Chapter 1042: Old Friends Again (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Are you looking at me?
Upon hearing this, Cui Hui couldn't help but take a closer look at the man.
The man was of average appearance, the kind you'd easily lose in a crowd. She didn't remember ever seeing him before, but Qi Shan was a scholar with a literary heart, and he couldn't ignore his intuition. Cui Hui lowered his voice and asked, "Are you sure he was looking at me just now?"
If she were still sixteen, or could stay young like her father, she could indulge in self-admiration and say that the other person was looking at her because of her good looks. But she didn't possess either; her attire was quite ordinary. The fact that this person wasn't paying attention to Qi Yuanliang, who was traveling with them, but instead staring at her was rather intriguing. Could it be that he really came for her? Cui Hui racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution.
Qi Shan nodded and gave the accompanying bodyguards a look.
The man noticed Cui Hui looking at him and made an excuse to get up and leave.
I was stopped by someone at the alley entrance not far from the noodle shop.
He looked flustered: "What do you want to do?"
"Hehe, let's go."
Meanwhile, Qi Shan and Cui Hui ate their meal in peace.
Cui Hui's brows remained furrowed.
Qi Shan asked her, "Have you guessed his identity?"
"It could be from the Cui family."
Qi Shan asked in surprise, "Your ex-husband?"
Cui Hui nodded: "It's very likely that he's one of his people. Although we're divorced, the separation was relatively peaceful and dignified. In any case, I was once the mistress of the Cui family and the biological mother of his heir. Even for the sake of my three children, I can't let anything happen to me and leave a stain on their reputation. Based on this, it's possible that he secretly sent someone to protect me."
This world is too chaotic.
Although she possessed some martial arts skills, she was no match for a true warrior, and she would inevitably fall if outnumbered. During her years of wandering, she had encountered danger, initially attributing it to her own caution and good fortune. Now, however, she wondered if her ex-husband had secretly arranged for her protection. Cui Hui had a vague suspicion, but lacking evidence, she couldn't make a judgment.
Qi Shan: "They do sound somewhat respectable."
Cui Hui sneered, "Perhaps."
Her ex-husband was a true patriarch of a prominent family.
Before her wedding, she still harbored some longing for romantic love and was moved by her ex-husband's willingness to defy the pressure of their unequal social standing to make her his legal wife, and his unwavering commitment to never taking another woman after many years of marriage. If a man could go to such lengths for her, what else could she be but his true love? But her experiences after marriage made her realize that she had taken herself far too seriously.
True love may exist.
But compared to family and interests, it is insignificant.
Mentioning her unhappy thoughts, the noodle soup that had previously whetted her appetite lost its flavor. She quickly finished her meal and wanted to buy some household items. Qi Shan said, "I know the way well."
Although Qi Shan had been away from Fugu City for many years, the city's infrastructure had been meticulously renovated based on its original state. Some shops remained unchanged, and several shop owners even recognized him. Their reactions ranged from excitement to trepidation, all of them offering Qi Shan a discount. Qi Shan didn't take advantage of this: "It's wartime, and running a small business isn't easy..."
He paid the full price at the original price.
Cui Hui followed behind, marveling at the sight.
She never expected that Qi Shan would still have such a high reputation after so many years.
When she traveled with Qi Shan, many people mistook her for Qi Shan's family member and addressed her as "Madam." Based on her years of experience managing the Cui family's household affairs, she knew that these merchants were offering prices close to cost, and practically offering buy-one-get-one-free deals.
Qi Shan said, "I didn't expect that either."
The two returned home laden with their spoils.
Qi Shan escorted her to the courtyard where she would stay temporarily, and patiently instructed her repeatedly: "Stay here for now. If you need anything, just ask someone to get it for you. If you encounter any problems that you can't solve, go to the main camp to find me, or find your father. As the situation becomes more tense, there will be more and more spies from the Gao Kingdom in Fugu City. If it is not necessary, try not to go out to avoid getting into danger."
Cui Hui wrote them down one by one.
Suddenly, she asked him, "Is it because you feel guilty?"
Qi Shan holds a high position and wields great power; why should he personally handle these matters?
Besides feeling guilty, Cui Hui couldn't think of anything else.
"I feel a little guilty, but mostly I'm grateful."
"Grateful? Because I helped you persuade your father?"
"This is only part of it; I still need to thank you for your understanding back then."
He has always been clear about his likes and dislikes.
Repay kindness with kindness, and avenge wrongs with revenge.
He responded to Cui Hui's kindness with harm.
"Thank me for my advice back then? But that didn't affect your later decisions." Cui Hui gave a helpless, bitter smile. "You, Father, my ex-husband, and perhaps my son—you ambitious people seem born to pursue profit and power, knowing how to weigh the pros and cons. As long as the reward is tempting enough, you're willing to sacrifice anyone and anything..."
As the one being sacrificed, she could only passively endure it.
Qi Shan could only choose to remain silent.
Just as the atmosphere between the two became tense, a figure quietly appeared. Qi Shan looked at the newcomer and asked, "What did you find out?"
Cui Hui was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure.
The visitor said, "That person does have problems, but..."
Qi Shan seemed to understand something.
He gave a wink, indicating that they should go inside and talk.
Qi Shan initially thought he had just caught a small fry by chance, but unexpectedly, he uncovered a lot of clues about big fish: "Tell me, what happened?"
The visitor explained in detail.
The person arrested was indeed an informant, but not one sent by the Cui family; rather, he was a retainer of the Mei family. When Qi Shan heard the surname, he didn't immediately connect it to an old friend, after all, there are far too many people in the world with the surname Mei or a similar-sounding surname.
Cui Hui, however, suddenly turned pale.
Qi Shan noticed her: "You know Mei?"
Cui Hui nodded, a bitter look on her face, and sighed, "If I'm not mistaken, this Mei must be her. My ex-husband's first wife, whom he divorced, had a capable right-hand woman by her side, and that person's surname is Mei."
Qi Shan: "..."
Why does this relationship sound so complicated?
He quickly sorted through the information and was speechless: "You mean to say that it was the former wife of the Cui family head who sent people to monitor you?"
Cui Hui hesitated, saying, "On the surface, it seems so, but in my opinion, that person doesn't seem to be narrow-minded or obsessed with love."
Given her current status, if she wanted, the head of the Cui family could be her male concubine, while she would merely be his second wife. It would be too easy for him to kill her.
Why bother sending someone to follow and monitor us?
That's giving Cui Kewu far too much credit.
As it turns out, things weren't that simple.
The informant did indeed have some connection to the ex-wife of the Cui family head, but he wasn't there for Cui Hui. According to information obtained through covert interrogation, the informant was sitting there to meet with his superior. It was just a coincidence that Cui Hui came by, and the informant recognized him.
Cui Hui was, after all, the matriarch of the Cui family, and the Cui family had a relationship with the lord whom the Mei family served. Naturally, the Mei family would take notice of the main members of the Cui family. The informant had seen Cui Hui before. At first, he thought it was a woman who looked very much like Cui Hui, and couldn't help but take another look. Then he realized that Cui Hui was the matriarch of the Cui family, and the man with her was also no ordinary person. He quickly looked away.
But it was just one glance that caught Qi Shan's attention.
Cui Hui was somewhat bewildered.
Qi Shan asked, "Do you know much about this Mei family?"
Cui Hui snapped out of his reverie and tried hard to recall any information related to the Mei family: "If it really is that Mei family member, then it should be Mei Jinghe."
"Mei Jinghe?"
Cui Hui said, "My understanding of her is mostly based on hearsay, and it's not accurate. I only know that she came from the Northwest, and her ancestral home seems to be in Sibao County or somewhere else. She came to Qi State with her family because of the war. She was extremely talented, and soon became a role model for noble ladies in the capital, attracting the admiration of countless noble sons. She associated with many noble sons, and later entered the Princess's court, going to her fiefdom with the Princess... When Qi State fell into chaos, the Princess led troops to defend the king and became regent to assist the new monarch..."
The new emperor was frail and sickly, and abdicated after only three months.
The person to whom the abdication was passed was that princess.
Qi Shan recalls the network of relationships between the people involved.
In other words, the Cui family head's ex-wife was the former princess of Qi State, and now the queen? He understood a little.
Attention was turned back to Mei Jinghe.
"In that case, this Ms. Mei is quite an extraordinary woman." Her surname and experiences reminded him of someone. "I know an old friend whose past experiences roughly match hers."
Upon hearing this, Cui Hui revealed a subtle expression.
Qi Shan coughed and said, "I didn't provoke them."
The guards continued their investigation along this lead, but the informant broke free from the control of the Word of Power at a crucial moment and committed suicide, leaving them with limited intelligence. Qi Shan said, "Wasn't this informant supposed to be making contact with his superior? Let him disguise himself and stake out his superior."
The disguise of "Masterful Hands and Painters" is so perfect that it's practically flawless.
As long as we can catch the so-called upstream supplier, the clues can be continued.
Qi Shan waited patiently for fifteen minutes.
The guards arrived late, but only brought back a corpse.
Qi Shan walked to the stretcher, lifted the white sheet, revealing a still-warm body. Cui Hui leaned closer for a closer look, then suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, "It really is her—"
She had seen this face when she attended a banquet at the Mei family's residence.
Another problem arises—
How did someone from the Mei family end up here?
If caught, should he simply commit suicide?
What secret are they trying to keep?
Qi Shan seemed to have figured it out: "Interesting."
Mei Jinghe now serves the ruler of Qi, and judging from Cui Hui's words, she is still a confidante. Such an important figure wouldn't have her people appearing in Fugu City out of nowhere. Considering the covert activities of the Southwest Branch of the Gods' Society and the restless ambitions of the southwestern continental nations, it's clear what these spies are after.
Cui Hui asked, puzzled, "What's interesting?"
Qi Shan clapped her hands: "Everywhere is interesting."
This matter needs to be reported back to the main camp as soon as possible.
"Keep the body safe and preserve it properly."
In this world of words, the mouths of the dead are not necessarily secure.
With the right methods, even a corpse can speak the truth.
The most elite personnel from the Ministry of Justice of Kang Kingdom were still on their way. Judging by the time, they should be able to arrive before the information about the body disappeared. Qi Shan planned to return to the main camp at dawn, but unexpectedly, he was awakened from his sleep by a commotion in the middle of the night.
The commotion came from the government office of the River Governor.
Qi Shan quickly got up and put on her clothes.
What's happening outside?
The guards rushed over to report.
Despite being heavily guarded, the two corpses vanished without a trace!
This news did not upset Qi Shan. He seemed to have expected it and waved his hand, saying, "I know about this. Did any of the soldiers on night watch see the appearance of the villains who stole the corpses?"
The guard replied, "I am incompetent."
The room where the body was kept was staffed inside and out.
They kept their eyes open the entire time.
The two corpses vanished into thin air.
Only a faint ripple of literary energy remained at the scene.
They tried to follow this lead, but ended up back in the main room where the body was kept, realizing they'd been tricked. By then, the trail had gone cold.
Qi Shan said, "That's enough."
He had anticipated that someone would steal the corpse in the dark.
"It's getting late, let's rest first."
Qi Shan went back to sleep for a while.
He slept until the sun was high in the sky before slowly making his way back to camp.
Upon returning to the main camp, they went straight to the wounded soldiers' camp.
The two bodies that disappeared last night are lying here.
Last night, he had two corpses found and disguised as Mei's spies. He secretly arranged for the bodies to be moved out of the city ahead of schedule and sent back to the main camp. He deliberately stayed in Fugu City for one night to mislead his spies, making them believe he was there to protect the bodies. Sure enough, the bodies were stolen in the middle of the night.
When will the main force arrive?
Qi Shan was curious about what secrets the corpse might hold.
It was actually worth the risk for the other party to steal it back.
"Two more days."
Qi Shan could only wait patiently.
When he thought of Mei Jinghe, he couldn't help but think of Lü Jue.
Where is General Lü Shousheng at this moment?
Such good news should be told to Lü Jue.
He calculated the time, thinking that the effects of [Miraculous Healing] should have worn off by now, and a sense of anticipation arose in his heart. He wondered what expression the poisonous spider would make when it saw the corpse so drastically altered.
When old friends meet, they always greet each other.
Mei Meng didn't react.
She noticed something was wrong as soon as the body was brought back.
Yesterday was supposed to be the day her informants returned with intelligence, but Mei Meng waited and waited without receiving any news. The person she was supposed to meet also didn't return, so she knew something was wrong. At first, she thought she had been exposed, but upon investigation, she discovered that the situation was somewhat dramatic.
Her people discovered traces of the former mistress of the Cui family in Fugu City.
Mei Meng didn't have a deep impression of that woman.
All that was known was that she came from a commoner background and was the wife whom the head of the Cui family had married despite facing immense pressure. Upon learning of this, the lord was dejected for two days, then mocked: "He didn't have the courage to stand by my side back then, but now he has the courage to marry a commoner as the mistress of the Cui family..."
Despite their deep affection, the head of the Cui family still divorced her.
The lord, his feelings a mixture of anger and displeasure, said: "Is that Cui woman doing this because she's worried I might harm her?"
Mei Meng speculated: [Perhaps it was pressure from the elders of the Cui clan?]
The Emperor could not possibly rekindle his old flame with the woman surnamed Cui; the two could not return to the past. However, others could still speculate about the Emperor's intentions. It was not impossible that Lady Cui, fearing that this mistress would displease the Emperor, would try to force her away. In Mei Meng's view, Lady Cui was also a pitiful woman, never expecting that she would cause trouble.
Why did Cui's former mistress appear in Fugu City?
Who is the man next to her?
These informants were all carefully cultivated, and they hadn't made a mistake all these years. It's utterly ridiculous that they were arrested and interrogated by a man simply for glancing at Madam Cui, thus exposing their true colors.
After investigating, her face darkened.
(ノ￣▽￣)
I stumbled upon some really outrageous gossip in the authors' group today...
(End of this chapter)
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