MTL - Perfect Encounter-Chapter 8

The panic on Xu Matchmaker's face flashed, and she calmly asked: "I'll take what you said is true, what did the general say?"

"The first thing is that if something happens to me, he knows who should be responsible. He will deal with it according to military law, not like a government office."

Matchmaker Xu's face froze. This reaction reassured An Ruochen, and she continued: "Second thing, the general said that Madam Xu is definitely not in charge, he can let Madam go, but if the person who ordered Madam to do things is not caught, He'll have to find someone to take responsibility for. Mammy's a smart person and knows what to do."

Matchmaker Xu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

"The third thing is that since the matter of the racecourse has been committed, it must be dealt with as soon as possible, so I hope that the mother will make a decision earlier, otherwise it will take a long time, and the general will not be merciful."

Matchmaker Xu listened quietly, then raised her eyes suddenly, and said with a sneer, "No more?"

An Ruochen stared at her, and said coldly, "It's gone."

Xu matchmaker said: "Who is the eldest girl? If the general has something to say to me, can I still use the eldest girl? With all the people under the general, which one is not better than the girl? The eldest girl is smart, and I am not stupid."

An Ruochen took a step forward: "You are being stupid now. Why didn't the general send officers and soldiers? Mammy thinks about it carefully. After sending those people, can Mammy walk around the city safely? Once the matter is leaked, the general No matter what, you have to arrest people. If no one else can find it, only the mother will take the blame. The mother knows more than me. Who will be killed when the time comes? Does the mother know in her heart? Mammy said a lot of good things. I was also afraid of death, so I took the risk to report it. The general is naturally suspicious of how I know such secrets. I can either be silenced by you or suspected by the general. I choose the latter. But the general finally One day I have to leave, but my mother and I will live in Zhonglan City for the rest of our lives. After I marry into Qian's mansion, there will be no hope for my natal family. Who can take care of me? Since my mother is a person in the city, I am still looking forward to gaining one or two benefits from Mammy in the future. Thinking about it this way, between the general and Mammy, I will choose Mammy. Does Mammy understand the current situation? I am on the same boat as Mammy, and I am dead , Mommy will take the blame alone, and Mommy will confess Mr. Xie, and Mommy and I will be cleared of the suspicion."

This long series of words is reasonable and fluent. Matchmaker Xu pursed her lips.

An Ruochen paused for a while, looked at Xu Matchmaker's expression, and said again: "Mother, the general allowed me to discuss with you, which is giving us a chance. Mother must think twice. The general promised that if the principal culprit can be caught, You and I won't pursue it anymore. I don't ask for anything else, my mother knows the situation in my family best. In the future, when I marry Master Qian, if there is any trouble, the mother will count on my help this time It's enough to help me too."

Matchmaker Xu was puzzled and didn't speak. An Ruochen took another step closer, and said in a low voice: "You and I are being watched by the general. When I go out, I will know by looking at the tea stall across the street. I'm talking about this, and I will think about it carefully. If there is any difficulty It's dangerous, let's discuss it carefully. I still count on my mother for what I will do in the future. It is reasonable for me to go in and out of the Anfu. Neither the general nor Mr. Xie can say anything. Across a wall, my mother said to me What, what did they do, how do they know?"

Matchmaker Xu thought for a while: "Have you ever seen Mr. Xie?"

An Ruochen suppressed her nervousness, and said, "Never. If I saw it, I would just report it to Mr. Xie, and then seek favors from my mother. Wouldn't it be better than the current situation?"

Matchmaker Xu said nothing.

An Ruochen said: "Mother, go back and think about it carefully. Don't do that dangerous thing again during this period of time, and don't be caught by the general. If you make up your mind, come to me again."

Matchmaker Xu pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

An Ruochen stared at Xu Matchmaker's leaving back until she could no longer see her, then she softened and let out a heavy sigh of relief. But Xin couldn't let go, she was not sure what Matchmaker Xu would do.

An Ruochen returned to the house, pretending to search for clothes and jewelry, gestured for a while, then looked at the rouge powder, complaining that the color was not satisfactory. The maid comforted her by saying that the lady looks good no matter how she dresses up. An Ruochen said, no, I'd better buy some more, she's getting greedy and wants to eat candies from the East Street.

Just do what you say, and go with the maid.

Ziyun Tower is in the east of the city, she has to see the general as soon as possible, otherwise there will be big trouble.

An Ruochen had just arrived at the gate of the mansion with the maid, but was seen by the second room, Mrs. Tan.

"Where is this going?"

An Ruochen lowered her head and looked timid and honest. The servant girl helped her answer, saying that the young lady was going to pick out some new makeup and buy some candies to eat.

Tan sneered: "Miss is very rich recently. She has bought one thing after another, but she still hasn't bought enough? Money is so easy to get, and it doesn't feel bad to use it. If Miss has so much spare money, how can she not buy enough?" The monthly rate of the house should be less from next month."

An Ruochen looked flustered: "Second Aunt, candy is nothing to spend, so don't deduct my monthly payment."

Tan snorted and said, "I'm about to get married, so don't be so wild. If the master doesn't talk about you, you should be more restrained. Don't go out today. Isn't your wedding pillow unembroidered? Spend more time on it. These are business matters."

An Ruochen didn't dare not to agree, and the maid hurriedly answered "Yes" respectfully.

Tan looked at An Ruochen again, and walked away.

An Ruochen's heart sank to the bottom, and the door of the mansion was about to be closed again by the porter. An Ruochen looked at the tea stall across the street, the familiar man and the stall owner were looking at her, seeing her looking over, chatting like busy chatting. An Ruochen kept watching them until the gate of the mansion was closed.

Long Dagang came out of the county government office. He came here to discuss the burning of the racecourse with the prefect Yao Kun and others.

Some people testified that they heard those thieves with a Nanqin accent, but the county government sent people to investigate the Nanqin people in Zhonglan City, but they did not find any suspects. When negotiating with Nan Qin, the officials on the other side still used the same rhetoric. It is absolutely impossible for Nan Qin to send people to do this. Xiao Guo should not use this excuse to frame him. If Xiao Guo has any evidence, just show it. If it was really done by the people of Nanqin, Nanqin will take responsibility, but if Xiao Guo deliberately smears it to provoke disputes, then Xiao Guo will bear the consequences.

At this moment Yao Kun was a little worried. The issue of the bandits on the border has not yet come to fruition, and now the important places in the city are being attacked, which is much more serious than the issue of the bandits. He felt that Nan Qin had no guts to fight, but how to explain this secret action? Attacking the warhorse camp is no small matter. But if it declares war for this, it seems to be making a big deal out of a molehill. With the war together, the consequences would be disastrous, and his Pingnan County would never have a peaceful life.

So Yao Kun asked Long Da to come over to discuss with other officials. One was to write a note and report it to the court, and the other was to suspend the border trade between the two countries as a punishment. The latter one was supported by the boss Bo Jiang Hongqing and others, but the Merchant and Shipping Department hoped that Long Da and Yao Kun would reconsider. This matter not only affects South Qin, but also affects Pingnan County and Xiao State. If it is really not sure that Nan Qin did it, it is better to deal with it cautiously.

But Long Da agreed with Yao Kun's decision, and he had to make some moves to see the other party's reaction. The envoy's negotiations are handled by the county government, while his military is in full swing to train troops, strengthen security fortifications, and ascertain the border terrain.

General Long said so, and it's hard for others to disagree. So things settled down.

When Long Da left the Yamen, he saw Xie Gang waiting for him. Long Da remained calm and rode with Xie Gang. Xie Gang whispered: "The spies came to report that Matchmaker Xu went to An's house today. When she entered, everything was beaming as usual, but when she went out, her complexion was a bit unsightly. She also paid special attention to the tea stand across the street from An's house. Not long after she left, Miss An was about to go out, but she was stopped by the second room Tan at the gate. Miss An seemed very unwilling, and she kept staring at the tea stand before the door closed."

"Yeah." Long Da responded, expressing that he heard it. After a while, he said: "Go and tell me, those who follow Matchmaker Xu must not slack off, and must keep an eye on her. Where she has gone, who she has met, you have to pay attention to it, and report everything no matter how big or small it is." .”

"Yes. What about An's house?"

"I'll let Zeqing take a trip. An Ruochen knows him. If she has something to report, she should know how to seize this opportunity."

In the evening of that day, Anfu suddenly welcomed a distinguished guest. General Zongze Qingzong, the most popular man in the army, came here uninvited. Surprised and delighted, An Zhifu hurried to meet him. Zong Qingzong only brought two guards, pretended to be visiting, and mysteriously said that he played too much in the city before and was punished by the general, so he sent him to the front line to inspect. When he came back, he dared not go to the restaurant, for fear that the general would find out and punish him again.

"You can't be thrown to the front line to live a hard life before your **** is hot in the city. I thought that Mr. An is a talkative person, so I came here to ask for a glass of wine." Zong Zeqing said.

"Where is that, General Zong is too polite. General Zong is willing to come, but it will make the people's homes flourish. There are good wine and meat, so don't be polite, General." An Zhifu welcomed Zong Zeqing to the hall and ordered The kitchen was prepared quickly, and all the good dishes and wine were served.

"So I'm interrupting. Master An has to keep it secret for me. Don't teach General Long to know."

An Zhifu laughed out loud and agreed. I feel that the relationship between myself and Zong Zeqing is a little closer.

The news of General Zong Zeqing's visit to the mansion quickly spread throughout the houses. Both An Ruoxi and An Ruolan were called by An Zhifu to have dinner with Zong Zeqing in the chrysanthemum garden, and even 12-year-old An Ruofang was called over in the end. An Ruochen sighed helplessly when she heard what the maid said. Her father planned that if he failed to catch General Long, it would be good to catch General Zong, too? But right now this matter is not the point, the point is that she also wants to see Zong Zeqing.

An Ruochen thought of a way and began to grind the ink.

Today Tan is in a bad mood and always finds fault with her. After stopping her at the gate of the mansion, he ran to her yard to see what she was doing not long after, saw that she was actually embroidering wedding pillows, and reprimanded her for not being careful. She said that it was a blessing for her to be able to marry Mr. Qian, if Mr. Qian was not willing to want her, she would die of old age and no one would care about her at home, which would be a shame to the An family. In short, he gave An Ruochen a good verbal humiliation, and then he gave up.

An Ruochen asked the maid to inquire. It turned out that when Matchmaker Xu came today, Mrs. Tan had asked Matchmaker Xu to ask about General Long's situation, and wanted to know if the General had a wife, concubine or children at home in the capital. She said that the general favored An Ruoxi very much, and his attitude was quite unusual, and she wanted Matchmaker Xu to ask if this matter could be done. Unexpectedly, Matchmaker Xu refused straight away, saying that it made Tan Shimo think more, that a person like General Long came to Zhonglan City to lead the emperor's order to garrison the border county, not to marry a wife and take concubines. At this time, a matchmaker in the bureau ran to inquire about this, which aroused the taboo of the general, and chopped her off with a knife, but there was nowhere to complain. She told Tan Shi to wait at ease, if the general really had that kind of thought for An Ruoxi, there would be no need for the matchmaker to come to lobby, the general would make arrangements himself. Matchmaker Xu finally said: "If Madam doesn't give up, it's better to find some officials' wives to protect the matchmaker. If there is a magistrate's wife who is willing to raise this matter with the general, it will be much easier than my mother-in-law."

In Tan's ears, she felt that Matchmaker Xu was ridiculing her for daydreaming and delusion to climb high. She didn't dare to ask the prefect's wife to protect the matchmaker, and she couldn't even deal with the prefect's side, let alone the general Jinlong? Mrs. Tan is someone who wants to save face, so she suddenly lost her face. He lost his temper several times in his own yard in the afternoon, and even led people around the mansion to find out their faults. Unfortunately, An Ruochen was caught by Mrs. Tan to go out to play, so she suffered a disaster.

After hearing this, An Ruochen knew that she would have no hope of finding any excuse to go out today. She thought about going to the tea stand and letting the spies of the tea stand pass the news for her, but she didn't know those people, so she didn't dare to entrust such important news. Suddenly, she thought what if she was wrong, what if those people were not from the general but from Mr. Xie's side? Oh, if that's the case, her bluff with Matchmaker Xu today will be exposed. At this moment, Matchmaker Xu might have discussed with Mr. Xie how to silence her.

An Ruochen was restless all afternoon, struggling and hesitating. I want to take a gamble and go to the tea stall, but I am afraid that Mrs. Tan will be suspicious.

Now I suddenly heard Zong Zeqing coming. An Ruochen was immediately refreshed. She has a chance, she must seize it.

Zong Zeqing ate and drank in An's mansion, chatted with An Zhifu, met An Ruochen's three younger sisters, but saw An Ruochen alone. Pretending to mention it unintentionally, Mrs. Tan said from the side that the eldest girl had agreed to the family and was busy with pre-marriage preparations, so she didn't come out to greet the general.

Zong Zeqing secretly laughed at Tan's thoughts, he was not interested in An Ruochen at all, but if he couldn't see her, how would he deal with the general. The general said it lightly, when you get there, she will find a way to see you.

Zong Zeqing didn't understand where Long Da's confidence came from, and how he was sure that An Ruochen would take the initiative to come to see him. Besides, what if she couldn't come if she wanted to? In fact, according to him, it would be most convenient for him to sneak into An Ruochen's yard and meet directly. But with such a suggestion, Long Da rejected it. If you don't know what's going on at her end, don't ask for trouble and leave excuses, and don't teach others to see and cause trouble for her. In short, you will see her when you go there, if you really can't see her, we will discuss it when you come back.

Zong Zeqing was patient, and An Ruochen didn't show up until the meal was over. He used the method of Long Da last time to say that he was going to the toilet to give An Ruochen a chance to stop him halfway, but he didn't expect that An Zhifu was thinking about not greeting General Long who went to the toilet last time, so he personally accompanied him this time. He went, calling out to a group of servants, this is not going to the toilet, those who don't know may think there is some kind of celebration ceremony.

After using the toilet, Zong Zeqing sat for a while, drank tea, and listened to two pieces of music, but still did not see An Ruochen. There was nothing he could do, so he left. Anyway, he did what he was told, and went back to report to the general, let's see what he wants?

An Zhifu brought his servants to send them off in person, Mrs. Tan from the second room took An Ruoxi, and Mrs. Xue from the third room took An Ruolan to send them off together. Zong Zeqing followed a string of tails to the stables in the side courtyard.

When I got there, my eyes lit up. Who is it if it's not An Ruochen?

He never expected to see her here in the end.

An Ruochen was stroking Zong Zeqing's horse, talking to Zong Zeqing's two guards, as if asking the horse what to eat, when Zong Zeqing came, he quickly saluted.

Seeing An Ruochen, Mrs. Tan became furious immediately, and shouted: "What are you doing? Didn't you tell you to do embroidery work in the room? How is it decent to strike up a conversation with a strange man, and even disturb the distinguished guests? Where are the etiquette and education? gone?"

An Ruochen hastily admitted his mistake: "Auntie, calm down. I was bored in the room and came out to do some activities. I wandered here without paying attention. I saw the general's horse was very proud, so I asked curiously."

"Nothing, nothing." Zong Zeqing smoothed things over. "We soldiers, both men and horses are solid, how can they be so easily disturbed, don't take it to heart."

An Ruochen heard this, and hurriedly said: "General Zong has a lot. Thank you, little girl." She patted the saddle on the back of Zong Zeqing's horse and said: "General Zong, go slowly, ask Long Hello, General. Father and Auntie, I will go down first."

After saying that, he gave a gift and left.

An Zhifu and Zong Zeqing exchanged courtesies, and Zong Zeqing then left.

Zong Zeqing was thinking about An Ruochen all the way. After he drove back to Ziyun Tower, he didn't hand over the horse directly to the groom, but unsaddled the saddle himself. Under the saddle, he found a piece of paper. There are only twelve words on the paper: Zhizhizhi, left and right, follow the clues.

What kind of doggerel is this? Zong Zeqing was confused and didn't dare to delay, so he quickly handed it over to Long Da.

After listening to what Zong Zeqing said, Long Da nodded.

Zong Zeqing asked: "General, what is the meaning of this poem without literary talent?"

"Matchmaker Xu already knows that An Ruochen has heard the secret, and she already knows that An Ruochen has reported her to me. She has two choices, either cooperate with us, or go to her superior secret agent to kill An Ruochen to silence her. No matter whether she believes in An Ruochen or not, whichever path she chooses, we have a chance to catch the person behind the scenes along her route."

Zong Zeqing opened his mouth, dumbfounded: "The general read so much content from these twelve characters?"

"She has no way to avoid people's eyes and ears and report to you, so she has to come up with this bad plan."

"She can write more clearly."

"It's written too clearly. If this letter doesn't fall into your hands, but her family sees it, she will be in trouble." Long Da looked at the letter paper, curling the corners of his mouth. This girl is indeed not an ordinary person.

Zong Zeqing was shocked, is this a joke? The general laughed?

"Something must have happened to her, so she had to have a showdown with that matchmaker Xu. I guess she must have been talking nonsense again. She knows that I sent someone to follow her, so she can only hope that we will take action against Matchmaker Xu. Catch it." She was betting her life in his hands.

Zong Zeqing asked: "Then what are we going to do now?"

"Wait."

As soon as the woman moved, they made progress.