Chapter 1067 - 1069: Uncertainty_1
Leng Wanhua’s mind was indeed delicate, noticing Bai Ruozhu’s anxiety. She opened the door and asked, "Ruozhu, do you have urgent matters? Otherwise, we can disperse for now."
Thinking of the cruel and cunning second-in-command, Bai Ruozhu feared involving Leng Wanhua, so she said, "That’s fine, I will come to play at your house in a couple of days."
"Okay, I will take my leave first. I’m afraid my mother is going to scold me for not rushing home as soon as I return," Leng Wanhua said cheerfully, getting up and heading outside.
Bai Ruozhu watched through the crack of the private room door as Leng Wanhua safely left to greet the visitors, helped into the horse carriage by the door maid, before she finally felt at ease.
Turning around, she saw Fang Guizhi watching her, puzzled. With a wry smile, she said, "Don’t make a fuss. I thought I saw a criminal wanted by the Imperial Court, but I was afraid I was mistaken, so I sent Jianqi to check. However, Jianqi has been gone for half a day and hasn’t come back. I was worried when Wanhua left, but thankfully, that person didn’t show up. It might have been my eyes playing tricks on me."
Fang Guizhi, upon hearing this, became somewhat frightened, "Should we also leave quickly?"
"You go back first. I’ll wait for Jianqi a little longer. If that person is targeting me, I’m afraid he’ll act as soon as I do," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Fang Guizhi became anxious upon hearing this, saying discontentedly, "You’re just going to send me away when it’s dangerous? Do you think I’m a coward?"
Bai Ruozhu quickly signaled her to be quiet with a hushing gesture, saying helplessly, "Keep your voice down. Martial artists have very good hearing. It’s not like I’m going to a battlefield. If you stay, I’ll have to protect you as well. You don’t need to be here at this time. Just go downstairs, get into the horse carriage, and leave."
Fang Guizhi bit her lip, unwilling to leave, still hesitating in her heart, feeling it was unsafe to leave Bai Ruozhu alone. Bai Ruozhu did not usually bring maids with her when she went out, and even though she had dark guards, they were men who often needed to keep their distance.
"Alright, stop thinking. What if he captures you to threaten me? Hurry back, and don’t mention this to your parents. It might just be a false alarm. Let’s not worry them," Bai Ruozhu persuaded as she pushed Fang Guizhi towards the door. With Fang Guizhi pushed out of the private room, she had no choice but to nervously descend the stairs and board the horse carriage waiting at the door.
Only after seeing her leave safely did Bai Ruozhu breathe a sigh of relief.
"Madam." The shopkeeper knocked lightly on the door of the private room. Bai Ruozhu, lost in thought, was startled by the unexpected sound, breaking out in a light sweat on her back.
"Come in and speak," Bai Ruozhu said in a low voice.
The shopkeeper entered, bowed to Bai Ruozhu, and whispered, "The guest from that private room is settling the bill. Should I go and ask a few questions?"
"No need, I might have seen the wrong person. Don’t take the risk, and most importantly, do not let them know I’m here," Bai Ruozhu said hastily.
The shopkeeper felt curious, wondering what the lady, Jiang’s wife, was so focused on. However, he knew the rules—don’t ask questions that shouldn’t be asked—and he bowed to Bai Ruozhu before leaving the room.
Bai Ruozhu peered through the crack of the door and saw the room door quickly opened, and someone came out, led by what appeared to be a guard who was very respectful towards the rotund middle-aged man following him. Then two more people came out, partially obscured by the corridor’s columns, and she could not see their faces clearly.
The last to come out was the person she suspected was Shi Feiming. However, that person was now wearing a hat commonly donned by Jianghu people, and his features were hidden in the shadow of the hat, making it even harder to discern.
Having only seen Shi Feiming once before, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t confirm it by his figure alone.
As she tried to get a closer look, suddenly the hat-wearing man turned his head in her direction. Bai Ruozhu quickly focused her thoughts and entered her "Space" after a moment’s haste.
She sat on the ground in her Space, gasping for air. That was close. Indeed, she shouldn’t casually spy on experts; their perception was extremely sharp.
It seemed that she had entered the Space without that person noticing her.
After a while, footsteps sounded from outside, followed by Jianqi’s voice, "Master?"
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly came out of the Space, retreated to her seat, and said, "Come in."
Jianqi entered the room and found only Bai Ruozhu remaining. He bowed to Bai Ruozhu and said with shame, "I took too long and made the master wait."
"It doesn’t matter. You’ve always been cautious. Did you find anything just now?" Bai Ruozhu asked anxiously.
Jianqi’s face looked somewhat troubled, "There were experts among them. I was discovered as soon as I approached. Fearing that the expert would track down to you, I could only flee far away. It took quite an effort to shake off the expert who was following me."
The expression on Bai Ruozhu’s face wasn’t great either. It seemed Jianqi hadn’t had the chance to confirm whether that person was Shi Feiming or not.
She stood up and paced the room, her mind becoming somewhat chaotic. If that person was really Shi Feiming, what was he doing in the Capital now? To avenge the people from Batianzhai? Or had he become a subordinate of some high officer, working for that person?
If it was for revenge, they would probably be the first ones he would look for—Jiang Yichun and her. If he was working for someone else, who was his master, and what was he up to?
"Master, although it’s not certain whether that person is Shi Feiming or not, the people in that room were mysterious. They probably have a significant background; we should still be on guard," Jianqi reminded.
Bai Ruozhu nodded and started to worry. If it wasn’t for revenge, then coming to the Capital meant it was likely related to matters of the Imperial Court. In the past, she could have informed Jiang Yichun and let him be on guard, but unfortunately, Jiang Yichun was not in the Capital at the moment. It wouldn’t be good to write to Jiang Yichun and distract him. Thinking of this, she suddenly missed Achun very much. Counting the days, he had been gone for over ten days, and it was uncertain how much longer before he could return.
"Let’s go back first. Have someone send a message to the Commerce Association and have them investigate quietly. Inform me immediately if there’s any news," Bai Ruozhu said.
"Understood."
Since Guizhi had taken the horse carriage, Jianqi went to hire one. Soon, they returned to the Bai Residence. Fang Guizhi, seeing Bai Ruozhu return safely, sighed in relief and asked in a low voice, "Is that person the wanted criminal from the Imperial Court?"
"Probably not, I might have been mistaken," said Bai Ruozhu, trying to allay Fang Guizhi’s worries.
Fang Guizhi playfully smacked her, "You nearly scared me to death."
Bai Ruozhu smiled at her, "I won’t talk to you about this anymore. I’m going to see my parents first, then play with my darling son for a while before his nap. You should rest too; you’ll be busy with the Beauty Pavilion in a few days."
"I’ve already visited our parents. I’ll go back first then," said Fang Guizhi before taking her leave.
Bai Ruozhu went to see her parents and seeing that Bai Yihong’s mood wasn’t too bad, her mind eased a bit. Then she picked up Little Dengdeng and took him back to the Yard to sleep.
Dengdeng was walking better now; he refused to be carried or to have his hand held by his mother, and with little short legs, he walked ahead on his own. Bai Ruozhu looked at her hand, which her son had let go of, feeling a little sour in her heart. This rascal was growing too independent, wasn’t he? Was he already thinking of flying on his own?