The late spring sun shines warmly on you, and many smooth pebbles are exposed on the banks of the gurgling stream, reflecting the sunlight and giving off a dazzling brilliance.
The green grass, the chirping of fish and insects, and the natural scenery in the countryside are always so refreshing and pleasant.
Qin Mubai wore a straw hat and was lying lazily on an empty mine beach. He propped up a fishing rod on one knee and swayed his feet, fishing quite leisurely. Behind him, Chen Yan set up a small stove with adobe bricks. The fire was blazing, and there was a small casserole on it, which was boiling spring tea picked during the Qingming Festival. The fragrance was pleasant.
"Mu Bai, shouldn't you be very busy these days? Why are you still interested in lying here fishing?" Chen Yan asked while fanning the fire with a small fan.
"Then what you mean is that I should be so anxious that I should be so worried?" Qin Mubai simply lay down, holding the fishing rod between his legs and lying on the soft grass with his hands behind his head. Smelling the fragrant earthy scent, I closed my eyes and enjoyed it comfortably.
"I know that although you appear to be relaxed at the moment, you are actually not at all calm in your heart. Look at you, the fishhook you dropped just now has no bait on it. You think you are Jiang Taigong, you can also catch fish. Come?" Chen Yan smiled.
"Uh... I was discovered by you." Qin Mubai smiled, opened his eyes and looked at the white clouds in the azure sky, and said, "It is very empty here, the air is very good, and the environment is very comfortable, which makes my mood It’s very relaxing and my mind is clearer. More importantly, everything in the empty mine is clear at a glance. I don’t have to worry about the walls having ears and others eavesdropping on what I say.”
Chen Yan smiled, shook her head, and said, "You can rest assured that I'm here! When it comes to lurking and eavesdropping, there are few people who are better than me. If I say there are no ears behind walls, then there must be none." "
"It's not that I don't believe you. I just want to release my heart." Qin Mubai breathed a sigh of relief and said, "From the moment I set foot on the ground in Xiangzhou, I felt like I had fallen into a trap. . Especially recently, I feel like there are thousands of eyes watching my every move. No matter what I say or do, they always know the agreement between me and Wu Meiniang. The relationship between me and you, knowing what’s going on in my family, I’ve been thinking, what else do they not know?”
"The enemy is in the dark and we are in the open, that's how it is." Chen Yan said, "I understand your mood. The enemies in the dark are the most difficult to guard against. You know nothing about them, but you are completely exposed in front of them, as if you have no secret."
"Yan, I am actually reflecting on whether I was too conceited and underestimated the enemy before." Qin Mubai said, "I always think that I am the smartest and have all the wisdom. In fact, all my calculations and strategies , are all under the control of the other party. It’s really stupid to think about it now. I was like a clown, performing a farce in front of them, but I felt good alone.”
"Don't be so pessimistic. It's just a temporary loss. At least I believe you will win in the end." Chen Yan said.
Qin Mubai smiled slightly: "Thank you, Yan. In fact, fishing for a long time here made me feel much more relaxed, and I also thought through many issues that I had ignored before."
"What's the problem?" Chen Yan asked.
"It's just that I underestimate and trust people too much." Qin Mubai said, "Especially those people around me, those whom I regard as good brothers, I never thought that they might also betray me."
"What?" Chen Yan was slightly surprised, "You mean there is a traitor among the Hundred Riders?"
"Isn't it?" Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth and smiled coldly, "Their inadvertent little flaw made me figure out this problem."
"What flaw?"
"It's about Wu Meiniang's business." Qin Mubai frowned and said, "I have only discussed with Wu Meiniang privately orally. If there is a suitable shop in Xiangzhou, she can consider opening a Qinxian Pavilion branch in Xiangzhou. No. Even my family didn’t know about it. It was a coincidence that I mentioned it in a letter.”
"You mean, it's possible that the Baiqi who sent the letter for you is a traitor?" Chen Yan said, "Then it's also possible that the other party intercepted and opened your letter in the inn?"
"Of course it's not just this one thing." Qin Mubai said, "Li Ke and I went first and arrived in Xiangzhou incognito. This is a very top-secret matter. But as soon as we arrived in Xiangzhou and disembarked at Buguidu, there was There was a good show. The water ghosts in Xihetao openly robbed the government officials. Their purpose was to test our attitude. However, it was really amazing that they calculated our whereabouts so accurately. Apart from Yin Yang, Yuwen Hongtai and Xue Rengui, there are only a few Baiqi spies left around Li Ke. "
"Later, I sent two people to protect Zheng Anshun. Then the plan we arranged with Zheng Anshun was immediately detected by the other party, and Zheng Anshun was also kidnapped."
"Thinking about it this way, the other party may not be too powerful and can predict everything. It is like a god staring at us with his head raised three feet. I thought about it carefully and thought about who this spy is. That is - send me a message Xin, the Baiqi who accompanied us incognito and was sent to protect Zheng Anshun was present at all three events, and he was the only one. His name was Zhang Tong, an official from Chang'an, and he was also a descendant of a famous family. I knew all the brothers who came with me, except that he had remarried with his mother. His biological father was originally named Wei! He was forced to do so when he was young! He took his stepfather's surname."
"What do you mean?" Chen Yan asked confused.
"In other words, he is related to the most important suspect in this case, Sima Wei Xiaochen of the Governor's Office, and may even be close relatives!" Qin Mubai frowned and took a long breath and said, "It's me Ignore it! Perhaps, when we set off from Chang'an, Zhang Tong had already been contacted by Wei Xiaochen and became an informant lurking around me. Therefore, he was always willing to follow me intentionally or unintentionally. Traveling together, it is convenient to be with me at all times to monitor all my movements. I trust Baiqi above all else. I never thought that there would be a traitor among the brothers who came with me from Chang'an. It’s so naive to make such a huge mistake.”
"It's not too late to make up for the situation before it's too late." Chen Yan said, "Since you know that Zhang Tong is a traitor, you can take advantage of him."
"Smart." Qin Mubai snapped his fingers and praised, "Yan, you really deserve to be an old Jianghu, haha! I didn't catch fish in vain for half a day today, and I have almost come up with a perfect plan in my mind. Also, I also discovered two other people whom I had never suspected before, but who are the most suspect. This battle of wits is going to become more and more exciting, and I am really looking forward to it!"
Chen Yan shook her head with a smile and said, "You are really a weirdo. Everyone wants to live a peaceful life, but you like to fight with others."
"Men, when you meet an opponent in chess, you will meet a talented person. It is actually quite interesting to rack your brains or fight with all your strength." Qin Mubai grinned and said, "I found that my opponent is the mysterious Song Cao Lord. There are also a few brushes, which are quite powerful. I am determined to have a good fight with him. One day, I will take his clothes and slap him hard from side to side to make him surrender. "
"Then have you thought about who is Lord Song Cao?" Chen Yan asked.
"It's not completely determined yet." Qin Mubai put a piece of grass in his mouth and said as if talking to himself, "Sima Wei Xiaochen of the governor's office, Du Chengyuan, the captain of Guoyi of the army, Zhengchang Lianghao The boss, Duan Rongji, the owner of Yongye Salt Factory, Ouyang Jun, or someone I haven’t met before, or someone close to me, are all possible.”
"Just because you said it doesn't mean you didn't say it!" Chen Yan said with a smile.
Qin Mubai deliberately made a serious face: "Why are you asking so clearly? Are you also the traitor of the water ghost who is ambushing me? Or are you the Lord of Song Cao?"
"Yes, yes, I am the temptress sent by Lord Song Cao to seduce and confuse you!" Chen Yan smiled and cursed angrily, "I just thought, if you can't find out who Lord Song Cao is, I can help you."
"you?"
"certainly."
"How can I help?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel excited and surprised.
Chen Yan smiled slightly and said: "Have you forgotten that I can also be a top assassin! They can send people to follow and monitor you, and you can also send assassins to keep an eye on them! Didn't you say that Zhang Tong is a traitor? ? I'll help you keep an eye on him. If you follow the clues, it won't be difficult to find their mastermind."
"No need. Even if you find out, you don't know who it is." Qin Mubai said, "Besides, this is too dangerous. I will not allow you to do such dangerous things."
Chen Yan was startled for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Okay then."
Chen Yan's familiar confident smile appeared on Qin Mubai's face again, and he said: "It is always darkest before dawn. Although everything is hidden in the fog now, as long as it is broken, other doubts can be solved It was easy to solve. I decided to hide here for three days, not to show my face, and to spread the fog with them, so that they would be worried. At this time, the competition is patience. I am worried about the princess and others. If I am too eager to compromise with them, I will not give in. As long as I disrupt their plans, I will be full of flaws. "
"Yes, yes, you take your time and plan your strategy, General Qin. I'll go back to the small building to get some seasonings to prepare the grilled fish." After Chen Yan said that, she got up and walked towards the small building.
Qin Mubai chuckled and said to himself: The more nervous I am, the more I have to calm down. It is far better to sit firmly on the Diaoyutai than to be led around by the nose. I've been missing for three days, and the people in the military government, governor's office, and Shuigui are all getting angry. I will take advantage of this time to think through some issues that I have not thought through, and by the way... enjoy the wonderful world of two people with Chen Yan, it is not bad!
Chen Yan returned to the small building and stood in front of the door. Looking around warily, he couldn't help but reveal a sneer. After pushing the door open and entering, she closed the door and went to the kitchen to take a look. Then she threw all the oil and salt ingredients into the stream outside the window, poured out the water in the water tank, and then returned to the main hall. Holding his elbows with both hands, he said coldly: "Come out, hide your head and show your tail, and keep track of your whereabouts!"
"Oh, sister, you are really a veteran!" A string of frivolous female laughter came from above the head, and the flower girl floated down from the beams, clapped her hands, and stood in front of Chen Yan.
"I didn't go looking for you, but instead I sent you here looking for death!" Chen Yan's eyes were cold and her face was full of solemnity.
"Don't be angry. Can't you say it slowly if you have something to say?" The flower girl still had a wild smile on her face, and she looked at Chen Yan with one hand on her elbow, tut-tutting, "It's better to be young. No wonder the little man is so miniscule!"
"Stop talking nonsense, if you come to die, I will help you immediately; if you have anything to say, please tell me immediately." Chen Yan said coldly.
"Don't, don't do it. I know I can't beat you." Hua Niangzi took two steps back and said nervously and fearfully, "Even the little bit of drug I administered was discovered by you so quickly. It seems that I am I underestimate you. Tell me, who are you?"
"It's none of your business. I only know that if you harm my man, I will kill you!" Chen Yan said.
"Your man? Oh, you dare to return our love and we have a lifelong relationship, but you also have true feelings for him?" Hua Niangzi shook her head disdainfully and said, "There is no need to tell lies in front of real people, we are all walking in the world. Who are you, a woman, just a casual couple? Why take it seriously? How can a gentleman like him really want you? Just for fun! Let's wait until you get tired of playing. Even if we don't know each other, we can just be friends, or we can become sworn friends. From now on, we sisters will have someone to take care of us."
"Bitch, suffer death!" Chen Yan pulled away, and with a flash of cold light, a sword was unsheathed and placed on Lady Hua's neck.
"So fast!" Lady Hua was immediately frightened and looked at Chen Yan with wide eyes, "There are not many people who can use a sword so fast. Who are you?"
Chen Yan's eyes turned cold, and she used some hidden force to shake her wrist. The sharp sword tip had already cut through some flesh on the flower girl's neck, and blood spilled out.
"Stop, stop! Be merciful and speak up if you have anything to say!" Hua Niangzi was really panicked now and shouted repeatedly.
"I'm asking you to answer. If you answer well, I will spare your life. If you are even slightly untruthful, I won't kill you. I will scratch your skin that confuses men like a tabby cat!" Chen Yan snorted coldly.
"Sister, you are so poisonous, even more poisonous than me. Why don't you call me Mrs. Yaoxie from now on..." Hua Niangzi smiled bitterly, "Sister, you are really in trouble today. I didn't expect that you are really devoted to that little man. Help People in the government harm fellow members, and they don’t even care about the rules of the world! "
"You are a scum, everyone has to be punished. Killing you is like butchering a dog, what kind of rules are you breaking?" Chen Yan sneered, "Now I am going to start asking, please listen to me clearly. The first question - who is the Lord of Song Cao? ?”
"Sister, you are so stupid. I am just hired by others to pretend to be a playgirl and help them with trivial matters. How could they tell me such top-secret things? In fact, even among themselves, few people know who he is. The real Lord Cao of Song Dynasty," Lady Hua said with a grimace.
Chen Yan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Seeing that your answer is quite truthful, I'll spare you for now. The second question is, where is Pang Fei, who was kidnapped by you, and how is he doing now?" "
"That romantic little man, hehe, when he was having sex with a real flower girl, I drugged him to death. They were both naked and put into a linen bag and transported away late at night. From then on, I started They are pretending to be a flower girl. I guess their lives are safe, but I really don’t know where they are.” The flower girl curled her lips and said a little aggrievedly, “Sister, what I said is true. You can imagine that I am not one of their people, so they can’t possibly trust me.”
"You don't know anything, so why should I keep you?" Chen Yan exerted force on her hand, and the sword tip sank again.
Hua Niangzi immediately frowned in pain and said repeatedly: "Wait, wait! I finally know something useful!"
"explain!"
"The man they sent to contact me was a womanizer and liked to have fun with me. He usually wears a mask, but one time when we were having fun, he took off the mask in excitement. I know him!"
"who is it?"
"The chief of the governor's office, Zhou Laojiu!"
"Pah, pah, pah"
There was a sudden burst of applause outside the door. Qin Mubai pushed the door open and said with a smile: "Yan, I really have you. Just now I was worried about whether there would be trouble if you came to get some condiments after not coming for so long, and I expected trouble. It's her."
"Did you hear everything? Zhou Laojiu is also one of the traitors." Chen Yan said.
"Thank you, Yan, let her go!" Qin Mubai smiled.
Chen Yan frowned reluctantly and put away her sword. Hua Niangzi hurriedly reached out to cover the wound on her neck and staggered back two steps, looking at Qin and Chen with resentment.
"Surnamed Qin, you seem to be not surprised at all when you hear Zhou Laojiu's name?" Lady Hua said with a hint of annoyance.
"What's so surprising?" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "When I was in the courtyard of Hua Niangzi Manor, I knew it was him who was talking to me in the boudoir."
"Just bluff people!"
"What's the point of bluffing you?" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Although you feel sorry for me, I know that you are just a small and insignificant person employed by others, and I have no interest in killing you. Likewise, Mr. Zhou Jiu is also a small character, so I won’t touch you for the time being, so as to alert the enemy.”
"Then I still want to thank you for letting me go?" Hua Niangzi smiled, "Then I'm sorry!"
"You can leave, but whenever I am in a bad mood, I will betray you." Qin Mubai curled his lips and said, "I will tell those water ghosts that you have sex with me to seduce me. He said a lot of things to me that I shouldn’t have said.”
"Yes." Chen Yan took the words and said, "Mrs. Yaoxie, you really broke the rules by betraying your employer for personal gain. Guess, will you be able to gain a foothold in the future? I think I really don't have to do anything. From now on, no matter where you go, Mrs. Yaoxie, there will be people chasing you. You will never have peace, and your life will be worse than death!"
The flower lady tightened her eyes and gritted her teeth with resentment: "You guys are cruel! Tell me, what do you want? If you want me to be your spy, don't talk too much!"
"No need. You don't really know many useful things." Qin Mubai said, "I only need you to do one thing for me."
"explain!"
"That's..." Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said with a bit of excitement, "Let Zhou Laojiu and others know that I have surrendered to your beauty!"
"Mu Bai!" Chen Yan frowned and muttered, but she immediately stopped talking.
Hua Niangzi was startled at first, then showed her signature romantic smile and said: "Sister, you heard it, this is what your man asked for, don't blame me! General Qin, it's not difficult to do this. . It’s just that sometimes we have to be more realistic, otherwise how can we win people’s trust?”
"If you dare to touch even half an inch of his skin, I will break you into ten thousand pieces and feed them to the fishes!" Chen Yan angrily pulled out the sword again, pointing the tip of the sword directly at Mrs. Yao Xie's eyebrows.
"Believe me, Yan." Qin Mubai patted Chen Yan's hand gently, urging her to put down her sword, and then smiled at Madam Yao Xie, "Then I'll help you, Lady Hua. Within three days from today , You don’t have to go anywhere, just stay in the small building. Because we are lovers, lovers, of course we have to stay together day and night.”
"Two phoenixes living on the first floor?" The flower lady smiled coquettishly, "You are so lucky, General Qin!"
"It's none of your business, witch!" Chen Yan was ashamed and angry, but she couldn't bear to go against Qin Mubai's wishes and ruin his business. She glared at Lady Hua fiercely, hugged Qin Mubai's elbows tightly, and sneered with a hint of provocation, "You only deserve to watch from the side!"
"It's not bad to see the live spring palace!" The flower girl curled her lips, turned around and sat down next to her, and said hummingly, "I'm afraid, there is no cat in the world who doesn't steal fish. Maybe when you The man wants to change his taste, but he actually does it with me?"
Qin Mubai said: "Yan, I seem to remember that this woman is full of poison, especially promiscuous!"
Chen Yan sneered: "Isn't this simple? Now strip her naked and let me check her whole body, and then throw her into the stream and soak for a few hours. How can I see how she can use poison? Her little tricks are not enough. Can’t escape my eyes!”
"Okay! I don't mind taking off my clothes now. Anyway, he has seen my whole body." After saying this, the flower girl stood up and made a show of taking off her clothes.
Chen Yan's face turned red: "Go upstairs! You are not allowed to take off your clothes here, bitch!"
"Take it off, just take it off. Don't be so fierce. I've only seen men use force when forcing women to take off their clothes. I've never seen a woman do this." The flower lady curled her lips in anger and still twisted her waist to show off her sex. She was challenged by Chen Yan with a sword. Then walked upstairs.
Qin Mubai sat down calmly on the side and said with a smile in his heart: It would be interesting to watch these two women bicker and fight in their free time!