On the street, a woman wrapped in a headscarf was whispering to a child. The child took the silver coins handed over, weighed them in his hand, and then put them into his chest.
"The person you're looking for is indeed in the Lingyue Inn. Earlier, Wang Tianba, the youngest son of the county magistrate, even caused a ruckus there. I saw it with my own eyes."
Lin Sheng covered her side face and let out a strange snort. She had finally found him.
Mo Lingxuan, no, he should be called Rong Xun. I, Lin Sheng, will surely make you regret everything! I'll make you kneel and beg for my mercy!
"Achoo!"
Tang Youyou was holding a steaming sweet potato and enjoying it. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her back.
"Are you cold?" Rong Xun leaned over and draped a coat over her.
"It's just my nose itching. Why haven't I seen Xun Rong recently? Did this guy just run off to see his sweetheart without saying a word?"
Just now, she had searched the entire inn inside and out, but couldn't find a trace of Xun Rong. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
Rong Xun was taken aback. He had actually forgotten about this. If Xun Rong suddenly disappeared, it would surely arouse suspicion. He had to find an opportunity to sort this out.
"Who is Xun Rong?"
"He's a new guard I recruited. Don't be fooled by his ordinary appearance. He's quite an interesting guy."
Upon hearing this, Rong Xun's face turned a bit ashen. Was he jealous of himself?
When he pretended to be Xun Rong, he deliberately acted that way to avoid being exposed. He never expected that he would be so well-liked by You'er.
"Really? Isn't Ye Yue enough for you?"
Tang Youyou felt that there was a bit of jealousy in his words.
"Ye Yue is highly skilled in martial arts, and I feel at ease with him around. But having one more person isn't a bad thing. He can share some of Ye Yue's workload."
Rong Xun snorted, "What workload is there to share? Can he complain about having too much to do just because it's for you?"
Just then, Ye Yue downstairs let out a loud sneeze.
"Who's talking about me?" He looked towards the door. Tie Shou hadn't come back yet at this time. He didn't know what Tie Shou was up to. Originally, he had planned to gather intelligence with Tie Shou, but somehow Tie Shou had started acting alone.
At midnight, the inn was about to close. Just as the innkeeper was about to shut the door, he saw an old woman dressed in rags and wrapped in a headscarf, refusing to show her face.
"Get out of here! We're closed."
Seeing her trying to enter, the innkeeper quickly shooed her away like she was a plague.
"Kind innkeeper, please have mercy on me. I haven't eaten for two days. Could you spare me a bun?"
The innkeeper covered his nose in disgust and ignored her. He picked up a broom and tried to sweep her out.
"No buns. Hurry up and leave."
Just then, Tang Youyou came downstairs from the staircase and happened to see this scene.
It was still quite cold in early spring. The old woman was only wearing a tattered single-layered robe. With the strong wind outside, she looked as if she would be blown away at any moment.
In the past, Tang Youyou wouldn't have bothered to interfere in such a situation. But perhaps her maternal instincts had been awakened recently, making her more compassionate.
"Let her in. I'll pay."
The innkeeper took the silver ingot she handed over and couldn't stop smiling. He quickly opened the door and invited the old woman in.
"Prepare some delicious food for her."
Tang Youyou saw that the old woman was shivering from the cold and felt pity for her. So she asked Ye Yue to fetch some clothes from the room for her.
"What are you doing?"
Rong Xun saw Ye Yue's actions and gave him a cold look. Ye Yue was so frightened that he trembled and his voice became even softer.
"Madam asked me to bring down her coat for that old woman."
Rong Xun frowned upon hearing this. This girl was always meddling in other people's business when he wasn't around.
"Who is she?"
Ye Yue replied, "She's just a beggar from outside. Madam took pity on her and let her in and ordered some food for her."
"Don't let anyone get close."
"Yes."
Ye Yue took the clothes downstairs and saw Tang Youyou sitting with the old woman, chatting about something.
He quickly strode forward and supported Tang Youyou, "Miss, it's cold down here. You should go upstairs and rest quickly."
Tang Youyou had come downstairs to chat with Ye Yue because she couldn't sleep. Maybe she had slept too much during the day, so she wasn't feeling sleepy at night.
"I'm not very sleepy. I'll go up later."
Ye Yue didn't dare to disobey his master's order. After the incident with Rong Jiangyu, he had learned his lesson and couldn't trust outsiders.
"You have to think about your own health. Please go upstairs quickly." Ye Yue ignored Tang Youyou's wishes and pushed her on the shoulder towards the stairs, "Master has boiled the medicine and is waiting for you."
"I don't want to drink the medicine." Tang Youyou pouted. Ever since Rong Xun came, he had been making her drink all kinds of tonics to replenish her qi and blood and keep her fit. Although she didn't want to drink it, she had compromised because she heard it was good for the baby.
The old woman downstairs heard their conversation and tightened her grip on the dagger hidden in her hand.
She had seen clearly that this woman was the one who had escaped from the Qiling Manor that day, and she was also Rong Xun's former queen.
Although she was innocent, if it weren't for her, how could Rong Xun have abandoned her and even allowed someone to disfigure her!
Now she couldn't show her face for fear of being called a monster.
When she was rescued by her aunt that day, she learned that it was her husband who had wiped out the entire Qiling Manor and the Mo Clan overnight. He had even tried to kill her aunt.
All of this was to seize the power in her aunt's hands. He had also imprisoned her in a dark dungeon for several days, where she was whipped every day. That inhumane torture was a pain that she would never forget, even if she turned to ashes.
She learned from her aunt that Rong Xun's sweetheart was the former queen of the Ming Dynasty. She had searched for a long time and spent many days to buy a portrait of her from a eunuch who had once seen her.
When she saw the portrait, she felt as if she had seen this person somewhere before.
When she saw her on the street a few days ago, she could immediately confirm that this was the person in the portrait and the one who had escaped from the Qiling Manor.
It was really ridiculous. She never thought that she had already met the sweetheart of Mo Lingxuan, who was also Rong Xun.
Since she couldn't get close to Rong Xun, she would find a way to gain this woman's trust.
The poison was already prepared. She just needed to find an opportunity to make her eat it. Then she would see whether Rong Xun would kneel and beg for her forgiveness or watch his sweetheart die bit by bit.
Thinking of this, the face hidden under the headscarf showed a ferocious smile.
Tang Youyou returned to the room and saw Rong Xun sitting at the table waiting for her. There was also a bowl of black medicine in front of him.
Just one look at it made her stomach revolt.
"Come here."
Rong Xun waved at her. She obediently went over and sat on his lap, pouting and acting coquettishly.
"I don't want to drink it. It's so bitter. The baby also thinks it's bitter."