Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 208

Chapter 208 Clues
Qin Mubai called Yuwen Hongtai in and said to him, “Blackie, now His Highness should have gone to the Governor’s Mansion. You should go as well. There should be a good banquet waiting for you.” Tell His Highness that I won’t go to the secretariat’s mansion today. I’ll meet him when I’m done with my business. By the way, get Ponfey and the others over here for me. Tell him to send a few men to the city to hire a carriage, find a quiet place to live, and get the best doctor in the city. ”

Yuwen Hongtai listened wholeheartedly, his fingers flapping as he remembered. After listening, he grinned, “Third Brother Qin … I can’t remember so many things at once!”

Qin Mubai and Chen Yan were both amused.

“Then you can call Pang Fei over!”

“Oh, then I’ll go.” Yuwen Hongtai chuckled and looked at Chen Yan curiously. “Third Brother Qin, this is your friend. How come I’ve never seen him before? How pitiful, how did he end up like this?” He asked curiously.

“Cut the crap, hurry up and go!”

Yuwen Hongtai hurriedly left. Chen Yan smiled and said, “This big black man is really a straightforward and interesting person. Mubai, why did you leave Baiji and transfer to Xiangzhou?”

“This is a long story. Let’s talk about it slowly in the future when we have time!” Qin Mubai called the prison to remove the fetters and handcuffs for Chen Yan and said that he wanted to take her away.

The prison head was in a difficult situation and timidly muttered, “If the general wants to take away a criminal, this lowly person will definitely not dare to stop him. However … the law is strict, and this lowly person is also the responsibility. If the Shangguan asks, how should this lowly person reply?”

“Do you want me to write a letter for you?” Qin Mubai sneered.

“Uh … this lowly person doesn’t dare! However, there is a written evidence that this lowly person can answer from Shangguan. General, please forgive this lowly person’s difficulties.” The prison head cautiously and flatteringly cupped his hands and smiled.

“Face, stretch out.” Qin Mubai hooked his fingers at him, reached into his arms and took out his official seal. He heaved a sigh of relief.

The prison head’s face twitched a few times. He didn’t know what Qin Mubai was going to do, but he didn’t dare to resist the order. He could only forcefully stretch his head over and face Qin Mubai sideways.

“Pa!” Qin Mubai stamped the official seal heavily on the prison head’s face and laughed, “Alright, as long as you don’t wash your face, no one will make things difficult for you. In the territory of Xiang Province, no one dares to say anything to this general except His Highness the Prince of Wu. If you insist on obtaining a piece of paper, you can only do as you wish.”

The head of the prison grinned in pain and anger. He didn’t dare to say anything more and retreated with a dirty face.

Chen Yan shook her head and smiled. “I haven’t seen you for a few days. Your ability to play with might has grown greatly. What’s wrong? Is it because you’ve become the emperor’s son-in-law that your airs have risen?” She said.

“Haha, your ability to make fun of people is also increasing day by day!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Don’t listen to that black man’s nonsense. I haven’t become the son-in-law yet!”

Chen Yan smiled and said, “I didn’t expect that you would end up with that little princess. Where’s your charming mother?”

Qin Mubai smiled self-deprecatingly, “This is even more prolonged. Why don’t you feel any pain from your injuries? Are you still in the mood to chat with me?”

“I’m used to walking in Jianghu. This injury is nothing.” Chen Yan smiled sweetly, but her face was still as pale as paper.

Qin Mubai knew that she was trying to keep her mouth shut. After a while, Pang Fei finally brought thirty Hundred Cavalry soldiers with him. Although Yuwen Hongtai was familiar with him, his work was somewhat rough and he was a member of the Wu Palace, so it was inconvenient for him to send him. Pang Jingling was smart, and she had always been the one who made Qin Mubai’s heart stand out.

Thus, he ordered some trivial matters, and Pang Fei took care of them in a short period of time. Moments later, Qin and Chen got into a carriage and left the prison under the protection of a group of Baiji soldiers. They arrived at a secluded inn in the south of Xiangyang City. The doctor was also invited, and he immediately began to treat Chen Yan’s injuries.

Fortunately, Chen Yan did not suffer any fatal injuries. She was just bleeding too much and her blood vitality was weak. She could recover after a few days of recuperation. However, the skin and flesh wounds on his body were somewhat troublesome. Although he had carefully cleaned the wounds and tied them with what the doctor claimed to be miraculous healing medicines, he was afraid that he would not be able to guarantee that there would be any scars in the future.

Fortunately, those scars weren’t on her face, otherwise, Chen Yan probably wouldn’t have been able to accept this fact.

When the doctor was prescribing medicine to wash his wounds in the room, Qin Mubai was in the next room, writing three letters with an oil lamp.

The first letter was written to Cheng Huaibi, the deputy envoy of Hundred Cavalry, asking him to help him make a Hundred Cavalry military report. Of course, it was for Chen Yan. The Hundred Cavalry broke away from the Tang Dynasty and led the Twelve Guards Regular Army. They belonged to the Ministry of War in name, but the actual deployment of personnel was under their control. Although Qin Mubai had temporarily left his post, he was still an examiner and a cavalry messenger, so it wasn’t a problem for him to absorb an ordinary soldier. Thus, with Chen Yan’s official status, her claim that she was a secret messenger of the Hundred Cavalries would become an established fact.

The second letter was addressed to his mother and sister. Of course, it was for the sake of peace. The letter naturally mentioned the two brothers and Wu Meiniang, and Shuang’er would naturally tell them about them.

The third letter was addressed to Princess Gao Yang. That girl was probably anxious to hear from him.

Then, Qin Mubai called Pang Fei in and instructed him, “Here are three letters. Deliver them to Guan Yi and send them to Chang’an immediately.”

“Yes, Master.” Pang Fei answered without saying a word. “When are you going to the barracks? Just now, the generals of the Secretariat Manor have arrived. They are probably still waiting for you!” Pang Fei replied.

After a moment of silence, Qin Mubai said, “There’s no harm in letting them go for a day or two. However, go and get two people to ask me questions. One is Constable Zhou Jiu of the county government, and the other is Commandant Zhao Chong of the Zuoying Camp of the military manor. Remember, there’s no need to alert anyone else. Call them separately.”

“Yes!”

“Go do your job. It’s been hard on you!”

After finishing all this, Qin Mubai heaved a sigh of relief, and a rumbling sound came from his stomach. He called for the waiter to order the food and let him bring it into the room to eat.

After a while, the doctor finished treating Chen Yan’s wound and left behind the patch. Chen Yan took a bath and changed her clothes in her room, and it took her a long time to recover. When the food was delivered, Qin Mubai knocked on her door.

“Come in!”

Qin Mubai and the waiter walked in together and saw that Chen Yan was completely new. After washing away the dirt and changing her clothes, although Chen Yan’s face was still pale and weak, her natural beauty was once again radiating.

“Are you feeling better? You must be starving. Let’s eat together.” Qin Mubai stepped forward to help her, but Chen Yan lightly smiled and avoided her. She sat down and looked at him with a smile on her face, but she did not say anything.

“Why are you looking at me like this?” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh.

“Nothing.” Chen Yan smiled faintly. “I just feel … like I’m dreaming. I’m still in hell just now, and now I feel like I’m in heaven. This time, you’re my savior. I owe you.”

“Don’t be so exaggerated, right?” Qin Mubai laughed heartily and picked up his chopsticks. “Come, eat quickly! I’ve only been in prison for a day and I’m so hungry. You must be even more hungry than me!”

“Then there’s no need to say?”

“Then what are you waiting for? Eat up! Eat up all of them!”

…

Half an hour later, Qin Mubai accompanied Chen Yan and slowly walked into the patio in the backyard of the inn. Chen Yan took a deep breath from time to time, almost greedily enjoying the fresh air.

“I thought about what you said. Some things are important and beautiful without losing them.” Chen Yan sighed emotionally. “I’ve been in prison for more than ten days. Now, I can feel the value of freedom!”

Qin Mubai chuckled and said, “Speaking of which, I haven’t heard from you since we parted at Jishan that day. I even thought that you would go to Chang’an, but I didn’t expect you to go south.”

“I also wanted to go to Chang’an, but … I decided not to.” Chen Yan smiled coincidentally and stopped talking at the right time.

“Forget it. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to reunite in Xiang Prefecture like this.” Qin Mubai chuckled and said, “Oh right, there’s something I did without your permission. I hope you don’t mind.”

“What is it?”

“That’s right, I’ll go and help you with the military register.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “If nothing unexpected happens, it won’t be long before you become a Baiji.”

“What?” Chen Yan was first shocked, then smiled sweetly, “Aren’t you too funny! Have you ever seen a female Baiji? Yang or a female constable, a female government official, a female soldier, a female general?”

“No.” Qin Mubai curled his lips indifferently, “But the female Hundred Cavalry … I said that I can have this, so I have to have it.”

“Haha, you’re so funny!” Chen Yan was amused. “Only you can do such an absurd thing. How can you use a woman in the royal guard?”

Qin Mubai raised her eyebrows and said, “There is no military order for the Hundred Cavalry to use women.” Actually, Hundred Cavalry had been working in the harem all year round, so it was quite good to absorb a portion of the female soldiers. However, a woman like you, Chen Yan, could be said to be one in ten thousand in the world! “–Haha, don’t worry. It’s just a military register, just like me, the examiner of the Hundred Cavalry. It’s just a title. I won’t really let you go to the Imperial Palace to be a servant.”

“In that case, wouldn’t I have changed from a thief to a soldier?” Chen Yan smiled.

“Who said you were a thief?” Qin Mubai also smiled. “Don’t forget that Princess Gao Yang wanted to learn martial arts from you as her master! Perhaps one day, you will really become her master, and your identity will instantly multiply by a hundred times. A mere hundred cavalry is nothing. Even if you are a rank five loose martial officer, it won’t hurt!”

“Haha, I’m joking.” Chen Yan shook her head and smiled. “I never thought of climbing the dragon and possessing the phoenix. Mubai, I know that you are wholeheartedly doing it for my own good, but … I really don’t want to have anything to do with royal officials, officials, or yamen.”

“I know.” Qin Mubai nodded. “To put it bluntly, this military file is just a piece of paper. It’s used to confuse the public. It’s just for my own convenience. You don’t have to take it seriously.”

“En, good …”

The night was getting late, and Chen Yan was weak and exhausted, so Qin Mubai told her to go back to her room and rest early. After a while, Pang Fei called the chief constable, Zhou Laojiu, and the two of them met in Qin Mubai’s room.

Elder Zhou Nine already knew Qin Mubai’s identity, so he knelt down and apologized.

“Forget it, get up! Those who don’t know are innocent, I don’t blame you.” Qin Mubai cried out and looked at the tea. It made Elder Zhou Jiu feel flattered and trembled slightly.

A constable like a yamen servant did not have any official credentials or rank. He did not even have a fixed salary. He was only privately employed by yamens at all levels and lived on their rewards. To put it bluntly, he was a temporary worker who served the bureaucratic system. Facing Qin Zhou Laojiu, a person like Mubai was equivalent to a temporary worker in charge of a city. Facing the commander of the provincial military region, it would be strange if he didn’t panic.

“Zhou Laojiu, there are a few questions I want to ask you. Will you answer me truthfully?” Qin Mubai calmly said.

“General, may I ask, this lowly person knows everything and speaks endlessly!” Elder Zhou Jiu hurriedly stood up and bowed nervously, cupping his fists.

“Don’t be nervous. Sit down and talk.” Qin Mubai smiled and said casually, “I saw that you are a clever and intelligent person, so I came to ask you a question. If you answered well and helped me, it would be good for you. If you answered poorly or deceived me …”

“This lowly person will never dare to deceive the general!” When Zhou Laojiu was nervous, he hurriedly knelt down.

Qin Mubai lightly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. He tapped on the table with his knuckles and said, “Very well, I’m very satisfied with your attitude. Although you offended me earlier, I won’t argue with you. Now get up and answer a few questions.”

“This lowly one obeys!”

“First question: Just what kind of people are the water ghosts in the West River Valley? Who are their leaders? Where are their strongholds?” Qin Mubai asked.

Zhou Laojiu replied seriously, “The water ghosts of the West River Cao are a group of green forest powerhouses and idle men who cross the river from the Eight Ghosts. They usually hide in the woods of the water lanes or hide in the villages of the county. They rarely appear in groups openly and act very secretly.” According to what was known as the West River Cao, it was located in a pool of water across the river. The government and the military had sent people to exterminate them several times, but there were reeds growing in the river. First, they couldn’t tell the way, and secondly, those people scattered like birds and beasts the slightest bit of wind and grass. These people were all extremely good at water, and even though it was cold in winter and the twelfth month, they could still hide in the water for a long time, making it extremely difficult to catch them. “It is said that the leader’s surname is Song, and he is known as’ Lord Song Cao ‘. I’m afraid few people know who he is.”

Qin Mubai nodded and asked, “Then these water ghosts robbed the official food and salt. There should be a way out. Could it be that Chengdu has left them for him to eat? How did they sell them?”

“This … this lowly person doesn’t know much about it.” Zhou Laojiu shook his head and his eyes suddenly lit up again. “But this lowly person guessed that this Cao Master Song might be very close to the salt owls in the Xiangzhou area!”

“How many salt owls are there in Xiangzhou?” Qin Mubai asked, “Is there a tight organization?”

“Organization … I’ve never heard of this before.” Zhou Laojiu shook his head. “The docks in Xiangzhou are transporting official salt to Jiangnan Road and Lingnan Road, so private salt is also very lively. There are many local salt lords who drive horses and take away a gang of smugglers, but there is never a shortage of time to catch them. The salt they sell is half cheaper than official salt, so there are many people who buy private salt.”

‘”There’s no reason” Qin Mubai frowned in confusion. “How could a single-handedly salty owl sell such a big brown grain?”

“This … I’m not too sure either.” Zhou Laojiu shook his head.

Qin Mubai pondered silently for a moment before nodding, “Are you interested in working for me in the future?”

“General, there is a task. This lowly person will go through fire and water!” Zhou Laojiu shouted excitedly.

Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, “Very good. You can rest assured that this will be a court official. He did everything openly and without committing any crimes. If you do well, I will guarantee that you will wash away the foundation of this official and go to the army to eat military rations.”

“Thank you, General!” Zhou Laojiu was overjoyed and bowed down again.

Official servants are not glamorous jobs. They have always lacked social status and are even discriminated against. The law of the Tang Dynasty even stipulated that government officials and their descendants below three generations were not allowed to participate in the Imperial Examination or be officials of the General Staff. Qin Mubai was trying to protect Elder Zhou Jiu from entering the army to “eat military rations”. The implication was to give him a small officer to cook it-to Elder Zhou Jiu, this was like turning a salted fish into a hero!

“You should go back first. You are not allowed to tell anyone about today’s matter. In the future, you should pay attention to anything related to the water ghost. I will send people to contact you from time to time.” Qin Mubai said.

“Yes, this lowly one bade farewell” Elder Zhou Nine carefully retreated. As soon as he left the door, he couldn’t hide his ecstatic expression and started running wildly.

Qin Mubai stayed in his room and pondered. The water ghosts had nowhere to be found, so it was most likely that sending troops to encircle them would be bamboo baskets to fetch water. If they wanted to exterminate this group of people, they had to start with the core essentials-the so-called core essentials was that they had obtained so much official grain and salt, so how could they sell them?

“Official grain? Official salt!” Qin Mubai’s heart suddenly lit up. “Could it be that?!”