When Zhu Houzhao saw Jiang Bin's aggrieved appearance, he suddenly realized that he was too harsh. Before, Jiang Bin felt that he had given the clothes to the emperor and did not receive a reward, but now Zhu Houzhao's tolerance towards Jiang Bin is based on Jiang Bin's previous hard work.

"Forget it, you go out and look for you immediately, and wait for you for an hour." Zhu Houzhao said with a stern face, "Today, we must find a woman who suits me, otherwise we will be punished strictly!"

"Abide by the order!"

...

...

Jiang Bin started his old business again and started doing some stealing things.

Although Jiang Bin can try not to be investigated by local governments, it is still difficult to hide from those who are staring at them secretly, such as the scouts sent by Yun Liu and Xier.

At this time, Yunliu and Xier had also entered the city. The way they entered the city was very special, and they entered the city through a secret passage connecting the inside and outside of the city.

In the northwest, those who smuggled goods for many years have been buying a large house near the city wall in order to avoid being seized by the government, and in name only repaired the high walls and fortresses of the home. In fact, they secretly dug out tunnels to lead outside the city, and then built corresponding villages outside the city as cover.

This kind of secret construction will take several years to complete. After that, you can use these channels to continuously import salt, tea and other materials into the city to avoid paying taxes.

Yunliu's men had contacts with people from all walks of life. This time, in order to prevent the emperor from being followed by someone, Yunliu did not use the clearance certificate issued by the Ministry of War to enter the city.

After all, Lingqiu City is under martial law. If the city gate is opened and people are released into the city, it will be easy for Jiang Bin to know about it, and the emperor will be prepared at that time.

"...Senior sister, what do you think Jiang Bin is doing? Why is he still sneaky like a thief when he arrives in the city?" Xier frowned and asked when she heard his subordinates' report.

Yun Liu smiled faintly: "Is this necessary to ask? Of course, the young master needs a woman again... Jiang Bin walked around the streets and alleys to inquire, and must be searching for women for the young master."

Xier rolled her eyes: "Being an emperor is good. You can change women every day, and you can openly abduct women from a civilian population. You cannot pursue the crime even if the victim's family members know about it. Even if they suffer a loss after they find out, the woman will suffer in the end..."

"Is this something you can say?" Yun Liu raised his face and scolded.

Xier kept silent.

Yunliu walked into the yard, looked at the sky, and said, "It's a pity that the adults didn't explain what to do if such a situation happened, but we don't have to arrange women for the young master."

“That’s…”

Xier said, "Where can we find it? Could it be that the female soldiers under our command go?"

While speaking, Xier laughed, as if she was talking about such an interesting thing, but when she saw Yun Liu's cold expression, she immediately stopped.

Yun Liu said seriously: "Lingqiu City does not occupy a large area. If Jiang Bin finds it, it will be very troublesome. We must hide ourselves first... Send scouts to stare at him at any time. Even if we do something evil, we cannot stop it, otherwise we may find our traces."

"That senior sister means..."

Xier looked at Yunliu with puzzled eyes.

Yun Liu sighed, "Since you know the residence of the young master, don't keep an eye on it so tightly. Keep our people safe first, just let the local eyeliner of Lingqiu go over and watch during the day... At the moment, Lingqiu martial law is strictly prohibited, so we only need to keep an eye on the city gate to prevent the young master from suddenly leaving the city. As long as this is done, nothing else matters."

Xier said, "Ah... I heard from my sister that we are going to live outside the city again? I just entered the city, and I thought I could have a safe sleep!"

"Safety first!"

Yun Liu said seriously, as if she thought it was a common thing to do so.

But for Xier, this is not good news. She said aggrievedly: "Last night, senior sister, you haven't had a good rest. I originally wanted to let senior sister take a shower first and have a good sleep in the city. If you go out of the city now..."

"It is not necessary to leave the city, but we must cheer up. If there is any slightest disturbance, we will go down to avoid being discovered by the young master!"

Yun Liu thought about it and said, "It is the top priority for us to do what we have entrusted to you. If you want to enjoy it, you will have time after returning to the capital in the future."

Xier was very unhappy: "I'm afraid I won't have the chance to enjoy it when I return to the capital... The adults just said it nicely, and let us rest, but one day we didn't run around? We didn't look like women at all. Looking back now, it's really not as good as when we were in Tingzhou Prefecture, at least we didn't have to work hard at that time."

Yun Liu originally wanted to scold Xier for being shallow, but when she thought of each other's sisterhood, she could only sigh and say nothing.

...

...

In Juyong Pass, after nightfall, Xie Qian was still looking at the letter in his hand in the dim candlelight.

Most of these letters were sent from the capital.

After knowing that Xie Qian had arrived at Juyongguan, the officials in the capital immediately sent a letter of greeting. While explaining the situation in the capital, they urged him to return to Beijing to take charge of the overall situation. However, because Shen Xi did not say goodbye, he left to find the emperor, which made Xie Qian, who was very responsible, unable to move for a while and could only stay in Juyongguan to wait for the situation.

"One day after day, there seems to be endless things to deal with. When will this hard day end?..."

Facing a thick stack of letters, Xie Qian was very tired.

For an old man like him, he should have returned home to enjoy his old age, but now he is doing the most troublesome things in the court. He traveled thousands of miles from Yansui to Juyongguan, and then began to face countless documents, which gave him a headache.

There was a person sitting on the chair next to him, dozing off, but it was Wang Chang.

Wang Chang was forced to be his companion by Xie Qian.

For Wang Chang, he could put any official business aside first. Anyway, he had never presided over the court. Even if he had a bill to do something, it was Xie Qian's business. He only needed to answer a few words with Xie Qian at any time. Over time, he became a chicken pecking at rice and kept nodding.

"Hanying, do you think the Empress Dowager intends to let Zhihou retreat? The troops led by Ying Ning are almost at Zijing Pass..." Xie Qian suddenly asked.

After waiting for a while, there was no reply. Xie Qian turned around and found that Wang Chang had fallen asleep.

Xie Qian asked again, and Wang Chang woke up and asked, "What did you say, Yu Qiao?"

After Xie Qian said the question for the third time, Wang Chang heard it clearly and shook his head and said, "Why should the Queen Mother's intention be what you and I think?"

Wang Chang was perfunctory in his words, obviously not wanting to discuss with Xie Qian the issue of who is right and who is wrong, and he didn't want to get involved in so many troubles in the court.

Xie Qian said helplessly: "The situation is getting more and more complicated now. Ying Ning led his troops directly to Zijing Pass and headed to Guangchang. He should have expected that His Majesty would probably be on the line from Lingqiu to Guangchang. If Ying Ning met Zhihou, he didn't know what to do."

"oh."

Wang Chang did not answer. At this time, he was extremely bored. He probably heard Xie Qian talking, but he didn't want to listen carefully to what it was.

Xie Qian said again: "I am relieved to Yingning, but I am the Duke of Protecting the Kingdom... This person did a lot of wrong things in the northwest. It was not until Zhihou and Yingning took office as the governor of the three sides that he had implemented was eliminated. When His Majesty ascended the throne, I mentioned that he should use this person carefully, and I did not want the Queen Mother to promote and reuse him again."

Wang Chang looked at Xie Qian and asked in confusion: "What are you competing with Duke Bao? Even if he has no credit, at least he has worked hard, right?"

Xie Qian waved his hand: "What hard work? This is simply a corrupt and slander. He is just protected by his ancestors' merits... These nobles, who live a pampering life and have not been on the battlefield for a long time, have all become idiots. They only know how to work for their own interests. Who will truly contribute to the Ming Dynasty?"

Wang Chang lost his mind to answer this time.

Xie Qian said again: "I am going to send a letter to the Empress Dowager and ask the Empress Dowager to issue an imperial decree to appease me. This kid is much more reliable than the Duke Baoguo and others. The Duke Baoguo suffered a great loss when he was in Yansui. I am afraid that this time it may embarrass me."

Wang Chang said: "You thank Yu Qiao for being so lenient. In fact, it is best if you go to see His Majesty and persuade him to return to Beijing. Apart from you, others may not have the ability."

Xie Qian glanced at Wang Chang, wondering if the other party was sarcastic about him, because only Shen Xi was the only minister with a good relationship with the emperor. Otherwise, he would not have been sent to the three sides to manage military salaries. This wasted time for more than half a year.

...

...

Shen Xi stayed in Weizhou City for only one night, and set off for Lingqiu early the next morning.

Xiao Guozi, Zhang Yong, Qian Ning and Hu Lian all got up earlier than Shen Xi. Shen Xi always did things in an orderly manner, showing a calm and unhurried attitude.

When Zhang Yong saw Shen Xi come out of the inn, he quickly met him and said, "Mr. Shen, you came out so late. I'm afraid you haven't recovered from your strength? We thought you left in the middle of the night because of your youthful health."

When one person has opinions about another, his speech is very insidious, especially the eunuch. Obviously, Zhang Yong had an objection to Shen Xi getting up late. Of course, the most important thing was that Shen Xi chose to stand on Xiao Tiaozi's side yesterday and rejected his suggestion to travel overnight.

Shen Xi said: "It doesn't matter whether you are tired or not. At least we can't make Your Majesty too tired. What do you think?"

Shen Xi means that we are not in a hurry to rush, but to let the emperor rest more, so as not to know that we are scared to run away again, and those who are ministers need to be more considerate.

Zhang Yong snorted and said nothing. Hu Lian came over and said, "Since Shangshu Shen has rested properly, let's set off soon, and all matters are ready."

Xiao Taozi didn't say anything to Qian Ning, and Zhang Yong said, "Oh! Every day, I don't know what to do except rushing to go or waiting."

It seems to be complaining, but it seems to be something else, but no one takes it.

Then several people led the horses over. After getting on the horse, everyone went south to the city with their hearts. Before they reached the city gate, local officials and generals lined up to see Shen Xi leave.

It is not a secret that Shen Xi's entry into the city. For local officials and generals, they really hope to curry favor with Shen Xi, a top civil official in the court, but they dare not give gifts, so they can only express their feelings when Shen Xi leaves.

Chen Xi smiled faintly: "I came out of Juyongguan and was traveling with stars and nights. At that time, I thought of meeting you earlier. Now that I have gathered together, I am not in a hurry. Your Majesty is not in danger yet. I believe Jiang Bin can protect Your Majesty's completeness."

Zhang Yongdao: "What is Jiang Bin? A small Weizhou Guard Commander dares to instigate Your Majesty to go out? Can such a lowly martial artist accept it? Or even if he is a little loyal, he has no one at hand. How can he ensure His Majesty's safety when encountering bandits?"

Chen Xi shook his head and said, "As long as Your Majesty is still in Lingqiu City, what are you afraid of? It is said that martial law has been strictly enforced around Lingqiu, and I have not heard of any news of the bandits performing their crimes recently... Maybe the bandits saw that there was no oil and water to catch, so they all went south, so Eunuch Zhang could rest assured to his stomach."

Zhang Yong was so angry that he stomped his feet, but there was no way. He could not move forward alone, so he could only follow the large army. On the one hand, he was afraid of offending Chen Xi, and on the other hand, he was constantly storing money in words. Zhang Yong lived so much, but in special times he had no choice but to do anything, because Chen Xi had too much power, and Zhang Yong also understood that the person who had the opportunity to persuade the emperor to go back this time must be Chen Xi.

Zhang Yong had already tried to persuade the king with Xiao Tiaozi, but he didn't see the king's people. He just saw Jiang Bin and let his butt blossom. He was wronged and scared the emperor away. He was afraid of taking responsibility again, so he would rather throw the matter to Chen Xi, but he was still thinking about "making meritorious service" and winning the opportunity to perform.

...

...

Chen Xi and his party calmly headed towards Lingqiu.

During these two days, Zhu Houzhao's life in Lingqiu County was very dull.

Even though Jiang Bin began to search for women from the people, he could not satisfy Zhu Houzhao's appetite, mainly because Lingqiu City was too small and the bandits were in chaos, so there were not many people in the city. Even if there were some wealthy families, their doors were closed. The walls of these deep-dwelling courtyards were four or five meters high, and some even built fortresses and arrow towers. It was unrealistic fortresses and arrow towers in Jiang Bin wanted to go in and grab people.

Jiang Bin was in a very difficult situation. On the one hand, the emperor was indeed in need, and on the other hand, the miserable situation in the city. While working hard, he tried to rely on local governments to help solve the problem.

But unfortunately, not all local officials will do anything to cater to the emperor. For those who have no desires and no desires, it is unrealistic to do their duty as a minister, and then ask for extra things.

Jiang Bin's actions in the past two days have caused dissatisfaction with local governments. Such other inappropriate thoughts are almost a fantasy.

"...Your Majesty, there is really no way. If you don't poop in this place, why don't we go to another county town to have a look?" Jiang Bin originally wanted to prove that he was capable, but a good wife couldn't cook without rice. When he arrived in Lingqiu, he realized how difficult it was to cook without rice.

Zhu Houzhao's face was pitch black. He hadn't even drunk a better wine these two days, all of which were turbid rice wine that was not very delicious. No woman who accompanied the wine was beautiful, and she had never seen any opera troupe and music playing. Zhu Houzhao always wondered whether she had returned to the primitive society.

After Jiang Bin talked about the situation, he lowered his head and did not dare to look at Zhu Houzhao.
To be continued...