An Ruochen hasn't left the house for the past few days. In fact, she didn't even step out of the door for the first three days.

She knows the truth about avoiding the limelight and not attracting attention. For three days, nothing happened, no one bothered her. But on the fourth day, her father suddenly came to the door and reprimanded her.

The reason for scolding her is actually quite simple, An Ruochen figured it out after a few clichés while being scolded. That is, General Long has been in Zhonglan City for three days, but except for discussing matters with the prefect and others on the first day, he spent the rest of the time practicing at the general's garrison and refusing any invitations to banquets. In the past three days, An Zhifu hadn't found the way of flattering, those who ganged up with him to seek benefits also failed, everyone was very displeased.

Fourth Aunt Duan took the opportunity to blow pillow wind in An Zhifu's ear last night, saying that Xu An Ruochen bumped into the general that day, so there was this result. He also said that it is not unusual for An Ruochen to read filthy books and articles all day long, so that he is rude and immoral, causing great disasters.

An Zhifu couldn't bear to be teased the most, he was so full of anger, he didn't think that General Long had spent the past few days training troops to deal with military affairs, and it wasn't just his family who disappeared, besides, he had never seen any irrelevant officials, let alone him It's just a big merchant, so how can it be ranked. In short, let's vent our anger on the eldest daughter.

An Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief when she found out the reason, it's not just that she suspected that she ran away and escaped marriage. In the past few days, she was worried and kept her own place because she was afraid that her father would come to his senses and think that something was wrong. so far so good. Her father remained the same, maintaining his level of intelligence.

An Ruochen hid his face and sobbed as usual, obediently listening to his father's scolding. Fourth Yiniang would seize the opportunity to tease her about this, she knew it well, and it was indeed Fourth Yiniang's usual method to make a fuss about her reading idle books and let her be taught a lesson. Because she scolded Si Yiniang when she was young, "I don't know big characters, you are a village girl and a barbaric woman", Si Yiniang still holds grudges to this day. He especially hated her for reading, as if she was not reading for the sake of reading, but to remind her that Fourth Aunt was illiterate.

An Ruochen looked at the fourth aunt Duan's sneering face leaning against the door of her room between her fingers, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart, she was really ignorant when she was a child, she didn't know the principle of being able to bend and stretch, she was too angry and could not bear enough. Fortunately, she woke up early. The days to come will be fine.

An Ruochen saw that An Zhifu was almost cursing, and quickly interrupted: "Daddy, my daughter is at fault. But Daddy forbade her to read those legendary stories, and she has already stopped reading them. Didn't Daddy burn them all last time?" Is it?" She said as she glanced at the desk with some guilt. The direction of that gaze was too obvious, and An Zhifu caught it. He looked up and saw a few books on the corner of his daughter's desk.

"Since I didn't read it, what guilt is there!" An Zhifu shouted loudly, thinking that he had caught his daughter, and waved his hand, "Bring the book on her desk!"

The mother-in-law at the side hurried over to get it.

An Zhifu took a look, "Women's Admonitions" on the top, and "Internal Training" at the back, it seemed that they followed the rules. Read the next book, "Biography of General Dragon".

An Zhifu was furious: "You bastard!" He dared to lie and say that he would not read idle books.

Wait, what general? General Dragon!

An Zhifu hastily checked it out, he was really General Long. This book records all kinds of folk anecdotes from when Long Teng went out with his father when he was young to the years before.

"Where did you get it?"

An Ruochen said timidly, "I bought it from a grocer some time ago. It is said that a storyteller from another county copied the storybook by hand." In fact, she rushed to make it overnight after returning from the four-ban family law, and made it up. Write, a thin volume, decent. Thinking that if her father came to raid her house if he was suspicious, let him copy this, the evidence is solid, she is a nympho, and she left home to see the general. Now use this method to show this physical evidence, and push the boat along the way, without any flaws.

An Zhifu flipped through it again and read a few paragraphs. Then he hummed, and cursed again: "You mess with this mess all day long, copy the Buddhist scriptures for me ten times, cultivate your body and purify your mind, and reflect on yourself." After saying that, he walked away in a huff.

Books were confiscated.

An Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief. She wants to reflect on it, she has reflected on it. Apart from bad luck, she failed to escape this time because she was too anxious and didn't think carefully. She has no helper, is alone, and her footsteps are not fast enough, so the chances of escaping directly like this are not great. She should hide first, wait for the wind to pass, and then look for opportunities to leave the city.

It is said that An Zhifu took the book back and read it carefully, but unexpectedly finished it in one sitting. The writing is really good, and it shows the resourcefulness and bravery of General Dragon to the fullest. It is simply a heroic genius, unparalleled in the world. If you see it yourself, you will be happy. An Zhifu suddenly had an idea. He summoned Anping and asked him to search all the books in the city. After searching for Anping, he returned and told the bookstores in the whole city that there was no such book.

An Zhifu was overjoyed. So good, just as he wanted. He found a calligrapher, re-copied and mounted the book, put it in silk and satin, put it in a sandalwood gift box, wrote a gift note, and asked someone to send it to General Long.

When An Zhifu was doing this, An Ruochen was also busy. She is implementing her second escape plan.

People in the house are unreliable. It's not all about loyalty. For example, the old nanny and her two maids were sincerely kind to her, but they would panic and cry at every turn, and couldn't get things done. Moreover, they were right under the eyes of the people in the house, and if any flaws were exposed, all her previous efforts would be wasted.

So An Ruochen wanted to find a helper outside the house.

That person can't know too much, so that he won't reveal his words, and he must be steady and able to handle things, so that he can come in handy. In the end, An Ruochen chose Aunt Lu who delivered food to Anfu.

Aunt Lu is a widow, and her family is a military household. Her husband and son were drafted into the army and never came back. Aunt Lu did not remarry, did not go back to her natal family, and lived in a small house by herself. She had no land, but she could read some words and could settle accounts, so she helped to deliver food and food to various families to earn some money.

An Ruochen has observed Aunt Lu for a long time, she doesn't like to gossip, she doesn't talk about things, she can clearly calculate the accounts, and list the goods clearly. Anfu sometimes needs some rare ingredients, and she can find them. Not flattering, but sympathetic to suffering servants. An Ruochen saw her secretly bring food to the servants in the mansion who were punished and had no food to eat. When he left, he remained calm, as if nothing had happened. An Ruochen deliberately blocked her, but she remained calm and did not show any flaws.

An Ruochen decided to seek Aunt Lu's help.

At first, An Ruochen wandered around the mansion when she had nothing to do, looking for people to chat and complain about her grievances, making people feel that the eldest lady dare not go out now, and can only stay in the mansion and chat when bored. Then An Ruochen found an opportunity to stop Aunt Lu from chatting with her in a secluded place in the backyard. Everyone is no stranger to the fact that she likes to find people to vomit bitterness, no one cares, no one pays attention.

An Ruochen told Aunt Lu this way, she said that she had a woman friend who married a bad-tempered husband-in-law, that husband-in-law would sometimes punch and kick when drunk, and the woman was beaten and scolded fiercely, so she didn't dare When I went back to my natal family, I thought about having a hut where I could hide occasionally. So I want to ask Mrs. Lu to find a quiet and unremarkable alley hut for her friends to avoid disasters and shelter when they need it.

Aunt Lu frowned and listened, she didn't pursue the identity of her woman friend, but asked if the other party had considered it properly and whether such an action was feasible. Can you go back after running away? Will there be more beatings? Do you have children? Will he be dismissed because of this escape?

An Ruochen thought to himself that Mrs. Lu really had something to worry about, so she said again: "My friend's husband can't control his temper, he really beats him when he fights, my friend gets hurt from time to time, what Mrs Lu said I am I also asked about it, and she said that she had thought it through, but sometimes if she didn't dodge, she might be beaten hard and lose her life, so what else. After that, she has her own way to deal with it. It's just that she didn't say much to me, and she has scruples when she thinks about it. But human life is at stake, and I can't stand idly by. I can't wait until she dies and goes to the grave to regret that I didn't help her." An Ruochen said with a sad look on her face. , with tears in my eyes.

Aunt Lu showed a soft-hearted look, An Ruochen hurriedly slipped a small amount of money over: "My friend asked me to find someone to rent a house for her, saying that this is a thank you. If the matter is completed, I will pay another reward."

Aunt Lu looked at the silver and accepted it bluntly.

An Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that things could be done.

Aunt Lu said: "Miss, please don't say anything about it. If it gets out, whether it's your friend or Miss herself, I'm afraid they will get into trouble."

An Ruochen nodded in agreement. If this matter is done, she expects Aunt Lu herself will keep her mouth shut. After all, she will be responsible for helping the woman hide from her husband's house even if she makes a fuss with the government. She made it up with this point in mind. It was a risky move, but she had to go.

Within two days, Aunt Lu secretly gave An Ruochen a key when she was delivering the food. It is said that the house has been rented. It is in the innermost room in Pinghu East Lane. The wood on the sill was broken, and the door lock was tied with a red thread, which was easy to identify.

An Ruochen thanked her, stuffed some money, and told Aunt Lu that since her friend is hiding, it is not easy to show his face, and then she has to ask Auntie to bring some food to the house every day. If her friend lived in, she would put stone bricks and bamboo baskets at the door, and the aunt would put food in the basket every day, and take money from under the stone bricks.

Aunt Lu agreed without saying anything else.

During the more than ten days since Long Da arrived in Pingnan County, he was so busy that he hardly touched the ground.

The 100,000 soldiers and horses have all arrived, plus the original 50,000 garrisons in Pingnan County, the total is 150,000. There are two main border crossings between Pingnan County and Nanqin. One is the Sixia River. The other place is Shiling Cliff. Xiao Guo is to the east of the cliff valley, and Nanqin is to the southwest of the cliff valley.

Long Da made the deployment, and the 50,000 troops of Du Wei Hou Liliang entered the Long family army to train together according to the division of labor and battalion. Of the 150,000 people, 50,000 were stationed in the city camp behind the high embankment wall of the Sixia River, and the other 50,000 went to Shilingya. The rest of the troops were standing guard at the barracks in Zhonglan City. The three camps were in a triangular orientation, and all the official roads, small roads, post stations and checkpoints between the camps were lined up for inspection and flags were placed, and the surrounding counties, townships, and villages connected to the main roads of Zhonglan City also had officers and soldiers setting up guards.

Long Da is vigorous and resolute, with strict military discipline and strict training. And in just a few days, a whole book of requirements for military defense reconstruction and new construction was put forward. Engineers, soldiers and craftsmen were conscripted and sent to work everywhere. Because of this series of actions, Pingnan County seems to have put on a fierce momentum of "fighting at any time! Fighting must be won!".

Prefect Yao Kun was a little worried, if Nanqin really had no intention of invading before, would he really think that I, Da Xiao, had the intention of invading now? This intensified the conflict.

Long Da replied indifferently: "We are busy at home, how will outsiders know?"

Yao Kun was stunned for a moment, then reacted abruptly, and hurriedly said: "The general said that, building defenses, mobilizing troops, and drills of the brigade, there is no need to spy carefully, ordinary people know about it. There are also merchants in the Southern Qin Dynasty If you walk around in Nanjun, you will naturally know about it."

The other officials nodded, and seemed not worried about the details.

Long Da raised his eyebrows: "My Great Xiao has a strong military force, strict defense, and can keep the people safe. Isn't it a good thing for the people to know about this? If Nanqin originally harbored evil intentions, it would be a good thing to reconsider and be prudent now? Master Yao is too worried. "

Yao Kun pursed his lips, he had been an official in Pingnan County for more than 20 years, and served as the prefect for more than ten years. He thought he had a clear understanding of Nanqin. He said: "Twenty years ago, Nanqin fought with me, Great Xiao, for three years, and was defeated by General Long and General Long. My emperor was kind, accepted the surrender and negotiated peace, and opened up the iron and stone trade. Only then did Nanqin come into existence. Peace with me, Great Xiao today. The lessons of that year are vivid in my memory. Seventeen years ago, I watched them surrender and seek peace here in Zhonglan City. In the past seventeen years, the customs and trade between the two countries have become more and more prosperous, and Southern Qin has become more and more prosperous. They relied on the peace agreement back then, and if they want to invade, they will be hit hard by our Great Xiao’s powerful army, and secondly, the city will be closed, and the iron and stone will not move, and Nanqin will lose money and lose.”

Yao Kun paused when he said this, and looked at all the officials present, everyone nodded their heads, apparently sharing the same opinion as him. Yao Kun said: "General, in my opinion, it is true that Nanqin made some small moves to make me, Da Xiao, vigilant, so as to increase my negotiating leverage, and get some benefits from my Da Xiao. But war?" Yao Kun shook his head: " They dare not."

This is the second time that Yao Kun has made it clear that he believes that Nanqin has absolutely no intention of attacking. Long Da nodded slightly to express that he heard that twenty years ago, he was only a child of five or six years old, and he had heard a lot from his grandfather and father about the years of war. very. Since then, Nanqin has been honest and docile. Long Sheng once talked about the battle after drinking and said loudly: "If you beat him submissively, how dare you come again!"

Now it's hard to say whether Long Da has come or not, the military situation is not based on guesswork, he depends on intelligence.

When Long Da returned to the camp, Captain Xie Gang was waiting for him.

Every army has spies, scouting roads, exploring water, scouting people, spying on the enemy's situation, listening, reconnaissance, and using time, etc. There is a saying in military books: "The key to using troops is to first investigate the enemy's situation." There are many in the Long family army. Some of the spies were scattered outside, some were in the army, each had their own functions and establishments, and Xie Gang was in charge of the spies from all walks of life.

"How?" Long Da asked.

Xie Gang said: "She is indeed the eldest lady of the An family, her name is An Ruochen. The An family is a big family in Zhonglan City. Her father, An Zhifu, owns three restaurants and two goods stores, and is planning to open the largest jade shop in southern Pingnan recently. .”

"jade?"

"Yes, it is the goods from Nanqin. He has recently gotten close to the jade merchants and mine owners of Nanqin. In the past two months, he has hosted five or six banquets. But it is said that the one in Pingnan County has the best relationship with Nanqin. It was Mr. Qian Pei from Fu'an County, and he should have led the business relationship. Qian Pei's son is Qian Shixin, the county magistrate of Fu'an County."

Long Da knew about Qian Shixin, and Qian Shixin was there just now at the meeting. He had also heard of the name of Qian Shixin's father, Qian Pei, who had a good relationship with Nanqin. It was rumored that he traveled in Nanqin when he was young, made many friends, and returned to Zhonglan City to run a school. Scholars are always high-minded and disdain business. Qian Pei has no such scruples. He doesn't do business himself, but he makes friends with various merchants and recommends contacts. It is said that he teaches well and has many students. Yao Kun is one of his disciples. During the war between the two countries twenty years ago, relying on his connections in Nanqin, Qian Pei and Yao Kun risked their lives to obtain some information about Nanqin and made great contributions. Later, Yao Kun relied on this to take over as the prefect after Meng Taishou's death, but Qian Pei didn't like being an official, so he refused the emperor's grace to be an official, and only accepted money and treasures. Since then, the Qian family's lintel has been glorious, and its son Qian Shixin became the county magistrate of Wupin from a commoner background at the young age of twenty, which is also something people talk about.

Xie Gang said: "Master Qian has a bad reputation. I heard that he has long since stopped teaching his disciples, but he has fallen headlong into money. Relying on his well-connected connections and previous meritorious deeds, the older he gets, the more rampant he gets. Beating and scolding servants, Buying and selling maidservants, taking in many concubines and taking in several girls. I heard that Mr. Qian was very annoyed by this, and separated from Mr. Qian. One lives in the east house and the other lives in the west house. Each has its own door, out of sight and out of mind. bother."

"What's so special about An's jade business?" Long Da asked while looking at the official documents. Jade stones are large in size and weight, so it is easy to move around in freight, and it is easier to hide and smuggle things. Even hiding people in boxes is not impossible.

"The shop hasn't opened yet. I only know that Qian Pei is in charge of the relationship at Nanqin. An Zhifu is in charge of paying for the shop. According to the accounts registered in the Merchant Shipping Department, An Zhifu has already paid for the three boxes of goods. Silver and taxes, more than 1,800 taels of silver."

The number is huge. Long Da calmly continued to read the file.

"An Zhifu and Qian Pei are not only cooperating in business, they are also about to become relatives. Miss An and Qian Pei are engaged, and the wedding date is set on October 24th."

Long Da was startled, and raised his head. To actually make such a kiss? An Ruochen and Qian Pei?

"Do house filling?"

"Yes."

Long Da raised his eyebrows. "Have you checked An Ruochen's handwriting?"

Xie Gang took out a piece of paper and handed it to Long Da. "Miss An offered an ever-burning lamp in the temple. This is the Buddhist scripture she offered in front of the lamp. She copied it with her own hands in the temple. It's hard to tell if she wrote the note. Although the handwriting is not exactly the same, hers The writing is also a bit free and easy, quite bookish. If you want to write the words on the note, it's not impossible."

Long Da looked at the hand-copied Buddhist scriptures and thought about it carefully.

An Ruochen was walking on the street at this time. She behaved well at home, honest and obedient, and she also took the initiative to ask about the wedding preparations and purchases, and made a list to write down the things she wanted. "Since I'm going to get married, I don't want to treat myself badly." He looked like he had seen the general commit his nymphomaniac wish, and he got married when he got married, and it would be nice to buy some jewelry and new clothes.

Seeing her like this, An Zhifu relieved her restraint, and asked the cashier to allocate some money for her to go shopping. So An Ruochen took the maid to the street.

Walking all the way in the direction of Pinghu East Lane, An Ruochen came out this time to confirm the situation of the rented house, observe the situation along the road, so that he can have a good idea of ​​the day when he escapes from home. So she walks slowly, sees carefully, and buys and buys along the way. The little girl behind her was exhausted with her arms full of things. An Ruochen saw the opportunity and asked her to go to the tea shop at the end of the street to buy tea and wait for her. She would go there after choosing the balm.

The girl who was so tired that she could hardly lift her arms felt relieved and hurried away. Seeing her enter the tea shop, An Ruochen quickly picked out two types of balm and asked the shop owner to wrap them up. Then he took the things, spotted the girl who was beating her arms sideways and didn't look this way, and turned into the side alley. There was no one in the path, so An Ruochen ran away, ran to the end of the path, turned left and continued running along the path, and saw that unremarkable alley.

An Ruochen looked around carefully, there were no shops and hawkers, they were all small houses and courtyards, all the doors were closed, an old lady led a child and sang softly, and after entering a hut, she also gently closed the door. There was no more sound from the road.

Quiet and secluded, a great place to hide.

An Ruochen quickly walked into Pinghu East Lane, and found the innermost room. The wood on the threshold was broken, and the door lock was tied with a red thread, just like Aunt Lu said. An Ruochen took the key to unlock the lock, and opened the door smoothly.

The small room only has a bed and a cabinet. There is a table in front of the back window and an old chair. The room is small and dusty, but it should be fine once it's cleaned up. An Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly went through the things that needed to be purchased in her mind, such as kettle, water cup, charcoal stove, net bucket, bedding and so on. She leaned over to the back window to look, then opened the back door and went out. There is an aisle behind the house, and there is a back wall on the other side of the aisle, which looks like a narrow backyard. There is a water tank in the yard, and there are two poles with a rope, which may be used for drying clothes.

The right end of the aisle is blocked, and it is also a wall, but the wall on the left has collapsed in half. An Ruochen thought of what Aunt Lu told her, saying that the house next door was also empty and no one lived in it, and the owner had been lazy and didn't repair the wall. She had already agreed with the owner to repair it as soon as possible, and the window paper would be re-pasted New, never delay live.

An Ruochen stepped over the wall to have a look, the room next door was really empty, not even a bed. There is only a round table, a cabinet, and two chairs.

It was a bit strange, An Ruochen had an intuition that something was wrong.

Ah, by the way, they are all empty houses, why is this one so clean while hers is full of dust.

While he was wondering, the door suddenly creaked and was pushed open.