"You can tell me the truth now, can't you?" Xu Minghui asked dismissively, seeing that she was intimidated by him.
"Every year around this time, Master Liu would travel to the capital to deliver silver to my father. I was a little resentful that my father had been neglecting me recently, and I wanted to get there first. I didn't expect you to discover it," Mu Fei wasn't that foolish. She knew some things could be said, and some couldn't.
"Is that the only reason?" Xu Minghui looked at her suspiciously, feeling that it wasn't the main reason, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
"If not this reason, then what else could it be?" Mu Fei asked, feigning ignorance.
"I've confiscated the silver. I'll find a way to return it to Master Liu. You must come back to the Xu family with me now." Under her pained gaze, Xu Minghui unhesitatingly tucked the silver notes into his sleeve.
Mu Fei instinctively reached out, her mouth agape, but she couldn't utter a word. Finally, she withdrew her hand powerlessly. After a moment's thought, she nodded and said, "Alright, wait here for me for a moment. I haven't had time to get two more sets of clothes."
Without waiting for Xu Minghui's reaction, she turned and walked directly towards the main hall. Xu Minghui felt somewhat exasperated. It was just clothes, why go back for them? She could have as many as she wanted once they returned to the Xu family. But since she had already gone in, he didn't bother to say anything and could only wait in the courtyard.
It was only then that he had the mood to survey his surroundings. This inspection truly revealed several issues. The landscaping and design of the courtyard were exceptionally ingenious, with small bridges and flowing water, exuding a Jiangnan charm.
However, as he admired it, he couldn't help but frown. Mu Fei had been gone for so long without reappearing. He thought the woman was cunning and feared something might go wrong. He quickly stepped forward and knocked on the door, listening intently for any movement inside. Unfortunately, only silence answered him. Alarmed, he pushed the door open, only to find no sign of Mu Fei.
He quickly called his men to enter and search. However, after looking everywhere, they found no trace. After some thought, Xu Minghui suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Could this room have a hidden passage?
He immediately ordered them to search meticulously, even if it meant digging three feet deep to find her. Soon, they discovered a mechanism on the bed. With a firm press, the bed opened, revealing the faint outline of stairs.
Could it be a secret passage? What he had read in ancient books was happening in reality. Xu Minghui quickly ordered his men to lead the way and descend to investigate.
After an unknown period, there was movement at the entrance of the secret passage. He stepped forward, seeing that the men he had sent out had returned, and eagerly inquired.
"Reporting to young master, we've reached the end of this secret passage. The exit is in a dense forest outside the city. Unfortunately, we found no trace of the young madam. However, please rest assured, I have already instructed a few men to stay near the exit and search. We will report immediately if we have any news of her." One of the men quickly lowered his head in fear, reporting their search results, somewhat ashamed that they had failed to accomplish the task.
Xu Minghui waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind. He had to admit he had been careless. He knew she had people backing her, capable of spirited her away from his own courtyard so discreetly, and living under his nose for so long without his discovery. He had only received the news after being exposed and had even let her act alone so carelessly. Her disappearance was only to be expected. It served as a harsh lesson to never underestimate anyone.
Finally, he left a few men to guard the courtyard, hoping to catch Mu Fei if she returned. Of course, after leaving, he also quickly sought information about the courtyard, hoping to follow the clues and find the person who had helped her.
Although he knew that the person who dared to buy this courtyard must have taken precautions and would definitely not allow him to trace them, he still held onto a sliver of hope. As expected, the buyer of the courtyard was Mu Fei's current identity. It was clear that from the moment she bought this courtyard, she had been preparing for a day when she might need it and it couldn't be traced by others. The clues seemed to end here. He could only pray that his men would find Mu Fei and bring her back.
When his men reported that Xu Minghui had not captured Mu Fei, Wu Caiwei was somewhat surprised. In the original owner's memories, although Xu Minghui had killed her, he was still somewhat intelligent. She hadn't expected him to fail to catch a single person. Or perhaps Qiu Bai had left too many contingency plans for her?
After some thought, she summoned another person and gave them instructions. That night, as Xu Minghui sat in his study reading, an arrow suddenly shot in from outside. He quickly ran outside, only to see someone scaling the wall and fleeing. Knowing he couldn't catch them, he pulled out the arrow. Tied to the arrow was a note stating that the person behind Mu Fei was Qiu Bai, along with Qiu Bai's personal information.
After reading it, he fell into deep thought. He wondered who was helping him and what their purpose was. He also wondered why Qiu Bai was helping his own wife. However, the situation seemed to be disadvantageous to him. Even if he didn't know if the information was true or false, the sender had traveled a long distance and likely wouldn't send him false news. To avoid missing any clues and to teach Qiu Bai a lesson, he quickly mobilized all his connections.
Qiu Bai, far to the south, received a carrier pigeon within a few days. He learned not only that the Fifth Prince's Consort had exposed Mu Fei's true identity but also that Mu Fei had disappeared due to Xu Minghui's visit. This made him anxious. Another piece of news also caught him off guard: after the Mu Fei incident, the Xu family began to target him. He knew without a doubt that they had discovered his relationship with Mu Fei, which was not what he wanted. Although he didn't fear the Xu family, no one would mind having more influence. Ultimately, it would cause inconvenience. Furthermore, the Empress's ascension to Empress Dowager was a foregone conclusion. If the two of them joined forces against him, even with mountains of wealth and influence spread throughout the country, he couldn't guarantee that the Qiu family could escape unscathed.
Therefore, he quickly dealt with his current affairs and raced to the capital overnight.
Wu Caiwei thought about it and also sent people to search for Mu Fei. Of course, she wasn't as anxious as Xu Minghui. She knew that with Mu Fei's abilities, she couldn't cause much trouble. In the end, she would find a way to locate Qiu Bai. As long as she followed Qiu Bai, she was sure to find her.
While people all over the world were searching for Mu Fei, she was hiding in the underground secret passage. This passage was unknown even to Liu Yue, having been secretly told to her by Qiu Bai, who worried that if someone broke in after he left and discovered her, they would capture her.
This secret passage was built with great skill, not only containing a main route leading out of the city but also several hidden chambers.