si-mexico Chapter 124 Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight
Chapter 124 Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight
Not long after, Yun Qingjin entered the room carrying two bowls of clear soup noodles.
"Mother, I felt like I saw quite a lot in the inn's kitchen just now."
Setting down the noodles, Yun Qingjin lowered her voice and said, "Mother, I can confirm that there is absolutely no war going on around here right now. I saw that their kitchen is fully stocked with all kinds of food, vegetables, and supplies, even more than we have at home. Look, these two bowls of clear soup noodles—it's called clear soup, but the proprietress really slathered several spoonfuls of sesame oil on them when she cooked them; she didn't hold back at all."
Yun Yuke nodded, took a bite of the noodles, and found the taste to be just right, simple yet very fragrant.
"Yes, there's enough salt in this noodle dish. If war breaks out and supplies become scarce, salt will definitely be the first thing to run out of."
"So, Mother, so there really wasn't a war, right?" Although it was different from her impression, if there really wasn't a war, it would definitely be a good thing, at least it would ensure safety.
"Although we can't be too careless, we have sufficient supplies and are living comfortably, so at least for now, everything is fine. As for why this is the case, let's not speculate on that for now. Let's rest today and investigate again tomorrow."
The two were indeed hungry, so they stopped talking and silently finished the two bowls of noodles.
"By the way, Mother, aren't you planning to go out and investigate tonight?" Yun Qingjin asked again after returning from taking the bowl back to the kitchen.
“I’m not going. After finishing this bowl of rice, I understand now. Here’s the thing: I’d venture to guess that there might not have been any mutiny originally. I guess it’s possible that the Cangnan army did have some problems, and the news got out, but Cangnan probably already brought things under control.”
"Possibly," Yun Qingjin nodded. "If nothing's wrong, then why are the messengers only going in and not coming out?"
"Because Cangnan Town prevents people from leaving, in order to lure out those who want to cause trouble."
Yun Qingjin was shocked. "What does this mean?"
"Who do you think would be eager to know about the situation of the Cangnan Army?" Yun Yuke asked.
"Hmm... people who want to cause trouble, people who want to throw Cangnan into chaos."
“That’s right, that’s exactly it! I think there are two groups of people. The first is the people from Uro. There are definitely all sorts of spies in a place like Cangnan Town, but now that we’ve brought them under control, if we don’t let the spies go back, then the people from Uro will get anxious and will be eager to attack Cangnan. With Uro in turmoil, if that Prime Minister Long wants to divert attention from the domestic situation, he will definitely take this opportunity to send troops.”
“Yes! Very likely!” Yun Qingjin nodded.
"The second type of person, I guess, is Marquis Ankang. When we were at the manor, the information I heard from the scouts proved that Marquis Ankang was also sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight. So, it is very likely that Marquis Ankang's people also wanted to take advantage of the internal strife in Cangnan so that his private army could clear away the obstacles."
"This...external enemies aside, are there bad people within as well?"
"Of course, it's normal for there to be bad people among the masses."
Yun Yuke continued to ask, "So, if you were a general in the Cangnan Army, and two groups of people were eyeing you covetously, what do you think you would do?"
"Hmm... then we should trap everyone first. If anyone deliberately tries to spy on the army, then those people must be spies with ulterior motives. We should arrest them and prevent them from going back."
Yun Yuke nodded, "That's about right, that should be it. The people your teacher Zhu sent probably failed to gain the trust of the Cangnan army, or perhaps they didn't want to reveal too much information, so they simply trapped all the people who came to gather intelligence and will release them when the time is right."
"It makes sense, but there are still some things I'm unsure about." Yun Qingjin still didn't understand.
"If locking people up can solve the problem, then why are so many merchants leaving Cangnan Town? Didn't Teacher Zhu say that she learned from the merchants who came out that nothing serious happened in Cangnan?"
Yun Yuke found this statement rather strange.
"Your concern...is indeed, let me think about it..."
Yun Yuke got up and paced back and forth in the room. After a while, she gave up.
"That's a good question, Qingqing, very good. I can't explain it right now. After all, I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so I can't be sure what the situation is. Let's not guess."
Yun Qingjin scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, "Ah, this..."
"It's good to have questions, don't worry about it, my dear Qingqing. Your question is more comprehensive, and I agree with that."
"Anyway, let's ignore it for now and go to sleep tonight. Since they said there's a curfew, let's get some rest and talk about it tomorrow morning."
We should go out and investigate when the time is right. Right now, the outside world is full of dangers, and we are not very familiar with the local situation. In that case, it might be best to stay put.
Use stillness to control movement.
Having figured everything out, the two stopped worrying about anything else. After setting up some security measures around the house, the mother and daughter had a good night's sleep.
Of course, Yun Yuke did not fall asleep completely.
Around midnight, Yun Yuke sensed the arrival of outsiders.
The visitor found the innkeeper.
"How are the two newcomers? Any unusual behavior?"
"No, it was a mother and daughter. They ordered dinner last night, and after they finished eating, they even brought the bowls back to us. It seems like there are no problems for now. The girl looks about ten years old, and she seems to be fine for now."
"Okay, then you guys keep an eye on them. If there are no problems, don't let them stay too long."
Oh. So, this inn is indeed connected to the Cangnan Army.
Entering Cangnan Town would likely mean entering the control of the Cangnan Army.
The next morning, the two of them, disguised as the original characters "a mother and daughter looking for the head of their household," went out into the streets to ask people for the "husband's portrait" after they had sold all the grain.
Just as the two of them had guessed yesterday, the streets were completely calm, and it didn't look like a war zone at all.
However, before the two could even begin to question the people on the street, the sudden arrival of cavalry broke the tranquility of the place.
"Border under attack! Border under attack! Everyone, stop work immediately! Stop work immediately!"
A messenger on horseback arrived swiftly, shouting as he raced through the town.
"Mother, didn't you say there wouldn't be a war? What's going on now?" Yun Qingjin didn't want to believe that her mother had guessed wrong.
"Hmm, it seems the people on Uro's side can't hold back any longer. Let's go back to the inn first."
"Back to the inn?"
As Yun Yuke walked, she whispered about the conversation she had overheard the previous night.
"Regardless, we are just an ordinary mother and daughter looking for someone, not anyone else. Our actions are in line with this logic, and that's enough."
Back at the inn, there weren't many guests, but their expressions varied.
Some people feel it's too dangerous and are afraid of war.
Some people are relatively calm and follow instructions.
"Ah, you're back." The innkeeper, who hadn't been very friendly yesterday, quickly invited the mother and daughter to sit down.
"Gentlemen, we have suddenly received a notice that there is an emergency. The entire town of Cangnan is now under martial law, and you are not allowed to leave your homes. Please stay at our inn. If you need any supplies, please let us know and we will send you more."