On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 1970: Seeing Water Village Again

Su Shengsheng asked in surprise: "Dad, isn't this your token?"

Su Zhenhai's eyes were fixed on the token.

"Why are you here?"

Su Zhenhai took the token and rubbed it repeatedly. It had the unique heaviness of black iron and the scratches on the edges and corners. There was no doubt that this was indeed his token.

But he turned his study upside down last night, from the secret compartments on the bookshelf to under the inkstone, even lifting up the carpet to check. How could it suddenly appear in the drawer?

Su Shengsheng tilted his head to examine his tense profile. "You said yesterday that you lost the token. Maybe you've been too busy and tired lately, and worried about your brother, so you misplaced it?"

She reached out and touched the gilded metal on the token: "Look, this token is fine. Maybe I just put it here and forgot about it."

Su Zhenhai didn't respond, but rubbed the edge of the token repeatedly with his fingertips.

The scene of last night is as clear as yesterday: the search for the assassin was fruitless, and I was exhausted. When I was about to wash up and rest, I found that the token was missing.

He immediately sealed off the study and ordered the housekeeper and his confidants to search the courtyard. He even interrogated the servant who served the pens and ink three times, but there was still no sign of him until late at night.

The token is of great importance. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, the entire Rongzhou will be in danger. He has even secretly sent people to check the foreign guests who have entered and left the mansion recently.

But now, this token is lying in the drawer like an ordinary object.

Su Zhenhai slammed the token heavily on the table, and the black iron and rosewood collided, making a dull sound.

"Impossible," he said in a deep voice, a suppressed chill in his voice. "I checked six times last night. I opened this drawer myself three times, and it was clearly empty."

The relief on Su Shengsheng's face gradually faded: "Then...could it be that the servants at home put it back when they were cleaning up?"

"Who dares to touch my study?" Su Zhenhai turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with turmoil. "Besides you and me, only the old butler can come into this study to serve. And he was following me throughout the search last night and had no time to return the token."

He paused, his Adam's apple rolling. "Unless... someone stole the token and returned it quietly."

Su Shengsheng's expression changed instantly after hearing this. "Stole it and then returned it? How is that possible? The security in the mansion is so tight, who could enter and leave the study without being noticed?"

Su Zhenhai didn't say anything, his eyes swept across the closed window.

He walked to the door again. The copper sleeve on the door hinge was as smooth as new and had been wiped clean.

If someone really had been here, then being able to replace the token right under his nose without leaving any trace was truly shocking.

"Go check!" Su Zhenhai said in a deep voice, with unquestionable majesty in his voice.

The butler bowed and said, "Please give your orders, sir."

"Immediately pass on my order, telling the patrol captain from last night to come to see me at the mansion immediately." Su Zhenhai pointed at the token on the table. "Also, personally check to see if anyone from each courtyard left without permission last night, or lingered near the academy."

The housekeeper immediately responded, "I'll do it right away."

He turned around and was about to leave when Su Zhenhai called him back.

"Wait." Su Zhenhai stared at him, "Ask each captain about their whereabouts last night, as well as the guards' shift records in the mansion. Don't leave out a single detail."

The butler bowed in response and quickly retreated.

The study became quiet again, with only the occasional bird calls outside the window as the only sound.

Su Shengsheng clutched the corner of his clothes and whispered, "Dad, do you suspect it was done by someone in the mansion? But the guards in the mansion are all veterans who have followed you through thick and thin, and the patrol captain was promoted by you..."

"People's hearts are hidden." Su Zhenhai interrupted her, picked up the token and put it to his nose to sniff.

In addition to the familiar smell of black iron, there seems to be a very faint cold fragrance lingering.

"The token was stolen and then returned. This person obviously knows everything about the situation in the mansion. It's impossible for an outsider to do that."

About half an hour later, the butler hurried back to report, "Sir, the four patrol captains are already waiting in the front hall."

"Shengsheng, go back to your room and don't run around." Su Zhenhai said in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to enter your yard without my order."

Su Shengsheng looked at his father's solemn expression, knowing that the matter was not simple, and nodded obediently: "Dad, you have to be careful too."

Su Zhenhai picked up the token and stroked it with his fingertips. He had a premonition that this lost and found token was just the beginning of a storm.

And this storm may involve the entire Rongzhou.

He took a deep breath and walked towards the front hall.

No matter who is behind this, he will get to the bottom of it.

Su Zhenhai looked at the three patrol captains. Their backs were straight, they had not slept all night, and their eyes were bloodshot.

"Was there anything unusual last night?

"Your Excellency, I personally led the team on three patrols and found nothing unusual."

"what about you?"

"Your Excellency, we didn't find anything unusual."

Su Zhenhai was silent, frowning in thought.

At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, and a servant rushed in: "Sir! Someone is coming from the military camp, saying they have something important to report!"

The boat on the river was swaying gently with the waves.

Yinding leaned against the side of the boat and rubbed his sore eyes.

It was almost dawn, and the eastern sky was turning pale, dyeing the water surface a hazy silver-gray.

He hardly slept that night, his ears pressed against the deck, listening to the undercurrent underwater to determine the direction, his nose filled with the fishy smell of river water and the musty smell of the boat awning.

From the reed marshes he passed by at midnight to the shallows and reefs he bypassed at four o'clock, every landmark was engraved in his heart.

"Squeak--" The oars suddenly stopped and the boatman's cough broke the silence.

Yinding stood up vigilantly and looked forward following the boatman's gaze.

I saw the river ahead suddenly narrowed, and a huge water fortress stretched across the water.

The village wall was built with thick pine wood, covered with thick thatch, and the exposed wood was wrapped with sharp iron spikes.

The water fort was half built on the shore and half submerged in water. The watchtower on the shore was several feet high, and the black flag on it fluttered in the morning breeze.

The most eye-catching are the two stone towers in front of the village gate, on which guards holding bows and crossbows can be vaguely seen.

"We're here." The boatman said in a hoarse voice and slowly rowed the boat towards the dock.

Yinding narrowed his eyes and his fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of the knife at his waist.

He recalled the scene he had seen in Li Jingyao's stronghold before - that was truly impregnable.

In comparison, this water fort looks simple.

Yinding secretly despised him - your grandfather Yin followed the prince, what hasn't he seen? This is nothing.

As soon as the boat docked, several men in black jumped onto the boat.

The leader was a bald man with a face full of flesh. His triangular eyes looked at everyone with a bit of scrutiny.