After the sun had set, the sky remained green for a long time before it was replaced by night.
On a higher hill, the delegation lit a bonfire and pitched their tents.
The women did not get off the carriage and slept in the carriages wrapped in thin blankets. Xu Qi'an and the other senior officials slept in the tents while the guards on the ground floor slept around the bonfire.
Fortunately, it was mid-spring and the nights were neither hot nor cold. The wind blew and it was quite comfortable. The only problem was that there were more mosquitoes and they liked these strong "fat sheep" very much.
"Pa pa" sounds were heard continuously as the soldiers chased away the mosquitoes while cursing.
When Xu Qi'an returned from his patrol and saw this scene, he knew that the delegation did not prepare any mosquito repellent herbs. At most, they had some medicine to treat wounds and common antidotes.
As for the mosquito repellent herbs, it was not as detailed.
"Why are there so many mosquitoes?" The Dali Monastery prime minister, dressed in a white unlined garment, came out of the tent and complained.
"My ears are buzzing with insects. How can I sleep? How can I sleep?"
Living like a prince was a common problem for civil officials. Although there were bumps on the ship earlier, they were small problems that could be tolerated.
Traveling by land was much more difficult. There were no big beds, no tea tables, no delicate food, and they had to endure mosquito bites.
When the two censors heard the complaints of the Dali Monastery prime minister, they immediately came out and agreed with him. They frowned and said, "It's tough, tough."
At this moment, it was obvious how stupid Xu Qi'an's suggestion was. If they did not change to the land route, they would still be floating in the water with soft beds and individual rooms to rest in.
Chu Xianglong, who had copper skin and iron bones, was not afraid of mosquito bites. He sneered and said, "Since we have chosen to travel by land, we naturally have to bear the consequences. We have only been traveling for a day. It is not too late to change to the water route. "
Xu Qi'an took out a special spice and said loudly, "I have insect repellent spices here. Throw one into the bonfire and it will drive away the mosquitoes."
The soldiers were overjoyed. They took the spices from Xu Qi'an and threw them into the bonfire.
The spices burned slowly in the raging fire, and a slightly pungent fragrance overflowed. After a while, there were no more mosquitoes around.
"Haha, there really aren't any mosquitoes. How comfortable."
"Now I can sleep in peace, thanks to your excellency Xu."
Around the bonfires, the soldiers were not stingy with their praises. Xu Yinluo's spices solved their immediate problem. Without the mosquito bites, they felt much more comfortable.
Happiness started from these small benefits. If it was another official leader, he would definitely not care about the small troubles of these low-level soldiers.
Not to mention, if they didn't sleep well at night, they would be exhausted the next day, and they would have to hurry on with their journey … This vicious cycle would cause the fighting prowess of the entire team to plummet.
The increased happiness of the soldiers would also be reflected back to their leaders, and they would become more respectful and approachable of their leaders.
For example, when Xu Qi'an proposed to change the route and take the more difficult land route, the entire team privately complained about it, but not the hundred Imperial Guards, who had no complaints at all.
This was their approval.
The two imperial censors and the Dali Monastery prime minister asked for a piece of spices and returned to the tent to light it with an incense burner. The mosquito repellent effect was immediate, and as expected, there were no more buzzing noises.
"Your excellency Xu even prepared such a small thing. As expected of an expert in solving cases, his thoughts are meticulous."
The imperial censor from the Imperial Censorate came out of the tent and praised loudly.
In the horse carriage not far away, the maidservants smelled a faint fragrance and said happily, "This smell is quite nice. Let's go get some and burn it to drive away the mosquitoes."
"What are you going to do? Xu Yinluo and General Zhu are in conflict. Don't ask for a snub at this time," another maidservant said.
"No way, Xu Yinluo has a good personality, and he is especially gentle to us women," the maidservant said.
"Tsk … I'm talking about General Zhu. We are from the Prince's Residence, and we must know what to do. No matter how good Xu Yinluo is, we can't forget our status, understand? "
"Yes, and I heard that Xu Yinluo wants to change to the land route. That's why we are working so hard, really."
As soon as these words came out, the other maidservants started to denounce Xu Yinluo. They hated him non-stop.
The Princess Consort curled up in a corner and sneered in disdain.
These brainless maidservants were as short-sighted as toads. They could only see the mosquitoes flying in front of them.
Although she was also tired, she also doubted whether the waterway route was really dangerous, and she also doubted Xu Qi 'an's judgment. But she firmly supported Xu Qi 'an's decision.
She would rather suffer a little and suffer a little than face danger.
…
The Dali Monastery prime minister lifted the curtain of the tent and looked at Xu Qi 'an, who was sitting with the soldiers, and asked, "How confident is your excellency Xu?"
He was referring to the ambush on the waterway, tactfully reminding Xu Qi 'an that he had to consider the bet.
After all, the Dali Monastery prime minister had no enmity with Xu Qi 'an and did not like him. The main reason was that the Dali Monastery Chancellor and Xu Qi' an had a huge grudge. As an official working under the Dali Monastery Chancellor, he had to sit properly.
Where did I get the confidence to let Yang Yan step into the trap? It was a test in itself … Xu Qi 'an shook his head slightly and did not speak.
A censor said, "Based on the time, Yang Jinluo should have reached the Flowstone Beach by now. He should know whether there is an ambush or not. When will he meet us? "
Xu Qi 'an said, "I left a secret signal along the way. He will follow it."
With Jinluo's speed, it wouldn't take long for him to catch up by following the secret signal. He might catch up by tomorrow morning at the latest, or by tonight at the earliest.
Chu Xianglong and the other officials fell silent, each thinking about something, waiting for Yang Yan's arrival.
After an hour, everyone fell asleep. Their snores were like the croaking of frogs, rising and falling.
Xu Qi 'an did not sleep. He took a withered branch and wrote on the ground, thinking about how he should investigate the case when he went to the Northern Region.
After the case was solved, how should he bring the evidence back to the capital without alerting the King of Zhenbei?
The most troublesome part of this matter was that he could not do anything to the King of Zhenbei, but it was easy for the King of Zhenbei to do anything to him.
It was understandable that the Dali Monastery prime minister and the others had a negative attitude towards the case. They probably just wanted to go through the motions and then go back to the capital to report on their mission … They slaughtered people three thousand miles away, but there was not a single refugee. It was unreasonable … I have to observe carefully along the way to the north. Only a fool would rush to the north.
Chu Xianglong firmly opposed me to go by land might have this consideration. He wanted me to go directly to the Northern Region, and once there, I would become a puppet at his mercy.
Want to investigate the case in private?
Dream on.
While thinking, he suddenly caught a wisp of fluctuation coming from afar.
Xu Qi 'an suddenly stood up. His right hand moved faster than his brain and pressed on the hilt of the black gold saber.
On the other side, Chu Xianglong also opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.
The two did not make eye contact, but looked to the south together. In the darkness, a figure slowly walked over, carrying a silver spear on his back. It was Yang Yan.
The moment they saw him, Xu Qi 'an and Chu Xianglong showed their nervousness and expectation.
The former bent down to pick up the waterskin and went to greet him. "Boss, what's the situation?"
Yang Yan took the waterskin, drank it in one breath, and said in a deep voice, "There was an ambush by a dragon at the Flowstone Beach, and the ship sank."
Sure enough, there was an ambush. What I feared would come true. Murphy's Law is universal … Xu Qi 'an's heart sank, and the last bit of luck he had was gone.
There was really an ambush?!
Chu Xianglong held the hilt of the saber tightly, and the bonfire shone on his slightly contracted pupils.
"Boss, sit down first. I'll call the people from the three departments over. They should listen to the story together and understand the situation." Xu Qi 'an invited Yang Yan to sit down by the bonfire, and handed him the parcel with the dry food.
Then, he went into the tents one by one, and woke up the censor, Dali Monastery prime minister, and Constable Chen from the Ministry of Justice.
Constable Chen came out of the tent and saw Yang Yan. Without thinking, he asked in a slightly urgent tone, "Yang Jinluo, did you encounter an ambush?"
The two censors and the Dali Monastery prime minister stared at Yang Yan.
"There was an ambush at the Flowstone Beach, and the ship sank. If we did not change our route, we would have been wiped out today." Yang Yan's face was solemn.
There really was an ambush, there really was an ambush … The Dali Monastery prime minister's heart sank to the bottom.
Wiped out? The two censors' expressions changed slightly, and they suddenly looked at Xu Qi 'an. They bowed and said, "Thanks to your excellency Xu's vigilance, you predicted the ambush in advance, and let us escape."
Constable Chen from the Ministry of Justice looked at Xu Qi 'an with admiration. He was sincerely convinced by the enemy of his immediate superior.
"Let's go into the tent and talk," the Dali Monastery prime minister suggested.
Xu Qi 'an nodded and called Chen Xiao, who had already woken up. He ordered, "Don't sleep tonight. Everyone, be alert and patrol properly."
Chen Xiao listened to the whole process and understood the seriousness of the matter. He nodded with a solemn expression. "Don't worry, Your Excellency."
Xu Qi 'an immediately followed everyone into the tent.
…
The Princess, who was sleeping curled up in the corner of the carriage, was awakened by a flurry of footsteps, the clanking of armors, and the sound of people talking.
The maids in the same carriage had already woken up and were looking out the window.
"It's so noisy in the middle of the night. What happened?"
"Wasn't he sleeping well just now? Why did he suddenly go out to patrol … "
The Princess's heart skipped a beat. She lifted the thin blanket, rubbed her eyes, pushed open the carriage door, and carefully jumped out of the carriage.
She stopped a group of imperial guards who were about to go out for patrol and asked, "What are you doing?"
The soldier at the front looked at her and said, "Yang Jinluo is back. It's said that he was ambushed at Flowstone Beach and his ship sank."
A soldier behind him added, "If it wasn't for your excellency Xu changing his route, we would all be dead today."
The Princess was shocked and a strong feeling of lingering fear welled up in her.
There really was an ambush, and it was aimed at me … Fortunately, fortunately, he was there. Fortunately, he reacted in time … She patted her chest. At this moment, she actually felt a strong sense of security.
The ordinary-looking princess took a deep breath and turned back to the carriage.
"Did you go and ask? What happened to them?" The maids hurriedly asked.
"There was an ambush on the waterway. The ship sank," the Princess said indifferently.
Inside the carriage, there were cries of alarm and the maids revealed expressions of fear.
"Why, why was there an ambush? Why did they ambush us … "
"Phew … Fortunately, your excellency Xu was quick-witted and took us by land early."
There were murmurs everywhere as the maids discussed spiritedly.
The Princess wrapped herself in a thin blanket and curled up in the corner. She hugged her shoulders and shivered slightly.
She felt cold in the dark night, a cold that came from the bottom of her heart.
Someone save me …
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