The commotion inside the imperial city was difficult for outsiders to know. The streets and alleys of Tianshui Bridge were still as quiet as usual.
"Cicada——"
"Jile~"
In the sweltering summer heat, there were few people walking around in the backyard of the Pei family's residence. Most of the maids were staying in the cool corridors, chatting idly.
In the tea hall of the middle residence, there was a cold melon, also known as a watermelon, transported from Shazhou. Xiuhe was sitting sideways on the carpet in a thin dress, using a small knife to cut the watermelon into neat pieces. There was also an ice box beside it, filled with ice cubes taken from the cellar.
The fluffy big bird was not unfamiliar with watermelons, but it was indeed the first time it had encountered ice cubes in summer. It lazily lay on the windowsill, with a square ice cube on its head, looking at the green trees in front of the courtyard, its eyes full of the comfort of "being too happy to think of home".
Pei Xiangjun was lying sideways on a beauty couch in a light yellow summer dress, gently waving a round fan in her hand. Although she looked like a leisurely young mistress of a wealthy family, she wasn't really happy.
When they went out, she followed behind during the journey, while the fox-like woman accompanied Jingtang.
When something happened, she rushed to the front and had to protect the fox-like woman...
After the fight, she was injured, but the fox-like woman was unharmed. As a result, after Jingtang came back, he didn't even come to inquire about her well-being...
What was the use of sending the bird here? It couldn't even talk and just ate a lot...
Although she knew that Yejingtang was busy with affairs and definitely didn't have time to come, Pei Xiangjun couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
While she was feeling resentful, there was a noise outside the door. A maid ran to the door:
"Third Miss, there's a guest."
Pei Xiangjun's eyes lit up with joy, but she immediately reacted. Yejingtang wasn't a guest, so she lay down listlessly again:
"I'm dealing with business matters. Go to the madam. I'm taking a few days off."
The maid had a complicated look in her eyes: "It's the girl who quarreled with you at the door last time... Should I send her away?"
The fox-like woman?!
Pei Xiangjun was taken aback and sat up: "Guests should be treated well. Do you understand the rules? Quickly invite Miss Ning'er in."
"Yes."
...
Soon, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor.
Luo Ning, dressed in a cyan summer dress like a gentle and delicate young woman, walked into the backyard. Behind her was Zhe Yunli, dressed like a scholarly young lady.
Zhe Yunli behaved gracefully and looked around as she walked: "I really didn't expect it to be so beautiful inside... Chirp! Come here!"
"Jiji~"
The bird became energetic when it saw this. It quickly stood up, grabbed the small ice cube, flew onto Zhe Yunli's shoulder, and rubbed against her neck. As a result, Zhe Yunli was startled by the cold:
"Ah~! It's so cold. Go away..."
"Jiji..."
Pei Xiangjun knew Luo Ning's identity, so she naturally knew that this lively little girl was the daughter of the leader of the Pingtian Sect. She didn't neglect them and greeted:
"Xiuhe, go and keep Miss Yunli company quickly."
Then she looked at Luo Ning who was walking over:
"Why are you here, Miss Ning'er?"
Although Luo Ning had a cold and aloof temperament that kept people at a distance, as the wife of the leader of the Pingtian Sect and in charge of the internal affairs, she wasn't ignorant of the ways of the world.
Although the Third Miss refused to call her Sister Ning'er, it was a fact that they had shared weal and woe a few days ago. Knowing that the Third Miss had an injury on her back, it would be too heartless to ignore it.
Originally, Luo Ning thought that Yejingtang would come in the morning, but as soon as Yejingtang went out, he was called away by the people from the Black Yamen. He didn't even come back for lunch at noon, so he definitely couldn't come to Tianshui Bridge.
Luo Ning had nothing to do at home, so she came to pay a visit, lest the Third Miss think that she and the little thief were heartless.
After the maid went out, Luo Ning sat down on the arhat couch:
"Jingtang is busy with official business and doesn't have time to come. I'm here on his behalf to see how you're doing. How is your injury?"
"It's just a slight strain from getting angry. It's almost all healed."
Pei Xiangjun picked up the watermelon plate from the table and placed it on the small table between the two of them:
"I heard from the escorts on the street that Jingtang has been looking at houses recently. I found one for him. It's right above Tianshui Bridge, a large mansion with three courtyards, facing the river. The environment is very nice. You can go and take a look later."
Luo Ning often felt dizzy with Zhe Yunli every day and also thought about this matter. She was surprised and said:
"Really? You're quite thoughtful... A three-courtyard mansion, isn't it a bit too big?"
"Alas, with Jingtang's talent, he will at least have three or five confidantes in the future. If the house is too small and can't accommodate them, he'll have to move again. It's better to get it right in one go."
"..."
Luo Ning thought this topic wasn't very interesting, so she stood up, sat next to the Third Miss, raised her hand to feel her pulse, and then pulled open the back collar to take a look.
As a result, when she looked, she didn't see the scar on the Third Miss's back. Instead, she was attracted by the string of the Third Miss's bellyband on her back and felt it looked a bit familiar.
Luo Ning was slightly taken aback, leaned over from her shoulder to look at the collar, and even lifted the collar with her hand.
?
Pei Xiangjun was being touched randomly and felt confused. She gently slapped Luo Ning's wandering hand:
"What are you looking at?"
Although Luo Ning only took a quick glance, she still saw clearly that the Third Miss was wearing a triangular handkerchief bellyband, wrapping her ample chest, and there was a pattern of the bird embroidered on it...
Luo Ning's eyes showed a slightly strange look: "You're an unmarried girl, and you wear something so... so bold in private. Really..."
Pei Xiangjun looked down and understood what Luo Ning meant. She unbuttoned the collar a bit to reveal the small bellyband made of water brocade. She smiled and said:
"This is the latest style in the capital city. It has just started to spread in the backyards of the mansions of princes and nobles. Although it's a bit bold, it's much more comfortable to wear than an ordinary bellyband. Haven't you seen it before, Miss Ning'er?"
"..."
Luo Ning looked at the Third Miss's slightly proud appearance and secretly thought "Hmph~" in her heart.
However, it didn't seem appropriate to compare whose underwear was more flirtatious. She just nodded slightly:
"It's really quite nice."
Pei Xiangjun had a smile on her face and was about to talk about some private topics for women, but there was another noise outside the door. She looked up and saw Xiuhe running in again, holding a letter in her hand:
"Third Miss, Chen Biao said that someone sent a letter to the escort agency just now."
"Hmm?"
Pei Xiangjun stood up and took the letter to look at it. She could see the words "For Young Master Ye" written on it, and there was nothing special about it.
"Who sent it?"
"I don't know. It was directly stuck at the door."
Pei Xiangjun was a bit confused. She wanted to open the letter to take a look, but she was afraid that it was a love letter from one of Jingtang's confidantes in the martial world. If she read it and Jingtang wasn't happy, she gave an order:
"Ask the bird to go and inform Jingtang."
"Okay..."
...
——
Time passed and it was already afternoon before they knew it.
Yejingtang was wandering around in the eastern part of the city, carrying a Huanshou Knife, and looking for clues on the streets along the way.
Currently, he only knew that the tunnel was related to His Highness the Crown Prince of Wu. He didn't even know the general purpose or how many people were involved. Searching like this was like waiting for a pie to fall from the sky.
After wandering around for a whole day without finding a direction, the thieves in the tunnel were probably already done cleaning up the scene and had fled. There was no point in searching any further.
Without any clue, Yejingtang found a restaurant to eat, planning to go to the Prince of Wu's Mansion later to see if there was any progress. Benben had arranged for experts to keep watch there, and he didn't know if they had found anything.
Just as he was halfway through his meal, there was suddenly a noise in the sky:
"Squawk~"
The cry of the bird.
Yejingtang's ears twitched slightly. He walked out of the restaurant and looked up. He could see a small dot circling under the cloudless blue sky, seemingly looking for him.
Yejingtang settled the bill when he saw this and quickly went to the roof of a tall building. He waved his hand, and the bird swooped down from the sky and landed steadily on his shoulder. Then it raised its wing:
"Chirp!"
Yejingtang saw that it was pointing in the direction of Tianshui Bridge. He knew that the Third Miss was looking for him, so he carried the bird and rushed towards Tianshui Bridge.
Because he was really busy with official business, Yejingtang didn't enter through the main gate. He directly flew over the buildings of Tianshui Bridge and landed in the backyard of the Pei family's residence.
In the afternoon, the weather was cooler, and the female relatives in the backyard were more active. When Yejingtang stopped on the roof, he saw Zhe Yunli and Xiuhe sitting on the beauty bench by the small lake, holding a spoon and half a big watermelon.
When the bird saw this, it quickly flew over and chirped along the way, seemingly complaining that the poached egg wasn't loyal and had started eating ahead of time.
Yejingtang didn't want to disturb them. He landed in the Third Miss's courtyard. Just as he was about to call out, he heard a low conversation coming from the boudoir:
"Is it a bit loose on you?"
"Third Miss, you're also a martial artist. You should know that too much burden will only affect your skills..."
"Hmph~ The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing. There's also some tenderness..."
?
Yejingtang recognized the voices as those of Ning'er and the Third Miss. He didn't know what the two of them were doing in the room, so he quietly came to the window of the boudoir and peeked inside through the gap in the window...
In the boudoir with the doors and windows closed, the two women were standing side by side in front of the bronze mirror.
Luo Ning was wearing white thin trousers, and on the upper body was a small piece of clothing made of water brocade. There was a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water embroidered on the small clothing. The style was similar to the seductive style from yesterday, but it looked like it was handmade.
The Third Miss was standing next to her, also wearing only thin close-fitting trousers. There was a pattern of "the bird begging for food" on her chest. Because of her generous endowment, the already round bird was made into a three-dimensional pattern, and her plump and graceful waist and hip curves were fully visible.
Although the two of them had different figures, their postures were both very charming. Looking from the back...
!
As soon as Yejingtang looked, he felt something was wrong. He quickly withdrew his gaze and stepped back:
"Cough cough——"
There was suddenly silence in the boudoir, and then the sound of people in a hurry came.
After waiting for just a short while, the door opened. The Third Miss, with a dignified demeanor, and the cold and elegant female knight, Luo Ning, came out together, both looking very serious, as if they had just discussed a major matter related to the rise and fall of the martial world.
Yejingtang was standing at the corner of the courtyard. When he saw this, he stepped forward and asked:
"Ning'er, why are you here?"
"You're never at home, so I came to pay a visit."
Luo Ning casually explained and then turned to walk in the direction where Yunli was:
"Someone sent you a letter just now. Take a look."
"A letter?"
Yejingtang was a bit puzzled and looked at the Third Miss who was walking over.
Pei Xiangjun came up and took out the envelope from her sleeve:
"The letter was sent to the escort agency. Is it a girl you provoke in Liangzhou who has come looking for you?"
When Yejingtang was in Honghe Town, Liangzhou, his adoptive father had been very strict with him. The girls at the border also couldn't easily shake his resolve, and he didn't have any former sweethearts.
He took the envelope and opened it. It was an anonymous tip-off letter!
There weren't many words in the letter, and it didn't reveal the specific identity. It only said that the writer was a small merchant around Tianshui Bridge. Yesterday, while having fun on the gambling street in the Western Market, he found that there was a residential house behind a certain gambling den. There were no lights, but people often went in and out, and they seemed to be carrying crossbows.
Pei Xiangjun hadn't planned to look at it, but since Yejingtang unfolded it directly in front of her, she couldn't help but take a couple of glances. She found the content of the letter rather baffling:
"Possessing three crossbows can be sentenced to exile. Carrying them in the capital is a serious crime... If you find something suspicious, you should report it to the government. Why was the letter sent to you?"
Yejingtang was also quite surprised and carefully examined the content:
"I guess it's a small merchant nearby. Knowing that I work in the Black Yamen, he sent the letter to me."
Because Yejingtang was handsome and capable, and Chen Biao often boasted about him, the common people around Tianshui Bridge all knew about him. It wasn't too surprising for a common person to send an anonymous message when they found something suspicious and didn't know anyone in the government.
Yejingtang was investigating the case of His Highness the Crown Prince of Wu. The people he was dealing with were all experts and wouldn't use prohibited items like crossbows at all. Even if this news was true, it might not be related to His Highness the Crown Prince of Wu.
But currently, there were no specific clues. If there were suspicious clues, whether it was a trap or real news, he had to go and verify it.
Pei Xiangjun knew that once Yejingtang received a tip-off, he had to go and verify it, whether it was true or false. She reminded him:
"Not revealing the identity and yet specifically sending the letter to you means that the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. Be careful of falling into a trap. I'll go with you."
Currently, Yejingtang was like a "volunteer policeman". To mobilize the people from the Black Yamen, he had to first ask Benben for instructions. For this kind of unsubstantiated gossip, it wasn't appropriate to bring a group of chief constables along. After thinking for a while, he said:
"Your injury hasn't healed yet, Third Miss. Ning'er and I will go and take a look."
"I'm not a delicate young lady. I have nothing to do at home and it's just right to get some exercise. Let's go together."
As Pei Xiangjun spoke, she entered the boudoir and started changing her clothes...