Chapter 1107

That night.

Before the city gates closed, Yuan Shu returned to Luoyang City with a squad of soldiers from the Huben camp outside the city.

"General, if we come back like this... if the Grand Tutor finds out, I'm afraid it won't be good for you."

Ji Ling, riding his horse beside Yuan Shu, reminded him in a low voice.

Yuan Shu looked back and glared at Ji Ling, saying: "What are you afraid of? It's not like I'm in the city every day. What's wrong with coming back to stay for one night?"

"Staying in the military camp all day, I don't even have a bowl of honey water or a decent maid."

"Yuan Ji is better off, enjoying himself in the city all day. What's wrong with me coming back for one night?"

Ji Ling lowered his head sheepishly, not daring to reply.

Before long, Yuan Shu, having sneaked back into the city, returned to his residence.

The first thing Yuan Shu did upon returning to the residence was to have the kitchen prepare a table full of wine and food.

In the hall.

Yuan Shu groaned with satisfaction after downing a cup of fine wine.

"Comforting..." Yuan Shu leaned back, resting against the maid behind him.

Two young maids reached out and gently kneaded Yuan Shu's shoulders.

On the other side, Hongchan knelt beside Yuan Shu, using a wooden spoon to scoop wine into the wine vessel in front of him.

Dressed in a red robe with a white gauze coat over it, Hongchan set the wooden spoon aside, then picked up the wine cup and handed it to Yuan Shu.

"The General returned in the middle of the night; if Lord Yuan were to find out, I'm afraid he would blame the General."

"Hmph."

Yuan Shu snorted with disdain: "So what if I came back to enjoy myself?"

Hongchan covered her red lips and chuckled: "This servant wishes the General could stay in the residence at all times, but this servant heard that the Liangzhou Governor has entered Luoyang..."

Yuan Shu waved his hand, cutting off Hongchan's words: "So what if Duan Yu is back? Don't mention him; I get annoyed just hearing his name."

"And that bastard..."

Yuan Shu grabbed the wine cup, drank it in one gulp, and then slammed it onto the table.

"I am the legitimate son of the Yuan family, yet now that bastard is riding on my head."

Yuan Ji was now one of the Nine Ministers, the Grand Servant, and the future head of the Yuan family.

And Yuan Shao was now the Inspector of Jizhou.

Only he, Yuan Shu, was now just a Huben Colonel.

Instead, he had become the one who was doing the worst.

"With the General's talent, you will surely be heavily used by Lord Yuan sooner or later. As long as the General is willing to work hard, you will definitely be the most formidable," Hongchan encouraged softly.

"Hmph, I was already the most formidable. If it weren't for me, how could my uncle have attained the position of Grand Tutor, and how could he have returned to the court?"

Hongchan, who was pouring wine for Yuan Shu, paused slightly, her eyes changing subtly.

"I have never heard the General mention this before."

Hongchan followed Yuan Shu's lead, pouring wine while drawing out the rest of the story.

Yuan Shu proudly picked up the wine cup and shook it gently, his face full of smugness.

"I told you, you wouldn't understand. This is a dispute in the imperial court."

Hongchan smiled charmingly: "That is certain. This servant only knows how to serve the General; of course, I don't understand these great affairs of state. But just hearing it makes me feel that the General is very formidable."

"That's right," Yuan Shu said, full of pride: "You just need to know that the way the world is now has an inseparable connection to me."

Hongchan silently noted this.

The next morning.

Hongchan, who had woken up early, changed into the attire of an ordinary maid, then exited through the side door of the back courtyard of Yuan Shu's residence and headed toward the East Market.

After entering a shop selling cloth and ready-made clothes in the East Market, Hongchan, who emerged from the back door again, had changed into another set of clothes.

After circling the East Market twice, Hongchan arrived at a paper shop called Pinxuan Pavilion.

Everything sold here was stationery, with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in abundance.

"Shopkeeper, do you have high-quality paper from Liangzhou?"

Hongchan asked after entering.

The shopkeeper looked up at Hongchan, who was wearing a black cloak, and nodded silently.

"We have the best white paper from Liangzhou. If the young lady wants it, you can take a look first, or try it out."

Hongchan nodded, then asked for a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Subsequently, she began to write on the white paper.

In a short while, the paper was filled with strange symbols.

"Shopkeeper, this brush is not bad," Hongchan said, handing the paper filled with symbols to the shopkeeper.

The middle-aged shopkeeper, who had an air of scholarly refinement, took a look, then put the paper away and placed it in the counter.

"Good, you are welcome to come again, young lady."

After these words, Hongchan did not linger and turned to walk out of Pinxuan Pavilion.

The middle-aged man with the scholarly air took the paper filled with symbols, folded it, and handed it to a clerk who was cleaning, who then sent it out of Pinxuan Pavilion.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei's residence.

In the study, Yuan Ji knelt before Yuan Wei's desk.

In his hand was a roster.

"Uncle, according to your previous request, all servants who have entered the residence within the last two years have been thoroughly vetted, but..."

As he spoke, Yuan Ji shook his head: "No anomalies were found, and after interrogation, no one related to Liangzhou was discovered."

"However..."

"However, I feel it shouldn't be like this."

Yuan Ji looked down at the names crossed out on the list.

Within two years.

The reason for choosing two years was because Duan Yu had risen to prominence within these two years.

If Duan Yu had eyes and ears in the Yuan family, they would definitely have entered recently.

But all the servants who had entered the Yuan family in the last two years had been screened, and no abnormalities were found.

"Since you haven't found anything, let it be for now," Yuan Wei said.

"How is the investigation regarding the Marquis of Shi going? Is there any lead?"

Yuan Ji shook his head again.

"No, but there is one thing that is very strange. I don't know if it has any connection to the Marquis of Shi."

Yuan Ji said: "On the night the Marquis of Shi was sent out of the palace, something happened outside the White Horse Temple. It wasn't a major event, but it was very unusual."

"There was a hero named Li Hu near the White Horse Temple. On the night the Marquis of Shi was sent out of the palace, Li Hu and more than a hundred of his men were killed at Li Hu's residence."

"Subsequently, Li Hu's residence was also burned to the ground by a great fire."

"According to verification, this Li Hu served as a subordinate to Jian Li, the son of Jian Tu, who was the uncle of Jian Shuo and was killed by Cao Cao."

"My nephew does not know if there is any connection here."

Yuan Wei narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, a sharp light flowing in them.

"Assume," Yuan Wei said.

"Assume the Marquis of Shi was sent out of the imperial palace and then sent to that person named Li Hu. Who do you think abducted the Marquis of Shi?"

Yuan Wei's words were not without foundation.

On the morning of the day after the Marquis of Shi, Liu Bian, was sent out of the imperial palace, while giving a lecture to the Crown Prince Liu Xie in the Jiade Hall, Jian Shuo walked into the hall in a panic, saying there was an urgent matter.

Thinking about it now, it is highly likely related to this matter.

And as it happens, that was also the night Duan Yu and He Jin entered the city.

"My nephew thinks... it is highly likely to be the Grand General He Jin."

He Jin?