PROOFREAD BY AFREANA

Chapter 88.2

“I had put my life behind me when I came here. Whether the Emperor believes it or not, someone has to say these words to him. Even if I end up convicted as a traitor, I would still say it. Twenty years ago, I saw the two countries at war, causing widespread misery. The soldiers’ blood flowed into rivers, the people were homeless, and their lives were lost. It took a lot of time and effort before the countries turned towards peace again.”

“So precious, it indeed should be cherished. That’s all the more reason why you can’t go back and send yourself to death.”

Huo Mingshan frowned and asked, “What are General Long’s instructions then?”

“Do you have the decree from your Emperor ordering you to come as an envoy?”

“Of course. Even though I’m acting secretly, if I encounter an official reprimanding me, I would need to prove my rightful standing.”

“Then what Mr. Huo should be most anxious about right now is not to go back and meet your Emperor but to formally set out on a mission to Great Xiao and have an audience with the Great Xiao Emperor.”

Huo Mingshan froze.

Big Long said, “You will conclude the unfinished business of your country’s right prime minister.”

Huo Mingshan was instantly enlightened. “What General Long said is very true.”

“Mr. Huo should prepare a letter and send it to your Emperor, stating that after having negotiated a bit, you had the opportunity to go to the capital city to meet the Emperor. In this way, no matter who the leader of the spies is, no matter who the murderer of the envoys is, there is still time to continue to investigate. Twenty years ago, Mr. Huo faced the Emperor to discuss the peace treaty. Now, regardless of your identity and prestige, coupled with my and the Governor’s protection, Mr. Huo would have the opportunity to explain your country’s reasons to the Emperor. Your country will naturally have to wait for the news, and refrain from acting rashly. East Ling can’t pick any mistakes in this matter.”

Huo Mingshan sighed with his palms, “That’s very true.”

Big Long added, “Within the borders of Great Xiao, I’ll send someone to protect you, which is safer than you rushing back to South Qin alone. Once the discussion is successful, I believe that with your sincerity and eloquence, you will be able to impress the Emperor. At that time, if the two countries negotiate properly, there will be a chance to avoid war.”

Huo Mingshan nodded, thought for a moment, and nodded again. “Exactly, exactly.” He saluted Big Long and said, “General Long believes in me, then I will do my best for my South Qin citizens and the peace between the two countries. Even if I am to lose my life, I will not hesitate.”

Big Long and Huo Mingshan discussed so and so clearly. Huo Mingshan designed a handwritten letter and passed it to Xie Xu to bring it back to South Qin. He was Emperor Qin Zhaode’s reading companion, who followed Huo Mingshan around. He often moved around Qin Zhaode and was deeply trusted by him. It was more appropriate for him to bring the letter than the other attendant, Cao Yihan.

Big Long had no objection to this. He arranged for the guards to protect Xie Xu until he reached the South Qin territory. After confirming that everything went well and that Xie Xu entered the country safely, he would return to Zhonglan City to discuss Huo Mingshan’s trip to the capital with the Governor.

While Big Long was busy with this matter in his barracks, Governor Yao Kun was still unaware of everything that was soon to unfold. At this time, he was accompanying his wife, Meng Jiayue, to deal with An Ruochen’s affairs. In front of him sat the father and son, Qian Pei and Qian Shixin.

The opening scene was a long show of politeness, explaining the cause for their meeting and introducing the situation.

“It seems there remain some grievances due to the withdrawal of marriage with Master Qian. Thus, Miss An has been thinking of explaining this matter to Master Qian face-to-face so that there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings and so they could meet each other in the future.” Yao Kun’s polite and euphemistic words were left unappreciated by anyone present. Only Qian Shixin responded politely, “Thank you, my lord.”

Qian Pei did not even look at Yao Kun, not to mention Meng Jiayue. He kept staring at An Ruochen. He knew that all of this was An Ruochen’s trick. Otherwise, Yao Kun wouldn’t have time to get involved in this nonsense.

No one spoke. Qian Pei stared at An Ruochen, but she did not show weakness and stared back. Qian Pei was quite happy about this and smiled lewdly.

Qian Shixin pressed down his heart’s dissatisfaction with Qian Pei and had to round up for his father, saying, “Lord Governor can rest assured that the matter of withdrawing from the marriage was done properly, with complete etiquette, and there won’t be any more problems.” He turned to An Ruochen and said, “Miss An and General Long are in love. They are about to tie the knot, which is a joyous occasion. We will offer a small gift to show our congratulations.”

An Ruochen smiled at Qian Shixin and said, “Thank you, Lord Qian. Lord Qian is too polite. It’s good that there are no misunderstandings. But I still have one more thing I want to ask Lord Qian.”

Qian Shixin glanced at Qian Pei and said, “If Miss has anything, please speak.”

“The other day, my second sister heard the news of my fourth sister being alive. When I confirmed it again, she said that she had heard that the fourth sister was alive and that the information was reliable. When I asked again, she stammered and said she wasn’t sure. That day I went back to the An family with Madam Governor. Oddly, no one in the whole An family was aware of such news. If they knew, they wouldn’t have behaved so normally. If there was indeed any news, they would have reported it to the government, begging the government to find her. I thought about it and felt that the one who provides reliable information must be someone familiar with my family, who is free to come and go and extremely concerned about the whereabouts of my fourth sister— and that is Master Qian.”

Qian Shixin glanced at Qian Pei again and saw that he seemed to have no intention of speaking, so he said, “If my father has any news of your sister, he will report it to the government and will think of ways to reunite her with her family.”

“That’s something I wouldn’t dare to believe.” An Ruochen said, “I think Master An’s wish for my fourth sister to reunite with her family is not as heavy as his own wish to reunite with her.” She didn’t wait for Qian Shixin to answer and asked Qian Pei directly, “I just want to ask Master Qian, from where did you learn that my fourth sister is alive?”

Qian Pei shook his head innocently, “How would I know that your fourth sister is alive?”

“Master Qian is saying that it wasn’t you who spoke to my second sister about this news?”

“Of course. If I were to say it, I would have said it to your father. How could I say it to your second sister?”

“In that case, I have no choice but to ask the Lord Governor to summon my second sister here to ask what the situation is. This matter is related to the spies. If she doesn’t tell the truth, I would ask Lord Governor to punish her with a plank.” An Ruochen coldly said.

Qian Shixin frowned at her words and turned to Qian Pei. He asked, “Father, is it related to you?”

Qian Pei stared at An Ruochen for a moment and replied, “I remember. It seems like I did mention this in jest with the Second Miss. I didn’t expect her to take it seriously.”

“Father!” Qian Shixin had a wrathful look of hatred. He took two breaths and turned his head to An Ruochen and Yao Kun, “It was my father who acted inappropriately that caused suspicion and trouble. I apologize to Miss An on his behalf.”

But An Ruochen didn’t stop. She said, “This joke isn’t funny, and what I said about it being related to the spies isn’t a joke either. Does the Lord Governor still remember? When I reported to the government about my fourth sister disappearing, I mentioned that maybe it was the spies who did it. That perhaps they wanted to use my fourth sister to blackmail me. A long time has passed without any news from the fourth sister, not even about her corpse. And during this period of time I, an important spy witness, have been wandering freely in Zhonglan City, and managed to uncover Liu Ze and his party. I’m a bane of their existence. They killed one loose end after another but did not kill me. I always hoped it was because my fourth sister was alive, and they were waiting for the right moment to use her to blackmail me. Now, the one who delivered this news to me is Master Qian. May I ask, Master Qian, are you a spy?”

Qian Shixin’s face changed, and he said solemnly, “Miss An, you can be concerned about your sister’s safety, but you must not be malicious in your speech.”

“I’m not an official. I can’t convict Master Qian or interrogate him. Isn’t this a polite question?”

Qian Pei was unable to maintain his expression any longer, he gritted his teeth, and said, “It was a joke, I don’t have as many flowery ideas as the Eldest Miss An, and I made up a set of things. I was just saying it off the top of my head.”

“Then, in front of the Lord Governor and Lord Qian, is Master Qian sure that he didn’t get the information from the spies and that it was just a joke?” An Ruochen relentlessly asked again.

“It was indeed a joke.” Qian Pei’s eyes were gloomy.

An Ruochen stared into his eyes without fear and said, “Then I have something to say. Since it’s a joke, why did you say it to my second sister? What is the status of Master Qian? Are you close enough with my second sister to talk about jokes? And why only with her? My second sister didn’t tell anyone but me. I suspected someone orchestrated this.”

“How would I know what the Second Miss does?” Qian Pei put on a face of a rascal.

“In short, Master Qian used false information to deceive my second sister, and if my second sister stirs trouble because of this, I am afraid that Master Qian would not be able to shirk his responsibility. But if my second sister came to test me at Master Qian’s behest, then your intentions scare me.” An Ruochen’s expression didn’t show fear when she said this. “Now, in front of the lords and with Madam Governor as a witness, I want to clarify something with Master Qian. Given that Master Qian loves to make inappropriate jokes, if my second sister causes any trouble, I think the two of you should still ask Master Qian about it. Furthermore, I am responsible for investigating the spies. Master Qian’s jokes confused me and interrupted the case. I don’t want to make it difficult for you. I won’t say anything to the General, but it’s better to keep this kind of thing to a minimum in the future. Then again, Master Qian said it was a joke, but these days I coincidentally have seen too many spies. On the surface, they were all ordinary and didn’t like to make any jokes but still turned out to be spies. Master Qian has a close relationship with the South Qin, you are the Lord Governor’s teacher, and the Magistrate’s father. With your identity, the spies would surely attempt to recruit you.”

Qian Shixin interrupted An Ruochen, “This matter is not trivial. Miss An’s speculation is bold. Please be careful with your words as well. Regardless of your status today, falsely accusing a good citizen is a felony.”

An Ruochen gave him a frank look and laughed, “Lord Qian is wrong. Did I submit a report to the authorities? I am merely talking about my experience in investigating cases. Master Qian’s special status deserves more attention from everyone concerned. If there really are spies coming to your door, Master Qian must be careful and report to the lords promptly.”

Qian Shixin was speechless. Qian Pei couldn’t hold his rascal face any longer and turned blue. An Ruochen’s words were trying to block his path. If he makes some mistakes or behaves inappropriately, An Ruochen could turn it into the suspicion of him being a spy at any time. If something happens to An Ruoxi, everyone would think of him first. If An Ruofang is alive, without the need for him to do anything, everyone would think of him again.

Qian Pei smiled angrily: “General Long is fortunate to have married such a virtuous wife.” He turned his head to look at Yao Kun and smiled, “This is rather like Lord Yao. In a time of war and turmoil, he found himself a good spouse. Lord Yao had made a great achievement. I wish General Long also makes another achievement so that Miss An can enjoy being the General’s wife peacefully.”

Some words were laced with thorns. Meng Jiayue was very uncomfortable listening to this, and Yao Kun appeared even more unsightly. He glanced at Meng Jiayue and saw her frowning, so he reached out and held her hand to soothe her.

Qian Pei looked at their clasped hands and laughed coldly. He asked, ”Any more lessons? If not, I will be leaving.”

“Father!” Qian Shixin shouted to stop Qian Pei’s rudeness, but Qian Pei ignored it and stood up to leave. Turning his head again as he left, he glanced at An Ruochen and said, “Farewell, Miss An.”

He did not salute to the others but provocatively dropped this sentence to An Ruochen.