When dawn broke, the panicked citizens who had been listening all night opened their doors, but there was nothing wrong on the street.
As residents of the border town, we were already used to the military's emergency deployments, and the little commotion last night was quickly forgotten.
Mule carts carrying night soil shuttled through the streets and alleys, water carts delivering sweet water knocked on the back doors of each household, and the morning market of small vendors was bustling with activity.
Hecheng remains a prosperous border town.
Old Qian and Song Dekui went for a walk outside and bought breakfast for everyone before returning.
Abu went to the garrison headquarters again and saw that the people inside were busy, as if something big had happened.
Remembering the young mistress's instructions, he retreated without saying anything more.
Song Liyun and a few others gathered at the inn.
"Young Master Lin, the situation is unclear right now. You'd better leave Hecheng."
Song Liyun felt that the attack on the very night the garrison moved the Lin family out of prison could only mean one thing: there might be no secrets in Hecheng.
Or rather, the garrison, which should have been a military institution, had spies from the Qi family.
When it comes to underhanded scheming, those who play war games will never be as good as those who play fighting games.
Lin Qingyuan didn't try to hide his departure from the Lin family. The fact that he's safe and sound in the inn is mostly because of his usual image as a spoiled young master who isn't valued.
However, if the Qi family fails to destroy the Lin family and tries to use hostages to blackmail Lin Shouzhuo, then regardless of whether they are illegitimate or legitimate sons, as long as they are of Lin Shouzhuo's blood, they will all be captured.
The attitude of the garrison headquarters also raises suspicions.
They were clearly suspects, and they were being held in the garrison's prison. But they were being sent to ordinary civilian houses because the prison conditions were deemed too poor and inhumane.
This is like sending bait to the murderer. If the garrison discovers that the younger brother of the Qi family, who is related by marriage, is Lin Qingyuan, it's hard to say whether they will arrest him again.
Even if the Qi family wanted to openly kidnap someone, they couldn't.
The garrison has already deployed soldiers, and the next step will definitely be to put pressure on the Qi family by sealing off the city and strictly checking passageways.
The garrison will not break ties with the Qi family unless absolutely necessary.
The Qi family wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge the military camp on their own initiative. Judging from the Qi family's rules of conduct in Hecheng, they would definitely resort to a conspiracy.
Should matters of the martial world be settled within the martial world itself?
Song Liyun recalled the old mountain people that Lao Qian had mentioned.
Having not slept all night, Lin Qingyuan had dark circles under his eyes. He yawned and said, "The Qi family is serious now."
If we don't touch that group of people, they'll come to arrest me. If they can't catch me, they'll go to Pingyang Prefecture to arrest my mother and sister.
If we want to be absolutely sure, we should arrest a few members of the Qi family.
"That's a good idea! Strike the snake where it hurts most. The Qi family are human too, so let's hit where it hurts the most."
Song Liyun learned from Lin Qingyuan that the truly capable person in the Qi family now is not the patriarch Qi Kexian, but the second generation of the Qi family, namely Lin Qingyuan's elder sister's younger brother-in-law, Qi Heng, who is now thirty years old.
However, this person travels between the grasslands and the Wu Dynasty for many years. He is cunning and suspicious, has good skills, and always has three to five skilled followers with him. He never acts alone.
Song Liyun asked Lao Qian, "Is there a way to capture him without making a sound?"
Old Qian gave a wry smile: What can we do if we don't have enough manpower?
This time, Lin Qingyuan came to Hecheng in a prison van and only brought Lao Qian with him.
Song Liyun has a few more men, besides Fang Zheng and Guo Tong, there are also Abu and Song Dekui. If they want to find more manpower, they will need to go to the garrison headquarters.
Seeing that the garrison was already riddled with holes and wouldn't even reply to her invitation, Song Liyun gave up the idea of seeking help.
She was willing to marry Zhao Tingduo, but not for the glory of the Zhao family.
Whether or not he acknowledges this relationship is another matter.
Since there were no secrets in this tiny place called Hecheng, Song Liyun decided not to hide in the inn.
As a result, a special group of people appeared in the streets of Hecheng.
A woman dressed in a Di ethnic robe, with her hair in a small braid, wearing a white silk half-veil, and a circle of dazzling agate stones on her head, was surrounded by five or six people as she walked along the street, looking around.
The woman would occasionally stop in front of the shops selling perfumes and cosmetics, picking out things she liked.
Hecheng was a border town and the most convenient border pass for the Di people from the grasslands to enter the Wu Dynasty. Grassland merchants often passed through the pass.
The local residents, if not frequently, have at least seen the Di people once or twice.
Even in the brothels and alleys of the city, there were barbarian women.
But this is the first time I've seen something like this.
It wasn't just her dazzling jewelry that exuded an air of wealth; more importantly, she was incredibly generous when it came to buying things.
The woman casually pointed to the perfumes in the cabinet: "I don't want this one, this one, or this one. Wrap up everything else!"
The elegant young master Lin Qingyuan followed beside her with an air of nonchalance. As soon as the woman pointed, he would immediately take out his silver to buy it without even blinking.
Which tribe's God of Wealth is this from?!
Merchants from all over the city, well-informed, rushed over with their goods upon hearing the news.
"Beautiful girl, look at this silk. Only the pale purple color of the azalea can match your nobility!"
I heard someone using the Di language to promote their business.
Song Liyun simply stretched out two fingers to examine the items before nodding in agreement, looking as if she had never seen anything like it before.
Others swarmed in, hoping to make a sale for themselves.
Abu and Lao Qian stopped the people.
At a roadside restaurant, several people hurried upstairs, and someone immediately came to greet them: "Third Master, that纨绔 (playboy) from the Lin family has appeared, but we don't know when he started following the noble lady of the Di tribe."
"What Di noblewoman?"
Qi Heng walked into the private room facing the street and looked out the window. He saw Song Liyun and her group carrying a large pile of things as they came out of the shop.
Qi Heng narrowed his eyes slightly; he had met Lin Qingyuan before.
Although he looked down on a playboy who only knew how to fawn over women.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
