Chapter 51 - I Don’t Need to Hear That (2/2)

Shun Tao nodded again. That should be one of the women from the village. Since she was younger than Madam Zhong, it could be Madam Shen, Lian Mei, who had lived in the house next to the Zhongs.

”There's a third woman.”

Shun Tao's brows lifted. Where did all those women come from? ”Did she have a relationship with the other two?”

”Not as far as I know. At least they never appeared together. The same is true for the other two women he observed.”

”Two other women?”

”Mn!” Hong Bao nodded. ”He observed five women altogether.”

”Then … was there anything they had in common? Like … did they appear at the same places? Even if they themselves didn't meet?” That could very well be the case. In fact, not monitoring Zhong Jing Yi, but instead people in his surroundings was brilliant. If the heavenly emperor had someone from the scribe's palace watch over his son, he wouldn't needlessly alarm them, while still being able to find out everything that happened around the boy.

There were a lot of women in his village and the surrounding ones. Selecting some in strategic positions would be easy.

”Mn, something like that. It weren't exactly the same places, but really similar ones. And the things these women did were similar, too.”

”Oh? They were probably working in the village?”

”No, no. The places they went were mostly ones with water, like the river or a room in the house with a big bucket.” Hong Bao tried hard to remember every detail Leng Jin Yu had told her. ”And they mostly did things like washing their hair or —”

”Alright!” Shun Tao lifted a hand to interrupt her. ”I don't need to hear that. I can … imagine, what else he was observing there.”

”Really?” Hong Bao was impressed. As expected of the man I fell in love with! He's just so smart!

In regards to Hong Bao's worshiping gaze, Shun Tao could only smile wryly. Yeah, he could vividly imagine, what a young god was doing, monitoring a bunch of women in the mortal realm … How come, this whole mission ended in disaster without yielding any results? Could it be, that I was wrong? Is the culprit really not one of them? But then … who is it?

He sighed. ”It seems, I'll have to confess to the heavenly emperor.”

Hong Bao sprang to her feet. ”No! You can't! What if he really …”

Shun Tao shook his head. ”Going and admitting my mistake is at least a bit better than waiting until he finds out himself.”

”You can't. Give me a while. I'll find a solution!”

”Hong Bao …” Shun Tao wanted to advise her against it, but Hong Bao just bent over the table and took his hand, squeezing it as if they were incredibly familiar with each other. ”Don't you worry! I'll find a way, I promise!”

”Well then, good luck. But I can at most wait another day. After that … I have to tell His Majesty.”

Hong Bao nodded. She certainly wouldn't allow for anything to happen to her one true love!