Chapter 341: Finding the Pet and Sending It to Nine Princes’ Mansion

Chapter 341: Finding the Pet and Sending It to Nine Princes' Mansion

In three days, Mo Jiuye arranged all the necessary tasks at home as best he could.

The next day, the three brothers woke up before dawn, fully prepared to set off.

They mounted the fine steeds raised in He Zhiran's space and galloped away, whipping their horses.

With Mo Jiuye's departure, many things required He Zhiran's personal attention.

For example, communicating with Hu Cong about the details of the house and furniture, and keeping an eye on the crops' growth.

He Zhiran's actions worried her mother-in-law, Lady Mo, greatly.

She specially called Lan'er to accompany her every day.

He Zhiran knew that if she didn't let Lan'er stay with her, her mother-in-law wouldn't be at ease, so she reluctantly accepted.

Although she felt perfectly fine, who could predict any unforeseen accidents?

Lan'er was attentive and perceptive, so it was good to have her around.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, the brothers had been away from Yuncheng for over half a month.

The brothers hurried on horseback, and if everything went smoothly, they should have reached the Imperial City by now. She wondered if everything was going well for them.

Though He Zhiran spent each day busy, she couldn't help but worry about him when alone at night.

Inside her space, one hand gently stroked the furry head of Fan Tuanyuan, while the other rested on her slightly swollen belly as she whispered softly.

"Children, do you think they've already arrived safely in the Imperial City?"

At this moment, only Fan Tuanyuan could respond.

"Mmm... mmm..."

"I hope they return safely."

"Mmm... mmm..."

...

Imperial City.

Yongan Lane.

As night fell!

Mo Jiuye and his two brothers stood under a tall and sturdy tree.

"Ninth Brother, this must be the tree the Nanjiang people mentioned."

"If that's the case, then the courtyard where they're hiding is right in front of us."

Listening to his two elder brothers analyzing the situation, Mo Jiuye did not respond.

He could feel that Xiao Bai, inside the cage he carried, was restless and moving back and forth nervously.

He removed the black cloth covering the cage and asked softly, "Xiao Bai, have you found anything?"

Xiao Bai flapped its wings lightly and let out a soft chirp.

Through their interactions, Mo Jiuye knew that this was Xiao Bai confirming what he said.

Before entering the Imperial City, Mo Jiuye had shown Xiao Bai the sachet he had taken from the Nanjiang people and instructed it to alert him if it detected the same scent.

Xiao Bai's recent behavior clearly indicated that there might be a similar scent nearby.

Mo Jiuye surveyed the surroundings and eventually focused his gaze on an inconspicuous spot high up in the tree.

Bathed in moonlight, he could see a bird's nest there.

If someone were observant, they would notice something odd about the nest.

Typically, bird nests are built on sturdier branches, but this one was on a twig at the top of the tree.

Mo Jiuye handed the cage to his fifth brother and used lightness kung fu to leap lightly onto a branch closest to the nest.

He did not rashly remove the nest because he wasn't sure if Mr. Si Meng would come by, and disturbing anything here might raise suspicion.

Instead, he cautiously moved closer to get a better look.

It was nighttime, and the nest was dark inside, making it hard for even Mo Jiuye's keen eyes to discern the details.

So, he took out the mini flashlight his wife had prepared for him.

The flashlight emitted a gentle yellow light rather than a strong beam, making it less conspicuous from a distance, resembling a small night pearl.

Even though the light was dim, it was enough for Mo Jiuye.

Using the flashlight's glow, he examined the nest closely.

Inside, it was clean and neatly made, without any haphazard traces. Clearly, this nest was man-made, not natural.

This was within Mo Jiuye's expectations, and he wasn't surprised.

However, he believed that something must be amiss. Even though it was man-made, birds might still take advantage and temporarily reside there.

Thus, Mo Jiuye cautiously approached the bird's nest again, extending one hand to explore inside.

This exploration led to a new discovery.

At the top of the bird's nest, there was a thin partition that could not be detected by the naked eye unless one reached in with their hand.

Mo Jiuye carefully inserted his hand and felt something resembling paper.

He retrieved the paper and examined it under the light of his flashlight.

There was only one line of small text—

"Find the pet and send it to the Nine Princes' Mansion."

Mo Jiuye narrowed his eyes slightly and then returned the note to its original position before jumping down from the tree.

"Ninth Brother, how did it go?" Seventh Brother asked.

"There was a note in the bird's nest. It said to find the pet and send it to the Nine Princes' Mansion."

"What?"

"Nine Princes' Mansion?!"

Fifth Brother and Seventh Brother were both incredulous.

Speaking of the Ninth Prince, the Mo brothers were no strangers to him.

The Ninth Prince was the only prince in Great Shun who was of the same generation as Emperor Shunwu, and he was also Emperor Shunwu's full-blooded brother.

Initially, he was much like the current Prince Rui, never involving himself in the struggles of the court, which alleviated many of Emperor Shunwu's suspicions. Being blood brothers, Emperor Shunwu refrained from eliminating him and instead bestowed upon him the title of Ninth Prince, allowing him to remain in the Imperial City.

The Ninth Prince usually kept a low profile and rarely appeared even during tumultuous times in the court.

Emperor Shunwu treated him with familial affection, providing ample stipends to ensure he lived a life of luxury.

The note they found was almost certainly written by Mr. Si Meng.

What surprised the brothers was that the seemingly unassuming Ninth Prince had connections with Mr. Si Meng.

It seemed that Great Shun would soon face a storm of bloodshed.

For the Mo brothers, this was too incredible to believe, but they also understood that it no longer mattered to them.

"Ninth Brother, should we plan to search for someone at the Nine Princes' Mansion?" Fifth Brother asked.

Although the Ninth Prince appeared disinterested in worldly affairs, he was still a prince, and his mansion would undoubtedly be heavily guarded. To search for someone there required meticulous preparation.

"The Nine Princes' Mansion must be visited, but only when we are certain. If we act rashly and alert him, causing him to escape, it would be counterproductive," Mo Jiuye analyzed.

Sixth Brother agreed, "Indeed, we've finally got a lead. We must find the person."

Mo Jiuye did not immediately respond. He glanced at the cage Fifth Brother was holding.

He took the cage and lifted the black cloth.