Xin He froze at the words: "Disbanded?"
"Yes, I noticed it was disbanded when I came from the prefecture city this morning. There are hardly anyone left there now." Madam Song casually shared this without giving it much thought.
Xin He’s face fell, her eyes becoming colder: "Such a large group of refugees, all settled near Junming Mountain, how could they suddenly disperse?!"
Moreover, Mu Houchu specifically chose this place to settle the refugees, for better management and to prevent those with ill intentions from making trouble in Yu State. Now Madam Song was telling her that the refugees had dispersed and there was no one left. Where had all these people gone to?!
Xin He felt her heart racing its beats. She knew from the start that this matter was not simple, but she couldn’t figure it out, clouded by confusion. An outline of the truth was now emerged, making her increasingly nervous.
The storm was inevitable!
Madam Song was stunned, clearly not understanding the significance of this matter. She didn’t understand why Ji XinHe, who was usually calm, suddenly became so riled up. However, she was too distracted to ponder, and embarrassingly said: "I don’t know, I just noticed it when I passed by this morning. It seems they all dispersed in different directions, maybe...."
Madam Song paused, "It is just a few refugees, what harm can they do? You don’t need to worry, right?"
Xin He’s face was grim, but she tried to appear calm: "Never mind, you don’t have to worry about it, Madam Song. Feel free to leave."
Madam Song seemed to realize that Xin He had some matters to deal with, so she nodded, bowed, and took her leave.
"Shulan, see the guest out." Xin He said in a deep voice.
"Yes."
Just as Shulan accompanied Madam Song out, Xin He immediately called Xiaoyu in. With a gloomy face, she asked: "Where are the people I sent to monitor Junming Mountain? Why did I have to hear about such a big movement of refugees dispersing from a passerby like Madam Song?!"
Xiaoyu’s face changed at her words, she stuttered: "The people we sent haven’t returned yet, perhaps... they have been discovered."
Or even captured!
No wonder there had been no news from the refugees in Junming Mountain area since last night.
Xin He massaged her temple in annoyance, "This incompetent fool!"
But she had to admit, it wasn’t necessarily these people’s fault for being ineffective. Duan Lan was just too cunning!
How could an ordinary person guarantee successful management of such a cunning person?
At this moment, Shulan walked in and said, "Your Highness, Xiaochaohuo has arrived."
Xin He rubbed her temples and said, "Let him in."
Yesterday, considering that Xiaochaohuo had just finished his exam, Xin He didn’t want him to be worn out, so she’d let Xiaoyu assign a clever servant to monitor the situation on Junming Mountain. But now it seemed like leaving this matter to a random servant rather than Xiaochaohuo was far less reliable.
All these years, he’s never messed up a thing, saving Ji XinHe a great deal of worrying.
Xiaochaohuo strode in and saluted, "I heard about the trouble near Junming Mountain, Your Highness. Please let me go and investigate."
"Only you can handle this. The refugees have dispersed and there’s nothing we can argue about. The only thing we need to clear up is where these refugees have dispersed to! These people must still be in Yu State. Duan Lan wouldn’t willingly stay quiet after bringing these people to Yu State. We must figure out the whereabouts of these refugees!" Xin He ordered sternly.
"Yes."
"Go, but be careful." Xin He said.
Xiaochaohuo nodded his head, then turned and quickly left.
"Xiaoyu." Xin He called.
"Yes."
"Send someone to inform His Highness quickly."
Xin He felt that Marquis Mu might not be unaware of this, after all, this place was his territory in Yu State. It would be impossible for Duan Lan’s movements to escape his eyes.
But Xin He still wasn’t at ease, she felt that she should tell him about it.
Since Duan Lan knew that he couldn’t hide from Marquis Mu, he intentionally evaded her? What was Duan Lan planning?
The more Xin He considered it, the more she felt that something was wrong. She felt restless in the room; her fingertips tapped rapidly on the table, her beautiful face clouded with worry.
Xin He sat there thinking, and the maids in the room conscientiously withdrew, leaving only Shulan and Xiaoyu. Even their breathing became much quieter.
About half an hour passed in this tense atmosphere, Xiaochaohuo rushed back.
"What happened?" Xin He immediately asked.
Xiaochaohuo’s face was slightly red, his forehead covered with sweat; he had obviously ridden hard without stopping: "It seems the refugees headed towards the Honghua Valley. They all dispersed in different directions, so it’s hard to track them."
Xin He’s face darkened: "Honghua Valley? What are they planning to do?"
Xiaochaohuo shook his head: "I’m not sure yet, but I’ve received news that His Highness is aware of the situation and is rushing to Honghua Valley. Maybe everything will be fine."
However, Xin He shook her head with a complex expression: "No, it shouldn’t be."
"What does Your Highness mean... "
Xin He said coldly: "Duan Lan has planned so much and stayed in Yu State for so long, he certainly knows how deep Mu Houchu’s influence is in Yu state. He also couldn’t think that these refugees could walk to Honghua Valley without Marquis Mu noticing! Under the current circumstances, it’s not clear who’s in the dark! Who knows if we’ve caught Duan Lan on the move this time, leading us to Honghua Valley, or if Duan Lan is intentionally luring us there?"
To be exact, was he luring Marquis Mu?
After all, Duanlan removed her spy, indicating that he didn’t want her to go there, he only wanted Marquis Mu to go.
The more Xin He thought about it, the more alarmed she became. What she thought of, Marquis Mu certainly would have thought of, but he still went. Marquis Mu must be aiming to take the risk to achieve his goal, but what danger laid hidden behind this?
Xiaochaohuo frowned: "But there’s not much we can do right now. If Your Highness rushes to Honghua Valley recklessly, and if Duan Lan has set a trap, then it would be like walking into the spider’s web. The loss would outweigh the gain."
Of course, Xin He wouldn’t be that foolish. If she went to Honghua Valley now, and Duan Lan had indeed set a trap waiting for Marquis Mu, she would only be a hindrance. She wasn’t one to lose her head for love.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
