Perfect Encounter - Chapter 57.2
PROOFREAD BY AFREANA
Chapter 57.2
Qian Pei nodded and asked: “Speaking of which, the eldest girl is working beside the General, sounding powerful, but in fact, she is still isolated and helpless. Even if she bewitches General Long, he has to fight and protect the country. How can he care about her that much? She relies on her beauty to climb up on the General. Naturally, people will look down on her.”
“That’s right.” Mrs. Tan was busy agreeing.
Qian Pei asked, “In the second girl’s opinion, is there anything unusual about the eldest girl being so anxious to meet you?”
An Ruoxi’s heart was pounding. She hesitated, shook her head, and said, “I don’t think she’s abnormal. She still looks like she thinks she’s climbing up the ladder and is so high and mighty.”
When she said this, Qian Pei kept looking at her. An Ruoxi sheepishly lowered her head.
On that day, Qian Pei stayed for dinner. Later in the evening, Lu Daniang came over to deliver a box of desserts on behalf of An Ruochen. She said that the second girl was kind enough to give her what she loves to eat, so today, she returned the gift and gave the second girl a dessert box made by the chef of the Purple Cloud House. The eldest girl said the second girl was good to her. Naturally, she will also be good to the second girl.
When An Ruoxi listened to the gatekeeper, she looked at the box in the gatekeeper’s hand while wishing An Ruochen was standing before her so she could throw that box in her face.
Is she deliberately trying to harm her?
But Mrs. Tan didn’t think so, and she seized the opportunity to take credit for her daughter’s suffering before Qian Pei, saying that there have been some results. The two sisters are now close, and there will be opportunities to control An Ruochen in the future. Master Qian smiled, not saying anything, looking at An Ruoxi. An Ruoxi only felt that her heart was in turmoil.
At this time, in the Feng’an County’s Pin Xiang Brothel, Xie Gang’s heart sank to the bottom. Indeed, there was a room decorated with bells in which Xiyin lived. Still, this Xiyin and Tian Yin, or Zhao Jiahua were completely unrelated. Xiyin came to the Pin Xiang Brothel less than half a year ago, while Tian Yin had already left the brothel for three years. They have never met and did not know each other.
Tian Yin herself was not that suspicious. She did not come to the Pin Xiang Brothel abruptly. She was an orphan girl sold here at the age of eleven. The procurer taught her music along with other courtesans, from selling her art to selling her body. Therefore, she can’t be a spy from South Qin who came here to disguise her identity.
But Xie Gang still found some clues. Zhao Jiahua was following the Xu Matchmaker involuntarily. The procurer confessed that Tian Yin was famous for her beauty and singing. But she was in love with Mr. Zhao and agreed to marry him. Mr. Zhao gave the procurer some money so that Tian Yin would no longer receive customers. Then, he went back to raise money to redeem Tian Yin. Tian Yin was delighted and waited in hopefulness. However, when Mr. Zhao was yet to come, another woman came. The woman claimed her surname was Xu, saying she was there for Boss Liu. Mrs. Xu gave the procurer a lot of money to redeem Tian Yin. The procurer said she had already promised Tian Yin to Mr. Zhao, so she decided it would depend on Tian Yin’s wish.
Tian Yin talked with the Xu Matchmaker for a long time but eventually refused. The Xu Matchmaker told Tian Yin that she would wait patiently but secretly gave money to the procurer, who scolded Tian Yin, forced her to accept customers again, and ordered other courtesans to mock and ridicule Tian Yin every day. Mr. Zhao never came, the Xu Matchmaker repeatedly persuaded her, and Tian Yin finally followed her.
Boss Liu? Xie Gang has already guessed who it is.
The procurer also said that Boss Liu was a restaurant owner. When he was passing by and came to play in the Pin Xiang Brothel, he met Tian Yin. Boss Liu fell in love with her and came several times. Sometimes, he was visiting not for business but especially for her. Like other gentlemen, this Boss Liu wanted to redeem Tian Yin but got rejected. Unexpectedly, he has not given up his heart and found a matchmaker to negotiate.
The procurer said that the Xu Matchmaker said she was from Pingnan County but did not mention the details. But she quietly asked her carriage driver and knew she came from Zhonglan City. Then after a long time, Mr. Zhao suddenly appeared, saying he was robbed in the middle of the road and nearly killed. After recovering from injuries for two years, he was still thinking about Tian Yin. Thus, he came to search for her.
He discovered her whereabouts from the carriage driver, the same way they did. But what alerted Xie Gang was not the cautiousness of the Xu Matchmaker but the fact that Liu Ze forced Zhao Jiahua to marry him. Then, the whole thing was a big flip!
Oh no, they tricked him into getting out of the mountain!
Meanwhile, on top of the Shi Ling Cliff, Big Long rode his steed while watching the two lieutenants under Chu Qing’s command lead two teams of soldiers to escort those two South Qin soldiers to the border.
On the opposite side of them was the South Qin’s team of soldiers. The South Qin’s Great General, Duanmu Jie, stood in the front. Seeing those escorted South Qin soldiers, he waved his hand to order the team to pick them up.
Chu Qing stood before the formation and ordered his men to release the captives.
The two lieutenants released the men and handed over the papers. Chu Qing shouted: “General Long Teng orders; the South Qin soldiers who invaded our Great Xiao are now released, with their hair cut and deprived as a warning. If you dare to come and commit crime gain, we will not forgive you lightly.”
Once Duanmu Jie saw his team lead back the two captured soldiers, his mouth hardened. “Don’t be arrogant. My South Qin emperor orders this General to protect the border defense. It is you who crossed the border to kill and capture my soldiers. Your Da Xiao is shameless and unethical, and we will reclaim it on the battlefield in the coming days.”
When Chu Qing heard his words, he looked back at Big Long on the high platform.
Big Long raised his hand, and Chu Qing turned his head to Duanmu Jie, shouting, “If you want to fight, then come! What’s the point of wasting words!”
“Wait and see.” Duanmu Jie also turned his head to look at the high platform, patted his horse, and turned around to lead the team away.
Under the bright daylight, Big Long’s armor shone brightly. His black horse was tall and mighty, and the “Long” flag fluttered in the wind behind him. Duanmu Jie walked out for a while and then turned back, overwhelmed by Big Long’s awesomeness.
Long Teng! Long Teng! It was better when you saw him personally!
Duanmu Jie had a plan in mind. He returned to the camp and interrogated the two soldiers. They said the same things. General Long Teng was arrogant, and General Chu Qing was impatient and ignorant. They have already followed the plan and given false information.
Duanmu Jie was satisfied and wrote a military report in a flash. He reported that he saw Long Teng on the battlefield giving orders. When prisoners of war entered the camp, Chu Qing did not dare to decide whether to kill or release them. In front of the battle, Chu Qing also depended on Long Teng. He was hesitant to make decisions yet impulsive and irritable. If Long Teng is not there, Shi Ling Cliff’s defenses would be far inferior to the Si Xia River.
General Duanmu Jie finished writing the report, sending one copy to General Qiao at the Si Xia River General Military Camp and another to the South Qin Capital to ask King Hui to open it himself.
Meanwhile, An Ruochen sat in Big Long’s room, across from his usual seating. She was thinking. Today, using the reason for sending desserts to the second sister, she sent some messages to Lu Daniang, who has gone to check them. She encountered some difficulties and needed guidance from Big Long. What a pity that the General is not here.
An Ruochen sat there pondering for a long time and said to Big Long’s seat, “Then it’s fixed, ah, General.”
An Ruochen went to the Jiang Clothes Store. The whole street was still disorganized and wrecked. Many people carried stones and wood and were cleaning up the ruins. An Ruochen had imagined the tragic situation, but seeing the dead street with her own eyes, she couldn’t help but be distressed.
She kept walking and found the person she was looking for – Meng Jiayue, the Governor’s wife. She had been here since morning, leading people to bring food on the street, settling people in, distributing aid according to their needs, and comforting the women, children, and elderly who had lost their loved ones. She made note of all the people who suffered and the damage they suffered. After a busy day, the maid urged her to return to the residence to rest, and she was about to refuse when she saw An Ruochen.
“Madam.” An Ruochen came over and saluted. She took a look at the maid at her side.
Meng Jiayue recognized An Ruochen from before she left the An family. After that, she had only heard of her name and matters. When she saw her coming over to greet her like this, Meng Jiayue sent the maid away.
An Ruochen whispered a few words to her, and Meng Jiayue took her back to the Governor’s residence.
The Governor was busy with this case. Meng Jiayue sent people to ask him to go home several times, but he refused. Finally, he returned with a black face, intending to give his wife a good lecture. She was usually most sympathetic to the people’s suffering, but today she acted ignorantly.
When he returned to the residence, he was surprised to see An Ruochen. His wife’s face was solemn as if she had been discussing something with An Ruochen for a long time.
It was already dark when An Ruochen left the Governor’s Residence. She looked up at the stars in the sky, slowly walking with her hands behind her back, following the moonlight.
Tian Qing and Lu Zheng followed behind her. Tian Qing bumped Lu Zheng’s shoulder and whispered, “Don’t you think Steward An’s style is similar to General Long’s?”
Lu Zheng looked at it and could not help but lose his smile. When you look at it carefully, it’s true. “What was she doing at the Lord Governor’s place for such a long time?”
“Maybe she thought of how to catch the murderer of this arson case.”
“Isn’t it Li Xiu’er?”
Tian Qing shook his head, “I don’t know. I don’t know if the Lord Governor has made any progress after a day of investigation. Maybe Steward An just came to ask.”
Lu Zheng sighed: “Well, look at her heavy expression. I think there is nothing.”
But An Ruochen, who seemed to gain nothing, wandered off to the Liu Residence and begged to see Liu Ze in the middle of the night. Before knocking on the door, she asked Tian Qing to hide in the dark and only took Lu Zheng with her.
The door opened, and the gatekeeper naturally did not allow her to enter.
An Ruochen was not anxious, not annoyed, only said lightly: “Go and talk to your master. Meet me now, or wait for the Lord Governor to send officers to search the house. Let him choose.”
The gatekeeper was stunned but thought An Ruochen should be bluffing. Even if the officers were brutal, there was no reason to raid people’s homes. He straightened his posture and was about to argue with her, but An Ruochen waved her head and said to Lu Zheng behind her, “If he refuses to report, cut off his head.”
Lu Zheng immediately plucked his sword without saying a word.
The gatekeeper was so shocked that his face turned pale, not daring to breathe a word, and rushed towards the house.
An Ruochen calmly watched his back disappear, then said to Lu Zheng: “I will go in later. Be more careful yourself, in case someone tries a sneak attack. They do not know that Brother Tian also came. If anyone sneaks out of the house without your notice, let Brother Tian follow them. If I cannot come out safely tonight, lead the troops here to arrest Liu Ze.”
Lu Zheng frowned, “Why don’t I accompany you inside?”
“Don’t.” An Ruochen shook her head, “If he sees me bring someone, some things will not be easy to say.”
An Ruochen went in.
The gatekeeper led her to Liu Ze fearfully and then retreated quickly.
Liu Ze’s face was grave. He said, “I don’t know which law I have broken by not meeting Miss An, to the extent that I would have the officials search my house. I’ll have to ask the Governor to evaluate this.