The bracelet left her snow-white wrist. In Xu Qi 'an's eyes, the ordinary-looking older woman's appearance was like a reflection in the water. After a series of changes, her original appearance was revealed.
Her eyes were round and charming. They reflected the firelight, like a shallow lake immersed in a resplendent gem, sparkling and moving.
She raised her head shyly. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, bringing a bewildering sense of beauty.
Her lips were full and rosy, and the corners of her mouth were exquisite. They were like the most tempting cherries, tempting men to kiss them.
She was beautiful, but her temperament and grace were even better. She was like a celestial maiden in a painting.
"…"
Xu Qi 'an had seen absolute beauties before, and he knew that King Zhenbei's consort was known as Daibun's number one beauty. Naturally, she had her outstanding points.
However, when he saw the legendary number one beauty of Daibun, Xu Qi 'an still felt a strong sense of amazement. A poem naturally appeared in his heart:
Clouds think of her clothes, flowers think of her face, the spring breeze caresses the railings and dew are thick.
If we don't meet on the Jade Mountain, we will meet under the moon.
"Give, give it back to me …" She said in a voice that carried a sobbing and pleading tone.
Xu Qi 'an looked at her silently. He didn't continue to tease her and handed the bracelet over.
Princess snatched it and put it back on. With another wave of wave-like light and shadow, she once again became an ordinary old auntie.
She was in her early thirties, had ordinary features, and had an ordinary temperament.
Princess touched her face and heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she hid her right hand, which was wearing the bracelet, behind her back. Step by step, she retreated and looked at Xu Qi 'an cautiously.
She knew that her beauty was irresistible to men.
In this world, she had only met two men who could resist temptation and ignore her. One was the Yuanjing Emperor, who was obsessed with cultivation and prioritized longevity above all else.
The other was Duke Huai, who was obsessed with martial arts and had other plans for her.
As for Xu Qi 'an, in Princess's impression of him, he was labeled as a young hero and a womanizer.
It was rumored that he hung around the Musical House all day and had deep entanglements with many top courtesans. His young hero and unruly charm were often talked about.
But what the princess was most afraid of were lecherous men.
She's too beautiful. No, it's not about whether she's beautiful or not. She's really the kind of woman that's rarely seen. She reminds me of my first love … Xu Qi 'an thought about this joke from his previous life.
He thought that it was very appropriate. The Wangfei was beautiful, but what really shocked Xu Qi 'an was the unique charm that she had. It could touch the softest part of a man's heart.
Was the first beauty of Daibun? "Daibun, an interesting woman.
Xu Qi 'an held a branch and stirred the bonfire. He did not look at the princess, who was full of vigilance and vigilance. He looked at the bonfire and said,
Holding a branch, Xu Qi 'an stirred the bonfire. He didn't look at Princess, who was full of vigilance.
The princess was slightly startled. She thought of the changes before and after she took off the bracelet and thought that he had deduced it based on this, so she nodded.
Xu Qi 'an continued, "I have long heard that the Duchess of Zhenbei is the most beautiful woman in Da Feng. At first, I was not convinced, but now that I have seen your true face … I can only sigh: you deserve it."
The princess frowned slightly. "You're not convinced?"
If other women said this, Princess would think that she was jealous, which was reasonable. But this sentence seemed strange coming from a man's mouth.
Xu Qi 'an nodded, "Because I think, my pond … the women I know are all outstanding beauties. They are different, like a hundred flowers competing for beauty. The so-called Princess Consort is just an equally beautiful flower. "
But he had to admit that in that fleeting appearance just now, the princess had displayed a very strong feminine charm.
Even he, who had been through a lot, had a momentary impulse, a male instinct impulse, although he was not infatuated.
Hearing this, Princess sneered.
How could the women seduced by this lecherous man be compared with her? Although the Top Beauty in the Musical House was beautiful, it was a bit insulting to compare those prostitutes with her.
In the capital, Princess felt that the eldest daughter and second daughter of Yuanjing Emperor could barely serve as her foils. When Nation Master Luo Yuheng was at her most charming, she could compete with her, but most of the time, she was not as good as her.
As for other women, she had either never seen them, or they were gorgeous but of low status.
The capital was a mountain, and Princess was Dugu Qiubai at the top of the mountain. She could only see the heads of Huaiqing and Lin 'an at a glance. Occasionally, she would look at half of Luo Yuheng's face.
Of course, there was another person. If she was in the prime of her life, Princess thought she might be able to compete with her.
She was the Queen of Daibun.
Among the women Xu Qi'an seduced, Huaiqing, Lin 'an, and Nation Master were naturally not among them. Therefore, Princess snorted at his words and proudly raised her chin.
"You've been away from the capital for almost ten years. It must be hard to pretend to be a maid. I also have a hard time tolerating you. "Xu Qi'an laughed.
"What do you mean?" Princess was stunned.
"When we were on the deck that night, I wanted to take your bracelet, but I didn't want to complicate things. After all, I'm the leader, and I have to consider the overall situation."
Princess looked dull, looked at him in astonishment, and said, "You, you guessed I was Princess at that time?"
"It must be a lie. She obviously disguised herself so well and often cheered for her acting skills at night, thinking that she played the role of a maid so well that no one could recognize her."
"To be precise, when you threw gold at me in the mansion, I began to doubt it. The real confirmation of your identity was when we met on 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 laughed.
After abandoning the ship and traveling by land, Xu Qi'an's heart did not waver when he saw the fake Princess. In fact, he was even more certain that she was an imposter.
The reason was very simple. He had written a diary in the past, and in the diary, he recorded a characteristic of Princess.
"I, I exposed myself so early …" Princess opened her mouth, but could not speak. Thinking of her behavior these days, a sense of shame welled up in her heart, and she wanted to dig three feet into the ground and bury herself.
"I'm telling you this to tell you that although I'm lecherous … Which man isn't lecherous? But I never force women. We still have some distance to go north, and I need your cooperation. "Xu Qi'an comforted her.
Daibun Xu Yinluo never forced women, unless they had thought it through.
Still unable to escape the fate of going north … Princess pursed her lips, slightly disappointed. After a moment of silence, she asked, "When are we going to meet with the diplomatic mission?"
The young man raised his head, and the light from the fire shone on his face. The corner of his mouth curled up, revealing an inexplicable smile. "Who said we are going to meet with the diplomatic mission?"
…
That night, the banyan tree rustled, but nothing happened.
In the morning, the first ray of dawn shone on her face, and in her ears was the crisp and melodious chirping of birds. She woke up from a light sleep and saw that the bonfire had been extinguished. There was a large iron pot on it, and the aroma of porridge filled her nose.
Princess's stomach growled twice, and she could not hide her surprise. She came to the bonfire and opened the iron pot. Inside, there was porridge enough for three to five people.
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? Princess scooped a bowl of porridge for herself and ate it happily.
The porridge was thick and sweet, and the temperature was just right as it slid into her stomach. Princess enjoyed it for a while, and her eyebrows arched.
After eating two rabbit legs yesterday, her stomach felt a little uncomfortable. When she got up in the middle of the night to drink water, she found that the guy had finished the water. Now, her mouth was dry, and her stomach was empty.
This bowl of sweet porridge was better than delicacies.
At this moment, the sound of footsteps came from afar. Xu Qi'an returned, stepping on the meadow. He had changed into plain clothes and wore a mink hat. It seemed that he had just taken a bath.
"There's a small river over there, and there's no one nearby. It's suitable for bathing." Xu Qi'an sat down beside her, and threw over the locust horn and a boar's bristle toothbrush.
"Do you want to bathe?"
Princess held the bowl with her two small hands and examined Xu Qi'an for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
"Isn't it dirty?" Xu Qi'an frowned. She was a princess with a precious body, and yet she was so unhygienic.
"You're the dirty one." Princess retorted sarcastically.
She did not know how to bathe. Wouldn't that give this pervert an opportunity to take advantage of her? What if he peeped on her, or took the opportunity to ask her to bathe with him …
"That's right, a goddess doesn't need to use the toilet …" Xu Qi'an took back the toothbrush and locust horn.
Princess hurried to say: "Rinse your mouth."
She had a small appetite, and after a bowl of porridge, she felt a little full. She looked at the toothbrush as she walked toward the river.
She suspected that the toothbrush had been used by Xu Qi'an, but she had no proof.
When she came back from brushing her teeth, the pots and bowls were gone. Xu Qi'an sat next to the ashes and looked at the map.
"Where are we going next?" She asked.
"Sanhuang County."
Xu Qi'an did not purposely keep her in suspense. He explained: "This is a county adjacent to the Chu Zhou City and the Jiang Zhou City. There are spies trained by the night watchman. I want to find him first and gather some information before we go deeper into the Chu Zhou City."
The case of the Three Thousand Miles Massacre was confusing, and there seemed to be more to it than met the eye. Under such circumstances, Xu Qi'an believed that investigating the case in secret was the right choice.
If he was too high profile, he would put himself and his companions in danger.
The envoys led by Yang Yan were just a cover on the surface.
"A steady plan …" Princess nodded and asked: "Where did those things go?"
"It's none of your business." Xu Qi'an retorted.
The two of them continued on their way, avoiding the main roads. They took small paths in the mountains, along the ridges of the fields, or over the mountains.
For the whole day, the stingy woman didn't say a word to him.
There were also benefits to taking the mountain road. The scenery along the way was not bad, with green mountains and clear waters.
Occasionally, they could see the pine trees standing proudly on the cliffs. They could also see the wildflowers blooming on the side of the road, simple but tough.
Xu Qi'an was a man who cared about women, so he didn't walk too fast. Occasionally, he would stop and choose a scenic spot to rest for half an hour.
Whenever he told her about his experience in raising fish, the princess would sneer in disdain.
…
Half an hour later, the delegation entered the northern region and arrived at a city called Wanzhou.
Wanzhou was a small state, bigger than a county, but smaller than a prefecture. The land was fertile and suitable for farming. It was one of the granaries of the Chu Zhou City.
The architectural style was similar to that of Jing City in the Central Plains, but the scale of the city was incomparable. There were no docks nearby, so the prosperity of the city was limited.
After Yang Yan showed them the document from the imperial court, the centurion, who was the highest ranking officer at the city gate, led the delegation to the station.
The delegation had just rested at the station. Yang Yan took a hot shower and was about to sit down to drink some tea when the governor of Wanzhou arrived.
The governor's surname was Niu, but his physique was not the same as the word "ox". He was tall and thin, with a goatee. He was wearing a green robe embroidered with heron wings, and he was followed by two yamen officials.
"I didn't know you were coming. Please forgive me for not going out to greet you …"
Governor Niu was very humble. After greeting the Dali Monastery prime minister, the two imperial censors, and Yang Yan, he asked, "May I ask why you are here?"
Yang Yan was not good at socializing, so he didn't answer.
The Dali Monastery prime minister took out the document he had prepared and handed it to the governor with a smile on his face. After a few words, he started to call the governor his brother.
After greeting the Dali Monastery prime minister, Governor Niu opened the document in his hand and read it carefully.
After reading the document, Governor Niu had a strange expression on his face. He glanced at the crowd and asked, "May I ask, which one of you is Xu Yinluo?"
The Dali Monastery prime minister sighed and said sadly, "The delegation was ambushed by the enemy on the way. Xu Yinluo was seriously injured in order to protect us. We have sent someone to escort him back to Jing City. "
Governor Niu turned pale with fright. "There's such a thing? Which thief dares to ambush the imperial court's diplomatic mission? How lawless! "
Censor Liu waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about it. Sir Niu, we are here to investigate and have some questions."
Governor Niu quickly bowed and said, "Go ahead, Censor Liu."
Censor Liu said in a deep voice, "How is the situation in Chu Zhou City?"
Governor Niu sighed and said, "Last year, it snowed heavily in the north and many animals froze to death. Since the beginning of spring, they have been invading the border, killing and looting along the way.
"Fortunately, the King of Zhenbei has many soldiers and generals under his command. He didn't lose a single city. The barbarians don't dare to go deep into Chu Zhou City. It's a pity for the people near the border. "
Not all the people lived in the city. Those who were attacked by the barbarians were the people in the villages and towns.
The delegation looked at each other. Arrester Chen from the Ministry of Justice frowned and said, "Where did the massacre happen?"
Governor Niu smiled wryly and said, "That's a fantasy. You all should know that Chu Zhou City is only eight thousand miles long. If such a thing happened, would this lowly official still be able to stand here and talk to you all? "
Censor Liu sneered. "We are all scholars. Governor Niu, don't try to play tricks."
"Massacre" was a story that originated from the Warring States Period. There was a bloodthirsty general who led his army and slaughtered three thousand miles when he was destroying an enemy country.
Later generations used it as an allusion to describe large-scale killings and cruelty.
Although the barbarians had been harassing the common people at the border, burning, killing, and looting, the reports from the North Garrison King to the north only said that the barbarians had been harassing the border, but they had been repelled by his troops.
If the barbarians had really carried out a massacre, it would mean that the King of Zhenbei had lied about the military and committed a serious dereliction of duty.
