Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 403: Start to Make Trouble (Two in One)

Jinyi Guardhouse.

Shen Zhong, who was sitting in the main seat, glanced at his deputy who was walking quickly into the room, and threw the long arrow with the tip removed out.

The long arrow drew a parabola in the air, passed over the pot about ten feet away from him, and fell to the ground with a plop.

"How is it?"

Shen Zhong picked up the wine jug and poured a glass of wine. Instead of drinking it, he picked up a red date from the date plate on the table and threw it into his mouth, while asking.

The deputy walked closer, picked up the arrow on the ground, stepped forward respectfully and gently placed it on the table, then took a step back calmly before answering.

"My Lord, somehow, the officer Tan Wu under Shangshanhu also appeared there. He forced the guards of the envoys to retreat and rescued the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion. Afterwards, all the Marquis of Chang'an's men withdrew."

"Tan Wu?"

Shen Zhong twisted the wine glass in his hand.

"Did he... have a conflict with Fan Xian and the others?"

The deputy smiled.

"No, he wanted to challenge Fan Xian, but Fan Xian didn't give him any face, so he was forced to wait in line obediently."

Shen Zhong picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then said thoughtfully.

"In that case, he was not following the order of Shangshanhu, but must have gone to the duel on his own initiative. Hiss~ that's not necessarily true."

After thinking for a while, he ordered.

"Keep an eye on that side. If Tan Wu appears in front of the mission again, remember to report to me immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

Shen Zhong finished the wine in his glass and refilled it.

"Are there any developments behind Fan Xian's back?"

The deputy bowed.

"Yes, I was just about to report that not long ago, Fan Xian, Mei Cheng'an, and Wang Qinian sneaked out of the delegation and went to the Overlook Inn in the south of the city."

Shen Zhong was about to pick up the arrows from the table and throw them into the pot, but when he heard this, he paused and looked at his deputy.

"Have you gone to look for those two people?"

"Yes, the three of them are hiding in the house now, and the two guys who hid beforehand sneaked out of the inn one after another."

"Oh?"

Shen Zhong is in the mood. Is he going to cause trouble so soon?

"Keep an eye on the two people leaving the inn and find out their specific purpose."

"Yes!"

The deputy took the order and left. Shen Zhong picked up the arrow and aimed at the mouth of the pot carefully. He shook his forearm back and forth a few times and then threw the arrow out.

With a snap, the arrow fell to the ground, but still missed.

"Tsk, what a broken pot!"

……

"Harmful!"

After listening to Mei Cheng'an's explanation of Guo Baokun's train of thought, Fan Xian was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Young Master Guo's mental state was too advanced and too crazy, so crazy that even he, a time traveler, felt inferior to him.

"Floriqing never keeps idle people around. That's amazing. Hey, since Young Master Guo is so conceited, why don't we let him stay here? He won't be of much use if he goes back. I also want to change my lurking tactics. It's a good opportunity for him to show his strengths. It's a win-win situation, so to speak. What do you think?"

Mei Chengan laughed.

"I think so, if he wants to."

After saying that, he glanced at the table, picked up an apple from the fruit plate, wiped it and started to eat it. He had just talked a lot and was indeed a little thirsty, but he didn't want to drink tea anymore.

From morning till now, he could be said to have drunk tea wherever he went. He drank when he entered the palace, and drank again when he returned to the villa. If he continued to drink here, he felt that he would become like a teapot - his bulging stomach would be full of tea, and he would not need to eat lunch.

Fan Xian nodded. He was not just saying it casually, he was really tempted. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Mr. Guo met his requirements.

"Okay, I'll talk to him about this later."

As soon as the topic about Guo Baokun ended, Wang Qinian, who had been standing by the window, spoke up. It seemed that he had already discovered something but had never had the chance to speak.

"My Lord, Master, something is not right outside."

Mei Cheng'an glanced at him when he heard that, then continued chewing his apple without any other reaction. When Fan Xian heard that, he put down his teacup, stood up and walked over.

"what happened?"

Wang Qinian glanced at him, then looked at his young master who was sitting over there and didn't come over, raised his hand and pointed outside and said solemnly.

"Those spies outside don't look like they followed us. It seems like they have been waiting here for a long time. Just now, Guo Baokun and Zhao Da went out one after another, and then those people followed them. I'm worried that Guo Baokun's whereabouts have been exposed long ago."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian glanced out the window and exclaimed.

"I thought you discovered something. There's nothing to worry about. Their whereabouts must have been exposed long ago."

Wang Qinian was stunned when he heard this. Bewildered, he subconsciously turned his head to look at his young master. Seeing that his young master also looked calm, he became even more confused and surprised, and looked back at Fan Xian.

"Ah, ah?"

Fan Xian smiled, walked back and spoke.

"It would be strange if you jumped off the motorcade in broad daylight, walked through the streets and alleys and stayed in an inn without being discovered. Do you really think that Lord Shen's Jinyiwei are just there to do nothing?"

Wang Qinian followed him back to the tea table and sat down at the side. He didn't feel embarrassed when he heard it. His eyes rolled and he seemed to understand something.

"Your Excellency knew that Guo Baokun and his men could not hide, yet he still made such an arrangement... How much do you want to make this secret line public and attract Shen Zhong's attention?"

Fan Xian snapped his fingers and laughed.

"You reacted pretty quickly this time, Old Wang."

Wang Qinian smiled embarrassedly, picked up the teapot and poured tea for Mei Chengan and Fan Xian respectively.

"I understand. Let Guo Baokun go around the streets asking for the location of the Jinyiwei prison. This will attract Shen Zhong's attention and we can take the opportunity to escape."

After Mei Cheng'an finished eating the last bit of the fruit flesh, he threw the apple core towards the trash can diagonally opposite the table like a basketball shot. The apple core drew a graceful arc and fell accurately into the trash can.

Mei Chengan clenched his right fist and pulled hard from top to bottom.

"Yes!"

Fan Xian on the opposite side rolled his eyes when he saw this. What was there to be proud of when being so close?

Mei Cheng'an was too lazy to pay attention to him and looked at Wang Qinian with a smile.

"You're wrong about one thing."

"what?"

Wang Qinian scratched his head.

Fan Xian was also stunned when he heard this.

"where?"

Mei Chengan laughed.

"It's not about attracting Shen Zhong's attention, it's about attracting his attention here. If he doesn't come...how can we get out of this?"

Fan Xian immediately understood what he meant and smiled knowingly.

Wang Qinian's eyes seemed thoughtful.

……

After asking several people on the street without any results, Guo Baokun finally understood why Young Master Mei said that this mission would be difficult. The Jinyiwei prison was so mysterious that no one knew the answer after asking for a long time.

After wandering on the streets for a long time, Guo Baokun, who was somewhat discouraged, accidentally saw a crowded pharmacy. Looking at the people coming in and out, his eyes lit up. This pharmacy had such a large flow of people, wouldn't it be a good place to get information? Thinking of this, he walked towards the pharmacy.

After stopping several customers to ask questions without any result, Guo Baokun gradually approached the innermost counter. There was no one in front of the counter at the moment, so after thinking about it, he moved closer.

The owner of the drug store was standing behind the counter grabbing medicine. He noticed someone coming to the counter, looked up, and continued to prepare medicine with his head down.

"Sir, do you want to get some medicine?"

Guo Baokun shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, do you know where the Jinyiwei prison is?"

"?"

The owner of the drugstore paused his actions upon hearing this, then looked up at Guo Baokun with wide eyes. Seeing that he looked serious and didn't seem to be joking, he thought for a moment and replied.

"This is the pharmacy. Sir, where do you feel uncomfortable?"

Guo Baokun was stunned.

"I'm not feeling unwell anywhere. I just want to ask if you know where the Jinyiwei prison is. Jinyiwei prison is... the kind of prison where people are locked up. Do you know where Jinyiwei's prison is?"

He seemed to be worried that the shopkeeper might not understand, so he kindly described it to him in detail with gestures.

The drug store owner's pupils trembled. Are you serious?

Seeing the shopkeeper's eyes light up, Guo Baokun thought that the shopkeeper understood and knew the location, so his eyes also lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly to affirm him and guide him to speak out.

"Yes, that big prison. Do you know where it is?"

This child is so stupid at such a young age, what a pity.

The owner of the drug store, feeling compassionate, glanced at the counter in the lower left corner, suddenly reached out and picked up a bundle of packaged medicine from that direction, placed it in front of Guo Baokun, and patted the medicine package.

"This medicine can relieve hysteria, sir. Take it home and soak it in water. It's very sweet. Remember, only soak a small packet at a time."

After saying that, he raised his hand and pushed the medicine bag towards Guo Baokun.

"Go ahead and take it home. I won't charge you for it, young master."

Guo Baokun: “?”

Who asked you to send it? I almost... No, who wanted to buy your medicine? No, you, you, you are the one who has hysteria!
……

"Ask in the street where the prison of our guard post is?"

Shen Zhong stood in front of the hall holding a few red dates in his hand, looking at his deputy who was reporting the good news to him, with an extremely wonderful expression.

The deputy couldn't help laughing, it was just that outrageous.

"That's right, sir. You ask everyone you see. How arrogant."

After saying this with a smile, the deputy put away his smile.

"Ah, but please rest assured, sir. Our guard post is well-known, and no one among the people dares to answer him, and no one will pay attention to him."

Shen Zhong ate red dates thoughtfully while walking slowly outside. No one knew what he was thinking about, but the smile on his face was disappearing little by little.

The deputy followed behind him, unaware of this, and continued to make comments on his own, shaking his head.

"I didn't expect that the secret line released by the Qing Kingdom delegation would be so... My lord, my lord?"

Before he could finish his words, he found that his master suddenly quickened his pace and walked straight outside. He called out twice from behind but got no response, so he could only quickly follow him.

……

On the other hand, Guo Baokun, who was very angry with the pharmacy owner, changed his questioning method after leaving the pharmacy.

The method of using money to pave the way!
Just pay first when you meet. Money talks. If you can't get any information, you can probably just buy it with money, he thought.

However, he was overthinking it after all. He never imagined that he couldn't even give money away these days.

Because the money stopped more than before, but after hearing his questions, those people didn't even look at the money. They repeated "I don't know, I don't know" in a panic, and then turned and left, avoiding him as if he were the plague, which made him puzzled.

Are people in Northern Qi so rich?
Do you regard money as dirt?

When his whole body was gradually emptied, Guo Baokun, who had gained nothing and whose heart was broken, stood there, looked around and cried out in despair.

"Does anyone know where the Jinyiwei prison is?"

Obviously, no one around him was willing to respond to him. They were all pointing at him and whispering at him in front of him.

"Do you think this person is mentally ill?"

"You want to die."

"He must have been stimulated by something, otherwise he wouldn't have gone so crazy."

"He looks quite wealthy from the way he's dressed."

"What's wrong with being rich? Let me tell you, the richer you are, the more opportunities you have to be stimulated. My cousin, you know that, right?"

"I don't know. Is your cousin a rich man?" "That's not the case, but he works for a wealthy family. He told me that there are a lot of bad things going on in wealthy families, especially between men and women."

"Tell me in detail, what happened between a man and a woman?"

"Hey, isn't it just..."

The pedestrians who were talking off topic gradually dispersed. There was nothing to watch in itself, and if you stood too close you could get into trouble.

Just when Guo Baokun was at a loss, a figure appeared in his sight. The figure was gradually approaching him. What was even more strange was that the figure was standing not far from him, looking at him quietly.

Guo Baokun hesitated for a moment, reached into his purse and took out a few pieces of silver, then forced a smile and handed it over tentatively.

"Excuse me...where is the Jinyiwei prison?"

Shen Zhongshen looked at him and reached out for the silver.

Guo Baokun's face lit up with joy and he immediately let go. This was the first person who was willing to take his money. God rewards those who work hard.

With a few snapping sounds, the silver fell into his hand. He weighed the weight carefully, then turned around and pointed behind him.

"Go three intersections over there, then head west."

Guo Baokun was very excited.

"Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother."

"Not so polite."

"Yes, yes, brother, you have helped me a lot, thank you very much!"

After thanking him solemnly several times, Guo Baokun hurried past Shen Zhong in the direction he pointed.

Shen Zhong got up and entered a nearby building. After Zhao Da appeared and followed him away, Shen Zhong's figure appeared on the street again. He quietly looked at the two people's receding backs, as if thinking about something.

Soon his deputy appeared behind him with a team of Jinyiwei.

"Sir, do you want to catch him?"

Shen Zhong casually turned the silver in his hand and narrowed his eyes.

"The Supervisory Council cannot possibly send such trash here."

The deputy nodded silently, he felt the same way.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhong threw the change in his hand to his deputy.

"To the inn!"

After giving the order, he turned and left.

"Yes!"

The deputy responded and quickly followed with his men.

……

With a loud bang, the door of Emperor's Room No. 1 on the third floor of the Tiaowang Inn was roughly pushed open by the Royal Guards. Shen Zhong and his men walked straight in, and the room was empty.

The deputy who followed Shen Zhong glanced around the empty room, was extremely surprised, and spoke hurriedly.

"Sir, the guards have spies all around, and the three of them should not have gone out. This..."

Shen Zhong put his left hand behind his back and his right hand in front of his abdomen, gently twisting his fingers as he casually scanned the room. He did not speak and no anger or gloom appeared on his face.

The deputy secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand and shouted.

"Search for me!"

He was really a little angry. With so many eyes staring at him, he still managed to lose it. It was really a slap in his face, so he didn't sit idle either, and also went down to help search.

He just opened the door of the corner cabinet with a creaking sound, and Shen Zhong, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke with an impatient tone.

"What are you doing!"

The deputy was stunned for a moment, stood up and looked back. The Jinyiwei around him also stopped and looked at Shen Zhong.

Shen Zhong came back to his senses, glanced at his deputy, and said unhappily.

"Are you still planning on searching under the bed?"

The deputy looked embarrassed when he heard this. He was immediately struck by what he had said. The embarrassment flashed across his face. He waved his hand to signal his men to give up the search and put the things back in their places. He stood up and returned to his original seat, feeling very puzzled.

"Sir, how could this person... just disappear out of thin air?"

Shen Zhong also wanted to know what was going on, so he withdrew his gaze and continued to scan the room. After a while, he actually found some clues.

He walked to the side of the small platform in the middle of the room, and saw an inconspicuous and abnormal patch of dust on the edge of the three-foot-high platform. Shenzhong squatted down and pinched it with his fingers. Suddenly he looked up and after glancing at the ceiling a few times, he said.

“It fell from above.”

The deputy glanced up.

"Your Excellency means that they escaped from above?"

Shen Zhong gave the order while reaching into his sleeve to take out a handkerchief.

"Pass the order down, use this inn as the center and spread out to search."

He wiped the ashes off his hands with a handkerchief and gave a serious reminder.

"Don't make any noise in public!"

"Yes!"

The deputy immediately took the order and went downstairs to make arrangements.

Shen Zhong took one last look at the room, then he got up and left the room with the remaining men, going straight downstairs.

As the door closed, the curtains under the large bed in the originally empty room suddenly moved, revealing an eye.

"It's alright, sir."

Before he finished his words, two figures suddenly appeared from under the bed on the other side. They were Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian. They quickly got out from under the bed and stood up.

Wang Qinian was a step slower, mainly because the bed was a little short, and he was a little strong, so it was not very convenient.

"Oh, such a crude trick. Ah, the smarter the person, the easier it is for him to be fooled. If it were someone less knowledgeable..."

Seeing how hard he was struggling to get up, Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian lent a hand to drag him out, then helped him stand up.

Wang Qinian kept talking and laughing the whole time.

"He must have searched under the bed first. After all, under the bed is the easiest place for people to hide. Oh."

Clapping his hands, he took the lead in helping Mei Chengan brush off the dust on his clothes.

"Only people at Shen Zhong's level, ah, if he sees any details, he won't let go and tends to overthink..."

"Let me see if anyone has left."

After Fan Xian patted his clothes until they were almost clean, he stood up and went to the window to observe what was going on downstairs.

Mei Cheng'an stood there waiting for Wang Qinian to finish taking pictures for him. He also helped Wang Qinian brush off the dust on his back.

"I said Lao Wang."

"What's wrong, Master?"

"You should lose weight. Your back is too thick. It trembles when I pat it."

Wang Qinian is the Great Khan.

……

Downstairs of the inn.

Shen Zhong and his deputy hurried down the stairs in front of the door.

"Look carefully, but don't be too nervous. Even if they hide their whereabouts for a while, they are alone and can't do anything big. Ask the two people in the prison, and keep a close eye on them to prevent them from doing the opposite and pretending to be stupid and taking the opportunity to cause trouble."

The deputy nodded in agreement and started to flatter.

"Your Excellency is indeed thoughtful and thoughtful. I admire you!"

……

upstairs.

After watching Shen Zhong and his group walk away, Wang Qinian looked downstairs again and confirmed that the Jinyiwei spies who were guarding the building had also withdrawn. He then spoke.

"Sir, Master, everyone has left. What are we going to do next? Should we go meet the person who delivered the message first?"

Mei Cheng'an hummed, and Fan Xian turned and walked towards the door.

"Let's go."

……

About an incense stick of time later, three people appeared in a secluded and narrow corridor. There were high walls on both sides of the corridor, and there were flying eaves and brackets on the walls. There was a corridor in the middle that ran through both sides. The ground was paved with gray stone slabs with mottled water marks, which should have been swept not long ago. This was the alley between the two blocks.

The three of them strolled along the quiet alley, and the only sound in the alley was the pattering of their feet on the water.

Wang Qinian looked around holding the note.

"Do we need to go up?"

Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian did not respond, because they did not know either. After a moment, Mei Cheng'an suddenly stopped, and Fan Xian and Wang Qinian also stopped.

"what happened?"

Fan Xian looked around and asked casually.

Mei Cheng'an suddenly turned around and looked up at the corridor in the sky that connected both sides, and curled the corners of his mouth.

"No need to go up, hey, the people are coming down."

Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, then he looked up and saw a black figure slowly floating down.

Wang Qinian looked at the man and felt that he looked familiar. He tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then he remembered who that man was and exclaimed.

"What Taoist?!"

Hearing this, Fan Xian turned his head and looked at him.

"You know him?"

Wang Qinian nodded and said seriously.

"He is Taoist He, a ninth-rank swordsman from Northern Qi. Oh, he is Cheng Jushu, who was forcibly abducted to Kyoto by the second son of the Lin family and wanted to kill him for murdering you. Do you still remember him?"

Fan Xian didn't hesitate.

"Of course I remember. Why are you mentioning him suddenly?"

Wang Qinian whispered.

"That Cheng Jushu is the disciple of this Taoist He."

"what?"

Fan Xian was startled and turned to look at the man who had not yet landed.

"Is it such a coincidence?"

Having said that, he actually had a vague guess that Cheng Jushu was later released by the Supervisory Council, and Chen Pingping might have used this opportunity to reach some kind of agreement with this Taoist He.

Mei Cheng'an glanced at Wang Qinian and asked curiously.

"Have you seen this Taoist He before?"

Wang Qinian shook his head.

"No, young master. I was looking at Cheng Jushu's personal biography before. It mentioned his relationship with Taoist He, and there was also a portrait of Taoist He mixed in it."

"Oh."

A hint of realization flashed across Mei Cheng'an's eyes, and he retracted his gaze to look at the figure that was walking towards them after landing steadily.

Meanwhile, look out over the inn.

The door opened with a bang, and Guo Baokun rushed into the room with his excited voice.

"I found where the Jinyiwei prison is...eh?"

The excitement on Guo Baokun's face gradually turned into confusion. Looking around the empty room, he scratched his head.

"People?"

……

(End of this chapter)