Chapter 300 - 298: You Finally Agreed to Meet Me (Part 2)

Chapter 300: Chapter 298: You Finally Agreed to Meet Me (Part 2)

Xu Jing simply wrote one sentence on the note: I’m fine, don’t worry, wait for me to return safely.

It was indeed a note reporting her safety.

"Jiang Da" watched her write the sentence from start to finish, checked it once more in his hand, and then called over someone beside him, folded the note, and handed it over, saying: "Quickly deliver this note, and at the same time, prepare the carriage to leave..."

Xu Jing replied, "How can I be sure you truly delivered the note? I need you to take one of my people, let them confirm my maid received my note."

"Jiang Da’s" face showed a hint of impatience, but he felt the gaze of Yan Ci beside him and could only suppress his temper, saying in a deep voice: "Someone, take a person from Miss Xu, let them observe from the shadows as you deliver the note!"

This way, they could only wait for the person who delivered the note to return before they could leave.

Xu Jing also saw it fit to stop making any more requests and sat quietly in Jiang Da’s small wooden cabin, watching from the window and door as people outside busied themselves with preparations for leaving.

Yan Ci sat opposite her, with two guards watching nearby.

Xu Jing could feel that Yan Ci was continuously watching her, and finally, Yan Ci spoke: "I didn’t expect that Miss Xu was also sent to investigate this matter."

Xu Jing looked at her and smiled faintly: "Speaking of which, Doctor Yan being Lord Cui’s mother is truly shocking."

Yan Ci let out a bitter smile, shaking her head, "It was nothing but a youthful mistake... Heaven knows, I wish more than anything that my child were just an ordinary person, the last thing I want is for his identity to bring disaster to the country and people. Unfortunately, despite staying by his side all these years, what I least wanted to happen still occurred."

Xu Jing was slightly stunned, staring at Yan Ci, "Didn’t Jiang Da say that Lord Cui and the others are innocent? Doctor Yan shouldn’t take this matter too seriously. If Lord Cui and the others are indeed without treasonous intent, they won’t bring disaster to the country and people."

In the end, she was just a mother worrying about her child.

Doctor Yan merely shook her head subtly, seemingly weary, and closed her eyes.

At that moment, "Jiang Da" strode in, accompanied by Xu Jing’s guard who had gone with them to deliver the reassuring letter.

Upon confirming that the note did reach Chunyang, Xu Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and, as per their arrangement, got onto the carriage they prepared.

Subsequently, in the dark night, "Jiang Da" and his group’s carriage and horses, disguised as regular merchants, slowly entered the dark.

Xu Jing lifted the carriage curtain and indeed saw people following all around her carriage. She just took one look, then lowered the curtain, lightly resting her head against the wall of the carriage, and closed her eyes to rest.

The safety letter she sent was, of course, not merely for Chunyang and Yanhua to see.

Chunyang, having been beside her for some time, had grown quite a bit; upon seeing the letter, she would naturally know something was amiss.

Should anything happen to her, the only person Chunyang could turn to on this side was Xiao Yi. This letter was intended for Xiao Yi’s eyes.

Xiao Yi had just expressed his concern for her that night, and in the next moment, trouble had arisen. If she didn’t give him an explanation, who knows how much this man would worry.

"Jiang Da," not trusting her, would certainly have people watch over Chunyang and Yanhua. By now, Chunyang must have guessed this as well, so whether the reassuring letter could successfully reach Xiao Yi would depend on her.

At this moment, Cheng Xiao’s voice came from outside the right window, "Madam."

Xu Jing immediately lifted the curtain on the right and indeed saw Cheng Xiao riding alongside her carriage, smiling as she raised an eyebrow, "They finally let you come over?"

Xu Jing had requested Cheng Xiao stay by her side. Although "Jiang Da" had agreed, he was cautious and hadn’t allowed Cheng Xiao near her initially. Only now was she able to see Cheng Xiao again.

To think Madam could still smile under such circumstances!

Cheng Xiao wore a slightly bitter expression, "There are quite a few people watching."

Xu Jing smiled faintly, "Don’t worry, if I’m not mistaken, they are now taking us to meet their chief."

As long as they could meet their chief, everything else would be much easier to handle.

If it’s true that Li Yuan plans to disguise himself as one of them to attack Lingzhou three days later, there’s no way they’d sit around and wait.

They would certainly take some action.

I just hope Xiao Yi and the others can also uncover some clues in time and not be overly passive.

The next day at noon, at Lingzhou Prefecture.

Xiao Yi sat behind his desk with a grim face, holding a scroll in his hand, absorbed in thought.

Xi You lingered at the door for a while, mentally preparing before entering, and performed a salute, "Reporting to Lord, the people we sent to White Poplar Village have reported, so far... there’s still no sign of Madam..."

Before the words were finished, a sudden loud "bang" came from not far away, and Xi You’s heart skipped a beat. It was Xiao Yi slamming the scroll on the desk, his black, cold eyes fixated on him, painfully suppressing himself as he enunciated word by word: "What in the world is going on! How did someone just vanish since last night?"

Just a moment ago, she was in front of him, smiling brightly, playful and sarcastic.

The next, his subordinates reported that Madam had disappeared.

The area around Jing’s residence was now under surveillance from unidentified individuals.

A flood of anxiousness surged within Xiao Yi, threatening to overwhelm him, struggling to maintain clarity.

Jing had just discussed Jiang Da and Yan Ci with him yesterday, and now she was missing—her disappearance must be related to them.

And she’s not the type to act recklessly, not one to easily endanger herself. The more dire the situation, the calmer he needed to be.

If he acted impulsively, it might bring Jing even greater danger.

Unbeknownst to him, Xi You broke into a cold sweat—it was his first time seeing his Lord so terrifying, trying hard to steady his voice, "I already instructed our people, even if it means turning the whole village upside down, we must find Madam..."

At this time, a guard suddenly rushed in hurriedly, bowing, "Reporting to Lord, a female physician with the surname Wei is outside, claiming she came from White Poplar Village and has urgent matters to discuss with Lord."

White Poplar Village.

Xiao Yi’s eyes darkened, immediately instructing, "Bring her in!"

Wei Muqing entered nervously. Upon seeing the imposing man of extraordinary appearance, she froze briefly. Yet she remembered the instructions Chunyang had given her, bringing out the folded note in her hand, "A woman named Chunyang asked a common woman to deliver this note to you..."

Xiao Yi immediately took the note from her hands, his growing anxiety somewhat relieved by the familiar, delicate handwriting.

His other hand, hidden behind his back, trembled slightly as he clenched it into a fist, "Did Chunyang say anything else?"

"No."

Wei Muqing shook her head, "She only said that Jing is in trouble and you’re the only one who can help Jing, insisting that I deliver this note into your hands, without letting anyone else know."

Xiao Yi’s fist clenched tighter.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded from outside—it was Zhao Jingxuan.

Zhao Jingxuan halted briefly upon seeing Wei Muqing in the room, but the urgency of the situation left him no time for formalities. He looked at Xiao Yi, "Yanci, I remember your report mentioning that the person Yuan Zaili secretly met in Anding County had a Yuanzhou accent, right?

My informant just reported that He Dong Jiedu Shi Li Yuan’s troops have been making unusual movements, suggesting that Li Yuan might be involved too!"

Meanwhile, "Jiang Da" led Xu Jing and her group, unhurriedly journeying for a day and a night. Finally, by the second evening, they arrived at a seemingly isolated valley.

Xu Jing kept note of the path they took along the way, surprised at how many of the routes were traversable, which only meant that Lingzhou was indeed under Cui Han and his father’s command—no one else knew Lingzhou so thoroughly.

Her heart gradually steadied.

Finally, their carriage stopped in an open space amidst the mountains. Xu Jing was contemplating whether to get off when she heard an exaggerated wail from outside, "Ci, you finally agree to meet me!"