Chapter 93.2

“It would be nice if we could stop fighting.” An Ruochen whispered, unable to help but think of Big Long. Thinking of how he said that generals don’t fear war but wish there was no war.

Meng Jiayue also sunk into her memories and sighed, “In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and Mr. Huo is here again. I heard he came alone again, taking on the responsibility on one shoulder. If there is anyone in the two countries who can have this reputation, it is only Mr. Huo. Once he gets to the capital and meets the emperor, things will turn around. I heard that the emperor respected Mr. Huo and was willing to listen to his words.”

An Ruochen took the opportunity to say: “This Mr. Huo is admirable. Not everyone can be as good as him to keep the virtue of the old. Look at Master Qian, who said he also had a role when he was young. The Governor was also his student. I didn’t expect him to become like this nowadays.”

Meng Jiayue heard Qian Pei’s name and showed dissatisfaction: “Master Qian and Mr. Huo naturally cannot be compared.”

An Ruochen sighed and said, “I am also embarrassed to have troubled the Governor several times. I saw that Qian Pei was disrespectful to the Governor, and my heart didn’t feel right. It would be good if I don’t cause trouble for the Lord Governor.”

“How could that be.” Meng Jiayue said, “The Governor should be the master of the people. Naturally, Master Qian must be warned due to his misbehavior. The Governor is mindful of the fact he was his teacher. Therefore, he is polite and very tolerant of him. But, eventually, Master Qian will cause trouble due to his behavior.”

“I also think the same way. I’m afraid that when the time comes, the Lord Governor will be dragged down by him.”

These words poked Meng Jiayue’s heart. All these years, her husband was aggrieved. She wished her husband one day could give that evil person the punishment he deserves, brightly and openly, fair as a mountain. However, her husband’s nature was soft. He liked to have one less matter than to add one and always said that the teacher’s favor couldn’t be forgotten.

Meng Jiayue blamed herself for not being able to sympathize with her husband’s intention to honor his teacher and complained that Qian Pei was ignorant. When her grudge was too heavy, she remembered the sword Huo Mingshan gave her back then. Perhaps, it was indeed she who was selfish and did not understand the bigger picture that her husband was talking about.

An Ruochen observed Meng Jiayue’s expression, looked around, attached herself to her ear, and quietly said, “When I was still in the An family, I overheard Qian Pei boasting with my father, saying that even the Lord Governor had to look at his face, and said a few jerky words, which seemed to mean that he had some sort of a handle on the Lord Governor.”

Meng Jiayue froze, surprised.

An Ruochen said, “Previously, I was afraid of Qian Pei to the extreme just because of his words. Even the Governor was afraid of him, then what could I do? Later, I was out of ideas, so I gritted my teeth and beat the drum to look for the officials. At that time, my heart was desperate, but then I came into contact with the Lord Governor, and then I got in touch with Madam, and only then did I realize that the Lord Governor was not at all like what Qian Pei said.”

Meng Jiayue burned with fury and scolded, “That bastard dared to slander my husband like this outside.” She was so angry that she couldn’t even care less about her title.

“He relies on his status as the Governor’s teacher and on his son as the county magistrate, calling the shots in Pingnan County, which is known to everyone, ah. It was fine for small people like me to hear his boasting about small things. Even if there was a misunderstanding towards the Lord Governor, it won’t have any impact. But the situation nowadays is in chaos. The court, the emperor, and all eyes are on Pingnan County. I heard the General say so. The General also said that the Governor of Mao County was at odds with the Lord Governor. Then, I think, what if an inappropriate word reaches the court or someone uses it to slander him? Then, wouldn’t the Governor be wronged?”

Meng Jiayue’s brows tightened. “What other rumors have you heard?”

An Ruochen said, “I have not paid attention to these. These days I am all about tracking down the spies. It’s just that as we talk about it now, I remembered.”

Meng Jia Yue was worthy of being an official family for many years and understood the tricks. She said: “There are some things I’m not convenient to come forward with. Please help me pay attention to them. If you catch any nonsense, immediately report it to the court. He will be convicted of making false statements and become a warning to others.”

An Ruochen promised, lowered her voice, and said: “Madam, keep some eyes out. Qian Pei, that evil person, has many bad ideas. Knowing that my fourth sister was young and could not immediately marry, he even designed to get an engagement with me first, and then he set my father up using the jade goods. He forced my fourth sister and me to enter his family door on the same day. My father was tricked and had been kept in the dark. That’s why he got the twenty planks. Due to the teacher’s grace, the Lord Governor may not see clearly. Madam must pay attention, do not let Qian Pei harm the Lord Governor.”

Meng Jiayue sucked in a breath of cold air. She had heard about An Ruochen’s fourth sister, and the Governor punishing An Zhifu but never thought about it deeply. Now that she heard it, she felt Qian Pei was doing whatever it took to achieve his goals. He was not only brainless brass but was extremely rude. “You are right.” Meng Jiayue held An Ruochen’s hand, “You’re right.”

An Ruochen held Meng Jiayue’s hand back and said words of concern, promising Meng Jiayue to keep an eye out for news from all directions and report anything unfavorable to the Lord Governor to her.

An Ruochen was a little disappointed in her heart. It seemed that Meng Jiayue did not know too much about Qian Pei. She couldn’t make things too clear, Meng Jiayue’s heart leaned towards Yao Kun, and she wasn’t sure how Yao Kun and Qian Pei were doing. If she reveals too much suspicion, she will be tipping off Qian Pei instead.

An Ruochen stayed in the Governor’s Mansion until the evening. Her status was not enough to attend the banquet. But she said she wanted to see the scene, and Meng Jiayue took her to the banquet and introduced her to Huo Mingshan as General Long Teng’s fiancée, who had tied the knot.

An Ruochen was happy to see Huo Mingshan as she wished. Meng Jiayue gave Huo Mingshan back the sword he had given her back then, saying that it was a sword that had witnessed peace and wishing Huo Mingshan good luck on his journey to the capital.

The crowd saw this scene and remembered that year. An Ruochen stood in the corner, quietly observing and surveying, and everyone was sighing while Yao Kun’s eyes reddened.

An Ruochen bowed out and went to find Fang Yuan. She asked him whether she could see the case record of seventeen years ago. Fang Yuan asked her what it was about, and An Ruochen explained that she did not understand why Huo Mingshan, who had already withdrawn from the court, decided to travel thousands of miles to repeat the actions of seventeen years ago. Today, after hearing Madam Governor talk about the past, she wanted to see if the case record of the assassination of Governor Meng back then was related to the present-day case.

Fang Yuan was stunned and asked, “Is Miss suspecting that Mr. Huo has something to do with the espionage case?”

“I am a bit paranoid. Everyone admires Mr. Huo, and I don’t want to become a target. That’s why I want to look at the case records quietly. It’s best if nothing happens. I must inform the officials in time if there is any trace related to the current espionage case.”

Fang Yuan nodded and promised to help her to look for it.

An Ruochen wanted to stroll to the guest house again but was stopped at the courtyard gate. The guards recognized An Ruochen and politely said that the courtyard was closed and that she was not allowed to enter without a warrant from the Governor.

An Ruochen looked down from afar. There was a post within three steps. Not long after Jiang Song came and asked her what was the matter. It seems the information travels very quickly. An Ruochen thought that with this kind of protection, Mr. Huo’s safety should be guaranteed.

An Ruochen returned to the Purple Cloud House late. Lu Daniang reported that Mrs. Xue has sent a greeting card stating that she and her son Xue Xueran will be at the Xixiu Hall, inviting An Ruochen to pick out some jewelry.

An Ruochen naturally understood what Mrs. Xue meant and was surprised at her eagerness.

An Ruochen thought about it and asked Lu Daniang if she had any news about Qian Pei. Lu Daniang went out to inquire today and replied, “Master Qian has not entered the city, and his mansion in Zhonglan is empty.”

An Ruochen pondered. Huo Mingshan’s entry into the city was a major event for the whole county. Zhonglan City was bustling like this, but Qian Pei didn’t come. Mr. Xie must have left Zhonglan, but he should have a successor. If Qian Pei took care of Mr. Xie for the past few years and hid him in the city, then where is his successor? If Mr. Xie changed his residence just in case, where could he change it to? If Qian Pei doesn’t come to Zhonglan, does it mean that they understand that the defense is too tight and they don’t dare to make a move in Zhonglan city?