Perfect Encounter - Chapter 64.1
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Chapter 64.1
Yao Kun looked at An Ruochen and sighed: “When Miss An came to beat the drum in the middle of the night, I thought Miss only fought to redress some family grievances. I did not expect to rely on Miss to destroy the organization of spies lurking in Zhonglan city in one fell swoop.”
“If only we caught that Young Master Min.”
“Even if we don’t catch him, they are finished in Pingnan County.”
Is it over? An Ruochen wasn’t that optimistic. She hadn’t forgotten about the traitor in the Purple Cloud House. Even if that Young Master Min could no longer move freely and his power in the city truly collapsed, what about inside the military and the government?
In another part of the city, inside a gorgeous mansion, Young Master Min was looking gloomily at the bell hanging on the four corners of the pavilion at the pine slope.
There was a person sitting across from him, but that person had a smiling face. “I told you earlier that An Ruochen would be a big problem, but you disagreed to lay hands on her.”
Young Master Min coldly turned his head to look at the other person: “If I need to lay hands on anyone, it’s because I feel it’s necessary for the greater good, not for you.”
“For whatever it’s worth, she shouldn’t be this free-spirited. If you want to go out now, you must change your face and put on makeup. You can’t use your skills in Zhonglan City. How can you return to South Qin with your face? I feel sorry for you.”
The gloating was so evident that Young Master Min gnashed his teeth in hatred.
The man added: “Now I’m afraid Yao Kun has arranged his men to scour the city. You are safe with me. But you must think about your next step. I’m not always in the city, so you must tell me in advance if something happens.”
Young Master Min did not speak. He knew this man reminded him that his safety now depended on him. Although very dissatisfied, what the man said was the truth. He didn’t know what to do next. He had already sent out a letter by pigeon, waiting for instructions. This feeling was very suffocating.
Back at the local government office, An Ruochen spent the day at the court, but there was no more good news. Li Xiu’er came to surrender herself. She followed Lu Daniang’s instructions. Without mentioning Lu Daniang’s existence, she only said that An Ruochen had described the spy as vicious, and the death of the Xu Matchmaker and Zhao Jiahua made her panic. She originally wanted to take her mother out of town to see a doctor to avoid the scourge but failed. Seeing someone setting the house on fire, she rushed to escape. After throwing a vase to warn the others, she run out. She remembered the Xu Matchmaker’s abandoned house, so she went there. All according to what Lu Daniang taught her.
When Li Xiu’er finished, she looked at An Ruochen, who winked at her to appease her. Li Xiu’er saw her expression and breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Daniang said if she does not surrender herself to the authorities, the consequences will be endless. But if she does come, Miss An would take care of her. It looks like they will keep their promise.
As expected, the Lord Governor did not speak harshly to her, only questioned her about what the Xu Matchmaker had asked her to do, and Li Xiu’er answered carefully. In the end, Yao Kun did not throw her into jail and allowed her to go home.
Li Xiu’er thanked him greatly. As she was leaving, An Ruochen said : “If your husband’s family can’t tolerate you anymore because of this, you can come to me.”
Li Xiu’er’s tears came to her eyes when she heard this. These two days, she was full of anxiety, fearing for her own life and her mother’s, and fearing for the future without someone to support her. Today, when An Ruochen said that, she felt someone truly cared about her. She bowed deeply and withdrew.
When the governor saw this, he sent someone to escort Li Xiu’er and explain the situation to her husband’s family, lest they blame her more.
But that night, Li Xiu’er still went to the Purple Cloud House. Not only did Jiang Wei repudiate her, but the neighbors also scorned her. She had nowhere to go and wanted to return to her mother’s house. Thus, she wanted to say goodbye to An Ruochen.
An Ruochen let her see Zhao Jiahua. Zhao Jiahua held her hand and said, “What I promised you that day, I will keep it.” Li Xiu’er cried bitterly but finally said goodbye to the two of them and went back to her mother.
Two days later, the whereabouts of Young Master Min still remained undiscovered. The interrogation of the people of the Zhaofu Restaurant and the Jubao Gambling House was concluded. An Ruochen fought for Zhao Jiahua’s right to inherit the Zhaofu Restaurant. After arranging everything, she went out of the city to pick up Liu Yin.
The process of picking her up went smoothly. Because Ping’er and Nanny Chen received Zhao Jiahua’s instructions, they trusted An Ruochen. When they heard that she was taking them back to see Zhao Jiahua, they packed their things and got on the carriage without saying a word. As for Liu Yin, when she saw the sweet candies, she became very close to An Ruochen.
There was no need to mention the reunion of mother and daughter, but An Ruochen felt someone snooped her up.
Before she arranged the team of soldiers and carriages, Chief Li Mingyu was quite critical, questioning her and the captain. In Liu Ze’s case, Li Mingyu interrogated An Ruochen even more thoroughly than Yao Kun, the governor, did. He was particularly concerned about how An Ruochen obtained the information. He even said that those days An Ruochen did not go out, only contacted and talked with her sister. How could she have had the opportunity to alert Li Xiu’er? How did she get information from Li Xiu’er? Was she aware of it before or after? Why did she not report it to the General? When exactly did she become aware of it? What did Zhao Jiahua say, when did she say it, why did she suspect Liu Ze, and why did she only say that the bell had nothing to do with Pin Xiang Brothel after Xie Gang left? Why was she at the scene on the day Liu Ze fought with Lou Zhi? Why was her sister also there? How did she know about the peddler? He also said that the General had ordered her not to act rashly, but she was disobedient. What was the reason for her actions?