Fortunately, just then the shift-change team arrived, so he didn’t pursue the matter. During the handover, he inadvertently glanced at several portraits of key fugitives, including Prince Ling’an—he immediately remembered that the person who had seemed familiar bore some resemblance to the person in the portrait.
Looking up again, that person’s figure was nowhere to be seen. His heart jumped, and he immediately reported it, but his commander didn’t believe him, mocking him for being crazed with wanting to achieve merit. Prince Ling’an was well protected by the Candle Bureau—how could he possibly appear in the streets pushing a slop bucket?
But the more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. He prepared to report upward and have people cast a dragnet for the arrest. That person pushing a cart couldn’t move fast and definitely couldn’t escape the next neighborhood.
He hurried forward and bumped into someone head-on.
Xie Queshan hadn’t heard the morning practice sounds from the neighboring courtyard this morning and already felt it strange. During breakfast, hearing that Nanyi had taken Qin boy early to consult Song Muchuan about academic matters, he sensed something had definitely happened.
It was also a sudden incident, probably quite troublesome, or Nanyi wouldn’t have suddenly sought out Song Muchuan.
He had been claiming illness and hadn’t appeared before the Qi People for several days. Gusha had just brought down Wanyan Jun and was in the limelight, suspecting him closely. He’d better stay put and not be caught with any handle. However, today he must make a trip to see what had happened.
On the way to the garrison, he encountered a hurried Qi soldier.
Upon seeing Xie Queshan, the Qi soldier was overjoyed and urgently reported: “Sir, I just saw someone who looked like Prince Ling’an heading toward Tongji Ward. Please order troops dispatched to capture him!”
Xie Queshan showed only slight surprise on his face, but his back was already breaking out in cold sweat.
“Really?”
“Absolutely certain! General Gusha ordered that we’d rather kill a thousand wrongly than let one slip by. I indeed saw that person bore a strong resemblance to Prince Ling’an and was acting suspiciously. Even if we arrest the wrong person, there’s definitely something wrong!”
Xie Queshan pondered for a moment and asked: “Who else knows about this?”
“I reported it to the Captain, but he didn’t believe me. I felt this was important, so I had to seek you out, sir.”
“Good, this matter is your responsibility. Come with me to mobilize troops.”
The Qi soldier’s face lit up as he cupped his fists: “Yes!”
Xie Queshan calmly led the man into a small alley, going deeper and deeper.
Nanyi and Xie Sui’an had already searched to Tongji Ward and learned that not long ago a servant pushing a slop bucket had passed by, walking particularly hurriedly and nearly overturning his cart.
Following the direction pointed out by that person, they found an abandoned cart in the alley.
But the person was no longer there.
Again a step too late, missing Xu Zhou.
Just as the two were getting anxious, they suddenly heard commotion from the neighboring ward not far away. The two exchanged glances and hurried toward the disturbance.
A Qi soldier’s corpse lay on the ground, throat slit, thrown from a height, causing great turmoil.
Common people surrounded it in several layers, all showing expressions of shock, pointing at the corpse and whispering. Some bolder ones showed satisfaction at this turn of events. Nearby Qi forces were quickly drawn over, and the ward was about to be sealed off.
Nanyi instinctively felt this matter was suspicious. It seemed like a shocking major case that would definitely trigger Qi soldier searches, but if the Qi soldiers all gathered here, then as long as Prince Ling’an wasn’t in this ward, his chances of exposure would be greatly reduced.
Someone was secretly helping them.
She instinctively looked up and around, then saw Xie Queshan leading a team of soldiers over. Her heart immediately skipped a beat, and a certain premonition grew stronger.
But when Xie Sui’an saw Xie Queshan, she immediately pulled Nanyi and turned to leave—she should be in the Buddhist hall now and couldn’t be discovered.
The two followed the dispersed crowd away from the commotion, breathing a slight sigh of relief. At least up to now, Prince Ling’an’s disappearance hadn’t caused waves among the Qi People.
He seemed to have a purpose, wanting to go to some specific place.
Xie Sui’an couldn’t figure out where he wanted to go or why he had to leave.