Li Mansion.
It was already approaching noon, and even the servants in the mansion had noticed that Wu Sanhe, who should have come back long ago, was still nowhere to be seen. The meal time was almost here—if the old master had to wait, that would be quite inappropriate.
Several well-informed servants quickly set out to search, thinking that Wu Sanhe must have been delayed by some unexpected circumstance. But even after making two trips along the road from the Li Mansion to the East Market, they didn't see a trace of Wu Sanhe.
"Steward Wu has gone missing!?"
The servant reported the news that Wu Sanhe hadn't been found, and soon the old master of the Li Family, who was about to enjoy a meal in the dining hall, received the message.
The Li Family's old master was Li Bing's grandfather. His name was Li Canglie, eighty-nine years old, and an eighth-grade Viscount.
Li Bing's father, Li Longcheng, also received the news. He was sixty-seven years old, and a fifth-grade Viscount.
Unlike Li Bing, this father and son had both come down from the battlefield, having experienced life and death repeatedly, forming a stubborn habit of being cautious in all things.
"Send out all the mansion's guards and servants to look for him, and at the same time contact the Li City Government Office to have them send constables to assist in the search."
When another steward received the order from the family head and hurried away, Li Canglie and Li Longcheng exchanged a look and, with a tacit understanding, walked together into the quiet study.
Li Longcheng spoke first: "Father, why don't we have someone call Li Bing back? I have a bad feeling, as if something terrible is about to happen."
"You feel that too? Heh, so do I. It's been so many years—ever since I retired from Zhuo Huo Pass, I haven't felt such imminent danger in over thirty years. Tsk tsk, I even feel a bit nostalgic for it.
As for Bing'er, it's not time yet—we have no need to call him back."
"..." Li Longcheng was slightly speechless at these words. His father was already advanced in age, but the older he grew, the more unfathomable he became. Still, what his father said reminded Li Longcheng that in his youth, his father was known as "Mad Dog." Perhaps it was only natural for a mad dog to crave the feeling of danger?
After a brief silence, Li Canglie suddenly spoke: "Wu Sanhe has been with our family for about twenty years now, hasn't he?"
"Yes, about twenty-three years?"
"Indeed, all these years he has been loyal and devoted. Although he started as a mere cook, he handles things steadily, is quick-witted, so I promoted him to steward back then. Later, you made him chief steward, isn't that right?"
"Yes, Father. Wu Sanhe is an excellent man. Since I made him chief steward, I never had to worry; he arranged everything properly, and handled outside affairs very well too."
At this, Li Longcheng's expression grew somber.
Li Canglie shook his head and said, "You've thought of it too, haven't you? Over the years, our trust in Wu Sanhe has grown, and he's been involved in or even handled many confidential matters. Even the accounts were managed by him. At this point, his position in the Li Family is far more than just chief steward. Yet, we were careless—we never thought to assign him some guards."
"Father, do you mean Wu Sanhe was kidnapped?"
"What else could it be? How far is it from our house to the East Market? And it was broad daylight; Wu Sanhe couldn't have gotten lost or had an accident. The only explanation is that he was taken."
"If he was really kidnapped…" Li Longcheng did not finish his words, but the meaning was clear: if Wu Sanhe had truly been taken, the target certainly would not be just Wu Sanhe himself.
The Li Family was in big trouble.
By dusk, all those searching for Wu Sanhe had returned empty-handed.
"The only thing we know for sure is that Steward Wu was kidnapped in a rice wine shop, and the shop's waiter and owner have disappeared as well."
"No suspicious activity was found in the carriages leaving the city today, so the Government Office still believes it's most likely that Steward Wu is still in the city."
Li Longcheng glanced at his father, sitting in the grand master chair, and thought to himself: He really guessed it right.
"Call Li Bing back."
...
Li Bing was called home from the Brocade Pavilion by an old family servant. Had it not been for this old servant who followed his father, Li Bing wouldn't have come back so readily—for him, relaxing at the Brocade Pavilion after finishing his work had long since become an unbreakable routine.
Upon returning home, Li Bing immediately sensed something odd. The number of guards in the mansion was clearly much greater than usual—it was obvious that the number of official staff on duty had been increased.
On the way, the old servant, following instructions, said nothing to Li Bing about Wu Sanhe. So when Li Bing entered the study and heard his father Li Longcheng recount Wu Sanhe's disappearance, his face immediately turned ashen.
Bam!
Li Bing slammed the table in fury, gritting his teeth: "It must be Tang Qingyuan's doing!"
"Why him?" Li Canglie lifted his teacup and took a sip, asking seemingly casually.
Li Bing answered as a matter of course: "Previously, when the Black Banner Battalion was established, Tang Qingyuan personally appointed a rootless good-for-nothing as Flag Officer, and let that bastard investigate my case file. It's obvious Tang Qingyuan is behind the scenes directing all this."
Li Longcheng nodded as well: "Li Bing told me about this before, and even asked me to coordinate with the nobles of Li City and Fengri City to send a petition to the Xuanqing Guard Thousand Households Station in Fengri City. Perhaps Tang Qingyuan is preparing to take the Li Family head-on?"
Li Canglie shook his head: "Don't you know what kind of person Tang Qingyuan is? He seems calculating and steady, but in truth he's just a coward lacking nerve. The only reason he became Hundred Households Officer of Li City is because of Jiang Cheng's patronage—otherwise, would he even deserve it?
So even if your joint petition to the Thousand Households Station in Fengri City infuriated him, he would never dare to openly clash with the Li Family."
"You mean? The one who kidnapped Wu Sanhe isn't from the Xuanqing Guard?"
"I can't be sure. Based on Tang Qingyuan's character, it's hard to believe he'd have the guts for something like this."
"But if it were some other faction trying to strike at us, why would they need to kidnap Wu Sanhe? And this is Li City—if someone wants to hide a person from us, aside from the Xuanqing Guard, who else could pull it off?"
Li Bing pounded his chest on the side and said, "Why bother guessing? I'll head to the Garrison right now—if anyone new was locked up today, it'll be easy to check. It won't take long. The two of you can relax here, I'll be back soon!"
Li Bing stormed out the door in haste, but did not return for a full hour. When he did, his face was black with anger, his chest heaving—clearly furious.
"The dungeon is under strict control; without Tang Qingyuan's personal order, you can't even get in—a recommendation from the Trial Hundred Households Officer is useless. All the interrogation records are temporarily being kept by the Hundred Households Guard Battalion. Today, I have no way of finding out who was brought in, or how many. We'll have to wait until tomorrow when the interrogators come on duty to get any answers."
Li Longcheng and Li Canglie both sensed the oddity from Li Bing's words.
Li Longcheng immediately asked: "Has the dungeon ever been under such strict control before?"
"It has, but that was many years ago—at that time, it was because four evil cultivators were imprisoned there simultaneously, so strict control was imposed. There hasn't been a case like that recently. It's very strange."