Chapter 293: Chapter 293 Narrow Path
A man was climbing the wall nearby with ease.
He crouched down close by, preparing to eavesdrop.
Su Jin’s lips curved slightly; she knew what the Hidden Guard’s hint meant.
If there was anything to say, the man could pass it on to Duke Chong.
However, they’ve been talking for so long now; discussing Old Duke Chong’s illness would be too fake now.
How could someone as shrewd as Duke Chong believe that?
It would be better to be straightforward and rough.
"Beat him half to death," Su Jin said.
The Hidden Guard leaped onto the roof and started fighting the man.
The man’s martial arts were excellent, and the Hidden Guard could only fight him to a draw. But don’t forget, Marquis Jibei also had people with him.
Two against one.
When they say they’ll beat you half to death, they won’t let you escape without getting thoroughly beaten.
The man returned to Duke Chong’s Mansion with a broken arm, his face bruised and swollen.
Seeing his miserable state, Duke Chong’s face turned purple.
"What did you hear?" Duke Chong asked.
"... ." The man didn’t speak.
Duke Chong asked again, "Speak truthfully!"
"I heard Mr. Mo say, ’Beat him half to death,’" the man said with difficulty.
Duke Chong clenched his fist so tightly that his bones cracked audibly.
"One can tell just by hearing this that it’s someone from Dongxiang Marquis Mansion!" Duke Chong said, unable to suppress his anger.
"Does the Duke suspect that Mr. Mo is the doctor from Dongxiang Marquis Mansion?" the man standing behind Duke Chong asked.
"If not him, then who else?!" Duke Chong replied.
All movements of Marquis Jibei Mansion were under his surveillance.
There was no evidence of any doctor coming to the Capital.
However, the younger son of Marquis Dongxiang stayed at Marquis Jibei Mansion for a night.
Marquis Jibei impeached Marquis Dongxiang, saying it was impeachment, but it was clearly helping Marquis Dongxiang.
Their relationship was so good that they let their own son stay at Marquis Jibei Mansion, which says a lot.
Thinking of the nightmares he had these past few nights, Duke Chong felt a vague unease in his heart.
Returning to Duke Chong’s Mansion, Chief Manager Wang greeted him.
Seeing him, Duke Chong remembered the Flying Tiger Army’s compassion silver issue.
"What about the matter I asked you to investigate?" Duke Chong inquired.
"No news yet," Chief Manager Wang replied.
"A bunch of useless people!"
"... ." Duke Chong walked away.
In front of the maids and servants, he cursed, making Chief Manager Wang feel embarrassed.
Then—
With no face left, Chief Manager Wang scolded his subordinates harshly, using more severe and unpleasant words.
"If you can’t find even a bit of information, you might as well go die!" Chief Manager Wang said coldly.
"Yes, yes."
"We’ll go investigate right away," the servants said while shrinking their necks, nodding repeatedly.
The servants hurriedly left Duke Chong’s Mansion, and after going a distance, they were at a loss again.
They never took Chief Manager Wang’s orders lightly, and if they could have found anything, they would have reported it like offering a treasure. They were truly powerless.
"What should we do now?" one servant asked.
"How would I know what to do? Interrogate those Flying Tiger Army family members again!" the other servant said fiercely.
"But we’ve already asked several times, and they just won’t talk," the servant said bitterly.
"If they don’t talk, just beat them until they do!"
...
In front of the Imperial Palace gate, guards stood watch.
Two little eunuchs walked out.
The guards blocked the gate.
One of the little eunuchs took a Token out of his pocket, saying, "We were ordered by Princess Shouning to handle matters outside the palace."
The guards glanced at the Token and stepped aside.
The two eunuchs walked out.
After walking some distance, they looked back and patted their chests.
...
In the bustling street, the Hidden Guard drove the carriage forward.
Xingxing lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Let’s get off the carriage ahead."
The Hidden Guard was slightly taken aback, "Aren’t we going directly back to the mansion?"
"Who said we’re going back to the mansion?" Su Jin asked.
"... ."
"The Eldest Young Master said so," the Hidden Guard said silently.
"What he says doesn’t count," Su Jin stated.
The Hidden Guard, "... ."
Sitting on the carriage shaft, watching the bustling street, the Hidden Guard was unsure of what to do.
The Eldest Young Master’s instructions came first, see Old Duke Chong and then go directly back to the mansion, but the Eldest Young Madam wanted to shop – whose instructions should he follow?
After hesitating for a moment, the Hidden Guard decisively chose to follow the Eldest Young Madam’s instructions.
When the carriage stopped, Xingxing jumped down first, then helped Su Jin down.
Looking at the two dressed in men’s clothing, the Hidden Guard frowned slightly, "Does the Eldest Young Madam intend to shop in men’s attire?"
Su Jin flicked open the folded fan, shaking it with an air of elegance.
"Is there a problem with that?" she asked.
"If caught by people from Duke Zhen’s Mansion, you’ll be punished," the Hidden Guard cautioned.
"Don’t worry, they won’t catch us," Su Jin said, full of confidence.
With her current attire, even her parents might not recognize her, let alone those from Duke Zhen’s Mansion?
Known for her reputation as the fierce bandit of Qingyun Mountain and the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, whenever people saw her, they would avoid her like the plague.
If they didn’t recognize her, they could treat her like an ordinary customer when buying things, smiling as they greeted her.
If recognized, although they might still smile, it would be a forced smile, so close to crying, ruining all the fun of shopping.
Now transformed, from a fierce bandit to a charming gentleman, everyone benefits.
Moving forward, Su Jin instructed Xingxing, "Now, we are young masters and servants. Remember to keep the bandit aura in check."
"Remember to pay for whatever we buy."
Xingxing nodded repeatedly.
Then added, "But what if we don’t have money?"
Su Jin, "... ."
"You didn’t bring money with you?" Su Jin’s voice rose by two pitches.
Xingxing looked at Su Jin and said, "All the money is in the little satchel. Didn’t you say it’d be inappropriate to carry a satchel while dressed as a servant? So, I didn’t bring it."
Unexpectedly without the usual satchel, Xingxing felt a bit uneasy.
"Not in the carriage?" Su Jin asked.
"I was afraid it wasn’t safe in the carriage, so I didn’t bring it from the mansion," Xingxing replied.
Her satchel contained valuable things, like silver notes, and a whip and Jade Pendant bestowed by the Emperor to the young lady...
None could be lost.
She felt uneasy not carrying it herself, so before leaving, she hid it in a bamboo house drawer.
Su Jin’s face was lined with black frustration.
What good is shopping without money?
Shopping without buying anything, just adding to the crowd for hype?
Su Jin turned to find the Hidden Guard.
"The servant following the husband is very poor; even his clothes are tattered."
"Shall we rob a little money before shopping?" Xingxing suggested.
Su Jin, "... ."
Unable to hold back, Su Jin raised her hand and tapped Xingxing on the head.
Couldn’t go three sentences without reverting to old habits.
She was here to shop, not to rob.
Wanting money shouldn’t be hard, right?
The Beauty Pavilion wasn’t too far from here; she could just have the Hidden Guard get a few hundred taels of silver notes.
The Hidden Guard tied up the carriage and came over seeking Su Jin, only to be tasked with fetching the silver note.
The Hidden Guard took out two taels of silver from his pocket, saying, "Eldest Young Madam should shop first; I’ll be back soon."
"Go, go."
Su Jin shook the two taels of silver and started to browse leisurely with Xingxing.
Eating sugar figures, their eyes narrowed sweetly.
An old man passed by carrying a load, and Su Jin stepped aside, accidentally stepping on his foot.
Just as Su Jin was about to apologize, a rebuke came crashing down on her.
"Outrageous!" the person rebuked.
Su Jin looked up and saw two little eunuchs.
One of them squatted down to clean the other’s shoe.
Su Jin glanced over and, lifting her gaze, saw the little eunuch’s face.
Su Jin, "... ."
What a case of enemies meeting on a narrow path.
Truly.
She didn’t want to rob anyone.
But if it was the princess-disguised little eunuch, she couldn’t let them go.