"After the uprising here, the imperial court is strict, but many things are still secretly smuggled and sold here. After my Son-in-Law was arrested, I've been secretly inquiring about these things and had already prepared a batch of fabric. Later... it must have been a message relayed by my Son-in-Law. I'm not sure, the person was vague and said there were spies around me, so I investigated... The person claimed to be Xing'er's father..."

The room remained dark, her voice gentle. Su Tan'er had regained her composure and began to recount her experiences and how she returned to Hangzhou. Upon hearing this, Ning Yi frowned. He knew that Xing'er had no family by her side since childhood, either abducted or abandoned by her family for being a girl, and sold into the Su family, which she considered her only home. "Could it be true?"

"I don't know." Su Tan'er shook her head. "During the escape, Xing'er's sleeve tore once, and a small birthmark on her hand was seen by that person. Later, a couple came crying and shouting to claim her as their own. At that time, there were many things going on in Huzhou, and I was worried about my Son-in-Law's safety, so I didn't pay much attention. Xing'er didn't plan to acknowledge them, but they persisted for half a month, and seeing their sincerity, Xing'er relented. After my Son-in-Law sent someone to inform me, I investigated, and they were indeed connected to people here. There were others behind them, and when I heard them talk about my Son-in-Law, they said he had joined them. At the time, it didn't seem malicious, and the people from the imperial court who came to deliver messages were vague..."

She had recovered somewhat, wiping her tears, lighting the oil lamp, pouring tea, and sitting down beside Ning Yi, her voice growing softer, almost apprehensive. Ning Yi, though he had pieced together the story, knew that Wen Ren'er, who had taken over his affairs, reported directly to Qin Si Yuan. The person sent to Huzhou to inform Su Tan'er wouldn't have had much authority. At the time, Ning Yi hadn't paid much attention, feeling it was enough to tell Su Tan'er that he was safe and to confirm her safety as well. But with Su Tan'er's emotions at the time, she naturally wanted to know more, and after inquiring without success, she couldn't help but worry.

Afterward, she investigated the spies, hoping to indirectly learn about Ning Yi's situation through reverse investigation. If she didn't have the ability, it would have been fine, but she was adept at judging people in business and discovered that Fang La's side didn't seem to have much malice towards her. She knew that Ning Yi was probably safe on Fang La's side, which meant that her Son-in-Law had temporarily gained their trust, either through pretense or genuine trust.

Relieved, she recalled the events of the escape in Huzhou. The pursuit of refugees was normal behavior, but the subsequent attempt to specifically capture her Son-in-Law was said to have been ordered by a high-ranking figure. In that case, it would be difficult for her Son-in-Law to escape. She was also pregnant, which made her more worried. In the worst-case scenario, the imperial court might want to use her to catch all the rebel spies in Huzhou in one fell swoop. It seemed that Ning Yi wouldn't be back for a while, and the rebels seemed to have gained momentum. If they reached a stalemate and became two separate regimes, then this war and separation would last who knows how long.

Of course, Ning Yi would learn some details from the maids later. After being separated in the war, Su Tan'er returned to Huzhou, unable to get any news of him, and almost lost all hope. During that time, she desperately sought connections to inquire, almost neglecting the baby in her womb. Later, upon learning that Ning Yi was alive, she was relieved and seemed to come back to life. In that state, with the baby in her womb, she felt that the couple should never be separated again.

The spies revealed a non-malicious attitude, but the imperial court was ambiguous, and Ning Yi couldn't return. The only solution was for her to come. In her mind at the time, she absolutely refused to sit there and wait, but now that she had reunited with Ning Yi, she was a little worried that she had been too reckless, or that Ning Yi thought she was too reckless, and her voice grew quieter.

"...I changed my identity and deliberately contacted the people behind the spy through other channels. Xing'er maintained the illusion that I was still in Huzhou. I came here a couple of days ago, and I don't think I alerted anyone. I went through the connections of Lord Min Taizhang, an official in the Ministry of Personnel here. They wanted a batch of good fabric for official uniforms... Son-in-Law, I've thought about it. If you can't leave, I won't leave either..."

Ning Yi took her hand and hugged her. After a long while, he said softly, "You still have to leave..." After a moment, he added, "I'm very happy that you could come."

Su Tan'er looked up. "Then you..."

"I'll be fine." Ning Yi smiled. "You can get a pass to leave with the fabric, right?"

The wife in his arms nodded, her eyes eager. "Another batch of fabric will arrive the day after tomorrow, and then they'll issue a pass to leave the city. Son-in-Law, we can leave together then..."

"I can't. You can take Xiao Chan with you." Ning Yi shook his head. "If I leave like this, I can get out of the city, but Hangzhou is their territory right now. If I disappear and don't reach a safe place, they'll definitely catch up. You're pregnant, you can't take the risk. As long as I stay, you will definitely be able to leave."

He now held considerable weight in Liu Xigua's heart and had just stirred up the flames in her heart. If he dared to abandon her now, just as the pregnant Su Tan'er had returned to Hangzhou from Huzhou, Liu Xigua, whose wrath had been ignited, would definitely chase him to the ends of the earth. Women of this kind were more persistent and troublesome than men. But conversely, as long as he didn't leave, sending Xiao Chan away would be a small matter. She wouldn't get too angry, and even if something unexpected happened, Liu Xigua might even step in to protect Tan'er and Xiao Chan.

This matter was basically settled. Su Tan'er had seen him and confirmed his safety, so she didn't insist too much, but her expression was somewhat黯然. "What are you planning to do here?"

Ning Yi naturally couldn't tell her the details of the Badao Camp at this time, but he roughly described his situation, saying that he had been forced to become a strategist, and also explained Wen Ren'er's situation to avoid her suspecting him.

"People under Old Qin are trustworthy, unlike the imperial soldiers. I'll have them take care of you on your way out. I'm in a dilemma right now. If I really escape from here, they'll probably have many ways to track me. I've been in Hangzhou for so long and have seen some things. Old Qin wants to do something, and I might go to the capital to help him in the future. Now that I can intervene, I might as well take the opportunity to do something. It's not a big problem. Once Fang La's affairs are over, I'm confident I can escape safely. You can stay in Huzhou to rest and take care of yourself, or simply return to Jiangning and wait for me to come back."

"I'll be in Huzhou." Su Tan'er looked at him, then lowered her head after a while. "You men always want to serve your country and your people. I'm just a small woman. You want to do something, I won't interfere. But I'll say it again, if you don't come back... I won't be able to live..." As she said this, tears flowed down her face, which she wiped with her hand. But she was a strong woman after all. She only choked up for a moment before wiping away her tears and returning to normal. They spoke a few more words, discussing the details of letting Xiao Chan leave with him. Su Tan'er remembered something.

"Oh, right, I picked up a martial arts expert on the way here."

"Huh?"

"Like the stories you used to tell, she's a female knight-errant. On our way south, she seemed to be chased by enemies and hid with us. Later, she took good care of us along the way. Yesterday, when we were preparing to deliver the goods, someone tried to deliberately make things difficult, and she knocked him down in a few moves. You haven't met her, have you?"

Su Tan'er smiled as she said this. Ning Yi also smiled. It was just that his wife had formed a friendship with another woman who knew martial arts. If it had been two years ago, he would have been quite curious, but these days in Hangzhou, he had seen so many martial arts experts. The Badao Camp was full of them. As for female knight-errants, they sounded beautiful, but after seeing them, his mood became rather complicated. Apart from Liu Xigua, Ling Shan Fairy Wei Lingxue had a square face, and Ji Qian'er, the "Mandarin Duck Saber" in the Badao Camp, was just a country girl. She was already married, to Liu Zhizhang, the scribe in the Badao Camp who was somewhat familiar with Ning Yi, and she made lewd jokes, no different from men. The others were mostly like this. Of course, he was still grateful that she had escorted his wife all the way here.

"Is her martial arts very strong?"

He asked. Su Tan'er thought for a moment and nodded. "I think so, she should be very powerful. She has her own things to do, but we've been living together in the courtyard for the past two days, and I think... uh, when you go out later, you'd better avoid her."

Ning Yi nodded. "Didn't she say what she was doing here?"

"No, she's a very nice person and gets along well with Juan'er and me."

"In that case, tell me her name and nickname. Maybe I've heard of her. Since we have a friendship, if I hear about her in Hangzhou City in the future, maybe I can help."

"Okay." Su Tan'er smiled and nodded. "Nickname... I haven't heard her mention it much, it seems like she doesn't have one..."

So, she's an unknown nobody. I can try to help her as much as possible in the future, Ning Yi thought. Then he heard his wife continue, "Her last name is Lu, and her given name is Hongti."

Ning Yi's lips parted, and his expression froze. Beside him, his wife stretched out her finger and wrote characters in the air to deepen his impression. "Lu is the Lu of 壹贰叁肆伍 (one two three four five), red as in the color red, ti as in carrying things... Lu Hongti. She's not very pretty, her complexion is a bit sallow. I heard she was injured when she was young, about thirty years old... Son-in-Law?"

"...She's living here now?"

"Yeah."

"...I think, I should still meet her and thank her in person."

"Son-in-Law... do you know her?"

"An old acquaintance." Ning Yi stood up, looked at his wife, sighed, and then said, "He Shan Tie Jian Lu Hongti... um, her nickname is He Shan Tie Jian (Iron Sword of Rivers and Mountains)..."

He put his hands behind his back, pretending to be nostalgic and a lonely master, as if his Bloodhand Butcher had once defeated He Shan Tie Jian.

His heart was filled with all sorts of chaotic and unclassifiable feelings... Haha, what kind of divine development is this...

************

I'm sure no one guessed this... ^_^ (To be continued.) Vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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