master Shen, save me! I am Zhao Qi, formerly Cao Jin's bodyguard. Now I am willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light. Please, Young Master Shen, grant me a way out!"
Shen Rulan's eyes narrowed, and alarm bells rang in her mind. Zhao Qi? Cao Jin's personal bodyguard? Why would he suddenly appear in Yangzhou and ask her for help? There must be a trap here.
She calmly sized up the person in front of her and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Qi? Wasn't your master Cao Jin already exiled? Why aren't you serving by his side? What brings you to Yangzhou? Could it be that your master sent you to test me, or to set some kind of trap?"
Zhao Qi raised his head, revealing a face covered in blood and grime, with a hideous scar on his hand, exactly as described in Su Moqing's letter.
He coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his voice weak but urgent: "Young Master Shen, please understand! Cao Jin bribed the escorting officials during his exile and has already escaped. He has already infiltrated the capital! He sent me to Yangzhou to deliver a message to you, saying that he has planted spies in the palace, intending to frame Miss Su Moqing for treason, thereby bringing down the Shen family and avenging our exile years ago. But I..."
He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a deep, bone-revealing wound on his chest, blood still gushing out, a horrifying sight: "Cao Jin suspects I've secretly sided with the Shen family and sent his henchmen to silence me. I fought my way out, escaping all the way to Yangzhou, begging only Young Master Shen to take me in and give me a way out! I'm willing to reveal Cao Jin's conspiracy in its entirety to help Young Master Shen resolve this crisis!"
Shen Rulan looked at him coldly, her heart still filled with doubt. Cao Jin was inherently suspicious, and Zhao Qi was his confidant, so how could he betray him so easily? This wound might also be a ruse.
"Why should I believe you?" Shen Rulan asked indifferently. "Words are meaningless; who knows if what you say is true or false?"
As if prepared, Zhao Qi pulled out a black token from his pocket and presented it with both hands: "This is a token used by Cao Jin to communicate with his accomplice in the palace. The character 'Jin' on the token is a variant of his private seal. He also said that in three days, he will have a secret meeting with his accomplice at Ciyun Temple in Xishan to discuss how to frame Miss Su. If Young Master Shen does not believe me, you can send someone to verify it!"
Shen Rulan took the token and ran her fingertips over the "Jin" character mark on it—the strokes and the depth of the engraving were exactly the same as the "Jin" character mark described in Su Moqing's secret letter! It seems that what Zhao Qi said was not entirely fictitious.
She stared at the token for a long time, then suddenly said, "Chenfu, take him downstairs and find a quiet room to settle him in. Then call a doctor to treat his injuries. Keep a close watch on him and don't allow him to move around freely or have any contact with him."
"Yes, young master." Shen Fu responded and stepped forward, leading Zhao Qi away.
After Zhao Qi left, a figure suddenly emerged from behind the screen—it was none other than Lin Zhennan, the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort). He said to Shen Rulan, "Young Master Shen, this man's words should not be trusted. Cao Jin is cunning and treacherous, and Zhao Qi, as his personal bodyguard, must also be a vicious person. His sudden defection might be a counter-espionage plot set up by Cao Jin to throw us into disarray."
“I know.” Shen Rulan toyed with the token in her hand, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. “But whether what he said is true or false, this is the best opportunity to find Cao Jin right now. As long as Cao Jin is not eliminated, Mo Qing will not have peace in the capital, and the Shen family will always face a threat.”
She turned and walked to the desk, spread out the Xuan paper, ground the ink, picked up the brush, and wrote several letters overnight.
The first letter was to Su Moqing in the capital, informing her that Cao Jin had escaped and infiltrated the city, and urging her to be careful and not to go out easily. The second letter was to Zhang Mingyuan, an imperial censor in the Censorate, asking him to secretly send people to monitor Ciyun Temple in Xishan and verify the secret meeting three days later. The third letter was a secret letter to the governor of Jiangning, detailing Cao Jin's conspiracy and asking him to dispatch troops to assist in capturing Cao Jin and his remnants.
After finishing writing the letters, Shen Rulan carefully sealed them, affixed her personal seal, and summoned three trusted confidants, instructing them: "These three letters must be delivered to the recipients as quickly as possible, without any delays along the way, and must not be noticed by outsiders. If you encounter any obstruction, show them my tokens. If necessary, you can use the Shen family's businesses along the route to assist you."
"Your subordinates obey!" The three trusted men took the letter, bowed, and withdrew.
When the messenger set off, the east was already showing the first light of dawn, and the morning mist was thick, enveloping the entire city of Yangzhou.
Shen Rulan stood on the stone steps in front of the mansion gate, gazing in the direction of the capital, her eyes firm and resolute.
Mo Qing, wait for me a little longer. This time, I will definitely uproot Cao Jin and his remaining henchmen, clear away all obstacles, so that you can leave the palace in peace and return to my side.
Meanwhile, in the villa in the capital, Su Moqing had just returned from the Censorate and was exhausted both physically and mentally.
She was resting by the window when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard. Lin Xiao strode in with a secret letter in his hand, his expression grave: "Mo Qing, an urgent letter from Young Master Chen!"
Su Moqing's heart tightened, and she quickly took the secret letter, opened it, and read it.
When she read the sentence, "Cao Jin escaped during his exile and has now infiltrated the capital," the teacup in her hand clattered to the ground and shattered. She felt a chill run through her body; Cao Jin had indeed come!
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