The next day, as the sun rose in the early morning, there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the streets in Handan City, full of vitality.
Compared with other vassal states in the Central Plains, Qi State, which has not had a war for decades, is really a pure land for the people. Although farmers are still busy for survival, and there are many unfair places among the nobles, but compared with other vassal states , the people of Qi State are truly stable, and they never have to worry about war.
At Linzi City Gate, a carriage left the city gate escorted by four retinues.
Walking straight along the official road, the carriage slowly stopped until it reached the small road it took yesterday.
Master Xu walked out of the carriage, took a look around, and after making sure there was no problem, he took the two men and walked along the path, while the other two people stayed beside the carriage to guard the carriage.
The complete path stretches away, passing by the river and entering a mountain forest.
Looking at the mountains and forests in front of her, Master Xu was not afraid. After returning to Linzi City yesterday, she asked the owner of the small house in the city. The rolling mountains and forests here had no names, let alone those famous names taught by Yu Gong and Mencius. There are small peaks, but fortunately, if you keep walking along the road, you will find many villages, large and small, in this dense mountain forest.
There used to be not so many villages in it, but later when the Five Kingdoms conquered Qi, many people fled and took refuge in them. Although Qi restored the country, the people no longer wanted to leave, so they stayed here to thrive.
Walked for a long time.
Along the way, Master Xu finally met a pedestrian who was a citizen of one of the villages. After questioning, he didn't know who the person was at first, but after hearing an old woman, he quickly thought of Shuicun, and then told Master Xu.
Seeing this, Master Xu took out some money from his arms and asked the villager to lead the way.
Seeing Qian, the villagers glanced at the two guards beside Master Xu and nodded.
moment.
Under the leadership of the villagers, Master Xu came to the water village with two followers.
"Shou, you are enjoying a blessing now! No, you have good farmland for farming at home and cattle for farming outside!"
"No, hey, by the way, Shou, have you heard about your brother?"
Under the shade of the trees at the head of Shuicun Village, several old people living in the village looked at a lame man walking with a cane.
While talking, as Master Xu appeared, everyone looked over curiously.
What a beautiful beauty~!
Seeing Master Xu's appearance, not to mention those old people, even Shui Shou couldn't help but look over in surprise. Looking at the fair-skinned and beautiful Master Xu, Shui Shou knew at a glance that she must be a woman from the city.
Fortunately, Shui Shou's wife Yun Han was a rare beauty in the surrounding villages. After taking a few glances, she came back to her senses, lowered her head, and limped forward while leading the old cow.
Under the shade.
Master Xu, who was wearing Qi costumes, followed the villagers who led the way. When he saw Shui Shou limping, he took a look and continued walking forward.
The roads in the village were not too narrow. After walking a few steps, Master Xu saw a man with a weathered face and a beard, walking by with a woman and a girl. In the woman's arms, there were still Holding a child.
See this.
Master Xu was a little confused, especially when she looked at the middle-aged man, she always felt strange, but Master Xu didn't understand why she felt like this. She had obviously never seen the middle-aged man, let alone been here. village.
"Girl, right in front!"
The villager who was leading the way noticed that Master Xu had stopped moving forward. When he saw her looking at the family, he whispered. After Master Xu turned his head, he pointed to the yard in front of him.
"okay!"
Hearing this, Master Xu nodded, came back to his senses, and stopped thinking about it.
Maybe I had stayed in Linzi before, or met that man when I was a child, so I felt so familiar.
As Master Xu left.
Under the shade of the trees at the entrance of the village, the elderly people looked at Master Xu's leaving figure and started talking one after another.
"Looking at it, that woman must be the new elderly member of that family!"
"It should be! I didn't expect that the old man who doesn't like to talk to others would actually have such a descendant in his family! Even if that woman were placed in Linzi City, I'm afraid it's not something that ordinary adults can have!"
"Yes, I have rarely seen such a beautiful woman!"
Several old people whispered.
And one of them looked at Yanfu and Shui Shou.
"Are you going to the city again today to ask about Yan?"
The old man looked at Yan's father and asked.
Looking at Yan's father, all the villagers in other villages, not to mention their village, knew about the fact that Yan's father had reported to the government. In the past few months, everyone had been laughing and talking about this matter in private, among which There are various speculations, but as each month passes, more and more people are saying that Shui Yan may not be able to come back!
If he could come back, he would have come back a long time ago. Now even the reporter can't find any news about Shui Yan.
"Yes! Go and ask!"
When Yan's father heard the old man's question, he smiled and nodded. However, everyone could see that the honest Yan's father's smile was very stiff at this moment, and his expression was full of loss.
"Father, let's go!"
Shui Shou said to his father at this time that he was limping due to inconvenience in his legs and feet, so he could only go to the place where the cattle were grazing and wait for his father to come back.
For news about my younger brother, I can only rely on my father to go to the city and ask the officials again to see if they can find out.
"Um!"
Yan's father nodded. He and his wife went to Linzi, and his wife went to Yimata. The eldest son of Yimata was getting married in the past few days and was going to help.
As he spoke, Yan's father walked towards the outside of the village, and a man hurriedly ran past Yan's father and others.
On the other side, in a courtyard not far behind Yan's father, as the wooden door of the courtyard opened, Master Xu led two followers and followed the villagers into the courtyard.
In the yard.
Behind a big tree, in a corner, there was an old man with gray hair who looked to be at least over fifty, sharpening a sharp sword.
Seeing this scene, the two followers beside Master Xu shrank their pupils and stepped forward to block Master Xu with vigilant expressions, looking at the old man intently.
At this time, the sound of the yard closing was heard from behind.
The two retinues were facing a formidable enemy. Even Master Xu looked at the old man and then at the villager who had just brought them here to close the gate of the courtyard, unaware that they were already in danger.
"who?"
When the old man saw the two men next to Master Xu, he said with neither sadness nor joy. However, under the slightly messy long hair, one of the old eyes was actually blind, but the other eye was full of gaze. Captivating.
The old man was dressed in cloth and holding a sharp sword in one hand. He stood up slowly and approached Master Xu and the others step by step.
"It's blind Fei Leng!!"
Among the two guards beside Master Xu, one of the men saw the old man's blind eyes and the captivating feeling. He suddenly thought of the legend he had heard in the rivers and lakes before, and shouted with a pale face.
But what puzzled this retinue was that according to the legend, the blind man Fei Leng had died long ago? Being chased by the enemy, he fell into the valley.
Why do we meet here now? ! !
"Fei Leng?"
When another subordinate heard this name, his face instantly turned pale. Before he became a guest in General Qin Bai Yan's mansion, he had naturally heard about Fei Leng when he was wandering around the world.
Fei Leng is a rare great swordsman in the world!
It’s over!
If at the beginning, the two subordinates had planned to protect Master Xu from leaving at all costs, then when they learned that the old man in front of them was Fei Leng, who had disappeared for ten years, they were filled with despair.
Not to mention Master Xu, I'm afraid neither of them may be able to leave this courtyard alive.
"Old sir, we don't mean any harm, we just met an old friend yesterday."
Master Xu also felt the despair of the two subordinates beside him, looked at the old gentleman, and said softly.
However, the old man didn't seem to hear her words. He walked closer with a sharp sword and was about to arrive.
Sudden.
There was a knock on the door in the yard, followed by a code word. Seeing this, the villager who had just led the way opened the door. Then a man with a hurried look approached the yard and looked at the villager who opened the door. He walked past Master Xu and others and went to the old man Fei Leng.
"The little master has a word, no killing!"
The man raised his hands to Fei Leng and said.
After Fei Leng heard this, he glanced at Master Xu and the other three, then turned around and went back, no longer wanting to kill Master Xu and the other three.
This scene made Master Xu and the other two subordinates heave a sigh of relief. Only then did the two subordinates realize that at some point, their foreheads and backs were covered with sweat.
In the eyes of the two retinues, the man who saved them came to Master Xu and bowed his hands in front of Master Xu.
"Miss Xu, please leave!"
The man said to Master Xu and said Master Xu's name directly.
Master Xu heard this, thought for a few moments, and immediately understood that the young master in the man's mouth, if he guessed correctly, was Tian Feiyan!
"Please tell me something for Master Xu. Master Xu has done something wrong this time! When I get back, I will ask a gentleman to punish me!"
Master Xu said softly in a light voice.
After being discovered by Tian Feiyan, Xu Master naturally would not continue to investigate. She was also curious this time, so she just took the decision without permission. She wanted to go back and talk to the general after investigating clearly.
Fortunately, Tian Feiyan didn't blame her.
Thinking of this, Master Xu turned around and prepared to leave, but before leaving, Master Xu couldn't help but glance at the old man.
As for the followers Bai Yan sent to protect her, Master Xu knew their strength. However, the old man was able to scare the two of them like that. It was obvious that his origins were anything but ordinary.
Such an old man is actually in this village!
After returning home, it would be better to discuss this matter with the general. This village is really weird right now!
Two hours later.
In Linzi City.
In Tian's mansion, a man came to the pavilion and walked up to Tian Feiyan.
"Little Master, we have been taken away!"
The man raised his hand and reported to Tian Feiyan.
When Tian Feiyan heard the man's words, he looked away from the bamboo slips in his hand, raised his head slightly and looked at the man.
"Watch her leave Qi!"
Tian Feiyan ordered softly.
Speaking of which, Tian Feiyan was also shocked just now. If he had found out it was Master Xu a little later, and if the news had been released a little later, Master Xu would have been dead at this moment.
Fei Leng was hers, and her father didn't even know about it. But she knew very well about Fei Leng's strength, otherwise she wouldn't have let him live in seclusion in the water village. The teacher Bian Que who taught her medical skills once said The ins and outs of what happened to Fei Leng were described in great detail.
Tian Feiyan knew that it was fortunate that he was in time, otherwise Master Xu might really be dead.
As for what happened in that village, Tian Feiyan didn't want Master Xu to know. Although Master Xu was Bai Yan's maid, she didn't have much contact with Master Xu, and she didn't trust Master Xu yet.
The people who lived in that village were his family members.
"Yan'er!"
While Tian Feiyan was thinking, suddenly a man hurriedly came from a distance. The man was wearing an official uniform of the State of Qi and looked very anxious.
"Get down!"
Tian Feiyan watched his eldest brother Tian Sui coming over and said to his subordinates.
"promise!"
The retinue nodded.
As soon as the subordinates left, Tian Sui hurriedly came to Tian Feiyan, knelt down directly, and put his hands on the wooden table.
"Yan'er, how are you? Is there any news about Xu Zixiao?"
Tian Sui looked at his younger sister Tian Feiyan with expectant eyes, a flattering smile on his face.
Although his father Tian Ding had previously promised that he would find a way to rescue Xu Zixiao if given the opportunity, Tian Sui was very anxious and feared that Xu Zixiao would be killed.
This is why after seeing his father agree to take his little sister to Qin, after much thought, he finally felt that a man should not care too much about trivial matters, so Tian Sui secretly went to beg his little sister Tian Feiyan at night.
His father had said that the influence of the noble clans in Yanmen had been known to Bai Yan, so it would be difficult to stand a chance.
"Brother, don't worry! I've already asked you clearly about this trip."
Tian Feiyan looked at Brother Zhong in front of him, then looked at his eldest brother Tian Cong, who was following behind him slowly and helplessly, and then looked at Brother Zhong Tian Sui's expectant eyes.
"Bai Yan said that Xu Zixiao was rescued on the way to Xianyang!"
Tian Feiyan said, and then continued to look at the bamboo slips in his hand.
"real?"
When Tian Sui heard Tian Feiyan's words, his face was filled with ecstasy. He stood up and looked at Tian Cong in disbelief.
"Very good!"
It has been a long time since the incident in Zhongmucheng, but the incident of Xu Zixiao's arrest has always been lingering in Tian Sui's heart and is difficult to forget.
Now that he heard his little sister's words, Tian Sui finally breathed a sigh of relief, not to mention how happy he was.
"It must be the Xu family! It must be, it must be"
Tian Sui said softly, in Tian Sui's eyes, perhaps only the Xu family has this possibility.
"But this may not be true!"
Different from Tian Sui's ecstasy, after Tian Sui heard Tian Feiyan's words, he calmly said something and poured a bucket of cold water on Tian Sui in an instant.
"Don't forget, my father has said in a letter before that Bai Yan probably already knows about Zhongmou City, but he just didn't say it out loud!"
Tian Cong looked at Tian Sui.
When his father was in Luoyin City, he ordered someone to send a letter back to Linzi, in which he said that if there were no accidents, Qin General Bai Yan might have known about Tian Sui, but he just didn't say it out loud.
The reason why Bai Yan told his younger sister Yan'er that Xu Zixiao had been rescued was probably a disguised form of telling his father that Tian Sui and even the Tian family should not get involved in this matter.
"this!"
When Tian Sui heard Tian Cong's words, his expression changed. After realizing it, he looked at his brother, and then at his little sister.
Yanmen Shanwu City.
As the sun sets into the night, in a private room of Lu's Restaurant, along with the messy wine bottles on the wooden table and the plates of delicious food and meat, men are all laughing and chatting.
The sound of guzheng in the dim light makes people feel wonderful and comfortable, and the charming voices of each woman are even more attractive.
Jing Qi and Zhao Wushang put down their wine glasses and looked at Bai Yan's sleepy appearance as the chairman sat down. They couldn't help but burp, and secretly cursed in their hearts how could Bai Yan be so good at drinking.
I called a lot of people tonight and finally asked Bai Yan to come out. I wanted to get Bai Yan drunk and let him say something from his heart, but he didn't expect to drink until late at night. Mi Jing had already fallen asleep on the woman's body. , Bai Yan was already shaky, but still didn't say what they wanted to hear.
"General Bai! General Bai!"
Suddenly, seeing Bai Yan lying straight on the wooden table, seemingly asleep, Jing Qi and Zhao Wushang couldn't help but want to curse.
However, the two of them were no better at this moment. Both Zhao Wushang and Jing Qi felt something strange in their throats, and their eyes began to feel dizzy. Looking at Mi Jing and the other nobles' children, they were all drunk, and they no longer persisted. Lying down at the wooden table.
Under dim candlelight.
When Cen Qing came in with other maids carrying wine, they saw that all of them were fast asleep.
Seeing this, Cen Qing asked the other women to notify the servants waiting outside the mansion, while she slowly came to Bai Yan's side and looked at the sleeping Bai Yan.
Looking at the messy wooden table, Cen Qing knelt down next to Bai Yan and gently took away the wine bottles, bowls and chopsticks under the dim candlelight, as if she was afraid that the drinks would contaminate Bai Yan.
Seeing the envious looks in the other maids' eyes, Cen Qing knew clearly that in their eyes, they envied her for being so close to the young man beside her.
But how do they know?
According to seniority, she is actually Bai Yan's cousin-in-law.
And she was a cousin-in-law who had made mistakes and done things that were sorry for Bai Yan.
Looking at the sleeping Bai Yan, thinking of what happened some time ago and the rumors of the past two days, Cen Qing looked a little dazed. Recalling the words of the villagers, Cen Qing felt that the villagers were so ridiculous at this moment.
After a while.
Seeing that the servants had come to the private room one by one, taking away their respective families, and seeing three men in cloth coming over, ready to help Bai Yan up, Cen Qing confirmed her identity, then stood up slowly and stood obediently. next to.
Also late at night.
In the palace of Xianyang City of Qin State, Ying Zheng was still dealing with affairs until late at night.
After going to court today, Ying Zheng first discussed the affairs of Chu State with many ministers, and then discussed who should send envoys to Wei State. King Wei died of illness, and Qin State naturally had to send envoys to express condolences. It was not easy to discuss clearly, and he was alone. I have been meeting Li Si for a long time.
At this point, a lot of things have been backlogged.
"Your Majesty, it's late at night, it's better to rest early!"
Outside the study, Princess Mi came in with a bowl of soup, then knelt down next to Ying Zheng, holding the soup for Ying Zheng to drink.
"It's hard to sleep alone!"
When Ying Zheng heard what his beloved concubine said, he shook his head.
Although he was only in his early thirties, Ying Zheng's face was full of exhaustion at this moment.
All major matters in all counties and counties in the Qin State need to be handled by Ying Zheng. For all changes, Ying Zheng must personally discuss with the ministers and make decisions.
"Your Majesty, is it about Yingchuan again?"
Princess Mi looked at Ying Zheng and listened to Ying Zheng's words. She still didn't know what was giving Ying Zheng such a headache.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Yanmen!"
Suddenly, a palace guard hurriedly approached the study, knelt on the ground and compiled the ceremony, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand.
When Ying Zheng and Princess Mi heard this, they looked at the palace guard.
"Yanmen?"
When Ying Zheng heard the palace guard's words, his face was full of exhaustion, and his brows were furrowed. He recalled what Yang Duanhe had reported, and remembered that Bai Yan had not arrived at Yanmen yet. A look of solemnity appeared on Ying Zheng's face.
Not caring about anything else, and not even waiting for the eunuch to get the bamboo slips, Ying Zheng stood up directly, walked around Princess Mi, walked quickly to the palace guard, reached for the bamboo slips, and hurriedly opened it to read.
(End of chapter)
