After Yun Qi caught the man pretending to be an old cat, Qi Shang couldn't find out more after repeated interrogations, so he had to temporarily take him into custody.
During those two days, the bandits suddenly disappeared. Qi Shang had a bad premonition. Sure enough, one night five days later, a large number of bandits suddenly entered the neighboring Ye County and quickly occupied the city.
This time they came well prepared and gathered ten thousand people in one breath. Qi Shang had a thousand people plus the dozens of people originally from Ping County. Not to mention being unable to support other places, it would be difficult to defend Ping County.
"Commander Qi Shen, the road leading to the southwest garrison has been cut off. I sent two people to break out and there is no news yet." Colonel Qian frowned and said.
Yun Qi clasped his chin with his index finger and thumb, "The movement was so fast and orderly, it seems like it's not just a random gathering of people in a remote village."
Qi Shang glanced across the map, "They are not rogue bandits, they are the old troops of the previous dynasty."
Yun Qi grinned, "Ha, rebel?"
"Years ago, some of the remnants of the previous dynasty fled here and disappeared. When the rebellion started this time, the emperor sent people to investigate and found that a leader named Xiao Conglong was involved. I am afraid that he was unwilling to submit to this and tried to help the previous dynasty, so he used fake banknotes. They took the opportunity to drive up prices and disrupt people's lives, and then secretly used the money to buy food and weapons."
People live and work in peace and contentment, are happy and prosperous, and if you ask them to rebel, they will only think you are stupid. But at that time, the situation was difficult and the people were in dire straits. Now you can deceive people and publicize it, and everyone will follow suit.
Yun Qi was extremely angry and laughed, "Qi Shang! You're hiding it so well. If it turns out to be a traitor, why waste any effort? Run away." He jumped up quickly, "When the traitor comes to knock on the door, it will be too late to leave."
Qi Shang stopped him with one hand, "Prince Yun, please be patient. We are here to quell the chaos. We want to fight the bandits and we will destroy the rebels."
"I won't mess with you, you can go play by yourself." Yun Qi used the jade bone fan to push Qi Shang away and walked out of the room.
Lieutenant Qian said with a dark face, "Qi Shen shows you how greedy and fearful this person is."
Others also dislike Yun Qi himself, but due to his identity, it is difficult to say it directly. After all, his eyes are a little different.
Qi Shang remained silent. He had known Yunqi for a short time, and Yunqi was a playboy and a playboy. However, Qi Shang always felt that there was something unknown hidden under the exaggeration.
"Captain Qian, send two people to find Prince Yun."
"Let him run and see where he can go. Don't let his mother's legs get weak when she encounters a rebel on the road, and she comes back crying."
"Eh?" Before anyone could see him, a jade bone fan pressed on Colonel Qian's shoulder, and then a monster's wanton face appeared from behind the door, "Who does Captain Qian take as his mother?"
Lieutenant Qian's face turned even darker. Every time he spoke ill of someone, the master would catch him. He said firmly: "The prince has not left yet?"
Yun Qi turned around gracefully, sat back on the chair and crossed his legs, "I thought about it for a moment, I can't live in Ping County without my son, so I'd better keep him reluctantly."
One of his subordinates secretly reported to Qi Shang, "The rebels have gathered three miles outside Ping County City, and the road out of the city has been blocked."
—
When Ping County was besieged, Lu Anran returned to Jiqingfang and took a brocade handkerchief from Chun Miao.
"It fell at the gate. If it hadn't been for its exquisite appearance, I would have thrown it away."
There is beauty on the handkerchief, standing in front of the wine shop.
If someone accidentally dropped it, why did it happen to land on the threshold of her house? If we say it was placed intentionally, what was the purpose?
Lu Taotao grabbed it and tilted his head, "You are both a human and a wine jar. Why are you begging for wine?"
If a hand moved the clouds and mist, Lu Anran's eyes suddenly lit up. She took the brocade handkerchief and examined it carefully. She didn't know the female red embroidery techniques such as flat embroidery, cushion embroidery, and needlework, but she had sewn many corpses and was quite familiar with stitches. Experience, how to identify different people.
"Chun Miao, bring me the food basket I brought back from Yi County."
When she left on the same day, Li Erniang gave her a stack of flower cakes, with a piece of silk placed at the bottom and some peach blossom patterns embroidered to suit the occasion.
After comparing the two, Lu Anran said: "The same."
Chunmiao was startled, "But the silk in this basket was brought back from Yi County by the lady." This brocade handkerchief suddenly appeared in Jiqingfang, the royal capital. The two places were far apart.
Lu Anran squeezed the corners of her handkerchief tightly, "Please drink, please help, she is in danger."
Lu Taotao touched his chin, "What you said is so mysterious, even better than me, the fox fairy, who can figure it out."
Lu Anran suddenly raised his eyes to look at her, which made Lu Taotao tremble, "What are you doing?"
"Come with me to Yi County." Lu Anran said.
Until the carriage started, Lu Anran was distracted in the small wandering space. She didn't know if this trip was the right one, and whether it would unknowingly ruin someone's important event, but she had to go.
Sending the handkerchief to her door must be the only life-saving straw for Li Erniang and the others in their helplessness. She couldn't just sit back and ignore it.
"Hey, everyone says that doctors are compassionate, but I didn't expect it," Lu Taotao leaned over with a smile and winked: "You are just a bastard, and you are punishing evil and promoting good."
Lu Anran did not correct Lu Taotao's inappropriate choice of words. She only thought that this did not mean that she would be compassionate from now on. She just did what she thought she should do, that's all.
Lu Taotao grabbed a piece of hair, raised her upper lip and pinched it with her nose, humming softly: "But some doctors pretend to be benevolent and righteous, and so are you, little sister."
The journey took a lot of time. In order to relieve his anxiety, Lu Anran casually picked up a sentence and replied: "You have a lot of complaints against medical practitioners in your heart. You have suffered in this regard."
Lu Taotao immediately changed his face and said fiercely: "Don't mention it!"
After only a few breaths of silence, Lu Taotao cursed to himself: "He is just a bad fruit and a rotten egg."
Lu Anran actually heard a hint of grievance in her tone.
—
Yixian is still the same as before. Apart from more and more Confucian scholars walking on the streets, no other difference can be seen.
The Orchid Pavilion Gathering is a grand event held every year in Yi County. Now that I'm casually strolling outside, I really agree, "Everyone talks and laughs, and there are no idle people coming and going." '
With such a mood, when he arrived at Li Erniang's embroidery workshop, Lu Anran was dumbfounded. It had become a rice vinegar shop.
"The original embroidery workshop?" The shop owner shook his head and said with confusion: "We have been operating here for decades and have never heard of it being an embroidery workshop. Are you kidding me, miss?"
Lu Anran swept across the shop walls and floors one by one, nodded at the other person, and left the place.
"He really doesn't know how to lie. Even I can tell he is lying." Lu Taotao said proudly.
Indeed, if it has been in business for decades, there will always be soy sauce and vinegar staining the walls and floors, but the inside is too clean, but there is a light fragrance hidden under the strong vinegar.
Lu Anran thought for a while and whispered a few words to Lu Taotao.
Lu Taotao blinked his big eyes, and there was a hint of slyness in his eyes, "Miss, you asked me to do this."
"Yeah, but I want to be there."
"Hey, it's not fun."
Having said that, at night, Lu Taotao took Lu Anran and squatted on the roof of a certain house. Before lifting the tiles, he said enthusiastically: "I'll play with him first."
Lu Anran grabbed her arm and said, "Get down to business."
Lu Taotao pursed his lips, took out the strange-shaped thing from his arms and put it to his mouth. The sound he played was dark and empty, rising and falling, like someone walking on a tightrope, and also like a dream.
Lu Anran was surprised that she was not affected at all this time.
After playing a song, seeing that the person on the bed was already asleep, Lu Taotao clapped his hands and said, "Okay, little sister, you can go down and ask questions."
Lu Anran asked: "Why don't I feel anything?"
Lu Taotao opened his eyes wide with disbelief on his face, "Are you doubting my ability?!"
Lu Anran shut her mouth, probably understanding that this kind of music could be manipulated and targeted.
This time, Lu Anran used the same trick that Lu Taotao used to bluff people last time. He first used music to hypnotize people, and then went down to question them. Even if the people woke up, they would probably think it was a dream.
Originally, Lu Taotao thought that to catch big fish, she would go directly to the Yixian County magistrate. However, Lu Anran considered that the county office was strictly guarded and Lu Taotao might alert the government officials if he took her with him, so he compromised and found a small catcher who took turns to rest.
Lu Taotao blew a whistle, and the little catcher rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking a little dazed and delirious.
"What happened in Yi County? Where did the women from Tianzi Lane Embroidery Shop go?" Lu Taotao said that the hypnosis time was limited, and Lu Anran immediately picked up the important questions.
The young catcher was stunned for a long time before he understood. He opened his mouth and said word by word: "The fox fairy hides in the embroidery workshop, and the fox fairy kills people."
"Where are they?"
"Where is the person?" The little catcher's eyes began to move non-stop, and he was sweating heavily because he couldn't answer. "Man, where is the person?"
Lu Anran looked at Lu Taotao - hypnosis makes people stupid.
Lu Taotao saw her questioning her own level, moved her lips, and played another tune dissatisfied.
The young catcher's mood gradually stabilized, "The fox fairy kills people, but they disappear."
After repeating these two sentences over and over, Lu Anran asked Lu Taotao to put him down again, and the two of them quietly retreated along the original path.
"Damn! I, the famous Fox Fairy, am here, why did I kill someone!" As soon as he came out, Lu Taotao groaned angrily with his hands on his hips.
Lu Anran was surprised that the appearance of the divine fox was over, so why did the fox fairy kill someone again, and it happened to be Li Erniang and the others.
Lu Taotao and Lu Anran wandered around the city and couldn't help but asked curiously: "What are you looking for?"
At this moment, Lu Anran stopped in front of Li'er's mother-in-law's house. The lights were out at night and everything was quiet. But when she saw that this place could not hide so many women, she was about to leave when she heard a sound coming from inside. Like something heavy fell to the ground.
Lu Taotao opened the window and took a look, "Hey, the old lady fell down. I don't know if she died."
Living alone, even if I fall to my death in the middle of the night, no one will know.
The two met and went in to help her up and give her some water. The old woman was half-awake and murmuring weakly: "Who are you...?"
Lu Taotao rolled his eyes and said, "I am the Fox Fairy."
After leaving here, Lu Anran sighed deeply in his heart - hateful people also have pitiable qualities.
"This must be Wu's mother-in-law." Lu Taotao was still a little impressed and curled her lips, "She was such a fierce person before."
Suddenly he clapped his hands and said, "Ah, I know where they are hiding!"
Lu Anran raised his head suddenly: "Where is it?"
