Exile is exile, is half of the capital enough as compensation?

She did not go to the governor's mansion but went directly to the mansion of Mr. Zhou, whom she had visited last time.

Not long after she arrived, a carrier pigeon quietly landed in the courtyard of Mrs. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou heard the noise, opened the door and took the pigeon away.

Leng Youran sneaked into their room while he was closing the door and slipped into the space.

"Husband, who brought the news so late at night?" Mrs. Zhou put on her coat and got out of bed.

Mr. Zhou, wearing his coat, sat at a table lit by an oil lamp and took the note from the pigeon's leg.

"It's Zheng Dazhi."

"Oh? What's wrong? Is there an accident over there?"

Mr. Zhou didn't say anything, but read the contents of the note.

Leng Youran knew what was written on it, so she was naturally not curious.

However, Mrs. Zhou saw that he didn't say anything and walked over to him.

As soon as Mrs. Zhou approached Mr. Zhou, she handed the note in her hand to her.

"Master Li's family members also died?"

"Well, so Zheng Dazhi was afraid of fraud and wrote to ask about it."

"What kind of trick could it be? It's lucky that a few people survived the avalanche. Lord Li is still lucky, as he still has two nephews at home. Look at Lord Fang, his entire family is wiped out."

"Zheng Dazhi is worried about whether Master Li's two nephews are safe and sound, and whether there might be a conspiracy. After hearing him mention that, I began to doubt the two servants left by Master Fang. Do you think that if their master is dead and only two servants are left, could it be..."

"What's the big deal? Didn't you see tonight that Lord Fang's servant was just a simple slave? He subdued a mad horse with his bare hands? Besides, didn't Zheng Dazhi also say that the Li family chose to protect Lord Li at the first moment? I think he's overthinking it."

Leng Youran smiled slightly in the space. Needless to say, An Qi and the others showed this skill because they must have received the secret letter from Li Tianze.

"Well, madam is right. I was overthinking it. It's unacceptable that such a powerful guard as you said can't even protect the master."

"That's right. Even a woman like me can see it. I think Zheng Dazhi is just too suspicious. Sigh, I don't know what Zheng Dazhi is thinking. Liancheng has been under his control for so long, why is he still so cautious? If he's worried, he can just write to His Majesty and let him take the position of Governor. Why does he have to make such a fuss? It's really unnecessary."

Without even looking up, Zhou Yuanwai said, "What do you, a woman, know? We are His Majesty's secret agents, so how can we expose ourselves to the public? His Majesty has asked us to monitor the provincial governors, so we just need to do our job well."

"Besides, no matter how well Zheng Dazhi does, he can never replace the official governor. This is your majesty's bottom line."

"But that old man has made a lot of money in private over the years."

Madam Zhou complained, "Alas...what can I do? He still holds the title of steward of the Governor's Mansion. Whether it's dealing with superiors or subordinates, he can always reap some benefits. Unlike you, you can only be a businessman. Although there is a considerable surplus every year, it is ultimately not comparable to his. Tell me why you didn't ask His Majesty to arrange a steward position for you back then? It would have been much better if you were like Zheng Dazhi, always sidelining the Governor and becoming the true head of the household."

Mr. Zhou raised his head and said coldly, "Nonsense! His Majesty's arrangement, you think I can disobey it? It's okay for you to say these words in the mansion now, but you better shut your mouth tightly outside. If His Majesty knew your thoughts, you would really be fed up with life."

Mrs. Zhou, who was nearly forty years old, was scolded by Mr. Zhou and stuck out her tongue. She pretended to be playful and said, "Oh, I was just complaining, but you are making a big deal out of it."

Mr. Zhou snorted coldly, "Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I advise you to restrain yourself, lest these things fall into the ears of the emperor and cause trouble. His Majesty is not someone to be trifled with."

"Yes, yes, I know. I will keep my mouth shut and not cause any trouble for you, Master."

Seeing that she understood the seriousness of the matter, Mr. Zhou stopped nagging and said, "By the way, this time this gentleman has no family. Your previous plan of using his family to learn about the Governor's Mansion's movements will be difficult to implement. You need to find a way to arrange for some people to go in."

Madam Zhou rolled her eyes, turned around and walked towards the bed, twisting her waist as she said, "Need I tell you? I'm already looking for someone. Besides, I think it's good that Lord Fang doesn't have a family. We can make whatever arrangements we want. When the time comes, I..."

Leng Youran's jaw dropped when he heard their plan.

Wow, this guy is ready to send a woman to "Lord Fang".

I don’t know if An Liu will be very happy when he knows this news.

Just when Leng Youran couldn't help but want to go out and tell An Liu the good news, Mr. Zhou spoke again, "You can handle these matters. How are your arrangements for the New Year gifts going?"

Madam Zhou said impatiently, "Don't worry. I'll go to the farm tomorrow to see how they're preparing."

Zhuangzi?

Leng Youran smiled knowingly.

Good guy.

She asked why she didn’t see their private vault when she came last time, and it turned out that there was another farm outside.

She was not so foolish as to think that Mrs. Zhou went to the farm to prepare food.

All gifts sent to the emperor had to go to Zhuangzi, which only meant that there were a lot of good things on Zhuangzi.

After receiving this unexpected news, Leng Youran left Zhou Mansion with joy.

Governor's Mansion.

The white sails were still hanging in the Governor's Mansion, but the coffins had long since disappeared. Compared to the bustle before they left, the Governor's Mansion was now very quiet.

He came quietly to the room where An Liu was.

An Liu jumped up from the bed in shock, "Who?"

"Who else could I be?"

When An Liu heard her voice, he hurriedly put on his coat, got out of bed, and knelt on one knee, "Master."

"Get up!" Leng Youran sat down at the round table outside in a familiar manner.

An Liu picked up the clothes hanging on the rack and put them on while saying, "Master, why are you back?"

"Something happened in Liancheng that concerns this area, so I came to take a look."

"What's the matter?"

Leng Youran did not answer in a hurry, but winked at An Liu, who understood and called Li Wu and Li Liu.

Leng Youran briefly explained the situation on both sides to the three of them.

The three were surprised to learn that Mr. Zhou was a secret agent arranged by Zhao Mingyao.

"Master, we've checked many people, but Mr. Zhou is the least noticeable. Neither his annual tributes nor his way of dealing with things would arouse suspicion. If you hadn't heard this news, it would have been difficult for us to find him."

"Yes, Miss Leng, we have been investigating the news here for the past two days. We have secretly checked the Governor's Mansion and the surrounding county offices. Apart from the servants in the Governor's Mansion, we really haven't found anyone related to Zhao Mingyao."