Analyzing Why the Consort Was Traveling with Them

Historically, cities with ports have generally been prosperous. Although the county seat of Butter County is not large, its streets are wide and straight, and it is bustling with people.

Xu Qi'an stood on the dock, looking around as porters and coolies came and went, sweating profusely.

His gaze swept across the room and landed on a foreman sitting in a shaded pavilion, drinking tea and holding an account book. He strolled over, placed one hand on his knife, and looked down at the foreman.

The foreman stared intently at Xu Qi'an and the silver and bronze gongs embroidered on the chests of the Nightwatchers behind him. Even if they didn't recognize the Nightwatchers's uniforms, the reputation of the Nightwatchers was well-known even to ordinary people.

"This... this is the legendary Nightwatchers?" The foreman asked in bewilderment as he stood up, bowing and scraping. "Gentlemen, what are your orders?"

As he spoke, he took out a handful of loose silver from his pocket and offered it to the customer with both hands.

Xu Qi'an didn't look at it and asked directly, "Are you the foreman?"

The foreman continued to nod and bow, "Yes."

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly, looked at the busy porters, and asked, "Have there been any refugees from the north recently?"

"Refugee?"

The foreman thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, but I've heard that there's a war going on in the north. The barbarians are burning, killing, and looting everywhere. Luckily, the Prince of Zhenbei is guarding it, otherwise Chu Prefecture might have been lost long ago."

"You greatly admire the Prince of Zhenbei?" Xu Qi'an asked in a flat tone.

"Of course, the Prince of Zhenbei is the God of War of the Great Feng and also the number one expert in the Great Feng. It is because of him that the north can be at peace." The foreman showed a look of admiration.

When did the Prince of Zhenbei become a military god? The military god of the Great Feng is clearly Duke Wei. Xu Qi'an left with the silver gong and bronze gong players.

Inside the shed, the foreman watched them leave, puzzled, and said, "They won't even take the money? Are they out of their minds?"

After wandering around the city for an hour, Xu Qi'an sat in restaurants, brothels, and even struck up a conversation with a beggar. The Nightwatchers accompanying him realized that Xu Qi'an had another purpose for this trip.

The so-called "listening to music in brothels" is just a pretext.

"Lord Xu, what are you inquiring about?" a silver-gong-wielding official asked.

"Looking for refugees."

Xu Qi'an stood by the street, one hand on his knife, frowning as he said, "There's something strange, I don't know if you've noticed."

An experienced silver gong player thought for a moment and replied:

"No refugees? That's not surprising. We've only just arrived in Jiangzhou, and it's still at least ten days' journey to Chuzhou. And that's by water; by land, it would take at least half a month. Refugees might not be able to escape from Chuzhou to get here."

Xu Qi'an shook his head, glanced at him, and snorted, "Have you forgotten what case we're here to investigate?"

The four silver gongs were startled and immediately understood Xu Qi'an's meaning.

Such acts as massacres across three thousand miles typically occur on large-scale battlefields that are protracted and involve a considerable number of troops.

If a war of this scale were to occur, it would inevitably result in widespread famine and displacement. Even though Jiangzhou is far from Chuzhou, there is no doubt that some lucky refugees might manage to escape.

But there is none.

This case is more complicated than I imagined. Xu Qi'an's heart sank, and his mood inevitably turned somber. But he glanced at his colleagues beside him, seeing their worried expressions, and immediately let out a "ha," speaking slowly in an incomparably arrogant tone:

"Interesting. This is exactly the kind of case I want to handle. Cases that are too easy are boring."

Lord Xu has a wealth of experience. Although he has only been on the job for a short time, he has Nightwatchers recalled the major cases that Lord Xu had handled, they immediately felt calm and at ease.

Before lunch, Xu Qi'an returned to the official ship carrying a food box and several pieces of uncarved yellow jade.

He first placed the yellow butter in the room, then carried the food box up to the third floor, went to a room in the corner, and knocked on the door.

"Who?"

The old woman's voice, slightly agitated but weak, came from inside the room.

"It's me."

Xu Qi'an smiled.

Hearing his voice, there was no response from inside, and the door remained closed, seemingly indicating an intention to let the situation cool down.

"Fu Wenpei, open the door! I know you're home. You've got the nerve to seduce men, so go ahead and open the door!"

Xu Qi'an is a despicable person.

"Clang"

The door opened, and an elderly woman dressed in a light blue maid's dress stood out, her eyebrows furrowed, and she snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

That lecherous man, talking about seducing men right in front of her door, that's going too far! Even though she's just an ordinary maid now, maids still have their reputations.

No one heard. Xu Qi'an chuckled and said, "You're not Fu Wenpei, why are you angry?"

Seeing the old lady roll her eyes and try to close the door again, Xu Qi'an quickly said, "I brought you lunch."

The older woman scoffed, "You're that kind of person?"

"Judging from your complexion this morning, I knew you didn't sleep well last night and were seasick. You probably didn't eat lunch, so I bought you some food."

Xu Qi'an went into the house on his own, glanced around, and saw that the house was clean and tidy, looking like it was cleaned every day.

Place the food container on the table, open the lid, and lay out the dishes one by one.

The older woman glanced at the dishes and, noticing they were all unfamiliar, couldn't help but ask, "What kind of dish is this?"

"The glass lungs are quite delicious. They're one of the signature dishes at the best restaurant in Butter County. I also bought you the other signature dishes," Xu Qi'an said.

"I don't want to eat."

The older woman said calmly.

She was feeling unwell and had no appetite. Besides, having been pampered in the Prince's mansion for years, what delicious food hadn't she eaten? The delicacies that ordinary people could only dream of were nothing to her.

"But you'll definitely like this bowl." Xu Qi'an placed a bowl of soup on the table.

The older woman took one look and saw that it was dark and looked terrible. She immediately frowned in disgust and said, "What's your purpose in being so attentive for no reason? Just say it."

Xu Qi'an sat at the table, coughed, and said, "Your princess has come too?"

Upon hearing the words "Princess," her eyebrows twitched slightly, but she calmly nodded, "Yes."

"Why is the princess in the procession, while I, the organizer, didn't know beforehand?" Xu Qi'an asked with a smile.

"Do you think I'd know?" the older woman said irritably, seemingly unwilling to elaborate, and urged, "Get out of here if you have nothing else to say, I'm going to sleep."

Xu Qi'an had no choice but to take his leave.

After the annoying, smelly man left, she closed the door again. She was about to put the food back in the food box when she suddenly smelled a sour and spicy aroma. This smell seemed like an invisible hand, grabbing her stomach.

The flavor emanated from that poorly presented soup.

It seemed to taste alright. She sat at the table, scooped up a spoonful with a porcelain spoon, and took a small sip.

The sour and spicy flavor instantly awakened her taste buds and whetted her appetite. She swallowed involuntarily and drank several mouthfuls in a row.

After she finished the soup, she finally felt hungry, and the food on the table looked tempting.

"Knock knock."

There was a knock on the door, followed by Chu Xianglong's voice. "It's me."

"The door's unlocked, come in," the old woman replied in a cold and calm voice.

Chu Xianglong pushed open the door and entered, seeing the princess sitting at the table, enjoying her meal.

Deputy General Chu frowned and transmitted his voice, "Just nod or shake your head to indicate your relationship with him."

He knew that Xu Qi'an had just delivered the food.

The princess shook her head.

Chu Xianglong's eyes sharpened slightly. "It's alright, he brought you lunch?"

The princess shook her head again.

Chu Xianglong stared at her for a moment, reluctantly accepting the answer, marveling at the princess's immense charm, which made men unable to resist approaching and getting to know her.

"Please remember your place, Your Highness, and do not associate too closely with unrelated people," he warned telepathically before leaving the room.

The entire process was conducted without making a sound.

Not only were Jin Luo and Yang Yan on the ship, but there were also other martial artists. The saying "walls have ears" is most apt for martial artists, who are quick to notice.

"Knowing nothing is also a kind of information. I guessed right, the Princess of Zhenbei's journey to the Northern Border seems to be more complicated than it appears."

"The trip was kept secret, even I, the organizer, didn't know about it beforehand. Moreover, the number of guards accompanying them was abnormal, too few. This can be interpreted as keeping a low profile, yes, traveling with the delegation, keeping a low profile while having sufficient security."

The question is, why did it come to this?

Xu Qi'an returned to his room, sat at the table, and frowned in thought.

"Why is the princess's journey to the north so mysterious? Is it because the title of the most beautiful woman in the world is too ostentatious? Obviously not. In the Great Feng, who would dare to make a move on the wife of the Prince of Zhenbei? Even I, who have always been unrestrained and loved freedom, have never had such thoughts."

"Based on behavioral analysis, the intention was that Emperor Yuanjing did not want the news of the princess leaving the capital to become widely known. But this doesn't make sense; what reason would a mere princess have to hide when she goes to see her husband?"

"Unless this princess is not simple and is involved in some secrets, then there are only two reasons why she would secretly accompany the delegation: First, it involves some secret plan, so it needs to be kept secret. Second, it may involve danger, so the delegation's protection is needed?"

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze sharpened.

P. S.: The WeChat alliance leader group keeps sending red envelopes, which makes it hard for me to concentrate on writing. It's all their fault for affecting my writing, so this chapter is a bit short.

PS: Thanks to the guild leader "Niu Gulu Jianbo" for the donation. Jianbo is an old acquaintance; he's been one of my people since the "Sisters Who Make Waves" era.