“What is it? Tell me, as long as I can do it, I’ll definitely help you.”
“Brother, can you secretly go buy something for me?”
“What thing?” Huo Mingxian asked in confusion.
Huo Ningyu took a piece of paper and wrote a few characters on it with a brush.
When Huo Mingxian saw those characters, his eyes widened.
“What do you need this for?”
“Of course to scare people. Will you help me or not?” Huo Ningyu replied with a sly smile.
Seeing his sister’s smile, he truly believed she wasn’t actually upset.
“Don’t tell mother and father about this. Only the two of us should know, and don’t let the servants find out either. We need to keep it secret,” she added.
“Alright,” Huo Mingxian agreed indulgently.
He immediately understood what his sister intended to use it for.
Although it was somewhat childish mischief, as long as it made his sister happy, he would support it.
Huo Mingxian changed his clothes and quietly left through the back door, wearing a douli that covered his face.
However, when he overheard the discussions of passersby on the street, he nearly lost his temper on the spot.
No wonder his sister had asked him to buy those things.
So she had heard such disgraceful rumors.
What he didn’t know was that he had been followed ever since leaving the residence.
It wasn’t until he purchased what Huo Ningyu wanted, secretly brought it back to the residence, and stored it in his own courtyard that the person following him finally left, heading to the innermost private room on the second floor of a teahouse.
A man wearing a silver Zhong Kui mask was sitting there, leisurely sipping tea.
It was Zhao Bingyu.
“Sir, Young Master Huo sneaked out through the back door and bought several large snakes to bring back,” his attendant reported.
“Do you know what he plans to use them for?” Zhao Bingyu’s voice remained emotionless.
“This subordinate failed in his duty. I will go investigate immediately,” the attendant replied before quickly departing.
Another person entered.
“Sir, our men have thoroughly searched Putuo Temple again, leaving no corner unchecked, but we still haven’t found anything unusual,” Yu Zheng reported.
“No need to continue searching. Someone knows the clues. Sit down and have some tea with me,” Zhao Bingyu gestured for him to sit.
“Who?” Yu Zheng was startled. Had their leader already obtained leads?
“Yu Zheng, you’ve been following me for several years now, investigating numerous cases during this time. Although some were quite challenging, they were usually resolved within a few months at most. Only this Putuo Temple case has dragged on for half a year without any progress.”
Zhao Bingyu slowly refilled his teacup, not answering who it was.
The clear, pleasant sound of tea pouring into the cup added a touch of vitality to the cold, silent room.
“This subordinate has failed in his duty,” Yu Zheng immediately stood up and bowed in acknowledgment of his mistake.
“Sit down. I’m not blaming you. This indicates that the perpetrator’s methods are extremely sophisticated, capable of evading our detection. The fools at the Ministry of Justice are even less capable.”
“Sir, all our men are male, while the temple is full of nuns. Our people couldn’t get too close, so we might have overlooked some details,” Yu Zheng analyzed.
“You make a valid point. Do you think our Imperial City Guard should train some women? It would make operations more convenient,” Zhao Bingyu felt this was quite necessary.
“Yes, this subordinate will implement it immediately. But regarding the candidate selection…” Yu Zheng seemed somewhat troubled.
If they were to train someone, they would have to start with young girls. Whose daughter would be willing to send them to the Imperial City Guard? They would have to purchase girls from poor families.
In their line of work, everyone needed martial arts skills, otherwise they wouldn’t even know how they died.
“Fool, can’t you just buy a few women to train? They don’t need to fight or kill, just teach them how to be spies, how to act, and be useful at critical moments.”
“Yes, understood.” Yu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The boss didn’t mean to buy young children for training – that made things much easier.
“One more task for you: have people keep an eye on the Huo Family’s Da Xiao Jie, Huo Ningyu. Report her every move to me.”
Zhao Bingyu recalled what Huo Ningyu had said that day, which had successfully piqued his interest.
“Yes.”
In the evening, Huo Mingchang returned from Guozijian. Originally, he had taken leave today to see his sister off for her wedding.
With the wedding canceled, he had no choice but to attend classes.
“Second Young Master, Da Xiao Jie requests that you go see her as soon as you put down your books.” A maid waiting outside immediately conveyed the message upon seeing him return.
Hearing that his sister wanted him, Huo Mingchang put down his book box and went straight to Ninghua Courtyard where Huo Ningyu lived.
“Elder Sister, what did you need me for?” His voice carried urgency, thinking his sister had encountered some difficulty.
But he found her sitting at her dressing table, looking in the mirror and turning her head this way and that, as if she couldn’t get enough of her reflection.
Yesterday had been too busy – Huo Ningyu had only glanced at the mirror right after her rebirth. Today she hadn’t had much time either, until after seeing the things her elder brother had bought. Only then did she feel reassured enough to return to her courtyard and seriously examine herself in the mirror.
She had truly been reborn.
Especially this healthy body that felt so real to her.
During those six months after marrying into the Xie family, she had gone from being lively and spirited to having difficulty even walking.
At the time, she thought she had an incurable illness. If she hadn’t learned the truth before dying, she would have remained in the dark about her death.
Clearly, it was a royal physician – one her natal family had arranged – yet he failed to diagnose what was really wrong with her, only saying she suffered from blood deficiency, calling it exhaustion syndrome, growing weaker by the day.
She suspected that physician had been bribed by Xie Zhengyang.
Or perhaps he was someone the Xie family had planted in the imperial medical bureau.
If she got the chance, she must tell the Imperial City Envoy and have him investigate.
“Second Brother, back from school?” Huo Ningyu turned around. “Tonight, your sister will take you to do something quite challenging. Dare you come?”
She had thought it through – she couldn’t let their elder brother join them.
After all, their elder brother was an adult who would take the Metropolitan Exam next March.
If they were caught red-handed, it would damage his reputation.
But Second Brother was different – only fourteen years old. Even if caught, he was just a child, so the impact would be minimal.
As for herself, she didn’t need to worry either. If someone bullied her, wasn’t it normal to bully them back?
“Of course I dare! Are you looking down on me? The first time I climbed a tree to rob a bird’s nest, I was only six. I’ve even put toads under our tutor’s desk.” Huo Mingchang immediately became interested, boasting about his past glorious achievements.
As the second son in the family without the pressure of necessarily passing the Jinshi exam, he was much more playful than Huo Mingxian.
“Good, worthy of being this young lady’s good brother.”
The siblings went together to the main courtyard to have dinner with their parents, then followed their elder brother back to his courtyard.
“Little Sister, are you really not letting me come?” Huo Mingxian asked again.
“Elder Brother, how old are you? Playing around like a child would damage your image. Be careful Father finds out and canes you.” How could Huo Mingchang let his elder brother steal his thunder?
“Elder Brother should stay home and study. After all, Father placed first in the imperial examinations back then. While I don’t have such high expectations for you, you should at least aim for third place.” Huo Ningyu laughed.
She knew her eldest brother had indeed later placed third in the imperial examinations, but by that time her health had deteriorated so much that she rarely went out to join the festivities, and thus missed the grand spectacle of him parading through the streets on horseback.
Huo Mingchang picked up the cage and left immediately.
“Be careful not to be spotted by the City Patrol Division,” Huo Mingxian cautioned.
“Don’t worry.” Having drifted through the capital for five years, Huo Ningyu knew the streets of Jing Cheng like the back of her hand.
During the day, she could only hide in dark corners, relying entirely on nighttime for her wanderings.
The siblings slipped out quietly through the back door.
They hurried toward the small courtyard where they had caught the adulterers two days prior.
To avoid drawing their parents’ attention, they opted to walk instead of taking a carriage.
However, the moment they stepped out, they were spotted, and someone began tailing them stealthily.
Simultaneously, the information was reported to their leader.