A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 192

Mo Yan called out softly with joy, her smile as bright as a flower, and embraced her.

With her soft voice and sweet fragrance filling his embrace, Zhan Zhao couldn't bring himself to scold her for being so careless—what if the person who came wasn't him? He held her tighter and asked gently, "Are you feeling any better?"

“I’m much better now. I even met the princess today…” Mo Yan was interrupted by Zhan Zhao before she could finish her sentence.

"Is someone under the bed?" He heard the tortoise scratching the carpet and his heart tightened.

Mo Yan hurriedly said, "No, no, I'm keeping a turtle down there. Don't tell anyone."

Zhan Zhao was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, and asked curiously, "Why are you keeping a turtle?"

"It was raised for the princess. It's a long story, brother. Please sit down and I'll tell you slowly." Mo Yan pulled Zhan Zhao to sit on the couch and began to tell him the whole story.

After listening, Zhan Zhao pondered for a long time and asked, "Yelü Hongji rarely travels alone; he is always accompanied by many guards. You must carefully consider what you just said about putting on an act so that it leaves no trace. Otherwise, even if he doesn't notice, his people will, and all your efforts will be in vain."

Mo Yan said confidently, "The princess is really sick, she's not faking it. As long as Yelü Hongji thinks the princess is sick because of him, that's enough. As long as the princess acts convincingly, no one will be able to spot the flaws."

“You still need to be careful, Yelü Hongji…” Zhan Zhao hesitated, unsure whether he should tell her about the woman beside Yelü Hongji. Then he remembered that Mo Yan had also met Madam Fang, and with her memory, she would definitely be surprised at first glance. After thinking it over, he decided that it was best to tell her first, just to be on the safe side.

Because they dared not light a lamp, and there were no stars or moon tonight, the tent was almost completely dark. With Zhan Zhao not speaking, Mo Yan could not see his appearance clearly, nor did she dare to touch his disguised face. She could only press her face against his neck, rubbing it again and again...

"Xiao Qi..."

Her hair brushed lightly against his nose, tickling him, and he couldn't help but laugh and call out.

"Big brother, you're so warm." She slipped her hand inside and touched his warm, firm chest, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Knowing she was afraid of the cold, Zhan Zhao pulled up the brocade quilt next to him and covered her tightly, then covered himself with it as well.

Mo Yan snuggled closer to him, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over her, and couldn't help but yawn.

"Xiao Qi, don't fall asleep yet, I have something important to tell you," Zhan Zhao whispered in her ear.

"Brother, please speak, I'm listening."

"Okay, you must remember this clearly."

"Um."

"Among Yelü Hongji's guards is a woman whose appearance is very similar to that of Madam Fang, the owner of the embroidery shop you met three years ago. I haven't yet found out her background, but she is very suspicious. She may also use poison, so you must be careful."

After he finished speaking, he didn't hear Mo Yan make a sound for a long time, so he thought she had really fallen asleep and gently shook her: "Xiao Qi, wake up..."

"Big brother," Mo Yan finally spoke, her voice calm and perfectly clear, "Was it her who poisoned you three years ago?"

"No, don't overthink it," Zhan Zhao said.

“Three years ago, you wouldn’t tell me anything, and as a result…” Mo Yan bit her lip, “Now, you still aren’t going to tell me? Do you look down on me that much, thinking I can’t help you at all?”

"No... it's just that I don't want you to get involved in this."

Mo Yan sighed softly, "Brother, whether in water or fire, I only want to be with you. Why don't you understand? Why did I stay in Kaifeng for these three years? Because I felt your presence was everywhere there. Judge Bao, Mr. Gongsun, they were the people you spoke to every day. When I spoke with them, I often thought, 'Brother, you spoke to them in the same way.' Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, they were the people you served every day. When I served with them, I often thought, 'Brother, you served them together in the same way…'"

Listening to her quiet narration, Zhan Zhao felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, and his throat tightened as he said, "Xiao Qi, don't say any more, I understand."

Mo Yan paused, then asked, "...Really?"

"Mmm." He rested his head against hers. "From now on, through life and death, through life and death, we'll be together, and neither of us will have to suffer."

"Don't try to lie to me again," Mo Yan muttered.

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly: "Not this time."

Mo Yan tilted her head slightly, kissed him, and then asked, "If you can't investigate the woman you mentioned earlier, I can help you."

"You..." Zhan Zhao instinctively wanted to say "You must not get involved," but when he remembered what he had just said, he turned and hugged her tightly, instructing her, "You can investigate if you want, just be careful and don't leave any traces."

"Have I been a constable for three years for nothing?" Mo Yan asked with a light laugh.

Zhan Zhao chuckled softly and then told her, "Su Zui saw this woman in Yanxie Town, so she must have only recently entered the pass. You should keep an eye out for anyone who is in close contact with her."

"good."

When Mo Yan heard him mention Yanxie Town, she couldn't help but recall what happened three years ago and asked, "Brother, do you remember seeing disguised officials in Yanxie Town three years ago?"

“Of course I remember. You said back then that those people were slow-moving, like they weren’t very skilled in martial arts, but you were wrong. Later, Hai Dongqing fought with them. Those people were all skilled in martial arts. They not only changed their clothes, but also hid their skills.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan gritted her teeth: "They even dared to lie to me! These bastards!"

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly and continued, "Later, Hai Dongqing also went to the border government to investigate, but he couldn't find any trace of these people. If we could have found out their origins back then, we could have brought out the mastermind behind it all."

Mo Yan paused for a moment after hearing his words, and some scattered fragments flashed through her mind. After a while, she called out softly and suddenly looked up at Zhan Zhao: "Brother, I remember, I remember."

"Remember what?" Zhan Zhao asked, puzzled.

"Remember who those people were?" Mo Yan asked eagerly. "Brother, listen to me: On my way here, I stayed overnight at the residence of Li Qigao, the prefect of Hejian. That night, due to a misunderstanding, I got into a fight with two guards from the residence, and those two guards were very skilled in martial arts. At the time, I felt that they looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen them before. Now that you mention it, I remember that they were the people who disguised themselves and appeared in Yanxie Town that day."

Zhan Zhao was slightly surprised: "Are you sure you can't be mistaken?"

“Yes, it’s them,” Mo Yan confirmed.

Zhan Zhao took a deep breath: "If they are Li Qigao's inner court guards, it's no wonder that Hai Dongqing couldn't find them. Li Qigao is just the prefect of Hejian Prefecture. He can't even get the full map of the Song Dynasty's military deployment. But his wife is Pang Long, the daughter of Grand Tutor Pang. I'm afraid that Grand Tutor Pang is the mastermind behind this."

"Grand Tutor Pang?" Mo Yan frowned. "He's very popular in the court. Ever since that Minister of the Three Departments was demoted, he's been the most domineering. And he also has a daughter who's the Emperor's beloved concubine, right?"

Zhan Zhao remained silent for a long time, then smiled bitterly: "I knew long ago that the mastermind behind this must be someone of high rank, but I never expected it to be him. Why would he betray the Song Dynasty?"

Mo Yan stroked his face and comforted him, "He must have been kicked in the head by a donkey, brother. Don't think about such things. Let's think about how to find the evidence and hand it over to Judge Bao as soon as possible."