Chapter 67: That Despicable Man Can Go Die
Chapter 67: That Despicable Man Can Go Die
The commotion attracted the attention of the servants in the courtyard, but upon seeing Tan'er standing at the entrance, they all quietly slipped away.
Lin Wan'er glared angrily at Meng Qianqian and gestured, "You are no longer the eldest young mistress of the Lu family. You have no right to intrude into my courtyard or flaunt your power in front of me!"
Meng Qianqian grabbed her by the neck, her eyes filled with murderous intent as she said, "I don't have time to waste on you. I'll ask you one last time, what did you give Lu Lingxiao?"
Lin Wan'er had never seen such a terrifying side of Meng Qianqian. She didn't shout, but the aura emanating from her was like a sharp dagger, hanging over Lin Wan'er's brow, as if ready to take her life at any moment.
Meng Qianqian pulled out the hairpin from Lin Wan'er's head and viciously stabbed it towards her eye! "Talk!"
Lin Wan'er gestured in fright.
The hairpin stopped just above her long eyelashes.
She blinked, her eyelashes brushing against the tip of the hairpin.
Her face turned deathly pale, and a cold sweat broke out on her back. Her chest heaved violently, and she felt both terrified and humiliated.
"What is it?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Lin Wan'er's eyes reddened as she gestured, "Firework signals and rescue orders for the Black Armored Guards."
Meng Qianqian threw her onto a chair. "Draw it!"
Ever since Lin Wan'er became pregnant, everyone had been tiptoeing around her, but Meng Qianqian was so rude and rough, completely disregarding the well-being of her unborn child.
Obviously, Old Madam was right; she was indeed a venomous woman.
Lin Wan'er signaled to Lu Luo in sign language.
Lu Luo hurriedly brought paper and a brush.
Tan'er threatened, "You'd better not lie, Tan'er. If there's one mistake in your drawing, you can forget about living!"
Lin Wan'er had to admit that at this moment, she was truly scared of these two lunatics, especially Meng Qianqian.
Several times, when she considered drawing something random, she felt as if Meng Qianqian had seen through her, and the murderous intent around her intensified.
Finally, she finished the drawing and handed the paper to Meng Qianqian. Seeing Meng Qianqian's furrowed brow, she took it as a sign that Meng Qianqian didn't recognize the items, which only added to her sense of superiority. She gestured as she spoke, "You're just a merchant's daughter, so you probably haven't seen these before. The fireworks I gave to the General aren't ordinary ones. They are emergency signals that can summon Black Armored Guards from a hundred miles away, making them drop everything and rush to his aid. The same goes for the token; it can only be used once, and once used, it will be destroyed. To see this order is as good as seeing the Grand Marshal himself. If the General encounters danger, he can use it to protect himself or devise a clever plan to lure the Black Armored Guards to assassinate the Northern Liang generals! With these items, the General will surely achieve great merit on this trip!"
"You idiot!" Meng Qianqian slapped Lin Wan'er, causing her lip to bleed.
Lu Luo rushed forward and hugged Lin Wan'er, crying, "We've given you what you wanted. Why are you still hitting her?"
Meng Qianqian looked coldly at Lin Wan'er and said, "If you weren't pregnant, I would have killed you today!"
Tan'er raised her hand and said, "Sister, I'll do it!"
Meng Qianqian turned to Tan'er and said, "Let's go."
After leaving the courtyard, Tan'er hummed, "She's indeed stupid. I heard that the Black Armored Guards are no longer stationed at the border. How can she be so sure that there are still Black Armored Guards within a hundred miles who will obey Lu Lingxiao's orders?"
Meng Qianqian's eyes turned colder, "It's best if there aren't any. But if there are—"
Tan'er tilted her head, looking at her curiously, "What then?"
Meng Qianqian said solemnly, "What Lin Wan'er gave Lu Lingxiao wasn't a rescue order at all. It was the highest-level assassination order for the Black Armored Guards. The fireworks serve as the signal, and any Black Armored Guard within a hundred miles will mercilessly kill the holder of the order and their companions!"
Tan'er gasped, "Is it that serious? Won't the Grand Preceptor and Baozhu also be implicated? This despicable woman has caused a huge disaster! Does she want Lu Lingxiao to succeed or die?"
Tan'er covered her face with her hands and burst into exaggerated sobs, the kind without any tears.
Meng Qianqian said sternly, "I'm going out for a while. You stay here and keep an eye on her."
Tan'er solemnly clenched her fist and replied, "Yes, ma'am!"
Meng Qianqian hurried to the Governor's mansion and knocked loudly on the door.
"Who's there? Who's there?"
A yawning servant opened the door and was surprised to see Meng Qianqian. "Miss Meng?"
Breathless, Meng Qianqian asked, "Is Official Shangguan in?"
The servant replied, "Official Shangguan has left the city."
Shangguan Ling had mentioned that he would be leaving the city and wouldn't be back for a few days, but she hadn't expected him to leave so soon.
Meng Qianqian paused before asking, "Can I see Manager Cen?"
In the flower hall, Meng Qianqian met with Manager Cen and said straightforwardly, "Manager Cen, do you know how to contact Official Shangguan?"
Manager Cen hesitated and replied, "Usually, it's Official Shangguan who contacts us. If he's on a mission, we have no way of reaching him."
Meng Qianqian stood up, her expression grave as she said, "Manager Cen, I need a pass and the fastest horse you have! If possible, please lend me a set of traveling clothes as well!"
A quarter of an hour later, Meng Qianqian, clad in dark brocade clothing and a black hat, leaped onto a horse and rode into the boundless night.
As she approached the city gate, she didn't slow down at all.
The guards on the city tower shouted sternly, "Who dares to ride so fast? Don't you know there's a curfew? Stop immediately!"
Meng Qianqian raised the governor's mansion token high and ordered, "Open the city gate!"
The expeditionary force had set off five days ago. Given the urgent situation at the border, the Imperial Tiger Corps would likely be forced-marching, covering a hundred li a day, and the cavalry would be even faster.
In such harsh weather, forced-marching would be extremely taxing on the soldiers' stamina, which was not conducive to fighting on the battlefield.
However, based on the information Shangguan Ling had revealed, the court seemed to be planning to negotiate with North Liang, and the troops were merely there to maintain order. The focus was on solving the case and preventing North Liang from finding an excuse to start a war with the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"A thousand men and ten thousand taels of gold... Where could they have gone? The officials had searched Feng County inside out but found nothing."
As Meng Qianqian rushed on her way, she pondered the details of the case.
The cold wind was biting, piercing her to the bone.
When she got tired and hungry, she would stop by a large tree, take out a frozen, throat-scratching biscuit from her bundle, nibble on it, and eat some snow from the ground to quench her thirst.
When she felt sleepy, she would light a bonfire, hold her embroidered spring dagger, and spend the night in a cave or under a tree.
For seven nights in a row, she had only stayed at an inn once.
First, she caught up with the court's supply train, and then she overtook the infantry of the Tiger Corps, but Lu Yuan and Baoshi were not among either of these large groups.
"So they really did go with the cavalry?"
The cavalry's speed was already fast, and with a five-day head start, they were probably nearing the Jade Gate by now.
Even if she rode day and night, she would struggle to catch up, so she could only... take a shortcut! Meng Qianqian suddenly pulled hard on the reins, causing her horse to come to a sudden stop, its front hooves raised high in the air.
Meng Qianqian adjusted her mask and turned her horse around, heading back the way she had come.
As another wave of cold snow arrived, the violent wind raged, and hailstones clattered against her hat and mask, also striking her slender yet unyielding body.
A horse-drawn carriage approached from the opposite direction.
Meng Qianqian pulled on the reins, and the carriage passed by.
The curtain was lifted slightly by the cold wind, revealing a purple-clad figure leaning silently against the wall of the carriage, eyes closed in rest.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Leaving a mark, the story continues...
(End of Chapter)
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