Perfect Encounter - Chapter 12.1
PROOFREAD BY AFREANA
Chapter 12.1
An Ruochen’s smile was suppressed, and the light on her face dimmed.
“I am a second-ranked general, ordered by the Emperor to come here to guard the border. Anything that has nothing to do with military affairs falls outside of my jurisdiction. I am in charge of the drill and formation of soldiers and horses, of killing the enemy and protecting the country. I am in charge of the generals in the army. I am in charge of the affairs of the spies. I am responsible for handling cases of crimes committed by the spies in the city. I am responsible for handling cases of crimes committed by the people in the army in the city, but ……”
Disappointment piled up on An Ruochen’s face.
“Civilian marriage, whether it is appropriate or not. Home discipline, whether it is too strict or not, that is not under my control. Not to mention me, even the Governor, who has jurisdiction over all things in this Pingnan County, cannot interfere in your marriage.”
An Ruochen bit her lip.
Big Long stopped, did not speak, and looked at her.
An Ruochen raised her eyes to look at him, observed for a while, unable to see Big Long‘s mind, and asked, “Then the General’s meaning ……”
“What do you mean?”
The rhetorical question again?
An Ruochen frowned. What did General Long mean by this roundabout way? Could it be that he wanted to convince her that since she couldn’t withdraw from the marriage and fleeing home was dangerous, she should live her life as usual and serve as a spy for him? Then he will back her up, so Qian Pei does not dare to hurt her?
An Ruochen pondered, gritted her teeth, and said, “General, I still want to leave.” She was going all out. “I don’t want to resign myself to fate. It may be dangerous to run away from home. It may not be a good life, but there is always a chance of survival. If I give myself up and resign to my fate, there will be no chance of survival.”
Big Long didn’t say anything and listened quietly.
Encouraged by this, An Ruochen continued, “General, my mother abandoned her life at a young age. She was resentful and bitter in her heart but couldn’t fight. She didn’t intend to resist. She gave in. She hated her submissive attitude, but felt it was the right thing to do. She was depressed every day and bullied in her own home. And she died of hatred.”
An Ruochen looked up into Big Long’s eyes, “General, I watched my mother pass away. I promised myself I would never repeat her mistakes. No matter what happens, don’t give up. Even if there is only a thread of hope, I will fight for myself! I am a woman, but I have hands and feet, eyes and ears and ideas. I am not a piece of jade to be played with and appreciated when desired, but trampled on and discarded if unwanted.”
Big Long remained silent and just looked at her. An Ruochen bit her lip: “Well, in short, I mean, I am grateful to General Long for believing in me. And for sending someone to protect Lu Daniang. I also ask General Long to keep this secret for me. I have no skills. I am afraid I cannot serve you. But I want my life to be decided, not by others, but by myself. How to live or die, I……”
“I will help you leave.”
Big Long suddenly blurted out this sentence. An Ruochen was surprised.
“General will help me?”
“Didn’t I just say that I would give you benefits?”
“But ……” An Ruochen’s heart hesitated, “but don’t you want to use me as bait to lure Mr. Xie …… “
“Did I say this to you?”
“……” she took a guess.
“You can’t recognize Mr. Xie. Even if he walks in front of you, you still wouldn’t know who he is. He is very cautious and will not make a move without a perfect plan. This was the case when dealing with Lu Daniang. Although Lu Daniang is related to this matter, she wasn’t a threat to him. He wanted to deal with Lu Daniang to find out the owner of the earring. Since he has not done it yet, it means that he has already found the owner. No need to kill one more person, as it would lead to additional problems. But we don’t know what Xu Matchmaker said to him before she died. He killed her to get rid of your most powerful helper, which means he is not in a hurry to kill you. But the fact is that you were the one who had been in close contact with him and reported the incident to me. For him, you are a problem as long as you stay alive. He will observe you and plan a way out for himself. He will find a proper time and method if he wants to kill you.”
In the end, she was the best bargaining chip to lure the enemy, wasn’t she? An Ruochen listened quietly.
“I said this much to let you know that Mr. Xie is very cautious. He calculates every step and never takes risks easily. If he doesn’t do it before your wedding date, then he would only have more chances after you marry into the Qian House. By then, the cause of death would be unclear, like suicide due to torture, etc. In my opinion, such a result is not a good strategy to lure the enemy. Although this is a little self-defeating, you should know I am not sure whether he will give up going against you or not, and I am not sure I can protect you. For now, as you remain unmarried, you’re living deep in the boudoir. After you get married, you will move into your husband’s home in the outer counties, while I will be busy with military affairs here. Maybe by then, a war will have already started with South Qin. In order to protect you, I would have to face a lot of inconveniences. On the other hand, as you said, if you leave, you will have a chance of survival.”
When An Ruochen heard this, she was sure Big Long seriously calculated for her. She drew in a breath of surprise and knelt with a flutter: “Thank you, General, for your great kindness.”
“But not now. Since I am risking my life to help you, I must confirm that nothing will go wrong. Otherwise, if something happens, not only will you have no more chance to escape, but I will also get into trouble.”
“I will keep my mouth shut, don’t worry, General.”
“Then go about your life as usual and wait for my news. I won’t sneak into your house to look for you like this again, but I will arrange for you and me to meet. By then, you will know how to find me.”
An Ruochen was busy nodding her head. She understood that the General was being careful. If she had the slightest intention to harm him, it would become a problem for him, and if someone learned about his assistance and decided to use it against him, losing his position would be a small matter, but the impact on the border defense would be a big issue.
”I will only listen to the General’s instructions. I will not acknowledge any words from others. I do not know who wants to leave, and General Long has not said anything to me. Today I have guests at home. I have been in my own house and have not seen you.”
Big Long nodded, “Then take care of yourself and wait for my news.”
An Ruochen kowtowed. She put her life in his hands and was willing to trust him.
After Big Long had left for a while, An Ruochen still felt like she was in a dream. She was blessed while in a disaster and met a valuable person.
On An Zhifu’s end, it was a different story. He felt he had met a tricky person.
Those few foreign merchants were now holding onto the contract aggressively, claiming that if An Zhifu cannot deliver the goods, everything will be done according to the contract, and he will have to pay double in penalty.
That is a large amount of money. An Zhifu was anxious and could not sleep for several days. He inquired about these people, who turned out to also have some resources, were rich and powerful. In addition, with the contract signed in black and white, An Zhifu couldn’t take advantage of the reason behind the delay to refuse their claim. If the other party filed a report to the official, it would not be possible for him to gain anything out of it. But he would be equally in trouble if the other party does not report to the official and decide to move against him in private.
An Zhifu wanted to seek help from Qian Pei, but Qian Pei went to another county. An Zhifu waited until the middle of September when Qian Pei returned and wanted to visit him, but the Qian House said the master was sick and recuperating and could not see his guests for the time being.
An Zhifu returned in dismay, prepared two expensive tonics to be delivered, and mentioned he would come back to visit in a couple of days.