"I know you must have received orders to say so, and you have intentions. I don't want to pursue this matter with you. Sijiabao is a commercial town after all. Can you find me some storytellers and singers to entertain me?"
Qiu Ling hesitated. Although outsiders were not prohibited from entering, it was not a good idea for the queen to invite prostitutes into the garden. "I will go and look for them, but perhaps Sijiabao is remote and there are no such people there."
"There must be. If not, it means you are not doing your best." This is ridiculous. Where merchants gather, business will definitely be stimulated. These businesses are for people's leisure and entertainment. Even the most remote villages will have opera troupes going there. This is clearly an excuse.
"Yes." Qiu Ling lowered his head and hurried out. He didn't need to go find someone. Since the Queen had summoned him, he had to find someone he knew well. The Royal Guards outside would work with the Castle Lord to take care of it, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Sure enough, just after lunch, someone came in from outside with a man and a woman, but there was a screen in the room and the curtains were drawn, so the people could not be seen clearly.
"Master, the person you are looking for is here. You can tell me anything you want to hear." In front of outsiders, Qiu Ling would naturally not reveal who lived here and always addressed him as master.
Xu Yixing glanced through the curtains and saw two figures. Her first reaction was to look at the girl, just to see if Ying Wu had disguised himself to get in. However, the girl was still small and looked young. She was not of Ying Wu's height, so she didn't pay much attention to her.
"What are you two good at?"
"Madam, my brother and I are experts in Yueqin and Yuxiao."
"Oh, then play a song that you are good at for me." Xu Yixing was half lying on the bed. Xiaobao had been taken to the next room for a nap a long time ago. Now was the time for her to relax.
Outside, the harmonious sounds of qin and xiao, a piece of music called "Zheguiling" drifted in, and it was no worse than those played in the music halls in the capital. Xu Yixing had not heard it for several days since leaving the capital, and suddenly he felt as if he were in another world.
When the piece was finished, another voice asked, "Madam, would you like to hear anything else?"
Hearing that voice, she was instantly pulled out of her memories. What she feared had come true. That voice was unmistakably Ying Wu! How had he gotten in? Had he been following her all the way from Miaozhou to Sijiabao? Too risky! Fortunately, Ah Da and Ah Er weren't there, or else he'd be recognized the moment he opened his mouth.
Qiu Ling had been standing at the doorway, watching the two people's behavior. When he heard no movement inside, he thought the queen had fallen asleep, so he called out to confirm: "Master?"
"Oh, sorry, I was a little lost in thought. Qiu Shui, will you come and play a song for me?"
This time, there was no immediate response from outside. Qiu Ling urged the two of them, and the woman plucked the strings twice reluctantly and began to play.
Qiu Ling might not know what Qiu Shui Chang was, but Xu Yixing and the two players knew it very well. This kind of decadent music was only liked by the young masters who spent all day hanging out in brothels. No wonder the girl was unwilling to play it.
Xu Yixing listened to the music while secretly glancing outside. The man's stature was indeed Ying Wu's; she knew he was in disguise without even looking at his face. However, he had sneaked in today, so he must have been here to memorize the route, bring her a message, or even take her away. This was truly troubling. She would have preferred to wait until Lu Anyuan returned and took Xiaobao back to the capital, and then leave. However, that would have been much more difficult, and it would have been easier to escape now than here.
Xu Yixing pondered it and decided to wait. Now wasn't the right time to leave. What if Lu Anyuan, far ahead, heard he'd escaped and was upset? Who would be held responsible if something happened? Besides, Sijiabao wasn't connected to the interior like Miaozhou. If he ran into the Gobi Desert, he wasn't sure if he'd make it back alive.
When the music was over, she deliberately lowered her voice to sound as if she had lost interest: "Well, not bad. You can go back first. I'm tired today. I'll ask you to play music another day. Guard Qiu, give you two ten taels of silver as a reward and send them off."
"Thank you, ma'am!" The two men happily accepted the reward and left, leaving Xu Yixing in the room, pondering how to pass on the message. He had just said he would summon them another day, so Yingwu wouldn't be anxious. This Bai Garden wasn't like the Prince's Palace or the former Governor's Mansion in Miaozhou. If he forced his way in, it would be difficult to get out. He must not act rashly.
But it seemed unrealistic for her to just ask someone to come in and play music. She was worried that Qiu Ling might get suspicious. There were screens and curtains in the middle. Not to mention passing things, even if she wanted to give Ying Wu a wink, he wouldn't be able to see. She just hoped that he could understand what she meant and not show up rashly again.
Ever since she confirmed that Yingwu was in Sijiabao, Xu Yixing became quieter. Even when she stayed in Baiyuan, she was no longer as impatient as before, and she no longer asked anyone to sing songs. She was afraid that Yingwu would be recognized.
For three consecutive days, there was still no news from the front line. She was only concerned with feeding and sleeping her child. Even Qiu Ling gradually relaxed his guard. It seemed that the queen was just acting on a whim and had no other intentions.
It was a blustery day, with snow flakes swirling in the air. Xu Yixing had never seen snow like this before. It didn't just drift down, but instead blew directly into her face like sand, stinging her face. So she closed the door early, moved the crying little baby to her inner room, and coaxed him to sleep before finally settling in for bed.
Before he could get into bed, the two maids in the room suddenly shuddered and fell to the ground. However, the wind was so loud outside that the noise didn't attract the attention of the guards outside. Xu Yixing held Xiaobao tightly with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, not wanting to move forward easily. This was clearly a hidden weapon!
The door was pushed open with a "clang" sound, and the cold wind rushed in, extinguishing the charcoal brazier and even the candle. Xu Yixing pressed his body tightly against the wall behind the bed to prevent himself from making any sound.
"master?"
This sound? Xu Yixing shuddered, Shadow!
"Why are you here?" Xu Yixing showed his face from behind the bed curtain and looked at him in disbelief. He thought it would be Ying Wu, but why was it him?
"Master, come with us first." Ying Yi confirmed Xu Yixing's safety, immediately held her arm, put a gray cloak on her, and was about to go out.
"No, you? Who else has arrived?" In just one sentence, Ying Yi had already brought her to the door. Xu Yixing looked closely and saw that the four people guarding the door had all fallen to the ground. They were probably ambushed before they could even hear what happened in the house.
"There are only me, Ying Si and Ying Wu in Sijiabao. The rest have received orders and are on their way."
"But where are we going now? There are Royal Guards everywhere. You can't just kill them all, right?"
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