Perfect Encounter

Early the next morning, An Ruochen went to the prefect's mansion. Like yesterday, I had breakfast with the prefect's wife, Meng Jiayue, and went to visit Cao Yihan together.

Cao Yihan seemed calmer. He saw that An Ruochen didn't respond, as if she had never said those words to him. On the contrary, Meng Jiayue was a little cramped and didn't want to stay for a long time. She greeted her a few times and said some polite words before leaving.

Naturally, An Ruochen had no reason to stay alone, so she had to leave with Meng Jiayue. When she got outside, she asked softly: "Is there any dispute between Madam and Mr. Cao? The atmosphere doesn't seem to be very good. Is there anything I can persuade him?"

Meng Jiayue said: "It's nothing, but yesterday he urged me to take care of Mr. Huo's funeral, and asked me how to arrange the time. I intend to take care of it, and I want to find a way to do it with an eminent monk, so naturally it will take more time. Mr. Cao is not satisfied."

An Ruochen naturally wouldn't expose their intention of procrastinating, and echoed, "Mr. Huo is highly respected, and the funeral should naturally be done in a good manner. What's more, he died in the Great Depression. If we neglect etiquette, it will be even more unjustifiable. But Mr. Cao's mood can also be understood. Mr. Huo committed suicide suddenly, leaving him alone in this unfamiliar place, and it is an enemy country with heavy troops on the border. He naturally thinks about his own safety. Otherwise, I will go with him Speak up and dispel his worries. Madam is hard to say some things, but an outsider like me is easy to say."

Meng Jiayue thought about it and agreed.

An Ruochen returned to Cao Yihan's room alone. Cao Yihan was a little surprised to see her go and come back.

An Ruochen said: "I can't find an excuse to meet you alone every time, you should seize the opportunity."

Cao Yihan asked vigilantly: "Then what reason are you looking for this time?"

An Ruochen told him the truth, and then said: "Use this reason once and it will be gone. You will have to change it to something else next time."

Cao Yihan didn't speak.

"You can't make a fuss, thinking that the prefect's wife is willing to let me persuade you. No way. If there is too much trouble, if they bother you, you will be even more troublesome."

Cao Yihan naturally understood this truth.

"I'll just sit here for a while. Going out too quickly doesn't look like consoling people. I won't bother you. You can say whatever you want, and forget it if you don't. I've told you the truth."

Cao Yihan still didn't respond.

An Ruochen really sat quietly for a while. After a while, she guessed that it was about the same time, so she got up and said, "Farewell."

Just when she was about to walk to the door, Cao Yihan suddenly called out: "Wait."

An Ruochen turned to look at him.

Cao Yihan said: "I want to see General Long. The specific details can only be discussed after seeing General Long."

"There are other last words, aren't there?"

Cao Yihan didn't shake his head, he acquiesced.

"You don't feel comfortable revealing the details, you should give me a direction. If I'm not sure whether it's harmless or where you stand, how can I help you?"

Cao Yihan was silent for a while, and said: "Mr. Huo told me to report back to Nanqin. Without the help of General Long, I would not be able to go back alive."

An Ruochen froze. Many thoughts flashed through her mind, she walked back to the table and sat down: "Did Mr. Huo be killed?"

Cao Yihan was taken aback: "No, he didn't..." He also stopped at this point. In the past two days, his mind was full of tension and grief, he only cared about looking in the direction Huo Mingshan pointed, but forgot to jump out of the circle to look at Huo Mingshan.

"He didn't report it himself, why did he ask you to report it?" An Ruochen asked him.

Cao Yihan was speechless. Yes, what a simple matter, since such important news, why didn't he go back and report it himself. But unless the entire prefect's mansion is full of meticulous work, and the two hundred guards sent by General Long are all meticulous work, otherwise where did the assassin come from? No one saw it at all.

Cao Yihan took a deep breath, and couldn't help discussing with An Ruochen: "Maybe he knows that Xi Zuo will not let him go, he has insight into the mystery, if he dies, Xi Zuo will take it lightly, I am not important, no one cares, but I There is a chance to return to Nanqin alive."

"Then he can pretend to be at odds with you and drive you away. He continued to go to the capital, making noises and trying to deal with him carefully. Naturally, he had no time to take care of a **** who was driven away. If he died, wouldn't you become a target instead?"

Cao Yihan choked, it was true. "In any case, Mr.'s death was definitely not voluntary. He had no reason to commit suicide. Among other things, he knew that if he died, the war between the two countries would be more likely to start. The reason for the country to go to war."

There must be assassins. An Ruochen thought to herself. Unfortunately, there was no chance to catch him on the spot.

"When you entered the house, you found Mr. Huo's body. Did you find anything suspicious?"

Cao Yihan shook his head, he was sure of this. He thought about Mr.'s death over and over in his mind, but he really didn't think of any problems, and he didn't even notice the flaws in the paper.

An Ruochen sighed, she thought it was the same. If they found out on the spot, they would have shouted a long time ago.

Cao Yihan stared at her: "I must see General Long. I will only tell General Long the news left by Mr. Huo."

"I'll figure it out."

"It must be done as soon as possible. Yesterday, according to Madam Taishou's intention, she actually finished the funeral and sent a letter to Nanqin. In addition, it will take at least half a month to invite eminent monks to perform the exorcism. By that time, I am afraid that the war will already be fought."

"I understand." An Ruochen stood up, "I still have things to do, I have to go. Take care of yourself." She took out a silver needle and handed it to Cao Yihan: "Be careful with food and drinking water. If there is a spy who wants to attack, maybe poison will be used."

Cao Yihan took it and hid it in his belt.

"You just pretend to be persuaded by me. I'll be of some use in this way, and I'll see you again in the future. I have news from here, so I'll come to you." An Ruochen said, turned and left.

An Ruochen went to find Meng Jiayue, and said that he and Cao Yihan had talked about the importance of Daoming's funeral to the relationship between the two countries, and that the prefect was also concerned about the number of etiquette. The national circular must be decent, and things must be thoughtful before they can speak. Cao Yihan seemed to listen.

"That's good." Meng Jiayue said: "I'll take care of him more, and hope he can explain a lot for Da Xiao after he returns home."

An Ruochen nodded, and said again: "I plan to go to An Ning Temple to light a lamp for Mr. Huo, and then pray for the general's safety. The general is on the front line, and I don't know how he is doing. I'm really afraid that there will be a real war... Her eyes were red, she lowered her head, calmed down her emotions, and then said: "Madam would like to invite an eminent monk to do something, but is there anyone she is interested in? Do you want me to ask about it in An Ning Temple? It's good to turn around like this." Talk to Mr. Cao about the details of the preparation of the ceremony, let him know that we are not deceiving him, and we are indeed doing business."

Meng Jiayue thought it was all right, so she asked An Ruochen to ask for help. An Ruochen bid farewell and left, but when she was about to reach the gate of the prefect's mansion, a maid rushed over and stopped her. "Madam said that she wants to go with the girl. She wants to ask the eminent monk in person, so that she can show her sincerity."

An Ruochen smiled and agreed. It's so good, she was a little disappointed just now, why didn't Meng Jiayue ask her to go with her.

The prefect's wife was about to go out, so Yao Kun naturally sent some servants and yamen to follow. Seeing this, An Ruochen also went back to Ziyun Tower and transferred a team of guards to accompany him. Her reason was very legitimate, she was fine, but if the prefect's wife had an accident when they went out with her, it would be difficult to explain, so naturally she had to take more people with her.

Ever since, two carriages, guarded by Yachai guards, left the city from the south gate and headed in the direction of Anning Temple.

When walking to the foot of Xiushan Mountain, a woman suddenly heard a loud voice: "Come on, help me. Come on, my son is gone."

Meng Jiayue immediately asked people to stop the car, and opened the curtain to look out.

It was a village woman with an anxious face. Seeing the convoy stop, she rushed over and said, "Ma'am, this lady." She looked around and saw that they were all military and poor men, so she quickly knelt down.

"This is the magistrate's wife," said the yamen chap beside him.

The village woman was pleasantly surprised, kowtowed her head quickly, and said: "Please help the prefect's wife. I took my son up the mountain to dig spring bamboo shoots. He ran wild for fun and disappeared in a blink of an eye. I searched for a long time and couldn't find him. It's spring now. The wild beasts should come out to look for food. That child is ignorant and reckless. What if he encounters any danger. The men have all gone to the fields. It is great to meet your wife here. Please help me, please help me. How about looking for a child?"

While talking, An Ruochen brought Aunt Lu over here. Hearing what the village woman said, I asked her: "Which village are you from?"

The village woman hurriedly said, "It's from Wang Village in the west."

"How old is your child?"

"Seven years old, wearing blue clothes, nicknamed Er Niu." The village woman replied, almost crying.

Aunt Lu said: "I recognize her, she is indeed from Wang Village. Her family and I have collected vegetables."

An Ruochen and Meng Jiayue looked at each other. An Ruochen leaned over and whispered: "Why don't I take someone up the mountain to have a look, Aunt Lu will follow her back to the village to call for someone. Madam will wait here. She was so anxious that she stopped the car to ask for help. If she ignores it, It’s time to get the word out.”

Meng Jiayue nodded: "I have to help her. You don't have to go, just let the government officials go up."

"The child is young, you should be scared when you see the military master and poor master. I'll go too, it's okay." An Ruochen said, then turned to the village woman and said: "Madam Taishou is concerned about the suffering of the people, she will take care of your affairs Yes. Hurry up and take Aunt Lu to the village to call someone. I will go up the mountain with the military master and the poor master to have a look. You can tell me first, what is there on the mountain?"

The village woman hurriedly thanked Meng Jiayue, and told An Ruochen that there were two huts built by hunters on the mountain, and there was a small nunnery on the top of the east side. She looked for the shack, but the child didn't slip away to play there. The nunnery was too far away, so the child wouldn't be able to run up there, so she didn't look for it, she just searched the surrounding area and found no answer, so she hurried down to call for help.

An Ruochen expressed that she understood, and asked her to go back to the village quickly to call for someone. The villagers are familiar with the terrain and it is easier to find it. She first took the military messenger up the mountain to have a look, so don't delay on both sides.

The village woman hurriedly led Mrs. Lu away. An Ruochen and Meng Jiayue greeted each other, led the people up the mountain, and told the Yamen to guard the prefect's wife. After all, the foot of the mountain is wild, so don't take it lightly.

Aunt Lu and the village woman hurried to the village, and when they got far, left and right Madam, she handed over a money bag to the village woman. The village woman laughed: "Sister Lu, can I pretend?"

Aunt Lu said, "Is Er Niu alright?"

"He is very familiar with the mountains, and he will come back after playing for a while."

"The village can make arrangements."

"It's arranged, don't worry."

When An Ruochen went up the mountain, everyone spread out and searched around, calling the name "Er Niu". At this time, a yamen servant shouted, "I found it."

Everyone rushed to get together, but only found the village woman's basket and **** for digging bamboo shoots. "That's where they dig bamboo shoots," said the Yacha. Everyone stared at him, thinking they were looking for a child.

An Ruochen said: "Since the things are here, let's spread out and look for them again. Children run fast, maybe they have gone far, and I don't know if they will get lost, so everyone should treat them as snacks, don't get out of the way, lost in the mountains The direction is bad." She turned her head to Tian Qing and Lu Zheng and said, "Let's go up to see the temple, maybe the child has gone to play there."

The crowd dispersed again, shouting "Two Niu" loudly. An Ruochen led Tian Qing, Lu Zheng, and two guards up the mountain.

Mr. Xie brought five people up the mountain early in the morning, but the door of the nunnery was closed and no visitors were received. He was cautious, let the five people spread out and hide their figures, and went to knock on the back door of Jingxin Nunnery by himself. He has already thought of the words, that is to apologize for the incident of entering the temple yesterday, the great cause still needs the help of his master, and he will never do this kind of thing again in the future. His plan was that he would lure Mrs. Jing Yuan out to speak, and then other people would go into the nunnery to inquire.

Maybe it was an arrangement when Jing Yuan was away, and the secret was well hidden. Mr. Xie even boldly speculated, could this secret be An Ruofang? After all, judging from the information, it is said that An Ruochen got the news on the road, that An Ruofang is alive. But he has confirmed with everyone that no one has any news about An Ruofang, if someone really said something to An Ruochen, then Jing Yuan is the most suspicious. The room in the nunnery, which has a bed and a table but nothing, can be lived in. It's just that Jingyuan is not here, so things are cleaned up. But if Jingyuan was around, wouldn't it be so tightly hidden? After all, Mrs. Jingyuan is conceited and arrogant, relying on her high martial arts skills, with her guarding her, she will take it lightly.

Mr. Xie knocked on the door and stood ready. He had to find more topics to prolong Jing Yuan's life.

No one answered the door.

Mr. Xie didn't care, Jing Yuan has a weird temper, maybe she doesn't like to come to the door without contact. He went to the jujube tree and hung up the lantern. Knock again.

After a while, Master Jingyuan still did not open the door.

Mr. Xie is suspicious, isn't he here again? He was hesitating whether to go in and check. But if he went in and was caught by Jing Yuan, it would be even more difficult later on. Mr. Xie thought about it, and finally decided to go in. This time he watched the ground carefully in case he got caught. After walking around, Jing Yuan was really not there, the same situation as when he came back, the hut was empty and cleaned up, there was no one in the nunnery, and nothing suspicious was found.

Mr. Xie withdrew, not sure whether Jingyuan was just going out for alms or simply ran away. If he ran away, it would be really troublesome.

Mr. Xie turned his head and wanted to go down the mountain, but just after walking for a certain distance, he heard someone shouting "two cows" in the mountain. It seems that someone searched the mountain to find someone. Mr. Xie frowned, and told the five people to disperse and hide their figures, so as not to be found suspicious.

After Mr. Xie explained, he went down the mountain alone, like an ordinary passerby. When he walked halfway up the mountain, he ran into An Ruochen.

Mr. Xie glanced at them, lowered his head and continued walking as if nothing had happened, and quickly passed them.

"Young master, please stay."

This is An Ruochen's voice.

Mr. Xie's heart moved, he quickly adjusted his mood, stopped, turned his head, looked at An Ruochen and the other five people, and asked, "Miss calling me?"

An Ruochen saluted him, and asked him: "My lord, have you ever seen a child about seven years old on the mountain?"

Mr. Xie calmly said: "Never."

An Ruochen looked at him and frowned deliberately: "Have I met Young Master before?"

Mr. Xie smiled: "I don't have a good impression of the girl. The girl must have admitted the wrong person."

"Really? May I ask what you are doing up the mountain?"

"I have nothing to do, just walk around. In the morning, the mountains are charming, so I go up to the mountains for a stroll."

"I heard that there is a nunnery on the mountain. Have you ever seen it?"

"Indeed, there is. You can go straight along this mountain road. But the door of the nunnery is closed, it must be idle, and I have never entered it. If the girl wants to pray for blessings and worship Buddha, this place is not suitable, but the view on the top of the mountain is good. The girl can go and have a look if she has free time. I have never seen the child the girl mentioned when I came down from the mountain."

An Ruochen asked, "Where does the young master live?"

Mr. Xie removed his smiling face, straightened his face and asked, "Miss, what do you mean?"

"My lord, don't be upset, I lost my child in the mountains, and my lord is walking in the mountains, so I naturally ask a few more questions."

Mr. Xie hesitated a little, and replied: "Temporarily living in Fu'an County." He knew that he was being followed by An Ruochen, and he was afraid that any place he mentioned would be investigated. Fu'an County is a relatively easy place to control, which is also consistent with the facts. The less lies you tell, the easier it is to pass.

An Ruochen said: "You live in Fu'an County, why did you come to Xiushan to see the scenery?"

"I plan to go to Zhonglan City to discuss business today. Passing by this mountain, I found the scenery pleasant, so I couldn't help but come up for a stroll."

"What do you call the young master, and what kind of business do you do?" An Ruochen pressed on step by step.

Mr. Xie's face darkened, and he thought to himself that a person who is normally not guilty should be impatient at this time. He looked annoyed and said, "I don't know the girl's name, what is her identity?" He purposely looked at the two guards in military uniforms, "There is a military man with him, is it a lady from the government? Even so, what reason does the girl have to interrogate me? What have I committed?"

"I lost my child in the mountains, and my son's behavior is suspicious. Naturally, I have to make inquiries. May I ask your name, what business do you do, who to interview in Zhonglan City, and where do you live in Fu'an County? What you said, we need to investigate. Check it, then you can rest assured."

Mr. Xie's face was very ugly, and he shouted in a low voice: "I am polite and polite, and the girl should not bully others too much. The girl is not a lord of the government, so why do you arrest good people on the road and interrogate them?" He turned around and walked away, taking advantage of When the sleeve moves, it secretly throws a small stone and hits it far away. In that direction, two people brought by him were lurking to observe the movement here.

Before Mr. Xie took a few steps, he heard An Ruochen shout: "Stop him."

Lu Zheng jumped several times and stopped in front of Mr. Jie.

At this time, a hidden arrow shot with a "swish", and a guard was hit by the arrow, and fell to the ground with a scream. Tian Qing yelled: "Lu Zheng, protect the girl." While shouting, he ran towards the direction where the arrow was shot from behind. The other guard reacted quickly, pulled An Ruochen past him and hid behind a tree.

A person suddenly appeared from the other direction and bowed in An Ruochen's direction. Seeing this, the guard swung his sword and slashed at the man.

An Ruochen didn't care about other things, pointed at Mr. Xie, and shouted at Lu Zheng: "Take him down."