The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. A cold sweat suddenly broke out on Chen Xiaobei's back. If it were a mountain flood, he would probably have already...
Thank goodness. The past few months since he arrived had been peaceful.
Chen Xiaobei quickly turned back.
According to what those people had said, it had rained heavily on Qingniu Mountain. The floodwaters had to find an outlet, so there was always a possibility.
He had witnessed the power of floods.
A mountain flood in late autumn was no trivial matter.
Chen Xiaobei turned and ran towards his great-grandfather's house.
Seeing him arrive, the great-grandfather seemed quite surprised and warmly invited him to sit down.
"Xiaobei, what brings you to this old man's humble abode?"
"Great-grandfather, I wanted to ask you, have there ever been mountain floods on Qingniu Mountain?"
Upon hearing Chen Xiaobei's question, the great-grandfather's expression paused.
He looked up at the sky and nodded slightly.
"The rain last night was indeed heavy, but Qingniu Mountain hasn't had a flood in at least fifty years."
Fifty years. In this era, many people didn't live that long.
"Great-grandfather, this morning I met someone coming down from the mountain. They said it was raining heavily up there. I was worried..."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, the great-grandfather nodded slightly.
"Yes, if it rains heavily on the mountain, a mountain flood is indeed possible."
Thinking of this, he suddenly frowned, "You live at the outermost edge, you must be careful."
"Great-grandfather, I want to make some simple repairs at the foot of the mountain. Perhaps a smaller flood can be stopped."
The great-grandfather thought for a moment with a frown, then couldn't help but smile.
"You, it's best to give up. When the flood comes down from the mountain, it's like ten thousand horses galloping. How could you stop it?"
Chen Xiaobei remained silent, then rose and left.
The great-grandfather was right. How could ten thousand galloping horses be stopped? There were only two reasons for this: one was that it came down from the mountain too rapidly, and the other was that the outlet was too small.
Fortunately, the area at the foot of Qingniu Mountain was relatively gentle.
So the water flow wouldn't be too fast. That left only another possibility: the outlet was too small. Come to think of it, the mountain pass was indeed a bit narrow. When a large volume of floodwater came, wouldn't it be fast?
But the water level was already rising. What should he do with his last-minute efforts?
Chen Xiaobei returned to the foot of Qingniu Mountain. The water had already reached his knees, and the flow into the fish pond had clearly increased.
This was a dangerous sign.
Shortly after the water reached his knees, it continued to rise.
He used to go up the mountain every day and wouldn't have paid attention in such a situation. But today, he could see that about a mile up the mountain, the drainage channel narrowed considerably. This made it easy to understand why the great-grandfather had said that.
Now, the only thing he could do was to rush home and temporarily move Cui Hongyu out of their old house.
At the same time, he prayed that he was just worrying for nothing and that the flood wouldn't be too severe.
Just as Chen Xiaobei was hurrying to move to a new house with Cui Hongyu, Liu Rumei's expression became serious.
According to the reports from the people who had come down, they had killed the last few individuals at the dragon eye location provided by Sima Wushuang.
They had thought that they had cleared the obstacles for the Crown Prince's entry into the mountain, but as they were about to descend, they discovered over a dozen unidentified people ascending the mountain.
Although these people all appeared to be dressed as ordinary civilians, it was obvious they were not.
But it was also clear that these people were not from the Grand Tutor. If they were, Sima Wushuang would have said something.
If not from the Grand Tutor, then who could they be?
Liu Ce's eyebrows shot up, "Miss, could it be the Princess's side?"
Liu Rumei nodded slightly, "If that's the case, then they are heading for the Crown Prince."
Liu Ce angrily waved his fist, "They've come at the right time. Let's settle old and new scores together. Let him perish on Qingniu Mountain."
Liu Rumei waved her hand, "Don't rush. Let's wait for the Crown Prince to arrive. When two sides clash, inevitably one will be wounded, and the Grand Tutor will benefit from it."
"But, they regarding the Second Young Master..."
Liu Ce's eyes reddened as he spoke.
Liu Rumei nodded gently, "Don't I want to? But we must prioritize the bigger picture."
"Alright, prepare yourselves. We will go to the county town to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince."
Just as Liu Rumei was heading to the county town, a secret report about Chen Ermao also reached the capital.
Grand Tutor Liu Xiangnan finished reading the secret report about Chen Ermao and couldn't help but slam the table.
"This Chen Ermao is truly audacious. He came all the way here to confess secrets while he was supposed to be home observing mourning!"
The head steward, Liu Kai, bowed and said, "Does Your Lordship want to send him back quietly?"
Liu Xiangnan shook his head, "Sending him back would require guards to watch him, which would be troublesome if he ran away again. It's better to just throw him into the dungeon until this matter is over."
Liu Kai immediately bowed in agreement and turned to leave, heading for the backyard.
In the backyard, Chen Ermao was fast asleep. He had been well-fed and watered for the past few days, and he had become quite comfortable here.
Hearing someone knock, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. Su Dan Novel Network.
Seeing Liu Kai, the young man was delighted, thinking he had come to give him a reward.
"Head Steward, you're here. Please, have a seat."
Liu Kai waved his hand, "No need to sit. Ermao, you've been at our Marquis's mansion for some time now, haven't you?"
Chen Ermao didn't understand his meaning and could only follow along, "Yes, yes, I've been here for a few days."
Liu Kai nodded and made a gesture.
"My Lord has some free time today and wishes to meet you personally."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ermao was overjoyed, "Really?"
"Of course. Follow me."
Liu Kai gave a glance to the two guards standing at the door, then turned and walked away.
Chen Ermao, unaware of the situation, followed closely behind.
Chen Ermao, having not seen much of the world, didn't notice that Liu Kai was leading him around the rockery in the back garden towards a more secluded area.
They eventually arrived at the entrance to the dungeon.
Two household guards were already stationed there. Seeing Liu Kai arrive, they stepped forward and opened the cave entrance. A foul odor permeated the air, and Liu Kai couldn't help but fan his nose.
At this point, Chen Ermao finally realized something was wrong. But he still cautiously smiled and approached Liu Kai, "Head Steward, what do you mean by bringing me here?"
Liu Kai's expression changed, and his face turned cold.
"The imperial court ordered you to return home and observe mourning for three years, yet you secretly came to the capital. Do you know your crime?"
Only then did Chen Ermao realize the gravity of the situation.
The young man didn't say a word and turned to flee.
But he hadn't run two steps before he was intercepted. The two men had been following him closely.
Although Chen Ermao was a large fellow, he didn't know martial arts. He was subdued and thrown to the ground within a few moves.
Lying on the ground, the young man couldn't help but wail, "I gave you so much important information, and this is how you treat me? The heavens are blind, the heavens are blind!"
Liu Kai let out a cold snort, "Chen Ermao, you bastard, how dare you say that? Do you even know who you gave the information to?"
His words stunned Chen Ermao.