Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Is Shu Yu in Trouble? Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Is Shu Yu in Trouble? As soon as Madam Hou mentioned Shu Yu, her steps came to an abrupt halt, and concern inevitably spread across her face at the thought of Yu in the deep mountains. She hesitated before speaking, “Yu, she…”
Her hesitation gave Mister Qi a bad feeling, and he slightly furrowed his brow, “What happened, did she encounter trouble?”
Indeed, many accidents can happen on the road to exile. Although Mister Qi had people notify the officers in advance, he still couldn’t guarantee that Shu Yu would be completely safe.
Thinking that the young girl might have run into trouble, Mister Qi couldn’t help but regret it.
Madam Hou was startled and quickly assured, “No, no, Yu is fine. She’s just not working in the wasteland anymore, she’s gone hunting in the mountains instead.”
He and Lord Cheng beside him exchanged glances. If he remembered correctly, hunting in the mountains was a man’s job, so why would a young girl, barely into her teens, also be doing this?
Lord Cheng narrowed his eyes, “It seems she’s been bullied.”
Madam Hou blinked, immediately realizing the two men had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained, “No, going into the mountains to hunt was Yu’s own request. She feels that hunting allows her more freedom with her time.”
“Is that so? Indeed, it allows for more freedom, but it also carries more danger.”
The more Madam Hou explained, the more skeptical Lord Cheng and Mister Qi became about her intentions.
Her own request? Who would believe that if she said it out loud?
In this exile area, there were far too many shady dealings.
After all, they didn’t really know Madam Hou, and they were half-believers of her words at best.
If they had not encountered this issue, it would have been one thing, but knowing that the young girl who had helped them might be targeted and bullied, living in a precarious situation, Mister Qi naturally wouldn’t just leave it be.
He said to Lord Cheng, “We were planning to visit Righteous Dao Village anyway, why don’t we go and check it out now?”
Lord Cheng had no objections, “Let’s go.”
Madam Hou was somewhat confused; how did her explanations make things worse? Initially, Yu had indeed been targeted by Master Lan, but after he had run into trouble, her days had actually improved significantly.
She began to feel uneasy and clutched Sixth Young Lady’s hand tightly.
As Mister Qi and Lord Cheng left the tea house, the guards finally said to her, “Let’s go.”
Madam Hou and her daughter hurriedly followed, and the party set off toward Righteous Dao Village.
The officers and stewards at the manor in Righteous Dao Village had already received the news and were standing at the entrance to welcome the governor.
After stepping out of the carriage, Lord Cheng surveyed the manor entrance for a moment and nodded in approval before entering.
Sitting at the head of the great hall, Lord Cheng began to inquire about the village’s circumstances and, finding that the conversation was sufficiently thorough, he shifted the topic to the matter of hunting.
The leading officer, well-informed, had already been briefed while Lord Cheng and Madam Hou were conversing at the tea house, learning that Madam Hou had met Mister Qi who was accompanying the lord.
The officer, familiar with Shu Yu, also remembered Madam Hou.
Thus, when Lord Cheng brought up the topic of hunting, the officer realized he wanted to learn about Lady Lu’s situation.
The officer immediately pulled out a register, “My lord, this is the roster of those who have gone up the mountain to hunt. We have a total of nine teams, among which three are the most formidable, bringing back the most and largest game every day. However, speaking of these nine teams, the ninth is the most unusual.”
Lord Cheng flipped through the register in his hands, and as the officer mentioned the three teams, his gaze instinctively glanced at the names of Ma Lu and the others.