Rong Zhi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Uncle Yu, open the door!"
Rong Zhi knocked on Yu Cheng's door, and soon footsteps came from inside.
"What's wrong, girl?"
"Uncle Yu, have you seen my husband? He's gone."
"No..."
Yu Cheng was a bit confused. "What happened?"
"I don't know..."
Rong Zhi suddenly heard the sound of a horse neighing from the backyard, and Yu Cheng directly let her in.
She went to the backyard and found Xiao Hei still there. Rong Zhi's heart sank even lower.
If Xia Yunting had to return to the imperial city on urgent business, why wouldn't he bring Xiao Hei along?
What important matter could it be that he wouldn't even leave her a message?
"Girl, tell me carefully, what exactly happened? I'll help you look."
"No need, Uncle Yu, he must have something important to do. He'll write to me in a few days."
How could Uncle Yu help with something like this?
She was about to leave when Xiao Hei suddenly broke free from its tether and nudged Rong Zhi with its large head.
Rong Zhi stroked the mane on Xiao Hei's neck and said to Yu Cheng, "Uncle Yu, I'll take this horse with me. Thank you for taking care of it all these days."
As she spoke, she took out several pieces of silver from her懷 and handed them to Yu Cheng. "I came in a hurry, please accept this as a token of my gratitude. When I find my husband, we'll come to thank you together."
"Don't mention thanks. It's thanks to him keeping me company all this time, I can't accept this."
He pushed the silver back.
"Uncle Yu, please don't be so polite. I still need to find my husband. Please accept it quickly. I won't bother you any longer."
Yu Cheng had no choice but to accept.
Rong Zhi mounted the horse and left the village. It was strange, but as soon as the horse hit the main road, it started to gallop wildly. Before Rong Zhi could give any orders, it automatically turned towards the direction outside the city, and ran faster and faster, as if it had received some instruction. Even when Rong Zhi asked it to stop, it showed no intention of doing so.
She decided to let Xiao Hei run freely. She had already witnessed that Xiao Hei was very intelligent, and perhaps it had received instructions from Xia Yunting in advance.
Although sending a message via a horse seemed absurd, it was not impossible.
The horse galloped through the night, the cold wind blowing on Rong Zhi's face, making her ears numb. After half the night, the person and the horse arrived at the foot of a mountain. The mountain was covered with lush wild grass and looked very secluded.
Rong Zhi looked around, but she couldn't understand why Xiao Hei had brought her here.
"Xiao Hei, if only you could talk."
She touched the horse's head with some regret.
Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps from the bushes. Although they were intentionally light, Rong Zhi had excellent hearing and quickly identified the person as someone with strong martial arts skills.
She dismounted and quietly led Xiao Hei to hide behind a tree. When the person appeared, Rong Zhi saw that it was Chen Xing.
Chen Xing raised his hand and whistled, and Xiao Hei actually walked out. As soon as it did, Chen Xing looked in their direction.
"Madam!" He walked towards them, cupped his fist, and bowed.
"Why are you here? Where is Xia Yunting? You're being so mysterious, has something happened?" Rong Zhi asked urgently.
"Yes." Chen Xing looked around to confirm that no one else was present, then leaned in.
Judging by his demeanor, it was likely classified information. Rong Zhi instinctively focused her attention.
Suddenly, Chen Xing took a dagger from his sleeve and swung it at Rong Zhi. Rong Zhi instinctively took a step back. Chen Xing pressed his advantage, engaging Rong Zhi in a fight.
A warning bell sounded in Rong Zhi's mind. What was happening? Was this a case of "killing the donkey after it has served its purpose"?
Chen Xing seemed determined to send her to hell, and every move he made was fierce. Several times, he nearly struck Rong Zhi's vital points.
However, Rong Zhi was not someone who could be easily dealt with. At first, she focused on dodging. When she realized that the other party truly intended to kill her, Rong Zhi took the initiative to attack, casually breaking off a tree branch to block Chen Xing's dagger. She gathered all her internal energy to her toes and kicked forcefully towards his abdomen.
Chen Xing recoiled violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He was no longer able to resist.
Rong Zhi frowned, recalling her interactions with Xia Yunting. In her opinion, Xia Yunting was not the type of person to "kill the donkey after it has served its purpose." However, there were also rumors that Xia Yunting was a ruthless killer who would stop at nothing to win. Moreover, people in the court were skilled in intrigue, so it was possible that Chen Xing was faking it.
There was also another possibility...
A guess surfaced in Rong Zhi's mind. She stepped forward and grabbed Chen Xing's hand.
Chen Xing seemed to see something terrifying and began to struggle violently. However, Rong Zhi's strength was not that of an ordinary woman, and his struggles were in vain. He could only allow Rong Zhi to take his pulse.
There were no signs of poisoning, which meant Chen Xing had not been drugged. Could it really be Xia Yunting's intention?
Just as she was in doubt, Chen Xing suddenly unleashed a palm strike with powerful internal energy. Rong Zhi quickly dodged to the side, but this palm strike was a feint. As soon as Rong Zhi dodged, she was struck on the shoulder by Chen Xing from another direction.
She clutched her shoulder and leaned against a tree. As Chen Xing was about to finish her off, his movements suddenly stiffened, like a broken marionette. The dagger fell from his hand, and he clutched his head, howling in pain.
This was definitely not normal!
As a physician, Rong Zhi's intuition told her that Chen Xing was likely being controlled by something, not drugs, but perhaps witchcraft.
The next moment, Chen Xing seemed to have made up his mind. He grabbed Xiao Hei's reins, mounted the horse, and galloped away at full speed.
A gust of wind swept through the forest. Xiao Hei shot through the darkness like an arrow and disappeared from Rong Zhi's sight in an instant.
Everything happened too quickly, and Rong Zhi couldn't figure out why. She only knew that Xia Yunting had likely encountered trouble.
Rong Zhi returned to the house arranged by Xia Yunting. When she first returned, she hadn't noticed that all of Xia Yunting's belongings were gone from the house, including his clothes and personal accessories. Because Xia Yunting had few possessions, Rong Zhi hadn't paid much attention at first.
She searched the entire room three times, and only found the token Xia Yunting had given her at the bottom of the wardrobe, with the familiar character "夏" on it.
What had happened? Rong Zhi's mind was filled with many guesses, but she had no clue.
Since that was the case, she could only go to the imperial city to search for him. However, before going to the imperial city, Rong Zhi had one more thing to do.
The next day, Chu Qingze came to find Rong Zhi, saying that Zhang Yajing had been found, in a very secluded inn on the outskirts of the city. Rong Zhi guessed that it was about time, so she went to the inn with Chu Qingze.
It had to be said, Xiao Yao was quite good at hiding. The inn was dilapidated and covered in dust, inside and out. Anyone would have thought it was a neglected abandoned house, but it turned out to be an inn.
The innkeeper led the two of them to the second floor. Rong Zhi coughed from the dust that was stirred up. When the innkeeper knocked on the door, Rong Zhi could hear complaints from inside.
Creak, the door opened, and Rong Zhi immediately saw Zhang Yajing tied up with her hands on the bed. Xiao Yao stood far away, seemingly disgusted by the environment, as if afraid of getting anything dirty.
Xiao Yao's face was flushed. When Rong Zhi entered, she was still scratching her arms, looking very uncomfortable.
"Princess Xiao Yao, you're really hard to find!"
Seeing her like this, Rong Zhi knew that she must have returned to the yamen to sleep and was definitely exposed to her powder. The powder was harmless to the body but caused itching all over.
"Stop the nonsense, hurry and give me the antidote." Xiao Yao extended her hand to Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi ignored her and turned to untie Zhang Yajing on the bed.
Xiao Yao was ignored and looked at Chu Qingze in exasperation. "You're a doctor too, right? Give me the antidote!"
Chu Qingze glanced at her, took a pill from his embrace, and threw it to Xiao Yao. Without thinking, Xiao Yao was about to put it in her mouth when Chu Qingze added, "Aren't you afraid it's poison?"
Xiao Yao, who was about to take the pill, froze. After thinking it over, she threw the pill away and glared at Chu Qingze fiercely.
Rong Zhi examined Zhang Yajing. She had no internal or external injuries. It seemed that Xiao Yao had only captured her and had not harmed her. She was still somewhat conscientious.
"Hey, she's fine now. Can you give me the antidote?"
Having been tricked, Xiao Yao's temper flared even more, and she couldn't help but raise her voice. As a dignified princess, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
Rong Zhi no longer made things difficult for her and gave her the antidote.
After taking it, Xiao Yao felt the itching sensation disappear immediately, and the redness on her face subsided. This happened so quickly that Xiao Yao couldn't help but be surprised. Even the most experienced old physician in her household didn't have such skills.
"Tell me, why did you kidnap her?"
Since the person had been rescued, Chu Qingze felt it was time to clarify things with Xiao Yao. Their past grievances should not involve others.
"I told you, I just wanted to find someone." Xiao Yao didn't think she had done anything wrong and remained defiant.
She looked at Rong Zhi. "Lu An said you were also helping us find someone?"
"Yes, but I don't want to look anymore." Rong Zhi's tone was impolite.
Xiao Yao guessed that Rong Zhi was angry because of the kidnapping incident. She decided to be direct.
"I suspect your husband is the person I'm looking for."
"Oh, then go find him."
"..."
This indifferent tone made Xiao Yao feel like she was punching cotton.
"You say he isn't? Do you dare to return to the imperial city with me and confront him? The general just married the Prime Minister's daughter, but he hasn't brought his wife into his household and is keeping a mistress outside. This was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. If the Emperor finds out you disrespect him, you'll lose your head! What do you say, dare you come back with me for a confrontation?"
Using the Emperor to scare someone was a tried-and-true tactic. Xiao Yao thought that the other party would be so terrified that they would immediately confess.
However, Rong Zhi's expression remained as calm as ever. She even let out a cold laugh. "What do I have to fear? But if this is not true, and you are deliberately spreading rumors and slandering, and you offend the true great general, do you think the Emperor will protect you, or protect a hero who has just returned victorious?"
Xiao Yao was stunned. She hadn't expected the other party to fall for her tactic. Instead, she had been threatened.
Indeed, she had no evidence now. What was the point of her suspicion?
"What, are you scared? It seems Princess is nothing more than that." Rong Zhi smiled. "If that's the case, then hurry back. This place is remote, and you, a young lady, should not suffer here."
"You..." Xiao Yao was so angry that she couldn't speak. "You wait and see, when I find the evidence, I'll deal with you!"
She left behind a threat, gave Chu Qingze a menacing look, snorted, and left.
Chu Qingze sighed deeply, feeling a sense of exhaustion.
"What a spoiled and unreasonable young lady. Anyone who marries her will be unlucky."