Chapter 79 Returning South
Xiao Qing shared her doubts with Zhao Youchen.
Zhao Youchen witnessed Xiao Qing's keen insight once again, and after thinking for a moment, asked, "What does Your Majesty suspect?"
"When General Zhao snatched that note, Mei Shu struggled violently, so he must have valued it very much. Logically speaking, a dying person would want to keep something they cherish with them, but I asked so many questions just now, and I didn't mention the note at all. Mei Shu didn't ask about it either. Isn't that strange?"
"Then?"
"The handwriting is a man's, and Mei Shu seems to listen to Huang Rui a lot. Did they have any prior relationship?"
Zhao Youchen was startled.
"So Your Majesty is waiting for the Grand Tutor to return?"
Xiao Qing nodded, "If I were to investigate these matters, they might be easily leaked, just like the commotion at Chengde Palace these past two days. So although I have suspicions, I will not investigate. Mei Shu was placed by the Grand Tutor to be by my side, and I think the Grand Tutor should know something about her."
Zhao Youchen frowned and muttered under his breath, "It seems the Grand Tutor isn't always right. Mei Shu has such serious problems, yet he was still able to be assigned to His Majesty's side."
"What did you say?" Xiao Qing didn't hear clearly.
Zhao Youchen quickly replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. So what do we do now?"
"Send a few men to guard Mei Shu's cell day and night. Even if they don't find anything, as long as Mei Shu is safe, the truth should come out when the Grand Tutor returns."
"Then why not bring Mei Shu out?" Zhao Youchen felt this was not in line with the young emperor's style.
Xiao Qing glanced at him. "Doesn't General Zhao have experience in military campaigns?"
Zhao Youchen was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed: "Your Majesty is truly putting what you've learned to good use!"
He bowed and took his leave to run errands.
Xiao Qing muttered to himself, "It would be even better if we could find Huang Rui's handwriting."
Ma Hong and Liu Yi hadn't gone out yet. At this moment, the two looked at each other, and Ma Hong said, "Your Majesty, this is not difficult."
Liu Yi also said, "Those on duty in the palace prison every day have to sign and leave their seals, this must be Huang Rui's handwriting."
These records need to be archived and preserved, but it's not impossible to obtain them if we think of a way.
Find some old records, secretly take one, read it, and then secretly put it back. It's hard for anyone to find out.
Xiao Qing thought this method was feasible.
Ma Hong and Liu Yi exchanged a glance and then went to carry out their tasks.
At this moment, Xiao Qing couldn't help but sigh.
For some reason, she suddenly had a strange thought that the Great Xiao Dynasty deserved to perish.
All indications suggest that the dynasty was operating in a strangely nonchalant manner.
Its continued existence is a miracle, isn't it?
That evening, Ma Hong and Liu Yi indeed brought back Huang Rui's handwriting.
However, even after examining the note carefully with his naked eyes, Xiao Qing was still unable to prove that the person who wrote it was Huang Rui.
Indeed, someone like Huang Rui couldn't write calligraphy with such spirit and integrity.
However, if it weren't for Huang Rui, Mei Shu's attitude and behavior would be even more difficult to understand.
Xiao Qing scratched her head, feeling like her brain wasn't working properly again.
She felt as if someone had dragged her by the foot into an infinitely expanding small circle, and worse, she seemed to have lost her way out of the circle.
What are the people behind her trying to do?
If Mei Shu wanted to harm her, there was no reason for him to go to the trouble of saving her at the South Training Ground.
If Mei Shu hadn't reacted quickly, she really would have been stabbed.
But if Mei Shuruo didn't want to harm her, why did she contact people multiple times, change the shoes, and even remind them to run away?
That's so contradictory.
Regardless, she couldn't think of anything for the time being. Although Wang Xiang had posted wanted notices extensively, he couldn't find anyone for the time being, so she had no new leads.
However, after this incident, Zhao Youchen increased the defenses of Chengde Palace considerably, and personally inspected it from time to time, without letting his guard down for a single day.
As late July approached, the sun grew increasingly scorching, cicadas began to chirp at night, and a large army that had set out from Ping'an City in the north finally arrived in Nanhua City.
There's a little anecdote here, which is related to Xiao Chongle, who was sent as an envoy to the northern barbarians.
Xiao Chongle was a truly straightforward person.
He requested to go to Beidu, which subtly revealed his passionate desire to save the Grand Tutor at all costs. However, when he reached Jiangzhou, south of Xiaoshui, he had to stop his hurried pace.
On the one hand, he had heard that their beloved Grand Tutor Fu and a group of hostages had already set off for Xiaoshui; on the other hand, he needed to inquire about, and even deal with, the matter that the messenger who assassinated the young emperor had said about the Jiangzhou garrison refusing to allow the people of Daxiao to enter the city for refuge.
The result of the inquiry was that although the garrison commander also felt that this was very unfair, his reason was still quite plausible—to prevent spies from infiltrating.
The great Xiao kingdom was already bad enough to be divided in two by the Xiao River. If spies from the Northern Barbarians were to infiltrate Jiangzhou City, which borders Dingzhou to the south, and if this led to the loss of half of the Xiao kingdom, including Dingzhou, he felt he would have no reason to live anymore.
This is a sinner for all time, isn't it?
So he thought it over and over again before making this decision.
Moreover, he felt that these people could also go to places like Yuzhou and Yaozhou, which are also on the south bank of the Xiao River. Although they are not as prosperous as Jiangzhou, survival would not be a problem.
Xiao Qing was unaware of the economic and political situation in the various states of Da Xiao, but the garrison commander of Jiangzhou was very familiar with the situation along the Xiao River.
However, Xiao Chongle disagreed.
Xiao Chongle seemed to possess an idealistic romanticism. He felt that while the Jiangzhou garrison commander's considerations were reasonable, preventing his own people from entering his own territory was absolutely inappropriate.
So each of them had their own reasons, and they argued about it for a while.
Because of this delay, he eventually met the returning army in Jiangzhou City.
When fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears.
Many of these hostages were members of the Xiao clan. They were all pampered in the large family of the royal family and would occasionally attend gatherings together to maintain their relationship. So, it was natural that they felt particularly close and emotional upon seeing each other again.
Even if Xiao Chongle was unreliable in normal times, he knew at this moment that he had to comfort the hearts of his relatives, young and old, who had endured so many hardships and were riddled with wounds.
However, when he came to his senses, he discovered that their beloved Grand Tutor was not among the returning group!
He must have missed something.
After repeatedly inquiring and confirming, he learned that the Grand Tutor had traveled alone.
Oh my god!
why is that?
Xiao Chongle, accompanied by a group of personal guards, no longer lingered in Jiangzhou, but went directly out of the city to find the Grand Tutor.
How could we let the Grand Tutor go alone? Do you know how dangerous that is?
When the city gate opened, the group rushed out. The alert refugees quickly surrounded them, trying to squeeze through the gap, but were soon forced back by the merciless iron spears.
This scene would occur every time the city gates opened. On that day, the large army returning south deliberately chose to enter the city at night, but it still could not be avoided.
Xiao Chongle glanced back from his horse, then suddenly pulled on the reins, turned around, and shouted, "Those who want to live, head west! What's the point of hanging yourself from one tree?"
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