Chapter 61: Miss Jiang, Exuding the Aroma of Green Tea

"Miss Jiang!"

Li Wenxuan was startled. He hurriedly stepped forward to help up his landlord's daughter, who was completely out of breath and in a disheveled state.

"Official... Official Li, Zhang Xiaogui asked me to give this to you..."

Zhang Xiaogui?

Li Wenxuan was utterly astonished. How on earth did you come to know Zhang Xiaogui?

"Miss Jiang, don't worry. Have a sip of water and catch your breath."

Jiang Xiaogui raised her head and only then realized that it was Madam Li who had handed her a cup of hot tea.

"Th... Thank you, Madam Li!"

Jiang Xiaogui hurriedly reached out to take it, and only then did she notice that Official Li was supporting her by the arm, helping her up and seating her on a nearby chair.

Suddenly experiencing such close physical contact with Official Li, Jiang Xiaogui found her face blushing involuntarily.

"Miss Jiang, have some tea to calm your breath."

Madam Li's voice drifted over.

Jiang Xiaogui quickly looked up, and to her amazement, she noticed a strange, subtle smile playing at the corners of Madam Li's lips. Instantly, she dared not let her mind wander any further.

Although this Madam Li was blind, she seemed to possess a pair of unseen eyes that could see everything!

"I went to the mines to look for someone earlier, and on my way there, I ran into a tall, thin man. He was injured and bleeding. He told me not to go to the mines because something terrible had happened there, and then he shoved this into my hands..."

Jiang Xiaogui pointed to the document in Li Wenxuan's hand, her expression tense as she said, "He said he knew you rented our house, Official, and asked me to bring this to you."

A certain proud princess felt a slight sense of disdain in her heart. They had bought the house now—what was this nonsense about renting?

She really wished people would pay attention to their choice of words!

"Not only does this contain his own matters, but it also details everything going on at the mines!"

Upon hearing this, Li Wenxuan quickly pressed further, "And where is Zhang Xiaogui?"

"He ran off! Someone was chasing him!" Jiang Xiaogui said anxiously.

"Mad Donkey!"

Li Wenxuan knew that something major had occurred.

Outside the door, Mad Donkey, who had already been waiting and raring to go, immediately responded, "Sir, I am here!"

"Mount your horse immediately..." Li Wenxuan started, then paused to glance at Jiang Xiaogui. "Where did you run into Zhang Xiaogui?"

"Xiama Slope outside the city!"

Li Wenxuan then looked at Mad Donkey and commanded, "Take ten secret guards from the Eastern Depot's yamen and head straight to Xiama Slope to search for him. Remember, do not miss a single clue!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Mad Donkey felt that being entrusted with such an important mission was practically the peak of his life.

He leaped onto his horse's back and hastily galloped toward the Eastern Depot's yamen.

Within a short moment, ten secret guards mounted their horses and, following Mad Donkey, rushed out of the city in a flurry of dust to arrive at Xiama Slope.

The ten guards immediately paired up into groups of two to search the area.

However, the place was a vast expanse of snowy fields. They practically tore up the surrounding terrain, yet found nothing out of the ordinary.

Seeing that darkness was falling and they had nothing to show for their efforts, Mad Donkey grew somewhat anxious and began cursing the incompetent guards directly.

"You bloody bunch of good-for-nothings! When His Excellency pulled you out of the guardhouse, he must have been completely blind!"

Hearing these curses, the guards grew resentful, and two of them instantly wanted to teach Mad Donkey a lesson.

"Damn you! You're just lucky enough to be trailing around Hundred-Household Officer as his lapdog. Do you really think you're somebody important? Believe it or not, my brothers and I could finish you off right here, toss you into an abandoned mine shaft, and no one would ever be the wiser!"

One of the guards, blessed with a fiery temper, uttered a crude and threatening scold.

Of course, he was merely blowing off steam; he still wouldn't dare actually go through with it.

Mad Donkey was the Hundred-Household Officer's most trusted confidant. If they really killed him, the Hundred-Household Officer would never let them off.

"Wait! Did you just say there's a mine shaft here? Does that mean there's a mine nearby?"

Mad Donkey suddenly snapped to attention.

The guard who had been cursing also suddenly realized something, turning to look in astonishment toward the back of Xiama Slope.

"Heading further back from here leads right to the mines!" A look of shock crossed the guard's face. "Brothers, could it be that the people at the mine are bold enough to bury someone alive?"

"Let's go take a look!"

The ten guards didn't know the meaning of fear; in a swarm, they prepared to head toward the mine to investigate.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, a galloping horse suddenly arrived.

A guard on horseback rushed over, pulled hard on the reins to stop his steed, glanced around at the group, and declared, "The Hundred-Household Officer has ordered: fall back!"

"Which Hundred-Household Officer?" Mad Donkey asked, unwilling to give up—Zhang Xiaogui had undoubtedly been captured by the people at the mine.

The other ten guards also wore displeased expressions. After busting their guts for half a day and returning empty-handed, wouldn't they become the laughingstock of others?

The guard on horseback took in their expressions, released the reins, cupped his fists with a smile, and said, "Just so you brothers know, this order came directly from Official Li himself. As for the reason behind it, I haven't the faintest idea."

Upon hearing this, Mad Donkey didn't hesitate for a second. He vaulted back onto his horse and called out to the others, "Since it's Official Li's order, brothers, don't just stand there—let's head back!"

The ten guards didn't dare show the slightest bit of discontent either. They mounted their horses one after another, and the group leisurely headed back toward the city.

Meanwhile, at a hidden spot behind Xiama Slope, a group of men was squatting in wait.

The leader among them had a vicious knife scar across his face. None other than Feixiong, the man who had escorted the Cui family to visit the grave of Li Wenxuan's biological mother a few days prior.

Seeing the guards retreating into the distance, Feixiong couldn't help turning his head to look at Zhang Xiaogui, who was being pinned down fiercely by several men on the ground, unable to move a muscle.

"Kid, I didn't expect this! You really have some skills, actually managing to stir up the Eastern Depot guards to come looking for you."

Zhang Xiaogui struggled to turn his head, glaring fiercely at Feixiong as he cursed viciously, "You beasts! Your days of lording over others and running amok are numbered!"

"Ha, ridiculous. To tell you the truth, Minister Cui may have fallen, but we have other ways out."

Feixiong squatted down and patted Zhang Xiaogui's face mockingly. "In the future, we'll just cling tightly to the Prince Consort's coattails and live comfortably. But you, you little punk—why did you have to go looking for old soldiers and stumble right into our mine?"

"What a coincidence. The old soldier you were looking to meet just happened to be leading a bunch of lowly commoners in an uprising, so we locked him up. And you lot? You actually coordinated from the inside and almost managed to bust him out."

Feixiong wore a puzzled expression as he muttered, "Tell me, I even gave them the opportunity to work. How could they possibly have the audacity to ask for money?"

"You can say words like that? You're lower than an animal!" Zhang Xiaogui cursed bitterly. "I only hate that I didn't burn all of you beasts to ashes!"

"Hahaha... Kid, these are turbulent times, so I'll spare your dog's life for now. Once this mine falls completely into the hands of the Prince Consort, I'll personally find you an abandoned mine shaft..."

Feixiong slapped Zhang Xiaogui's face repeatedly. "Don't you worry, though. Before I send you down there, I'll make sure to treat you really well!"

Looking at the sickening smile on Feixiong's face, a terrible, foreboding sensation suddenly welled up in Zhang Xiaogui's heart!

"You—"

Before he could finish, his mouth was tightly gagged by someone.

"Drag him away and clean him up. Tonight, I'm going to taste what he's like!"

The other men were well aware of Feixiong's peculiar tastes, and their expressions as they looked at Zhang Xiaogui instantly became quite colorful.

Meanwhile, Mad Donkey and the eleven guards had just turned a corner when they saw Li Wenxuan alone on horseback, resting in the shade of a large willow tree by the roadside.

"Sir! Why are you here? Your injuries..."

Mad Donkey hurriedly spurred his horse forward, dismounted, and strode up to Li Wenxuan.

Li Wenxuan smiled faintly. "My injuries are of no consequence. I originally wanted to stay home and keep my wife company longer, but who would have thought..."

What he hadn't expected was that after Mad Donkey left, the more he read through Zhang Xiaogui's ledger, the more excited he became. He simply couldn't resist riding out on his little red horse, which hadn't been ridden in days.

The little red horse, eager to be ridden, trotted all the way to the Eastern Depot's yamen with unrestrained joy. Li Wenxuan had summoned a guard to lead the way and chased all the way out here.

He hadn't shown his face himself; instead, he had sent one of his guards to call the men back, creating the illusion for the villains at the mine that the secret guards had retreated, thereby throwing them off the scent.

At this moment, Li Wenxuan wore a gentle smile. He glanced toward the direction of the mines, quickly withdrew his gaze, and looked at the eleven guards.

"When night falls, Young Master here will take you all out for a real blood-pumping show!"