Jiaohua

Zhili had his own horse, which was tied up in the inn's stable and watched over by someone.

He ran to a carriage shop, wrote a note, handed it to someone, and hired him to ride a horse to town immediately.

Afterwards, they left and went to the small inn where the two women had gone and booked a room.

He booked the superior room, while the two women stayed in a standard double room.

Judging from their clothes and appearance, Zhili assumed they would be living in a large dormitory-style room for women.

There's no such coincidence in the world. It's impossible for two people to have features that are so similar to Junior Sister, especially the woman whose back view is so similar to Junior Sister's.

Although her face was completely different from her junior sister's, Zhili felt that she looked familiar, even more so than the woman next to her whose mouth and nose resembled her junior sister's.

However, he couldn't recall who the woman was in a short time. He had met far too many people in the past year.

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Li Xinya and Chen Yunqi cut the pancake in half. After eating it, Li Xinya gulped down two bowls of water and then stretched contentedly.

Chen Yunqi ate slowly. After finishing her meal, she poured water, picked up a small teapot, shook it, and placed it in front of Li Xinya: "You drank the water too fast and didn't leave any for me. I don't want this tea residue. Go and get another pot."

Li Xinya stood up: "Okay, I'll be back soon!"

Li Xinya left carrying the small teapot.

As soon as she closed the door, Chen Yunqi quickly took out a thick little handkerchief from her sleeve.

There was a letter inside the handkerchief, along with a silver note.

She deliberately sent Li Xinya away to buy sesame cakes, and then secretly went to retrieve the handkerchief.

As she took out the letter, Chen Yunqi's fingers trembled with excitement.

This was the third letter she had received from her father, and she was much more restrained than with the first one.

Earlier, she and Li Xinya were almost on the left side when they suddenly heard children singing nursery rhymes.

"The copper coins jingle and turn busily, the syrup spoon draws a sheep."

The greedy dogs lined up in rows, their mouths watering at the sweet smell of honey.

If you want to eat phoenix candy,
Go find Tang Jialang on West Street.
The wooden archway at the head of Liuxi Bridge.

Chen Yunqi felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her ears, and she could no longer walk.

Her mother was extremely skilled in music, and this nursery rhyme was composed and written by her mother specifically for her when she was young.

To be precise, it's the first half.

This nursery rhyme is completely unknown to outsiders; only the mother's two old servants and... the father know it.

The two old servants died when Chen Yunqi was seven and twelve years old, respectively. Only her father was left who knew the nursery rhyme.

So Chen Yunqi began to inquire about this nursery rhyme.

Sure enough, everyone said it came from Youzhou, but Chen Yunqi knew that there were no stories related to "Phoenix Candy" in Youzhou, and her father could not possibly have returned to Youzhou.

She then inquired about the locations of Phoenix Hall and Phoenix Pond.

She eventually found out that in Hongchang County of Jinzhou, there was a very famous old-brand fan shop called Phoenix Hall.

Her father, Chen Yongming, courtesy name Hongchang.

Chen Yunqi was almost certain that this was the nursery rhyme her father had deliberately spread in order to find her.

That's wonderful, my father is still alive!

After spending many months together, Chen Yunqi had become accustomed to being taken care of by Li Xinya, so she did not abandon Li Xinya, but instead took her with her to Hongchang County.

However, she didn't want Li Xinya to know too much, so whenever something happened, she would send Li Xinya away.

She went to Phoenix Hall alone, secretly.

She was right; Phoenix Hall really was related to her father. Although she hadn't met her father, she had seen the handwritten letter he left for her.

Upon seeing her father's handwriting again after so long, Chen Yunqi burst into tears.

In the letter, her father arranged for her to go to several places, deliberately leaving some clues.

She had done everything for her father. Now, in this letter, her father told her to stay in Yushuiyuan Town and wait until tomorrow. Three people would come to find her. She shouldn't be afraid; these three people weren't bad people and would tell her what to do next.

Chen Yunqi put away the letter, feeling puzzled.

She never really knew why her father made her do these things; the letter didn't say.

After she came out, she sent a letter to Phoenix Hall. Her father may or may not have read it, but he did not offer any answers to her questions in the letters he sent her.

However, this is indeed a reflection of my father's temperament...

Hearing a commotion outside, Chen Yunqi immediately packed everything away.

Li Xinya pushed open the door and came in, saying, "This Guzhou is really lively, much more crowded than the other post stations we visited before. I even had to queue to get water. And some of the people are dishonest. Luckily, that little thief noticed I was watching him, so he didn't steal from an old woman. Otherwise, that old woman would definitely have had her pitiful amount of copper coins stolen!"

Chen Yunqi's expression returned to normal, and she said calmly, "Then you've done a good deed."

Li Xinya poured her some water: "Hehe, yeah, I just love doing good deeds!"

Chen Yunqi took a small sip and then stopped drinking. She stood up and said, "Let's wash up. We're tired from traveling. Let's go to sleep early."

The room was small, and the two of them each had a bed. Li Xinya fell fast asleep soon after lying down, while Chen Yunqi couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did.

She had been in a terrible mood for the past few days.

In a faraway place unseen by her, that Ali seized Yong'an.

With her was Shen Lie, and both names made Chen Yunqi uncomfortable.

One is filled with hatred and disgust, the other with bitterness and sorrow.

She didn't understand either. She and Shen Lie had only met a few times and hadn't exchanged many words, so why was Shen Lie so unforgettable to her?

Clearly... there's no chance she'll ever have a relationship with him in this lifetime, and she might never even have the chance to see him again.

In the dead of night, Zhili returned to the previous inn from this one, intending to first find Liu Jia and He San.

Just then, I noticed that the light was still on in He San's room.

He knocked on the door a few times, and He San quickly opened it.

Zhili went in and told him about her discovery, and made some arrangements for the next day.

He San also felt that it was unlikely to be such a coincidence, and nodded: "Okay, I will mobilize manpower immediately tomorrow morning."

As Zhi was about to leave, He San stopped him: "Young Master Zhi, I just received a letter from General Nie to our lady."

He stammered, "What... what happened?"

He had always known that Nie Huimo and Madam Qu had a good relationship.

He San picked up another letter he was reading from the table and handed it to him, saying, "This is a letter from Huazhou. It says that after General Nie learned that Miss Ali had met with Yun Bozhong, he suddenly proposed to issue a challenge to Jin Hongkang. I think he must have already done so when I received this letter."

Zhi Li smiled somewhat awkwardly: "I guess I won't read this letter."

He San asked, "But should we let General Ali know about this?"

“My junior sister has her own intelligence network. Wang Fengnian has arranged a lot of people for her, so she can know without me having to say anything.”

"Oh well."

"Mmm, mmm..." he mumbled incoherently.

He San was Madam Qu's man, and deep down he was somewhat biased towards Nie Huimo, a fact that was quite clear.

However, he was a staunch supporter of Shen Lie, and he couldn't possibly do something like praising another man in front of his junior sister.

As soon as it was light, He San went to find Liu Jia first, and then together with Liu Jia arranged the manpower.

Zhili had already returned to the small inn, and he had also gotten up very early.

Pretending to buy breakfast, he came downstairs and, as he passed the second floor, his gaze inadvertently drifted toward the room where the two women had stayed the previous night.

The marks he secretly made last night are still there; they didn't go out during the night, and they haven't gotten up yet.

Zhi Li withdrew his gaze, feigning a relaxed demeanor as he descended the stairs. Suddenly, three people came upstairs in front of him. Zhi Li's eyes met theirs, and they all paused for a moment. (End of Chapter)