Chapter 452 was just an accident.
"Oh shit!"
With a loud crash, the door was pushed open and slammed against the wall, making the roof beams tremble. Ma Xu stormed into the room and sat down, his face as dark as iron.
Following closely behind, Song Yu also walked in.
Although his expression wasn't good either, it was somewhat calmer than Ma Xu's burning anger. He simply walked over and said, "Old Ma, don't be so impatient."
"Impatient? Am I impatient?"
Ma Xu looked up at him, gritted his teeth and said, "That Dai Junliang keeps talking about the previous defeat. If it weren't for him, would I have suffered such a crushing defeat? Now the Ministry of War has sent people over, obviously to investigate the last battle. If I don't seize this opportunity to make a contribution, will I still be able to keep my head?"
What's your rush?
Song Yu slowly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him, saying, "Although the Ministry of War sent people over, the eldest young master is here, so he won't kill you."
"Then why won't he allow us to fight?"
"Didn't that just happen? After all, he's his brother, how could he—"
At this point, Ma Xu's expression changed again.
His previous anger subsided, replaced by a flicker of panic. He turned to look at Song Yu and asked, "Won't anyone find out about what happened just now?"
Song Yu immediately gestured for him to be quiet.
He got up and walked to the door, glancing outside. There was no one else around the house, and the guards were patrolling outside the courtyard wall. Only then did he feel relieved and closed the door. He then walked back to Ma Xu's side and sat down, whispering, "Be careful."
His appearance made Ma Xu even more uneasy.
Ma Xu said, "Just now, I noticed that the general's wife seemed to be staring at us the whole time. Do you think she might already know something? If this is discovered—that she plotted against a high-ranking official—we'll all be in trouble!"
What are you afraid of!
Song Yu frowned and said impatiently, "We took advantage of the chaos to take away all the medicines containing Uncaria rhynchophylla, so there's no evidence left. As for the windows, they ordered them to be closed tightly, but we just sealed them off when they weren't looking, and the front door too. Besides, the fire was set on the doors and windows, so that evidence is long gone."
At this point, he gritted his teeth again.
"I just didn't expect that among the group of old and weak women in that house, there would be such a capable girl."
"..."
"If I had known, I should have—"
Ma Xu also sighed deeply. This was something they had never expected. Who would have thought that the seemingly charming little maidservant beside the general's wife would have such strong skills?
No wonder she was able to come to Fufeng with the General's wife.
He suddenly remembered something and asked with some worry, "Tell me, when that girl came out, did she see anything? Did she see you?"
Song Yu said impatiently, "Didn't I tell you? My men left immediately after they finished what they did, and they're already—"
"..."
"Besides, everyone in the government office went to the front hall to welcome the eldest son, and we all went with them. She herself said that she couldn't find anyone in the backyard, so she rushed to the front hall and bumped into the eldest son. She didn't see any of our people there."
"..."
"So, there's no witness testimony or physical evidence, what can they do?"
Hearing him say that, Ma Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "That's good."
He thought for a moment, then added, "However, you said the eldest young master—"
Before they could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. Both of them immediately shut their mouths on alert. Song Yu rushed over and opened the gate. It was pitch black outside, except for a faint light far away outside the courtyard wall. It was a patrolling guard carrying a lantern, and several people were gathered together, seemingly talking loudly.
But soon, the people dispersed.
Ma Xu raised his voice and asked, "What happened?"
Upon hearing his voice, the guards hurriedly entered the courtyard and saluted the two men. One of them said, "Reporting to General Ma and Lord Song, it was just one of the general's personal guards who seemed to have gotten lost and wandered over here, asking us for directions."
"The General's personal guards?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Xu immediately frowned: "Who is it?"
The group looked at each other in confusion. One of the guards said, "It seems to be that guy named Nie Chong. I heard he was a bandit that the general subdued when he passed through Wanggang Village."
"Did he say anything else?"
"No, we gave him directions and he left."
Song Yu and Ma Xu exchanged a glance, remained silent for a while, then Ma Xu waved his hand, and the guards withdrew. The two returned to their room, and Song Yu closed the door again. Turning around, he saw Ma Xu looking anxious and saying, "That Nie Chong, did he hear what we were saying?"
Although Song Yu was also wary, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, saying, "They were so far away, and they were shouting and yelling. We couldn't even hear what they were saying. Besides, we just closed the door, so how could he possibly hear us?"
"..."
"If they had actually heard it, they should have sneaked away instead of asking people outside for directions."
Hearing this, Ma Xu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's true."
Song Yu laughed again, "Old Ma, you're still too nervous. This matter is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me. As long as you don't tell anyone, no one will know."
Ma Xu nodded.
In the stillness of the night, a glint of light suddenly flashed in his eyes as he looked up at Song Yu: "Then tell me, Young Master—"
|
The same night scene, but on the other side, it was a little noisier.
Several guards hurried out of the night, still carrying a burnt smell. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they bowed to Yuwen Qian and Shang Ruyi under the eaves and said, "Young Master, General's Wife."
Yuwen Qian asked, "How is it?"
One of the leading guards said, "We went to look for it as the lady and this Miss Wo Xue had told us. The box in the corner had been burned, and everything inside was gone. We didn't find any medicine mixed with Uncaria rhynchophylla."
Another person added, "The doors and windows were also burned down, and there were no signs of nails being driven into them."
"this--"
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue, who was standing next to Shang Ruyi, frowned and said, "How is that possible?"
Yin Changyue, who was standing to the side, thought for a moment and asked, "Then, Miss Woxue, when you rushed out of the fire to look for people, did you see any suspicious people around you?"
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Wo Xue could only shake her head.
She didn't see anyone suspicious, and it was precisely because she didn't see anyone that she panicked and bumped into Yuwen Qian.
Yin Changyue said, "In that case—"
As he spoke, he glanced cautiously at Yuwen Qian and Shang Ruyi.
The two stood under the eaves, the lanterns above illuminating their equally bright eyes. Upon hearing those words, both pairs of eyes flickered, revealing a strange unspoken understanding in the pitch-black night.
Shang Ruyi looked up at Yuwen Qian and asked, "Brother, what do you think?"
Yuwen Qian said calmly, "I just arrived and don't know much about the details. You should make the decision, sister-in-law."
All eyes turned to Shang Ruyi.
She pondered for a moment, then looked up with a faint smile in her eyes and said, "If that's the case, then perhaps it really was just an accident."
"Young Madam?!"
Wo Xue, standing to the side, stared at her with wide eyes. Although she knew she shouldn't interrupt at this moment, she couldn't help but say, "But—"
Shang Ruyi frowned slightly, signaling her to be quiet, and then said, "In the fire, it was extremely dangerous, and we were so dizzy from the thick smoke that we inevitably had some illusions. Since there were no drugs that could cause unconsciousness, no one nailed the windows shut, and no one set fire to the area, then there's no need to investigate this matter any further."
Yin Changyue immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
You must understand that he is the military supervisor for this expedition, and he is responsible for overseeing all affairs in the army. If there is any attempt to assassinate the general, and it almost succeeds, then he, as the military supervisor, will be held accountable.
Now that it was an accident, although I will inevitably be held accountable when I go back, at least I don't have to be so worried.
So he said, "Of course it is."
Although he breathed a sigh of relief, Mu Xian, Cheng Qiao, and the others standing on the side of the crowd couldn't help but frown.
However, at this moment, no one dared to say much. Shang Ruyi had already said to Yin Changyue and Dai Junliang, "Although it was an accident, this kind of thing cannot be allowed to happen again. Starting today, please have the army specially allocate a group of people to protect the General's safety. They will be stationed around this courtyard. Without my and my elder brother's orders, no one is allowed to approach without permission. This group of people will be led by Shan Tong'er, Mu Xian, and Cheng Qiao in shifts."
After saying that, she looked at everyone and asked, "What do you think?"
Those around her were surprised that she could be so clear-headed and make such a decisive choice at this point, and they all nodded in agreement.
Shan Tong'er immediately said, "It's all my fault today. I went to eat and that's why—I'll lead them on patrol all night tonight, I'm not eating!"
Seeing his guilty and honest expression, Shang Ruyi smiled faintly.
He nodded and said, "Okay."
After saying that, she looked up at Yuwen Qian beside her and asked, "Brother, is there anything else you need to tell me?"
"..."
Yuwen Qian looked down at her, remained silent for a long while, and then shook his head: "No."
Shang Ruyi said, "Then, let Shan Tong'er be in charge tonight. The rest of you may leave. Unless it is extremely urgent, do not disturb the General again."
Upon hearing this, Yin Changyue and the others did not dare to linger. They quickly bowed and then took their leave.
Mu Xian and Cheng Qiao also apologized and left the courtyard.
The two turned and walked out of the courtyard gate. Cheng Qiao looked back again, his eyes showing some doubt. He said softly, "Don't you think the young mistress is acting a little strange?"
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