Chapter 92 - 092 Suspicious Behavior
The follower looked young, even not yet twenty. A surprised look crossed his face, "Young master, isn’t this... inappropriate? If any spies slip out, you won’t be able to explain it to the higher-ups."
You couldn’t see the masked man’s facial expression, but his gaze turned colder, "Since when do I need to take your commands?" The tone of his words was slow and maintained an eerie calmness. Although there was no anger in his voice, the sheer indifference made the follower shudder involuntarily. The follower cursed internally, realizing his carefree days have made him loose-lipped.
But he was only looking out for his master, wasn’t he? Letting someone escape privately raised a lot of concerns. What if it was a trap? Even if the farmer’s wife was innocent, she was planning to leave with someone else. What if that person was a spy, ready to relay a secret message?
Of course, though the follower was a bit disgruntled, he didn’t dare to speak much. He walked over and had the officer let Lin Ping’er enter the city. He then watched as she hurried to Fushou Hall.
Lin Ping’er initially thought she wouldn’t be able to enter the town. However, she was unexpectedly allowed to pass. She assumed the county magistrate had ordered it and kept expressing her gratitude to the follower. She insisted on coming back later to bow down before the county magistrate in thanks.
The follower maintained a poker face without uttering a word. Lin Ping’er didn’t stop to ponder his silence and quickly found the female doctor, Liu.
"Doctor Liu, my daughter has been pushed down and her amniotic fluid broke. There was some blood in her urine and I’m afraid she’s going into labor. Please come and take a look. We will pay extra as per normal consultation rates," Lin Ping’er recounted the situation as fast as she could upon seeing Doctor Liu.
Doctor Liu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Don’t panic. Let me gather a few things and I will accompany you."
Having said this, she went inside to pack the medical box and birthing tools. She then quietly called a boy over, whispered a few instructions to him, and the boy silently slipped out of Fushou Hall.
The follower was instantly alert. His eyes narrowed as he thought, "I knew something was wrong. It seems like she has already sent a private message." Since his current task was to keep an eye on the farmer’s lady, he decided to simply stick close to Lin Ping’er and Liu Baishuang, in order to uncover any issues.
Only when Liu Baishuang packed up her things and ventured out of town with Lin Ping’er did she learn about the government’s search. Her brow furrowed slightly, puzzled about how Lin Ping’er entered the town.
Instead of letting the two women leave, the follower ran to report to Jiang Yichun, "Young master, those two are definitely suspicious. The female doctor sent a message before leaving."
Jiang Yichun’s eyebrows knitted together tightly behind his mask. He was confident that the Bai Family was innocent. They were local farmers, rooted to this land. It was true that Bai Ruozhu was pregnant and close to giving birth. However, he was not sure about Liu Baishuang.
"Who did she send the message to?" he asked solemnly, a hint of murderous intention in his voice.
"I’m not sure. I was following them closely but couldn’t chase after the messenger," the follower hurriedly explained.
Jiang Yichun looked towards the two women who were preparing to leave the city. He saw Lin Ping’er, who looked like she was on the verge of crying. Why were they still being delayed?
"Liu Dong, are you sure Liu Baishuang is suspicious?" Jiang Yichun asked.
Liu Dong, the follower’s name, nodded vigorously, "Absolutely, I saw her secretly calling for a boy."
Jiang Yichun was silent for a few seconds without saying a word. Liu Dong didn’t know what he was thinking, and almost couldn’t help but urge him to answer. Fortunately, Jiang Yichun finally spoke.
"Let them go and take a few men to follow them. Don’t frighten the snake by hitting the grass," Jiang Yichun snorted coldly, adding, "If it really is them, it would be easier to round them all up together."
Liu Dong thought the young master was indeed wise. Was this called casting a long line to catch a big fish?
After receiving his orders, Liu Dong allowed Lin Ping’er and Doctor Lui to pass, then quietly followed them with a few officers. They tailed the donkey cart the two women were riding.
Soon after Lin Ping’er and her companions left, a man came rushing in a horse carriage. The carriage bore the distinctive "Du" family sign and Zhou Fu, who often interacted with Bai Ruozhu, was in charge of the carriage.
The inspection at the city gate brought the carriage to a halt. Du Zhongshu descended from the carriage, an apparent look of anxiety on his face. He had already informed Doctor Liu that, if Bai Ruozhu went into labor, she was to inform him immediately. He intended to see if he could offer any assistance. However, due to the arrival of an important guest, he had been delayed. By the time he arrived, Bai Ruozhu’s mother and Liu Biashuang had already left the town for an unknown location, and he wasn’t able to leave.
While Du Zhongshu was questioning the officers, Jiang Yichun’s gaze grew colder from a distance. It seemed Liu Dong had been mistaken; Doctor Liu had merely informed Du Zhongshu. However, the secrecy towards the Bai Family made it seem rather suspicious.
What secret could Du Zhongshu be hiding from the Bai Family? He didn’t know that Bai Ruozhu had enough influence to concern the young master of a town pharmacy.
"Do not show favoritism. Investigate that man thoroughly before letting him pass," Jiang Yichun ordered the officer by his side. It was clear that he didn’t want Du Zhongshu to go.
The glint in his eyes turned colder. Who could guarantee that the Du Family weren’t spies of the enemy kingdom? Carelessness was not an option.
...
As Zhao Ludan was rushing back to his village, the village meeting about the school began.
"Why hasn’t Yihong come?" The village chief, feeling unwell, asked after coughing a few times.
Old Wan heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Don’t wait for him. There is trouble at his house. He won’t be able to attend."
The old village chief looked at the other elders, then at his eldest son; it was apparent that everyone knew what was going on. He asked Wang Feng anxiously, "What has happened? Why didn’t you inform me earlier?"
"You had just taken your medicine in the morning, I didn’t dare bring up these distressing matters to you." Exhaling deeply, Wang Feng explained, "The young miss of Bai Family was beaten by the third son, and her water broke. We don’t know what will happen to her yet."
The old village chief was a bit shocked and was trying to grasp Wang Feng’s words when he heard Old Wan saying, "The old scholar Bai must be too old to manage his household affairs. He allowed his nephew to steal his cousin’s betrothal token and destroy it. This is sinful indeed."
"Does the Bai family believe that their niece can be compared with their son? The third son of Bai family wounded his uncle and Bai Fu did nothing. The neighbours saw him punishing everyone with a rattan stick. This is dishonest."
"I heard that Ruozhu’s husband is sick and out of town, we don’t know if he will recover or not. The jade pendant was the only keepsake left for her and the child, how could they just steal it and destroy it?"
"So, let’s say they’re dishonest."
With a crowd in a heated discussion, the village chief roughly grasped the situation. He didn’t feel it was appropriate for him to comment on someone else’s family, and coughed twice before saying, "Let’s focus on discussing the candidates for the teacher’s position first."
After he finished speaking, Old Wan straightaway dismissed Bai Yibo, "Consider Bai Yibo out. His actions today were enough to judge his character. I won’t risk my grandson being led astray."
Old Wan had a lot of sway in the village. Once he voiced his opinions, nobody dared to counter him.
In the end, the group settled on choosing Tutor Wu, mainly because they doubted that the alternative could afford to provide for his family.
After the meeting concluded, Old Wan headed to the Bai Family’s second house. The Wan Family was related to the Bai Family by marriage, and he greatly admired Bai Zehao, a noteworthy figure. He wanted to offer a few words of comfort. However, as he reached the gate of the Bai Family’s house, he saw Bai Fu and his family were already there.