Chapter 57: Who Is It?

Zhao Cheng returned to the inner courtyard and pondered the matters Meng Tao had mentioned earlier. He had no idea what these people were after or who had sent them. After much thought, he could not figure it out. The information he had was too limited. All he could do now was to be on high alert and deal with whatever came his way.

"Jianxi, go to the wine shop and tell Uncle Xiao to be extra cautious. Don't let outsiders in or out, and make sure the wine shop is well-protected!" The wine shop was like a newly planted money tree; it couldn't be broken just as it was sprouting. Regardless of whether these people were after it, it needed to be protected.

"Second Master, I'm going out. You mustn't run around recklessly. If anything happens again, what will we do!" Jianxi hesitated for a moment, then said with concern.

"I'll go chat with Uncle Huang. You can go with peace of mind!" Zhao Cheng said. After he was beaten, the old man had only shown up once and then disappeared. He needed to find him and have a talk.

"Second Master, Uncle Huang is not at home. He has been back in the capital for several days!" Jianxi said.

"Why did he go back to the capital? Is he reporting the she-devil to the Empress? It would be better to get rid of her early, she's just in the way!"

"Second Master, if only that were the case, but unfortunately, it's not!" Jianxi said with regret. He hated Yuzhu even more and wished she would leave soon. "I heard that the Chief of the Secretariat suddenly died of a violent illness. He and Uncle Huang were good friends, so Uncle Huang requested permission to return to the capital to attend the funeral."

"Chief of the Secretariat? Is he surnamed Zhang?" Zhao Cheng frowned and thought for a moment, then a name popped into his head.

"Yes, yes, he is surnamed Zhang, his name is Zhang Kangguo. Do you know him, Second Master? This old man was only in his fifties. When I was in the palace, he was still in the Zhongshu (Chancellery). He seemed to be in good health, but how could he die so suddenly!" Jianxi said with some regret.

"I don't know him, but he probably didn't die of a violent illness. He was killed by someone." Zhao Cheng made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Was he assassinated? He is the head of the Two Councils, who could kill him!" Jianxi said, not quite believing it. It was no wonder he didn't believe it. The Song Dynasty, like the present, had a dual system of military and civil administration. The Chief of the Secretariat and the Left Chancellor (commonly known as the Prime Minister) were the heads of military and civil affairs, respectively, and did not oversee each other. Imagine a modern equivalent of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff being assassinated in peacetime; who would believe it?

Zhao Cheng smiled and said nothing more. He knew about Zhang Kangguo not because he was well-versed in Song history and remembered every name, but because of his previous career. 'The assassination of Zhang Kangguo' was a case he had studied. The most intriguing aspect of this case was that the assassin struck in the heavily guarded palace, killed two related eunuchs to silence them, and then escaped unscathed, making it a mystery for the ages. Zhao Cheng and his colleagues had tried to reconstruct the scene, but failed due to the lack of historical records.

"Second Master, don't let your thoughts run wild. Why don't you let the servants take you to fly a kite? It's not good to stay cooped up in the house all the time!" Jianxi saw that the prince was lost in thought again and thought it might be due to the beating. He thought it would be good for him to get some fresh air.

"Alright, I'll go find them. You go and come back quickly. Don't dilly-dally, and absolutely no drinking, or you might slip up!" Zhao Cheng reminded Jianxi. Thinking he had nothing better to do, flying a kite would be a good way to reminisce about his childhood.

Jianxi smiled awkwardly and went out to find the kite that the Duke had given last year. He instructed Fengxi to bring snacks, tea, cushions, and other necessities, and accompanied the prince to the garden. Guahua was busy helping the prince change into a short outfit. Before leaving, Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and decided to tuck his pistol into the back of his waistband. It was not peaceful, and if someone with bad intentions entered the garden, he could defend himself.

The garden was now a scene of early spring, with flowers and grass shedding their winter coats and sprouting new green leaves. The warm breeze and gentle sunlight made the heart feel refreshed, perfect for a spring outing. However, after waiting for a while, only one servant arrived.

"Zhao Xin, where are the others?" Zhao Cheng asked, looking at Zhao Xin, who was sweating from running.

"Second Master, the vegetables in the greenhouse have all been harvested, and the manager has assigned us to help on the construction site. Only I am temporarily free, and the others are busy!" Zhao Xin replied.

"You're so young, what can you do? You're just getting in the way!" Zhao Cheng said.

"Second Master, you underestimate us. Zhao Ren and the others who can read and write are helping the manager supervise the work, recording the number of workers and the amount of earth dug and the length of the canals built!" Zhao Xin said, puffing out his chest.

"Ha ha, you must be the one who can't do anything, that's why you're free!" Zhao Cheng teased him.

"It's not true!" Zhao Xin stomped his foot in anger. "I can do calculations. Every morning, I go with the manager to buy food and supplies for everyone. Now that everything is bought, there's nothing to do, so I hurried back to play with you, but you just bully me!"

"Alright, you're a busy person, the busiest and most important person on the construction site. Is that better?" Zhao Cheng had no choice but to admit defeat and beg for mercy.

"Second Master, let's go to the pavilion on the hilltop. There's more wind there, and the kite will fly higher!" Seeing the prince give in, Zhao Xin was delighted and pulled his hand.

The group climbed the artificial hill. It was more like Zhao Xin was playing with the kite than Zhao Cheng. His left hand was injured, and it was inconvenient to reel in and let out the string. Zhao Xin, seeing this, took over everything. Watching the 'butterfly' sway and rise higher and higher, gradually becoming the size of a palm, his heart seemed to soar with it.

"Another year, March third, kites fill the sky, pulling my thoughts and dreams, back to childhood. Remember March third, with kites painted with birds and those playmates. Kites understand my heart, nodding to me, pulling my thoughts and dreams, always by my side."

Zhao Cheng thought of his childhood, when he used to fly kites with his brother and sister at this time of year. His sister often sang this song. They would make their own 'kites' with a few bamboo strips and a piece of white paper. He would follow behind, begging his brother and sister to let him play. His sister, being soft-hearted, would often give in. His sister should be middle-aged now, he wondered if she still remembered her long-missing brother.

"Second Master, why are you crying? Is your hand hurting?" Zhao Xin, who was playing happily, suddenly saw the prince sitting there, lost in thought, tears streaming down his face without him even realizing it, and asked urgently.

"Oh, no! I just suddenly thought of my family," Zhao Cheng felt the cold on his face, wiped it away, and forced a smile.

"Second Master, I miss home too, but I don't know where my parents are," Zhao Xin said, his expression darkening as he sat next to Zhao Cheng.

"We're in a similar situation. I have a home but can't return, and I can't even seek justice for being beaten like this!" Zhao Cheng said, shaking his tightly bandaged hand and smiling bitterly.

"That Dianzheng is really despicable, and your mother is really foolish to send such a person," Zhao Xin gently touched Zhao Cheng's hand, but then saw the prince's eyes widen and remembered that the Empress was not someone he could criticize, so he quickly shut up.

"If I heard that, I won't hold it against you, but if that she-devil hears it, your bottom will be beaten to a pulp!" Zhao Cheng picked up a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, smiling.

"Second Master, the kite has fallen!" Hearing Fengxi's reminder, the two looked up and saw that they had been talking so much that the wind direction had changed. The kite, unable to support the long string, had tilted and fallen.

"Don't just stand there, reel in the string quickly!" Zhao Cheng shouted, reeling in the string with one hand, while Zhao Xin hurriedly wound the string. However, no matter how hard they tried, the kite showed no mercy, somersaulting over the wall, over a few short trees, and landing heavily in the flower bed next to the greenhouse.

"It's over, it must be broken. What a pity for such a good kite!" Zhao Xin watched the kite fall, feeling helpless, and said with a sad face.

"Ha ha, not so bad. They say moths fly into the fire, but this 'butterfly' dying in the flowers is a fitting end!" Zhao Cheng said nonchalantly.

"Second Master, what should we do?" Zhao Xin asked helplessly, seeing Zhao Cheng's indifferent attitude.

"What should we do? I don't know either. We have to retrieve it and see if it can be repaired or thrown away!" Zhao Cheng patted the dirt off his clothes.

"Second Master, shall we go look for it?" Fengxi stepped forward and said.

"Let's go. The kite is our responsibility, and we should find it. It will also be good to stretch our legs; I'm getting stiff from sitting." Zhao Cheng pulled the pouting Zhao Xin and followed the string down the hill. The garden was full of trees and flowers, and the kite string inevitably got tangled in the branches. They had to untangle it bit by bit, being careful not to get scratched by the branches. With only one hand, Zhao Cheng found it very difficult.

"Damn, that evil woman is really despicable. If she had crippled my hand, I would have beaten her bottom to pieces!" Zhao Cheng cursed every time his hand hurt, as if it was the only way to relieve the pain.

"Second Master, Dianzheng is here!"

"Where? I don't see him!" Zhao Cheng quickly shut up and looked around, but couldn't find him.

"Ha ha, Second Master, you're just boasting. As soon as you hear she's coming, you can't even speak, let alone beat her bottom!" Zhao Xin laughed.

"Hmph, you dare to mock me. Just wait and see what I do to you when we get back!" Zhao Cheng said with a stern face, but then suddenly squatted down. "Zhao Xin, how long has it been since you last went to the greenhouse?"

"Six days ago! Yes, it was the day you were beaten. We cleaned up the greenhouse that day, and the next day, the manager assigned us to the construction site. We haven't been back since. What's up?" Zhao Xin thought for a moment and answered.

"There's a bloodstain here, it looks like it was left two or three days ago!" Zhao Cheng pointed to a spot of dark purple on a blade of grass. Zhao Xin leaned in to look, and if he hadn't looked closely, he wouldn't have noticed it was a bloodstain.

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