Mo Ran had been at the Jingzhaoyin government office for five days. He knew he was under house arrest, but he was still aware of what had happened in the palace. The Xue Fu county king was an impostor; the real one had arrived, and the fake Xue Fu county king had been demoted to commoner status and expelled from Xue country.
The real one was enfeoffed as Xue Yuan Wang.
Mo Ran held his brush and wrote a large character on the white paper: Zhen (True).
"My lord, will you stay in the government office like this?" The yamen runner looked at the leisurely Mo Ran, truly unable to understand why Lord Mo was so patient.
"There are impostors in the palace, like the Monkey King. It's best if we don't get involved."
Ever since he learned of Jing Yun's death in Huangze, he felt he had become much calmer.
"My lord, Boss Li has sent the newly arrived peaches for you to taste. If you don't like them, he'll take them back," the yamen runner reported.
Mo Ran paused slightly and said, "Let him in."
The yamen runner nodded and turned to leave.
Mo Ran put down his brush and rested his hand on his chin. Although he was under house arrest, no one restricted the daily procurement for the estate.
However, he remembered that peaches were not on today's procurement list.
Peach? Mo Ran's gaze flickered.
"Lord Mo, please taste these new peaches today."
Boss Li held out a pink peach. Mo Ran looked at Boss Li, who was indeed the same Boss Li from before. He reached out and took it. The peach seemed normal. He took a bite; it was very sweet.
"No..."
"My lord, don't you like it? I tasted it just now, and it was quite sweet."
Mo Ran's gaze darkened. He looked at Boss Li. Boss Li opened the bucket containing the peaches. The bucket was large, even large enough for him to fit inside with room to spare.
He looked up at Boss Li and asked, "Besides peaches, what else is there?"
Boss Li smiled and said, "There are also dates."
"Take out a few more and let the brothers taste them."
Boss Li quickly took out a few peaches and handed them over.
Xue Yunlan arrived at the Jingzhaoyin with his men and happened to see someone pulling a large bucket away. He ordered his men to stop the person and bring him over.
"Your Excellency, I am a person delivering vegetables and fruits to the estate," Boss Li said, his voice trembling with fear.
Xue Yunlan's gaze sharpened. "Open it, let me see."
The lid of the bucket was opened, revealing a layer of peaches. Xue Yunlan reached out and picked up a few. The fuzz on the peaches made her skin itch uncomfortably. After a few glances, seeing nothing unusual, she waved her hand, letting them leave.
Entering the yamen, Xue Yunlan said coldly, "Bring Mo Ran out."
After a long pause, no one emerged. Xue Yunlan's gaze turned cold, and he led his men inside. Mo Ran was nowhere to be seen. On the desk was the character Zhen, its ink not yet dry.
Xue Yunlan's eyes narrowed with rage. "Quickly, capture that Boss Li!"
Outside the city, Boss Li drove the carriage into a dense forest. He paid the temporarily hired helpers with silver shards and sent them away. Only then did he open the bucket lid and say, "Lord Mo, walk straight ahead. At the end, there is a village, and someone is waiting for you."
Upon hearing this, Mo Ran bowed deeply, performing a grand salutation. "Boss Li, I, Mo Ran, will never forget your great kindness."
Boss Li, startled, quickly helped Mo Ran up. "Please, no, Lord Mo."
Mo Ran shook his head. "You deserve this bow."
"Lord Mo, hurry now. If we are late, they might find out," Boss Li urged.
"Boss Li, you shouldn't stay here either. They won't let you go."
Boss Li smiled. "My family has already gone to Han country, and I will be going there soon as well."
Mo Ran nodded. "High mountains and flowing water, until we meet again!"
Boss Li nodded. "Lord Mo, until we meet again!"
Boss Li drove away the carriage.
Although the fuzz on the peaches was blocked by clothes on his face, his hands were still itchy. However, Mo Ran dared not linger. He walked in the direction Boss Li had indicated.
As dusk approached, he saw a village and breathed a sigh of relief.
Entering the village, it was snowing heavily, and the swirling snowflakes obscured his vision. However, he still saw two people standing at the end.
He walked up to them, looking at the man and woman, and smiled. "So it's you."
The fire in the house burned brightly and warmly. Mo Ran listened to the entire story and sighed, "This is his destiny. But what are your plans for the future?"
He looked at the young girl beside him. The girl lowered her eyes, and he could not discern her thoughts.
Suddenly, the girl raised her head, her eyes shining with a light he couldn't understand. "We are going to rescue someone."
"Or rather, you are going to your deaths," Mo Ran said.
Xue Feng said indignantly, "Do you have a plan?"
Mo Ran glanced at Xue Feng. "The person needs to be rescued, but we have too few people right now. We still need more people."
"Mo Ran, who do you think in the palace can be of use to us?"
Mo Ran looked up at the girl. "The Imperial Guard Commander, Qin Chaohui."
Xue Zining narrowed her eyes. "I didn't see him in the palace. He must have been placed under house arrest."
"I'll go find him," Mo Ran said.
"Xue Feng, protect Lord Mo," Xue Zining suddenly commanded.
Mo Ran was surprised and quickly refused. "No, Xue Feng should stay with you."
"I can protect myself. What about you?" The girl's gaze was too clear and bright; Mo Ran realized at that moment he could not refuse.
"Besides, I have things to do. Having one more person would be inconvenient."
Xue Feng nodded. "Empress Dowager is correct."
"Tomorrow night, we will gather here again," Xue Zining said.
Mo Ran and Xue Feng nodded.
Early the next morning, the three set off.
Mo Ran and Xue Feng headed towards the direction of the imperial palace. Xue Zining gazed at the falling snow, a hint of melancholy rising in her heart.
Yan Zhao, where are you? Have you truly left me?
Why do I miss you so much now?
She walked forward step by step, leaving footprints in the snow.
She arrived at a mountain villa. Two guards stood outside the villa. Seeing her approach, they blocked her and said coldly, "Our thousand taels are spent; we only ask who to kill, not who buys."
Xue Zining took out silver notes and handed them over. "I want to rescue someone."
The guards were startled and raised their eyebrows. "Miss, you have come to the wrong place. Qianjin Tower only kills."
"Killing and rescuing are separated by a mere thought. What is the difference?"
The guards frowned, and finally, seeing the increasing amount of silver notes, they said coldly, "Then please wait a moment."
"I wish to see the楼主 (louzhu -楼主)," Xue Zining said.
The guards heard this and said, "Miss, the楼主 does not see guests."
"You don't see guests from Huangze either?"
The guards shook their heads. "Nowhere."
Xue Zining smiled upon hearing this, and her gaze suddenly turned cold. "Then I will have to force my way in."
She leaped into the air and lunged towards the guards. Her speed was so great that the guards did not react in time and retreated several steps.
"You..."
"I want to see the楼主 of your Qianjin Tower," the girl said, word by word.
As the guards were about to refuse, a voice came from the air. "Why do you wish to see this楼主?"
Xue Zining heard this and smiled coldly. "The楼主 drank my heart's blood years ago. I have come to collect my reward."