novelAbuy Chapter 101 How could Qin Mu possibly be here? Impossible!
Chapter 101 How could Qin Mu possibly be here? Impossible!
Countless thoughts flashed through Xu Fenghua's mind in an instant.
Who is it?
Did Cao Wei have other allies in Jiangnan?
Or...someone from the imperial court?
No.
If it were someone from the imperial court, they would have acted long ago. Why wait until now?
Who could it be?
Xu Fenghua felt increasingly uneasy as she thought about it.
She turned abruptly to look at Zhao Si:
"Immediately send more men to thoroughly investigate Cao Wei's escape route! We must find him alive or dead! And Ying Qi, we must find his whereabouts!"
"Yes!" Zhao Si bowed and accepted the order, and was about to leave.
Xu Fenghua added:
"Also, inform our people in the capital to keep a close watch on Cao Wei's movements. Report back immediately if they spot him!"
"clear!"
Zhao Si hurriedly retreated.
Xu Fenghua was the only one left in the room.
She stood by the window, gazing at the bright sunshine outside, but the unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
Cao Wei's sudden departure, Ying Qi's sudden disappearance...
All of this seemed like a harbinger of an impending storm.
"Who... is behind this?"
Xu Fenghua muttered to herself, her fingers unconsciously gripping the window frame.
The sunlight shone on her face, and a thick layer of gloom shrouded that beautiful and dignified face.
She had a premonition—
Something big is about to happen.
And she had to be prepared.
No matter who the opponent is.
No matter what price to pay.
Xu Fenghua slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with a cold, resolute look.
"Pass down the order," she called out, "From today onwards, Listening Rain Manor is on high alert. No one is permitted to enter or leave without my permission!"
"Yes!" came the guard's reply from outside the door.
Xu Fenghua turned around, walked to the desk, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote a letter.
The letter was written to the North.
This was written to her younger brother, Xu Longxiang.
She had to tell him everything that had happened here as soon as possible.
Whatever Cao Wei's departure means, whatever the reason behind Ying Qi's disappearance...
The Xu family must all make preparations.
After writing the letter, Xu Fenghua folded the letter paper, put it in an envelope, and sealed it with sealing wax.
Then, she summoned a trusted guard:
"Send this letter to the Northern Border as quickly as possible and deliver it to the Crown Prince personally."
"Yes!" The guard took the letter, bowed, and withdrew.
Xu Fenghua stood alone in front of her desk, gazing at the setting sun gradually sinking in the west outside the window.
The golden afterglow bathed the courtyard, casting a warm hue over everything.
But Xu Fenghua's heart felt as if it had sunk into an ice cellar.
.......
Xu Fenghua sat on the soft couch for a full hour.
The light and shadow outside the window gradually shifted, creeping inch by inch from the west window frame up her skirt, and then inch by inch from the skirt down to the ground.
The ledger lay open on his lap, but the handwriting was illegible.
She tried to sort out the various anomalies of the day.
Cao Wei's sudden departure, Ying Qi's disappearance, the overly coincidental shortage in the accounts, and the lingering unease in my heart, like a venomous snake.
Each point of doubt may have an explanation when viewed individually, but when put together...
What a coincidence!
It was as if a meticulously woven net was closing in on her from all directions.
However, the clues were too scattered, and the key points seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog. No matter how she deduced, she could never find the core of the net.
Who exactly is pulling the strings behind all this?
Those powerful officials in the court who are at odds with the Xu family? Merchants in Jiangnan who covet the Zhao family's business? Or perhaps... that person in the palace?
Thinking of Qin Mu, Xu Fenghua frowned even more.
A secret report from the northern border the day before yesterday said that the Emperor had returned safely to the capital.
Even traveling day and night at full speed, it would take five days to travel from Suzhou to the capital.
Given the scale of the emperor's procession, it would take at least half a month to arrive.
Qin Mu should be in the capital right now, enjoying the company of his newly acquired concubines.
Including Jiang Qingxue, whose foolish younger brother was sent to the palace.
Thinking of this, Xu Fenghua felt a complex mix of emotions.
There was guilt towards Qingxue, unease about her brother's decision, and above all, a resolute resignation born of helplessness.
The path has been chosen; we can only move forward.
She took a deep breath, closed the ledger, and placed it on a small table to the side.
There's no point in watching any further.
The most urgent task is to untangle this mess.
"Someone come here."
The maid who was guarding the door responded and entered.
"Prepare the carriage." Xu Fenghua stood up, her pale purple skirt cascading down like water. "Back to the manor."
"Yes, Miss."
After the maid left, Xu Fenghua slowly walked to the dressing table.
A beautiful but slightly tired face was reflected in the bronze mirror, and a deep amber eye held an undisguised seriousness.
She raised her hand to tidy up a few stray strands of hair at her temples, then took out a red gold hairpin inlaid with rubies and carefully inserted it into her hair bun.
Hongxiu Pavilion was not her real home.
Her home was in the west of the city, in the Zhao family's mansion, which covered fifty acres and had countless pavilions and towers.
That was her battlefield, and also the foundation of everything she had built over the past six years.
About fifteen minutes later, the carriages and horses were ready.
Xu Fenghua walked out of Hongxiu Pavilion surrounded by a group of guards.
The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, so she squinted slightly as she looked at the carriage parked in front of the courtyard gate.
It was a carriage that was entirely black and decorated in a very simple manner. If it weren't for the small "Zhao" emblem on the shaft, anyone who saw it would have thought it was an ordinary carriage belonging to some merchant.
This is her habit.
In Jiangnan, she rarely used those luxurious carriages that displayed her status, preferring to travel in this inconspicuous way.
"Miss, please." Zhao Hu, the head of the guards, respectfully opened the car door.
Xu Fenghua nodded, lifted her skirt and was about to get into the car when she suddenly stopped.
She turned and looked at the open window on the second floor of the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
The spot where she was sitting.
For some reason, the unease in my heart did not dissipate after I left; instead, it became even stronger.
"Miss?" Zhao Hu noticed her hesitation.
Xu Fenghua looked away and shook her head: "It's nothing."
She bent down and crawled into the carriage, sitting down on a cushioned seat.
The carriage was not spacious and its furnishings were very simple. There was only a small bookshelf fixed in one corner, on which several account books and a few rolls of maps were neatly stacked.
The carriage slowly started moving and drove out of Tingyu Villa.
The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a regular "rumble" sound.
Xu Fenghua leaned against the carriage wall, closed her eyes to rest, but her mind was constantly processing all the possibilities.
Where could Cao Wei go?
What exactly did Shadow Seven encounter?
Was the shortage in the accounts accidental or intentional?
These problems are like a tangled mess; the more you think about them, the less you can untangle them.
About half an hour later, the carriage passed through most of Suzhou and stopped in front of the main gate of the Zhao residence.
Xu Fenghua opened her eyes and lifted a corner of the curtain.
Then, her brows furrowed instantly.
There was no one in front of the mansion gate.
There were no guards, no gatekeepers, and even the vendors who used to peek around the neighborhood were nowhere to be seen.
The whole street was eerily quiet.
The sun shone fiercely on the vermilion gate, and the two gilded characters "Zhao Mansion" on the lintel gleamed, yet they exuded an indescribable deathly stillness.
"What's going on?" Xu Fenghua's voice came from inside the carriage, tinged with coldness.
Zhao Hu clearly sensed something was amiss. He dismounted, quickly walked to the carriage, and lowered his voice:
"Miss, the gates are unguarded... This is unusual."
That's certainly unusual.
As the residence of the Suzhou Textile Commissioner and one of the wealthiest merchants in Jiangnan, the Zhao family mansion was usually guarded by at least four guards on duty, along with several gatekeepers and servants.
Even if the owner goes out, it is impossible for the place to be completely empty.
What alarmed Xu Fenghua even more was...
She couldn't sense any familiar presence within the mansion.
There were no footsteps of patrolling guards, no sounds of servants sweeping, and no noise of the cook preparing dinner.
There was nothing there.
The entire mansion was like a dead house.
Xu Fenghua's heart sank little by little.
She pushed open the carriage door and stepped down.
The pale purple hem of her skirt brushed against the carriage shaft, shimmering softly in the sunlight, yet it contrasted sharply with her icy expression.
"Zhao Hu," she called out.
"Your subordinate is here." Zhao Hu bowed.
"Send someone in to check," Xu Fenghua paused, then added, "Be careful."
"Yes."
Zhao Hu turned around and pointed to the most agile young guard beside him:
"Ah Qi, climb over the wall and go in to find out what's going on. Remember, don't do anything rash, and come back out immediately if anything seems amiss."
"Understood." The guard named Aqi clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.
He was small in stature but extremely fast. With a few leaps, he silently scaled the three-zhang-high courtyard wall and disappeared into the mansion.
Xu Fenghua stood in front of the door, waiting quietly.
Time passes little by little.
One breath, two breaths... ten breaths, twenty breaths...
There was no sound coming from inside the mansion.
There were no sounds of fighting, no warnings, and not even footsteps.
Ah Qi disappeared without a trace, like a drop of water falling into the ocean.
Xu Fenghua's face turned completely cold.
problem occurs.
And it's by no means a trivial matter.
"Miss..." Zhao Hu's voice was grave, "A-Qi, he..."
"I know," Xu Fenghua interrupted him, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed vermilion gate. "Prepare to leave."
"Withdraw?" Zhao Hu was taken aback. "What about the manor..."
"Leave here first." Xu Fenghua's voice was firm. "Go back to Tingyu Manor, gather manpower, and then we'll discuss this further."
She is not an impulsive person.
The current situation is clearly a trap.
Regardless of who is in the trap or what their purpose is, it is never wise to rush in.
Zhao Hu clearly realized this as well, and immediately replied, "Yes!"
He turned around to give the order, just then—
"Squeak—"
A long, heavy creak of a door hinge turning was particularly jarring on the deathly silent street.
The tightly closed vermilion gate slowly opened inwards.
Xu Fenghua's pupils suddenly contracted!
She stared intently into the doorway, her muscles tensing instantly, her inner energy circulating quietly through her meridians.
She would act immediately at the slightest sign of trouble.
However, the interior was not as treacherous as one might imagine, filled with swords and ambushes.
There was only an empty space.
The bluestone pavement in the front yard gleamed in the sunlight, the corridors on both sides were quiet, and the century-old locust tree in the center of the courtyard cast a huge shadow.
Then, a soft female voice came from the depths of the shadows.
"Madam Zhao, His Majesty requests your presence."
The sound wasn't loud, but it traveled clearly to the ears of everyone outside the mansion.
Xu Fenghua was shocked!
His Majesty?
Qin Mu?
How is that possible!
Her first reaction was that it was absurd!
This must be fake news; someone is deliberately creating a false impression to lure her into a trap.
The secret report from the day before yesterday clearly stated that the Emperor had returned to the capital. How could Qin Mu possibly appear in Suzhou, a thousand miles away, in just two days?
Even if he abandoned all his entourage and traveled light with only a few guards, day and night... it would still be impossible to be this fast!
Not to mention Qin Mu's personality, that young emperor who was rumored to be pleasure-seeking and fond of extravagance.
How could anyone possibly endure such a tiring and exhausting journey?
fake.
Must be fake.
Countless thoughts flashed through Xu Fenghua's mind in an instant, but her face remained expressionless.
She tilted her head slightly and gave Zhao Hu a wink.
Zhao Hu understood and made a silent hand gesture.
The dozen or so guards immediately scattered, each seeking cover, while simultaneously placing their hands on their knife hilts, ready to fight at any moment.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
At this tense moment—
A figure staggered out of the door.