Chapter 147 – Encamping on Site

Chapter 147 - Encamping on Site

Madam Mo was perceptive and, considering that Mo Yunfeng and his wife hadn't seen each other in years, she imagined they had much to catch up on privately. Thus, she took Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran away to a more distant spot.

Finding a suitable place to stand, Madam Mo wiped the tears from her eyes and asked, "Jiuye, how did you find your third brother?"

Mo Jiuya recounted the entire process of locating Mo Yunfeng.

For Madam Mo, the information within Mo Jiuya's words was overwhelming.

Her fourth son, Mo Xiu Yan, had died because of Nan Heng, while her third son, Mo Yunfeng, had been held captive for four years by a joint effort of Nan Heng and the Southern Frontier's State Preceptor.

Her eldest son, Mo Junrui, and second son, Mo Jiacheng, were unexpectedly still alive but now missing.

Moreover, Mo Jiuya had personally killed Nan Heng and the Southern Frontier's State Preceptor...

As for the matter of the Empress bribing Nurse Liu to administer infertility drugs to her sisters-in-law, Mo Jiuya decided to hold back for now. He would wait until He Zhiran examined his sisters-in-law before revealing this piece of information.

Fortunately, Madam Mo was a woman who had weathered many storms. Despite being stunned by these revelations, she adapted quickly.

She tugged on Mo Jiuya's sleeve. "Jiuye, since Third Brother chose to meet Mother here, does that mean he's not going with us to the Northwest?"

Mo Jiuya nodded. "Third Brother said that no one else knows he's alive yet. He plans to use this opportunity to go incognito and search for Big Brother and Second Brother."

Madam Mo turned to Mo Yunfeng, her eyes filled with reluctance.

But she knew deep down that Mo Yunfeng was making the right decision.

Once they reached the Northwest, it would be much harder to come out and look for people.

Just then, Mo Yunfeng approached with his wife.

"Mother, Ninth Brother must have told you already? I'm going out to search for Big Brother and Second Brother."

"Yes, your Ninth Brother just mentioned it. Be careful out there alone, Son. Mother is old now and can't bear the pain of losing another child."

As Madam Mo spoke, tears began to roll down her cheeks once more.

Mo Yunfeng stepped forward and took his mother's hand.

"Mother, rest assured. Regardless of the outcome of this search, your son will return to your side during the new year festivities."

With Mo Yunfeng's assurance, Old Lady Mo felt somewhat reassured.

"Very well, remember that your family is waiting for you in the northwest."

After soothing his mother, Mo Yunfeng gave his wife a few words of instruction before preparing to depart.

Seeing this, He Zhiran promptly took out a stack of banknotes from her spatial dimension and handed them to him.

"Third Brother, you'll need money in many places while you're away. Take these with you."

Mo Yunfeng had just been contemplating how his family must have suffered without money during their journey, and he intended to seize the opportunity to acquire some silver from the Yan Bang to support them.

Upon seeing the numerous banknotes offered by his ninth sister-in-law, Mo Yunfeng instinctively refused.

"Ninth Sister-in-law, please don't. Our family is large, and there will be many expenses on the road. Third Brother will find a way to manage my own travel expenses."

In Old Lady Mo's mind, the silver that He Zhiran was offering had come from her parents as a farewell gift. It was already generous of them to support such a big family; she didn't want to burden He Zhiran any further.

Thus, Elder Madam Mo also assisted Mo Yunfeng in declining the offer.

"Hu, your Third Brother is a grown man; he won't starve to death outside. You should keep that silver for emergencies!"

Just then, Third Sister-in-law took out a purse and stuffed it into Mo Yunfeng's hands.

"Dearest husband, if you're unwilling to use Ninth Sister-in-law's money, surely you can use mine?"

Mo Yunfeng still refused to accept it, returning the purse to his third sister-in-law.

"I'll find a way to manage my travel expenses. Keep the silver you have for any unforeseen circumstances."

Seeing how determined Mo Yunfeng was, Third Sister-in-law could only put the purse away.

She gave him a few more words of advice before reluctantly parting from her husband.

Mo Yunfeng employed his lightness kung fu and swiftly vanished from sight.

Third Sister-in-law's tears once again overflowed uncontrollably.

He Zhiran consoled Mo Hanyue for a moment before they all headed towards the campsite.

On the way, Elder Madam Mo instructed her third daughter-in-law not to divulge the incident to others for the time being.

Though there was no one in the Mo family with ill intentions, with so many people, it was hard to ensure that someone wouldn't inadvertently let slip and cause trouble.

Back at the camp, Elder Madam Mo acted as if nothing had happened, rousing Mo Hanyue for her morning ablutions.

Seeing the group return, Mo Chuhan, anxious, pulled Mo Jiuya aside to inquire about the situation.

Fortunately, the officials were just getting up at this time, and there was still some time before they needed to resume their journey.

He Zhiran, who hadn't slept all night, retreated into the tent to catch some rest.

Just as she was dozing off, she heard the distant sound of hurried hoofbeats growing closer.

The hoofbeats drew near and soon halted close to the campsite. Everyone emerged from their tents to investigate.

A man dressed in an official's attire sat atop his horse, holding an image of Nan Heng in his hand.

"Has anyone here seen Prince Heng?"

Peng Wang took the initiative to approach.

"My lord, we have never had the honor of laying eyes on Prince Heng," Peng Wang replied rather perfunctorily.

Upon hearing the indifferent response, the man on the horse's face darkened instantly.

"Observe closely, this is Prince Heng, not someone you can dismiss with a mere word."

Peng Wang was intimidated by the imposing aura of the person on horseback, breaking out in a cold sweat.

But he wasn't lying, was he...

"Milord, how could a mere lowly Eighth Rank official like me have the honor to meet Prince Heng?"

The person on horseback reasoning similarly, Prince Heng was not someone whose presence anyone had the privilege to witness.

Scanning the campsite, he waved his hand behind him, leading his entourage to depart with a rustling sound.

Peng Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead and led his men back to the camp.

Unaware of what had transpired, he promptly dispatched an official to gather information.

His concern was not unfounded – he feared that something might have happened to Prince Heng, resulting in the dock being sealed off once again.

Indeed, Peng Wang's intuition proved accurate.

The messenger who ventured out to inquire returned with grim news: the pleasure boat Prince Heng had been on caught fire last night, and the prince's fate was currently unknown.

Not only was the dock sealed, but the city gates were also locked down. No one could enter or exit until Prince Heng was found.

This left Peng Wang utterly stunned.

If they managed to locate Prince Heng soon, it would be fine. But if they failed, wouldn't they be trapped here indefinitely?

With this thought, Peng Wang felt incredibly frustrated.

In all his years as a prison escort, he had never encountered such misfortune. Natural disasters could be tolerated, but to have human-inflicted calamities on top of that...

Resigned to his fate, he issued the order, "Inform everyone to set up camp right here until we can proceed."

This news held little significance for He Zhiran. With an abundance of silver in her possession, living conditions mattered little to her.

However, it was a different story for the Fang and Xie families.

After such a long journey, their initial twenty taels of silver were almost depleted.

If they couldn't reach the northwest soon, they might end up like the He family, struggling to find enough food.

Unaware of the Fang and Xie families' reactions, He Zhiran was exhausted at this point. Upon learning that they didn't need to continue traveling, she retreated into her tent, eager for a good rest.

Madam Mo, aware of her nocturnal activities with Mo Jiuya, instructed the household not to disturb them.