Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 187 'Charlatan' Zhou Bai

After Aunt Mei left the mansion, Madam Yun said to Granny Wei:

"Xiangmei's temperament hasn't changed over the years; she's always been considerate and thoughtful, but she's not as good at assessing situations as Huayan. Huayan has always been clear-headed, which is why I dared to leave her with Wan'er."

As May approached, Huzheng Chanyu, the leader of the Luandi clan, a royal tribe of the Xiongnu, declared war.

The Jiang family, father and son, were valiant and led their troops to repel several attacks, with frequent reports of victories. The Prince of Jin spent the night in the Ruyi Palace and bestowed many rewards upon them the following day.

When paying her respects, Consort Shen was very obsequious, and the princess was all smiles and beaming with pride.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Consort Zhen, following the rules, entered the palace to pay her respects to Consort Hui. Hua Yan accompanied her mistress to the palace twice. This time, she keenly sensed the tense atmosphere in the harem. Before entering Ciyuan Hall, she quietly hung her Yunshang Pendant on her waist.

Li, the eunuch in Consort Hui's palace, raised an eyebrow and took the opportunity to pass on a message to her—the emperor was ill.

Just as the princess and the prince had reconciled somewhat and the princess was about to take this opportunity to deepen their relationship, the Prince of Jin received the news and entered the palace to attend to the ailing emperor. Afterward, he officially took over the administration of state affairs on behalf of the emperor.

Since the start of the war, Hua Yan has been unable to sleep at night. Dong Gua knew that she was worried about her uncle's whereabouts and safety, but she didn't know how to comfort her. After racking her brains, she finally said, "Sister Huan Yun must be even more worried."

Hua Yan felt a pang of sympathy and wrote two letters. Dong Gua, on his day off, returned to the Tang residence and personally delivered the letters on Hua Yan's behalf.

Zhou Bai, who was causing Hua Yan and Huan Yun concern, had been spotted a month ago, but the news had not yet reached Madam Yun.

In the northwest, in a valley a hundred miles away from Xuanquan.

Chen Lin looked at the unconscious man in front of him who bore a resemblance to Meng Shu. He was certain that this was the man he was looking for, but he was at a loss for what to do.

This man was someone the Xubu clan was willing to fight over with the Xiongnu royal family, the Luandi clan...

......

Time rewinds.

Before the Lunar New Year, Chen Lin and his group traveled from Jinzhou to the Northwest. For the first two months, they were unable to find the missing person. Fortunately, Manager Lu of Yongchun Tea Shop and Manager Tang Hanjing of Yongzheng Shop sent many people from their shops to help them.

Merchants gathered in the northwest were the most well-informed. In the dead of winter, when the Xiongnu were captured by the border army for their first raid on the grasslands, the merchants, like small animals that had sensed danger, retreated to Xuanquan Post Station to observe.

The assistant sent by Tang Hanjing dealt with merchants all day long. Fortunately, the Tang family's business was well-regarded among merchants in the Northwest. Soon, they found another merchant surnamed Wang who sold wool and furs. The man recalled that he had seen a young merchant selling tea in the Huyan clan in the western grasslands. The leader of the group looked eight or nine parts similar to Zhou Bai, whom the assistant had mentioned.

Four months ago, Chen Lin and his group immediately packed their bags, spent a lot of money to find a guide, and traveled by night and day to the Huyan clan tribe.

Despite their thorough preparations, Chen Lin and his group still encountered a Xiongnu patrol in the grasslands amidst the turbulent situation on the border. Several battles ensued, and it took them more than four months and countless dangers to finally find the valley where the Huyan clan was located.

The Huyan clan was known for their bravery and skill in battle. Chen Lin was on tenterhooks, but finally managed to find out about Zhou Bai at the home of a lone herder.

Several years ago, Zhou Bai and others gathered a number of merchants and ventured deep into the grasslands, following the waterways. They held several mobile markets and exhibitions between tribes. It must be said that Hua Yan's uncle, Zhou Bai, was indeed quite resourceful. He divided the tea he brought into two parts. The damp part was dehumidified with bamboo charcoal and made into tea bricks. The other part, due to its severe tea defects, was sold to the local herders at an extremely low price.

Everything should have ended happily at this point.

Unfortunately, almost 90% of the tea sold by Zhou Bai had been infected with leaf spot disease during its growth. As a result, Zhou Bai was captured alive by the tribe leader and brought back to the tribe as soon as he left a hundred miles away.

They were about to shoot him dead with an arrow, but Zhou Bai was destined to survive. Just then, Huzheng Chanyu, the leader of the Luandi clan of the Xiongnu royal family, happened to pass by and, for some reason, took him to the royal court.

Upon receiving this news, Chen Lin and his fellow apprentices exchanged bewildered glances. This Zhou Bai was quite the shrewd businessman!

However, the situation at the border was already very serious, and Chen Lin and others dared not risk going to the royal court, so they had to retreat to Xuanquan Post Station.

But as fate would have it, on the return journey they encountered two Xiongnu tribes, with nearly two hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen engaged in fierce combat. Chen Lin, with his excellent eyesight, immediately recognized a young man bound hand and foot on horseback as a man from the Great Zhou...