Volume 1 Chushan Bandits Chapter 20: Revisiting Yuehonglou
Xu Huai advised Wang Bing to give up the idea of leaving the military camp, and Xu Xin'an came over and called him back to eat.
Su Di was still skeptical about Wang Bing sending Xu Huai to Yue Honglou, but there was no reason for her to suspect that Wang Bing was lying. No one asked Xu Huai anything during the meal. However, when Xu Huai returned to his room after practicing swords and spears in the willow forest at night, Xu Xin'an ran over to ask, "What's the matter?"
"Why did Mr. Wang ask you to go to Yuehonglou?"
"Old Mr. Wang wrote a poem to give to Miss Liu Qiong'er and asked me to deliver it. When I arrived in front of Yuehong Tower, the old man said that he needed two taels of silver to see Miss Liu Qiong'er, so I went to find Zheng the butcher to borrow the silver." Xu Huai lay on the bed with his clothes on and talked nonsense.
"He wrote a poem. What poem was it? When did Mr. Wang and Liu Qiong'er meet?" Xu Xin'an was stunned and asked.
"How would I know? I can barely read." Xu Huai said.
"You fool, you're not going to spend the night with a girl. Why would you need money just to meet someone? You must be stupid and didn't explain things clearly, causing such a big misunderstanding." Xu Xin'an never thought that Xu Huai would lie to him, but he came up with a reasonable explanation first.
"By the way, Mr. Wang said he wanted to write a poem and send it to Miss Liu Qiong'er tomorrow. You should go there. I'm really scared. I was scolded by Aunt Seventeen for no reason. You see, there are still marks on my ears from her pinching..." Xu Huai complained.
He thought to himself that if he wanted the Tang family and Yue Honglou to willingly release Liu Qiong'er and redeem her, it would be useless for him to rely on brute force, and he could only rely on Wang Bin's prestige.
This matter needs a little preparation, at least to let the people in Yuehonglou and the Tang family behind the scenes know that Wang Bing is supporting Liu Qiong'er.
After what happened today , Xu Huai was worried that he might not be able to enter the gate of Yuehonglou when he went to deliver the lyrics tomorrow, so he threw this task to Xu Xin'an, and he was sure that Xu Xin'an would be willing to do it.
Wang Xuan looked less than thirteen years old, and she might not look down on him and Xu Xin'an, but she was very happy that Xu Xin'an was around her. She seemed to be born with the talent and desire to control men - there seemed to be a special word in his memory to describe girls like her, but Xu Huai couldn't remember it for a moment.
Sometimes Xu Huai pretended to be stupid and ignored Wang Xuan, but Xu Xin'an was ordered around by Wang Xuan. When he heard that Wang Xuan had something to do, he felt relieved and was very happy. He never thought that others were looking down on him in secret.
However, it was only in the past seven or eight days that Xu Xin'an was chosen by Deng Gui as a scout and could not get away much, so he did not run to the next yard as frequently as before.
Of course, Xu Xin'an still had an assignment to do in the Inspection Office tomorrow, but he hesitated for a moment before agreeing to "send the poem".
The next morning, Xu Xin'an was sent out to gather information, but thinking about the poem, he took a short break and rushed back to the military camp at noon, volunteering to go to Wang's house to report:
"Old Master Wang said he has a poem to write today and wants to send it to Miss Liu Qiong'er of Yu Yuehonglou. I don't know where that lazy guy Xu Huai is. Xin'an happens to be free at noon, so I can make this trip for Old Master Wang."
"Ah..." Wang Bing had just finished lunch and was playing chess with Cheng Yi in the yard. He was stunned for a while before he remembered that he had promised Xu Huai yesterday to help Liu Qiong'er redeem herself from Yuehonglou. Today, he would write a poem to prepare for the past or for the future. He stammered, "Yes, yes, there is such a thing. I almost forgot about it. Brother Xin'an, please wait for me for a while..."
"Grandpa!" Wang Xuan looked down upon those prostitutes the most. She didn't expect that Xu Huai had made such a big joke yesterday, and today her grandfather even wanted to give a poem to that woman. Her face turned pale with anger.
"..." Wang Bing smiled bitterly. He had no way to explain to his granddaughter. He went back to the house and recorded an old piece of writing. He wrote an inscription and sealed it. He took it out and handed it to Xu Xin'an, "Please trouble Brother Xin'an to make this trip."
"Mr. Wang, when you came to Huaiyuan, it seems that you didn't stay in the Hedong market?" Cheng Yi asked curiously after Wang Bin sat down again.
"Although I have never met you, I have admired you since I heard your name. It's just an old poem of mine." Wang Bing didn't want to talk more about this topic and said perfunctorily.
After playing chess, Cheng Yi said goodbye and returned to the inn. When Lu Xiong came over to help put the chess pieces into the box, he saw Wang Bing holding a chess piece thoughtfully and asked, "Sir, are you thinking that the man should not have left Huaiyuan?"
Wang Bin nodded and sighed, "Xu Huai's words were too mature for his age. It's not like a 16-year-old boy can say them. But he is worried and it's normal for him not to meet me. After all, no one is careless. If you are not careful, innocent people will be implicated."
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Xu Huai came back from a round of boxing practice in the willow forest. Seeing Xu Xin'an sitting angrily on the porch, he asked, "Did you go to Yuehonglou to run errands for Mr. Wang?"
"Stop talking," Xu Xin'an thought about he had sent a poem to Yuehonglou on behalf of Wang Bing, but he didn't get any benefit. Instead, he was ridiculed by Liu Qiong'er. He was almost angry and said, "That little bitch who looked down on others actually wanted to write a poem in return for Mr. Wang. I'm going to Hutouling with Uncle Seventeen in a while. You can go to the market by yourself when the sun sets."
Seeing Xu Xin'an looking like he had had enough, Xu Huai thought that Liu Qiong'er was forcing him to meet her in person, so he touched his head and said, "Then you have to tell Aunt Seventeen for me to tell her not to go to Yue Hong Lou and pull my ears again."
"You were sent there by old master Wang, so who would pull your ears? You are stupid, but others are not. Just make your words clear." Xu Xin'an said.
"What are you going to Hutouling for?" Xu Huai asked.
"Why are you asking these questions? You are clumsy, do you want to follow them? If we alarm the thieves, we might all be caught. You'd better stay at home honestly - don't tell this to anyone, Uncle Seventeen is afraid that the thieves have a presence in the town." Xu Xin'an said.
It was not easy to unify the opinions of the big clans in Huaiyuan, but it was only natural for Deng Gui to send Xu Wujiang and his men to the outskirts of Hutouling to find out the situation first.
Xu Huai thought that he didn't need to be suspicious about this. At least for now, there was no sign that Deng Gui was secretly colluding with the assassin.
After Xu Xin'an and Xu Wujiang set out to leave the military camp, Xu Huai found Xu Sihu who stayed behind in the military camp, and borrowed armor and two daggers from him in the name of Xu Wujiang.
Xu Huai returned to his room and took out the wheat cakes he had hidden at noon and ate them slowly. He did not eat too much, but was able to ensure that his strength would not be exhausted too quickly. When the sun was setting, he put on his leather armor and crossed the river to Yuehonglou to see Liu Qionger.
"Xu Xiaoge, why are you here again today? Do you want to sit in my room for a while? I'm selling my body here, not my art."
"You also believed what Sister Qiong'er said, saying that she asked this fool to come and get the letter to give back to Mr. Wang, but she didn't let the maid come out to send him away, and even asked this fool to go to her yard. In my opinion, Sister Qiong'er must have tasted the sweetness and wanted to taste it again today. I say that Nanny Wang is biased. Why didn't she check her body? Aren't you afraid that it will ruin the reputation of our Yuehonglou?"
"That's right. This fool is as strong as an ox. Two years ago, he actually knocked a mad bull to the ground on Stone Street. If there is a skirt that cannot be untied, he can just tear it apart - just imagine the strength it takes to lift his legs. No way, no way!"
Xu Huai held the knife in his arms and walked straight in. He pretended not to hear the words of the girls beside him that were harassing him.
"I've told you everything I know, and you promised not to bother me again. What's the matter with this poem?" Liu Qiong'er closed the door and threw the old poem recorded by Wang Bing in Xu Huai's face. She was so angry that her face turned pale.
In the afternoon, Xu Xin'an delivered the recorded lyrics on behalf of Wang Bing, which caused a small sensation in Yuehonglou. Wherever Liu Qiong'er went, she was met with envious eyes. However, since she already knew that Zheng Hui and others were deliberately plotting to assassinate Wang Bing, how could she dare to feel complacent at all?
The assassin might not have noticed her before, but now Wang Bing sent someone to deliver the poem, and everyone in Huaiyuan Town knows about it. Does he think she is lucky?
Xu Xin'an sent the lyrics to her in order to drag her into the fire pit. How could Liu Qiong'er possibly treat him well?
Liu Qiong'er was so angry that her heart and lungs were about to explode.
Xu Huai lay down on Liu Qiong'er's scented mattress, feeling it was really soft. He asked, "Miss Liu, is there a problem with the silver ingots you exchanged for at the Tang family warehouse?"
"What's it to you?" Liu Qiong'er said unhappily.
"So, even if there is a problem with the silver ingot, Miss Liu will swallow her anger for the sake of her own life - when she can no longer perform art without selling her body, she can sell her body to receive customers. If one day she is too old and ugly to receive customers, she can still become a brothel owner. Or she can buy a few good seedlings for Yue Hong Lou and raise them to take over in the future? As it is, life can always get by if we endure it, don't you think, Miss Liu?" Xu Huai asked.
Liu Qiong'er was startled, but felt very uncomfortable as if she was being stared at by a poisonous snake. She turned her head away and dared not look into Xu Huai's eyes again.
"Miss Liu is actually very clear in her mind that this matter is not over yet. We are just grasshoppers tied to a tree. Even if I don't come to bother you, Miss Liu, do you really think you can stay out of it from now on and that this matter has nothing to do with you?" Xu Huai asked.
"You have something for me to do, or you want to ask me for some information. I didn't say I won't help you, but do you really need to let everyone know?" Liu Qiong'er gritted her teeth, trying to soften her words, and asked, "Could it be good for you if those assassins came over at night and stabbed me to death?"
"Mr. Wang has been living well in the military camp until now, and no assassin dared to come and stab him to death. What are you worried about, Miss Liu?" Xu Huai asked with a smile, "Don't worry, the assassins made such a big fuss, which means they are destined not to act rashly, and we will not let Miss Liu take risks easily..."
"Hmph, if you really have some ability, why do you have to use me as bait?" Liu Qiong'er didn't believe Xu Huai's lies and ruthlessly exposed him.
"Miss Liu has been performing arts in Huaiyuan Town for the past few years, and she has won the hearts . It seems that it is not all because of her charming face," Xu Huai said, "However, now that things have come to this, it is useless for Miss Liu to complain to me. Why don't we work together to think about what to do next..."
Seeing that Xu Huai was trying to blackmail her, Liu Qiong'er was so angry that she picked up her dressing box and smashed it into his face.
If the tiger doesn't show its power, people will think she has no temper. Unfortunately, Xu Huai avoided her.
Liu Qiong'er was angry for a while, then calmed down and suddenly thought of a question. She looked at Xu Huai in surprise and asked:
"You tried every possible means to drag a joker like me into the fire pit, but the one running errands is you, who hasn't even grown all your hair yet. And Xu Xin'an and Xu Wujiang don't seem to know about it. Do you have a few people secretly protecting Mr. Wang? Did the assassin actually get fooled by your bluff?"
Xu Huai stared at Liu Qiong'er for a moment and said, "Miss Liu is really smart. I want to applaud her. Zheng Hui, who claims to be the chief strategist of the Privy Councilor Cai Ying, is actually not as good as Miss Liu. It's really ridiculous, ridiculous."
Xu Huai didn't expect that Liu Qiong'er was so smart. Although she would never be able to guess the truth, the fact that she could think of so many things was definitely beyond his imagination.
No wonder there are many beautiful girls in Yuehonglou, but no one can compete with her to promote the brand of selling art but not her body.
"What's so hard about guessing? Xu Wuliang, the blacksmith in the iron shop on West Street, once served as a Wuzu in the Jingsheng Army with your father Xu Wuxuan. But a few days ago, I went to him to make a silver-making knife, and he stared at me for a long time with lustful eyes, his saliva was almost flowing out. He didn't look like he was planning anything big at all." Although Liu Qiong'er hated Xu Huai for dragging her into the fire pit, she couldn't help but say with some pride.
Xu Huai stared at Liu Qiong'er and said, "It seems that Miss Liu is really a curious person. She even found out everything about my life. But as for whether my feathers have grown, you are wrong, Miss Qiong'er."
"How come you have no shame at all?" Liu Qiong'er said with her eyes wide open, "What do you want me to do?"
