The backyard of the Mo Mansion was a sizable garden filled with many rare flowers and plants. Though the dim light of dusk obscured their appearance, the rich floral fragrance permeated the air, refreshing the heart and lungs. Han Li couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“Huh?” Han Li let out a soft exclamation. Despite the overwhelming floral scent, he could still detect the familiar aroma of medicinal herbs.
“Someone is growing herbs here,” Han Li chuckled softly. The extremely familiar scent piqued his curiosity about the grower. It seemed someone in the Mo Mansion had inherited Mo Dahu’s medical skills.
Not daring to delay any longer, Han Li followed the garden path and stealthily made his way toward the area where lantern lights still glowed.
Along the way, Han Li discovered several deeply concealed hidden sentries. If not for his extraordinary perception, he would have had difficulty spotting them. It appeared the Mo Mansion’s security was exceptionally tight.
However, since he had already detected them, bypassing these sentries was a simple task for him.
Han Li came to a stop in front of a two-story building.
He had chosen this spot simply because he noticed the security here was far stricter than elsewhere, with at least twenty to thirty guards stationed nearby.
Seeing that the second floor of the building was still brightly lit, Han Li knew that important figures of the Mo Mansion must still be awake inside—perfect for his investigation.
Seizing the cover of night, he moved as swiftly as lightning. In a flash, he reached the base of the building. With a slight push from his feet, he nimbly flipped up to the second floor. The entire process was completed in an instant, and none of the sentries, whether in plain sight or hidden, noticed Han Li’s intrusion.
Han Li pressed himself against the wall of the second-floor room, concealing his entire figure in the shadows. He then pricked up his ears to carefully listen to the situation inside.
Thanks to his superhuman hearing, Han Li could make out the voices of women speaking inside. It seemed there was more than one person in the room.
“Changping Town’s secret outpost delivered 7,300 taels of silver.”
“Luogu Town’s secret outpost delivered 5,800 taels of silver.”
“Lanyue Town’s secret outpost delivered 10,500 taels of silver.”
“Wuling Town…”
…
“These are the silver deliveries from the secret outposts last month. Overall, it’s more than a quarter less than the same period in previous years.”
A pleasant female voice reached Han Li’s ears. The voice was clear and vibrant, unmistakably that of a young woman, though her last words carried a tone of dissatisfaction.
“Mother, the people in charge of these secret outposts are growing bolder! The silver they deliver decreases month by month,” the girl said angrily.
“I know. I’m aware of the situation,” another low, magnetic female voice responded.
“Could she be one of the Three Jades of the Mo Family?” Han Li’s spirits lifted. He felt fortunate—the other person in the room was likely one of Mo Dahu’s wives.
“You always say you’re aware, but can’t you do something to rectify this? If this continues, those secret outposts will soon stop taking the main headquarters seriously!” the young girl complained.
“I don’t have a good solution right now! You must understand, the power of the secret outposts has always been managed solely by your Fifth Mother! No one else in the Mo Mansion can interfere,” the woman replied helplessly.
At these words, the room fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, the young girl’s voice, filled with reluctance, spoke again: “Mother, are we really going to let Fifth Mother monopolize the power of those secret outposts? You must know, ever since Uncle Ma and the others split off a few years ago, combined with the pressure from other forces, the secret outposts have become the greatest pillar of our Jing Jiao Society. Since you’re the acting leader of the Jing Jiao Society, this greatest power should naturally be under your control!”
“What you say is true. But when your father left, he entrusted the secret outposts to your Fifth Mother. I really have no excuse to interfere. Moreover, your Fifth Mother now submits most of the profits from the secret outposts to the main headquarters every month. It would be inappropriate for me to intervene further,” the woman said calmly.
“But our Jing Jiao Society is already weak. If we don’t consolidate our forces, how can we hope to make a comeback? Father is really something! Since he entrusted the affairs of the Jing Jiao Society to you, why did he specifically hand over the secret outposts to Fifth Mother?” The young girl’s voice was full of resentment, clearly displeased with her father.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Your father had his reasons for doing this. It’s not for you, as his child, to criticize recklessly!” the woman scolded the girl sternly.
“Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong. It seems Mother’s devotion to Father remains unchanged!” The girl seemed accustomed to such reprimands and didn’t take it seriously. Instead, she teased her mother.
“You child…” The woman clearly doted on the girl and could only respond with a bitter smile.
By now, Han Li was certain that the woman inside was the Yan Shi he was looking for, and the girl was likely Mo Caihuan, her daughter with Mo Dahu. It seemed he was truly lucky to have found the right place on his first try.
Han Li reached out and touched the personal letter and token from Mo Dahu hidden against his body, preparing to reveal himself and meet the two.
“Mother, that impostor is so annoying! When I ran into him in the back garden today, he was overly attentive to me, showing off what little literary talent he has. He acts like he’s some kind of prodigy in both arts and martial skills. It’s really disgusting!” the girl suddenly said in a coquettish tone, startling Han Li and causing him to retract the foot he had just stepped forward.
“Be polite to that Mr. Wu. After all, he’s nominally your future brother-in-law. Don’t let him see through our act!” Yan Shi’s tone turned serious and stern.
“Ugh! Big Sister has to put up with his pestering all day and even pretend to be infatuated with him. It must be so hard on her! If it were me, I would’ve cut him down with a sword long ago,” the girl sighed.
“There’s no other way. Although we know Mr. Wu is an impostor and have already uncovered his background, we have to sacrifice your big sister’s reputation to buy more time by feigning cooperation with him. After all, our enemies are too powerful. If they realize they can’t trick us, they’ll likely launch a full-scale attack immediately. We stand no chance of winning then!” Yan Shi’s voice was filled with exhaustion, revealing the immense strain she was under.
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