nucmednet Chapter 441 Revealing the secret
Chapter 441 Revealing the secret
Shen Yanzhou clenched his fist tightly: "What's worse is that the secret guards just found out that Yuan Xiaomiao, the prefect of Chuzhou, has been frequently going to the abandoned granary in the suburbs these past few days. Each time he brings a lot of grain and medicine, but he has never distributed them to the disaster victims."
“I suspect that the granary is a stronghold of the old troops, and the captain guarding it, Zhou Lin, has long been bribed by them.”
Shi Wanxia's heart skipped a beat.
Yuan Xiaomiao, the prefect of Chuzhou, was transferred here last year. When he took office, he was known for his "cleanliness and love for the people". Who would have thought that he would join the old troops of the Prince of Rongyang?
If the granary is indeed a stronghold, there must be a considerable number of former subordinates hidden inside. Coupled with the military power held by Colonel Zhou Lin, the safety of Chuzhou is almost hanging by a thread.
"There's also news about Zhao Hu."
Shen Yanzhou's voice lowered, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes.
"I ordered my secret guards to investigate, and they discovered that Wang Qinian had secretly transported Zhao Hu out of the city, with his destination being Tianzhu Peak on the outskirts of Chuzhou City."
"The secret guards haven't found Zhao Hu's whereabouts yet, but it's certain that Yuan Xiaomiao and Wang Qinian want to hand Zhao Hu over to their old subordinates in Chuzhou and extract information about the defenses of the villa from him."
Cui Zhihao's face instantly turned cold, and a fierce glint flashed in his dark eyes: "If they dare to touch Zhao Hu, they can forget about leaving Chuzhou alive."
"Your Highness, I request permission to lead fifty light cavalry to investigate the granary on the outskirts of the city. If it is indeed a stronghold of the former troops, we should wipe out their hideout first. Perhaps we can even find clues about Zhao Hu."
"No."
Shi Wanxia quickly stopped him, "Since Zhou Lin is one of my old subordinates, he must have spies around the granary. If we rashly bring people there, we will only alert him."
"Moreover, we don't know how many of our old troops are in the granary. If they have an ambush, the light cavalry will suffer losses."
Shen Yanzhou nodded, his expression softening slightly: "Wanxia is right, we mustn't act impulsively."
"Zhao Hu should be safe for the time being—his former subordinates will spare his life if they want to get information out of him."
"The most urgent task is to find out the situation of the granary first, and then find a way to rescue Zhao Hu."
He paused, then looked at Shi Wanxia: "Wanxia, you're very perceptive. Tomorrow, disguise yourself as a disaster relief clerk and go to the disaster relief shelters in the west of the city to inquire and see if you can find any of your former subordinates mixed in with the disaster victims."
"Huai'an, take some men and lie in ambush near the granary on the outskirts of the city to observe their movements."
"Remember, you are only allowed to look, not to touch; I will go to the Chuzhou government office to see Yuan Xiaomiao and sound him out."
"Your Highness, since Yuan Xiaomiao has already pledged allegiance to his former subordinates, it would be too dangerous for you to go see him."
Shi Wanxia quickly dissuaded him, "Why don't I go to the government office to deliver the documents and take the opportunity to observe Yuan Xiaomiao's reaction? You can stay here to oversee the overall situation."
Just as Shen Yanzhou was about to retort, Cui Zhihao also spoke up, "Your Highness, Wanxia is right."
"You are the Crown Prince; you must not put yourself in danger."
"I'll go with Wanwan to the government office, so we can look out for each other."
Seeing the determination in their eyes, Shen Yanzhou knew they were doing it for his safety, so he stopped insisting and only warned, "You must be careful. Yuan Xiaomiao, Zhou Lin and the others are cunning and treacherous. You will be exposed if you are not careful."
"If the situation becomes unfavorable, retreat immediately and do not linger in battle."
The two agreed in unison.
The rain outside the window had stopped, and a faint ray of light shone through the sky, but it couldn't illuminate the solemn atmosphere of the official post station.
Shi Wanxia picked up the bronze fragments on the table, her fingertips digging into them, the sharp edges of the fragments causing a painful ache in her palm.
She thought of the people incited by Wang Qinian, of Zhao Hu who had disappeared without a trace, and of the suffering disaster victims on the streets of Chuzhou. A strong determination suddenly welled up in her heart:
No matter what, we must stop the old guard's conspiracy and prevent the people of Chuzhou from suffering another calamity.
Choi Jiho seemed to see through her thoughts. He quietly walked to her side, gently touched her wrist with his fingertips, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I'm here."
"Tomorrow, when you go to the government office, just hand over the documents, and leave the rest to me."
Shi Wanxia looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with determination and a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect.
She nodded, placed the bronze fragment back on the table, and turned to Shen Yanzhou, saying, "Your Highness, I will go and prepare tomorrow's documents immediately. I will certainly not disappoint you."
Shen Yanzhou felt a little more at ease watching the two figures walk away side by side.
He walked to the window, looked in the direction of Chuzhou City, and gripped the window frame tightly with his fingers.
The former subordinates of Rongyang King are simultaneously setting up operations in Wangcheng and Chuzhou, clearly intending to overthrow Cangling in one fell swoop. They cannot afford to lose this battle.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Shi Wanxia changed into the blue official robe of a clerk in the Hanlin Academy, tied her hair into a simple bun, and applied some gray powder to her face, deliberately making herself look more haggard, like a busy and hardworking clerk.
Choi Ji-ho, disguised as her attendant, wore a gray cloth outfit and still stood tall and straight, but his eyes and brows had a touch of the common people.
As soon as the two stepped out of the official post station, they saw that there were more disaster victims on the street. Several men dressed as constables were driving them away with sticks, cursing, "Don't block the way! The prefect's sedan chair is about to pass!"
Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao exchanged a glance and quickly retreated to the side of the road.
Before long, a large sedan chair carried by eight men came from a distance. The curtains were tightly closed, and the sedan chair bearers were hurrying along, clearly heading towards the government office—it was none other than Yuan Xiaomiao, the prefect of Chuzhou.
"It seems we've come at the right time."
Shi Wanxia lowered her voice and followed the sedan chair procession toward the government office.
The guards at the government office were puzzled to see her wearing an official robe, but they still obediently opened the gate.
As soon as the two entered the government office, they heard Yuan Xiaomiao's voice coming from the main hall, her tone obsequious: "Don't worry, sir, everything is arranged at the granary. We're just waiting for the Lord's message. Once Lord Wang makes his move, we'll immediately launch our uprising..."
Shi Wanxia stopped in her tracks, her heart skipped a beat—Yuan Xiaomiao was indeed contacting his old subordinates!
Choi Ji-ho's hand quietly rested on the short knife at his waist, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.
Just then, the door to the main hall was suddenly pushed open, and Zhou Lin walked out. When he saw Shi Wanxia, his expression changed instantly: "Lord Shi? Why are you dressed like this? May I ask what brings you here so suddenly?"
Shi Wanxia then realized that they had met before, but it didn't matter; she could still try to trick him.
Yuan Xiaomiao's gaze swept across her face, then looked at Cui Zhihao, his eyes full of suspicion: "Lord Shi, Lord Cui?"
"Lord Yuan, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence!"
Yuan Xiaomiao was somewhat puzzled. If the Crown Prince summoned her, he could have simply sent a guard. Why did she have to come in person?
Just then, Choi Ji-ho suddenly spoke up.
His voice was hoarse: "Lord Yuan, do you not believe me?"
Yuan Xiaomiao was interrupted by his voice. She frowned, stopped asking questions, turned around and walked into the main hall, placing the tea in her hand on the table.
Instead of opening it immediately, he said to the bailiff beside him, "Take these two 'sirs' to the side hall to wait. I will go and say goodbye to my mother before giving them my answer."
Shi Wanxia's heart sank—Yuan Xiaomiao had indeed become suspicious and was going to put them under house arrest!