Chapter 567 - 567. The Mysterious Man In Black
Su Qing saw the man in black’s face. His eyes gave off a gloomy feeling. When he looked at people, it was like a sharp knife.
Su Qing couldn’t help but pay attention to this person. There were more than ten of them in the group. They were thin and walked like the wind.
They were leading five horses and driving three carriages. The items in the carriages were covered with straw curtains so no one could see what was inside.
When Su Qing looked at the man in black, he was also looking upstairs. His eyes stopped on Su Qing briefly before looking at the empty window before her. Who knew what he said to his subordinates? The few people pulling the carriage and the person pulling the horse nodded their heads vigorously.
This action aroused Su Qing’s suspicion. These people were from the East Ocean Continent, and their signature nodding action was standard among the East Ocean Continent people. They would bow continuously, and when you let your guard down, they would pounce on you and bite you.
Su Qing knew how despicable these people were. They wouldn’t appear in a place for no reason. Most of them were merchants who gathered information and did terrible things in secret.
“The two of you, follow them and see where they go.”
Su Qing ordered the guards standing at the side in a low voice. If she wanted to leave the palace, these personal guards would disguise themselves as guards and follow her. When they heard the Empress’s order, two guards immediately turned around and went downstairs.
When the two guards went downstairs, they bumped into the leader of the men in black, bringing two men in black upstairs. When they met, the guard turned to let them go upstairs and look at Su Qing and the others for instructions.
Su Qing looked out the window, and the guards understood. The Empress had asked them to follow the men in black who were leading the horses.
The leader of the men in black looked up to observe the situation upstairs. The waiter who led them upstairs was full of smiles and wanted to lead them to the seats inside, but the man in black ignored him and went straight to the empty window in front of Su Qing and sat down.
“Let’s sit here!”
The waiter quickly smiled and said,
“Sir, this has already been chosen.”
It was obvious that these people were from other places. The seats by the window were the most popular. No one was willing to go there, so they all saved these seats for the last moment. Therefore, the waiter lied to them that there was someone there.
The man in black didn’t move his butt. He didn’t even look at the waiter taking out a tael of silver and putting it on the table. He said very politely,
“Please arrange it.”
“Alright, alright. Please sit. I’ll arrange for him when the person who made the reservation comes.”
The waiter’s eyes lit up when he saw the money. He immediately grabbed the silver in his hand and smiled. He nodded and bowed.
“What is it?”
Jiang Yuyan saw the shop assistant and cursed in a low voice. Su Qing glanced at her indifferently. Jiang Yuyan quickly sat up straight. Oh no, why did she use a female voice?
The leader of the men in black turned around and glanced at Su Qing and Jiang Yuyan. He had heard Jiang Yuyan’s voice.
Su Qing continued to drink her tea calmly. Her image was that of a rich old man. The man in black’s gaze lingered on Su Qing’s face for a while. When she looked at him, he nodded at Su Qing.
Su Qing nodded at him and looked out the window.
She noticed that from where the man in black was sitting, she could see the Divine Martial Camp in the distance. The Divine Martial Camp had mortars and artillery shells heavily guarded by the army.
This made Su Qing even more alarmed. The surrounding countries of the newly established Great Tang were all restless. They had already caught three waves of spies, and there were still some that had yet to be discovered. On the calm surface, there was a surging undercurrent.
Mortars were a weapon that every country had to obtain. Whoever had them would be able to dominate the world.
When the man in black saw that Su Qing was no longer looking at him, his gaze fell on Jiang Yuyan’s face. She was dressed like a weak scholar, but from her actions, he could tell that she was a woman. The man in black looked a little wary.
Jiang Yuyan felt a little unnatural under his gaze. She felt that this person’s gaze was like a knife that was stripping her naked.
Xiao Lanxin could feel Jiang Yuyan’s discomfort. She turned around and glared at the man in black who was staring at Jiang Yuyan.
When the man in black saw Xiao Lanxin glaring at him, he was stunned momentarily. The suspicion in his heart disappeared. These were two playful young ladies who disguised themselves as men just to come out and have fun.
The one who made him uncertain was Su Qing. He looked like an old man, but his eyes were bright and spirited, giving people an unfathomable feeling.
“Sir, what kind of tea do you want?”
The shop assistant asked the leader of the men in black eagerly.
“Your best tea and snacks.”
The leader in black ordered coldly, his voice a little stiff.
“Alright.”
The shop assistant agreed with a smile and quickly went to prepare.
The storyteller was still sitting on the stage and talking with all his might,
” It’s said that the earth dragon has turned over a new leaf. The Xiao family’s good son brought the villagers of the Peach Blossom Cove to escape from famine. On the way, he saved a beautiful woman. She is a divine doctor and also can revive the dead. Along the way, she saved the dead and helped the Xiao family’s good son fight against the tigers and wolves of the Wan family, creating a peaceful golden age…”
When the storyteller got excited, he raised his wooden stick and slammed it heavily on the table. The customers in the teahouse listened with great interest and clapped at the climax.
Only now did Su Qing hear clearly that the storyteller was talking about her and Xiao Zeyu’s story. Xiao Ying had long heard it, and her eyes curved into crescent moons as she looked at her sister-in-law with a smile.
Su Qing glanced at her sister-in-law indifferently. Xiao Ying retracted her smile and sat up straight. She beckoned for the guard to come over and took out a tael of silver for him to tip the storyteller.
Su Qing pressed her hand down. Xiao Ying was stunned for a moment. Seeing her sister-in-law looking toward the table behind her, the brilliant Xiao Ying immediately understood and kept the silver.
The men in black clearly understood that the storyteller was talking about the current Emperor and Empress. The leader of the men in black was very interested and listened very seriously. After listening, he even sent someone to reward the storyteller.
Soon, the waiter served the tea. The man in black began to drink tea and eat pastries. His gaze naturally looked out of the window.
Su Qing had been noticing his reaction and looking out the window. From this position, he could see the movements of the soldiers in the Divine Martial Camp.
Su Qing became even more alert. Was he trying to see when the soldiers would change shifts?
Just as she looked out the window, she saw a group of patrolling soldiers walking over from the east side of the street. Their orderly footsteps were very imposing.
The Xiao Family Army had strict military discipline. Even regular patrols had to follow the military rules. Therefore, no matter when they saw these soldiers, they could see the spirit of the Xiao Family Army. They were invincible, mighty, and inviolable.
The man in black nodded to the subordinate opposite him, and the subordinate took out a pen and paper to remember. Su Qing looked at the patrolling soldiers walking past the window, then looked at the Divine Martial Camp. Both sides changed shifts at the same time. Su Qing raised his eyebrows and decided to continue observing for a while.
These people wanted to sit down for a long time. They had been drinking for an hour and had no intention of leaving. However, when they saw that Su Qing and the others had not left, the leader of the black-clothed men turned around and looked at them again. His eyes were filled with suspicion and vigilance.
Su Qing put down her teacup and called out to the waiter in an old voice,
“Buddy, the bill..”