Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 581: Portrait

He wanted to go back and tell the Young Master, he wanted to find his brothers, he wanted to rescue Uncle Ma!

"Thinking of running?" Guo Neng’s eyes were filled with cold brutality, "Kill him for me, no need to keep him alive, kill him as soon as you catch him."

The head of the guards worriedly said, "Young Master, this man is very good in water, I’m afraid we won’t be able to catch him in there."

Guo Neng squinted at the head of the guards who had spoken, frightening him so much that he stepped back.

He was in a good mood, not bothering to make a big deal out of it, "Leave a few men here, the rest of you search along the bank for me. I refuse to believe he won’t come out of the water. If he doesn’t come out, even if it takes a long time, I’ll have him exhausted to death in the water for me!"

"Yes!" The group of guards responded in unison.

After selecting a few men to stay, the head of the guards who had spoken immediately led the others running towards the downstream bank.

Guo Neng laughed heartily, feeling that his trip was not in vain, as he finally caught the band of criminals’ slip-up!

These days had suffocated him to death, with fright at every turn, sleepless nights, anyone daring to trample over him, that group of escaping remnants, the ignorant County Magistrate and the He Family, and even those Men in Black, all opposing him, making him utterly frazzled.

He had not expected this ignorant band of bandits to also dare oppose him!

Since that was the case, he would use them as a sacrifice to the heavens!

With this old crook in hand, he refused to believe he couldn’t wipe them all out.

Guo Neng turned his head to look at the guard dragging a person along, his brow furrowed menacingly, disdainfully saying, "Your efforts are remembered by me, Young Master. Go to the steward and get your reward when we return. As for this old crook, bring him back, but do not kill him. Serve him well for me, and wring out the whereabouts of his remnant party."

"Yes, thank you, Young Master, your servant will not let you down," the guard replied joyfully, bowing with his hands clasped together.

It was the Young Master’s wisdom, sensing something unusual this time, that had them checking the surroundings thoroughly to prevent any ambushes.

He was lucky to have discovered some fresh clues and had immediately reported them to the Young Master, who decided to come in person and set up a counter-ambush.

Unfortunately, these bandits were still too cunning, making the ambush pointless. After throwing silver into the river, the Young Master saw no activity and felt something was amiss. He ordered someone to dive in and check, only to find a treacherous undercurrent almost drowning the person who went down.

Thus, the Young Master brought them here to look, and indeed, there was a discovery to be made.

Impatiently, Guo Neng waved his hand and left the place under the protection of two Dead Soldiers, boarding a carriage upstream to depart from the area.

The remaining guards, carrying an unconscious and injured Uncle Ma, also left together.

Inside Canglan Court.

Zhang Qing bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, we can’t find the rattan vendor, his whereabouts are unknown, without a trace. However, the vendor selling Autumn Pear Paste next to him was found. According to this vendor, the rattan vendor is a young man with an ordinary appearance. This is the sketch made based on the description provided by the Autumn Pear Paste vendor."

He unfolded the sketch and presented it.

The Emperor took it and looked under the palace lantern fixed on the wooden stake. He frowned slightly. The person in the portrait had more than just a commonplace appearance—there was nothing special about him at all, not even a mole. His clothes and appearance were utterly unremarkable, and he would be hard to find in a crowd.

He looked towards Zhang Qing, "Such a commonplace person, did the Autumn Pear Paste vendor not make a mistake?"

Zhang Qing replied, "Your Majesty, the Autumn Pear Paste vendor was certain it was that person. He had a deep impression of him and described him very accurately when drawing. According to the vendor, that person had been making rattan all day, and they even chatted a bit. The Autumn Pear Paste vendor saw that the man was doing poorly in business, not making a single sale, and kindly suggested he make baskets instead, but the man didn’t listen. Later, Your Majesty bought the rattan, paid ten taels of silver, and after receiving it, the man also gave five taels of silver and a rattan to thank the Autumn Pear Paste vendor, which left a deep impression on him."

Putting away the portrait, the Emperor furrowed his brow, "From what you say, it seems this man was not interested in trade; surely he must have disguised his appearance."

That was how he appeared so ordinary.

"Your Majesty’s guess is correct," Zhang Qing continued, "According to the Autumn Pear Paste vendor, the man was not anxious about doing business at all, and he didn’t seem to care, almost as if he wasn’t there to sell rattan at all, but rather as if he were just playing."

The Emperor asked, "Afterward, how long did the man stay there?"

Zhang Qing shook his head, "I don’t know, but he must have stayed there for a while. According to the Autumn Pear Paste vendor, it was not long after we left that the man came back. He was very surprised to hear someone had bought his rattan, almost in disbelief. After figuring out why, the man gave five taels of silver to the Autumn Pear Paste vendor. By then, the Autumn Pear Paste vendor had sold almost all of his goods, so he gave the remaining Autumn Pear Paste to the man and packed up to leave. Before leaving, he saw the man started making rattan again, not looking like he was about to leave."

The Emperor pondered, "So it seems this man did not come for us; otherwise, he would have left after we did, rather than staying there and increasing the risk of exposure."

But the man had disguised his appearance, and his behavior was consistently odd.

Setting up a stall there, not doing business—what was he really there for?

The Emperor asked again, "Did the two of them speak about anything?"

Zhang Qing carefully recalled what the Autumn Pear Paste vendor had said; he had asked this specifically.

He said, "The Autumn Pear Paste vendor first kindly advised the man to stop making rattan; after Your Majesty bought the rattan, and seeing that there was indeed business, the vendor wanted to learn the man’s business techniques, but the man discouraged him. There was nothing special."

"I think the location the man chose for his stall, right at a crossroad, easily accessible from all directions with an excellent view, seemed deliberately selected for some purpose," the servant mused.

"Hmm," the Emperor, who had personally seen the location, knew the situation there, "So you mean there’s another motive?"

At that time, the Imperial Academy had reexamined Lian Mu in the Shanxue Square of Taiyuan Prefecture, could it be related to this matter?

However, the reexamination proceeded smoothly, unhindered by anyone, and no other issues arose.

The Emperor could not figure it out—he wasn’t targeting him, nor was he creating obstacles for the reexamination, so what was it for?

"It seems so." Zhang Qing also pondered for a long time to no avail, he said, "The Autumn Pear Paste vendor did ask that man why he continued the unprofitable rattan business, as rattan was practically useless. The man’s response was somewhat ludicrous, utterly absurd."

Remembering that excuse, Zhang Qing chuckled and shook his head, thinking the excuse was too fooling, too implausible to be merely made up—only commoners like the Autumn Pear Paste vendor would believe such a story.

The Emperor’s curiosity was piqued, "Let’s hear it."

"Yes." Zhang Qing, treating it as a joke, started from the beginning, "The man didn’t sell a single stick all morning, and the Autumn Pear Paste vendor, puzzled by such a business, asked what the rattan was for. The man said it was for beating and scaring children."

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