PROOFREAD BY AFREANA

Chapter 89.2

Mr. Xie twitched his mouth: ”This letter naturally couldn’t reach Qin Zhaode’s hands. When Xie Xu entered South Qin, he handed over the message and waited for instructions. He couldn’t hand this letter to Qin Zhaode, but he couldn’t come with nothing to report either. It is not appropriate to pass on a false message. If Huo Mingshan returns, Xie Xu’s falsification will be uncovered and reveal his identity.”

“Then how do we act?”

Mr. Xie looked into Qian Shixin’s eyes and said, “Huo Mingshan must die.”

Qian Shixin asked, “You need me to make arrangements?”

“Correct. Arrange for some experts. Big Long must pass the matter of Huo Mingshan’s visit to the capital through Yao Kun. That’s the only way to honor his name.”

“Yao Kun will look for me to discuss it.”

Mr. Xie nodded. “Right. At that time, delay Huo Mingshan’s visit to the capital. First, you must submit the memorial, or wait for the inspector’s arrival to recommend Huo Mingshan to enter the capital, etc. In short, following the rules and regulations of the situation. It will be better if you can delay it for a day or two.”

Qian Shixin said: “This is not difficult. Even if Long Teng is anxious, he could not let an elder suffer from long-distance travel bumps. To rest for a day or two and wait for the Governor’s side to clear all matters before going on the road is a matter of course.”

“And let him stay in the Governor’s residence.”

“The Lord Governor honors Huo Mingshan as his guest, so it’s only right that he receives him in his residence.” Qian Shixin didn’t think this would be too difficult. “Earlier, you said something about an inspector?”

“Yes. I received the news. The thing that happened in Mao County shocked the court. Also, the chaotic espionage case in Pingnan County and the appearance of a traitor in the army caused the court to be furious. The court will send an inspector to ensure the border’s safety and to verify the official’s duties. In the next two days, the Governor should receive the news, and you’ll soon know about it.”

Qian Shixin frowned slightly. This Mr. Xie knew the movements of the court in the capital faster than they did.

“Find two more experts and arrange them in the court patrol team. Just give me the names, and I’ll arrange for someone to do it.” Mr. Xie said.

“Is it to have those two kill Huo Mingshan?” Qian Shixin’s mind spun. If this was the case, he had to find people he could arrange to go far away afterward without attracting attention.

“No. It’s just a precautionary measure. If the Butcher fails to lay hands on Huo Mingshan, or if something goes wrong, they will kill these two together.”

Qian Shixin mused. “Do you want for the Butcher to do it, sir?”

Every assassination mission would be carried out by someone depending on the circumstances. Qian Shixin knew that the Butcher was a ruthless man that never left any traces, and he heard that he was also cold and didn’t like to talk. In the past, when Young Master Min handled some tricky tasks, he used to ask the Butcher to do it.

“I need to have the Butcher do something to see how she is. Young Master Min’s last task was given to her. According to the plan, Li Mingyu should have died at the East City Gate, and it would have been better if he died in a sensational way that shocked the city. But he unexpectedly died on the way back to the Purple Cloud House.”

Qian Shixin said, “I’ve heard a little about that case. He fell off his horse while running away and broke his neck. There was nothing suspicious left behind. It was indeed clean.”

“He died too early. That’s not right. Young Master Min planned to make a big scene at the East City Gate so that the city’s people would know that there were traitors under Great General Long Teng and that An Ruochen was suspected of treason. In this way, we would be able to deal with Long Teng in the future, and it would  be much better. Although we achieved the goal, the effect was too far from the plan. Many things will not be the same. And Young Master Min went missing. I checked all the people associated with this person, but no one knows where he went, and I don’t know whether he is alive or dead.”

“You suspect the butcher?”

“Not really. But it was true that Young Master Min appointed her for the last mission and that the mission went slightly wrong.”

In the Jing Xin Temple, An Ruofang squatted on the ground, propping up her face as she watched Priestess Jing Yuan set up the mechanism in her small courtyard.

Now her small courtyard had a secret door that could lead to the front yard. It turned out that there was a secret room under the Buddha statue’s seat in the front yard, and there was food and drink in there, so it was no problem to hide for a few days. When Priestess Jing Yuan went out, she was allowed to hide in it. There was also a mechanism in Priestess Jing Yuan’s chambers that could trap people. Only after being taught by Priestess Jing Yuan in the past few days did An Ruofang figure out all the special places of this small nunnery. It hid many secrets.

“Master, last time, you said you wanted to do a test to look for the best place for me. How was it tested?”

“To see how they react when dealing with a critical situation, as well as the situation around them.”

“And are there any results yet?”

“It will have to wait a little longer.”

An Ruofang furrowed her brows uneasily: “Master, am I dragging you down?”

“It has nothing to do with you. It’s your family that is useless.”

An Ruofang thought of her mother and was quite sad in her heart. “If it’s not safe anywhere and no longer convenient for Master, then I’ll go home. I miss my mother.”

Jing Yuan’s working hands stopped. After a while, she continued the work in her hands and said, “Your mother, secretly, got quite close to Qian Pei. I saw them meeting outside the An Residence, and no one in your An family seems to know about it.”

An Ruofang’s mouth opened wide in shock, “My mother, my mother knows that Master Qian is evil.”

“If you can get favors, you’re not an evil person.”

An Ruofang bit her lip, somewhat disbelieving. “My mother doesn’t do business. What benefits would she be able to ask from Master Qian?”

“Money, respect, flattery …… what she lacks, she thinks these are benefits. I watched them talk and laugh from afar and did not know what your mother could ask for. But I can guess it at Qian Pei’s end. If you are alive, the one you miss the most, besides your mother, who else can there be.”

An Ruofang said sadly: “So I can’t go back, right?”

“Not exactly.” Priestess Jing Yuan’s voice was cold, “Recently, there were some troubles, and we need to be careful. After the situation becomes clear, I will go and kill Qian Pei. Then you will have no threat for the time being. If I am still here and you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come and tell me, whoever wants to bully you, I will kill them.”

An Ruofang was so shocked that she couldn’t speak.

Priestess Jing Yuan looked at her and said, “Don’t be afraid. People always die. If you don’t kill those who want to harm you, you will end up dying yourself. Dying isn’t bad. The worst thing is living and suffering. Instead of this, why not let those evil people die?”

An Ruofang was speechless.

Meanwhile, Big Long and Huo Mingshan didn’t know there was a mishap with Xie Xu’s message. They only knew that three days later, the generals and soldiers who escorted Xie Xu returned and reported they had safely sent Xie Xu to the South Qin territory. Xie Xu was in disguise and rushed to the capital city of South Qin.

Huo Mingshan was finally relieved. Although the road to the capital city was still dangerous, at least they had completed the first step.

Big Long placed Huo Mingshan in the barracks, stating that he would return to Zhonglan City to discuss the details with Yao Kun, the Governor. “We must make a big show of welcoming you into the city as an envoy so your court will believe in this matter. A letter alone will not suffice.”

Huo Mingshan found this reasonable and entrusted Big Long with everything.

When Big Long rushed to meet Yao Kun, An Ruoxi found An Ruochen at her door.

An Ruochen thought An Ruoxi was coming to ask about the poison. She wanted to explain and reassure her, but An Ruoxi excitedly held her hand and said, “Sister, someone has come to the residence to propose marriage to me!”

This is surprising. It shouldn’t be a bad family. Otherwise, An Ruoxi could not have reacted like this.

“Master Xue from the east of the city, does sister have any impression of him?”

An Ruochen nodded, “Master Xue’s reputation is much better than father’s. Wasn’t he and Father always at odds with each other? How could he came to propose marriage?”

“It’s like this.” An Ruoxi’s eyes glowed a little. She positively introduced the situation, “His son is sixteen this year, one month younger than me, and his body has not been well since he was young. A senior monk said he would not live for another ten years. Master Xue then became a bit anxious. He and the Lord Governor are the same. They do not have concubines, only a wife. Young Master Xue is their only son, and they have held him in their hearts. When they heard that their only son’s life would not last long, they rushed to a monk to find a way to solve the problem. The monk said that they should marry a woman whose fortune is compatible with theirs so that they have a chance. The Xue family asked around and found me. My eight characters are a match.”

An Ruochen became speechless. These words of the eight characters matching each other, isn’t it ridiculous nonsense? When their son is sick and weak, parents are naturally worried and seek medical help, and her foolish sister was hit in the middle. Where is the excitement in it?