Tangshan's helplessness

  "Hsinchu Academy..."

  At this time, the sky was slightly bright, and a young man stood at the entrance of Xin Zhu Book Academy, wearing a simple green shirt, with a slender figure, looking like a poor scholar. The young man looked at the signboard of Xin Zhu Book Academy, murmuring to himself, his tone seemingly sarcastic. He stood quietly in the cold wind, and soon an old man came out with a broom to sweep the floor. The young man hastily stepped forward, politely saying: "Excuse me, sir, is Mr. Xin Zhu in the academy?"

  The old man looked up at the young man and thought he had come to ask Mr. Shang Zhu for advice, so he thought for a moment and said: "Mr. Shang Zhu went to Nangong to visit friends a few days ago, and it is said that he will not return until a month later."

  "So, I wonder where Mr. Shangzhu went in Nanguo?"

  The old man listened carefully, looked at the young man with a serious expression, and saw that his face was clear and determined to learn. He then said slowly: "Master Shang竹 went to Nanzhou to visit his good friend, Governor Gong, and should be staying in the governor's mansion."

  Nanxian County Governor! Upon hearing these words, the young man's eyes lit up instantly, and he hastily thanked and bid farewell before leaving.

  This young man was none other than An Yan, who had left the White family's house at midnight. She rushed to the Xinzhu Book Academy first to prevent Mr. Shangzhu from suddenly returning and missing him. Now that she had inquired about his whereabouts, she immediately set off. At this time, An Yan felt a little excited because of the Nanxian County Governor. As long as she saw Mr. Shangzhu, she would tell him about Bai An's grievances, and Mr. Shangzhu, being a man of noble character, would certainly not ignore her. And the Nanxian County Governor, being a good friend of Mr. Shangzhu, would naturally not stand by idly. An Yan seemed to have seen hope beckoning to her in front, and she quickened her pace even more.

  Because of the drastic change in the Bai family, they had spent all their money, and An Yan was almost penniless. Therefore, she didn't stay at an inn, and instead continued on her journey under the cover of night until the moon was high in the sky before stopping beside a large tree. She looked around at her surroundings, then climbed up the tree, planning to spend the night there. For An Yan, this wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In the past, when she traveled alone during modern times, she often camped outdoors. So, at this moment, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and didn't feel much fear.

  As An Yan gradually fell asleep, two middle-aged men in gray clothes walked out from behind another tree. The two middle-aged men first looked at the big tree with surprise, then looked at each other.

  "Miss, you're really brave..."

  One of the people in grey robes looked at An Yan sleeping soundly on the tree with a somewhat appreciative gaze, his eyes filled with kindness.

  Another grey-clad man had a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "Fortunately, Master let us come to protect Miss, otherwise, with Miss being a woman in this desolate mountain wilderness, it's truly dangerous."

  The two of them whispered to each other for a while, then stood on either side of the big tree, forming a protective circle around the tree where An Xiang was sleeping.

  The next day, when the first ray of sunlight shone on An Yan's face, she slowly opened her eyes from a peaceful sleep. At first, An Yan was still a bit dazed and stretched out her hand to block the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves. After adapting, she nimbly flipped down from the tree. Standing on solid ground, she belatedly realized that she might have been too careless last night. This was ancient times, after all - who knows when a group of bandits might pop out somewhere. Thinking back now, An Yan couldn't help but break into a cold sweat over her optimism yesterday. Fortunately, nothing had happened, and she silently breathed a sigh of relief in her heart before continuing on her journey.

  As the figure of Dai Anyan left, two men in gray clothes walked out from behind a big tree far away. One of them was holding a man with a sly and cunning look on his face who had fainted, looking like a thief.

  "What a close call..."

  "Yes, fortunately we were both there last night, otherwise..."

  Otherwise, they didn't dare to think about it and could only silently pray in their hearts that their young lady was still blessed by heaven...

  Although the journey was very calm, An Yan was still very careful. After two days, she arrived in Qingcheng. From Baishui County to Nanguan, Qingcheng is a must-pass route. This time, passing through Qingcheng, An Yan's heart had no ripples, only thinking about hurrying to Nanguan as soon as possible. After two or three days of wind and rain, An Yan looked very tired. She knew that she needed to rest for a while, otherwise, even if she arrived in Nanguan, she would have no energy. So, she gritted her teeth and found an inn in Qingcheng that was relatively plain, planning to rest well for one night.

  That night, one of the two men in gray clothes who had been following An Yan to protect him quietly returned to the Tang Mansion. The remaining one stayed and lived nearby to continue protecting An Yan.

  The man in black who had entered the Tang Mansion took advantage of the night and slipped into the study.

  At this time, Tangshan was sitting at the desk looking at the account book. Hearing the movement, he raised his head and saw that the gray-clad man who had been sent to protect An Yan was standing in the room. He immediately put down the account book, with a tone of urgency and anxiety, "How did you come back? Is something wrong with Jin Xiu and her daughter?"

  Tangshan stood up tensely, his face pale.

  The man in grey saw Tangshan's anxiety and hastily explained, "Don't worry, sir. The young lady is safe. I'm here because the young lady is in Qingcheng, and since it's nearby, I've come to report back to you."

  Upon hearing this, Tang Shan finally let out a sigh of relief, but then asked in puzzlement: "What did Jin Xiu come to Qingcheng for?"

  "Miss is passing through Qingcheng, her destination is Nanguan. Miss plans to go to Nanguan to visit her friend Mr. Shangzhu and ask for his help in rescuing Bai An of the White family."

  "Really? I've also heard of Mr. Uetake, he's a man of honor and justice. If it's really possible to meet him, Mr. Uetake should be willing to help."

  Tangshan finished speaking, thought for a moment and said: "The next trip to Nangong still has three or four days of journey, and the road is not very peaceful. You two must be extra careful and ensure Jinxiu's safety."

  "Yes, I will definitely live up to your expectations, sir."

  "Alright, go ahead."

  After being left alone in the waiting room, Tangshan also lost interest in looking at the account book and began to think about some things.

  Tang Chusheng and Ruan Yuqing went to Nangong to take care of some business and won't be back for a while. As long as Tang Chusheng is not around, things will be easier to handle. When Tang Shan thought of Tang Chusheng, his eyes were filled with fear and apprehension. That woman, despite being young and having been his daughter, had unknowingly grown into a threat to the existence of the Tang family. He clenched his fists tightly as emotions surged in his heart. Currently, there were only a few of Tang Chusheng's informants left in the mansion, while Cui Shi, due to her smooth sailing over the years, had developed an arrogant personality and was not to be feared. Now that Tang Chusheng was away, he needed to quickly settle the Tang family's assets so that they could all be left to Jinxiu and her mother in the future.

  He paced back and forth in the room, thinking hard about a perfect plan. In the candlelight, the silver threads on Tangshan's head were faintly visible, telling his helplessness and desolation in the deserted night.