The horse galloped in the silent night. After an unknown amount of time, He Yan pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.
This place was an empty market. The peddlers had already returned home. This strong-willed girl had been trembling since she got on the carriage. Now that the drug had worn off a little, she could speak again. Her voice was soft and weak as she said, "Let go of me."
He Yan helped her off the horse and sat down in front of a tofu shop.
Just now, he was in a hurry and didn't take a good look at this girl's appearance. Now, with the weak light of the lanterns hanging under the eaves of the tofu shop, he could see that this girl was indeed beautiful. She was delicate and soft, white and tender, with delicate eyebrows. Her cheeks were a little chubby and she looked a little childish. She shouldn't be too old, at most about the same age as Cheng Li Su.
She was such a young girl, but she was dressed like a demon by the people of Wan Hua Pavilion. She wore an inappropriate thin gauze dress and heavy makeup. She was so cold that she was shivering.
As soon as he sat down, the girl shrank back and looked at He Yan with vigilance. "Who are you?"
He Yan was stunned for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he thought that this girl must have thought that he was a flower thief. He took off his scarf and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid. I'm someone who came to save you. It's just that it wasn't convenient for me to show my face, so I used a scarf to cover my face. I didn't scare you, did I? "
Under the moonlight, the young man who took off his scarf had delicate eyebrows. His soft voice made people gradually let down their guard.
"How did you know …" She was still struggling to speak. He Yan took out a ball of paper from his sleeve. "The one you threw out, I picked it up. I heard that Wan Hua Pavilion forced girls into prostitution, so I hid it in the teahouse next to Wan Hua Pavilion. I followed the carriage that took you away. "
He Yan looked at the girl. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, right? "
It would have been better if he didn't say this. As soon as he said this, the girl's eyes turned red. She trembled as she reached out her hand. Her ten fingers were shockingly swollen. She didn't know what had pinched her.
The girls in the brothel, especially the newcomers, even if they didn't know the rules, they should be taught a lesson. Their mother wouldn't use methods that would leave marks on their bodies. After all, the girl still had to go out to entertain guests. If she had bruises on her body, the guests' appetite, the loss would not be worth it. Therefore, she came up with this method of torture.
He Yan felt a bit of heartache. Whose family's daughter was ruined like this? Her parents' hearts were about to break. She softened her voice and asked, "Miss, where is your home? I'll send you home first. "
"Home?" The girl was stunned for a moment and looked at He Yan. After a while, she answered, "My home is in Shuo Jing …"
.... and.................. and...... by.
.......... The little girl said, "I, I escaped from my marriage. Originally, I wanted to go to Yangzhou, but halfway through, I got the wrong direction and came to Liangzhou. Originally, I only wanted to stay in Liangzhou for a few days, but I didn't expect to be seen by Sun Ling." She hatefully said, "If I return to the capital, I will definitely teach them a lesson!"
He Yan, "..."
This little girl looked weak and delicate, but her guts were too big. She dared to run from Shuo to Liangzhou? What's wrong? Is it the trend in the capital to run away from marriage? Cheng Li was like this, and now this girl was also like this.
He Yan said, "Did you come alone? Do you know anyone in Liangzhou? Do you have a place to stay? "
The girl shook her head.
He Yan was also in a difficult situation. She was so big, could it be that he had to bring her back to the inn? Xiao Jue wouldn't beat him to death, would she? Although in a few days, they were going to County Magistrate Sun's mansion for a banquet. Although she had just kidnapped someone from County Magistrate Sun's son.
The girl seemed to see He Yan's difficulty and sat up with difficulty. She bit her lip and said, "You … you don't have to worry about me. I will hide myself. Your great kindness, when I return to Shuo Jing, I will let my parents repay you. What do you want? Gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women. What's your name? When I go back, I will … "
"Little girl, you can't even protect yourself now." He Yan held his forehead. "It's hard to say if you can even walk out of Liangzhou. Don't talk about something so far away."
"So what?" The girl avoided his gaze and said with red eyes. "I won't beg you anyway."
The young masters and young ladies from Shuo all had a temper. He Yan thought, "It's good to be firm, but it's not good to be too firm. If Cheng Lisu was here, she would be able to adapt to circumstances. She would be able to avoid a lot of physical pain after entering Wanhua Pavilion."
He Yan pulled her up. "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Of course to my place." This young lady, "He Yan helplessly said," I've just kidnapped you. Presumably, not long after, Young Master Sun will search the entire city for your whereabouts. It's so late at night and you have nowhere to go. In the end, you will be found by Sun Ling. He'll only torture you even more. I've worked so hard for an entire night. Is this the result I want? "
The girl didn't have much strength. He Yan helped her onto the horse. She said hesitantly, "If you bring me home, I will bring you trouble. The Sun family is powerful in Liangzhou. You … "
This little girl's heart was clear. He Yan urged his horse and said, "Don't worry, my family still has the power to cover the sky in the Great Wei."
If there was no other way, he could bring up Xiao Jue. Second Young Master Xiao was powerful in Da Wei.
He Yan asked, "I forgot to ask you. What's your name?"
"My name is … Tao Tao," she said.
Tao Tao? The name sounded familiar. He Yan thought about it carefully but couldn't remember where he had heard it before. The situation was urgent, so it wasn't the time to be fooling around. After sending Tao Tao back to the inn, he would interrogate her in detail after tonight.
He Yan didn't grow up in Liangzhou, so he didn't know the way to Liangzhou. Fortunately, she had a good memory. She followed the original path and found the inn they came from. Afraid that someone would discover Sun Ling's horse, he and Tao Tao dismounted far away from the inn. He patted the horse's butt in the opposite direction and watched it gallop into the night.
Second Young Master Xiao was quite good at picking inns. This place wasn't as lively as the Wanhua Pavilion. It was much quieter. It was late at night and almost no one was around. When He Yan helped Tao Tao upstairs, there was no one downstairs. She opened the door and found that Fei Nu wasn't there either. She sighed in relief.
There was water in the room. He Yan said, "Wash your face first. I have some clean clothes for you to change into. You can't wear what you're wearing. You'll catch a cold. " She placed the large pile of clothes Cheng Lisu gave her in Tao Tao's hands. "You can choose what you like."
Tao Tao looked at her and blushed. "Get out."
He Yan suddenly remembered that she was a man. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll go out. I'll guard the door. Don't worry and change."
After she closed the door, she thought for a moment and slipped outside Xiao Jue's room. She put her ear to the door, wanting to hear if Xiao Jue was there.
The lights in the room were off. She didn't know if Xiao Jue was asleep. He Yan whispered, "Governor, Governor?"
There was no response. She reached out and gently knocked on the door. Still, there was no answer. He Yan stood up and hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.
The windows in the room weren't closed. The wind from outside leaked in. Under the moonlight, the bed was neat and tidy. There were no traces of anyone sleeping there. Xiao Jue was long gone. The Autumn Sword he left on the table was also gone. This person and the sword never left their hands. They must have gone out.
He Yan also noticed that the familiar guqin was still on the small table next to them. He Yan pursed her lips and cursed in her heart. She said that she was here to fix the guqin, but in reality, she must be doing something confidential in Liangzhou City. Fei Nu wasn't here either. This master and servant must have gone out to do something. They didn't even bring her along. It was obvious that they didn't trust her.
Although He Yan already knew that Xiao Jue didn't trust him and that it was reasonable, he still felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. In any case, they were schoolmates and had known each other for so many years. When they went out to do things, she wouldn't tell anyone! How petty.
She left Xiao Jue's room and closed the door behind her.
On the other side, Tao Tao had already changed. She opened the door and saw He Yan. She lowered her head and said, "I'm done."
He Yan pushed her in and said, "The walls have ears. Come in and talk."
She lit the lights in the room. Tao Tao looked much more delicate after changing into Cheng Lisu's clothes. Cheng Lisu's clothes were mostly bright and colorful. The white robe on the little girl made her look even fairer and prettier. Her eyes were still red and her hair was draped over her shoulders. She was as obedient as the snow-white bunny He Yan had seen before. He could tell that she was a pampered girl who was carefully raised by a rich family.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But your taste in clothes is really bad." The little bunny wasn't as cute when she spoke. Tao Tao frowned and pointed at the carp on the clothes. "It's really gaudy."
He Yan: "…"
This young lady, what time was it that she still had the mood to look at clothes? Were all the young ladies from Shuo Jing like this? He Yan thought that he wasn't like this in the past either. She coughed lightly and said, "We have no choice now. Miss Tao Tao, you should delay the matter of the clothes for now."
She passed Cheng Lisu's box of hairpins to her. "First, choose one that you don't think is gaudy and tie up your hair. You can't dress up like a girl right now."
"Why?" Tao Tao didn't understand.
"Sun Ling will probably send people to find you soon and capture all the women in the city who look like you. We won't be spared. "
Tao Tao heard this and became nervous. "Then what should we do?"
"Don't worry. I'll think of a way to send them away. It's already so late. You haven't eaten anything yet, right? I have some dry food here. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask the inn to make something hot for you to eat. There's also tea here. It's a bit cold, but help yourself. "
Tao Tao rubbed her stomach and felt hungry. She went to pour tea from the teapot. He Yan saw this and sighed in his heart. This girl was really naive. After the incident at Wanhua Pavilion, she was still so gullible. If she hadn't met him and had met someone else with bad intentions, they would have just needed to coax her a little and put some drugs in her tea. She wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble to kidnap this girl.
Although he had left the He family alone that year, he had followed the Fuyue Army. It shouldn't have been so dangerous. In this world, it was always difficult for women.
She thought to herself. She originally wanted to hide this matter from Xiao Jue, but now that Xiao Jue and Fei Nu weren't here, it was difficult to do so. She had originally planned that if Sun Ling's people came looking for her, Xiao Jue wouldn't be able to enter the house to investigate. Now that this big Buddha was gone, if she used Xiao Jue's name, others would probably think that she was lying.
She could only hope that Xiao Jue would come back soon. He Yan never thought that there would be a moment like this when he looked forward to Second Young Master Xiao's return.
Tao Tao casually ate a few bites of the biscuits and drank a cup of tea before saying, "I don't want to eat anymore." From the way she wrinkled her nose in disdain, this "I don't want to eat anymore" was definitely not because she was full, but because it didn't suit her taste.
She sat in front of the table and looked at the bronze mirror to tie up her hair. After combing it for a while, she turned around and said, "I'm done!"
He Yan also felt a little thirsty at this moment. He took a cup of tea and almost spat it out when he saw it. This child's hair was tied up in a mess, as if she had just escaped from a disaster. He couldn't help but ask, "You … did you tie up your hair?"
"I've never combed my own hair in the fu before. It was always the servant girls who combed it for me." The little girl felt wronged and threw the comb away, "I don't know how to!"
He Yan, "…"
He walked over helplessly and picked up the comb in a good mood, "If you don't know how to, then you don't know how to. Why are you so angry? Let me help you."
After saying this, he really took Tao Tao's long hair and combed it for her.
Tao Tao was stunned. The youth reflected in the bronze mirror was gentle and handsome. She couldn't help but ask, "You even know how to do this?"
"I'll be able to after a few more tries." He Yan replied with a smile.
She had been the eldest young master of the He Family for many years, but other than the first and second branches of the He Family, no one else knew about her change of identity. Therefore, He Yan's manservants and servant girls were never too close to her. Even the matter of tying up her hair could be exposed. Therefore, He Yan began to tie up her own hair from a very young age.
Not only did she have to tie her hair, but she also had to do anything that could reveal her secret. Over time, she developed a personality of doing everything by herself. Although she sometimes envied those young masters and young misses who grew up in the palm of their hands, she thought about it again. For example, if she encountered a situation like today, she wouldn't cry endlessly. There were many things that she had more confidence in relying on herself.
After tying up her hair, He Yan darkened her face and made her eyebrows thicker. She was already very good at this kind of woman disguising as a man. After the makeup was done, Tao Tao looked at herself in the mirror and said in a daze, "Thank, thank you … you're really good at it."
He Yan clapped his hands, "Practice makes perfect, that's all. Miss Tao Tao, please turn your back. I also need to change my clothes. "
Tonight, Liangzhou City was bustling with activity.
Someone actually robbed the Little Childe's carriage not far from County Magistrate Sun's mansion. The person in the carriage was the Little Childe's new concubine. For a moment, Liangzhou City's government officials were in chaos and swore to catch the thief.
"Young Master, Young Master, that person is clearly her lover!" The guard who had been punched by He Yan earlier was now kneeling on the ground and crying for justice. "They are in cahoots. They deliberately took her away!"
"She's not even from Liangzhou. How could she have a lover?" Sun Ling kicked him. "Idiot!"
Sun Ling was thirty years old and had no achievements. He relied on his father, the county magistrate, to live his life. He bullied people and tyrannized women in Liangzhou City and committed all kinds of crimes. He was born with a rabbit's head and a black birthmark on his cheek, which made him look even scarier. He had countless concubines in his mansion and countless girls from good families who were bullied and abandoned by him. The people of Liangzhou City were angry, but they didn't dare to say anything. They allowed him and his father to do whatever they wanted in the city.
Today, however, he was robbed on his way home. Women were small things, but it was humiliating. To Sun Ling, this was a blatant disrespect for the Sun family!
"The city gate has been sealed." Another guard said, "That woman is injured. She should still be in the city. We'll check door to door. We'll find her whereabouts! "
"Idiot," Sun Ling scolded again. "Since when did the people of Liangzhou City have the guts to mess with the Almighty? Since you said that person knew that I, Sun Ling, wanted her and still dared to make a move, he must be reckless. He's probably not from Liangzhou. "
"That woman isn't from Liangzhou either. They might be in cahoots!" The previous guard said again.
"I don't care if they're in cahoots or not. If he dares to go against the Sun family, he must be prepared to die! Say it again. What does that person look like? "
"His face was covered, so I couldn't see what he looked like. He's about seven feet tall, a head shorter than me. He's thin, but he's dressed very well. The material of his clothes doesn't look like ordinary goods. "The guard racked his brains to recall." Anyway, he shouldn't be poor. "
Sun Ling thought for a moment and said, "I understand."
The two guards looked at him in unison.
"The people in the city continue to block the city gate. The rest of you, follow me to check the inn!"
"Inn? Young master, why? "
Sun Ling scolded, "Idiots will always be idiots. Why don't you think about it? Since he's probably not from Liangzhou, he must be staying in an inn! Even if he's dressed well, there's no way he's staying in a shabby inn. Why don't you just look for those good inns that cost a lot of money? "
"I see." The two guards quickly praised, "Young master is wise, young master is wise!"
"Hmph." Sun Ling smiled proudly. The birthmark on his cheek looked even scarier. He said darkly, "When has there been such a fearless person in Liangzhou? I want to see who's so bold. And that bitch, she doesn't know what's good for her. She's done it again and again. I'm afraid she doesn't know how powerful I am. "
"Don't let any of them go!"
The night in the city seemed to be lit up by torches. It was supposed to be time for bed, but every household was woken up by the sound of horse hooves. The bailiffs and city guards rushed into the houses of the commoners and interrogated them one by one.
Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. However, the Sun family had abused their power for a long time. When they heard that Sun Ling's concubine had been kidnapped, many people secretly cursed.
"Pei, nonsense. Where did this concubine come from? With that kind of appearance, even if her family was extremely wealthy, they wouldn't take a liking to her. They must have kidnapped some innocent girl from somewhere. How is this any different from robbers? Robbers have to pick the night to act. Who would dare to rob in broad daylight? "
"But weren't they abducted? Which righteous person couldn't stand it anymore and took action? "
"If it's really a righteous person, I'll pray in front of the Bodhisattva every day that he's safe and healthy and doesn't get caught by the Sun family!"
"Ai, the world has changed."
These voices naturally didn't dare to appear in front of the soldiers. They waited for the people to leave before whispering to each other and quickly disappearing into the night without a trace.
The inns in the city were also in trouble tonight. The shopkeepers and waiters, along with the guests upstairs, were all pulled out and interrogated one by one. Those who appeared to be well-off were interrogated even more carefully. Not even a fly was spared.
He Yan sat on the edge of the bed. The lights were already off, and only a little moonlight came in through the window. It was already late at night, but Xiao Jue and Fei Nu still hadn't returned. She thought to herself, "Are they not coming back?" It was just like those poor families who couldn't afford to raise an extra child. They took their youngest son to a crowded street and lied to him that they were going to buy candy. In the blink of an eye, they were gone and abandoned by the side of the road.
Did Xiao Jue abandon her? She was too pitiful! She only had so much money on her, and she still had to pay for the inn tomorrow. She still had to eat, and she still had to go back to the Liangzhou City Guards Institution. Was this something that a human could do? If that was really the case, she would go next door and sell the evening zither tomorrow. He Yan's thoughts ran wild. Would this person come back or not? If not, she and Tao Tao could each have a room tonight. It wouldn't be a waste.
As she was thinking, Tao Tao, who was also sitting on the edge of the bed, whispered, "You won't run away, right?"
"Ah?" He Yan was astonished.
"They said that Sun Ling is very powerful in Liangzhou, and everyone is afraid of the Sun family's power. Before, I asked many people for help, but when they heard that it was Sun Ling, no one dared to help. "
When Tao Tao said this, her expression became angry. When she was stranded in the Ten-thousand Flowers Pavilion, she didn't fall into someone's trap right from the start. She struggled along the way and looked for opportunities to ask for help. She looked for many people. There were tall and strong warriors, and there were also scholars who were full of righteousness and honor. There were rich merchants who were old enough to be her father, and there were also chivalrous people who carried swords and traveled everywhere. She tried her best to find people who looked like they had the ability to save her, but when they heard that it was someone that Sun Ling wanted, they left with their tails between their legs. Even if she promised a lot of money and threw out her identity, no one cared about her.
In the end, Tao Tao despaired. When she threw out that piece of paper, she didn't think that there would be a tomorrow. She only thought that if she saw Sun Ling, she would die with him. Who knew that at the last moment, someone would rush out.
She turned her head to look at the person beside her. The young man tilted his head, thinking about something. It was very strange. Such a weak-looking young man could make her feel an inexplicable sense of security. Perhaps it was because of the gentle smile on her face, or her clear eyes.
Tao Tao inexplicably trusted this person, but she was also a little worried. She said, "A strong dragon can't suppress a local snake …"
"You know about this?" He Yan smiled. "Actually, I'm also a local snake. I'm very powerful."
Tao Tao saw that her expression was relaxed, so she also relaxed a little. She looked at He Yan and couldn't help but ask one last question. She asked, "The Sun family is so domineering. You're not from Liangzhou, so you don't know what kind of trouble you'll get into if you save me. They don't dare to make a move, so why did you save me? "
Why did this child have so many questions? He Yan turned her head and saw the little girl looking at her with red eyes. She was curious and expectant, so she couldn't help but reach out to touch her head.
Because you're a woman, she said silently in her heart, And I'm also a woman.
The noise surrounded the entire inn.
The night was illuminated red by the light of the fire. Everyone in the inn was suddenly awakened by the officers who stood at the door and questioned one by one.
Sun Ling stood at the door and his gaze fell on the last room upstairs. He said, "Where's that room? Why didn't you open the door? "
The innkeeper trembled as he knocked on the door. "Young Master, Young Master?"
After a while, someone shuffled to open the door. It was a delicate young man wearing an inner garment. He said sleepily, "It's so late. What's the matter?"
Before he finished speaking, the officers went in to search. There was also a servant in the room, who was busy putting clothes on the young man. "Young Master, don't catch a cold."
The officers went in to search, but they didn't find anything. They quickly came out and shook their heads at Sun Ling.
Sun Ling looked at the young man in front of him. This young man was young and seemed to be pampered. His servant was busy putting on his boots.
"What are you doing?" He Yan frowned. "You didn't even greet me."
"Greet?" Sun Ling sneered. "What a joke. There's no place in Liangzhou City that I, Sun Ling, need to greet." He looked at He Yan and remembered what the guard said before. He was about seven feet tall and had a thin body. This young man was exactly like that.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Cheng Li Su," He Yan answered.
"Pa!" The servant lost his grip on the boots and fell to the ground. Everyone followed his gaze. Sun Ling's expression changed. He suddenly said, "You, raise your head."
He was referring to the servant.
He Yan had a bad feeling. He asked, "What are you doing? It's broad daylight, and you still want to snatch my people? "
"Your man?" Sun Ling stared at him with a sinister gaze. "Don't speak too early. The one on the ground, raise your head! "
The person on the ground didn't move. He lowered his head and looked carefully. His hands were still trembling.
Seeing this, Sun Ling's expression became more ferocious. He stepped forward and was about to pull the servant's hair. The next moment, He Yan stood in front of the servant. She grabbed Sun Ling's arm. "Young Master, watch your words and actions."
"You're the assassin who stole my concubine, aren't you?" Sun Ling laughed. His birthmark looked like a demon tattoo. "You're dead!" he said. "Men, capture the two of them!"
"Arrest me?" He Yan laughed. She said, "I advise you to think twice before you act. Do you know who my uncle is? "
Sun Ling asked, "Who's your uncle?"
"My uncle is the General Fengyun, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army, Second Young Master Xiao. Young Master Xiao, are you sure you want to arrest me? "He Yan raised his eyebrows.
Sun Ling was stunned. After a moment, he laughed. He laughed until tears came out. He pointed at He Yan and asked the people around him, "Did you hear that? Who did he say his uncle is?"
The people around all laughed.
"Brat." Sun Ling stopped laughing and stared at He Yan. He said fiercely, "Since your uncle is a Xiao Jue, let him come out! So what if he's a Xiao Jue? Today, in front of your uncle, I'll make you beg for death! "
"Is that so?"
An unfamiliar voice sounded behind him.
Sun Ling turned around. A young man as bright as the moon slowly walked over with guards behind him. His voice was low and had a cold mocking tone.
"You can try."
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