Chapter 84 You Must Wait for Me
When the officials at Tongzhou Post Station learned that Xie Yanzhi was about to arrive, they waited at the Tongzhou Ferry early in the morning, holding a manual for their subordinates to check him, feeling very uneasy.
No one knows who this man named Fang Weinian is, that he actually sent the heir of the Marquis of Jingnan to arrest him personally.
The official pondered for a moment and concluded that this boy must have some deep-seated grudge against the heir apparent.
but……
Just then, the official saw the three-story official ship approaching, with flags waving and a group of guards standing on the ship with their hands on their swords, looking quite impressive.
Xie Yanzhi stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the boat, looking in the direction of the ferry crossing.
The official raised his head slightly and glanced at Xie Yanzhi.
The young master of the Marquis of Jingnan was wearing a jade crown on his head and a brocade belt around his waist; he was handsome and refined.
He was also born with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and at this moment his thin lips were slightly pursed, his face was cold and stern, and he had a rather imposing presence.
As Xie Yanzhi disembarked, the official quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Your Highness..."
"Where is he?" Xie Yanzhi interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
Upon hearing this, the official's heart sank; this boy was indeed very important to the heir apparent.
He replied nervously, "Your Highness, the person you are looking for has never been to Tongzhou."
Xie Yanzhi glanced at the official, who felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead.
"How could there not be?"
"Have all the travel permits for people entering the city been checked?" Xie Yanzhi was already somewhat displeased.
The official said with great certainty, "I have checked all the travel permits issued in the past five days, and there is no record of Fang Wei Nian."
He even checked the travel permits from the past ten days, but still couldn't find the man.
Xie Yanzhi frowned: "Have you checked the inns and restaurants?"
The official quickly handed over the booklet in his hand and said, "This is the list of guests who have stayed at inns in Tongzhou City over the past ten days. I have looked at it and Fang Qing's name is not on it."
I couldn't find the travel permit, nor did I give it to the inn.
But since they came to Tongzhou, they needed a place to stay, a shelter.
Xie Yanzhi said coldly, "Are the people who have recently rented houses listed in the register?"
He had already sent a message through Yuan Qing, instructing the people here to keep a close eye on Shen Qingnian's whereabouts.
Upon hearing this, the official realized that he had indeed not considered things thoroughly or searched carefully.
He immediately knelt on the ground: "This humble official will investigate now. As long as the person is still in Tongzhou, we will definitely be able to find him."
Xie Yanzhi said coldly, "Besides the place I just mentioned, are there any other temples nearby?"
Perhaps Shen Qingnian and the others went to a temple to stay overnight.
"In addition, I also need the list of shop owners of newly opened shops in the city."
Shen Qingnian used to dream of opening a shop to sell scented beads. Perhaps she wouldn't open a shop so soon, but she still didn't want to let go of this possibility.
"While you're at it, check if there's a woman named Shen Qingnian here."
Upon hearing this, the official realized that such a large area needed to be searched, and that it wasn't enough to just investigate the man; a woman also needed to be investigated. He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
Judging from the prince's words, they would dig three feet into the ground to find this child.
However, he dared not show any sign of complaint on his face, and could only nod and say, "Yes, I will do it immediately."
"Hmm." Xie Yanzhi replied indifferently, but his gaze remained fixed on him.
Seeing Xie Yanzhi's hawk-like gaze, the official felt a surge of fear.
That look was clearly a warning to him: if he failed to perform his duties properly again, the prince would not let him off easily.
He knelt on the ground, not daring to move, until he saw Xie Yanzhi nod slightly. Only then did he cautiously get up from the ground and lead his men to begin a thorough search.
Xie Yanzhi glanced at the booklet in his hand. Regardless of what had happened before, now that he was here, Shen Qingnian would have no chance of escaping.
He wanted to see how long she could hide.
Zhenzhou.
In the dimly lit dungeon, Xiao Huaiyi, dressed in a white prison uniform, was sitting on a pile of withered grass.
At the prison gate, a man dressed as a guard bowed and said, "Young master, there are no unusual developments in the capital for the time being."
"However, Xie Yanzhi, the heir of the Marquis of Jingnan, recently informed the Emperor that he was heading south to Jiangnan to sweep the tomb of his birth mother."
"I wonder if he has any hidden agendas."
"Oh? Xie Yanzhi has left the capital."
Xiao Huaiyi wondered why Xie Yanzhi would return to his hometown to pay respects to his mother, since it wasn't Qingming Festival.
Suddenly, he remembered something, stood up, and asked, "Has anyone been to that courtyard in Tongzhou recently?"
Ever since giving the key to Shen Qingnian, Xiao Huaiyi has been sending people to keep an eye on the courtyard so as to take care of Shen Qingnian.
The guard shook his head: "No one went."
Xiao Huaiyi felt a little disappointed.
Is Miss Shen unwilling to leave the Marquis of Jingnan's residence?
“But recently, people have been searching inns in Tongzhou City, and even temples have been searched. They have been looking for a person named Fang Weinian for several days.”
When Xiao Huaiyi heard the name, for some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
He suddenly remembered that Shen Qingnian had told him about the origin of her name.
True purity lies in being clean and honest; true remembrance lies in never forgetting.
Fang Weinian, Fang Weinian, could this Fang Weinian be Miss Shen?
Xiao Huaiyi's depressed heart suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.
He then asked, "Do you know who is investigating?"
"I don't know for the time being, but I've heard that he's a distinguished person from the capital."
Xiao Huaiyi pondered for a moment. Xie Yanzhi had recently left the capital and gone south, and suddenly a powerful figure had appeared in Tongzhou, digging for someone.
To travel south to Jiangnan, one must first pass through Yunzhou, then Tongzhou, and finally reach Jiangnan.
Could it be that Xie Yanzhi is looking for Miss Shen?
This speculation made Xiao Huaiyi secretly excited.
When he saw Miss Shen's teary eyes that day, he knew that she would never want to be with Xie Yanzhi.
She has always been a good girl with integrity!
Thinking of this, Xiao Huaiyi was overjoyed. Sure enough, Miss Shen did not disappoint him.
He then stopped laughing and said in a serious tone, "Send someone to keep an eye on that courtyard!"
"If you see a young woman use a key to open the gate to that yard, you should stay by her side and protect her!"
Thinking that Shen Qingnian might have already left the Jingnan Marquis's mansion, Xiao Huaiyi really wanted to leave this prison cell immediately, appear in front of Miss Shen, and comfort her properly.
She was a frail woman, traveling alone to Tongzhou; the journey must have been arduous.
Then she thought about how Xie Yanzhi was still chasing her and she had to hide all day long, and she must be very scared.
How he wished he could protect her himself!
But he has to lie low here now and can't be by Miss Shen's side.
Thinking of this, Xiao Huaiyi couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
Gazing at the faint light in the cell, his eyes were resolute as he silently prayed, "Miss Chen, you must wait for me!"
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