Madam Yu was stunned. She herself hadn't expected this, but He Jiu Niang had been keeping it in mind for her.
"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law!"
Yu's eyes were filled with tears, but her face was smiling; she was truly grateful to He Jiuniang.
"We're family, no need for thanks. But now that we're in Jingzhou, it's uncertain whether we can still find it. Sister-in-law, you need to be prepared."
He Jiuniang held her hand and said earnestly, "That's the downside of ancient times. There was no way to communicate, so once you were separated, it was almost impossible to see each other again."
“I know.” Madam Yu nodded. “I left in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to go back to my parents’ home to say goodbye. I was prepared never to see them again in this life.”
Yu smiled sadly. The main reason was that she had heard from the villagers that her mother's village had been abandoned a long time ago. If her family still cared about her, they would have asked someone to let them know. But she hadn't received any news, and her heart gradually grew cold.
"Yes, it's good that you're so optimistic, sister-in-law."
He Jiuniang didn't know how to comfort people; she knew she had to figure things out herself first.
Madam Yu wiped away her tears and said, "Now that our family has safely arrived in Jingzhou, I am already very content. Besides, my family has treated me very well, so I have nothing to complain about. Third sister-in-law, don't worry, I will remember your kindness."
He Jiuniang repeatedly said no need, and pulled her to a random pharmacy to buy the cheapest wound medicine. Then they went to stroll around the streets to watch the excitement.
Behind them, two people emerged from behind the wall and entered the clinic; they were the two constables from earlier.
Not long after, the two came out of the clinic again, their faces showing some confusion.
"You're saying so many of them were injured, yet they didn't come to see a doctor, but just came to buy some medicine? And the cheapest kind of wound medicine at that!"
Big Head was a little confused. They were so badly injured, their first priority after getting the money should have been to see a doctor. Why were they only buying medicine?
Old Li glanced at him and said, "What do you know? Farmers are struggling to make ends meet; they're definitely reluctant to spend money!"
"Alright, now that we've confirmed it's the right one, let's go. I'm starving!"
The reason the two of them secretly followed He Jiuniang and the others was because they were afraid of being tricked and punished later. Now they felt much more at ease.
Qin Jian had already returned to the capital and told Prince Chen the news that He Jiuniang had told him. Prince Chen was also very surprised, but after careful consideration, he felt that it made sense.
"No wonder they know so much about our movements, they're one of us."
Prince Chen sneered, finding the game increasingly exciting.
"Who does Your Highness think it could be?"
Qin Jian looked at Prince Chen with a solemn expression, and couldn't help but feel that there was no kinship in the royal family. If it was really those brothers of His Highness who did it, it was truly heartbreaking.
Prince Chen shook his head: "I don't know."
He genuinely had no idea what his brothers were doing behind the scenes, despite their usual cheerful demeanor.
What angered Prince Chen was that, with the country beset by internal and external troubles, their infighting was understandable, but if they helped Nan Tai to deal with him, they would not be let off lightly!
"You said the assassin has wolf fang-shaped tattoos, then send people to investigate this pattern carefully and see what forces are behind it."
Prince Chen rubbed his head, and Qin Jian agreed, then said, "Your Highness, I took it upon myself to give the waist token to that family, allowing them to settle in Jingzhou City. I beg Your Highness to punish me."
"I opened Jingzhou City to refugees, what crime have you committed?"
"That family has able-bodied men."
Qin Jian hung his head. The emperor had ordered able-bodied men to be conscripted into the army, but he had secretly sent them to Jingzhou City. To put it bluntly, this was tantamount to deceiving the emperor.
Prince Chen didn't react much. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's alright. That family saved you and gave you such important information. They've already done a great service. Let them go."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness."
Qin Jian was about to leave when a guard outside shouted, "Your Highness, an urgent report from 800 li away!"
Chen Wangchao gave Qin Jian a look: "Take it in quickly."
Qin Jian went outside to retrieve the letter and returned. Upon seeing the words on the envelope, his eyes lit up: "Your Highness, it's news from Nan Tai!"
Chen thought Nan Tai was up to something again, so he hurriedly got up to pick up the letter and read it. After a moment of stunned silence, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad! I was right about Sun Qi! When he returns, I will reward him handsomely!"
Upon hearing Prince Chen mention his good brother's name, Qin Jian became somewhat excited, clearly eager to know what the letter contained.
Fortunately, Prince Chen trusted him enough to show him the letter directly. The next moment, his expression was exactly the same as Prince Chen's.
"He actually killed the Crown Prince of Nantai! What a lad, he's really something!"
Previously, when Nan Tai learned that there was a drought here, he wanted to send troops. Prince Chen was anxious and didn't know how to solve the problem. Unexpectedly, Sun Qi solved his urgent problem cleanly and efficiently!
"Yes, he infiltrated the Prince of Nantai's residence alone to assassinate the prince, and yet he managed to escape unscathed. He's a promising talent! It wasn't for nothing that I saved his life back then!"
Prince Chen beamed with joy and said, "Now that the crisis has been resolved, there's no need to send the letter I asked you to deliver earlier. Make proper arrangements for investigating the assassin before you meet up with Sun Qi. Tell him to take good care of his life. When he returns, I'll ask my father to grant him the title of Grand General! Hahahaha!"
The head of the Southern Tai Crown Prince alone is enough to warrant a reward, not to mention how much useful intelligence Sun Qi has sent back to him over the years.
The Southern Thai royal family didn't have many children to begin with; only the crown prince survived to adulthood. Now that the crown prince is dead, the court will inevitably be in turmoil, and there will be plenty of work to be done.
"yes!"
Qin Jian felt no jealousy whatsoever; he was genuinely happy for his brother. This was his brother's ability, and he deserved it!
After spending the night in the refugee camp, He Jiuniang got up and went out before dawn. The smell was so strong that it made it hard to open her eyes, let alone sleep peacefully.
After walking quite a distance, she took a deep breath and felt as if she had finally come back to life.
She went to the government office gate early in the morning to wait for the two constables from yesterday to come out, and then hurriedly went to greet them.
"Officers, these are our lost family members. I've drawn their portraits and written their names below them. Please help us keep an eye out for them!"
As she spoke, she calmly took out an ounce of silver and handed it over, a smile plastered on her face.
The two constables were surprised that she was so generous. Yesterday, she bought the cheapest medicine, which cost only a few coins. Now, however, she took out a tael of silver to ask for help, which aroused suspicion.
"If I remember correctly, most of your family members are surnamed Lu, but this family is surnamed Yu. How can you say this is your family?"
"Brothers, you may not know this, but these are my sister-in-law's family members. Since they live in different villages and did not travel together, we have lost all contact with them. My sister-in-law is very anxious, so I thought I would come here to ask you two for help."
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