"Today is the fourth day of putting up notices everywhere. We've sent out quite a few people and searched all the hostels in the commandery. But it's strange, we've actually found nothing." Bai Jianping cupped his chin and frowned.
Qiao Wangfei guessed, "Could it be that the mistress and the second young master have already left?"
"But that's impossible, isn't it? Didn't Hu Bao say that no traces of them were found at the several city gates?" Mo Yanyun frowned.
Qiao Wangfei said in a low voice, "Don't forget, when we first met the second young master, he clearly had scars on his face, but later they were gone. He seems to be well-versed in the art of disguise. Is it possible..."
Hu Bao shook his head and said, "Impossible. The lord had specially instructed me earlier to have the soldiers pay more attention to those women with ugly faces but a figure similar to the mistress, especially those with a head of black, soft, and smooth hair."
A face can be covered, a figure can be made plump by stuffing clothes, and walking with a hunched back can also make one shorter.
But hair, which is nourished by blood and qi, is black and shiny if it is black and shiny, and withered and yellow if it is withered and yellow. It's not easy to change.
The hall quieted down, and the few people looked at each other.
Mo Yanyun hesitated and said, "Were the people the old physician at the clinic saw really the mistress and the second young master? Could it be that he was old and his eyes were blurry so he saw wrong? After all, he is old. Otherwise, how can we explain that with notices flying everywhere, all hostels strictly investigated, and the military patrols out in full force, we still haven't found them."
Bai Jianping: "Impossible to see wrong! The woman the old physician mentioned was wearing a black riding outfit. I guarantee with my head that she is absolutely identical to the mistress that night."
Qin Shaozong held a small tiger-shaped brush rest and played with it, not saying a word, listening to their argument.
"Clack." The small brush rest was put down heavily.
Like a startling block being struck, the hall quieted down again.
"Madam must still be in Xin Commandery. Just wait. She can't hide for long." Qin Shaozong pulled out one from the mountain of visiting cards. "Write a reply to Prefect Huang. I will visit him tomorrow."
*
Xin Commandery is located in Yu Province. Although its scale is not as large as other commandery cities, it has the Min River flowing in front of its door, and a river course flowing from below. The two rivers do not converge, but form a sideways "eight" shape, sandwiching Xin Commandery in between.
Where there are rivers, there are naturally cargo ships. The coming and going of ships and convenient transportation have brought it an economy that other commanderies and counties envy.
As the prefect of Xin Commandery, Huang Shichang, although he has a penchant for lust, has managed to survive several storms of power changes safely because he is generally fair and very good at adapting to the situation.
Now that he has received the reply, Prefect Huang immediately ordered his servants to sweep the houses and clear the rooms, ready to welcome the distinguished guest.
The doors and windows were polished, and baskets of ingredients were transported into the kitchen, not limited to what flew in the sky, walked on the ground, and swam in the water. In addition, dancers and serving maids also had to be carefully arranged. Every one of them must be as beautiful as a flower, making Grand Commandant Qin feel comfortable. It would be best if he could open his mouth and ask for a few to take away.
The front arrangements were not difficult, but when it came to the women mentioned later, the butler was a little unsure.
Xin Commandery is more prosperous than other commanderies, and Huang Shichang has a rich family background. He loves beauties, and there are more than ten courtyards in his mansion to house the flowers he picked everywhere.
They are all flowers, but the difference between them is huge.
Some are in full bloom and highly favored by the master; some, although their colors are still the same, have been put aside by the master who likes the new and loathes the old; and some used to crown the small town but are defective for one reason or another, no longer as bright as before.
Anyway, it's a cluster of flowers, and a large area of pavilions and courtyards is fully occupied by beautiful concubines.
The manager considered and asked, "Prefect, regarding tomorrow's banquet, do you think the beautiful concubines from Qingfeng Courtyard and Luohua Courtyard should participate?"
The two pavilions and courtyards he mentioned were exactly where Huang Shichang housed his old flames. The beauties' flowering period has not passed, but they are no longer liked by the master.
"Of course." Huang Shichang dug out a few outstanding old flames' names from his mind again. "Let Lengyu and Xiao Tong come forward to serve."
The butler complied.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a night had passed. When the red sun just barely showed a corner, the heavy main door of the prefect's mansion was opened to the extreme.
The main door was opened early, but it was nearly noon when a group of men and horses came from a distance neither slowly nor hurriedly.
The master of the mansion had long been waiting on the side. When the man on the tall horse flipped down, Huang Shichang hurried forward to bow: "Welcome Grand Commandant Qin to stop at my humble abode. My humble house is honored by your presence!"
Qin Shaozong looked down at this short prefect who only reached his chest. The other party's small eyes narrowed very cleverly, like a dog wagging its tail. "No need to be so polite. Prefect Huang is the parent official of Xin Commandery. I should have visited earlier, but due to official duties, it has been delayed until today. I hope Prefect won't blame me."
Huang Shichang hurriedly said, "Grand Commandant Qin's grace of condescending to visit is higher than a mountain; the light of your arrival has shone on my humble family. Today is my good fortune of three lifetimes. How could there be any 'blame'?"
Qin Shaozong tutted lightly in his heart. This Prefect Huang's political achievements are mediocre. It turns out that all his efforts are spent on flattery.
Huang Shichang hurriedly welcomed Qin Shaozong into the room, letting him sit at the head of the hall, while he sat below. As for the other accompanying military generals, they lined up in rows below.
Qin Shaozong came before mealtime. After taking his seat, he exchanged pleasantries with Huang Shichang for a long time. Seeing that the time was about right, the latter clapped his hands and asked people to serve food and wine.
*
Commandery Prefect's Mansion, Luohua Courtyard.
Dai Li sat in the room, watching Xiao Tong put on makeup in front of the mirror, making final preparations.
Xiao Tong looked at Dai Li from the bronze mirror: "Qinghe, the manager said that a distinguished guest came to the mansion today, and he is a noble from Chang'an. Wish me luck. Maybe after today, I can leave the prefect's mansion and go to Chang'an with the distinguished guest."
The woman in the bronze mirror had an extremely beautiful face, but there was an old hypertrophic scar on her left face, pulling from the corner of her eye to her jaw, destroying the beauty of her whole face.
Xiao Tong had seen quite a few such dancers with defective faces. The commandery prefect's wife was jealous during her lifetime, and it was not that she hadn't looked for dancers to vent her anger on. There were several unlucky ones in the mansion whose faces were scratched, and they were the ones who were ruined by the mistress.
Prefect Huang probably felt somewhat guilty, so he set up a courtyard to raise them, treating it as raising a few more cats and dogs.
But...
This Qinghe, who moved into Luohua Courtyard a few days ago, looked very unfamiliar, like a newcomer. But the prefect's wife has been dead for two years. She remembered that among the disfigured dancers, there seemed to be no one with this name.
"I wish you get what you want," the "Qinghe" in the bronze mirror said.
Xiao Tong hooked her red lips and withdrew her gaze. "Thanks to your auspicious words."
Who cares why? There are many beautiful concubines in the mansion. Today, a few sent by some officials or merchants come in; tomorrow, a few Prefect Huang found himself come in; and the day after tomorrow, one or two are sent out. Coming and going like this, sometimes even the minor managers here can't remember the people.
After adjusting her attire, Xiao Tong gracefully left the pavilion and courtyard.
Dai Li looked at her back, slowly exhaled, and calmed her suddenly accelerated heartbeat.
The fact that she would hide among the concubines of a wealthy family was actually inspired by her past. When she first arrived in this different world, she mingled in the backyard of the Jiang family in Nankang Commandery.
She found that as long as the number of concubines was large enough, or there was a huge generation gap or estrangement between the concubines, there were loopholes to exploit.
But now, Xiao Tong seemed to be a little suspicious.
It was also because she came in a hurry at first. She directly climbed over the wall and came in. She was not well prepared and accidentally went to the wrong courtyard. She originally wanted to go to Pingqiu Garden, which was said to house disfigured girls, but ended up here. She also happened to have some inquiries and small requests, and finally she just went with the flow and settled down.
"It should be fine..." After comforting herself, Dai Li's thoughts drifted to her son who also sneaked into the mansion.
She didn't know how Zhouzhou was doing now.
A handyman, pulling weeds all over the yard, should be fine, right.
Xiao Tong went, and returned at the end of the un-hour. When she went, she was full of energy and pride, but when she came back, she was like a little cabbage that had been exposed to the wind and sun, and she had no energy at all.
"What kind of people are they?" Xiao Tong kept complaining, "It's fine if the noble person at the top looks down on us, but one of his subordinates clearly talked happily with me, fed me wine, praised my beauty many times, and I also saw him very moved, why did it fall short of success?"
Dai Li knew earlier that there would be distinguished guests today, but she hadn't heard the manager or other beauties mention who the visitors were. Now hearing Xiao Tong's description, her heart skipped a beat, "Are the guests all tall and strong men?"
Xiao Tong first said yes, and then said that Lord Huang called the noble person at the top the Taiwei, "That's the Taiwei! The Emperor is young, shouldn't everything in the court follow the Taiwei?"
Dai Li pursed her lips.
The distinguished guest today was indeed Qin Changgeng.
"Have they left?" Dai Li asked.
Xiao Tong nodded and said, "Naturally. Today Lord Huang only set up a luncheon, not a dinner."
*
After drinking and eating well, the guests returned happily.
After being sent out of the main gate by Huang Shichang, Qin Shaozong rode the Red Dragon back, the reins pulled very loosely, letting the horse walk slowly.
A group of military generals behind him were discussing just now.
"The scale of this new county is not large, I didn't expect it to be quite prosperous, this Lord Huang has some family background!"
"In the final analysis, the transportation here is convenient, extending in all directions, both water and land routes work, so naturally there are many merchants passing by. Coming from the south and going to the north, everyone comes to take a look."
"Hey, don't tell me, there are really many beauties in that hall just now, gentle, hot, cold, charming, it's simply a variety of beauties, it dazzles my eyes. Tsk, this Huang Shichang is a man who knows how to enjoy life. With so many beauties, can he remember them all? Maybe they are not even on the list."
Qin Shaozong suddenly stopped the horse.
The force of braking the horse was a bit strong, and suddenly, his Red Dragon stopped, snorted unhappily, and stomped twice on the spot.
"Lord?" Bai Jianping and others also stopped their horses.
"What did you just say?" Qin Shaozong looked sideways at Mo Yanyun.
Mo Yanyun was stunned. That overly sharp and cold gaze made his brain crash for a moment, and he stammered: "W-what?"
Remembering just now, Mo Yanyun whispered: "I said there are many beauties in that hall..."
Qin Shaozong: "Not this sentence."
Mo Yanyun racked his brains to recall, and tentatively said: "This Huang Shichang is a man who knows how to enjoy life..."
Qin Shaozong stopped talking, and his long fingers holding the reins quickly tapped the leather rope.
He suddenly remembered a past event.
When she was in the Jiang Mansion in Nankang County, she used the pseudonyms "Feng Chun" and "Songlan", and hid in the backyard, as flexible as a swimming fish.
Now the posthouses in the county have been searched, the city gates are under martial law, and people have been sent to the eastern district to screen again and again, but there is still no sign of that fox. It's as if she disappeared out of thin air.
Will she repeat her old trick?
Qiao Wangfei reacted, "Lord, do you suspect that the mistress is hiding in the Huang Mansion?"
Qin Shaozong: "She may not be at Huang Shichang's place, she may also be hiding in another large household in the county. Don't alert the snake, send someone to secretly investigate the number of concubines kept by the large households in the county first."
After this order was given, before sunset that day, Qin Shaozong got a piece of information.
The mulberry paper listed a group of prominent families in the new county. The information was very detailed. Who was in the family, whether the parents were still alive and the family had not been divided, the number of domestic servants, female servants, and female family members were all clearly marked with numbers.
Qin Shaozong picked up the wolf-hair brush and crossed out all the families with less than a hundred female servants. And with this exclusion, there were only a few families left on the paper, which could be counted on one hand.
The man's long fingers placed on the table tapped lightly, and according to the situation of each family, he crossed out two more large households.
Those who hadn't divided the family and several brothers still lived together, at first glance there were many female family members in the mansion, but when distributed to each branch, it was actually just like that.
The Huang family of the County Governor Huang Shichang was heavily circled by Qin Shaozong.
Huang Shichang's parents had passed away, and he only had two younger sisters born of the same mother, who both married out of town. The collateral branch of the Huang family was still in the new county, but they didn't live with him.
In Huang Shichang's mansion, there were only his children, as well as room after room of beauties and servants.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Shaozong wrote a visiting card, and then called Bai Jianping outside, "Send the card to the Huang Mansion. In addition, have someone keep a close eye on the gates of the Huang, Jiang, and Zhao families."
"Yes."
*
Huang Mansion.
Obviously the banquet had ended smoothly, and Qin Changgeng had also left with his subordinates. However, for some unknown reason, Dai Li felt inexplicably uneasy.
She guessed secretly, and finally attributed the uneasiness to her roommate Xiao Tong's growing curiosity about her.
"Qinghe, where are you from?" Xiao Tong stared at Dai Li intently.
Dai Li said her hometown was in the south.
Xiao Tong smiled, "I see you indeed look like you came from a water town. By the way, how did you enter the mansion?"
Dai Li lowered her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed in her heart, "Actually it's nothing more than the word 'luck'. I unfortunately ruined my face earlier, and originally thought that the rest of my life would be poor and destitute, but I didn't expect that there would be a silver lining, and I was unexpectedly taken in by Lord Huang."
Xiao Tong smacked her lips at this.
Tsk, it's like a riddle, she said it, but it seems like she didn't say anything.
She wanted to ask more carefully, but heard someone coming in a hurry outside. Xiao Tong was puzzled, she seemed to hear Manager Li's voice.
The person outside spoke again, it was really Manager Li!
Xiao Tong hurriedly went out, and saw the manager say to her: "Xiao Tong, ask all the people in your garden to come out."
"Manager Li, what happened?" Xiao Tong asked.
Manager Li scolded: "Why ask so much? Come out when you are told to come out, go to the hall, the distinguished guest has an important matter."
The word "distinguished guest" entered the room, drifted into Dai Li's ears, shocking her so much that her pupils shrank, and she subconsciously curled her fingers.
Another distinguished guest? And asking all the girls in the garden to go out, what is this for?
Could it be that the young manager was acting on Qin Changgeng's order? But he just came yesterday, and she didn't hear Xiao Tong say that something went wrong at the banquet, why would he suddenly return?
With a messy heart, Dai Li saw that among the girls who came out of the room one after another, one stopped and looked back at her, as if wondering why she hadn't left yet.
Dai Li had to get up too, and went to the yard with the other girls. She intentionally hunched her back to make herself close in height to the girls next to her, and stood at the back with her head down, successfully blending into the flowers.
Manager Li, who hadn't noticed an extra person, said, "Are all the people in Luohua Garden here? Follow me."
After leaving the courtyard, they met girls from other quarters, and their procession grew larger.
After walking a short distance, Daili slowed her pace and quietly shifted toward the back of the line, but unexpectedly, Xiao Tong, who was beside her, noticed.
"Qinghe, what is wrong?" Xiao Tong asked.
Daili showed a distressed expression. "I think I ate something bad and need to make a trip to the latrine. Do not tell the steward yet. I will be back very soon and will head straight to the main hall afterward."
"Alright then, go quickly and come right back."
The people nearby were not familiar with Daili and minded their own business. They were not as caring as Xiao Tong and did not say anything.
Daili secretly slipped away from the procession.
The Main Hall.
Qin Shaozong looked expressionlessly at the young women lined up in a single row stretching from inside the hall all the way to the front courtyard.
Huang Shichang's small mustache twitched. His mood was a rollercoaster, unable to figure out what this newly appointed Grand Commandant was plotting, but that did not stop him from showing his loyalty.
Seeing that the concubines were all standing properly and neatly lined up, Huang Shichang hurriedly smiled and said, "Grand Commandant Qin, all the beautiful concubines from my backyard are here. Whomever catches your eye, please feel free to take them away. To be able to serve by your side is a blessing they have cultivated over three lifetimes."
Qin Shaozong merely gave a noncommittal grunt in response.
The burly man walked past the sea of beauties. Some of the women cast amorous glances with watery eyes, some were intimidated by his imposing aura and subconsciously bowed their heads in fear, while others seemed to realize this could be a turning point in their lives, their eyes shining brightly.
Bai Jianping, Qiao Wangfei, and the others were also looking, but after scanning through the hundred or so women, they found nothing.
"Are there any missing?" Qin Shaozong asked in a deep voice.
How would Huang Shichang know if anyone was missing? He did not even remember exactly how many women were in his backyard. He immediately called over two stewards and ordered them to do a headcount and report back.
It took a full half hour to finish the count. The steward said, "Reporting to Grand Commandant Qin, they are all here."
Qin Shaozong, however, suddenly raised his voice, "If any of your friends made an excuse to leave not long ago, whoever steps forward to report it will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, a house, a fine shop, and will be freed from their slave status."
His words shocked everyone present, and an incessant uproar broke out all around.
Huang Shichang looked at Qin Shaozong in astonishment. "Grand Commandant, what are you..."
The rest of his words came to an abrupt halt because he saw Qin Shaozong raise a hand toward him, making a gesture to stop.
Qin Shaozong said, "I will say this one last time. Whoever reports it will be rewarded! This is your only chance. If I leave, the bounty will be considered void."
The surroundings became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
A moment later, a trembling female voice spoke up, "Qing... Qinghe just went to the latrine. I do not know if she has returned yet."