28 Chapter 028
◎ Fireside Night Chat (Second Update)◎
Meng Zhuo is Xie Mingzhuo's pseudonym.
She took her mother's surname, and she was indeed the second child in the Meng family, so there was nothing wrong with calling her "Meng Er Niang".
Li Jiuniang is Li Jiuyue. It is said that her real name is Li Jiuniang. This way, she has both substance and illusion so as not to arouse suspicion in those who are interested.
Also traveling with them were Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing, who acted as accompanying maids.
There were two coachmen, one was Yang Yunkai, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the other was a security guard at Princess Jiashan's mansion. He was familiar with Li Jiuyue and had accompanied the caravan many times.
They were wearing shorts and had been walking outside for several days. Their stubble covered half of their faces, their hair was messy, and they looked inconspicuous.
Because of this, the man in the right corner dared to tease her.
Just when the commander was considering how to deal with the three people, Yao Sanniang arrived.
She brought thirty strong bodyguards with her and immediately suppressed the man's arrogance.
If Xie Mingzhuo and the other six were really just ordinary people, they would probably have burst into tears of gratitude towards Yao Sanniang.
Even if Xie Mingzhuo was capable of dealing with her, he would still have a good impression of Yao Sanniang - if she didn't recognize her.
From the moment Yao Sanniang stepped into the dilapidated temple and her appearance was revealed to the public, Xie Mingzhuo had already guessed her identity.
Her eyebrows and eyes are very similar to those of King Liang in my father's painting.
There are so many similar people in the world. If it were just this, we couldn't be truly certain.
But she called herself Yao Sanniang.
There were eight concubines in the Prince of Liang's palace, one of whom was named Yao, who gave birth to a daughter, 23 years old, the third among her sisters.
Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences.
Xie Mingzhuo himself used his mother's surname, and by analogy, Yao Sanniang is most likely the daughter of the Yao family.
When you are away from home, you give yourself an identity and create your own personality.
Xie Mingzhuo's external personality is shy and introverted. She had remained silent until this moment, when she was forced to speak under Yao Sanniang's strong questioning.
"It's Sister Meng." Yao Sanniang released her hand and sat back down. "Is this your first time traveling far away?"
Xie Mingzhuo took a sip of soup and nodded slightly.
"How old?"
"Nineteen." She was tall and didn't look childish, so it wasn't a big deal if she lied about being two years old.
"Four years younger than me."
Xie Mingzhuo lowered his eyebrows and eyes. He was twenty-three years old, so his age was right.
Yao Sanniang had already eaten her fill. She put down her bowl, sat cross-legged, supported her knees with her right elbow, held up her head, and looked at the few people inconspicuously.
Perhaps because she had been using this identity for many years, Yao Sanniang was not very wary of them.
Or maybe he was just being fearless, thinking that it was impossible for anyone to match an ordinary Yao Sanniang with the daughter of the prince's mansion in such a huge crowd.
She really didn't need to be so cautious.
If Xie Changfeng's painting skills were not different from the current painting methods, and if he could not draw the characters vividly, Xie Mingzhuo would not have been able to recognize them.
According to the freehand brushwork of current figure paintings, even if King Liang himself stood in front of him, he would not be recognized.
Li Jiuyue took over the conversation: "How could a girl like Sanniang choose to be a bodyguard?"
"There's nothing I can do about it." Yao Sanniang gave a bitter laugh. "If I don't find a way out myself, I'll be married off to an old man over fifty years old."
"How could this be?" Li Jiuyue's eyes showed a hint of pity. "You are very beautiful and capable. You should be able to find a more suitable husband."
Yao Sanniang said self-deprecatingly, "My father wants to expand his business. If I marry him, it will be a great help."
Appropriate acts of pity can weaken the other person's vigilance and bring you closer together.
Li Jiuyue, Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing were obviously closer to her.
Xie Mingzhuo also showed some reluctance at the right time.
"He's also a miserable person." Li Jiuyue said with regret, "You are now an escort, would your father agree?"
Yao Sanniang smiled and said, "He wants to open up trade routes. I've been doing a lot of business, so I can also accumulate some connections and channels. You just said 'also'. Is it possible that Jiuniang also has times when she has no other choice?"
"I can't really say." Li Jiuyue said half-truthfully, "When I was nine years old, my parents sold me. I was taken to Zhending Prefecture and became a maid."
"And then?"
"Later, she married a peddler and slowly built up a grocery store. She lived a pretty good life."
"Then why is it that now..."
Li Jiuyue's brows were tinged with sorrow. "My husband passed away not long ago. I was injured in my youth and have no children. I couldn't keep the shop, so I simply packed up and returned home."
"That's too much!" Yao Sanniang raised her eyebrows. "You and your husband run the shop together. Why can they just take it away like that?"
She was referring to the relatives of Li Jiuyue's husband's family.
Even if Li Jiuyue didn't say it explicitly, there are countless examples of this kind of thing where a family is wiped out, and you don't have to think about who did it.
No wonder Li Jiuniang just reminded the young girl to take care of herself and not catch a cold.
In this world, women without children have a harder life.
Li Jiuyue shook her head and sighed: "I'm just an outsider."
"What about Er Niang?"
"Second Mother is also a pitiful person."
As night falls, it is windy and rainy outside the dilapidated temple, and chatting around the fire inside the temple is a rare experience.
Yao Sanniang was in high spirits and immediately responded, "What do you mean?"
"Second Mother had been engaged before, and they were all set to get married, but her fiancé had an accident. Unable to bear the blow of losing his son, he took his anger out on Second Mother, saying she was a 'husband-killer'. He even spread the word, hoping that Second Mother would remain a widow forever for his son."
"How unreasonable!" A voice rang out from the right corner. "Such a beautiful girl, it would be a shame if she didn't marry someone else."
Everyone: “…”
Li Jiuyue ignored her and continued, "Second Mother's family had no other choice but to send her to me, hoping to find a new place and end this bad relationship."
"It's been a rough ride indeed." Yao Sanniang looked at Xie Mingzhuo and sighed, "We can be considered to be in the same boat."
Xie Mingzhuo said, "Sanniang's life was tougher than mine, but she's also stronger than me."
My admiration is beyond words.
Li Jiuyue also laughed and said, "Sanniang is so young and yet she has traveled all over the country. It's really admirable."
Yao Sanniang seemed to be embarrassed by the praise and immediately changed the subject: "I haven't asked what the four of them are called yet?"
"Ayu."
"Ah Qing."
"Yang Da."
"Luo Qi."
Yao Sanniang nodded and greeted everyone one by one without asking any more questions.
As the night deepened, everyone felt increasingly tired after drying their clothes, so they all decided to rest on the ground.
Yao Sanniang's bodyguards took turns to keep watch, with Yang Da and Luo Qi guarding the first and second half of the night respectively.
The dilapidated temple was dirty and messy, but fortunately it didn't leak. Although there were occasional mice looking for food crawling around, everyone slept relatively soundly.
In the second half of the night, the sound of rain gradually stopped, and the accumulated water on the eaves fell into the puddles, making a tinkling sound.
Xie Mingzhuo didn't dare to fall asleep outside and was always in a half-asleep and half-awake state.
The rustling sounds of others getting up to go to the bathroom, the sound of water dripping in the corridor, and the croaking of frogs in the distance all came into her ears, waking her completely awake.
She did not open her eyes, but remained in the same position as before, lying flat on her back in silence.
Li Jiuyue was sleeping next to her, with her legs touching hers. Suddenly, she twitched violently, as if she had stepped on empty air in her dream, and woke up with a start.
Xie Mingzhuo still didn't open his eyes. He sensed that the other party had moved his legs. After a while, he gently stood up and walked towards the back door of the dilapidated temple in the light of the fire.
There is a toilet outside the back door. Although it has been in disrepair and the door is tattered, it can still be used in an emergency.
"Ah——" a suppressed exclamation broke the silence.
Before Xie Mingzhuo could get up, Luo Qi, who was on guard, ran over in an instant, so fast that it seemed as if he had been keeping an eye on the back door the whole time.
Luo Qi is quite skilled, so Xie Mingzhuo felt a little relieved.
The others were also awakened, and they all went to the back door to see what was going on.
At the back door steps, Luo Qi pinned a man to the ground, with brown and yellow mud all over his head. One could only tell from his clothes that he was the man who had flirted with him at the beginning.
Li Jiuyue stood not far away, her brows full of shame and regret.
"I'm so sorry to bother you all."
The man's followers exclaimed and stepped forward: "Let my young master go!"
But they couldn't shake Luo Qi's arm strength.
In this situation, only Xie Mingzhuo can come forward first.
She walked to Li Jiuyue and asked softly, "Aunt, what's going on?"
"It's nothing, a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding." Li Jiuyue had just recovered from her shock and said hurriedly, "Luo Qi, let him go."
Luo Qi paused, then let go of his hand and took a step back.
The man stood up with the help of his attendants, spat out the muddy water in his mouth, and cried out with a sad face, "What are you doing? I just came out to use the toilet. Who did I offend?!"
He glared at Luo Qi again: "You hurt my arm and got me covered in mud. I'm telling you, this isn't over yet!"
Luo Qi said in a muffled voice: "Sneaking around in the middle of the night, who knows what you are trying to do."
"Going to the bathroom is considered sneaky?" the man was furious. "I did say a few stupid things when we first met, but you can't pin all that blame on me!"
The attendant said: "That's right, our young master has seen all kinds of beauties, how could he be interested in an old woman?"
"Jiu Niang, you tell the story." Yao Sanniang glanced at them and asked Li Jiuyue.
Li Jiuyue hesitated and said, "I came out to use the restroom. As soon as I finished, I saw a dark figure rushing out in front of me. I was startled."
She smiled apologetically, "Sir, my family was too worried and mistook you for... I'm so sorry for hurting you and staining your clothes. Would you mind paying me double for the consultation fee and the clothes?"
"Does this young master look like someone who is short of money?"
Li Jiuyue: "Then what do you want?"
The man's eyes swept across everyone, finally stopping at Feng Caiyu's face, and pointed his finger over.
"Give me your maid as compensation. My clothes are worth more than a maid."
Everyone: ???
Yao Sanniang's palms felt itchy, and she was about to whip the horsewhip when a man stood up and blocked Feng Caiyu.
"no!"
Her brows relaxed, and a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes.
The man's face was clean after being wiped by his attendant.
He looked up and down at Xie Mingzhuo who had stepped forward, curled his lips and said, "Why, you want to take her place? Although you're more attractive, you're too tall for my taste."
Without waiting for anyone to react, he commented on Li Jiuyue: "Older ones aren't any good either."
As for Jiang Qing, whose skin was as white as wheat, he didn't even look at her.
Yang Da and Luo Qi stepped forward together, blocking the man's sight and glaring at him.
"Why are you glaring at me? If you keep glaring, I'll dig out your eyes!" The follower took advantage of the power of his master.
Yao Sanniang tutted and sneered, "Look at what you said. I'm sure you didn't come out to the toilet to use it, but to take advantage of the opportunity to do something bad. Now that you've been caught, you still want to blackmail Jiuniang. Do you really think this whip of mine is vegetarian?!"
She raised the whip and whipped the man.
"How dare you!" The follower tried his best to protect his master, "Do you know who my young master is?"
"Oh? Who is it?"
The attendant said proudly, "I heard you all say you are from Anlu County. My master is the Lord of Anlu County!"
"County Master" is a respectful title used by the people nowadays to address the county magistrate.
The escort behind Yao Sanniang laughed out loud.
Someone asked, "Doesn't the county lord have only one daughter?"
"Newly appointed! Newly appointed!" the attendant hurriedly explained, "My master just took office half a month ago!"
Half a month ago, Yao Sanniang was trapped in the snow and did not receive the news in time.
Xie Mingzhuo, living in the imperial palace, would not have cared about the transfer of a county magistrate. However, because the destination was Anlu County of De'an Prefecture, he investigated all the officials in De'an Prefecture and learned about the transfer of the Anlu County magistrate.
But she had never seen the new magistrate, and she had no idea what the magistrate's son looked like.
This person never revealed his name.
Yao Sanniang tilted her head and asked, "What's the name of the new magistrate?"
"How dare you address the County Master by his name?" the attendant snorted. "My master's surname is Fan. You'll know when you get to Anlu."
They were just merchants, but they had to kneel before the county magistrate. They would have a hard time when they got to Anlu.
Xie Mingzhuo laughed secretly. If she remembered correctly, there was a comment in the investigation report of County Magistrate Fan - he was cautious and law-abiding.
How could you raise such a reckless son?
"Then we'll talk about it in Anlu," Yao Sanniang said impatiently. "Go back now. If anyone makes another noise before dawn, I'll make sure he never gets to Anlu again."
【Author’s words】
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