Liu Yingying immediately pressed, "Where were those two children taken in the end?"
But Zhang Xiaohu shook his head regretfully and said, "The people from the Marquis's mansion are very cautious. Our people followed them for half the way, but in the end, they were still shaken off."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yingying sighed softly, "It's not an easy task to monitor the Yong'an Marquis's residence, and the brothers of the Qingyun Gang will have to keep a close eye on things from now on!"
"That's only right!"
Zhang Xiaohu felt extremely apologetic, as he had accepted so much money from the other party, yet he had failed to resolve the matter properly!
"Alright, brother, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I cooked you some noodles."
Zhang Hui brought out a bowl of noodles with minced meat sauce and placed it in front of Zhang Xiaohu, with several meat skewers on top.
Looking at the steaming bowl of noodles, Zhang Xiaohu couldn't help but show a happy expression on his face.
He was a rootless duckweed, and before meeting Huiniang, he had never enjoyed such a life, having someone prepare meals for him when he returned home.
"Hui-mei, you've worked so hard!"
Zhang Hui laughed and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? Hurry up and eat!"
After Zhang Xiaohu finished eating, Liu Yingying took out a portrait that she had prepared beforehand and handed it to him.
"Brother Xiaohu, I need your help with something!"
"What is it?"
Zhang Xiaohu took the portrait from her and saw that it depicted a man in his early twenties with extremely handsome features, but whose eyes revealed a fierce and arrogant look.
Liu Yingying: "Could you please have your brothers from the Qingyun Gang keep an eye out for this person in the capital?"
“Okay!” Zhang Xiaohu readily agreed.
Apart from Zhang Hui, none of the people present had ever seen Meng Renhun before.
The moment Zhang Hui saw Meng Renhun's portrait, her expression changed!
She glanced around, then lowered her voice and asked Liu Yingying, "Sister Liu, wasn't Meng Renhunhun executed long ago? How do you still have his portrait?"
"And who is Meng Renhun?" Xiaoxue asked curiously from the side.
“They are the notorious bandits of Xijiu Mountain in Ningzhou!” Xue Ye said in a deep voice.
At this moment, Zhang Hui suddenly thought of something and said with unease, "Sister Liu, do you suspect that Meng Renhun is not dead?"
"How could that be? That was an imperial decree..."
Liu Yingying composed herself and recounted what she had witnessed on the street that day.
"Maybe I'm just seeing things. The world is full of wonders, and it's not uncommon for two people to look very alike..."
That's what they say.
But the others could tell from the solemn expressions on Liu Yingying and Zhang Hui's faces that this was probably no coincidence!
If Meng Renhun is still alive and in the capital, what if he also discovers the existence of Liu Yingying and the others?
For her, it would probably be a disaster!
Huo Xizhi returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and vented his anger on the servants.
"You slut! You slut!"
"How can this common woman be so blind? She doesn't even respect our Duke's mansion?"
At this moment, the maids inside the room knelt on the ground in fear, while only Fu'en, a trusted confidante, stepped forward to quietly comfort them.
"Young Master, please calm down. Those lowly women are ungrateful; they are simply unlucky..."
"I think they should be taught a lesson so they know that the Duke's Mansion is not so easily refused!"
Huo Xizhi narrowed his eyes and looked at Fu En; "I'll leave this matter to you. Remember, my goal is not to disappoint my mother!"
Fu En nodded obsequiously; "Don't worry, I assure you, I'll make sure that Liu Shi obediently comes to the Duke's mansion to serve you!"
In the evening, Princess Jinyang dined with her two sons again.
During the meal, Huo Huaizhi deliberately asked, "Didn't Second Brother say he wanted to find a cook from that snack shop for Mother?"
"Has the person already arrived at our residence?"
Upon hearing this, a flash of annoyance crossed Huo Xizhi's eyes, but when he looked up, he regained his harmless smile.
"It's an honor for a mere cook to serve in the Duke's mansion; she's naturally willing!"
Then he said to Princess Jinyang, "I would like to ask Mother to wait two more days, since they need to deal with the shops first before they can enter the mansion."
Princess Jinyang didn't seem to mind, and looked at her youngest son with a kind smile, saying, "Xi'er, you're so thoughtful!"
She was naturally very satisfied with her youngest son, but she wasn't the same way when it came to her eldest son. And now, she suddenly emphasized something again.
"It's fortunate that I gave birth to you. Otherwise, with your father constantly fighting on the front lines, I wouldn't have had anyone to care for me in this huge Duke's mansion!"
Huo Huaizhi paused slightly in the hand holding the chopsticks.
He was only there to go through the motions and have dinner with his mother and brother.
Princess Jinyang's words sounded as if she was complaining that her eldest son never cared about or knew how to care for his mother.
"Mother!" Huo Huaizhi said calmly, "Is it because the servants and maids in the mansion don't serve you well that you feel like there's no one who cares about you in your own home?"
Princess Jinyang was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected her eldest son to ask such a question.
Huo Huaizhi then said seriously, "If these people below do not serve you well, I will sell them off for you now, and then pick better ones to use later."
"I will never let my mother feel such emotions again; it makes me sad to hear it!"
Princess Jinyang frowned slightly, as if placing her chopsticks on the table; she had indeed lost her appetite.
She felt that the eldest son did it on purpose!
Huo Xizhi quickly winked at Huo Huaizhi from the side.
But Huo Huaizhi seemed not to notice, and slowly got up to take his leave; "Mother, I have other matters to attend to, so I will be returning now!"
"Alright, go ahead!" Princess Jinyang waved her hand impatiently.
Once Huo Huaizhi left the courtyard, Grey Falcon, who had been waiting outside, could tell that his young master had once again had a falling out with the Princess and her son…
“My lord, I think you could learn from the second young master, so that the eldest princess won’t make things difficult for you.”
Huo Huaizhi did not stop walking, but instead uttered a light sentence: "It's alright, I'm already used to it!"
At night, thick clouds obscured the stars and moon.
As soon as Xue Ye entered the room, he sensed the presence of a stranger in the room tonight.
The room was dark, with no lights on.
The other party didn't seem to intend to attack him.
He closed the door behind him and took out the dagger that Liu Yingying had given him.
Who goes there?
Snap!
The lamp on the table suddenly turned on, and everything on the table in the room gradually became clear under the flickering light.
A man dressed in a black robe calmly walked out from the dark corner, looking at Xue Ye with a half-smile.
"Young Master Ye, do you still remember me?"
Xue Ye was suddenly taken aback, surprised yet seemingly expecting it; "No wind!"
He grew up with his mother in the Yiyue tribe and was protected by his maternal grandfather.
During the eight years he lived there, from as far back as he could remember, he was accompanied by calm winds and the beauty of flowers and the moon.
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