Chapter 52: It is hard for the bright moon in my heart to imagine that he would betray his country
During the period of national mourning, the capital lost all its prosperity and was filled with solemnity and silence.
The red buildings and embroidered houses on both sides of the long street all hung white banners. When the wind blew, the white silk fluttered, making the entire imperial city look even more deserted.
The doors of shops were half-closed, the taverns and singing halls were closed, and occasionally people would hurry by, walking with their heads down and not daring to speak loudly.
After nightfall, it becomes even quieter.
The night market, which was once brightly lit, is now pitch black, with only patrolling officers and soldiers walking by with white lanterns in their hands.
Tingyu Tower’s secret base in the capital was a noodle shop, and its business almost stopped during the national mourning period.
After Luo Wan spoke to the inn's waiter, the waiter was startled at first and said, "Please wait a moment."
He hurried to the kitchen and brought out a man wearing an apron with flour on his hands.
This man, the leader of the secret agents, was named Shuo Qiu, and he was posing as the head chef at the noodle shop. Besides him, there were two other assistants: one acting as the cashier and the other as an errand boy.
Shuo Qiu bowed and said, "Commander Bi Yue sent a message earlier saying you were coming. I thought I would have to wait a few more days, but I didn't expect you to arrive tonight."
The remaining two people looked at each other and immediately realized who was in front of them. They knelt on one knee and greeted him.
The news of the new leader of Tingyu Tower taking the throne was passed on by Yasheng Pavilion to the hidden spies on the first day, but they did not expect that it would be such a young woman.
The waiter, Aqing, wiped the bench and said, "Master, please sit down."
Luo Wan looked at him, about fourteen or fifteen years old, the youngest of the three, but he didn't show any fear at all.
Shuo Qiu said, "It's late at night and the dew is heavy. You must have traveled a long way. How about trying some noodles in our shop?"
Before Luo Wan could say anything, A Qing shouted, "Okay!" like a real waiter.
Ah Qing went into the kitchen to cook noodles. Shuo Qiu whispered, "Commander Bi Yue has already informed me of your purpose in advance."
Luo Wan came to the capital for only two things. First, to gain a deeper understanding of the situation in the capital, including Shen Zhiyan and Jiang Cichen. Second, she wanted her secret agent in the capital to pass on every piece of information he got to her as she was about to go to Yun Country.
Luo Wan said calmly, "Tell me."
Shuo Qiu said, "Everything is normal with the Shen family. There are no surprises. After Jiang Cichen's treason, Bei Yeji ordered the execution of all nine clans, and General Jiang was beheaded. All the princesses, big and small, who were led by the Jiang family, were implicated. Some were demoted, some were exiled. Princess Kunyi was imprisoned in the Princess's Mansion by Bei Yeji."
Luo Wan tapped the table with her fingers. "When General Jiang was beheaded and displayed to the public, Jiang Cichen didn't show up?"
Shuo Qiu shook his head: "No."
In other words, after the news of treason spread, the traitor disappeared without a trace and did not show up when his entire family was executed.
Luo Wan said: "You have been in the capital for these years. What kind of person do you think Jiang Cichen is?"
Shuo Qiu pondered, "Jiang Cichen, arrogant and unruly, a genius at fighting. At the age of fifteen he led the army to war, at the age of eighteen he was made a marquis in one battle, and he captured five cities in Yun State and three or two cities in Xiliang. In short..."
Luo Wan continued, "All in all, it's hard to imagine that he would commit treason, right?"
Shuo Qiu nodded. He had heard of Jiang Cichen's fame in the capital and even throughout the Northern Kingdom. He really couldn't imagine what the motives of such a favored son of heaven would be for betraying his country.
Luo Wan said: "How could a man who conquered seven cities for the Northern Kingdom easily betray his country?"
Shuo Qiu paused for a moment and said, "I heard from the soldiers who surrounded and suppressed Jiang Cichen that it was Jiang Cichen who said the treason himself. He made it sound very convincing. Not a single soldier who participated in the suppression refuted this statement, so it's probably true."
Luo Wan said: "Is it possible to find out the whereabouts of Jiang Cichen?"
She knew that Jiang Cichen would appear in Yun Country and conquer the world for Yun Country, but she didn't know when he would appear, where in the vast territory of Yun Country he would appear, and where he would start to rise from. Luo Wan knew nothing.
Shuo Qiu asked doubtfully, "You want to find out Jiang Cichen's whereabouts?"
Luo Wan said: "The sooner the better."
She was worried that she couldn't deliver the map of the world to him. If she could help him, she would have the capital to negotiate with him.
Shuo Qiu said, "Although we don't know his whereabouts at the moment, if we notify all parties involved and ask them to keep an eye out, we might be able to find some clues."
Luo Wan said, "Then let me know. Also, is there anything unusual happening in Yanyun Pavilion?"
Shuo Qiu said, "Yanyun Pavilion? That teahouse you're talking about is just like us, with not much business."
Yanyun Pavilion was safe and sound. It was obvious that Beiye Ji did not know that Yanyun Pavilion was Jiang Cichen's property, so he did not suppress it.
Soon, A Qing brought a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup, pulled a stool and sat next to Luo Wan, and said with a smile: "Master, please try it. Brother Shuo Qiu always said that I don't have a talent for cooking. I think I am quite talented."
As soon as Luo Wan took a bite, Ah Qing hurriedly asked for his opinion: "How is it?"
Shuo Qiu said sternly, "Aqing, don't disturb the host while he's eating."
Seeing Ah Qing curl his lips and lower his head, Luo Wan said, "Not bad."
Ah Qing stuck out his tongue at Shuoqiu as if to show off, shook his head and said silently, "The host said it was delicious."
Shuo Qiu sighed helplessly.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside, and Shuo Qiuwen ordered Aqing to close the doors and windows.
"oh."
Ah Qing responded and went to close the window. The voice sounded more and more familiar to Luo Wan, but because the voice was too far away and too mixed, he couldn't remember who it was.
Ah Qing sat back down and said indignantly, "It's that domineering concubine of Gu Sihan again."
Gu Sihan, I haven't heard this name for a long time.
Now that Beiye Ji is the emperor, the Gu family's status in the capital must be different from before. As the legitimate son of the Gu family, it is reasonable for him to have concubines. With the support of a powerful concubine, no one dares to refute her even if she acts domineeringly.
Shuo Qiu signaled Aqing not to say too much. With their status, if they got into any trivial trouble in the capital, they would be at risk of being exposed.
Ah Qing muttered, "How can it be considered a great achievement for a few grown men to bully a little tofu girl?"
Even though the doors and windows were closed tightly, the sounds of the quarrel outside could still be heard sporadically inside the house.
Combining Aqing's words, Luo Wan roughly guessed what happened outside the door.
She put down her chopsticks, pushed the door open and went out. Aqing immediately followed her, and Shuo Qiu also followed when he saw that the situation was not good.
Fifty meters away from the store, a carriage was parked across the middle of the road. A young girl in blue clothes was lying in front of the carriage, and several men were beating and kicking her.
A woman's voice came from the carriage: "I hate women wearing green clothes. I will beat up any woman I see."
Without the obstruction of doors and windows, Luo Wan finally heard clearly who Aqing was talking about, Gu Sihan's domineering concubine. This unruly voice and tone seemed a little more extreme than before. Chi Mingshi.
He actually rescued Chi Mingshi, who had become a prostitute. The Gu family was quite good to the children of their old subordinates.
With Chi Mingshi's ambition, it was beyond Luo Wan's expectation that she could become a concubine, but compared to being a prostitute, it was much better.
Ah Qing observed Luo Wan's expression and said, "Master, do you want to go up?"
Luo Wan glanced at him: "What?"
Ah Qing said as a matter of course: "To stand up for justice."
Although Tingyu Tower is regarded as a killer organization in the martial arts world, there is no shortage of chivalrous men in the tower.
Luo Wan said calmly: "Recognize your own identity."
Shuo Qiu echoed: "Recognize your own identity."
Aqing's dream of being a hero and saving the beauty was shattered.
The downfall of the Chi family was Luo Wan's fault, but that was due to the numerous evil deeds committed by the Chi couple. Ultimately, it had nothing to do with Chi Mingshi. If it weren't for Chi Jingan's actions, Chi Mingshi would have been a carefree young lady. Perhaps her biggest worry every day was that Jiang Cichen didn't like her.
Fate played tricks on her, and now, she had actually married the enemy of her beloved. Thinking of this, Luo Wan couldn't help but think of Chi Mingli. After he knew that Jiang Cichen had betrayed his country, would he still continue to worship him?
unknown.
Luo Wan returned to the house, sat down, and said, "Shuo Qiu, teach those men a lesson. As for the woman in the carriage, just scare her. Remember, don't kill anyone, and don't reveal your identity."
Shuo Qiu said, "Yes."
Shuo Qiu is ranked at the second level, the best among the second level, and is more than capable of dealing with these minions.
Ah Qing looked excited and waited for Luo Wan to continue giving orders. As he waited, the host continued to eat his noodles. Shuo Qiu changed into night clothes and went out with his face covered.
Ah Qing asked, "Master, what about me?"
Luo Wan said: "Please clean up the room for me. I want to go to bed early and leave tomorrow."
"Leaving? Where are you going, OP?"
"Ah Qing." The accountant who had been silent at the side finally spoke up and reminded him, "Do you think you can ask about the whereabouts of the landlord?"
Ah Qing realized that he had spoken too much and immediately slapped himself, changing the subject: "Original Poster, you don't even know how vicious Gu Sihan's concubine is!"
Vicious? Using this word to describe a girl, it was clear that Aqing really disliked Chi Mingshi.
Ah Qing looked at the accountant: "Uncle Liu, can I speak?"
Luo Wan said: "Go ahead."
Logically speaking, Aqing and Chi Mingshi had no connection, so she was also curious about what had happened that made Aqing hate Chi Mingshi.
Ah Qing said, "Master, do you know why Gu Sihan's concubine said she would beat up any woman she saw dressed in green? It's said that a year ago, before the Chi family fell, the concubine was still a young lady from an aristocratic family, living a life of luxury. One day, an unexpected guest came to the Chi family, dressed in green and claiming to be the eldest daughter of the Chi family. However, he quickly brought down Chi Jing'an, a retainer of the Gu family, and exposed Feng's dirty deeds."
"After the entire Chi family was imprisoned, this fake daughter disappeared without a trace. Everyone was baffled, after all, the case was heard by General Jiang Cichen." Ah Qing chattered on, growing increasingly excited as he spoke. "What do you think the rumor is circulating in the capital?"
Luo Wan didn't say anything and waited for Aqing to speak.
Ah Qing lowered his voice and said, "It is rumored that this girl in green is the bright moon in General Jiang's heart! Jiang Cichen deliberately let her go."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound of fighting and shouting outside the house. Shuo Qiu took action.
Luo Wan looked up at him, A Qing raised his eyebrows and blinked.
Luo Wan commented: "That's ridiculous."
Ah Qing was dissatisfied: "What nonsense? You are not in the capital, so of course you don't know. Maybe Jiang Cichen betrayed the country this time and actually went to live with that girl!"
He has such a rich imagination. No wonder Shuo Qiu said that Aqing has no talent in cooking, but he is more talented in storytelling.
Luo Wan complained in his heart: Not only did that girl not live with Jiang Cichen, she was also doing it right in front of you.
Ah Qing continued, "Gu Sihan's concubine once fell in love with General Jiang, and after that, she became a hater of all women who wore green clothes, beating them up whenever she saw them. Even more vicious was that she captured all the maids who had anything to do with that girl, tortured them one by one, and turned them into human pigs. It was a truly horrific act."
Luo Wan was startled: "What did you say?"
Ah Qing said grimly, "Being turned into a human pig, isn't that evil?!" After saying this, Ah Qing smacked his lips with pity.
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The author has something to say: Aqing: I will follow the host immediately when he starts a group╮(╯▽╰)╭
Thanks to Li Shu for catching the bugs~
If there are any chapter updates before, please ignore them.
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