Upon hearing the news of her loved ones' whereabouts, Aunt Meng burst into tears once again.
“I still have the letter they sent back a few days ago, with an address on it. You can just go to that place to find them,” Zhao San said, taking out the carefully stored letter.
Aunt Meng took the letter, feeling its weight in her hand: "Zhao San, thank you so much this time."
“Auntie, why are you being so polite with me?” Zhao San said, standing up. “You’ve been traveling for so many days, you must be exhausted. Rest here for a while, and I’ll go next door to tidy up for you so you can stay there tonight.”
After he finished speaking, he immediately went out.
Aunt Meng didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to sleep.
Seeing how relaxed she was, Zhou Wan and Tie Xiong breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to take a short rest.
...
When the people sent by Agina met Qi Guze, he was discussing matters with Pei Xuan.
"You're right, Zhang Ting is indeed suspicious." Although Qi Guze was reluctant to admit it, the evidence was now laid out before him, making it difficult for him to disbelieve it.
However, he never expected that Zhang Ting would have any connection with Maimaiti.
Pei Xuan's face hardened. "Your Highness, once we find suitable land, we can return to Chang'an. Be careful during this time; we shouldn't fall into their trap. However..."
Both of them knew that, given Maimaiti's current behavior, finding suitable land would be extremely difficult.
"We can only take it one step at a time..." Qi Guze was pondering a solution when a voice suddenly came from outside. "Is His Highness the Regent inside? I am a guard from Princess Agina's side, and I have come on her orders to invite you both to the palace." The messenger explained his purpose.
Pei Xuan already harbored extreme distrust and even resentment towards the people of the Mingyue Kingdom. Seeing the people who came to invite them to the palace naturally made him even more displeased, not to mention that they needed to focus all their energy on the land.
Only in this way can they go home as soon as possible.
He was about to refuse when Qi Guze interrupted him.
"We'll go right away. Wait a moment, and we'll set off." Qi Guze interrupted him directly.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Qi Guze quickly gave him a look.
The people outside retreated to a distance, and Pei Xuan hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, we still need to inspect a few more plots of land today, how can we..."
"Lord Pei, you mustn't read these Confucian classics in such a pedantic way," Qi Guze quickly chuckled. "We do want to see the land, but as long as Maimaiti is with us, no matter how much land we fancy, it will never fall into our hands..."
"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Pei Xuan thought bitterly.
Qi Guze chuckled and shook his head: "In that case, let's take a different approach and start with the little princess."
Pei Xuan seemed to understand, but he knew that he must have his own reasons for doing so, so he simply stopped asking and went out together.
Just as the two were preparing to enter the palace with the guards, Maimaiti and Zhang Ting returned.
Although Zhang Ting was somewhat displeased that Qi Guze had abandoned her and rushed back, she still smiled when she saw him and casually asked, "Your Highness, where are you going in such a hurry to come back?"
Pei Xuan's gaze toward her was filled with coldness.
Qi Guze, who was standing to the side, glanced at her indifferently and then said, "The little princess has invited us to the palace, so she must have something important to discuss. We cannot delay her."
For a moment, he was actually somewhat relieved that the people Princess Agina sent were just in time, and he could use them to appease these two people.
Although Zhang Ting still had something to say, after thinking for a long time, she could only swallow it and watch them enter the palace.
On one hand, Xu Yuehuai frankly expressed her thoughts, and Jiang Shichen and Jiang Qianqian realized the seriousness of the problem.
The two obediently returned to their original seats and continued to bury themselves in their studies, neither of them mentioning going to find Ah Qi again.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Zhenguo had already arrived at the Marquis of Ningyuan's residence.
These two men were required to serve in the same court, but they had never interacted before. However, since they were both important officials in the court, their interests were somewhat conflicting, and they had even less contact with each other in private.
At this moment, Marquis Ningyuan was quite surprised to see the newcomer, but he still put on a smiling face. However, his words were somewhat sarcastic: "Oh, what wind blew the Duke here? I happen to have a bottle of fine wine here. Today, let's drink until we're drunk together."
"My lord, there's no need for such a grand banquet. I've come today to ask you for the person. Once I've received him, I'll leave immediately." Knowing that the man before him was a cunning fox, the Duke of Zhenguo didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Ningyuan's face immediately darkened.
He thought Xu Yuehuai was a man of principle who would never seek help from others, but he never expected that he would actually find the Duke of Zhenguo. In that case, he had no choice but to give him face.
However, despite this, Marquis Ningyuan continued to feign ignorance: "What do you mean by that, Lord Guo? I don't quite understand."
“My lord, there’s no need to play dumb with me. I already know that you’re the one who captured Third Sister. Whether you have some past grudges or you’re trying to use her to threaten Xu Yuehuai, I have to tell you clearly, my lord—” The Duke of Zhenguo stared intently at him, his eyes filled with icy coldness, “I’ll protect the people from Tianxiang Tower.”
Since things had already come to this point, Marquis Ningyuan naturally had no reason to continue pretending.
He sneered: "I have heard that the manager of Tianxiang Restaurant in Yixing is your daughter who has been missing for many years, which is why you are protecting her like this. However, seeing is believing and there is no conclusive evidence. Perhaps she is not your daughter. If so, all the effort you have put in will have been in vain."
"Lord Duke, you should think this through. Do you really want to become my enemy for someone who isn't your daughter?" Marquis Ningyuan's eyes were filled with mockery.
Now that he has Ah Qi as an assistant, his chances of winning have increased considerably.
The Duke of Zhenguo had never considered this question; he simply did not believe that Xu Yuehuai could not be his daughter.
However, since Marquis Ningyuan had already asked, he pondered for a moment.
After a long pause, he raised his head and said, "Whether she is my daughter or not, I will always protect Tianxiang Tower."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com