There are no two people in this world who look exactly alike. Since one of them is Ye Wanmian's so - called cousin, the other must be Xiao Jingcheng!
Xiao Jingcheng had indeed been hiding in Dongli Town all along!
Xiao Yixuan clenched his fists tightly to keep his face from contorting with hatred.
"That must be the thief who stole in the Liuxiang Tower yesterday. Pass the order. Immediately assemble the troops and chase after them!"
"Yes!"
Xiao Yixuan strode out of the room. Next door, hearing the commotion, Xiao Wuchen also came out and asked, "Brother Emperor, you seem to be in a hurry. What's going on?"
Xiao Yixuan remembered what the guards had said about two people riding away from Dongli Town in different directions. He knew this was a ruse Xiao Jingcheng had used to escape. Narrowing his eyes, he said,
"You've come at a good time. The guards have found the trail of the thief who stole yesterday. I'm going to lead the men to catch up right away."
"This thief is cunning and full of tricks. He found a double with a similar build to cover for him. Now two horses are galloping towards the east and west exits. Come with me and make sure to capture the thief!"
Huh? They found the thief's trail so soon?
Xiao Wuchen sensed something was amiss, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he replied, "Yes, I'll follow Brother Emperor's orders."
Following Xiao Yixuan downstairs, the guards outside had already led two horses over. Xiao Yixuan mounted one of them and said coldly to Xiao Wuchen,
"I'll go east, you go west. The thief is riding a maroon horse, with a包袱 on his back. He's about nine feet tall and looks very strong. He might know martial arts. Once you meet him, don't show any mercy. You must cut him down from his horse!"
After saying that, he clamped his legs against the horse's belly, urged the horse on, and led a group of guards towards the east entrance of the town.
Xiao Wuchen watched Xiao Yixuan's hasty back. His mind raced, and he vaguely guessed something.
Why would his second brother go to such great lengths just for a thief and lead the guards to capture him in person? Unless...
The identity of this "thief" was extremely special.
The only person who could make his second brother go to such lengths was probably his Crown Prince brother.
A slight smile curled up on Xiao Wuchen's lips. A sneer appeared on his gloomy face. Then he turned his horse and chased towards the west exit of the town.
However, compared to Xiao Yixuan, Xiao Wuchen rode much slower.
Inside the Liuxiang Tower, Ye Wanxing stood by the window and watched as Xiao Wuchen and Xiao Yixuan left respectively. Only after their figures disappeared from sight did she close the window.
She quickly changed her clothes, then called Xiaocui and said, "I still don't feel well. I'm going out to see a doctor. But I don't want my brother to worry about me. You stay here and guard the door. If my brother comes looking for me, tell him I'm still sleeping."
She had been ill frequently recently, so Xiaocui didn't suspect anything. Nodding, she replied, "Okay, Miss Xing'er, don't worry. I'll guard the door for you."
Ye Wanxing put on a veiled hat and carefully went downstairs. She exited through the back door of the Liuxiang Tower. After confirming that there was no one guarding outside, she quickly left and headed towards the east of the town.
...
At the Huichun Hall, Ye Wanmian was feeling a patient's pulse when suddenly there was a commotion in the crowd. People were whispering to each other, and their expressions were strange.
Beside Ye Wanmian, Dahuang, who had been lying in the shade, panting and dozing in the heat, suddenly pricked up his ears. Then he stood up from the ground, turned his head, and squeezed into the crowd.
"Dahuang, where are you going?"
Ye Wanmian called out twice, but Dahuang showed no sign of turning back.
Feeling strange, Ye Wanmian gave Qi Wen a look, asking him to find out what was going on in the town.
There were indeed fewer people coming for the herbal tea today than yesterday. Qi Wen temporarily handed over the task of distributing the tea to Li Zhao, then left the shed.
Not long after, Qi Wen came back with the news.
His expression was also a bit strange. He walked up to Ye Wanmian, bent down, and whispered in her ear, "There was a strange thing in the town just now. Two people rode their horses towards the east and west of the town respectively. The horses were running so fast that they startled many passers - by."
"Then not long after, there was also a commotion at the Liuxiang Tower. The King of Xuan and the King of Ning assembled their troops and chased after the two people who left, saying they were going to capture the thief who stole in the Liuxiang Tower yesterday."
"What?!" Ye Wanmian stood up from her chair in shock.
She stood up suddenly and didn't have time to lower her voice, so both Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang looked at her.
"What's wrong, Mujuan?" Li Zhao asked.
"Is my junior - niece in trouble? Do you need my help?" Mo Zhizhang asked gently.
Ye Wanmian's heart was pounding. She clenched her fists and shook her head, saying, "It's okay. Uncle Li and Uncle Mo, don't worry about me."
She was the only one here who knew that the "theft" in the Liuxiang Tower yesterday was entirely Xiao Jingcheng's doing.
Now Xiao Yixuan had gathered his troops and claimed to have found the thief's trail. Did that mean that one of the two fast - riding horses that had startled the passers - by was Xiao Jingcheng?!
This meant that Xiao Yixuan knew he was still alive and in Dongli Town, so he had led his men to chase after him?
Couldn't he just leave Dongli Town quietly without making such a big commotion?
"Doctor Jiang, Doctor Jiang?" Ye Wanmian came back to her senses. The patient waiting for his pulse to be felt was looking at her. "It's my turn now."
"Okay, I'll check you now." Ye Wanmian sat down at the free - clinic table, not noticing that she was covered in a cold sweat.
She placed her fingers on the patient's pulse, trying to calm her mind to judge the pulse condition. But for some reason, she always felt flustered.
During these two days of free clinics, as the number of patients increased, Ye Wanmian's ability to judge the pulse condition had improved a lot. In the past, it would take her a cup of tea to tell the patient's physical condition and diagnose the illness, but now she only needed half a cup of tea.
But at this moment, she was holding an old woman's hand and didn't say a word for a long time. Her brows were tightly furrowed, which scared the old woman.
"Why does Doctor Jiang have such an expression? Do I have an incurable disease?!"
Ye Wanmian came back to her senses and quickly said, "Sorry, I was thinking about something else just now. Auntie, you just have a weak spleen and stomach. There's nothing serious."
"Oh, you scared me to death." The old woman let out a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and complained, "Seeing Doctor Jiang looking so solemn, I thought there was something seriously wrong with my body."
Ye Wanmian thought the one who was sick might be herself.
Last night, when she drove that person away, she was so determined. But at this moment, she was actually worried about that person.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew up out of nowhere. The bright and clear sky suddenly darkened.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap exploded in the sky. Ye Wanmian looked up. Dark clouds were gathering overhead. It was a sign that a storm was coming.