Zhao Jiaqi called Bai Lu over. "Go find Li Sisi and tell her, no matter what excuse she uses, to personally deliver the pastries and milk tea to Lady Li, and also give Lady Li the note."
She leaned over the table, writing rapidly. Qiu Fen, standing beside her, was uneasy about Bai Lu going alone. "Mistress, allow me to go," she volunteered.
"No, you have been by my side the longest. Outsiders are familiar with you. Let Bai Lu go. She is a stranger, so she is the most suitable."
Zhao Jiaqi continued writing without looking up. She then blew on the ink of the note, rolled it into a ball, and handed it to Bai Lu.
"Go!"
Bai Lu curtsied. "Your servant will definitely complete the task!"
Her gentle voice carried a hint of determination. She turned and left the room. She hadn't realized Bai Lu possessed such a strong character.
It seemed she had overlooked the talents of those around her.
"Qiu Fen, go and call Gou'er. Tell him to go to the military camp and summon the General of Cavalry. Have him bring soldiers into the city under the pretense of catching thieves. He is to search the city for assassins, house by house, leaving no stone unturned. Especially the Liu manor. This time, not only will you find the assassins, but you will also capture that scoundrel Ji Shiyi. You must not let him escape."
Speaking of Ji Shiyi, Zhao Jiaqi gritted her teeth, revealing the depth of her hatred for him.
Qiu Fen nodded and left. At the same time, she had a thought and asked Gou'er to also call Zhang Heng to come to the manor with soldiers to protect the Princess and Princess Pingting.
Once the guards left, the manor was left with only servants and maids. Very few of them knew martial arts. It was dangerous, especially since the mistress was pregnant.
After issuing a series of commands, the Princess Consort first went to her daughters' courtyard and settled them in the cellar, then went to find Pingting. Before she even reached Pingting's courtyard, she saw Pingting rushing towards her.
Pingting spoke as soon as she opened her mouth, "I heard from Xiao Jiu that the guards in the courtyard have all withdrawn. I even saw Wangcai lose a shoe at the second gate and drive a carriage out of the manor. What's going on?"
Zhao Jiaqi grabbed her and led her towards a discreet location in the back of the residence, a place where treasures were kept.
These past few days, Xiao Ce and Fan Zehao had personally been repairing the cellar every night. It wasn't fully completed yet, but it had become their hiding place.
"Let's talk as we walk!"
Seeing that she only had Xiao Jiu with her, and Zhao Jiaqi only had Qiu Fen, they found an extremely concealed spot. Zhao Jiaqi told Qiu Fen to open the cover disguised as grass. The four of them descended into the cellar. The space inside was quite large, which amazed Pingting.
"Mother, Auntie!"
The children, unaware of worry, called out to them happily.
Zhao Jiaqi patted the children's heads and made a shushing gesture.
"Sister-in-law, when was this repaired? Was it already part of this mansion?"
Carefree people are indeed oblivious. Zhao Jiaqi turned and told Qiu Fen and Xiao Jiu to go inform the servants in the manor separately.
"You two go inform the servants. If someone truly breaks into the manor, and you can't defeat them, just hide in the secret room. The steward knows where the secret room is. After you've informed them, return immediately."
This was a precaution. She would only resort to this last resort if absolutely necessary. If it were normal circumstances, they would have driven directly to the military camp. However, things were not as they wished.
Both women were pregnant. If anything were to happen, it would be the loss of two lives, or even three.
They couldn't afford to gamble, nor would they dare.
As Qiu Fen and Xiao Jiu left, Pingting then realized that something had indeed gone wrong. Her first thought was of Zong Shengguo.
"Sister-in-law, have the soldiers of Zong Shengguo attacked?"
Her analysis almost made Zhao Jiaqi faint. "No, it's Ji Shiyi who has returned with assassins. I'm afraid he will use us to threaten my husband, so I'm making preparations and hiding here in advance."
"That's good. As long as it's not a war, other problems are not major issues," Pingting said, patting her chest, comforting herself.
Zhao Jiaqi: "......"
Zhao Jiaqi waited anxiously in the cellar. After about fifteen minutes, the two finally returned, disheveled and with messy hair, looking no different from beggars on the street.
"What happened?" Pingting asked in surprise.
They had left normally, so why did they return like this?
Xiao Jiu, scared, cried, "Mistress, as soon as we finished informing them, several black-clad men stormed into the manor. They were all masked and were killing and slashing at everyone they saw. Fortunately, Qiu Fen and I hid quickly, and we fell when we came back, which is how we ended up like this."
Little Jun Jun had seen battles before and had a calm expression on his face. However, Xue Yao and Yu Meng were curious and didn't know what fear was. They kept pulling on Zhao Jiaqi's skirt, wanting to go out and watch the fight.
"Be quiet, all of you. From now on, no matter what sounds you hear, do not speak. Whoever dares to say a word, I will sew their mouths shut."
Ignorant fools, throwing themselves to their deaths.
She had seen foolish people, but never anyone this foolish.
Perhaps the cellar was too hidden, or too deep, but there was no movement from outside for a while. After another fifteen minutes, they faintly heard someone calling their names.
Pingting, with her sharp ears, heard Fan Lao Er calling her name. Excitedly, she got up from the chest filled with gold ingots. "Big sister-in-law, it's my husband's voice! My husband is calling me!"
Zhao Jiaqi also heard it but wasn't entirely sure if it was them. She held Pingting back, preventing her from going. "Call someone to go up and check. If Fan Lao Er has returned, it's not too late for you to go up then."
"Mistress, allow this servant to go up and check. If the Prince and General Fan have returned, this servant will then inform Mistress and the Princess!"
Qiu Fen volunteered, also fearing that the voices of the men outside might be the assassins in disguise, trying to lure the mistress and the princess out.
As they were speaking, the cellar door was suddenly opened.
The sunlight obscured the faint glow of the night-blooming pearls within the cellar. Immediately after, a man in official robes leaped down.
"Husband!"
"Wife!"
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi looked at each other and exclaimed when they saw each other. They embraced.
His pounding heart finally calmed down when he saw she was safe, and his tense nerves relaxed considerably. He pulled her out of his embrace and examined her from head to toe to see if she was injured.
"Are you hurt? Don't be afraid, I'm here."
He began to feel her clothes in front of many people, making her feel both awkward and warm and sweet. "I'm fine, really fine."
Even though she said she was fine, Fan Zehao still inspected her from the tips of her hair to her toes. Seeing that she was not injured at all, he finally believed her.
After a display of affection, Pingting was thoroughly satisfied. She craned her neck and looked at the cellar entrance for a long time but didn't see her own man.
She pouted, displeased, and muttered, "He's indeed second-rate. He doesn't even come to look for his wife and children when they're lost!"
Hearing Pingting complain about his younger brother, Fan Zehao chuckled. "This is a restricted area. I've left Fan Lao Er outside to guard it. He can't come in!"
So that was the reason. Zhao Jiaqi understood her husband's meaning. He was afraid that some people might leak the information that this place contained treasures.
However, Pingting did not understand. Her mind was solely focused on waiting for Fan Lao Er to pick her up. Since no one was coming, she picked up her skirt and went to find him.
She stomped past Fan Zehao, giving him an angry glare, looking as if she wanted to scratch his smug face.