Page 398
Indeed, heaven has eyes, and when it seeks to destroy a man, it first drives him mad.
Just as we were worrying about not having a Letter of Challenge, here comes one weighty enough.
Once we confirm the details, both the Guo family and the Xue family can be destroyed in an instant, and then our family will no longer need to hide.
This matter is of great importance, and he dares not speak of it rashly, demanding to see the leader of the Internal Guard Bureau before he would reveal the clues.
Originally, he was only thirty percent confident, as accusing a family of crimes worthy of extermination is a grave accusation; he could not guarantee that the Guo and Xue families would dare to undertake such risk.
But after meeting with the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau, his confidence rose to seventy percent.
If he could truly pique the interest of the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau and clarify the issue, that would be enough.
Should he uncover more concrete evidence and confirm his suspicions, he dares say, he even has the right to an audience with the Emperor.
However, just relying on him and Uncle Ma’s manpower, they could not handle such a large matter alone.
Firstly, he did not have much time, as his mother was seriously ill, and he couldn’t leave the capital for too long; secondly, the matter was too significant, and the manpower he and Uncle Ma could muster was far from sufficient, not to mention the high risk involved—he had to ensure the safety of his own people before discussing other issues; thirdly, he had yet to gain trust, and rashly touching upon this matter could easily lead to being crushed by imperial power and invite a catastrophic disaster.
At night, while waiting for someone to arrive, he suddenly felt restless, his eyelids kept twitching, sensing that something had gone wrong at home.
Yet the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be launched. During the meeting with the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau, this restlessness nearly tripped him up, but thankfully, there were no mishaps, and he got through it smoothly.
The youthfulness of the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau surprised him; he was only a few years older than himself. Under normal circumstances, one would definitely doubt whether this person was truly the Ancestral Master, but he knew it to be true.
He had specifically paid attention to this information before, knowing that the Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau was capricious, temperamental, and a ruthless character who would even dare to kill his own father.
Seeing him today, it was clear that his reputation was well-deserved; the slightest error, and Uncle Ma and he would not have returned.
This nocturnal venture proved to be worth it, having established a connection.
In the shadow of the night, Uncle Ma looked back and whispered, "Young Master, it seems we’ve finally shaken them off."
Uncle Ma had come to understand the people of the Internal Guard Bureau were indeed very cautious.
They had someone track them after they left.
Fortunately, the Young Master had anticipated this possibility; he had already planned a route, rented a house in advance, and executed a feint.
Even so, they almost got discovered, proving quite troublesome.
"After all this detour, we’ve finally lost them. Uncle Ma, let’s head back," said Lian Bao, changing direction and walking another way.
Their carriage was in another location; they’d retrieve it on their way back.
His sense of unease grew stronger. Before leaving, everything at home was calm, his mother seemed all right, with his father and second brother looking after her, Miss Li and her guards were there too.
Even if their location was discovered, they should have been able to get away unscathed.
He genuinely couldn’t understand where this anxiety was coming from and could only hope he was just being paranoid.
On the way back, Uncle Ma couldn’t help but ask directly, "Young Master, how can you be so sure that those shipments of grain signal such a significant issue, especially since they were moved in batches? If it was for business, that would be plausible too."
Lian Bao smiled slightly, "Uncle Ma, that’s exactly where their ingenuity lies.
Transporting in batches draws less attention, but it also shows their nervousness.
If it was business, the more they transport at once, the more they reduce transportation costs and losses.
You know that businesses usually give a nod to the Grain Transport Gang to move goods via the official grain transport channels.
We asked around, and the Grain Transport Gang brothers hadn’t heard a thing, proving they are not dealing in business. There is something fishy going on."
Uncle Ma nodded, that made sense; no wonder the Young Master had asked him to inquire with the Grain Transport Gang brothers.
After learning there was an issue, he followed the trail and found several batches of winter clothing for warding off the cold had been sent out, which even included forbidden iron.
Continuing, Lian Bao said, "Winter clothing, iron tools, and grain—Uncle Ma, if you look at these separately, they might not seem obvious, but when linked together, what do you think of?"
Uncle Ma hesitated, "Military supplies?"
Lian Bao smiled confidently, "Exactly. Moreover, the people transporting the items were all from their inner circles, looking as if they dared not let anyone else know, which only makes me more suspicious."
Uncle Ma lowered his voice, "But what reason could they have to maintain private soldiers? That’s a crime punishable by the extermination of their whole family."
Lian Bao’s peach blossom eyes narrowed, as he coldly replied, "Human greed knows no bounds—when the Xue family reigned supreme a decade ago, and now that their power is waning, they must be driven into a corner, so nothing is impossible."
The evidence is always there; the Guo family regularly sent out batches of grain under the guise of distant relatives. Despite their efforts to be secretive, they invariably left traces that, based on these clues, made it possible to infer anomalies.
Winter was nearing its arrival, and this was likely to be their last delivery of the year. If they didn’t send it out now, the river would freeze and heavy snowfall would come, making it impossible to dispatch any further.
Therefore, if they wanted to investigate, this was the best opportunity. He hoped that the Internal Guard Bureau would live up to its reputation and not let him down.
"Uncle Ma, speed up a bit more, let’s return early," he said, feeling constantly on edge and very uneasy.
"Alright, Young Master, hold on tight," Uncle Ma responded, cracking the whip and heading toward a compound in Southern City.
This night was destined to be restless.
Within the Imperial Palace, Changzai Zhou opened her eyes in the dark and glanced at Liu Ying, who was on night guard, then quietly got up.
The beads on the curtain swayed as she appeared beside Liu Ying, who was sound asleep. A coldness filled her heart.
This servant was deceitful and truly deserved to die.
The box had not been found, and she was uncertain whether it had sunk to the bottom of the well, had been taken by someone, or if this servant had concealed something.
But none of that mattered anymore. The servant had to die!
In the darkness, Changzai Zhou raised her hand and walked toward the inner chamber.
The beads on the curtain swayed once again, and the room returned to its peaceful state.
Liu Ying turned over, half-awake, and opened her eyes. It seemed she had sensed a shadow looming over her, but upon opening her eyes, she found nothing, thinking it was just her sleepy confusion.
She scratched her neck, feeling a bit itchy, and habitually glanced inside the chamber. Seeing nothing unusual, she drifted back to sleep.
In Canglan Court.
Lian Hua finally fell asleep, but her snooze was restless. She broke into a sweat, and her brows furrowed slightly. However, she was much more settled than when she had been having nightmares.
The Emperor held her, wiping her sweat and quietly breathed a sigh of relief as he too gradually drifted off to sleep.
In the South City Compound.
The night was deep, and in another Shichen Chinese Time, dawn would come.
Lian Changhe’s shout broke the silence: "Doctor Huang, it seems something is wrong with my wife. Please come quickly and take a look."
The people standing guard outside all rushed in, making way for Divine Doctor Huang.
Divine Doctor Huang looked over and saw that Su Ran, who had just soaked in a medicinal bath and lay on the bed, now had rapid breathing and was sweating profusely.
He immediately checked Su Ran’s pulse, which was extremely chaotic.
Thinking to himself that something was wrong, his hands did not stop moving as he swiftly pressed several major acupoints to protect her heart meridian.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304
- Page 305
- Page 306
- Page 307
- Page 308
- Page 309
- Page 310
- Page 311
- Page 312
- Page 313
- Page 314
- Page 315
- Page 316
- Page 317
- Page 318
- Page 319
- Page 320
- Page 321
- Page 322
- Page 323
- Page 324
- Page 325
- Page 326
- Page 327
- Page 328
- Page 329
- Page 330
- Page 331
- Page 332
- Page 333
- Page 334
- Page 335
- Page 336
- Page 337
- Page 338
- Page 339
- Page 340
- Page 341
- Page 342
- Page 343
- Page 344
- Page 345
- Page 346
- Page 347
- Page 348
- Page 349
- Page 350
- Page 351
- Page 352
- Page 353
- Page 354
- Page 355
- Page 356
- Page 357
- Page 358
- Page 359
- Page 360
- Page 361
- Page 362
- Page 363
- Page 364
- Page 365
- Page 366
- Page 367
- Page 368
- Page 369
- Page 370
- Page 371
- Page 372
- Page 373
- Page 374
- Page 375
- Page 376
- Page 377
- Page 378
- Page 379
- Page 380
- Page 381
- Page 382
- Page 383
- Page 384
- Page 385
- Page 386
- Page 387
- Page 388
- Page 389
- Page 390
- Page 391
- Page 392
- Page 393
- Page 394
- Page 395
- Page 396
- Page 397
- Page 398 (Reading here)
- Page 399
- Page 400
- Page 401
- Page 402
- Page 403
- Page 404
- Page 405
- Page 406
- Page 407
- Page 408
- Page 409
- Page 410
- Page 411
- Page 412
- Page 413
- Page 414
- Page 415
- Page 416
- Page 417
- Page 418
- Page 419
- Page 420
- Page 421
- Page 422
- Page 423
- Page 424
- Page 425
- Page 426
- Page 427
- Page 428
- Page 429
- Page 430
- Page 431
- Page 432
- Page 433
- Page 434
- Page 435
- Page 436
- Page 437
- Page 438
- Page 439
- Page 440
- Page 441
- Page 442
- Page 443
- Page 444
- Page 445
- Page 446
- Page 447
- Page 448
- Page 449
- Page 450
- Page 451
- Page 452
- Page 453
- Page 454
- Page 455
- Page 456
- Page 457
- Page 458
- Page 459
- Page 460
- Page 461
- Page 462
- Page 463
- Page 464
- Page 465
- Page 466
- Page 467
- Page 468
- Page 469
- Page 470
- Page 471
- Page 472
- Page 473
- Page 474
- Page 475
- Page 476
- Page 477
- Page 478
- Page 479
- Page 480
- Page 481
- Page 482
- Page 483
- Page 484
- Page 485
- Page 486
- Page 487
- Page 488
- Page 489
- Page 490
- Page 491
- Page 492
- Page 493
- Page 494
- Page 495
- Page 496
- Page 497
- Page 498
- Page 499
- Page 500
- Page 501
- Page 502
- Page 503
- Page 504
- Page 505
- Page 506
- Page 507
- Page 508
- Page 509
- Page 510
- Page 511
- Page 512
- Page 513
- Page 514
- Page 515
- Page 516
- Page 517
- Page 518
- Page 519
- Page 520
- Page 521
- Page 522
- Page 523
- Page 524
- Page 525
- Page 526
- Page 527
- Page 528