Stop
She let out a slow and imperceptible sigh of relief, remained silent for a moment, and looked at Jiang Nian.
"Miss, do you have any opinion on the current intelligence?"
—
“…As for opinions, of course I do have some.”
Jiang Nian did not miss the subtle and quick expression that passed across Ai's face.
She seemed to be afraid of everyone looking at her. Rather than using the word "uncomfortable" to describe it, it was more like she was in danger and subconsciously wanted to put aside the discomfort and fear caused by this situation.
Did you encounter any danger on the road?
Jiang Nian turned his eyes away calmly and continued the previous topic: "Since the miners have the physical strength to dig in the mine all night, either someone has brought food up, or there is dry food in the mine that can be stored for a long time without spoiling, which can be used to fill their hunger."
"As for the small number of people due to the epidemic, we should pay more attention to prevention."
"What's more, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light."
She paused and looked out the window at the thick fog that had been split into two large areas by the building ship and still showed no signs of dispersing.
The thick water vapor revealed a lustrous white, slowly following the only giant ship on the river.
It used its huge body to cover the outline of Akamon, who was about to meet, and at the same time painted a layer of dark shadow in Jiang Nian's bright eyes.
In that impenetrable, boundless scene, her gaze fell on the paper again, and she concluded her previous words:
"We should make some adjustments over at Akamon."
The words in his eyes were brief, and the only thing left unmentioned was "Xizhen went to look for Yu He but he had not returned."
The names Xizhen and Yuhe were both unfamiliar to Jiang Nian. This was the first time he had heard of Xizhen, and Yuhe had only been mentioned once when he was in the sect, due to information from Qin Lan.
As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze, which had been lingering on the paper in front of her, was withdrawn lightly. Her hand, which had been lightly gripping the paper, loosened, and her tense nerves subconsciously relaxed. Jiang Nian had just breathed a sigh of relief when a cold voice behind her spoke with a clear purpose, clearly asking her a question.
"Then why do you think the streets are less crowded because of the epidemic?"
Because if there is an infectious disease, no one should stay at home.
His thoughts paused, and Jiang Nian tightened his fingers around the paper, suddenly realizing that he had fallen into confirmation bias.
Whether in modern times or ancient times, compulsory isolation measures are usually not taken for diseases such as common influenza.
She had a preconceived idea. The focus should not be here, but the time involved in each piece of intelligence.
The silence didn't give her much time to think further; the imminent imminence of waiting was faintly palpable. Jiang Nian didn't turn back to see Xiao Yingzhu's expression. He simply lowered his eyes and reread the information. His thoughts shifted lightly, and he quickly followed another line of thought.
"The streets are deserted because of the commander. He may have issued relevant orders. And this epidemic is precisely the Wumi people's countermeasure."
With just a few pointers, she was able to quickly change her thinking and no longer worry about whether the previous one was right or wrong. How could her mind be so sensitive and clear?
Now that Jiang Nian answered like this, they had found a way to continue the discussion. Qin Lan raised his eyes with interest, a hint of satisfaction and admiration flashed in his eyes, and he smiled and urged Jiang Nian to continue.
"Interesting, tell me more."
Knowing that they wanted to train her to analyze intelligence, and also to prepare for future events, Jiang Nian naturally didn't care what the people at the scene thought of her, nor did she feel ashamed for her previous mistake. She continued to speak without stopping, following the train of thought in her mind:
"The commander ordered the people to reduce their travel. One reason was based on reasonable speculation, and the other was that he had spies among the Wumi people to prevent them from being infected, which was exactly what the enemy wanted."
"And the recipe that Tao Yu wants to create may be to cure the epidemic in Cang County."
While Jiang Nian was still looking down, pondering the last sentence in the intelligence, Qin Lan glanced at Xiao Yingzhu's expression behind her. Seeing that the other party had no intention of continuing to guide her thinking, he spoke again.
"Then why did Miss Jiang suspect that Yu He had cut off the Wu Mi people's path beforehand, rather than taking precautions only after the epidemic appeared?"
Why?
If the commander-in-chief had followed Emperor Changde's order, he would have strictly guarded the city gate. Making such a big move would be an understatement to say that it would alert the enemy.
Jiang Nian reconsidered the matter, thinking of the details, then lowered his eyes to look at the information that seemed too troublesome to add a few more details. He continued according to his thoughts: "Because of this person named Xi Zhen."
Feeling the indifferent gaze of the person behind him, Jiang Nian knew that what he was thinking might not be accurate and might have logical loopholes, but the most important thing at the moment was to express his thoughts in order to better understand the current situation. Jiang Nian calmed his mind and continued:
"Since Xizhen is on our side, he wouldn't have fallen prey to our trap without some leverage. And the most common explanation for him seeking out this seemingly unapproachable commander at this critical juncture is that he possesses intelligence sufficient to exchange with the commander."
Feeling Qin Lan's subtle and flickering gaze, Jiang Nian looked puzzled. She was wondering where she had gone wrong, and Xiao Yingzhu lazily explained it to her.
"Xizhen was once a member of the Wumi clan."
The relaxed feeling in his heart suddenly shrank. Xiao Yingzhu's short sentence was shocking. Jiang Nian did not expect this to happen. The conversation in the room just now was a little bit lively, but suddenly it became as calm and silent as foam on the water.
“…”
She was lost in thought. The few concise and clear sentences before her had been carefully considered, but now they became confusing because of Xiao Yingzhu's words.
Ruo Xizhen was once a member of an enemy country. Even if his heart belongs to Huan Dynasty now, he will still be full of suspicion in the eyes of others who do not know the truth.
How would the commander-in-chief view someone who clearly worked for the Huandu court but knew the Wumi people intimately? Furthermore, in this era of disregard for human life and suspicion, misjudgments were common, and explaining them later would be difficult.
I know too little about them, so no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to come up with anything new.
Jiang Nian placed the paper on his knees and thought about it from another perspective for a while. He raised his head and subconsciously asked Xiao Yingzhu, who had moved to the position in front of him:
"Is the lack of people in Cang County a recent phenomenon?"
Things written in the form of intelligence are usually things that must be reported, but on this point, she still needs to confirm it again.
Xiao Yingzhu lowered her eyes slightly, with her back against the light, and had an indifferent expression, as if she were an outsider isolated from the world. Her once beautiful features now seemed indifferent.
"The Wumi people choose their gods in late summer."
"Finally, it was decided that the local courtesan would be chosen, so a... goddess blessing ceremony would be held. The ceremony would take place during the days you were at the teahouse."
His tone was light and when he mentioned the investigation, he paused for a moment between words, like a bird flying across the mirror-like surface of water.
The words beside his ears were like the wind. Jiang Nian's eyes moved slightly, and his eyes met with Xiao Yingzhu, whose face looked even more stunning because of the veil-like light in front of him.
The other person's expression was relaxed, as if the slight disgust and rejection that had been lingering for a moment had faded away in an instant like the damp mist outside.
Under the pale light, his face was deep and indifferent. Jiang Nian's pupils were slightly startled, and he suddenly stopped thinking about Xiao Yingzhu's past. He smoothed the slightly wrinkled paper in his hand, calmed his mind and continued:
"Since Emperor Changde has ordered the commander to blockade Cang County, the Wumi people must have known about this. Therefore, their plans will be forced to advance. They can create chaos in Cang County to divert attention, so that they can take advantage of the chaos to escape by other means."
The blockade was after the Goddess Conference, so before the blockade, the Wu Mi people must have still been in Cang County. On the surface, Emperor Changde did not seem to have set up many lines to hinder them, but in fact he asked Xiao Yingzhu to lay a secret line there, and at this juncture, they could be caught in one fell swoop.
The words and thoughts came out at the same time. She observed the expressions of the two people in front of her and concluded:
"With this, apart from the matter of Xizhen, everything is roughly clear."
When they were talking in the teahouse and at Qishan Mansion earlier, they had revealed a lot of information to them.
It would be hard to understand if I still can't figure it out after so many days.
Even when traveling long distances, all the companions were very reliable and their analysis of the enemy situation was sufficient without any need for further analysis. Jiang Nian was unwilling to be the one who held them back just because he was not good at this skill.
Qin Lan didn't ask any more questions, and his expression showed a slight agreement. This answer passed his test.
The topic of conversation came to an end for the time being. He had been feeling the different atmosphere between Jiang Nian and Xiao Yingzhu all the way. He turned his head thoughtfully, wondering whether he should leave the room to Xiao Yingzhu and Jiang Nian to guard, and go down with Ai to have some free time. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Yingzhu's still indifferent expression.
Qin Lan was stunned and glanced at Jiang Nian.
Jiang Nian in front of him no longer looked as unhappy as before, and had returned to her usual gentle and calm self. She lowered her head to pick up the information and read it. The book she wanted was also placed neatly on her lap.
Isn’t Miss Jiang in a good mood?
It wasn't him who caused the trouble, so why should he look at him?
Qin Lan was puzzled by Xiao Yingzhu's light but sharp gaze. Based on his years of experience, he felt that it would be better not to think about what this person who was about to be immersed in a long river of love was thinking.
He looked away and just stood up to ask Ai to go with him to look for the shipmen in the afternoon to see where the waterway was, when he saw Xiao Yingzhu, who was passing by him, turned his head away at an angle that Jiang Nian could not see. His expression was dim, and the corners of his lips moved as he said a word silently.
"Book."
“…”
Qin Lan felt uneasy when he was looked at by those eyes that were slightly raised and revealed cold and profound meaning. He had a sense of danger. His nerves were tense and he suddenly recalled the casual conversation he had just had with Jiang Nian. He felt a little uneasy in his heart, but then he remembered that Jiang Nian was still in the room. He showed no fear on his face, and raised his lips happily and retorted silently.
"how?"
Feeling that the atmosphere around Xiao Yingzhu was getting worse and worse, and that it was being targeted at him with great purpose, Qin Lan knew that he was in the wrong and did not want to stay in the room any longer. He put one hand on Ai's shoulder, pushed her forward slightly, and quickly went downstairs without looking back.
—
There were only two people in the room again.
Jiang Nian was thinking about the intention of the last sentence on the paper, "Yan's information will be delivered one day later." Just as she had a glimpse of remembering the long-lost geography knowledge, she looked up and saw that only she and Xiao Yingzhu were left around.
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