coobybook Chapter 1349 Face
Chapter 1349 Face
She quietly lifted the wooden board on the inside of the bed. It was a hidden compartment that she had pried open with her hairpin that afternoon while Zi'er went to fetch water. Inside was a set of coarse cloth clothes that she had prepared beforehand, which she had secretly asked the innkeeper to buy for her.
When Zi'er turned around with the medicine bottle, there was only a pile of scattered brocade quilts left on the bed; Rong Zhiyu was nowhere to be seen.
Her heart tightened, and she rushed to the window. The window was wide open, and the night wind blew in with a chill. On the windowsill was a small embroidered shoe.
"Not good!" Zi'er cried out and leaped out of the window, only to find the night was dark and the long street deserted, with only lanterns swaying in the wind in the distance. There was no trace of Rong Zhiyu.
Little did she know, Rong Zhiyu hadn't gone far at all. She changed into coarse cloth clothes, smeared her face with soot from the bottom of a pot, tied her hair into a simple bun, and covered half of her face with a cloth. Taking advantage of the moment when Zi'er chased after her out the window, she slipped out through the hidden door under the bed.
The inn was an old house, and there was a hidden door under the bed leading to the backyard, which she discovered while pretending to stroll around in the afternoon.
She crouched low and slipped along the corner of the backyard wall to the back door of the inn, where a donkey cart loaded with firewood was parked, and the old man driving it was dozing on the shaft.
Rong Zhiyu took out a silver ingot, gently placed it beside the old man's hand, and said in a low voice, "Uncle, please take me to the dilapidated temple in the east of the city. Thank you."
The old man woke up with a start, looked at the silver in his hand, then at the simply dressed woman in front of him, and nodded despite his doubts. The donkey cart slowly drove along the long street, and Rong Zhiyu huddled in the pile of firewood, her heart pounding, until the donkey cart turned several streets and alleys and was completely away from the inn, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The dilapidated temple in the east of the city was a gathering place for refugees, a mixed bag of people, and the easiest place to hide.
Rong Zhiyu found a relatively clean corner to sit down, removed her disguise, and revealed her beautiful face.
She took out a small sachet from her bosom. Inside was not spices, but a jade pendant with the character "战" (war) engraved on it. It was a token that Zhan Mu had given her before.
He jokingly said that if they both passed the imperial examinations and became officials in their respective localities, their descendants could come and recognize each other with the tokens.
She curled her lips in a mocking smile; he was the one she had been after all from the beginning.
Zhan Mu is currently in the imperial library and is not easily seen. If you want to send a message to him, you must find a reliable person.
In the dilapidated temple lived a lame beggar named Asan, who had once received a favor from Rong Zhiyu.
When Rong Zhiyu found him, Ah San was huddled in a haystack, gnawing on a cold steamed bun. When he saw Rong Zhiyu, he was stunned for a moment, then recognized her and immediately knelt down to pay his respects: "Miss Rong, what are you doing here?"
Rong Zhiyu helped him up, placed the jade pendant in his hand, and said in a low voice, "A-San, I have an important request. Please take this jade pendant to a Wei residence on Red Leaf Street. Don't say anything; he knows what to do!"
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She curled her lips in a mocking smile; he was the one she had been after all from the beginning.
Zhan Mu is currently in the imperial library and is not easily seen. If you want to send a message to him, you must find a reliable person.
In the dilapidated temple lived a lame beggar named Asan, who had once received a favor from Rong Zhiyu.
When Rong Zhiyu found him, Ah San was huddled in a haystack, gnawing on a cold steamed bun. When he saw Rong Zhiyu, he was stunned for a moment, then recognized her and immediately knelt down to pay his respects: "Miss Rong, what are you doing here?"
Rong Zhiyu helped him up, placed the jade pendant in his hand, and said in a low voice, "A-San, I have an important request. Please take this jade pendant to a Wei residence on Red Leaf Street. Don't say anything; he knows what to do!"
Ah San held the cold jade pendant in his hand, his fingertips touching the "war" character pattern engraved on it, and his heart skipped a beat.
Although he was homeless, he knew that the Zhan family was related to the imperial family.
He looked up at Rong Zhiyu and saw that although her eyes and brows were haggard, they also revealed an undeniable ruthlessness. He nodded hurriedly and said, "Don't worry, Miss. I will risk my life to deliver the jade pendant to the Wei residence!"
Rong Zhiyu nodded in satisfaction, then took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it over: "Take this silver, buy some food on the way. Remember, avoid being seen and don't let anyone follow you."
Ah San took the silver, clutched it tightly, kowtowed heavily, and limped away into the morning mist outside the dilapidated temple.
Watching Ah San's figure disappear into the distance, Rong Zhiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the cold wall, a calculating glint in her eyes.
The owner of the Wei residence is named Wei Kun. He is the secret agent left behind by my elder brother in the Sheng Dynasty. He was castrated before entering the palace and should be close to becoming a steward in the imperial court by now.
Her brother had instructed her not to use Wei Kun unless it was an extremely urgent matter.
But now, she was truly desperate and needed to see Zhan Mu as soon as possible.
She pulled her thin, coarse cloth clothes tighter around her, looked at the gray sky outside the dilapidated temple, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Did Lin Yiwan think that kicking her out of the Marquis's mansion and having people keep an eye on her would extinguish her hopes? That's wishful thinking.
How could Lin Yiwan possibly sever Zhan Mu's feelings for her with just a few words? What she needed to do was let Zhan Mu know that she had been driven to desperation by Lin Yiwan, to make him feel sorry for her, to make him feel guilty, and to make him come looking for her at all costs.
At that time, she will not only return to the Marquis's mansion, but also make Lin Yiwan, the high and mighty Marquis's wife, lose face.
About two hours later, Ah San finally stumbled and arrived at Red Leaf Street.
The gate to the Wei residence wasn't grand, but it was kept clean and tidy. Two burly men stood guard at the entrance, clearly not servants from an ordinary household. As soon as Ah San approached, one of the men stopped him: "Halt! Who are you?"
Ah San swallowed hard, raised the jade pendant in his hand, and stammered, "I...I'm here to deliver something to Master Wei."
The man glanced at the jade pendant in his hand, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he quickly changed his expression, stepping aside to make way for him: "Come with me."
Ah San followed the man into the mansion, passed through a covered corridor, and arrived at an elegant study. There he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a blue cloth robe sitting at a desk reading a book. His eyes and brows exuded a gloomy aura, and his skin was frighteningly pale. He was Wei Kun, the deputy steward of the Imperial Palace's Imperial Laundry Department.
The man stepped forward and whispered a few words. Wei Kun raised his head, his gaze falling on the jade pendant in Ah San's hand, and his expression suddenly changed.
He strode over, snatched the jade pendant, and traced the character "war" on it with his fingertips, his voice trembling slightly: "Where did this jade pendant come from?"
Ah San dared not hide anything and recounted Rong Zhiyu's instructions in detail. At the end, he added, "Miss Rong said that there was no need to say anything. Once you see the jade pendant, you will know what to do."
Wei Kun's face darkened; he naturally knew who Rong Zhiyu was.