Chapter 355: The Mission Arrives in the North

The bracelet left the white wrist. In Xu Qi'an's eyes, the old woman with mediocre appearance, her face was like a reflection in the water. After a while of changes, her original appearance was revealed, her appearance.

Her eyes were round and charming, reflecting the firelight, like a shallow lake immersed in a bright gem, crystal clear and moving.

She raised her head shyly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, with a confusing beauty.

Her lips were full and rosy, and the corners of her mouth were exquisite, like the most tempting cherry, tempting men to have a kiss.

She was beautiful, but her temperament and demeanor were even better, like a fairy lady in a painting.

"......"

Xu Qi'an had seen stunning beauties, and knew that the Princess of Zhenbei was known as the most beautiful woman in Dafeng, so she naturally had her own strengths.

However, when he really saw the legendary most beautiful woman in Dafeng, Xu Qi'an still felt a strong sense of amazement. A poem naturally emerged in her mind:

The clouds are like clothes and the flowers are like faces, the spring breeze blows the threshold and the dew is gorgeous.

If we hadn't met on the top of the jade mountain, we would have met under the moon on the Yaotai.

"Give it back, give it back to me..." She said in a voice with tears and pleading.

Xu Qian'an looked at her silently, and handed the bracelet over without teasing her.

The princess snatched it away and put it back on. There was another wave of light and shadow like water waves, and she became an ordinary old aunt again.

In her early thirties, her facial features were mediocre and her temperament was ordinary.

The princess touched her face and breathed a sigh of relief, then hid her right hand wearing the bracelet tightly behind her, stepped back step by step, and looked at Xu Qian'an vigilantly.

She knew that her beauty was an irresistible temptation for men.

She had only met two men in the world who could resist temptation and ignore her. One was Emperor Yuan Jing, who was obsessed with cultivation and regarded immortality as everything else.

One is the Prince of Huai, who is obsessed with martial arts and has other plans for her.

As for Xu Qi'an, in the princess's inherent impression of him, the labels on him are: young hero; lecher.

It is rumored that this person hangs around the Jiaofang Division all day long and has deep entanglements with many courtesans. The young hero and the unruly and romantic are complementary, and are often talked about with relish.

But what the princess fears most is lechers.

This is too beautiful, isn't it? No, it's not a question of whether she is beautiful or not. She is really the kind of woman who is rare and reminds me of my first love... Xu Qi'an's mind, this joke from his previous life emerged.

He thinks it is very appropriate. The princess is beautiful, but what really makes Xu Qi'an feel like being struck by lightning is the strange charm in her, which can touch the softness of a man's heart.

Is this the most beautiful woman in Dafeng? Oh, interesting woman.

Xu Qi'an held the branch and stirred the bonfire. He didn't look at the vigilant and alert princess anymore. He looked at the fire and said:

"This bracelet is what I won for you when I played pot throwing. It has the effect of shielding breath and changing appearance."

The princess was slightly surprised. Thinking of the changes before and after she took off the bracelet, she thought he had inferred it based on this, so she nodded.

Xu Qi'an continued: "I heard that Princess Zhenbei was the most beautiful woman in Dafeng. I was not convinced at first. Now that I have seen your true face... I can only sigh: You deserve it."

The princess frowned slightly, "Not convinced?"

If it was another woman who said this, the princess would think she was jealous, which was reasonable. But this sentence coming from a man's mouth seemed very strange.

Xu Qian'an nodded: "Because I think that my pond...the women I know are all outstanding beauties, with different appearances, just like a hundred flowers competing for beauty. The so-called princess is just an equally beautiful flower."

But he had to admit that in the fleeting beauty just now, the princess showed a very strong feminine charm.

Even though he was a veteran, although he was not infatuated, he had a momentary impulse just now, the impulse of male instinct.

Hearing this, the princess sneered.

How could the woman who was hooked up by this lustful man be compared with her? The courtesan in the Jiaofangsi was beautiful, but if you compare those prostitutes with her, it would be a bit insulting.

In the capital, the princess felt that the eldest and second daughters of Emperor Yuan Jing could barely serve as her foil. When the national teacher Luo Yuheng was the most charming, she could compete with her, but most of the time she was not as good as her.

As for other women, she either had never seen them, or they were beautiful but of low status.

The capital is a mountain, and the princess is the Dugu Qiubai on the top of the mountain. She glanced at them lightly, and at most she could see the heads of Huaiqing and Lin'an. Occasionally, she would look at half of Luo Yuheng's face.

Of course, there is another person who, if she were in her prime, the princess felt that she might be able to compete with her.

She is the queen of Dafeng.

The women that Xu Qi'an hooked up with naturally did not include Huaiqing, Lin'an, and the national teacher. Therefore, the princess sneered at his statement and raised her chin proudly.

"It's been almost ten days since you left the capital. It must be very hard to disguise yourself as a maid. It's also very hard for me to endure you." Xu Qi'an smiled.

"What do you mean?" The princess was stunned.

"That night when we were on the deck, I wanted to take off your bracelet, but I didn't want to make things complicated. After all, I am the chief officer and I have to consider the overall situation."

The princess looked at him blankly with a dull expression and said, "You, did you guess that I was the princess at that time?"

You must be lying. She disguised herself so well. She often applauded her acting skills at night, thinking that she played the role of a maid so pure and innocent that no one recognized her.

"To be precise, when you threw gold at me in the palace, I began to doubt it. I really confirmed your identity when we met in the official ship. At that time, I understood that you were the princess. The one on the ship was just a puppet." Xu Qi'an smiled.

After abandoning the ship and walking on land, Xu Qi'an saw the fake princess, and his heart was not disturbed. He was even more certain that she was a fake.

The reason was simple. He had written a diary before, and recorded a feature of the princess in the diary.

I, I was exposed so early.......The princess opened her mouth, unable to speak. Thinking of her performance in the past few days, a sense of shame came over her.

"I tell you this to tell you that although I am lustful...ask which man is not lustful, I will never force women. We still have a long way to go north, and we need your cooperation." Xu Qian'an comforted her.

Dafeng Xu Yinluo never forces women unless they think it through.

Still can't escape the fate of going north.....The princess pursed her lips, a little disappointed, and was silent for a while, and asked: "When will we meet with the delegation?"

The young Yinluo raised his head, the firelight reflected his face, the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing an inexplicable smile: "Who said we are going to meet with the delegation?"

......

That night, the banyan tree rustled, and nothing happened.

In the morning, the first rays of morning light shone on her face, and the clear and melodious bird song was in her ears. She woke up from a light sleep and saw that the bonfire had gone out. There was a large iron pot on it, and the porridge smelled fragrant.

The princess' stomach growled twice. She couldn't hide her surprise and came to the bonfire. She opened the iron pot and found three or five people's thick porridge inside.

In addition, there were clean bowls and chopsticks on the side.

Where did he get the pot to cook porridge? No, where did he get the rice? Where did he get the clean bowls and chopsticks....... The princess served herself a bowl of porridge and drank it happily.

The thick, sweet, and just-right porridge slid into her stomach. The princess savored it for a while and curved her eyebrows.

After eating two rabbit legs yesterday, her stomach felt a little uncomfortable. She got up in the middle of the night to drink water, and found that the water had been drunk by that guy. Now she is dry-mouthed and empty-bellied.

This bowl of sweet porridge is better than delicacies from land and sea.

At this time, footsteps came from afar. Xu Qi'an, who was walking on the meadow, returned. He changed into casual clothes and wore a mink hat. It seemed that he had just taken a bath.

"There is a small river over there. There is no one nearby. It is suitable for bathing." Xu Qi'an sat down beside her, threw soap and pig bristle toothbrush to her, and said:

"Do you want to take a bath?"

The princess held the bowl in her two small hands, examined Xu Qi'an for a moment, and shook her head slightly.

"Isn't it dirty?" Xu Qi'an frowned. After all, she was a princess with a body of a thousand gold, but she was so unhygienic.

"You are dirty." The princess retorted without knowing the kindness of others.

She would not take a bath. Wouldn't that give this lecherous man an opportunity? What if he peeked at her or took the opportunity to ask to take a bath together...

Yes, the goddess does not go to the toilet. I am low-minded... Xu Qi'an took back the pig bristle toothbrush and soap.

The princess said quickly, "You need to rinse your mouth."

She had a small appetite, and after eating a bowl of thick porridge, she felt a little full. She looked at the pig bristle toothbrush while walking towards the river.

She mainly suspected that the toothbrush was used by Xu Qiyan, but she had no evidence.

When she came back after brushing her teeth, the pots and bowls were gone. Xu Qiyan sat cross-legged beside the ashes, concentrating on the map.

"Where are we going next?" she asked.

"Sanhuang County."

Xu Qiyan did not deliberately keep it a secret, and explained, "This is a county adjacent to Chuzhou and Jiangzhou. There is a hidden man trained by the night watchman. I want to find him first, find out the information, and then gradually go deeper into Chuzhou."

The case of the bloody massacre of three thousand miles was confusing, and there seemed to be other hidden stories. In this context, Xu Qiyan believed that it was the right choice to investigate the case secretly.

If you are too high-profile, you will put yourself and your companions in danger.

The delegation led by Yang Yan is a cover on the surface.

A steady and solid plan.....The princess nodded slightly and asked again: "Where are those things?"

"None of your business." Xu Qi'an relentlessly rebuked her.

The two continued on their way, avoiding the official road, taking the mountain trails, the ridges of the fields, or directly crossing the mountains.

For a whole day, a stingy woman did not say a word to him again.

There are also advantages to walking on the mountain road. The scenery along the way is not bad, with green mountains, green waters, and white clouds.

Occasionally, you can see the green pines standing proudly on the cliffs, towering like a canopy. You can also see the wild flowers blooming on the roadside, simple and tenacious.

Xu Qi'an is a man who cherishes women. He does not walk fast. Occasionally, he will stop and choose a beautiful place to rest leisurely for half an hour.

Talking to her about his experience in raising fish often attracts the princess's disdainful sneer.

.......

Half a decade later, the delegation entered the northern border and arrived at a city called Wanzhou.

Wanzhou is a small state, larger than a county but smaller than a prefecture. Wanzhou has fertile land suitable for farming and is one of the granaries of Chuzhou.

The architectural style here is not much different from the capital of the Central Plains, but the scale is incomparable. Because there is no dock nearby, the prosperity is limited.

After Yang Yan showed the court documents, the highest general centurion on the city gate personally led them to the post station.

The delegation had just rested at the post station. Yang Yan took a hot bath and was about to sit down to drink tea when the governor of Wanzhou came.

The governor's surname was Niu, but his physique was not related to the word "Niu". He was tall and thin, with a goat beard, wearing a green robe embroidered with egrets, and followed by two government officials.

"I don't know how many gentlemen have come to visit. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. I'm sorry for not welcoming you..."

Niu Zhizhou was very humble. After greeting the Dali Temple Secretary, the two censors and Yang Yan, he asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

Yang Yan was not good at official communication and did not answer.

The Dali Temple Secretary took out the document that he had prepared long ago, handed it over with a smile on his face, and started to treat the Zhizhou as a brother in a few words.

After Niu Zhizhou and the Dali Temple Secretary finished their greetings, he unfolded the document in his hand and read it carefully.

After reading the document, Niu Zhizhou had a very strange expression, even felt it was absurd, and looked at everyone, and asked tentatively: "Excuse me, who is Xu Yinluo?"

Dali Temple Secretary sighed and said sadly: "The delegation was ambushed by the enemy on the way. Xu Yinluo was seriously injured to protect everyone. We have sent someone to send him back to the capital."

Niu Zhizhou was shocked: "How could this happen? Which thief dared to ambush the court delegation? It's simply lawless."

The censor surnamed Liu waved his hand and said: "Let's not talk about this matter, Lord Niu, we came to investigate the case, just to ask something."

Niu Zhizhou hurriedly bowed: "Excuse me, Lord Censor."

Censor Liu said in a deep voice: "How is the battle situation in Chuzhou?"

Hearing this, Niu Zhizhou sighed and said: "Last year, there was heavy snow in the north, and countless livestock froze to death. After the beginning of spring this year, they often invaded the border, burning, killing and looting along the way.

"Fortunately, the King of Zhenbei has many soldiers and generals under his command, and no city has been lost. The barbarians dare not go deep into Chuzhou, but the people near the border are pitiful."

Not all people live in the city. Those who were robbed by the barbarians are the people in the villages and towns.

The delegation looked at each other, and Chen, the head of the Criminal Department, frowned and said, "Where did the bloody massacre of 3,000 miles happen?"

Niu Zhizhou smiled bitterly and spread his hands, saying, "This is simply a fairy tale. You should know that Chuzhou is only 8,000 miles long and wide. If there was a bloody massacre of 3,000 miles, how can this humble official stand here and talk to you?"

Liu Yushi sneered, "We are all scholars, Niu Zhizhou should not be so clever. "

"Bloodbath for 3,000 miles" is an allusion, which originated from the Warring States Period in ancient times. There was a bloodthirsty general who led his army to slaughter for 3,000 miles when destroying the enemy country.

Later generations cited it as an allusion to describe large-scale killings and brutality.

Although the barbarians harassed the people on the border, burned, killed and looted, the report sent back to the north by the King of Zhenbei only said that the barbarians harassed the border, but they had been repelled by his troops and the victory reports continued.

If the barbarians really committed the atrocities of "bloodbath for 3,000 miles", it would be that the King of Zhenbei lied about military intelligence and seriously neglected his duties.