66. Rescuing people

"I understand, General, there's no need to say anything more."

The carriage stopped in front of the general's mansion. Ju Tao went to greet it, and just then the curtain was lifted, revealing an unfamiliar face.

Ju Tao was stunned for a moment.

"What are you daydreaming about, little maid? Help me down." The man stretched out his hand, waiting for Ju Tao to help him up.

Xiao Pingchuan, Zhao Chengchun, and the others all turned to look at this side.

The surrounding area froze for a moment.

"She is my younger sister, not a maid."

Behind Zhou Yuan, Shen Suqin's voice came.

Upon hearing this, Ju Tao stepped back and made way for the carriage.

Zhou Yuan pouted and looked pitifully at Xiao Pingchuan not far away, saying, "But my head still hurts."

Xiao Pingchuan patted Zhao Chengchun's arm, signaling him to go and help the man.

“I don’t want him to help me,” Zhou Yuan said.

Zhao Chengchun's raised foot seemed to be unsure whether to land or not.

Inside the carriage, Shen Suqin sighed: "Xiao Pingchuan, come here."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

In Jinzhou, no one dared to address the general by his full name.

"You woman are so rude, how dare you address the general by his full name." Zhou Yuan turned her head and glared at him, her round eyes showing no intimidation whatsoever.

Xiao Pingchuan was immediately annoyed when he heard her being rude to Shen Suqin. He said coldly, "She is my wife. Miss Zhou should be more polite to my wife."

Zhou Yuan froze, momentarily forgetting what she was going to say.

Xiao Pingchuan walked past her to the carriage window, lifted the curtain, and said gently, "I'm here."

Shen Suqin raised her chin. "Take your people away."

Xiao Pingchuan pursed his lips, his voice serious: "Whose people are you talking about?"

Zhou Yuan softened her voice at the right moment: "General."

The three remained frozen in place.

Ju Tao sighed and stepped forward to speak: "Miss Zhou, please come down, I'll help you."

“No need,” Xiao Pingchuan stopped her. “Zhao Chengchun, help him up.”

Zhao Chengchun quickly walked over, and Zhou Yuan, who was good at reading the room, gave in when she saw that Xiao Pingchuan was unmoved. She helped Zhao Chengchun off the carriage.

Shen Suqin turned around, picked up the bird's nest from the corner, and got up to get out of the car.

"I'll help you." Xiao Pingchuan's hand was already waiting beside him.

Shen Suqin glanced at him, took Xiao Pingchuan's hand, and lightly jumped off the car.

"Auntie, please arrange accommodations for Miss Zhou." Xiao Pingchuan withdrew his hand and instructed Aunt Jiang.

Aunt Jiang respectfully agreed.

Upon entering the mansion, Shen Suqin headed straight for the main courtyard, with Xiao Pingchuan following behind her.

Looking from afar, Zhou Yuan asked Aunt Jiang, "Does that woman have a good relationship with the general?"

Aunt Jiang: "I don't know."

"How could you not know!"

She had heard about the general being betrothed to a country girl, just like herself.

At first, she felt indignant on behalf of the general, thinking that the woman was not good enough for him.

But then I thought, if a general can marry a village girl, why can't she?

Every year, Xiao Pingchuan would take people to Jade Green Mountain, and she never dared to show herself before, only daring to watch from afar. This year, because he married a village girl, and because of the wildfire, she finally ran to him.

"On the way back, I didn't see the general say much to her. I guess their relationship must not be good," Zhou Yuan said.

Aunt Jiang's expression shifted, as if she had caught something. "You mean the general doesn't like to talk to her?"

"yes."

“Sure enough,” Aunt Jiang said in a strange tone, “I knew it. If His Majesty hadn’t insisted on the marriage, our general would never have taken a liking to her.”

Zhou Yuan listened intently, "Auntie, please tell me in detail..."

At the same time, Xiao Pingchuan followed Shen Suqin into the main courtyard, only to find that she did not enter the master bedroom, but instead pushed open the door of the side room.

He paused slightly, then stopped at the door of the side room and said, "Let's talk."

Shen Suqin took off her fox fur coat and tossed it aside, suppressing her anger as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"It's about Jade Green Mountain," Xiao Pingchuan said.

Shen Suqin was holding back her anger, and the atmosphere in the whole team was very tense on the way back.

She knew it was her bad advice that almost got Xiao Pingchuan and his brother into trouble.

So she asked directly, "During the Yucui Mountain fire, I sent you to get firebreaks, and you almost didn't make it back. Do you blame me for that?"

Xiao Pingchuan said earnestly and seriously, "All the way here, I've been thinking about how to tell you about this. That night, when we were suddenly surrounded by fire, the situation was indeed very critical. I hope you can understand that the brothers would have emotional reactions."

Shen Suqin understood, of course, that no one could be unafraid of the threat of death.

But she was still angry—no, more like annoyed. She should have been firmer and refused to let them go up the mountain to put out the fire.

And then there's Zhou Yuan, who just popped up out of nowhere?

“However, everyone knows this isn’t your fault. Nobody expected the mountain wind to change direction. You didn’t mean to harm us, so give everyone some time,” Xiao Pingchuan continued. “As for me, I’ve never blamed you from beginning to end. You did the right thing, and even if we had to go back in time, I would still listen to you.”

At this point, Shen Suqin was no longer angry.

"Then please calm them down for me. I'll step in later." She hadn't figured out how to appease everyone yet.

"good."

"As for Zhou Yuan."

For some reason, Xiao Pingchuan felt a chill run down his spine whenever she was mentioned: "Go ahead."

"General, you can see that this Miss Zhou's true intentions are not what they seem."

Xiao Pingchuan nodded cautiously; he wasn't stupid.

"What do you want to do?" Shen Suqin said, trying to provoke her. "Do you want me to help you marry her as a concubine? Or should I just give her the position of the principal wife?"

Xiao Pingchuan was terrified. "Don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense. That person is your savior. No, not just yours, but the savior of hundreds of your brothers."

Xiao Pingchuan took a deep breath and threatened, "If you keep making up nonsense, I'm going to lose my temper."

Shen Suqin knew when to stop.

Xiao Pingchuan patiently explained, "There will only be one Madam Shen in my backyard, and no one else. The day she nods, I will present her with both hands. I am waiting, I am waiting every moment, Miss Shen, do you understand?"

Shen Suqin finally smiled. She slowly walked over, grabbed Xiao Pingchuan's collar, pulled him down, and said softly, "Waiting won't do, General."

What did Xiao Pingchuan suddenly touch?

He recalled what Shen Suqin had said on the way to Jade Green Mountain, and combined with what she was saying now, he seemed to understand.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and tentatively asked, "Can I pursue you?"

Shen Suqin raised an eyebrow. This General Xiao has finally come to his senses. It's not easy.

"What if I say no?" she teased him.

Xiao Pingchuan took it seriously and said dejectedly, "Then I'll wait a little longer."

Surprisingly, he didn't say he wanted to give up.

Shen Suqin chuckled: "General, if you want to chase me, go ahead. I'm not so easy to catch."

"Really?" Xiao Pingchuan's eyes lit up instantly.

Shen Suqin suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "General, please go back. I'm tired."

"Okay, you should rest well. Once you've rested, I'll take you around Ningyuan."

After Xiao Pingchuan left, Ju Tao, who was waiting nearby, came over and knocked on the door.

Shen Suqin let her in.

"Aunt Jiang settled that Miss Zhou in the courtyard next door," Ju Tao said.

Shen Suqin sat down, holding onto the table. She had been sitting in the car for a long time, and her back and legs were aching badly.

Ju Tao walked over, put down the account books for the past few days, and asked, "What's the background of that Miss Zhou?"

Shen Suqin briefly recounted what had happened on Jade Green Mountain.

"So that Miss Zhou saved everyone, including the general, and was injured in the process?"

"yes."

"This is a bit troublesome. Look at the way she looks at the general. Anyone with eyes can tell what she's thinking."

"It's a waste of time," Shen Suqin said confidently, not taking her seriously at all. "Has the Su family replied?"

Ju Tao froze for a moment, almost forgetting the important matter: "That's why I rushed to find you. Su Yubai has also been imprisoned and is being held in the Jiaozhou Prefecture jail."

Shen Suqin suddenly stood up: "What crime?"

Ju Tao shook her head: "There's no crime, he's just locked up."

"Who gave the order?"

Ju Tao also shook his head: "Anyway, it's not the governor of Jiaozhou. That governor also has the surname Su."

Those are our own people.

Shen Suqin breathed a sigh of relief and carefully considered the matter, "What about the Su family members?"

"They ran away; they must have had someone make arrangements for them beforehand."

"That's good. Saving only Su Yubai should be easier."

"What do you want?"

Shen Suqin said coldly, "They kidnapped people and brought them to Jinzhou. The Pei family dared to directly target the richest man in Jiaozhou, which means they didn't get what they wanted. Since they're resorting to extreme measures, why can't I also take the crooked path?"

Ju Tao frowned: "That's true, but who are we going to ask to break them out of prison?"

Shen Suqin remained silent.

Logically, the best candidate would be the Black Flag Army's scout battalion, but they had just returned from a long raid, and given her current precarious situation, it was really inappropriate for her to ask them for orders.

But Su Yubai couldn't just abandon the rescue.

"I'll go ask him," she said, forcing herself to speak.

Ju Tao nodded, "But if the general doesn't agree, shouldn't we also make our own preparations?"

Ask her clearly so she can prepare in advance.

“If he doesn’t agree, I’ll go there myself. You can bring a few people from the Secret Pavilion from the south for me.”

The Secret Pavilion is the place managed by Ju Tao. It is a vast information network privately formed by Xingyuan restaurants in various places, covering the north and south.

"good."

"Have the shopkeepers from other regions set off yet?"

"Those in remote areas have already set off."

Shen Suqin sighed deeply; it seemed the two things were about to collide.

Fearing that those people would torture Su Yubai, Shen Suqin took a sip of water and went out to find Xiao Pingchuan.

She wandered around the mansion but couldn't find him. Thinking he was in Zhou Yuan's courtyard, she went there to look for him.

When she got there, she saw that the Black Flag Army scouts had filled almost half of the courtyard.

The doctor was probably treating Miss Zhou. From a distance, she saw Zhao Chengchun standing in front of Zhou Yuan's bed, but Xiao Pingchuan was still nowhere to be seen.

"Is your general here?" she asked.

The scouts turned around, saw it was her, and instinctively moved aside to make way for her.

They assumed Shen Suqin had also come to visit him in the hospital.

Shen Suqin went inside and asked the doctor, "How is Miss Zhou?"

The doctor replied, "It's nothing serious. Just rest and take two doses of calming medicine."

Shen Suqin nodded.

Then she asked Zhao Chengchun, "Where did your general go?"

Zhao Chengchun: "He said he went to fetch a doctor for you. Do you have something important to discuss with him?"

"Something has come up, I'll wait for him to come back."

“You can tell me anything,” Zhao Chengchun said.

Shen Suqin glanced around and saw that everyone was indeed there. To bypass them and speak directly to Xiao Pingchuan would be like using power to oppress someone, which wasn't a good idea.

So, she said in a kind tone, "It's like this, I have a very close friend who was wrongly imprisoned. I would like you all to help me get him out."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengchun thought it was a trivial matter and readily agreed, "No problem." He glanced around and felt that the people in the courtyard were not suitable, as they all looked exhausted and had not rested. "How about this," he said, "when the general returns later, I will ask him for an imperial edict to be sent to the Shule River, and a team of men will be transferred from the Shule River to you."

Shen Suqin did not reply to him immediately. It would take two more days to transfer people south from Shule River than to transfer people directly from Ningyuan.

She forced herself to say, "Isn't there a faster way?"

Zhao Chengchun was taken aback.

He roughly understood that Shen Suqin wanted to use the scout camp.

The scout battalion was originally the elite of the Black Flag Army, making them perfectly suited for both long-distance raids and rescue missions.

But didn't you see that none of them had recovered? Although soldiers are used to being exhausted, they had just escaped death on Jade Green Mountain. You shouldn't be so unsympathetic to them.

Thinking of this, he said somewhat angrily, "It's just being thrown into prison, not being beheaded right away, why the rush? Besides, Madam, look at these brothers in the courtyard, they've just dismounted, they haven't even caught their breath, and you already want to..."

Shen Suqin interrupted him: "I know and I understand, General, you don't need to say anything more."

Zhao Chengchun thought she had been persuaded and was willing to wait a little longer, so he didn't say anything more.

They all knew that the lady had given them food and money, and that she was kind to them, so after the incident at Yu Cui Mountain, no one said a harsh word to her.

But now, disregarding everyone's health, she still wanted to drive them on a long journey, which made them somewhat unacceptable.

"General, Yuan'er is feeling dizzy..."

Zhou Yuan's voice came from inside the house.

Everyone turned their gaze away and looked at their savior in the room.

Shen Suqin paused slightly, belatedly realizing her embarrassment.

She returned to the main courtyard alone, where Ju Tao was waiting. Upon seeing her, Ju Tao slowly shook her head.

Ju Tao remained silent.

"Pack up, we'll leave tonight. We need to rush back to meet up with the managers from various places," Shen Suqin said.

"What about Commander Zhou and Manager Zhao?"

Let's talk about it later.

"good."

“Oh, right,” Shen Suqin turned around and took out the bird’s nest from the corner, handing it to her, “Could you give this to…” She couldn’t think of anyone to entrust it to for the moment.

"Give it to Yuanxiang, let her take care of it for a few days," Ju Tao said.

"Alright."

That night, a sudden heavy snowfall began, quickly covering the ground completely.

Xiao Pingchuan didn't return until late at night. The doctor had gone on a long trip to see patients and was probably delayed by the heavy snow, so he couldn't wait for Xiao Pingchuan to arrive.

After he returned, Zhao Chengchun approached him and explained what Shen Suqin had asked her to do during the day.

"I'll write a transfer order right now and have Kui Lang lead a team there. Send someone to deliver it to him at dawn," he said to Zhao Chengchun.

Zhao Chengchun nodded, still feeling somewhat displeased. He complained to Xiao Pingchuan, "Madam complained that the people from the Shule River were too slow to arrive and wanted to use the scouts. She doesn't even see how tired the brothers are. And to be honest, everyone still has grudges about what happened on Jade Green Mountain. It's really upsetting that she's still trying to order everyone around without any regard for the situation."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pingchuan's brows furrowed, and he asked, "Did she say which friend was detained?"

"He said, it seems his surname is Su, and he's a businessman."

"His surname is Su!" Xiao Pingchuan suddenly stood up. "Is his name Su Yubai?"

Zhao Chengchun was startled: "Yes, yes, I think her name is something like Bai."

Xiao Pingchuan slammed his hand on the table. "Oh no! That's her childhood friend. He's making winter clothes for us, and the price is 20% lower than the market price." As he spoke, Xiao Pingchuan put on his outer robe. "Come with me to find Madam. She's probably still awake."

"Huh? Are we really going to send the scout battalion on this trip?"

"Not just the scout camp, I'm going there myself."

The two ran to Shen Suqin's room one after the other, and seeing that it was dark inside, they assumed she was asleep.

Zhao Chengchun hesitated and said, "Is the situation actually not that urgent? Look, Madam is already asleep. Why don't we talk about it tomorrow morning?"

Xiao Pingchuan sensed something was wrong, so he quickly knocked on the door: "Miss Shen, Shen Er, are you asleep?"

No one answered from inside.

He kicked the door open and found it empty; there was no one inside.

Zhao Chengchun was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth wide and slowly said, "Mom, she didn't go by herself, did she?"

He secretly glanced at Xiao Pingchuan's face and dared not utter another sound.

[Author's Note]

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-04-18 01:33:21 and 2023-04-19 17:24:21!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Midnight, Rich Man, and Pancake Fruit. 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!