Wei Tingyu did not interrogate the only survivor right away, but first looked at the spoils "confiscated" yesterday. Whether it was the horses or the carriage that looked inconspicuous on the outside but exuded low-key luxury on the inside, some problems could be seen from these - such as where the horses were raised and where the various things on the carriage came from, of course, assuming that they were not deliberately replaced.
However, unfortunately, although these horses are all first-class and rare purebred BMWs, they do not come from the same place. But in fact, if you count carefully, all these horse breeds are available in Qi Dynasty, some are native to Qi Dynasty, and some are introduced from other places.
If you dismantle the carriage piece by piece, the result is similar. They look harmonious and unified, but they still come from different places and are of little value in this respect.
Of course, it was not a complete failure. There were some things placed in the secret compartment of the carriage. These things were useful, but their effects were limited. This showed that although Bai Qingchuan was conceited and even a little arrogant, he was also very cautious.
Wei Tingyu showed no expression of either sadness or joy. He just asked people to put the things away, and then went to check the other bodies. He found one thing in common on all of them, that is, there was a scar on their shoulder. The shape was very similar. It should have been left by a sharp weapon directly cutting off a piece of flesh. Judging from the way the wound healed, it should be within three months.
As far as Wei Tingyu knows, tattoos are not strange in Qi Dynasty. Although they are very rare, it is unlikely that many people would get the same tattoo in the same place in Qi Dynasty.
Outside of the Qi Dynasty, Wei Tingyu knew of three countries with such a situation. In one country, male heirs of a family would have the family symbol tattooed on the same place; in the second country, slaves would be branded, and this would usually be in obvious places such as the face, neck, and hands; and in the third country, tattoos would be left on some special people, such as assassins and some concubines, and they themselves liked all kinds of tattoos.
If the injuries on these people's shoulders were indeed caused by removing tattoos, then the third party is the most suitable person for the situation.
This country is located in the northwest corner of Qi Dynasty, and the land bordering Qi Dynasty is only a few dozen miles. The border defense line there is basically a decoration. However, even so, the defense line there should not be underestimated because there is a natural barrier. It is just a wall and a pass, which makes it an easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack place. This neighboring country is called Linpu.
So, are these people related to Linpu? Of course, the premise of all this is the location of the scars on their bodies. They were originally tattoos. In fact, it may be a deliberate trick created by someone. In any case, at least Linpu has been included in one of the directions of investigation. Correspondingly, the other two will not relax their vigilance when they return home, especially since one of these countries is outside the Northern Frontier and is a strong enemy of Qi Dynasty.
After having a basic understanding, Wei Tingyu began to rescue the captive. This person's injuries were quite serious, especially after being shot by an arrow and poisoned at the beginning. Although the poison was removed and the person was rescued, he did not receive good care and was very weak.
You know, although he was very quick and efficient when he was serving as a "human stool", he couldn't hide the arrogance in his bones. Now, that arrogance has disappeared without a trace.
Wei Tingyu just went through the motions and asked a few simple questions. As expected, he didn't get any answers, so he didn't waste any more time and prepared to leave. However, before leaving, he asked an irrelevant question, "Where are the two servants who lived here before? If I answer this question, you can save yourself some trouble today."
The man who was originally prepared to remain silent, after hesitating, finally said, "Throw it into the forest."
In this way, there is basically no trace left.
Yesterday, Xiaocao asked Wei Tingyu's subordinates to help look for it, but unfortunately, they didn't find it. Xiaocao was busy with Wei Tingyu's affairs and only remembered to ask about it this morning. Speaking of which, it was really an unexpected disaster.
However, Xiaocao was also somewhat relieved that her adoptive father did not come back at this critical moment. If they had really met by such a coincidence, Xiaocao would have collapsed.
Wei Tingyu nodded and said, "You have one day to think about it. If you still say nothing tomorrow, the consequences may be something you cannot bear." After that, he was pushed away.
It seems that he is really easy to talk to.
However, no matter what Wei Tingyu said, it would be difficult to shake a person like him. If one sentence could really change the will of such a person, he probably would not appear here.
When Wei Tingyu saw Xiaocao again, Zhen Muyao looked at him with obviously some hostility. He didn't know who Wei Tingyu was, but in a moment, he basically knew what was going on. However, even so, it did not affect his good mood.
Of course, he didn't know about Zhen Muyao's statement of "postponing the wedding date indefinitely". If he knew, he probably wouldn't be so calm. Although, if he was told about this, he would basically agree without any hesitation. To put it bluntly, he was still thinking about Xiaocao. Although Xiaocao herself told him not to "think too much" and not to do it in the name of doing it for her good, there are some things that you can't control just because you don't want to.
At any time, I can't help but think about her.
As an uninformed person, Jian Shu got along well with Wei Tingyu. Although he had never met the Prince Wei of Pingyang Marquis's Mansion before, and had no intersection with him, after all, the entire upper-class circle was so small that it was difficult not to know some things. What's more, there was Aunt Zhou of Pingyang Marquis's Mansion, who was slandering Wei Tingyu without leaving any room for doubt.
After this contact, he found that Wei Tingyu was not at all like the rumors. He was knowledgeable, his words were meaningful, and some of his words, to Jianshu, were just like kind words from an elder. In fact, if there was really a lecture from an elder, probably few young people would like it. However, although Prince Wei was older than him, he did not feel oppressive to him. Instead, he benefited a lot from his words, like a drizzle and spring breeze.
Jianshu can feel happy and benefit from being with Wenren Yang, but these are two different concepts. What he is gaining now is something that books cannot give him.
According to Jianshu, in comparison, the great talent Wenren Yang is actually still very immature. After all, everything about him is still dependent on books. Although he is well-read, he still lacks something of his own and needs growth.
Seeing Jianshu in high spirits, Zhen Muyao was quite furious. "You ungrateful little bastard," he wanted to grab Jianshu and teach him a lesson several times. But you are so stupid that you don't know this man's evil ambitions.
Can the people who hide behind Kaiping Guards be pure and kind? If anyone said that to her, she would have to sneer at the other person. His current appearance is clearly pretending, a wolf in sheep's clothing. If you really believe him, you might be sold one day and help him count the money.
Zhen Muyao couldn't bear to let Jianshu, a real little white rabbit, come into contact with these dirty and dark things. Moreover, although Jianshu has the temperament of a rabbit, in fact, once he has made up his mind, it is difficult for Zhen Muyao to change it. Especially, there will be no cruel reality in front of him—Prince Wei has no grudge against him. The reason why he talks to Jianshu with a good attitude and even gives Jianshu advice is purely because she is the husband of Xiaocao's good friend and she is free now, that's all.
Seriously speaking, Zhen Muyao also knew this, which was why he just watched and didn't really get angry. After all, it was rare for someone to "teach" Jianshu, and the key was to be able to hit the point and Jianshu could listen.
Despite this, Zhen Muyao secretly rolled his eyes at Xiaocao several times, almost writing "Look at the big-tailed wolf you chose" directly on his face. Suddenly, he became worried about Xiaocao again. Can a simple-minded sister like Xuan really handle such a powerful character? She had been deceived so badly before.
Xiaocao probably knew what she meant, but her feeling was completely different from Zhen Muyao's. She knew very well that the current Tingyu was not pretending, and this was where his charm lay. Although his temperament had changed a lot due to his experiences in the past three years, it did not mean that his original shining points had disappeared.
Xiaocao has been with him for seven years and knows how outstanding he is. People like Mr. Che, although not a famous scholar, are not well-known only because he is indifferent to fame and fortune. But in fact, he is definitely a member of the circle of bigwigs, and he is willing to spend several years here to teach Tingyu, even if he may be entrusted by others. If Tingyu himself is not outstanding enough, I believe Mr. Che would not do this.
Some of the words may not sound nice, but flowers that grow up smoothly and with careful care may look beautiful, but what are truly reliable and eye-catching are the towering trees that have experienced wind and rain and grown up.
However, the cost of growing up is too high. If it were not for force majeure, I believe that few people would artificially create such a growth environment. It is really heartbreaking to watch.
Except for Zhen Muyao who felt depressed, the others felt good.
So much so that around noon, Zhen Muyao was angrily venting her anger at Jian Shu. Jian Shu looked puzzled and looked at his wife cautiously, not knowing how he had offended her. He even suspected that she was too happy chatting with Prince Wei and ignored her, so she was angry.
In short, once there is something going on between him and Zhen Muyao, Jian Shu will definitely be the one who looks for the cause in himself first, then admits his mistakes and coaxes Zhen Muyao. In their relationship, although Zhen Muyao is strong, Jian Shu is not only dependent on her, but also absolutely tolerant. Otherwise, according to Zhen Muyao's strong personality, if it were anyone else, there might be problems, and naturally there would be no deep love and harmony between the couple.
After seeing Jianshu ask if she was not with her, Zhen Muyao rolled her eyes and was no longer angry. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Okay, don't think too much. It has nothing to do with you. I just don't like some people." She also glanced back meaningfully.
However, Jian Shu didn't understand at all. When he realized that Zhen Muyao was not really angry, he couldn't help but smile.
When he smiled, Zhen Muyao lost her temper completely. What could she do? What could she do? She just had no resistance to Jian Shu.
So, it is absolutely true that they are a match made in heaven.
Xiao Cao, who was pushing Wei Tingyu from behind, couldn't help but sigh, "They have such a good relationship."
"Is our relationship so bad?" Wei Tingyu thought that he and his daughter Xuan'er had a very good relationship. Even though they had quarreled occasionally in the past and even though Xuan'er got very angry with him this time, it was an undeniable fact that they had a good relationship. Although his relationship was somewhat different from that of Zhen Muyao and Jian Shu, he did not think that he and Xuan'er were worse than them. On the contrary, compared to a situation where one spouse was in a dominant position, he still preferred this kind of equal relationship with Xuan'er.
"Prince Wei, please stop flattering yourself." Xiaocao said with a hint of sarcasm.
Wei Tingyu smiled but said nothing.
Perhaps it was because he slept well last night and Xiaocao had spent a lot of energy on him, or perhaps it was because he was in a really good mood and it had a great impact on his body. Basically, Wei Tingyu didn't cough many times throughout the morning, and his spirits were pretty good, even giving people the illusion that he was in a lot better.
However, after lunch, this state tended to return to its original state. Xiaocao originally wanted to take advantage of the lunch break to take a nap, but plans could not keep up with the changes, and almost all of his time was spent on Wei Tingyu.
Zhen Muyao saw it all, and his worry for Xiaocao became more real, but he saw it more clearly and said nothing. After all, this process also reflected Xiaocao's truest emotions. Sister Xuan cared about Master Wei much more than expected, and he was someone she absolutely could not give up.
—That bond seemed to be even deeper than the one between him and Jianshu.
After Wei Tingyu's condition stabilized again, at his strong request, Xiaocao slept beside him for half an hour.
The room was quiet with only the two of them left.
Jian Shu realized belatedly that something was wrong, "Yaoyao, the fourth lady and the prince of Wei..."
Zhen Muyao glanced at him unhappily, and told Jianshu everything Xiaocao had told her before.
Jian Shu was also shocked, but his reaction was different from Zhen Muyao's. "If this is the case, if Prince Wei really won't live long, what will the fourth lady do then?"
Zhen Muyao had never thought about this question, or rather, she didn't want to think about it.
He waved his hands helplessly, "At this point, there is no point in talking about this. God bless Prince Wei to live longer."
Jian Shu also fell silent, then suddenly reached out and pulled Zhen Muyao, "Yaoyao, we must be fine."
Zhen Muyao was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily.
I stayed here for another two days and set out for the imperial city on the 18th. It was not fast and I only arrived back at the imperial city on the 19th, which was a little later than expected.
Everyone went back home to prepare for follow-up matters.
Xiao Cao was told that in the past few days, two families came to propose marriage to her.