Xu Qi'an's Ambush Plan

A month ago, Sanhuang County, located on the edge of Chuzhou, was under such tight surveillance. Who were they looking for, or were they trying to ambush?

These past few days I've been so busy venturing into the deep mountains and forests that I haven't even noticed if there are checkpoints on the official roads.

Whoever they're looking for, it's definitely not me. Am I overthinking it? I wouldn't rule out the possibility of them adding me to their "blacklist" soon.

Whether you look for one person or two, it's all the same.

Xu Qi'an tapped his fingers on the table, analyzing and setting short-term goals as he went:

"We'll depart for Xikou County tomorrow. If there's truly a problem there, it's highly likely the site of the massacre that lasted for three thousand miles. That could be dangerous. Should we bring the Princess along?"

"Yes, when we get close to Xikou County, we can leave her at a safe inn nearby. If we use the princess as a pawn well, she might save my life; we can't lose her."

Seeing Xu Qi'an remain silent and lost in thought, Cai'er sat quietly to the side.

Time ticked by, and Xu Qi'an finally snapped out of his reverie, instructing, "Make me a pot of tea."

Cai'er was overjoyed and happily agreed, which meant that Xu Yinluo would be staying here tonight.

Sure enough, after she made the tea, Xu Yinluo instructed her again, "Change the sheets and blankets."

Cai'er was so excited that her whole body went limp, and she quickly changed the sheets and blankets.

After finishing a pot of tea, it was late at night. Xu Qi'an soaked his feet with Cai'er's help, then lay down on the bed and stretched comfortably.

I've been spending several nights in the middle of nowhere recently, and my sleep has been terrible. I haven't had a soft bed in a long time.

"Lord Xu, I'm here to serve you." Cai'er sat on the edge of the bed, beaming with joy, as she took off her clothes.

"Cai'er," Xu Qi'an said suddenly, lying on the bed looking at her, "Don't you think your bed is too soft and uncomfortable to sleep on?"

"What Lord Xu says makes sense. I've heard that sleeping on a hard bed is better for your health. A soft bed makes you tired easily," Cai'er said with a smile, thinking to herself that he was already discussing beds with someone. Lord Xu was indeed a romantic man.

Xu Qi'an nodded, his expression serious, and said, "So for your health, you'll sleep on the floor and I'll sleep in the bed tonight."

Cai'er. "???"

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xu Qi'an finished washing up and left Ya Yin Tower amidst Cai'er's resentful little gaze.

It's late spring now, and the weather is warm, even a bit hot at midday; otherwise, you could see the clients shivering in the cold wind.

Xu Qi'an strolled leisurely along the main street toward the inn.

Suddenly, a line of armored soldiers appeared ahead, led not by an armored general, but by a man wrapped in a black robe and wearing a mask.

Xu Qi'an's gaze lingered on the man in black robes for only a few seconds before he subtly looked away and brushed past him.

"Wait a minute!"

The voice of the man in black robes came from behind, along with the sound of a horse being reined in.

So perceptive? Xu Qi'an turned around, his face naturally showing a mixture of wariness and respect, and bowed, saying, "Sir, were you calling for me?"

The man in black robes turned his horse around, looking down at Xu Qi'an and asking, "Where are you from? Do you have a travel permit?"

"Some."

Xu Qi'an explained his false identity.

The man in black robes asked again, "Have you practiced martial arts?"

Xu Qi'an, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, replied, "I possess exceptional Martial Dao talent, reaching the Peak Essence Refining at the age of nineteen. However, the Qi Refining Realm is extremely difficult, and besides, women are alluring, and it's the age for me to settle down."

He appropriately expressed a sense of pride, yet also regret.

The man in black robes looked at his face for a moment, said nothing, turned his horse around, and led the army onward.

"Call"

Watching the army's figures recede into the distance, Xu Qi'an felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He withdrew the power he had accumulated from "Heaven and Earth One Blade Slash," which allowed his aura to collapse and contract inward.

"Hehe, there's a saying, 'There are no useless skills, only useless people.' I've perfectly solved the problem of martial artists not being good at hiding their weaknesses. The downside is that they're always ready to unleash their power, but then they can't, which is incredibly frustrating."

Men all understand this kind of pain.

"This guy's dressed strangely; he must be the spy for the Prince of Zhenbei mentioned in the files? The Prince of Zhenbei's spy is in Sanhuang County, huh."

They were indeed looking for someone; they might be looking for me, or they might be looking for someone else.

In fact, the Nightwatchers were also spies, specifically Emperor Yuanjing's spies, so Nightwatchers employed and received salaries from the imperial court. The spies of the Prince of Zhenbei, on the other hand, were his "private army."

Once they leave the northern border, they are nothing. But here, even an imperial envoy has to give them some leeway.

Because they only represent the Prince of Zhenbei.

"As a confidant of the Prince of Zhenbei, he must know a lot of inside information. Why should I speculate on it alone? This case is different from the Yunzhou case and the Sangbo case. There is no need to unravel the mystery. There is a very clear goal: to find out the truth behind the massacre that ravaged three thousand miles."

"Such a large-scale killing cannot be concealed, which means I don't need to search for clues bit by bit like in previous cases. I can just arrest him directly, torture him severely, and if the other party is an evil person, then kill him and summon his spirit."

Upon returning to the inn, the early risers were already having breakfast in the lobby on the first floor, while those who didn't want to go downstairs instructed the waiter to bring their breakfast to their rooms.

This naturally excludes the timid princess. Before Xu Qi'an returns, she will not allow any man into her room, nor will she leave.

After spending so many days together, Xu Qi'an was certain of this.

She is a very insecure woman, probably due to her experiences in the first half of her life.

Xu Qi'an instructed the waiter to bring breakfast upstairs in a quarter of an hour. Then, he went up the stairs to the princess's room and heard a faint breathing sound coming from inside.

While still asleep, he placed his palm against the doorway and used his qi to operate the door latch, opening the door.

On the bed, the princess lay on her side, her sleeping posture dignified and her face serene.

Only then did she begin to resemble a princess.

Xu Qi'an opened the window, letting fresh air into the room. He sat in front of the dressing table, reviewing the case in his mind.

[The Massacre of Three Thousand Miles]

Location: Nishiguchi County (suspected).

Killer: Unknown.

Purpose: Unknown.

[The attack on the princess]

Location: On the way north.

The murderer: Northern barbarians, Northern Demon Race.

Objective: To prevent the Prince of Zhenbei from being promoted to the second rank, and to lust after the Princess Consort's body (spiritual essence).

"Currently, these two cases are not actually related. Perhaps the barbarians knew that the Prince of Zhenbei was going to be promoted to the second rank, so they took the opportunity to harass him and attract his attention, so that the Prince of Zhenbei would not dare to leave Chuzhou at will. Then they secretly sent people to ambush him and take away the princess."

"The Prince of Zhenbei is the General Commander of Chuzhou, holding military power over the entire Chuzhou. He cannot return to the capital without being summoned. However, Emperor Yuanjing seems to approve of his younger brother's promotion to the second rank, so summoning him back to the capital would not be difficult. Therefore, the motive for the barbarian invasion of the border can be explained."

"Was the massacre that ravaged three thousand miles also committed around this time? Yet, the four fourth-rank experts and the tribal chief were unaware of this. Even more interestingly, Chu Xianglong, the deputy general, was also unaware of it."

"Hmm, it's possible that a powerful member of the barbarian tribe did it, but it didn't leak out. The mysterious Warlock was also involved; what is he plotting?"

Just then, through the bronze mirror, he saw the princess rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

"Awake?" Xu Qi'an asked with a smile.

The princess yawned, ignored him, fetched her toiletries, and squatted down by the bed to wash her face and brush her teeth.

After washing up, she said with a look of disgust, "It smells awful, you're covered in perfume. Some people are destined to die on a woman's belly sooner or later."

"You look like a resentful wife who can't control her husband from going out to prostitutes, "Xu Qi'an thought to himself. Of course, this was just his internal monologue.

The princess certainly didn't care whether he frequented brothels or not; what she cared about was that he had abandoned her last night to go out and fool around, leaving her alone in the inn, living in fear for a long time.

"Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Xu Qi'an suggested. "We'll set off in an hour, heading west to Xikou County."

"You're not going to do the job?" the princess asked in surprise.

"The matter was all taken care of in the brothel." Xu Qi'an revealed a lewd smile.

The Nightwatchers's secret agent is a secret and cannot be revealed. Even to the harmless princess, Xu Qi'an cannot tell her. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the agent.

However, it is precisely because the princess is harmless that she is not afraid to reveal these small details. Given the princess's shallow cunning, she would not be able to understand.

"Pah!" The princess blushed and spat.

The capital city, the Imperial Academy of Music).

Fuxiang got up lazily, washed and changed with the help of her maid, and after dressing in front of the mirror, she suddenly pressed her hand to her chest and frowned.

The next moment, her expression returned to normal, and she said softly, "You can go out now; I want to sleep a little longer."

The personal maid looked a little strange, but said nothing and obediently left the room.

After everyone had gone far away, Fuxiang took out a fox-head incense burner and a black incense stick from under the bed. She cut off a lock of her hair and wrapped it around the black incense stick, then lit the incense and placed it in the incense burner.

Fuxiang respectfully placed the incense burner on the table, knelt down, and murmured to himself.

The jet-black incense burned out incredibly quickly, its ashes drifting lightly onto the table, where they gathered and formed a short line of small characters:

Now that the matter in the North is settled, you are permitted to return to your people.

Looking at these words, Fuxiang's face showed inexplicable excitement, a joy that seemed to indicate that the hard times were finally over. But in her eyes, however, there was a hint of longing and reluctance.

Chuzhou City.

After three days of travel, the delegation, escorted by a 500-strong army dispatched by the Prince of Zhenbei, arrived in Chuzhou City.

Of the thirteen states of the Great Feng, the core state capitals are usually located in the center of the region. The only exception is Chu State, which is located near the border and faces the barbarian and Demon Race to the north.

The people of the North often say that it was because the King of Zhenbei was stationed in Chuzhou City that it was able to stand firm for decades despite the invasions of the northern barbarians.

Historically, Chuzhou City was breached twice, and there were two bloody massacres of its inhabitants.

But by the time of the Prince of Zhenbei, the area around Chuzhou City was blessed with favorable weather and abundant harvests. The barbarian cavalry dared not harass the area within a hundred miles of Chuzhou City, because the most elite troops of the northern border were stationed in this region.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review lifted the curtain of the carriage and gazed at the towering city wall. He saw that the wall was covered with intricate and strange array patterns, covering every corner of the city wall.

On the parapet, cannons, crossbows, and other powerful magical Law Artifact developed by the Bureau of Astronomy were mounted.

"The ' Great Feng: Geography: Records of Chuzhou' says that the city walls of Chuzhou are covered with array formations, and the walls are so sturdy that they can withstand attacks from a third-rank expert. Seeing is believing," the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review exclaimed.

Similar formations were inscribed in the major cities along the border of the Great Feng Dynasty to strengthen their defenses. Every hundred years, the Bureau of Astronomy would summon all Warlock to repair and supplement the formations.

"With the Prince of Zhenbei in charge, Chuzhou City is as solid as a rock," Imperial Censor Liu echoed.

When the delegation arrived at the city gate, they saw that more than a dozen officials had been waiting for a long time. The leader was a man wearing a scarlet robe, with a long beard reaching his chest, a thin face, and an air of scholarly elegance as well as the sharpness of a frontier official.

Zheng Xinghuai, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Chuzhou.

"Lord Zheng, it has been three years since we last met in the capital." Imperial Censor Liu stepped forward with a hearty laugh, seemingly quite familiar with Zheng Xinghuai.

Governor Zheng nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his usually stern face. After exchanging pleasantries, he led the group to the largest post station in Chuzhou.

After settling in, Yang Yan and the others sat in the hall with Provincial Governor Zheng to discuss matters.

"Lord Zheng, His Majesty and the officials were shocked and furious upon hearing of the 'massacre of three thousand miles' in Chuzhou. They dispatched us to investigate this matter and hope that you will do your utmost to assist us," said Imperial Censor Liu, bowing respectfully.

Zheng Xinghuai, who was already aware of the matter, nodded slightly and asked, "How do you gentlemen hope I can assist you?"

Yang Yan stated bluntly, "I need the camp departure records of the Chuzhou border troops, as well as official correspondence between various government offices in Chuzhou."

Provincial Governor Zheng did not answer. He looked around at everyone and casually remarked, "I heard that the presiding official, Xu Yinluo, returned to the capital due to injury?"

Imperial Censor Liu sighed, "We were ambushed on the way."

Provincial Governor Zheng frowned, his tone official and bureaucratic:

"Without the presiding official, the power to act expediently is certainly not limited to this. I can show the officials the official correspondence between various local governments, but the border troops' camp departure records are probably only under the jurisdiction of the presiding official. I will report to the Prince of Huai, but I cannot guarantee that the Prince of Huai will be lenient."

Censor Liu and the others were not angry, and said with smiles, "Thank you, Lord Zheng, thank you, Lord Zheng."

After the discussion, Provincial Governor Zheng took his leave, citing his busy schedule.

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review glanced at Censor Liu and shook his head. "It's a pity that you two censors are still just censors. If you were governors, tsk tsk."

When a censor is in the capital, he is a censor. Once he is ordered to inspect the provinces, he becomes a governor.

The governor's power was so great that it directly surpassed that of the three highest leaders: the military commander, the provincial governor, and the provincial judicial commissioner.

It was precisely because of the governor's great power that Xu Qi'an was appointed as the chief official. Emperor Yuanjing's attitude was clear: he could not allow the delegation to check and balance the Prince of Huai.

Yang Yan asked casually, "How is this Provincial Governor Zheng as an official?"

Imperial Censor Liu hurriedly replied, "I have some acquaintance with him; he is an honest and upright official with an excellent reputation."

Sanhuang County.

Outside the city, in a pavilion by the official road, the plain-looking princess and the handsome Xu Qi'an sat at a table, drinking cheap tea.

This place is not far from the city gate. A pot of tea costs only two coins, which is very cheap. In addition, the location is good. Under a big banyan tree, it is cool and comfortable when the wind blows. People going into or leaving the city often stop here to rest and drink tea.

Xu Qi'an held his teacup, pondering his "ambush" plan.

To extract information from the Prince of Zhenbei's spies, it's definitely not possible to do so in the city. Not only would it endanger innocent civilians, but it could also lead to their deaths.

The best course of action is to wait for the other side to leave the city.

Since it's a search for someone, they certainly won't linger in a small county town for too long. There are countless counties in the northern border region, and it's impossible to have people stationed in every city and town.

Therefore, spies must be mobile.

He just needs to wait patiently.

At this moment, he noticed that the men next door were behaving somewhat strangely.

P. S.: Just asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month. I had something to do this afternoon, so I was late for an update.

I corrected the typos half an hour later.