Chapter 245: Estrangement
When the rooster crowed for the first time, He Tingfang opened his eyes.
The sky was not yet fully bright, the dim stars were about to disappear, and a hint of white appeared at the edges.
He sat up from the couch in the study, feeling a little dizzy.
He slept in the study last night.
Whenever he had something on his mind, he would spend the night alone in his study.
Because he suffers from insomnia, irritability, and loss of control, and he doesn't like to expose this side of himself to others.
He hopes that he can always sit back and relax.
Last night, he couldn't sleep at first and planned to just wait for Chou Laogui to bring people back to report the situation, but then he fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.
Although his head felt dizzy, his consciousness was clear. He Tingfang's first reaction was that he was worried that the old ghost had not come back all night.
If I come back, Chou Laogui will definitely be waiting for me at the door.
After knowing that Chou Laogui had not returned, He Tingfang keenly thought about how he could have fallen asleep?
He Tingfang immediately stood up from the couch, and his movements were so fast that he almost sprained his old waist.
He turned on the mechanism and entered the secret room to check whether the mother insect was dead or alive.
The candlelight trembled, and in the secret room, the shadows of several boxes swayed left and right.
The box on the east side was tightly closed and didn't seem to have moved at all, but He Tingfang suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart.
He opened the lid and looked inside -
Nothing!
With a bang, the box was knocked to the ground by He Tingfang, and nothing rolled out.
All the heart-eating poisonous insects disappeared.
In the dead silence, He Tingfang heard his heartbeat suddenly accelerate.
Not a single poisonous insect was left, which meant that he not only didn't know whether Chou Laogui and the others were alive or dead, but he also lost control of the rest of his assassins.
But he hid it so well, how could it be stolen?
The He Mansion was guarded both openly and secretly, and there were people on duty at night. Even his wife and son could not approach his study at will.
He slept in this study last night and didn't hear any sound.
But all the poisonous insects disappeared just like that.
He Tingfang forced himself to remain calm. After coming out of the secret room, he called all the guards who were on duty last night to question them.
All the guards said that they had not seen anyone approach the study last night.
At this moment, a very strange rumor popped up in He Tingfang's mind.
More than 20 years ago, a thief appeared in Beijing. He could steal even the treasure hidden under the owner's pillow without anyone noticing. It was said that this thief was good at the art of Qimen Dunjia, and could pass through walls and retrieve objects from a distance.
He Tingfang laughed when he heard the rumor, thinking it was just the talk of a fool and a false rumor.
But at this moment he suddenly felt that the rumors from more than 20 years ago corresponded exactly to the current situation.
However, he wouldn't believe the rumors now that he didn't believe them then.
He Tingfang suspected that there was a traitor in the mansion and wanted to investigate thoroughly.
He Tingfang called the housekeeper over and told him to check the identities and backgrounds of all the servants in the mansion again.
If there is any suspicion, bring the case directly before him for trial.
After giving the order, He Tingfang sat in the study and thought carefully.
Ever since the death of the group of people from the Minghe and Mingshui, he has had fewer capable people at his disposal, otherwise he would not have sent out Chou Laogui.
But looking at the current situation, it seems that Chou Laogui and the others will not survive either.
Black Mountain Mansion is indeed a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers are everywhere, and Hao Ren should not be underestimated.
But they have only been in the capital for a few months. When did they plant a traitor in the He Mansion?
Could it be a spy planted by the emperor?
It was still bright outside, and He Tingfang didn't know how long he had been thinking in the house.
Until there was a knock on the door and someone came to report:
"Master, there's news from the palace gate that Hao Ren has just entered the palace."
He Tingfang tightened his grip and gripped the armrest of the armchair tightly.
…………
After a night, the flowers and plants in Heishan Mansion, which were nourished by blood and dew, became more colorful.
Everyone was catching up on sleep, except Hao Ren and Su Zhizhi, father and daughter, who got up, rubbing their eyes.
One is going to the martial arts school to study, and the other is going to the palace to meet the dog emperor.
Heishan Prefecture is close to the south city gate, far away from the martial arts school and the imperial palace.
The farther you live, the earlier you get up.
Aunt Cai, who lived in the courtyard next door, saw Hao Ren and his daughter coming out and came over to ask:
"Boss Hao, was everything alright in your house last night? My old man and I heard some noise in your house last night. You should pay attention."
"If that doesn't work, spend some money and ask the monks from Ciguang Temple to come and perform a ritual."
Last night, Aunt Cai heard some ghostly howling sounds in a daze, which scared her so much that she got goose bumps in the middle of the night. She thought the wronged ghosts from the haunted house next door had reappeared.
Hao Ren showed a hint of apology on his face:
"There was some dispute at my house last night, so there was some noise."
Aunt Cai looked at Hao Ren's dark circles and breathed a sigh of relief. "So that's what's going on. It's a quarrel between husband and wife. You should apologize and buy something for your wife. It's inevitable that couples will quarrel. Just don't make too much noise in the middle of the night."
Su Zhizhi nodded repeatedly, thinking that her father was very capable.
When he lies, he doesn't look like a liar at all, and even when he does bad things, he doesn't look like a bad person.
Hao Ren first sent Su Zhizhi to the martial arts school, and then went to the palace.
Su Zhizhi was sleepy when she woke up, but when she arrived at the martial arts hall, she was no longer sleepy at all.
“Zhizhi!”
"Pick the Wei!"
Su Zhizhi and Yuan Caiwei met at the entrance of the martial arts hall, and they hugged each other as soon as they met.
Yuan Chi personally sent his daughter to the martial arts school today and happened to meet Hao Ren.
Their eyes met for a moment, then they immediately looked away and passed each other, pretending not to know each other.
Yuan Caiwei pulled Su Zhizhi and smiled happily:
"Zhizhi, I just heard that Murong Ming and He Wenhan were both punished at home and can't come to the martial arts hall recently. He Wenhan seems to be unable to even get out of bed."
Su Zhizhi: "They went to Xiaoyaofang to gamble and lost a lot. Their families might be very angry."
Yuan Caiwei: "How do you know?"
Su Zhizhi: "I saw it. I was also in Xiaoyaofang that day. Quite a lot of people saw it."
Yuan Caiwei's eyes flashed with the excitement of listening to gossip: "Zhizhi, you've actually been there! Come on, tell me about it..."
The two little girls kept talking when they met, and only stopped when Coach Lin started teaching them.
Today, Coach Lin asked the students to divide into two teams and simulate a battle between two sides on the battlefield.
Su Zhizhi was very familiar with this. She had played with the Boy Scouts in this way when she was in Heishan Township.
"Use this place as the dividing line. The east side will be one team, and the west side will be another team." Coach Lin's division seemed very arbitrary, and the number of people on both sides did not match.
Yuan Caiwei said, "Master Lin, there are fifteen people on the opposite side, and we only have seven."
Coach Lin continued Yuan Caiwei's words and said:
"Yes, when we're actually on the battlefield, the enemy and our forces are rarely evenly matched in numbers. If we have the advantage in numbers, it's still easy. But what if the enemy has twice as many troops as us, or if we're surrounded by them? What should we do?"
"You will learn strategies and methods in Dr. Xiong's Art of War class. After learning, you must know how to put them into practice."
"Now, tell me, when the enemy is stronger than us, what strategies can we use to defeat the enemy with fewer troops?"
When Master Lin leaned forward like this, the students began to answer one by one:
"Empty City Strategy!"
"Feint to the east and attack in the west!"
"Lure the tiger away from the mountain!"
"Sneak into Chencang!"
"That...honey trap!"
"besides……"
Instructor Lin smiled and said,
"Yes, all of these can be used, but there is another strategy you haven't mentioned. What if the enemy is not just one force, but multiple forces working together? How should we resolve it?"
Su Zhizhi suddenly had an idea and raised her hand high:
"A plan to sow discord!"
…
Inside the Ganyang Hall, Hao Ren prostrated himself on the floor tiles with an anxious look on his face.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
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