PROOFREAD BY AFREANA

Chapter 89.1

After returning to Fu’an County, Qian Shixin became furious. He wanted to find Qian Pei to blame, but the latter refused to leave the door for two consecutive days. Qian Shixin did not dare to force too much. He knew his father’s temperament. Force him too much, and he will break the rules just to cross you. He was crazy without scruples. The current situation was already tense, so he did not want to cause further trouble.

Qian Shixin instructed Qian Pei’s household to keep an eye on him. If there was any movement, they must come to report to him quickly. If the Master does something stupid and they don’t say anything, they would suffer in prison.

Qian Shixin returned to his residence thinking of finding a good time to talk to Qian Pei about this matter. After being infuriated at the Governor’s residence, Qian Pei won’t listen to anything he says. But as Qian Shixin entered the house, he found a person sitting inside.

Qian Shixin froze, reacted, and hurriedly greeted, “Mr. Xie.”

Mr. Xie asked bluntly, “I heard you and your father are in trouble. An Ruochen said you are spies and asked the Governor to monitor your movements?”

Qian Shixin hurriedly said, “That’s not what she said. She used it as a pretext to deter my father from hitting on her sisters again. It’s my fault for failing to control my father. He had a conflict with the An family and couldn’t let it go. He always wanted to deal with An Ruochen and retrieve their fourth sister, to avenge his humiliation. I’ll enlighten him properly so he won’t be too obsessive.”

“Uh-huh.” Mr. Xie nodded and asked again, “Then can you locate An Ruofang’s whereabouts?”

“Not yet.” Qian Shixin pondered and then explained, “My father doesn’t know what we’re doing. He said that An Ruofang was alive only to lure An Ruochen. It’s just a coincidence.” The meaning was that although they were father and son, he did not reveal any information.

Fortunately, Mr. Xie did not care. His concern lay on another issue, “An Ruochen suddenly transformed into Long Teng’s fiancée. There are several points of truth and falsehood here. Perhaps it is only a trick to invite the turtle into the jar. Be careful of the movements on her end. Is accusing someone of being a spy something you dare to make up with your mouth? Whether she only has that intention or realized something meaningful, you mustn’t be careless.”

Qian Shixin hurriedly said: “This girl acts really boldly. Young Master Min was aware of this. Not counting that she successfully escaped the marriage, she ran to the court with a body full of injury and talked nonsense, dragging a dead man into it and lying, and insisted on entering the Purple Cloud House. We discussed her that time, but General Long looked at her in a different light and promoted her. I don’t know what else is going on.”

“Therefore, we must be vigilant. This Long Teng may be even more scheming than we thought. His art of war is like a god’s. Since he entered this Zhonglan City, he must know how to deal with the South Qin. Spending this much time and energy to support an ordinary girl, perhaps he has already laid out his plans long ago. An Ruochen herself leaked the news that An Ruofang is still alive. After leaking the news, she transformed into the future general’s wife. The timing is too savvy.”

“‘Mister’s meaning is, don’t put too much effort into finding An Ruofang?”

“An Ruochen and Long Teng may be waiting for someone to look for An Ruofang. When they sense any movement, they will have a chance to find clues. An Ruochen may be waiting for someone to use the matter of An Ruofang to blackmail her. She’s a bit impatient, don’t you think?”

“What you said is true, Mr. Xie.” Qian Shixin agreed.

“Leave An Ruofang alone for the time being. Don’t mind your father. If he is willing to commit adultery and chaos, let him. A spy won’t be so bold as to attract attention. Yao Kun understands this in his heart. It’s not worth it to bring this up. As long as your father has the right number in mind, and doesn’t put the fire under you, then it’s all good. You did a good job reprimanding him in front of the people. The people outside will be in your favor. Just let him do what he did before and what he does now so that he won’t attract suspicion. Otherwise, it would look like because of An Ruochen’s provocative words, you changed your behavior suddenly. That’s the one who has a guilty conscience.”

Qian Shixin nodded. “Okay, I will grasp the situation and talk to Father again.” He paused and asked, “Now that Long Teng and An Ruochen are like this, shouldn’t we do something to prevent it? We can’t make big moves to find An Ruofang lest we leave clues, but we must also arrange some other means that could pin down An Ruochen.”

“I have arrangements for this. You don’t need to worry about it first. Now there is something important. I came here mainly for this.”

“Please speak, sir.”

“Former Prime Minister of South Qin, Huo Mingshan, has arrived in the territory of Great Xiao, and he has brought an order from the Emperor of South Qin with him, and he is here to see Long Teng.”

Qian Shixin frowned.

Mr. Xie added, “We didn’t manage to intercept him in South Qin, and several men in black saved him. The identities of those people are unknown. Now that Huo Mingshan has met Long Teng, they plan to go to the capital to meet the Emperor.”

Qian Shixin said, “I know Huo Mingshan. He is very famous in South Qin and has influence in the neighboring countries. Seventeen years ago, he was also the one who came to negotiate peace with Great Xiao. Does he have anything in his hands that is unfavorable to the overall situation?”

Mr. Xie coldly said: “He does not need anything else. He is the biggest disadvantage to the overall situation. Qin Zhaode used to be obedient to him. But in the past few years, King Hui used all his methods to calm the disputes and stabilize the factions, breaking Huo Mingshan’s balancing plan. Qin Zhaode began to trust King Hui. However, Huo Mingshan always popped up to stir up trouble at critical moments. This time, with Great Xiao’s numerous crimes and the testimony of East Ling, Long Teng could hold back from making a move, but if South Qin sends troops first, Long Teng will have to satisfy them.”

“If Huo Mingshan wants to see the Emperor, perhaps there is a chance to talk about a turnaround?”

“Regardless of what he talks about, he has a long way to the capital, and it will take some time for him to meet with the Emperor for peace talks. So, it’s hard to predict what will happen during this period. Don’t you forget, in the originally tranquil Zhonglan City, somehow there was An Ruochen, and Liu Ze’s wife destroyed those lines of power. We don’t have any reliable and stable staff in the neighborhood anymore. Moreover, Long Teng has another intention. Regardless of whether Huo Mingshan can reach the capital to see the Emperor and talk about peace, with Huo Mingshan under the hands of the Great Xiao, Qin Zhaode will have another layer of worries and delay the war. Hence, Long Teng will have his way.”

Qian Shixin thought for a moment and asked, “How does Mr. Xie know that Huo Mingshan is going to the capital, and is this information reliable?”

“Huo Mingshan wrote a letter to Qin Zhaode, stating that he has already met with Great General Long Teng, that the conflict between the two countries is full of suspicions, and that it seems like someone is laying a trap, and that he is going to go to the capital to meet with the Emperor of Great Xiao, to express his sincerity, to understand the situation, and to resolve the crisis.” Mr. Xie paused and said, “He gave the letter to his close confidant Xie Xu and entrusted him to bring it back to Qin Zhaode.”

??”This Xie Xu ……”