Chapter 434: Dark Currents Surge in the Love Shenjing

Gu Su, Lianxi Street, Fuyun Tea House.

Not finding Zhou Zheng's tracks in the Luo Fu, while disappointing, was within Zhang Wu's expectations.

Zhang Wu asked again, "Maiqiao, you entered the Luo family's inner courtyard; did you find anything?"

Wu Maiqiao was a woman in her early twenties, a maid at the Yao family wine shop in Jin Ling, one of the few women in the Jin Ling Central Vehicle Department, and also a trusted aide of Xu Qiniang.

Because the Central Vehicle Department was coordinating with Jia Cong's men to investigate news along the river, walking the streets and alleys daily, women were often more convenient than men.

For example, entering the Luo Xiong mansion this time, only a woman like Wu Maiqiao could possibly enter the Luo family's inner courtyard.

"The Luo family's inner courtyard is inhabited by Luo Xiong's wives, concubines, children, maids, and servants. I paid careful attention and there was nothing unusual."

Zhang Wu heard this and didn't feel surprised; this was also common sense. Luo Xiong couldn't possibly be so absurd as to hide a man in his own inner courtyard.

Wu Maiqiao continued, "The wife of Steward Zhao, who brought me into the inner courtyard just now, was quite talkative. I learned some things from her."

"It also confirms that there is nothing strange in the Luo Fu. I saw her eyeing the perfume in my cargo box but she couldn't bear to buy it, so I gave her a bottle, saying I'd ask her to introduce business to me if she had the connections."

Jiang Xiao Liu on the side laughed, "The perfume in your cargo box is a new product from Xin Chun Hao; a small bottle costs three taels of silver. She isn't a Mistress or a young lady, so naturally, she couldn't afford it."

Wu Maiqiao laughed, "It was just a casual act to build a good relationship, thinking it might be useful later."

"The favor of this perfume was probably not small. That woman felt embarrassed to take it for nothing and actually introduced two grain and vegetable businesses, which sound like they have some background."

Zhang Wu's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this.

Wu Maiqiao said, "She introduced me to the business of two households in the city. She said she would send word to have Jiang Liu go to their doors to deliver fresh vegetables."

"She also said that the masters of these two families are close friends with their master, and they visit each other frequently."

"One is He Tong, the Assistant Regional Commander of the Su Zhou Guard, and the other is Geng Physician, a wealthy merchant in Gu Su."

The wealthy merchant was one thing, but the other Assistant Regional Commander had a significant background; he was the second-in-command of the Su Zhou Guard and Luo Xiong's deputy.

Zhang Wu said, "The information sent by Lord Jia, although confirming that Luo Xiong is hiding Zhou Zheng, is only circumstantial evidence and difficult to use to convict him."

"Without an Imperial Edict or an order from the Chief Military Commission, we cannot search or question a Grade 4 Guard Commander; we can only rely on finding solid evidence ourselves."

"We haven't been in Gu Su long and aren't familiar with Luo Xiong's past. Since these two have an unusual relationship with Luo Xiong, we must investigate them thoroughly."

"Especially that He Tong, who is the number two figure in the Su Zhou Guard. Luo Xiong colluding with him, or hiding Zhou Zheng in his mansion—this possibility is not small."

"Jiang Xiao Liu, prepare everything tomorrow and go to these two families to feel out their background, especially that He Tong."

"I hope the memorial Lord Jia sent to Shen Jing can receive a reply from the palace as soon as possible..."

……

Shen Jing, a single-entry residence in the east of the city.

On the left side of the courtyard against the wall, a row of birdcages was built with wooden boards, covered by a roof corridor to shield them from wind and rain.

A graceful young girl, holding a short-handled broom, was carefully cleaning the birdcages and changing the drinking water and mixed grain for each one.

She was beautiful and heroic, with skin as white as jade and bright, water-like eyes that had a faint hint of azure, slightly different from Central Plains women; her clothing was also very simple and sharp.

She wore a blue-based dark-patterned headscarf, covering her full head of hair, revealing only a few strands of dark gold hair at her temples.

She wore a Hu-style robe of Shu brocade embroidered with Xinyi flower branches, and a deep blue fragrant-soaked sweat towel tied around her waist, cinching her slender waist and setting off her beautiful curves like graceful mountain ranges.

She picked up the white bone flute hanging on her chest and blew a strange sound, long and short, into the air.

Before long, two shadows appeared in the sky above the courtyard, circling with wings spread. Only when they lowered their altitude could one see they were two magnificent Gyrfalcons.

As the girl blew a monotonous long note with the bone flute again, the two Gyrfalcons dove toward the courtyard like arrows, stopping in front of two unusually large wooden cages.

Their powerful wings flapped hard a few times, as if greeting the girl.

The strong airflow blew the girl's hair at her temples into a mess, making her giggle, adding a touch of a daughter's delicate beauty to her pretty and heroic face.

However, she did not feed these two Gyrfalcons like other wild pigeons, because Gyrfalcons were different from ordinary domesticated wild pigeons.

Ever since Through Ai Li brought them from Liaodong to Shen Jing, except for the first few days of feeding, once they were familiar with the environment, she let them out to hunt every day to maintain their survival skills and wild nature in the wild.

This way, they could be safer and faster when transmitting information over long distances.

Before Jia Cong went to Jin Ling, he had come to see Through Ai Li once, but that was more than a month ago.

Ever since Jia Cong went to Jin Ling, the feather-transmission between Jin Ling and Shen Jing had temporarily stopped.

Through Ai Li's small courtyard had also temporarily calmed down. She tamed birds and practiced with her blade every day, which was quite free, but she hadn't seen Jia Cong for a long time, and she felt very bored.

However, when Jia Cong left, he had said that this trip to Jin Ling would take at most two months before he returned. Calculating the time, more than half had already passed, so he would probably be back soon.

At this moment, a hurried knocking came from the courtyard gate, making her feel slightly strange.

She and her mother had settled in Shen Jing for less than half a year, and they knew very few people. Except for Jia Cong, almost no one came to visit.

She opened the gate and saw a sharp-looking young man. Through Ai Li recognized him as Jia Cong's personal attendant, Jiang Liu, who had gone to Jin Ling with Jia Cong this time.

Joy rose in Through Ai Li's heart. Jiang Liu was back; could it be that he had also returned to Shen Jing?

Jiang Liu said, "Miss Through Ai Li, I am acting on the Cong Sanye's orders to return to Shen Jing to deliver a memorial. Now there is a letter that needs to be sent to Jin Ling by feather."

"This letter is very important to the Cong Sanye. The Cong Sanye has instructed that it must be sent to Jin Ling as quickly and safely as possible."

Emperor Jia Zhao's handling speed was very fast. Jiang Liu delivered the memorial to the palace, and only by the next day did a family member from the Gu Mansion come to inform him to go to the Gu Mansion to pick up the old master's reply.

Although Jiang Liu did not know whether the palace had already issued an edict, since Minister Gu had already written a reply, according to the Cong Sanye's words, it must be that the palace had already issued a clear edict.

Moreover, Gu Yankui was shrewd and experienced; he didn't even let his own family members deliver this letter, but instead let Jiang Liu go to the mansion to pick it up himself, just because he didn't want more people to handle this letter.

Jiang Liu had followed Jia Cong for a long time and had also practiced some shrewdness and meticulousness. Naturally, he felt the importance of this letter, and as soon as he got it, he didn't stop to rest and came directly to Through Ai Li to transmit the letter.

Through Ai Li heard Jiang Liu's words, although she was very disappointed in her heart, she let Jiang Liu into the courtyard and carefully transcribed the letter.

Of the two Gyrfalcons she kept in the courtyard, one had once delivered the news of Zhou Zheng's escape from the Jin Ling station and knew the flight path from Shen Jing to Jin Ling.

She proofread the transcribed letter, placed it in the letter box on the Gyrfalcon's leg, and swung her hand hard. The Gyrfalcon flapped its wings and flew up.

She picked up the white bone flute on her chest again and blew many strange tones, long or short, into the air.

The Gyrfalcon seemed to receive some kind of message, let out a sharp cry, flapped its wings to climb higher, and then spread its wings to fly toward the south.

……

Ju De Fang, Count's Mansion, Xuan Fu Hall.

Yingchun was talking in the hall with sisters like Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and Baochai, and the topic inevitably included Jia Cong, who was handling official business in Jin Ling.

Little Xichun was on the side, not joining the sisters' topic, just solving the Nine-Linked Rings by herself, which could be considered finding joy in her own way.

The sisters were all present, except for Shi Xiangyun.

Ever since the wife of Marquis Bao Ling, Lady Li, heard the rumors of the imperial marriage, she had come to the Jia Mansion to report to Jia Mu that day, and when she returned, she took Xiangyun back to the mansion.

Originally, she let Xiangyun come over to visit often, and even stay in the Count's Mansion, which was also with Jia Mu's tacit approval, wanting to match Xiangyun and Jia Cong.

Now that the matter of the imperial marriage to the Zhen family was spreading with such vivid details, Lady Li worried that if this matter came true, Xiangyun, as a girl from a maternal family, living in the Count's Mansion for a long time, would only invite criticism.

So she took Xiangyun back to the mansion first, which could be considered avoiding the limelight.

It was just that Jia Mu knew this intention in her heart; others just thought Xiangyun had lived in the Jia family for a period of time, and Lady Li taking her niece back to the mansion was just an ordinary matter.

Among the sisters, only Daiyu, having heard Hearing Zi Juan mention it, began to have faint guesses about Xiangyun because of Lady Li's enthusiasm in reporting and planning for the marriage matter that day.

It was just that she didn't take this guess for granted in her heart; after all, they were sisters who grew up playing together, and she could also see that Xiangyun's mind was still immature, and although she was also close to Jia Cong, it was not a matter of romantic thoughts.

And Jia Cong's closeness to Xiangyun, compared to his feelings for her, she understood were different situations, so this matter swirled in her heart for two days and she no longer took it to heart.

As the sisters were talking, the steward of the mansion sent a message from outside the second gate, saying that the Count's attendant Jiang Liu was returning to Jin Ling and wanted to pass a message and bid farewell to the eldest young lady.

Yingchun was surprised when she heard this. Jiang Liu had only stayed in Shen Jing for two days and was returning to Jin Ling; the time was so urgent.

Thinking that her brother's official business in Jin Ling must be tricky, his personal attendant would come and go in such a hurry.

Yingchun took a soft robe she had finished making, along with a written letter, and had Xiuju send them outside the second gate for Jiang Liu to take to Jin Ling.

The sisters in the hall all felt a sense of concern, but for young ladies in the inner chambers like them, even if they were full of longing, the only thing they could do was wait.

……

Shen Jing, Hong De Gate.

Jiang Liu, with five musketeer guards, rode through the city gate and galloped toward Jin Ling.

Not long after they left the city, a team of people came out from the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Composed of dozens of Imperial Guard soldiers, everyone was armored and helmeted, with bright swords and spears, escorting a carriage like stars surrounding the moon.

When the carriage team was about to reach the city gate, a captain of the Imperial Guard in the team arrived at the city gate in advance and showed an official document to the platoon leader of the City Patrol and Guard Division guarding the city gate.

The platoon leader took the official document and saw it written: "Grade 4 Gan Yang Palace Supervisory Leader Guo Lin, Nanzhili Imperial Edict Proclamation," and other words.

It really gave the platoon leader a fright. A Grade 4 eunuch was already the top level; there were not many in the entire inner court, and Gan Yang Palace was the place where the Emperor handled government affairs.

Gan Yang Palace Supervisory Leader Guo Lin was the Deputy Chief Eunuch of the inner court, serving by the Emperor's side. That was a red-hot figure in the palace, and he was actually leaving the capital to proclaim an edict.

The city-guarding platoon leader didn't dare to be the slightest bit negligent and hurriedly ordered his soldiers to disperse and drive away the crowd near the city gate.

Until a vacant Hong De Gate was cleared, he watched this team of Imperial Guard cavalry pass through the city gate tunnel in a grand manner and head toward the south.

That platoon leader didn't notice that among the crowd leaving the city that he had driven away, there was a simple but sturdy carriage, with four mounted attendants following beside the carriage.

It didn't look like an ordinary family leaving the city.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the face of a middle-aged man; the platoon leader didn't recognize that this person was Liu Yong, the Chief Clerk of the Prince Beijing Mansion.

He watched the Imperial Guard cavalry pass through the city gate in a disciplined manner, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

Jia Cong's memorial was rushed to Shen Jing, and the matter was done secretly; even Gu Yankui was cautious when transmitting the reply.

But whether it was because of this memorial or some other hidden dark currents that had long been brewing, the entire Shen Jing city was stirred up with faint dark ripples.

In the next two days, groups of cavalry would often be mixed in the bustling crowd leaving the city every day, gathering toward that magnificent grand city in the south...

……

Gu Su, Bolan Street, an ordinary single-entry small courtyard.

This was the foothold of Zhang Wu and Jiang Xiao Liu in Gu Su City.

Ever since Jia Cong provoked the men from Zhen and Changzhou to enter Gu Su City, the manpower Zhang Wu could deploy was even more sufficient.

Following the Central Vehicle Department's usual methods of gathering information, he scattered his men in the bustling foot-shops, wine houses, gambling dens, and entertainment districts in Gu Su City.

Every day, people would come to this small courtyard separately to aggregate the fragmented information collected from the streets and alleys here.

Zhang Wu, with a few people from the Central Vehicle Department, then screened this fragmented information for things of value to them.

But what Zhang Wu was most concerned about these two days was the news from Jiang Xiao Liu and Wu Maiqiao.

The two businesses introduced to Wu Maiqiao by Steward Zhao's wife in the Luo Fu, especially that Assistant Regional Commander He Tong, had attracted Zhang Wu's attention.

Jiang Xiao Liu and Wu Maiqiao had been busy investigating the background of He Tong and the wealthy merchant Geng Physician these two days, but no news had been sent back.

It wasn't until evening that Jiang Xiao Liu and Wu Maiqiao returned to the small courtyard, making Zhang Wu's expression perk up. He brought the two into the room and asked about the results in detail.

Jiang Xiao Liu picked up the teapot on the table, drank it in one gulp, and said, "These two days, according to the recommendation of Steward Zhao's wife, we delivered vegetables to the mansions of these two people."

"The rules of Zhu Tong's mansion are even stricter than the Luo Fu. Maiqiao and I delivered the vegetables but weren't allowed to enter the mansion at all. We were stopped at the gate, settled the silver, and were told to leave."

"I asked the neighbors nearby, and they said the Zhu family doesn't have many people; Zhu Tong's family and servants total less than thirty, and the amount of grain they buy is often within the normal range."

"Later, we went to the mansion of the wealthy merchant Geng Physician. The Geng Mansion is much more lenient; after all, it's just a merchant's mansion, and there aren't as many rules as for an official."

"I found an excuse to enter the outer courtyard of the Geng Mansion, but I didn't find anything unusual either. There wasn't much grain left in the kitchen; it's said that the new supply hasn't been delivered yet."

Zhang Wu felt a little disappointed, but his attention was still on Zhu Tong's mansion.

This person, as the Assistant Regional Commander of the Su Zhou Guard, had a close relationship with Commander Luo Xiong. Although Jiang Xiao Liu judged that there was nothing unusual about the Zhu Mansion from the amount of grain purchased,

Zhu Tong's mansion was heavily guarded, and it was obvious that his vigilance toward the outside was very strong, which couldn't help but make people have wild thoughts.

Jiang Xiao Liu said again, "However, when I left the Geng Mansion, I inadvertently saw a strange pattern in an inconspicuous place in the outer courtyard."

Wu Maiqiao asked, "Then why didn't you mention it when you came out?"

Jiang Xiao Liu said, "At first, I thought it was just a doodle by a child in the mansion, but on the way back, the more I thought about it, the stranger it felt. A child shouldn't be able to draw such a complex pattern."

Zhang Wu hurriedly took paper and pen and let Jiang Xiao Liu draw the pattern he saw.

Although Jiang Xiao Liu had only studied in a private school for two years and knew a few characters, he didn't have much ink, but he wasn't illiterate.

But his mind was flexible, his memory was very good, and he remembered that strange pattern very clearly.

The image Jiang Xiao Liu drew looked like a strange animal, composed of many lines, looking like a fish and like a dragon, revealing a weird and strange air.

When Zhang Wu and Wu Maiqiao saw this pattern, both of their faces changed drastically.

Jiang Xiao Liu saw their strange expressions and couldn't help asking, "Is there something wrong with this pattern? Although I didn't draw it too accurately, the general idea is correct. I remember it very clearly."

Wu Maiqiao glanced at Jiang Xiao Liu and said, "This pattern is the emblem of our Central Vehicle Department; only people from the Central Vehicle Department would draw it." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 435 =====