The atmosphere in Hecheng was eerie at this moment!
The usually bustling streets were deserted; everyone retreated indoors after the gong sounded to signal the end of the street.
In the streets and alleys, there were only squads of running soldiers and galloping cavalry.
You could still hear the sound of banging on the door in the distance; that was the team entering the house to search.
The Qi residence was bustling with people, and the servants they kept were busy preparing their weapons: broadswords, short spears, and poison needles.
Qi Kexian also changed into a neat set of clothes. If he couldn't rescue Qi Heng today, he planned to hide in the grasslands and incite the Di tribes to attack Hecheng.
He then informed his relatives in the capital that Zhao Tinglei had colluded with the Di people, massacred imperial merchants, and was plotting a rebellion.
With the support of the eldest princess and the imperial concubine, even though Zhao Yanjiao is now the Duke of Anguo, this matter cannot be resolved peacefully.
The Dilu grasslands had always been a major concern for the Wu Dynasty.
How to live with tigers was a method that even emperors sought to find.
Qijia's use of commerce to navigate the complex relationships among the Di and Lu tribes was also a means of seeking peace.
If the city falls into chaos and Xiashi Pass is lost, the newly enthroned emperor will be in serious trouble.
However, before that, Qi Kexian must first clear himself of all charges.
Qi Heng and the others need to be found; we will risk our lives for them.
We also need to send those people from the old mountain forest in the villa out as soon as possible. If they fall into the hands of the Zhenbei Army, we won't be able to clear our names.
"Master, the group from the villa left He City half an hour ago and has already passed Xiashi Pass!" someone reported.
Qi Kexian nodded, feeling slightly relieved.
The moment Qi Heng disappeared, he sent someone to notify the villa, instructing the group from Lao Shanlin to leave Hecheng through the secret passage and then find the route he had already planned to take to exit the pass.
As long as no one catches him red-handed, he has nothing to fear from the garrison's search.
As for Qi Heng... he believed that his nephew was intelligent and knew better than he did what could and couldn't be said.
The Qi family has been operating in Hecheng for decades, so it's very easy for them to find out things.
Only after the initial panic subsided did they learn everything that had happened inside and outside the restaurant.
Even Qi Heng's bizarre story was revealed to be true.
Although the details are not clear, when the third master of the Qi family went missing, someone saw a noblewoman from the Di tribe jump from a private room into a carriage. The carriage was then picked up by the Zhenbei Army in the city and went directly out of the city into the military camp outside the city.
This is clearly a route for deliberately kidnapping hostages.
This also clearly indicates that Qi Heng is in the hands of the Zhenbei Army, and the search throughout the city is simply for that evidence.
No matter how powerful the Qi family is, they cannot infiltrate the Zhenbei military camp. Even if they know Qi Heng is inside, they are powerless to do anything about it.
Only in the garrison headquarters, which was riddled with informants and had become like a sieve, was the location of Lin Qingyuan and his two companions crystal clear.
However, Lin Qingyuan is currently under tight protection, and his spies cannot get close.
There was another person who angered Qi Kexian and whom he wanted most: the "noble lady of the Di tribe"!
The noblewoman from the Di tribe is currently in the garrison's residence, in a small courtyard with only a few maids.
He didn't know if this was bait deliberately left by Zhao Tinglei, or if it had some other meaning...
Regardless, this noblewoman from the Di tribe is key to Qi Heng's disappearance.
And those two censors from the Censorate...
As time passed, another night fell, and the city remained brightly lit.
Some people were dragged out of the house crying and screaming, while others tried to escape but were quickly caught.
Although this thorough search came suddenly, the well-trained Zhenbei Army, accustomed to obeying orders, regarded it as a bloodless military training operation.
But they soon found themselves in a much more relaxed situation.
There were more than twenty corpses in an ordinary house, the blood on them still wet. This was also a key search area.
Urgent whistles sounded throughout the city!
Inside the garrison headquarters, Zhao Tinglei kept assigning people to his post.
Because they missed Song Liyun's invitation the night before, dealing with it now is a bit of a surprise.
Fortunately, the Zhenbei Army had always been under his command, and the several thousand men were as easy to direct as his own arm.
Within an hour, the security at Xiashi Pass was upgraded, the pass was closed, and personnel movement was prohibited.
There were guards every three steps and sentries every five steps in the city, making it impossible for some people to escape. This was something Zhao Tinglei had wanted to do for a long time.
Previously, he was just a commander of the Zhenbei Army. With the old emperor's hint, the local government and the Zhenbei Army were at odds.
Aside from unpleasantness over military supplies and provisions, the Yunzhou garrison and the Hecheng government had no other relationship.
Now that Zhao Tinglei has become the garrison commander, the Qi family is constantly hindering him. They are in cahoots with all the merchants in the city, forming an impenetrable wall, making it impossible for him to intervene.
But today is different. Qi Heng has gone missing, the Qi family is in disarray, and while the Qi family is searching for him, the Zhenbei Army is also taking the opportunity to search for him.
Moreover, during the day, they captured dozens of hangers-on in the restaurant, catching the merchants of the city, who were originally allied together, off guard.
In a short period of time, the Zhenbei Army conducted a thorough search of half of the city.
Song Liyun leaned against the window, watching the commotion outside.
The Anhua Courtyard where she lived was not just one courtyard, but several independent courtyards, which were prepared by the garrison for officials who came and went on official business.
Two of the Censors from the Censorate also lived here.
Separated only by a wall, the commotion outside reached Anhua Courtyard, making the maids and servants very nervous.
Inside Song Liyun's room, a maid had already come twice to ask if she wanted tea, and a maid had come twice to add lamp oil.
Just as the maid came in for the third time to ask Song Liyun if she wanted a midnight snack, Song Liyun stopped her and asked, "What would you like a midnight snack?"
The maid was taken aback for a moment before replying, "There's usually some porridge warming up on the stove at this time!"
Song Liyun raised an eyebrow. He came to ask if she wanted a late-night snack, but didn't know what it was. How strange!
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
