Chapter 93.1

The timing did seem to be correct. But that alone wasn’t enough.

An Ruochen said softly, “I need evidence.”

“There’s no evidence. That person is already gone. What can you do with the testimony of a little girl? The Lord Governor had sent people to search all the houses near the Top Pine Pavilion. He didn’t even find anything. Do you think Qian Pei’s friendship with the Lord Governor is unfathomable?”

An Ruochen didn’t know. But it was undeniable that Qian Pei was arrogant toward the Lord Governor. She had also witnessed the helplessness and stoicism of Yao Kun and Qian Shixin when they stood together to face Qian Pei. One was a student, while the other was a son. The Governor must abide by the teacher’s will, but Qian Pei was out of character and had long lost the qualification to make people respect him, not to mention that Yao Kun was a Governor, not a minor official.

An Ruochen felt that the calculations she had made were wrong. Things were more complicated than she had envisioned.

An Ruochen rushed back to the Purple Cloud House rapidly, intending to go to the barracks to report this news to Big Long and hear his judgment.

When Mr. Zhou heard that she was going to the barracks, he said, ”When Mr. Huo comes to Zhonglan City today, General Long will have to go to the Si Xia River to prevent welcoming guests at this end and sending out soldiers at that end. If Miss has an urgent matter, you must go to the Si Xia River.”

An Ruochen froze. The Si Xia River was far away, one round trip for her and Huo Mingshan would have already left Zhonglan City. These few days were critical. Looking at the Lord Governor’s stance with the various officials and Jiang Song’s personally leading the military escort, she knew the importance of Huo Mingshan.

But she also knew that there were still spies in the army and the local government offices, and she now became aware that the relationship between the  Governor and Qian Pei may still contain some secrets. What if Qian Pei is one of the spies? Does Qian Shixin know about it? What about the other officials in the local government office? What about the merchants in the city who revolve around Qian Pei?

An Ruochen decided not to go. These days are critical. Distant water cannot quell a nearby fire, so she will be here to observe.

Seeing An Ruochen’s appearance, Mr. Zhou thought she was worried about the military situation. Hence, he busily comforted her, “Don’t worry, Miss An. Mr. Huo is here on behalf of South Qin to negotiate peace. The General’s visit to the Si Xia River is just a precautionary measure to prevent people from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos and from thinking that our Great Xiao would reduce its vigilance at this time. The peace talks are as necessary as the military strength at the border. Besides, there is General Jiang in this city. Such matters as Liu Ze and Chief Li won’t happen again. As soon as the sun sets, the city will be under curfew, and hundreds of guards from the military and the local government’s officers and constables will be patrolling. With so much manpower, Mr. Huo’s house will be encircled by three layers outside and inside. Even flies can’t get in, not to mention spies and assassins.”

An Ruochen said, “Lord has a point. With such thorough precautions, there will be no trouble. It’s just that the General went to the Xi Sia River, and I don’t know if he’s missing anything. The spring cold is freezing. I’d better write a letter to the General, lest he thinks I’m not concerned about him.”

An Ruochen went back to her courtyard and wrote a letter. As she said to Mr. Zhou, she wrote that the General must wear more clothes to prevent catching the spring flu. After some words of care, she wrote that she went to take a stroll on the streets today to witness the hustle and bustle. The Governor was in charge of the city while the General guarded the outside. Although the situation was not good, she felt at ease. The power of Mr. Xie’s group in Zhonglan City had been broken, which was in part due to her efforts, but the General never praised her. Of course, she does not mind this, but today when she saw the commotion on the streets, she suddenly remembered her engagement with Qian Pei and felt fear. At first, she thought the city was surrounded by Qian Pei’s network of influence and her life would be like a bird in a cage, locked in the mansion by him, living a life worse than death. She didn’t expect to have a chance to escape later. Now, with Madam Governor’s help, she worked hard to plan the wedding, hoping that the General does not worry and take care of himself.

After finishing her letter, An Ruochen carefully examined it to confirm there were no mistakes, hoping the General could understand her hints. She handed the letter to Mr. Zhou, who said he would deliver it to the General along with the official reports.

An Ruochen thanked him. Then she went to see the Governor’s wife, Meng Jiayue.

Meng Jiayue was checking the details of the welcoming dinner. An Ruochen looked embarrassed and said that she was not here to cause any trouble but that she had not had the chance to witness an official banquet, and she was worried that she would be a disgrace to the General when she returned to the capital with him in the future. So, she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from the madam.

Meng Jiayue naturally did not mind and brought An Ruochen inside and outside, carefully explaining the rules of an official banquet. Speaking of the evening’s banquet guest, Huo Mingshan, An Ruochen naturally asked, “I heard that seventeen years ago when Great Xiao held peace talks with South Qin, it was also this Mr. Huo who came as the envoy.”

“Precisely.” Meng Jiayue was dazed as she remembered the past.

“Madam.”

Meng Jiayue heard the call and returned to her senses, forcing a smile, “I was seventeen that year, about the same age as you are today.”

An Ruochen lowered her head and said softly, “I have heard of it.”

Meng Jiayue understood what she meant, “Hm.” She nodded, “I’ve also heard of it quite a bit.”

An Ruochen laughed at Meng Jiayue’s tone.

Meng Jiayue also smiled, “It’s been a long time. Surprisingly, it’s been seventeen years in a blink of an eye.” She looked at An Ruochen and said, “I didn’t realize that after these many years, everything seems to be repeating itself all over again.”

An Ruochen didn’t say anything, waiting for Meng Jiayue to continue. Meng Jiayue asked her, “Did you hear about my father’s death?”

“I heard that before the peace talks, assassins killed Governor Meng.”

“The war almost went on again. When Mr. Huo heard the bad news, he didn’t wait for the welcoming ceremonial carriage. He came quickly on horseback, shouting that peace is the most important thing and that he was willing to be a hostage as proof of the South Qin Emperor’s intention to seek peace and that if this matter was South Qin’s doing, he would pay for it with his life.” Meng Jiayue thought of the situation and looked down at her hands.

“Back then, hatred filled my heart. I knelt in front of Old General Long, begging him to continue the war and exterminate South Qin to avenge my father. At that time, Mr. Huo kneeled and put a sword into my hand. He said, “Child, war is not a quick revenge. War is the destruction of the world, a disaster, a flow of tears, blood, and pain. Why did your father die? Do not let the traitors succeed. Do not let the people suffer. This sword is for you. General Long and everyone can be witnesses. If you use this sword to take my life, I will never complain, and I ask everyone not to pursue the matter. But please let me finish what your father wanted to do.”

An Ruochen was moved to hear this and couldn’t help but imagine what kind of demeanor and glory this Mr. Huo had. She asked, “Later, I found out that the assassin was a citizen of Great Xiao who lost his family due to the war between the two countries, and when he heard that peace was to be negotiated, he blamed it on Mr. Meng, so he committed the assassination. Is that true?”

Meng Jiayue nodded. “It was my husband who found the real culprit. That person confessed to his crime and asked why they negotiated peace after his family got killed. Who will pay for his family’s life?”

An Ruochen was saddened to hear this, and Meng Jiayue also had tears in her eyes. She wiped her eyes and said with a bitter smile, “After that man’s execution, I didn’t feel satisfied. Even if he dies, my father won’t be able to come back to life, and even if the peace succeeds, his family won’t be able to come back to life either.”