Chapter 14

Qin Xiao had not yet spoken when he heard a voice from behind: "Oh, you're here, this is great. Watermark GG test Watermark GG test" The voice was filled with excitement.

Qin Xiao didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Hearing footsteps running over, Qin Xiao turned his head and saw the girl's delicate face full of joy: "We meet again, do you live nearby?" Seeing the person in the straw hat, her expression changed, and she frowned.

Qin Xiao said irritably: "It's already dark, why are you still wandering around the streets? Don't you know that Gui City is a mix of good and bad people, and many have ill intentions?"

"Bad people?" The girl looked around: "I don't see any bad people."

The person in the straw hat finally said: "The bad person he's talking about is me."

The girl was taken aback: "You?"

The person in the straw hat stared at Qin Xiao: "You were following me because I was following her?"

Qin Xiao, seeing that the other party had already revealed it, didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Yes, it's late, and you were sneaking around behind a girl. What were you up to?"

"What I do with her has nothing to do with you," the person in the straw hat said coldly.

Qin Xiao said calmly: "Anyone who has ill intentions in Gui City is the concern of the government." He glanced at the girl and said: "You've been following this girl, so of course I can't ignore it."

"Are you from the government?"

Qin Xiao didn't hide it: "I'm from the Commandery Office."

Although Gui City had many unruly ruffians and knights, most people still dared not oppose the Commandery Office.

When Han Yunong first came to Gui City, two swordsmen killed someone on the street and fled on horseback. However, within three days, Han Yunong not only captured the two swordsmen but also brought back over a dozen of their accomplices. Half of them were publicly beheaded after half a month.

Because of this case, the Gui City Commandery Office, which was once ignored and even mocked by many, immediately gained a fearsome reputation in Zhen Prefecture. Apart from the people of the Zhen Marquisate, the people of Gui City still felt awe when they saw someone from the Commandery Office.

Qin Xiao naturally knew the weight of the Commandery Office, so he mentioned it, hoping the other party would back off.

"Ah, you're from the Commandery Office." The person in the straw hat smiled: "I was following her, so you want to get involved?"

"I will get involved." Qin Xiao stared into the person's eyes.

The person in the straw hat laughed lightly: "If I say you can't get involved, or that getting involved will bring you big trouble, will you still get involved?"

Qin Xiao nodded: "Yes, I will. I'm from the Commandery Office, and if anyone causes trouble or harms others in Gui City, I have to get involved."

"You're young, but you have a big mouth." The person in the straw hat laughed: "But you are doing your duty, Han Yunong has trained his subordinates well."

"You... who are you?" Qin Xiao was taken aback: "Do you know the Commandery Officer?"

The person in the straw hat didn't say more and turned to the girl: "It's very late, you should go back."

The girl glanced at Qin Xiao and said helplessly: "Uncle Wen, you've been following me?"

"Here is beyond the pass." The person in the straw hat sighed: "You can't do as you please everywhere. What this young officer said is correct. Gui City is a mix of good and bad people, and if you are targeted by someone with ill intentions, it won't be good."

Qin Xiao's expression became interesting. He looked at the girl and then at the person in the straw hat, and finally said with a bitter smile: "You know each other?"

He had thought the person in the straw hat was following the girl with ill intentions and was worried about her safety, so he followed them. But it turned out they knew each other.

He was instantly relieved. The girl was clearly from a wealthy family beyond the pass. In this mixed-up Gui City, her family would naturally be worried about her safety and send someone to protect her in secret. This was a reasonable thing to do.

The person in the straw hat was clearly protecting the girl in secret, and he had mistaken him for a bad person, which was quite embarrassing for Qin Xiao.

But since the person in the straw hat had no ill intentions toward the girl, Qin Xiao was relieved.

"This is Uncle Wen." The girl said hurriedly: "By the way, we agreed at the noodle shop that if we met again, I would return your silver." She turned to the person in the straw hat: "Uncle Wen, do you have any silver?"

The person in the straw hat didn't waste words, took out a piece of silver, and threw it to Qin Xiao, which was at least four or five taels. However, the gesture was like giving a reward to a servant.

Qin Xiao caught it and said to the girl: "You know how to repay kindness, but your Uncle Wen doesn't seem to know manners." He threw the silver back to the person in the straw hat.

The person in the straw hat took the silver, frowned, and Qin Xiao said: "I know you're not an ordinary person, but even if you were the emperor, when you repay someone, you should show respect regardless of their status." He turned to the girl: "This meeting doesn't count. If we meet again, you can return it to me." He then turned and walked away without another word.

The girl called out: "I don't even know your name, what's your name?"

Qin Xiao ignored her. The girl said: "My name is Xiahou Qingcheng, you..." Before she could finish, the person in the straw hat interrupted her sternly: "Qingcheng!"

Xiahou Qingcheng didn't dare to say more, watching Qin Xiao walk away, she asked anxiously: "Uncle Wen, is he... is he angry?"

The person in the straw hat, Uncle Wen, watched Qin Xiao's figure gradually disappear into the night, and muttered: "Interesting." He then turned to Xiahou Qingcheng and said coldly: "The old master instructed you to follow the arrangements for your trip to Xiling. You promised, so why did you sneak out?"

Xiahou Qingcheng stepped forward and grabbed Uncle Wen's arm, pouting: "Uncle Wen, it's rare to come out, staying in the house all day is really boring, don't blame me."

"Why should I blame you?" The person in the straw hat sighed: "You will inevitably be scolded by the old master when you return, just listen to him. Although Xiling is nominally part of our Tang Empire, it is not entirely under our control. All kinds of people are here, and it is very dangerous, not like inside the pass. You must be careful everywhere."

Xiahou Qingcheng blinked and asked in surprise: "Uncle Wen, you said Xiling is not part of the Tang Empire? Why is that? Aren't the officials in Xiling appointed by the court?"

The person in the straw hat said: "You just need to know that Xiling is a dangerous place, no need to ask too much. The old master is surely waiting for you, let's go back early."

"No, Uncle Wen, tell me, what's really going on." Xiahou Qingcheng shook the person in the straw hat's arm: "If you don't tell me, I won't go back."

The person in the straw hat seemed helpless with Xiahou Qingcheng and smiled bitterly: "When the emperor ascended the throne, the Murong clan in the southern border rebelled, and the Tushun people invaded from the north. The empire was attacked from both north and south. The emperor mobilized troops to suppress the rebels and repel the invaders. You should know this, right?" As he spoke, he turned and walked slowly.

Xiahou Qingcheng immediately followed the person in the straw hat and said softly: "I've heard about it, that year I was just born."

"Exactly." The person in the straw hat said: "At that time, Xiling was part of our Tang Empire, and the court established the Xiling Protectorate here. The people here were all subjects of the Tang Empire." He paused for a moment and continued: "The Utho people beyond the Kunlun Pass saw the Tang Empire in trouble and gathered tens of thousands of cavalry to break through the pass. Previously, the Utho people would send envoys to the capital every year, and the Utho Khan even called himself a subject. Trade between the two countries was very prosperous, and the court never expected the Utho people to take advantage of the situation."

"Those ungrateful traitors." Xiahou Qingcheng said angrily.

"The Utho Khanate was only a few decades old, and the founding Khan admired the Tang Empire, and the two countries had been friendly for decades without any conflict. Therefore, the troops stationed in Xiling were not many. The northern Tushun people's attack was fierce, and the court had to transfer some troops from Xiling, leaving only five thousand troops to defend Xiling." The person in the straw hat said as he walked: "The Utho Khan personally led tens of thousands of cavalry into the pass, and at first, they were almost invincible, capturing cities and territories. The Protectorate's troops retreated continuously, partly to wear down the enemy's morale and partly to buy time to recruit troops and prepare supplies."

Xiahou Qingcheng asked anxiously: "What happened then?"

"Every place has its powerful families, and Xiling is no exception." The person in the straw hat said slowly: "At that time, there were three major families in Xiling: the Zhen, Fan, and Yuwen families. They had great influence in Xiling and were local aristocrats. To stabilize Xiling, the court had to stabilize these three families, and the court had always been lenient with them."

"Zhen is the Marquis of Changxin, right?" Xiahou Qingcheng asked.

The person in the straw hat nodded and continued: "The Protector of Xiling, Xia, ordered the Xiling families to gather young men and stockpile supplies, preparing to hold out and wait for reinforcements. However, Xia did not expect that in times of crisis, the Xiling families would stand idly by, each guarding their own territory. They not only did not support the front lines but also cut off supplies, leaving the Protectorate's troops to fight alone, and the situation was extremely dangerous."

Xiahou Qingcheng's beautiful face was full of anger as she followed the person in the straw hat and asked: "How dare they? The court... the court should have cut off their heads."

"At that time, the southern and northern wars were intense, and the court had no troops to send for reinforcements." The person in the straw hat sighed: "But Xiling could not fall into the hands of the Utho people. The emperor guessed the intentions of the Xiling families, and the court even suspected that the Utho people had secretly promised something to the Xiling families. Whoever controlled Xiling, these people would still be firmly rooted and live in luxury. However, the court needed the power of the Xiling families to resist the Utho people, so the emperor sent someone to Xiling. A few days after this person arrived, the Xiling families began to support the Protectorate's troops, and the situation improved slightly."

Xiahou Qingcheng blinked and asked: "Who was sent? Why did the families suddenly support the Protectorate's troops?"

"Many people at the time thought the Xiling families received the emperor's edict and were afraid." The person in the straw hat said: "Although the situation improved slightly, the Utho cavalry was still much stronger than the Protectorate's troops. It wasn't until the Snowy Night Capture of the Khan that the situation truly turned around."