"Won?"

Apart from winning the fight and everything was getting better, Jiang Rao never thought about it or wanted to think about other possibilities, so the only thing she asked subconsciously was this sentence.

"That's all the servants can inquire about." As Jiang Rao was anxious to know what was going on in Huaizhou, Ming Shao was also anxious, "Those palace maids and eunuchs are in a hurry to pack their luggage and plan to go back to the palace. I don't know."

She knew that Jiang Rao might not like to hear it, but she had to say, "Girl, look at this slave, it really doesn't look like you have won the battle..."

Jiang Rao's heart had just moved away from the stone that was pressing on her heart, and was thrown back from a high altitude.

The north wind was blowing slowly, and while Ming Shao was talking, she was listening to the movement outside.

What fell into my ears, in addition to the sound of wind and snow, was replaced by the chirping of birds on the trees, which was very quiet.

If she won the battle, she would have to hear the cheers of the people, how could it be so quiet?

"You don't have to say it so early, maybe the emperor is in a hurry to return to the palace because of other things."

The letters she had received and the news she had heard before, the situation in Huaizhou was more optimistic than ever.

"Since the emperor wants to go back to the palace, we don't have to stay here." Jiang Rao said, "Let's go back too, ask someone to do some work, and see if we can find out why the emperor suddenly returned to the palace this time."

After leaving the palace, Jiang Rao only stayed in Ning'an Bo's Mansion for two days. The emperor left in a hurry while in the palace, but the news in Jinling City didn't travel fast. As the New Year was approaching, every family was immersed in the atmosphere of the New Year. The fire couldn't burn his head, no one cared about Huaizhou, and there was no movement about Huaizhou.

On Liao Qiubai's side, Jiang Rao also asked someone to ask, and there was no news. Jiang Rao wanted to know what was going on. She entered the palace and lived with Yun Guifei. The eunuch Li Ren, who was in front of Emperor Zhaowu, met her in front of Xiujia Tower, pretending to meet by chance.

Now that she had to pretend it was a chance encounter, Jiang Rao didn't go there early to wait, and waited for the hour to appear. When she saw Li Ren, she was blessed, "Father-in-law is auspicious."

Li Ren glanced left and right, then looked back at Jiang Rao. His eyes were very small, and there was a ray of light in them, as if he could see through people's thoughts.

The old man who has been practicing in the palace for so many years does have a certain ability to read people's hearts. Before Jiang Rao could speak, he took the lead and said: "The girl has hired servants so many times, do you want to know about Huaizhou? "

Although it is a question, the tone is affirmative.

He sighed and said to himself, "Why does the girl bother to ask? Sooner or later, you will know."

Li Ren's words are not scary sooner or later. What is scary is that in his sigh, there is a kind of sympathy for her. Jiang Rao can hear it, and he can't help but get nervous. Li Ren sighs again and lowers his voice. He said to her, "Not many people know about this. The servant will only tell the girl about you. Don't make any public noises."

Jiang Rao nodded hurriedly.

"The battle of Huaizhou was won by us, Jozhao."

"But General Xi and His Royal Highness both fell off the cliff, their whereabouts are unknown, and they are nowhere to be seen."

Before the joy on Jiang Rao's face changed, she heard Li Ren say this again. Her palms were cold. Seeing that Li Ren was about to leave, she hurriedly chased after him and asked, "How many days have you been missing?"

Li Ren slowed down and shook his head, "That's all the servant knows, the emperor has already sent someone to look for it in Huaizhou, and the news won't get out for the time being until the two are found. Only a dozen people know about it. It's no trivial matter if something happened to the general or the prince."

He instructed Jiang Rao again, "Don't tell anyone else, girl."

...

Splendid Palace.

Empress Jiahe comforted the seventeenth prince, "It's no small matter that the general holding the military talisman and the prince disappear, the emperor doesn't want to disturb the hearts of the people, and he doesn't want to make a statement. You don't have to worry about this. No matter how unwilling you are, you have to spread the news.”

Even if Emperor Zhaowu did not publicize it, Empress Jiahe still knew the news of the disappearance of Rong Ting and Xi Zimo through her eyeliner in Huaizhou.

"Then what about General Xi?" The seventeenth prince frowned, "If General Xi can't be found, wouldn't the military power in his hands fall into the hands of others?"

"I didn't expect that the crippled death would also be put on the back." Queen Jiahe said with a gloomy face, "But it is not only Xi Zimo who can hold the military power south of the Quezhi Mountains for us. Your grandfather can find someone to replace him. When the emperor wants to send his generals to the south, he will ask the ministers in the court to recommend them. If he loses a Xi Zimo and removes the thorn in his eyes, it can be regarded as a gain."

She covered her face and smiled, "He died for the country, and the Sage will definitely think that Ben Gong's teaching is good, and he will love you even more."

The seventeenth prince lowered his head, "I haven't seen a corpse, my son is always uneasy."

"At that time, he had healthy limbs, how could he be a cripple like he is now? What happened to Yecheng, he was lucky to meet Jiang Xingzhou's family who passed by there, otherwise, there should have been his shadow on Huangquan Road. Don't worry about it. These are useless things, why don't you go to your grandfather to see how your grandfather took Xi Zimo's military power back into our hands and learn his strategy."

The seventeenth prince reluctantly felt relieved and nodded. Seeing that Empress Jiahe was in a good mood, he was reluctant to leave for a while, so he approached Empress Jiahe like a child and said, "Mother Empress."

Empress Jiahe was indeed in a good mood. She gave the seventeenth prince a little more indulgence than usual. She did not rush to drive the seventeenth prince back to the academy, and looked at the seventeenth prince patiently.

"Before I came, at Xiujia Building, I saw Eunuch Li, who was beside the father, and the one who was engaged to the ninth brother were chatting together. I wonder if they talked about Huaizhou."

"Why do you always pay attention to her?" Empress Jiahe's tone was sloppy and casual, and she didn't take Jiang Rao to heart. "Even if she knew, what use would it be? In exchange for going to the mountains of Huaizhou and digging out people, wouldn't it work?"

"But Yecheng was the one who rescued the ninth brother. In the last time, didn't she let the father and the emperor reprimand the mother in front of others?"

Empress Jiahe was reminded by him, and when she remembered the luncheon in the palace, her face became much ugly, and she frowned, "What you said makes some sense."

She said impatiently, "At this juncture, you can't let a little girl do something wrong."

...

A month later, the people sent by Emperor Zhaowu to look for Xi Zimo and Rong Ting still found nothing, and Emperor Zhaowu finally made the news public.

The Lingnan area, which was originally governed by Xi Zimo's army, was temporarily controlled by Xi Zimo's lieutenant until Emperor Zhaowu found a suitable candidate.

Another new year.

On the day that the news of Rong Ting's disappearance came out, the queen fell to her knees and cried bitterly for a whole day.

After crying, became seriously ill, and it took a few days to heal.

Concubine Yun Gui felt a pang in her heart when she thought of the empress's fake appearance. When she was alone with Jiang Rao, she couldn't help but scolded Emperor Zhaowu, "The empress's tears are fake, and maybe it's fake, so the emperor actually changed letters?"

"Even if the emperor has his idea in mind, this play is overdone."

No matter what Concubine Yun Gui said, Jiang Rao always hugged the heater, sat quietly on the couch, lowered her eyebrows and said nothing.

Too quiet.

Yun Guifei glanced at Jiang Rao and saw that she had scolded the queen and the emperor together. She didn't say anything. She stopped scolding and sat beside Jiang Rao and embraced Jiang Rao, "Nian Nian, there is no news, It's not that they can't be found, isn't it that they only found the bones of General Xi, but not His Royal Highness the Ninth Highness?"

Jiang Rao still didn't answer.

Yun Guifei held her tightly in her arms.

She was looking forward to the smooth and smooth marriage that her little niece wanted. The villainous appearance of Jiahe Empress and the motherly appearance made her disgusted, but she didn't believe what she just said.

Even people like Xi Zimo who fought outside the army all year round failed to survive. Rong Ting was probably really bad luck.

Concubine Yun's voice became hoarse, and she finally confided in her heart, "My condolences."

"Don't think about it."

"I won't get lost."

Jiang Rao got out of Yun Guifei's arms at this time.

"Now in Huaizhou, the war is over, and the epidemic has been suppressed."

She didn't cry, her eyes weren't red, but her tone was very light, as if she couldn't see Concubine Yun's surprised expression, she counted with her fingers: "If you leave tomorrow and travel overnight, it will be about ten days. If you can go to Huaizhou, find someone to go into the mountain to find someone, and turn the whole mountain over, if you can find a lot of people to help, it will take about four or five days, and you will need to bring more silver taels. If you order some money, I'm afraid no one wants to go, so you must bring enough money. If you can't find it after looking it up, you will have to look it up a second time."

She mumbled and calculated for a long time, her eyes lit up, and she said to Concubine Yun with a smile, "Auntie, am I wrong? I've calculated so many accounts, I'm definitely not wrong."

When she lowered her head, there were no tears in her eyes, but when she laughed, there were tears in her eyes. Concubine Yun frowned and looked at her, she was a little scared and took Jiang Rao's hand, "You won't really go. Bar?"

Jiang Rao didn't look at her, just looked out the window, her eyes were very light, sinking in her own world, as if she couldn't listen to other people's advice.

Actually it is.

Yun Guifei grabbed Jiang Rao's arm and told Jiang Rao to turn around and look at her, "If you can't find it once, then look it up a second time. If you can't find it once or twice, do you want to stay in Huaizhou forever? ?"

Jiang Rao fell silent.

"Are you crazy?"

Jiang Rao smiled lightly, "I'm not crazy."

The more she laughed, the more frightened Concubine Yun became. The laugh was worse than crying. She might as well cry in front of her and hold Jiang Rao's arm tightly.

"Auntie, don't stop me, I won't find it again, and I feel uneasy." Jiang Rao smiled, and her tone was light, "I should go to prepare the carriage."

She gently flicked away Concubine Yun's hand, "Whether there is an accident or not, he is now in Huaizhou. No matter it's a person, it's something else."

Her timid nature made her not even dare to say the word "corpse", but her tone was firm, "I will come back when I find him, I want to bring him back."

When Yun Guifei saw her like this, she couldn't say a word of persuasion.

Some people seem to be soft-hearted and obedient, but they are not without backbone. When she really comes across something she has made up her own mind, her temper is so tough that even ten cows can't pull it back.

Concubine Yun did not persuade her anymore.

Jiang Xingzhou and Jiang Qin did not persuade either.

Jiang Xingzhou even regretted that he didn't nod earlier to agree to their marriage.

Even if he got married first, after Rong Ting's accident, his daughter would be a widow, and he didn't care about other people's opinions and visions, so he would just fulfill his daughter's long-cherished wish.

It's better than the unfinished marriage at the moment, leaving her daughter thinking about it all the time, and creating an untouchable scar in her heart.

This kind of scar on heart will hurt once think about it.

He indulged Jiang Rao to go to Huaizhou, not only that, but also let Jiang Jinxing follow along.

He was afraid that his daughter would be the same as the scenes sung in the play. If he couldn't find anyone, he would eventually lose his mind and want to die in love. Now he is in charge of Ning Anbo's house inside and out, and he and Jiang Qin can't be separated. It is better to ask Jiang Jinxing to follow him, and let her take a look at her brother and think about her family when she can't think of it.

Jiang Rao didn't know what her father was thinking, but she was stunned when she saw Jiang Jinxing following.

She just accompanied Ming Shao to order the silver taels and supplies that she brought, and asked Ming Shao to hand it over to the leader of the escort bureau. When she saw Jiang Jinxing dressed in Tsing Yi and carrying a small burden, she walked over unhurriedly. Surprised, "Why are you here?"

Jiang Jinxing didn't speak. Ming Shao and the security guard were well connected. When she came back, she saw Jiang Jinxing's figure. She wanted to make the sullen Jiang Rao happy, and smiled and said to Jiang Rao, "The young master is probably here to protect the girl."

Jiang Rao was in a bad mood, and Ming Shao tried to make Jiang Rao happy.

Compared to when he was a child, his head and body were round and he walked like a ball rolling on the ground. He started to grow taller and then quickly lost weight. Whether it was his body or his face, he was much more handsome.

Especially when he didn't speak, closed his mouth, and stood there quietly, he looked from side to side and looked like a handsome young man from a noble family.

It's just that it's not that flattering at first.

He frowned and glanced at Ming Shao, as if he was dissatisfied with what Ming Shao had just said, he repeated it twice, "The scenery in Huaizhou is good, I'll go there to see the scenery." Jiang Rao, "Get on the carriage quickly, don't delay my journey."

Jiang Rao got into the carriage, and after driving out, she lifted the curtain of the window and glanced out. Seeing Jiang Jinxing riding a horse behind her carriage, she shook her head.

He was clearly here to protect her, but he said he wanted to go south to see the scenery.

He grew up day by day, and seemed to have reached a particularly tangled age. He was not as honest as he was when he was a child, and he became more and more duplicitous.

...

Two days later, she arrived at Qiliu Town, and she drove the road for two days and one night, day and night. Seeing that no matter whether it was a maid or a coachman, she couldn't bear it, so Jiang Rao decided to rest in Qiliu Town for one night, and then resume it tomorrow. hurry.

After arriving at Qiliu Town, Jiang Rao ordered Jiang Ping and a few other servants to go to the ferry to rent a few boats, accompanied by Ming Shao and the guards, to book an inn for a night rest.

Ming Shao followed behind Jiang Rao and looked at Jiang Rao's back. In the past few years walking outside, Jiang Rao was rarely seen wearing a conical hat, but now don't know if she started to pay attention to the rules after she was born. Taboo, do not need her to say, just, go fast.

Ming Shao quickly chased after him, "Girl, aren't you tired?"

Hurrying all night, almost drained everyone's strength, and they were like this, not to mention the girl who never lived at all.

"A little tired."

Jiang Rao is honest.

Although she said this, her eyes followed the plaques on both sides of the street and the location of the inn, but she didn't stop at all.

Tiredness and exhaustion are more important things than the heart.

After walking through four or five inns in a row, all the family members were full. Jiang Rao thought about it. Now that this year’s customs have just passed, maybe the inn is for those who are in a hurry to make money and take the business road. It is also possible. can't book a room, so it's better to leave by boat tonight.

It's just a matter of suffering for the people who came with her.

Jiang Rao knew that she was sympathetic to her servants, and she would remember in her heart what she owed them. When she returned from Huaizhou this time, she should be promoted and rewarded.

Even if others didn't think so, she felt that she could find Rong Ting and go back to Jinling.

She can more or less guess what other people think. Not only others, but even her parents and her aunt, think that her trip might be a waste of time, and she can't find anything in the end. She is the only one who doesn't think so.

In the dream, his legs were weak and shrunken like an old man, and he could climb to a position that everyone fears. Now that his leg injury is healed, and he has no such hateful brutal temperament, the situation will only get better.

Certainly can be found.

Even if she is deceiving herself, she can only think like this, if she doesn't think like this, it hurts so much that she can't stand it.

When she arrived at the eighth inn, just in time for a guest to leave, Jiang Rao quickly packed up the empty room and found a place to stay. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent someone to follow the shop assistant in the inn. , went to the best restaurant here and bought a lot of good dishes for a lot of money, and rewarded the people who came to Huaizhou with her.

Jiang Jinxing saw Jiang Rao returning to the room first, carrying two bean paste buns that he had brought out from Jinling, followed by stepping on the stairs, threw one to Jiang Rao, and sat down directly in front of the couch, cross-legged, "You are better than those crying women, but you have to eat."

"If you don't eat more food, your body will collapse before you reach Huaizhou. You are not a real fairy, you can live by drinking a little dew."

The child's mouth dwindled day by day, winking with disgust, but it just happened to cure Jiang Rao.

Jiang Rao was really afraid that, as Jiang Jinxing said, he would collapse before reaching Huaizhou. He looked down at the bean paste bun, tore a small piece, and took a small bite.

Jiang Jinxing looked at her for a long time, and his voice suddenly softened a lot, "Don't worry, sister."

"Brother-in-law is definitely fine."

His eyes were shining, and he said with some admiration: "I have never seen someone as beautiful as his kung fu, and none of my martial arts masters can compare."

Jiang Rao felt a little weird.

Everyone else said that something happened to Rong Ting, and she stubbornly felt that they were all wrong.

But when her brother swore to tell her that Rong Ting was fine, she felt uneasy for a while?

Jiang Rao burst into tears.

I don't know if it's because Jiang Jinxing is too informal and what she said is not right, that's why she is like this.

When Jiang Jinxing saw her like this, the little boy's face was shriveled.

It's over, it wasn't troublesome at first, but now, as he said in one sentence, it was as troublesome as those crying women.

"It's all right."

The more he said that Jiang Rao cried more fiercely.

Jiang Jinxing: "..."

"I won't say it, I won't say it." He finally closed his mouth, watching Jiang Rao twist the bean paste with his fingers, stretched out his hand to come and put it in his mouth, raised his hand step by step as if to surrender, and retreated backwards. He walked out of Jiang Rao's room and went to the innkeeper to change his room to the one next to Jiang Rao.

The innkeeper readily agreed and asked Xiao Er to help carry his luggage up.

After Jiang Jinxing changed his room, he went back upstairs. He didn't notice that after he turned around, the innkeeper and Xiaoer's eyes became insidious, and they looked at each other silently as they discussed things.

...

Jiang Rao's habit of recognizing the bed has not changed, and it was a little difficult to fall asleep at night, tossing and turning several times.

Usually at this time, when Ming Shao heard her turning over, she would definitely have a few words with her, but today she didn't.

She couldn't sleep and gradually didn't want to sleep anymore. She quietly got up, lit the candle by herself, and began to look at the topographic map of Quezhi Mountain in Huaizhou.

After lighting the candle, she glanced at Ming Shao, who was sleeping in the house on a mat. Jiang Rao was a little helpless. She only thought that she had been traveling for the past few days, and she was really exhausted.

She looked at the topographic map by herself, took the gully and gully in her heart, and waited for the smell of smoke. At first, she thought that she did not often light candles, and lit something else, waiting for the smell of smoke to thicken, outside the window. Thick smoke seeped in, Jiang Rao suddenly noticed something was wrong.

She put down the sheepskin map and shook Ming Shao, who kept her eyes closed, her body was too heavy to wake up.

Jiang Rao tried to change her breath, got up quickly, and opened the door to find someone.

The door was locked from the outside.

She called twice, but no one came.

Jiang Rao suddenly understood that this was someone else's trap.

The fire from the fire outside was getting brighter and brighter. Jiang Rao bit her lower lip and glanced around. There was no water in the house except for the water in the pot.

The smoke was too choking, she instinctively soaked the handkerchief with tea, covered her face, looked at the closed door, and turned her eyes to the window lattice.

Quickly walked over and pushed it twice, but was also locked from the outside.

Jiang Rao coughed twice. Without thinking much, she took out the dagger from her waist and chopped dozens of knives at the wood in the center of the window lattice, but the wood was not broken, and she was desperate, and the door was knocked open.

Jiang Jinxing's panting figure stood in front of the door, clutching his arms, just before he slammed into the door with his body.

He was woken up by the smoke in his sleep. It was later than Jiang Rao who knew the fire started, but he was stronger than Jiang Rao and broke the window and ran out first.

A window, a door, even if Jiang Jinxing has grown for a few years, he is not as tall as Jiang Rao, and the trembling appearance is obviously very painful.

"This inn is a den of thieves. I just saw a shadow in the courtyard slipping out. Since the rooms are locked, it is estimated that the courtyard door is also locked. There is a problem with the boss and the second shopkeeper. They came with us and ate. The vegetables they led to buy were all unconscious, and only the two of us were awake."

He endured the pain and went to the courtyard of the inn with Jiang Rao carrying Ming Shao on his back. Jiang Rao patted Ming Shao's face a few times and still couldn't see her awake. Jiang Jinxing went to try the front door of the courtyard, and it was indeed locked.

Jiang Jinxing blushed, dug out the innkeeper and the eighteenth-generation ancestors of the second shopkeeper and scolded them over and over. He turned around cursingly, and wanted to help Jiang Rao carry Ming Shao on his back and climb the wall together.

"Don't scold for now." Jiang Rao stopped Jiang Jinxing who wanted to bring Ming Shao with her, "You don't have to help me, bringing her will only make it difficult for you to move and waste time."

"You go over the wall by yourself first, and quickly find someone to come back to put out the fire. The fire is not big at the moment. If you find the water, no one will be injured. I will stay here to guard her and try it out to see if I can wake others up. "

"I can't wake up, I tried it early." The anger on Jiang Jinxing's face was hidden, and he was shaking all over. He continued, "Don't get too far away from me, the shadow that sprang out is clearly a man of skill. I'm afraid the skill is not low. Maybe it's for you. If you are alone, I'm afraid something will happen."

It was only before that she was protecting this younger brother. Now, listening to him speak like this, Jiang Rao was stunned, her smoked eyes were even more sour, Jiang Jinxing looked at her expression, frowned, like a little old man , Saddened, he hit her on the arm and said fiercely, "Don't cry, climb the wall."

Jiang Rao: "..."

There were no tears in an instant.

The courtyard wall of this inn was too high, so she had to move the wooden barrels in the yard and step on it before she could climb up.

Knowing in her heart that wasting a little more effort might kill her, after riding on the top of the wall, she stared at the wall and balanced her body, never even thinking of looking down.

She knew that if she saw it, she would definitely be afraid.

If you are afraid, you will have to delay your work.

Jiang Jinxing also clambered on the wall. Seeing that Jiang Rao didn't dare to open his eyes, he stunned, glanced down for Jiang Rao, and said to her, "You can jump. There just happened to be a pile of firewood there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Rao jumped down.

Afraid to change is afraid.

But those maids and servants who came for bodyguards were all because of her. If she lost her life, it wouldn't work.

The wind in her ears was mixed with the sound of horseshoes rushing from an unknown direction, and the sound of horseshoes made the ground vibrate.

maybe someone came

put out the fire.

This thought flashed for a short while, and Jiang Rao felt a lot more at ease. She fell into the firewood pile, but did not hear the sound of the firewood breaking, but only made a dull sound.

Her feet didn't even touch the ground.

Jiang Rao subconsciously thought that she was caught by Jiang Jinxing who jumped first, and felt that it was absolutely impossible for her brother to be no taller than her.

What's more, her brother asked her to jump first.

When she opened her eyes, she suddenly realized that this person had a medicinal smell that she was all too familiar with, and was a little surprised.