The girl in front of her was only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a beautiful face as white as snow and two long eyebrows that entered her temples, which made her particularly eye-catching. She wore a dark green jacket with a yellow-green embroidered edge, which looked lively and elegant. Her black hair was simply tied up, and she wore a pair of earrings with red silver and pink pearls on her ears, small and delicate. At first glance, this was just a well-educated young lady from a wealthy family, but the calmness and openness that flowed between her eyebrows were not something that ordinary women could possess. She had only seen such qualities in Empress Wan and her mother, Jiang Shi, but how could she be compared to the empress who was revered by the entire nation and her mother who stood behind the entire Dingguo Gong府?

  Song Mo thought of the skilled guards around her, thought of the capable attendants comparable to Zhang Yi's, and also thought of that clever maid who could snatch a child from under her nose, and in her heart, she vaguely understood.

  Dong Zhao smiled and let him look around, but in his heart he was thinking about the two people he had brought.

  He brought Chen Qu Shui and Duan Gong Yi, because the former was his think tank, and the latter had the best skills. He brought Yan Chao Qing and this slender man, Yan Chao Qing didn't need to be said, could it be that this slender man was the one with the best skills on his side? She thought it was Duan Gong Yi's so-called "treasured sword in a scabbard".

  It seems she needs to reassess Song Mo's strength!

  I don't know who is better at martial arts between this slender man and Duan Gongyi.

  If he rushed over, I don't know how many moves Duan Gongyi could block?

  As she thought of this, Du Zhao glanced sideways with the corner of her eye and saw Su Lan standing beside her with a tray in her hands, looking vigilant. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved when she heard Song Mo laugh and say: "This lily fragrance is rich but not greasy, if I'm not mistaken, this should be the Tianfu Xuanbao from Kyoto's Da Xiangguo Temple?"

  Since it's a negotiation, a friendly and cordial atmosphere is indispensable. Starting with compliments to the other party has always been a good choice.

  When you need something from a stranger, start with small praiseworthy things about them and find a topic that makes the other person feel happy. This easily brings the relationship closer together and paves the way for your request. Duan Zhao had already mastered this skill when she was still serving as Madame Hou's lady-in-waiting.

  She plucked up her courage, smiled and chatted with Song Mo: "Master Mei is indeed knowledgeable, this is the Tianfu Xuanbao of Daxiangguo Temple, which was brought back from Beijing by my father. These days the weather has been humid, the fragrance of osmanthus and jasmine is elegant. The scent of lily is rich and heavy, it's better to use osmanthus or jasmine, but I've been living in the city for many years, occasionally accompanying my elders to stay in the countryside for a few days, our family only used half a box of lily fragrance left over from last year's New Year's celebration, so I had to make do with it. The place is simple, please forgive me, Master Mei."

  It's time to warn myself!

  This woman is indeed very clever!

  Song Mo's gaze involuntarily swept across Du Zhao's face.

  "Miss Duan is so humble, it's embarrassing me," he said with a smile. "To tell the truth, this was all a misunderstanding - Chen, the accountant from your esteemed household, used to serve as a clerk under Zhang Kai, the Fujian governor who fled in defeat. Later, Duke Dingguo spared him since he wasn't the main culprit and let him go. Mr. Chen was the first to leave Fujian, and then he informed Miss Duan of our whereabouts. We didn't know what he meant, so we were uneasy, but we never thought of harming Miss Duan - we just didn't want to reveal our tracks and planned to leave her at the manor for a few days after we left. I also knew that in the jianghu, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers, far beyond what my guards can handle. We have bows and arrows from the military with us, and several of my guards are skilled archers, so we had some advantage. Otherwise, those feathered arrows wouldn't have landed accurately at the feet of your household's guards just now, and I wouldn't have ordered them to shoot." His words were very sincere.

  Duan Gongyi nodded along as he listened.

  Dòu Zhāo however was secretly criticizing in his heart.

  No wonder you were kicked out of the British Embassy and soon became popular in the Liao Wang Fu, relying on this skill of speaking nonsense and reversing right and wrong, it's already unmatched.

  "It's indeed a misunderstanding." She not only showed no embarrassment on her face but also nodded seriously, patted the sleeping child gently and said: "Since Mr. Chen has revealed the young master's whereabouts, it's naturally better to kill by mistake than to let him go. However, if the rain stops, after a long rainy day, all the old and young people in the village will come out to sunbathe, the young master is short-handed, and the task of slaughtering the village may be somewhat difficult. Moreover, such a big case will not only alarm the county government, prefecture government, but also the Ministry of War, the Censorate, the Imperial Guard, and even the Supreme Court, which would be very unfavorable to the young master. It's better to take advantage of the rain to kill people and silence them, which is cleaner, more efficient, and simpler. However, the young master's words reminded me, why didn't you force us to stay in the countryside for a few days, and then release us after you left? From Kyoto to the south, we usually pass through Zhengding, when we report to the officials, you will be like a flying dragon in the sky, like a fish returning to the sea. When the officials find your home, I'm afraid you have already arranged everything properly, even the Imperial Guards can't find out anything."

  Song Mo started with a gentle smile, but as he heard this, his smile gradually faded, and the corners of his eyes and eyebrows slowly revealed a few degrees of frostiness.

  Dong Zhao was still not satisfied, so he widened his eyes and let out a loud "Ah" as if he had just realized something. He exclaimed, "Could it be that the person entrusted with the emperor's will is actually nearby in this very city of Zhending?" As he spoke, a hint of cold intent flashed across his eyes. "The emperor must have carefully considered who to entrust with the regency, and hiding the son of an imperial decree offender is no ordinary feat. Since this person cannot be easily replaced, then we can only be slaughtered to the last man!"

  Even someone as cunning and experienced as Chen Quanshui or Yan Chaoying, who wouldn't normally show their emotions on their face, couldn't help but look shocked upon hearing the words. As for Duan Gongyi and Lu Ming, they just stared at Du Zhao, dumbfounded like wooden chickens.

  The house was in complete silence.

  Song Moze's face was like a glazed surface that had been punched by a fist, and finally cracked open a fine line.

  His face was ashen as he glared at Du Zhao, his gaze like a knife's edge, sending chills down her spine. But she had no way to retreat, only to go all out and stake everything on this one move.

  "Let me think," she said with a forced smile, "the young master brought an accountant, Mr. Yan is already here; two stewards, one with a foolish face who was just by the young master's side, and the other should be this one standing next to Mr. Yan; four bodyguards, those who were holding bows and threatening me earlier; a wet nurse who should be crying silently in the warm pavilion behind the young master's inner chamber; an infant sleeping in my arms... everyone is here. But you came by horse carriage, two carriages at that... although the coachmen are the lowest of the low and usually sleep in the stables, they are still the young master's people... where did these two go?"

  Song Mo's forehead bulged with blue veins. His staring eyes added a few points of unreserved sharpness.

  Dong Zhao Yi shouted loudly with a look of pretended ignorance, "Su Lan, when you went to hug the young master just now, did you see the young master's carriage driver?"

  "I don't know if it was the carriage driver or not." Su Lan said, coordinating with Dou Zhao, in a loud and clear manner. "They didn't know that the back window of the warm pavilion could be opened from the outside. When I climbed in through the window, there was a big fool standing guard at the door of the warm pavilion with his back to me. I knocked out the wet nurse with a hand knife, and quietly took out the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle that Uncle Duan gave me, which had been soaked in anesthetic powder. I gave it to that guy and he was covered in needles. He stared at me for two seconds before falling to the ground." At this point, she complained to Duan Gongyi. "Uncle Duan, didn't you say that if someone was shot with that needle, even a cow would fall down silently? But when that guy fell down, his eyes were wide open and he still let out two muffled sounds when he saw me holding the young master and jumping out of the window. Your needle doesn't seem to be very effective!"

  Everyone's eyes fell on Duan Gongyi.

  At that moment, Duan Gongyi felt as if he was being illuminated by tens of millions of bright lamps, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that he was dealing with the orphaned descendant of Dingguo Gong, and couldn't hide his guilty conscience, panicking and flustered, grabbing his sleeve to wipe away the sweat. At the same time, he muttered an explanation: "It's something passed down from our ancestors, they just said it was for the descendants' protection and safety, but it hasn't been used in decades, maybe it's not very effective..."

  "Sulan scolded: 'Uncle Duan, how could you give me something so unreliable? If that thing doesn't work, won't I be caught by that big fool? It's a small matter if I get caught, but if we ruin Miss's affair, our lives will be in danger!'"

  "That's it, that's it!" Duan Gongyi's sweat flowed even more.

  Yan Chaoqing looked deeply at Dou Zhao who was sitting there with a smile, looking relaxed and leisurely.

  It turned out that this plan was thought of by her!

  He thought it was Chen Qu's idea too!

  Su Lan's words were sure to infuriate Song Mo.

  Dou Zhao was delighted to meet him.

  But also can't let Su Lan divert the topic.

  She continued in a timely manner: "Su Lan, you must have seen one of the two carriage drivers... where did the other one go?" Du Zhao speculated, "Could he have gone to inform the person who entrusted him with the child?" As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately said in alarm: "Duan Huwei, where are our people? Mei Gongzi had the upper hand during the day but didn't make a move, definitely because he felt that there were too few people and it was a bit risky. He must have sent that carriage driver to ask for help from the person who entrusted him with the child... perhaps they've already set a time to take action together... this is troublesome!"

  Chen Qu Shui, Duan Gong Yi, Yan Chao Qing and others were all shocked and lost their color.

  Only Song Mo picked up his teacup and quietly drank a few sips of tea with his head slightly lowered.

  But his hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly, revealing his anger.

  What Dou Zhaos relies on is just this infant in his arms.

  She was a mother, how could she really harm this infant?

  What she relies on is just the moon in the mirror and the flower in the water.

  She had no choice but to continue provoking Song Mo if she wanted him to take her seriously.

  "Alas!" Dou Zhao sighed, "You are in the light and I am in the dark, this is one of the disadvantages - I know you brought a few people, but you don't know how many people we have. Where did my other maid go? If there's a large group of people rushing into the village to burn, kill and loot, can she make it back from Zhending Prefecture?"

  Song Mo raised his head, with a serious and solemn expression, his eyes calm and rational.

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  Book-reading sisters and brothers, writing this is too exhausting, please forgive my entanglement... I know it's a bit late, I'll post it first and correct the typos later, everyone take a look first, refresh after two hours, (n_n)o~

  Tonight's update will be available for everyone to see tomorrow morning!

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