That tall official stated his purpose clearly, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
It was not for any other reason, just based on his understanding of this tall official.
Perhaps in the eyes of these tall officials, he Zhong Su was merely a merchant who could be manipulated at will. But in Zhong Su’s eyes, these tall officials were nothing more than fools who thought highly of themselves and were being used by him.
In the past, he lowered his posture to deal with them and nodded and bowed in agreement to whatever they said, all for the sake of profit. It was not because he was truly stupid or incompetent.
He realised something was wrong and had already detected that the man surnamed Gao taking Yu Qing away was likely up to no good.
Although he realised that Yu Qing might face danger on this trip, after weighing the pros and cons, he still did not expose it.
Because he had already felt that Yu Qing’s reckless actions had caused a chain reaction and had directly ignited a direct confrontation between the two factions.
A group of civil and military officials came to the front door looking for Yu Qing, and then this tall official came knocking at the back door. He had already sensed it.
At his level, with his limited knowledge, and unable to determine which side would win or lose in this contest between the two factions, he did not want to tear faces and offend either party. As a merchant he had never had such qualifications, so he made preparations just in case.
If the situation really reached an irreparable point, he could only abandon Yu Qing to preserve the Zhong family.
Pretending to be ignorant was the best choice. After sending Yu Qing away, he could also satisfy Du Fei and Li Fangchang. At least in the eyes of these two, he had done his duty of benevolence and righteousness. By stabilising these two, he stabilised the internal affairs of the Zhong family.
There were many other aspects, and he had his own series of considerations.
He did not want to reach this step either, but Yu Qing’s actions had already exceeded his imagination. Under the circumstances where the future was unclear, he could not risk the entire Zhong family to accompany him to ruin.
He would stabilise Yu Qing, take the opportunity to reach an agreement with him, and quickly resolve the hidden dangers that the treasure map might bring.
After sending Yu Qing away, the Zhong residence would not become the centre of the vortex in the confrontation between the two factions, and it could also stabilise Du Fei and Li Fangchang internally.
But this was not enough to ensure the Zhong residence was completely safe, nor to guarantee the safety of his wife and daughters.
The colliding forces of the two factions were truly too terrifying. Their residual power could easily crush the Zhong family. Ordinary people would die without even a bubble surfacing. After collecting his thoughts, he quickly went to a miscellaneous courtyard in the Zhong residence.
It was an ordinary courtyard used for storing miscellaneous items. In the courtyard sat an elderly lame man, who was sitting on the steps making brooms.
“Old Wu.” Zhong Su walked forward and called out.
The lame man looked up, immediately stood up, and limped forward a couple of steps. “Why have you come, sir?”
Zhong Su said with a grave expression, “Old Wu, the Zhong family may be in trouble. Right now I trust no one except you.”
The lame man Old Wu immediately looked solemn as well. “Master, if there is anything, please tell me.”
Zhong Su immediately leaned close to his ear and whispered a secret message. The other man nodded slightly from time to time.
After finishing, Zhong Su took out a specially made firework from his sleeve and handed it to him. “We will use ‘rushing to see’ as the signal. Once you see the signal, the life and death of the Zhong family will be entrusted to you.”
The grave-faced lame man Old Wu nodded, tucked the special firework into his bosom for safekeeping, and then limped away with big strides.
After Zhong Su watched him disappear, he went to the inner residence and to the courtyards of his two daughters. First he sent the younger daughter away, then he indicated for the eldest daughter to go to the study to talk.
Once inside the study, he closed the door. Zhong Su sat down by the tea table, then indicated for his daughter to sit on the other side of the tea table before speaking in a low voice, “Ruo Chen, you still remember the two half paintings I gave you, right?”
Zhong Ruo Chen nodded repeatedly, with a slight trace of shyness in her expression. After all, one half was betrothal gift and the other half was dowry.
Zhong Su continued, “At the time, you asked me if the painting had any deeper meaning, and I said I would tell you only after you and Ah Shi Heng had a child. Now, things have changed. Our family needs one more person to know the secret of that painting, so that if any accident happens, one person will still know it and the secret will not be lost. It may even be used to save lives at a critical moment.”
Zhong Ruo Chen was quite surprised upon hearing this. “Father, why say such unlucky words? What accident could our family have?”
She naturally did not know, having been sheltered from wind and rain since childhood and never having to face any unpleasant matters.
“That painting was originally complete. Ah Jie Zhang obtained it from an ancient tomb…”
Zhong Su ignored his daughter’s surprise for now and calmly recounted how they had obtained the painting back then.
The more Zhong Ruo Chen listened, the more shocked she became. She had not expected this painting to have such major implications and to hide such an important secret.
After listening, she grew even more astonished. “Father, what has happened? Why tell your daughter these things out of the blue?”
Zhong Su had the urge to crush the armrest of the chair with his hands. He sighed with melancholy, “We have run into a bastard. He has ruined you and harmed my Zhong family. There are some words I do not even know how to begin telling you. I am afraid you will not be able to accept them…”
But in the end he still spoke. There was no choice. With the storm approaching, the entire family might have to endure and face it. As the parties involved, some things required mental preparation, otherwise losing composure at the critical moment could cause problems.
It was better to have short pain than long pain.
He told her about Yu Qing resigning from office and provoking a confrontation between two factions in the court.
Resigning from office was nothing, and Zhong Ruo Chen could accept it. She did not care what official position Yu Qing held. What she cared about was Yu Qing himself.
Upon learning that Yu Qing had just run away like that, she was completely stunned. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if struck by lightning.
No one could fully understand her feelings at that moment.
Countless beautiful expectations, all the long-brewed sweetness, and all the wonderful words, all turned in this moment into two streams of clear tears from reaching an extreme. Her tearful eyes stared blankly…
Of course, Zhong Su would not tell her about his plan to abandon Yu Qing to protect themselves. He would never tell her. Some things could only be done and not said, even if it was for his daughter’s own good. Otherwise his daughter might hate him for the rest of her life…
Meanwhile, outside the carriage of the duke who was still wandering in the capital, a rider galloped over. The man on the horse dismounted swiftly onto the shaft, knelt on one knee, pulled open the curtain with one hand, and reported inside, “Duke, Ah Shi Heng’s resignation has been delivered to His Majesty’s desk. His Majesty was furious upon hearing the report and said that Ah Shi Heng’s act of throwing down his official hat is an insult to the court. He has already ordered Ah Shi Heng to be arrested immediately.”
Pei Qing Cheng, sitting beside him, tightened his facial muscles. What was coming had finally come.
Ying Xiao Tang narrowed his eyes slightly, then gave a decisive order. “Notify the main generals of each department in the city to also carry out His Majesty’s decree. Immediately dispatch personnel from each department to block all large and small street entrances and exits in the capital. Arrest Ah Shi Heng immediately upon discovery.”
He then leaned forward slightly and said softly to the subordinate kneeling on one knee, “After arresting him, send him immediately to the Wolf Guard prison outside the city for detention. If you find that any court department has already captured Ah Shi Heng, snatch him at whichever intersection you encounter. Be sure to get the person into our hands. Tell them it is my order.”
“Yes.” The man accepted the order, but then hesitated. “Duke, snatching him so forcefully may be hard to justify. After all, it is in the capital. Without a suitable reason, it will be difficult to explain to others, and some people may hesitate.”
Ying Xiao Tang gave a cold snort. “Then give them a reason. Ah Shi Heng is involved in last night’s assassination attempt by Bai Lan and Hei Ling’er. The military has not yet closed the case. We will hand him over to other departments for investigation after we finish our inquiry. I will answer any questions from His Majesty.”
Pei Qing Cheng, listening on the side, stroked his beard and nodded.
“Yes.” The man accepted the order, released the curtain, stood up, leapt away, landed on his own horse, turned it around and galloped off.
Soon another rider arrived. The messenger dismounted onto the shaft, pulled open the curtain and knelt on one knee, then urgently reported, “Duke, our scouts who were searching the capital have discovered Ah Shi Heng’s carriage at a wine garden called ‘Long Yuan Qiu’ in the south of the city.
The scouts immediately notified nearby personnel to go and inquire. They confirmed that Ah Shi Heng had indeed dined there at noon and had hosted four guests. However, when leaving, for some unknown reason Ah Shi Heng suddenly switched to another carriage. His current whereabouts are unknown.”
Pei Qing Cheng flew into a rage. “We are searching everywhere for him, yet that scoundrel is leisurely hosting a banquet.”
Ying Xiao Tang raised his hand to calm him. “No wonder we could not find him. He switched carriages. Has the replacement carriage been found?”
The messenger said, “Not yet, but we have circulated the information in all directions and changed the carriage we are looking for to the one from the Long Yuan Qiu wine house.”
“Why switch carriages for no good reason?” Ying Xiao Tang muttered to himself, then said, “Immediately take control of all relevant personnel at that wine house, as well as the four people Ah Shi Heng hosted. Be sure to find out the reason for the banquet and the reason for switching carriages.”
“Yes.” The man accepted the order and left.
As soon as one left, another came to report. “Duke, servants from the Zhong residence said they encountered Ah Shi Heng and his friends on the main street. They heard them say they were going to a flower boat on the West City lake for fun. The people currently watching the Zhong residence have already rushed to West City to search.”
Ying Xiao Tang’s expression sank. “You were supposed to stay and watch. We have plenty of manpower. Just report it here and someone will go. Did we need you lot to run errands? Who told you to leave your posts without permission? Has anyone been left there?”
The messenger immediately looked embarrassed. “No… no one was left.”
Pei Qing Cheng helped explain, “They meant well too. Once they learned the whereabouts, they thought rushing over directly would be faster.”
Ying Xiao Tang ran the situation through his mind. The outline of the entire capital’s map also appeared in his head. His face gradually darkened. Full of suspicion, he muttered to himself, “Coming out from the Censorate, going to dine at the south city wine house… then going to play on the West City lake… encountering servants on the main street…”
Suddenly he turned his head sharply towards Pei Qing Cheng and said coldly, “That lad must have been targeted long ago. When he was hosting at the south city wine house he was probably set up. The purpose of switching carriages was to avoid our search. After Ah Shi Heng fell for the trap and switched carriages, he should have returned to the Zhong residence. The few fellows watching the Zhong residence have very likely fallen for a diversionary tactic.”
“…” The messenger stared dumbfounded.
Pei Qing Cheng said in a deep voice, “What would be the point of using a diversion to let Ah Shi Heng return to the Zhong residence? Can you confirm this? What if he really went to play on the West City lake…”
Ying Xiao Tang replied, “Regardless of whether it can be confirmed or not, since the people sent to West City have already gone, we must guard against the possibility of a diversion.” He pulled open the curtain with one hand and shouted, “Send a few men to rush to the Zhong residence at once.” Then he lowered the curtain and shouted to the coachman, “Go to the Zhong residence.”