After dismissing the two of them, Song Jinzhao went to the study.
She stood before the wall where the map hung, pausing for a long time, and finally picked up a charcoal pencil to draw a circle around the words Ningzhou.
The identities of the five corpses could not be discovered.
From the forty-two people of the Sang and Gou families, the Ministry of Justice had failed to interrogate a single useful piece of information.
The Imperial Guards who were dispatched fanned out to search the area where the bodies were discovered, but after two days and two nights, not a single suspicious figure was seen.
A cartload of potatoes seemed to have grown wings and flown away on its own.
In a fit of rage, Xiao Chengjing immediately issued an edict to have all forty-two members of the Sang and Gou families taken to the Meridian Gate and beheaded as a public warning.
Dozens of prisoner cages were carried by horse-drawn carts through Vermilion Bird Street. On the second floor of the hot pot restaurant, Song Jinzhao thoughtfully played with a potato the size of half an egg in her hand.
If those two officials from the Court of Agricultural Affairs knew that their entire families would be beheaded as a public spectacle after their deaths, she wondered if they would regret it.
A piercing flash of golden light crossed Song Jinzhao's eyes.
Looking up, she saw a masked man on the third floor opposite her, watching her.
Their eyes met, and a dark gleam flashed through the pupils hidden beneath the black and gold mask.
Song Jinzhao stared at him with burning eyes.
Wearing a mask, could he be the one who fought with Lanxi?
Huo Chong nodded to Song Jinzhao in greeting, then turned and left his spot.
A moment later, footsteps sounded as the waiter led Huo Chong upstairs.
After taking a seat, the waiter placed the menu on the table.
Catching a glimpse of Song Jinzhao standing by the window from the corner of his eye, Huo Chong looked at the menu while asking the waiter.
What are your restaurant's signature dishes?
The waiter pointed to the thumbs-up signs on the menu and said, These are all our signature items.
If you can handle a spicy broth, you can order the nine-grid pot; if not, you can get the half-and-half twin pot.
Huo Chong returned the menu to the waiter. I will have the half-and-half pot, and bring one portion of every signature boiling dish on the menu.
After the waiter nodded and left, Huo Chong stood up and walked toward Song Jinzhao.
He cupped his hands in a salute and said, I, Huo Chong, pay my respects to County Princess Linghui.
Song Jinzhao turned sideways and looked him up and down.
She had guessed right; he was indeed Huo Chong.
General Huo comes from the southwest, how is it that you recognize me?
Huo Chong straightened his back, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Who in the capital does not know the County Princess's great name? Your portraits are sold at street stalls for five copper coins each.
The tail end of the prisoner carts disappeared around the corner. Song Jinzhao turned and went back to sit at the table.
She leisurely picked up her chopsticks and asked, When is General Huo returning to the southwest?
Without asking for permission, Huo Chong pulled out the long bench opposite Song Jinzhao and sat down. I will leave tomorrow after I submit my departure documents to the Ministry of War.
He looked around.
It was not mealtime yet, and only three surrounding tables were occupied.
Even so, Huo Chong lowered his voice.
A few days ago, I visited old friends on behalf of my father and intruded upon the County Princess's territory. Please forgive me.
Song Jinzhao remained silent.
Seeing this, Huo Chong continued, Qu Ya and Guan Nianshan are my father's old friends, and I consider them my uncles. The County Princess was kind enough not only to conceal their identities but also to hire them for work. I will never forget this kindness.
If there is anywhere I, Huo Chong, can be of help in the future, the County Princess need only ask, and I will not hesitate even if it means my death.
Song Jinzhao picked up her water cup to wash away some of the spicy taste in her mouth.
The Mu clan of Ningzhou is steadily losing ground under the attacks of the Yang clan of Panzhou, and the imperial court will not step in to help you reclaim your lost cities. What does the Mu clan plan to do next? Will you eke out a miserable existence, or will you fight back to retake the cities?
Huo Chong's expression paused slightly; he had not expected Song Jinzhao to react this way.
He had imagined she might ask who his biological father was, or angrily warn him not to come to the capital to cause her trouble again.
The only thing he had not anticipated was that Song Jinzhao would steer the conversation toward the conflict between the Mu and Yang clans in the southwest.
This was a matter for court officials and the Emperor to ponder. Hearing it asked from a woman's mouth was truly quite surprising.
The County Princess also cares about the situation in the southwest?
Song Jinzhao replied, When a great building collapses, no eggs remain unbroken. The situation in the southwest affects the entire Dongzhao Kingdom. As a County Princess, how could I not care?
The gentle expression on Huo Chong's face gradually faded.
Panzhou is growing stronger day by day, and Ningzhou is no longer their match. With the imperial court watching from the sidelines, how can we even talk about fighting back?
I am afraid it will not be many years before the entire southwest is swallowed up by the Yang clan. When they march their troops north, the imperial court will surely be in grave danger.
Thinking of what Ye Liangyu had said, Song Jinzhao locked her eyes on Huo Chong's face, refusing to miss a single subtle expression.
Since General Huo's father is a former subordinate of the Wu Family Army, he must surely know Zeng Qing, the commander of the Yuecheng Army. They sought refuge with the Yang clan of Panzhou back then; has General Huo really had no contact with them?
Huo Chong's eyes widened and his pupils contracted.
He looked at Song Jinzhao in disbelief. In his panic, his right hand accidentally knocked against the teapot on the table.
The lid fell off, and the sweet, cloying sour plum juice poured out, soaking Huo Chong's clothes.
He stood up in a flurry, shaking his clothes with his hands, while cold sweat broke out on his back.
He had only just obtained the token; how could Song Jinzhao have already thought of the Yuecheng Army and Zeng Qing?
Was it a coincidence, or...
Huo Chong's heart pounded relentlessly, and his mind was in absolute chaos!
