"When I was drinking tea just now, I observed that the soldiers guarding the city paid special attention to adult men who traveled alone. Not only did they check their passes, but they also touched their faces," Xu Qi 'an said.
"Touched my face?" Wang Fei was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She lowered her voice sneakily and said, "To check if he disguised himself?"
Not stupid after all … Xu Qi 'an nodded. "They're definitely not looking for you, because those who were kidnapped by the barbarians would not travel alone."
No wonder he suddenly suggested drinking tea and resting under the pergola … Wang Fei suddenly realized.
Moreover, an area like Sanhuang County was close to Jiang District. Normally, it would not be a target of the barbarians. Therefore, such a strict interrogation was unreasonable.
"Also, from this incident, it can be seen that the saying of slaughtering people within three thousand miles is definitely not empty talk. Otherwise, the King of Zhenbei's men would not be so cautious. "Xu Qi 'an sneered.
If he had no ulterior motives, he would not be so afraid of the legendary crime solving expert, the mighty Xu Yinluo.
The two found an inn in the city and asked for a superior room. As soon as the door closed, Wang Fei, who appeared to be obedient outside, flipped out and said angrily, "You just want to take advantage of me, don't you?
"You just want to take advantage of me. You're just like those lecherous people in the novels. You purposely booked only one room. "
"What's the name of the novel? Let's talk …" Xu Qi 'an sneered and said, "If you're willing to take off your bracelet, I'm willing to spend the night with you, Wang Fei. As for your current appearance. "
He pointed to the dressing table by the window and teased, "Look in the mirror first."
Wang Fei gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes at him. She sneered and retorted, "Fine, you sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on the bed tonight. If you touch me, you'll be a beast.
"Alright, I'm going to take a bath. Please leave."
After so many days, she was actually not as guarded against Xu Qi 'an as before. She knew that he would most likely not touch her. However, her tsundere personality and habit of quarreling made it difficult for her to get along with Xu Ningyan.
"I'm not coming back tonight. Sleep early." Xu Qi 'an waved and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Wang Fei's expression changed slightly.
Although she did not want to admit it, this guy had indeed given her a sense of security for a long time. She was not used to his sudden departure.
"I'm here in Sanhuang County to see if there's any Sanhuang Chicken," Xu Qi 'an replied.
Wang Fei heard this and immediately beamed. "I want to go too. I want to eat too."
Xu Qi 'an snapped, "I'm going to the brothel!"
"…"
The princess sat on the edge of the bed and turned her body sideways in a fit of pique. She turned her head away to show him the back of her head.
Wang.
In the alley across the street from the inn, Xu Qi 'an had been watching the inn for an hour. He did not see any suspicious people following him, nor did he see the princess sneaking away.
This outcome surprised Xu Qi 'an. To him, this was a golden opportunity to escape. From then on, birds flew freely in the sky and fish leapt freely in the sea.
After getting rid of her identity as a princess, she no longer had to worry about becoming a 'medicinal herb'.
Was she not willing to give up the wealth and glory that came with being a princess? Umm, after these few days of interaction, she actually seemed more like a girl who had not experienced much of the world. She was arrogant and willful, without the aura of a prostitute.
Besides, is wealth more important than one's life?
From the way she usually talked about Duke Huai, it seemed like she didn't have any feelings for that husband in name … Oh, sometimes she would also daydream at night, displaying a negative and pessimistic attitude … Was it because she had given up all hope towards her fate that she couldn't resist? What a miserable woman.
Xu Qi 'an set off in the darkness of the night. He wandered around the city for a long time before finally stopping at the entrance of a brothel called "Ya Yin Lou".
As mentioned earlier (Chapter 21), one can judge the standard of a brothel by its suffix. First and second class brothels mainly have "courtyard, hall, and pavilion".
Third or fourth-class brothels were usually named after "Lou, Club, or Inn."
The Yayin House could only be considered a lower-middle class brothel, but in a small county like Sanhuang County, it was probably the highest class brothel.
A woman dressed in a colorful dress greeted and sent people off at the entrance, talking and smiling.
The spy who was the night watchman was a seafood merchant from the Yayin House. Her name was Cai Er.
The night watchman's spies were all over Daibun. They were from all walks of life and professions, so that they could collect information from all directions.
Before leaving the capital, Wei Yuan gave Xu Qi 'an a name list. On it was the contact information, names, and information of the spies in Chuzhou.
"Hey, sir, please come in, please come in."
As soon as he stepped into the hall, a brothel keeper came up to greet him. Her vicious eyes searched Xu Qi 'an's body. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, but his face was handsome beyond compare.
His appearance was secondary, the most important thing was the bulging pouch on his waist. A quality customer!
The brothel keeper seemed warm on the surface, but she was actually a bit reserved. Because she didn't know the other party's status, she wasn't sure how warm she should be, afraid that she would offend the customer.
At this time, she saw Xu Qi 'an open his arms.
In a brothel, the brothel keeper was asking the brothel keeper to hold his arm as a sign of intimacy.
A smile blossomed on the brothel keeper's face as if she had seen a family member. She held onto Xu Qi 'an's arm and said in a sweet voice.
"Sir, please have a seat and have some tea. I will pick a few pretty girls for you …"
Before she could finish, Xu Qi 'an waved a hand and cut her off. "I am here for Cai Er."
"Ah, you have come at a bad time. Cai Er has a guest. Would you like to see some other girls?" The brothel keeper smiled.
"I only want Cai Er." Xu Qi 'an took off the pouch and tossed it to the brothel keeper.
"This …"
The brothel keeper led Xu Qi 'an to the second floor with a troubled look on her face. However, she was laughing inside. Rules were nothing compared to money.
In a brothel, there were too many fights over a girl. Fighting was not a big deal, and the brothel keeper could just kick the troublemaker out. Of course, those who were kicked out were those who paid little or had no background.
The two came to a room. The sound of a man and a woman doing something came from inside, and the creaking sound of the bed.
Xu Qi 'an kicked the door open, startling the men and women in the room. On the bed, a fat middle-aged man was pressing down on a delicate and gorgeous woman.
The man looked at the door in horror, and then with a murderous look, he shouted, "Get out!"
On the other hand, the gorgeous woman's eyes lit up when she saw the handsome young man.
Don't be angry … Well, any man would be angry at this kind of thing. Xu Qi 'an strode forward and put on the posture of a jealous playboy. He dragged the man off the bed and gave him a good beating.
"Brother, brother, let's talk this out …"
The man suffered two punches and a kick. He realized that his opponent was terrifyingly strong and knew that he was no match for him, so he begged for mercy.
"Put on your clothes and get out." Xu Qi 'an cursed.
The man hurriedly put on his underwear, grabbed his coat and pants, and ran away in a panic.
The madam standing at the door cast a questioning look at Cai'er, who shook her head slightly.
She did not know this handsome man.
The madam was too lazy to care. She smiled and said, "I won't disturb the two of you. Cai'er, serve the guests well."
Then, she closed the door.
Xu Qi 'an sat down at the round table and amplified his hearing. He heard the madam's footsteps getting further and further away, and then the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs …
Cai'er sat up, revealing her fair upper body. Her face was still flushed, and she said with a smile, "Little hubby, what are you waiting for? I've been waiting anxiously on the bed."
As she spoke, she sized up this handsome and unfamiliar man.
For her, the man on her body had changed from a pot-bellied old man to a top-notch handsome man. This was a good thing that fell from the sky.
After confirming that there were no abnormalities in the surroundings, Xu Qi 'an stared at Cai'er and said leisurely, "Attendant in green."
These four simple words made the woman on the bed change her expression. She hurriedly lifted the quilt and got off the bed. She knelt on the ground and said in a low voice, "I will die a hundred times without regrets."
The secret code was right … the portrait was also right … Xu Qi 'an nodded and said in a deep voice, "Put on your clothes. I have something to ask you."
Cai'er put away her seductive look, picked up the silk skirt on the ground and put it on. She then began to put on her underwear. Not long after, she was dressed neatly.
This prostitute on the surface, but Cai'er was actually a night watchman. She bowed and stared at Xu Qi 'an. She said, "Sir, can I see your waist tag?"
"Sure."
Xu Qi 'an took out his personal waist tag and put it on the table. The waist tag was plated in silver. The back of the waist tag was the night watchman's design. The front side was engraved with the word "Xu".
Cai'er pursed her lips and looked at Xu Qi 'an from the waist tag. She looked at him with adoration and asked, "You, you are Xu Qi' an, Xu Yinluo?"
Xu Qi 'an smiled. "You know me?"
"Of course I know. If I didn't even know that there was a young genius like you in the yamen, then this servant's ability to gather information would be too low."
Cai'er said excitedly, "I know everything about you. You are Daibun's poetry champion. You can judge cases like a god. In the year of the capital's inspection, the capital was shaken by a storm. It was all thanks to you that the storm calmed down.
"I also know that you defeated a Buddhist arhat in the capital. Also, in the Cloud Province, you single-handedly stopped tens of thousands of rebels. You are famous …"
The smile on Xu Qi 'an's face froze.
Really? Who the hell is bragging about me? Has the news already spread to the north? In the eyes of the real experts, I have become a laughingstock.
"Ahem!"
He coughed and said, "Enough with the small talk. Let me ask you, how is the north recently? Has there been a large-scale war?"
Cai'er shook her head. "Although the barbarians have invaded the border, it is only a small group of cavalry. If there is a large-scale war, the people will flee to the south, and they will pass by Sanhuang County. I know that. "
Xu Qi 'an nodded and asked again, "Have there been any strange phenomena? For example, a sudden disappearance of a large number of people?"
Cai'er furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. Then she said, "I didn't find any relevant information … But, after your reminder, I remembered one thing. It is very strange."
Xu Qi 'an raised his eyebrows and hurried to ask, "What is it?"
"A while ago, I received a guest. It was a master who owned his own caravan. He sold goods all over the Chu Zhou City. That time, he drank too much and complained that Xikou County and the three counties under its jurisdiction had been sealed off for some reason. Even the official roads had been sealed off.
"He made a wasted trip. He lost a few hundred taels of silver along the way."
Xu Qi 'an tapped the table with his finger. "Where is Xikou County?"
Cai'er bowed and said, "Please wait a moment."
She pulled out a box from under the bed. At the bottom of the box was a map. She took it out and spread it on the table. Then she pointed to a place and said, "This is Xikou County."
Xikou County was located in the westernmost part of Chu Zhou City. It was next to the territory of the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions. After Xikou County was the border of the Western Regions.
Xikou County was not connected to the north.
"Unless the barbarians in the north took a detour, but the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions would not. If that is the case, why did they seal off Xikou County?"
A bold speculation emerged in Xu Qi 'an's mind.
He nodded calmly and said, "Do you have anything else to add?"
Cai'er said, "I don't know about the outside world, but the security of Sanhuang County has increased a lot. Before, we didn't need a pass to enter and leave, but now the security is very strict."
Xu Qi 'an smiled. "Did it happen in the past few days?"
Cai'er shook her head and said, "It has been like this since a month ago."
Hearing this, Xu Qi 'an frowned.
