Chapter 406: Seeking Help

Chapter 406: Requesting Aid

It was almost noon. The hardworking farmers came to the field's edge as meals were delivered by assigned workers, ready to be served.

This was everyone's most anticipated moment.

Ever since being hired to farm for Lady Xin, the noon meal had always been the heartiest—not only plenty of rice and noodles, but there was also meat.

"Come eat first, then work!" someone called out to a man squatting in the field.

"There's something wrong with these vines," the man replied without moving.

Xin You and He Qingxiao were heading back to the estate when they heard about the vines and walked over.

"What's wrong with the vines?"

The man addressed as Uncle Xiao was a farmer in his forties. Seeing Xin You approach, he quickly pointed to a patch of withered leaves. "Lady Xin, look—these vines have all dried up, and there are spots on the leaves. Looks like pests got to them."

In Xin You's impression, Uncle Xiao was a quiet, efficient farmer.

She studied him carefully before crouching down. "The leaves are withered? When did you first notice—"

A blade flashed coldly as Uncle Xiao drew a dagger hidden in his sleeve, aiming straight for Xin You's heart.

His movements were swift and precise, executed with ruthless decisiveness—no trace remained of the simple farmer.

At such close range, even a master would have trouble dodging. Yet Xin You seemed prepared, rolling away the instant the dagger appeared.

Before she could stand, He Qingxiao had already stepped between them.

Everything happened too fast. The hired farmers, still holding bowls or serving food, stood frozen in shock.

Qian Feng and Safe and Sound sprang into action—one shielding Xin You while the other rushed to assist He Qingxiao.

Uncle Xiao paused, blood seeping from his mouth.

He Qingxiao's expression darkened, but it was too late to intervene.

The farmers only cried out when Uncle Xiao collapsed.

A young hired worker ran over, panicked but afraid to come closer. "Uncle Xiao!"

Safe and Sound bent down to examine the body, confirming he had no pulse.

"Lady Xin, are you alright?" Bai Ying rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Xin You glanced at the corpse before instructing Bai Ying, "Round up all the workers and keep them contained for now."

The moment she dodged, she had sensed the intense murderous intent—Uncle Xiao was undoubtedly a carefully trained assassin.

"Understood." Bai Ying nodded, then lowered her voice. "Lady Xin, we've got less than sixty men. While we can manage these workers, the estate is large. There's no telling if there are other threats..."

We couldn't even trust the local officials.

"Mm. Let’s secure these people first."

Bai Ying hurried off to gather their forces.

He Qingxiao motioned for the young man to approach, pointing at Uncle Xiao's corpse. "Are you two uncle and nephew?"

The young man quickly replied, "Second Uncle Xiao was my neighbor. He took a wife years ago, but she passed away from illness, and he never remarried. He's been living alone all these years."

"Are you sure he was really your neighbor?"

The young man, terrified, knelt down and swore to the heavens, "I wouldn't dare lie to you, my lord!"

He Qingxiao crouched down and reached out to touch Second Uncle Xiao's face.

The young man, standing close, thought he was checking for breath, but suddenly his pupils dilated in shock.

In his line of sight, Second Uncle Xiao's face was slowly peeled back by two slender, pale fingers.

The young man screamed in terror, stumbling backward. When Second Uncle Xiao's entire face was removed, revealing a stranger's features, his scream abruptly stopped, as if frozen by magic.

"Do you recognize this man?"

The young man snapped out of his daze, shaking his head violently. "No! I've never seen him before!"

Later, all the hired laborers were gathered to identify the man, but no one recognized the unfamiliar face. A search of Second Uncle Xiao's house turned up a corpse in the cellar—the genuine Second Uncle Xiao.

"He's been dead for several days. The killing was neat, with little blood." After piecing it together, He Qingxiao had a clearer understanding.

An assassin had murdered the loner Second Uncle Xiao, taken his place, and worked in the fields, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Xin You.

Magistrate Zhang came running over, repeatedly apologizing. "Miss Xin, rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this!"

"Thank you for your efforts, Magistrate Zhang." Xin You made polite remarks before dismissing him, though she held no hope that the local authorities would find the true culprit.

Though Magistrate Zhang wasn’t a local, who knew if he had already been bribed by those people?

"Actually, there's no need to investigate further. It’s undoubtedly those influential clans who stand to lose."

Even if they traced it to the Wang family, there was still the Liu family—too many wanted her dead. This wouldn’t solve the root problem.

He Qingxiao spoke up, "I consulted a few experienced farmers. This late in the season, there isn’t much work left in the fields. If rainfall is sufficient, we won't even need to water. Our own people can handle the next month or so."

By keeping outsiders away from the fields, most schemes could be thwarted.

Bai Ying added, "If it’s just tending to the fields, our people are more than enough. But with fifteen mu scattered in three different plots, protecting them from sabotage would require far more manpower. We also have to consider the possibility of those people making a direct move on Miss Xin."

If assassination failed, destroying the sweet potato plants was a likely next step.

"So we need to bring in troops."

"Bring in troops?" Bai Ying arched a brow.

Now that the Changle Marquis was no longer the Jinlin Guard North Town Supervising Envoy, and unlikely to have the Emperor’s tiger tally, how could they still muster soldiers?

He Qingxiao and Xin You shared a look.

Some things were better left unsaid by ministers, but Xin You could speak freely. "From what I know, the Changping Guard is stationed nearby. We can ask them for help."

That person was dead set on the sweet potato cultivation—whether to protect her or to prevent her from fleeing south, the Changping Guard must have already received secret orders to keep tabs on things. Word of the assassination attempt was probably already on its way to them.

Sending a request for aid would give the Changping Guard proper cause to move.

Bai Ying, hearing this, volunteered to fetch help.

The next day, at first light.

"Miss Bai, you should bring more people along."

Bai Ying waved her hand nonchalantly. "Two's enough. The rest should stay to protect Miss Xin and the sweet potato fields."

"Travel safely, Miss Bai." Xin You paused, then added, leaning in to whisper something in Bai Ying's ear.

Bai Ying looked surprised but, ever composed, nodded without further questions.

The Changping Guard's station wasn't too far away. Setting out early and riding hard without stopping, they could arrive by nightfall. Not daring to delay, Bai Ying took two trusted guards and rode off quickly.

Xin You watched until they were out of sight before turning to He Qingxiao. "They're likely to set up an ambush to stop Miss Bai from delivering the message. You should take more people and follow."

He Qingxiao shook his head. "The Changping Guard will surely hear about the attempt on your life. Even if we don’t request aid, they wouldn’t dare ignore it - they have imperial orders. Those people must know this. The only reason they’d stop Miss Bai is to delay reinforcements."

Xin You gazed at the fields and murmured, "I know."

The enemy was trying to buy time—to strike while their defenses were thin. That was also why she had abandoned pursuing the "Second Uncle Xiao" lead.

(As the saying goes,) a powerful dragon cannot crush a snake in its own lair. Investigating would drain too much energy and manpower, leaving the sweet potato fields vulnerable.

She'd sent the Sixth Boss across oceans to bring back these precious sweet potato vines. Now, with lush green fields before her, she couldn’t lose sight of what truly mattered.