She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

The innkeeper didn't even have time to put on his clothes as he staggered out of the house.

"Damn it, what are you yelling about so early in the morning!" His eyes were still closed in a line, and he cursed, "I just thought it was a big deal. The Youbei people said they would attack us every year, but when did they really do it?"

The waiter put his hands on his waist and panted, "This time, this time it's real! The city has been under martial law. They sneaked in from Wuling. The magistrate of Qing County on the border between the two states surrendered to the enemy and let the Youbei people in!"

Ah'ao was startled, dropped the horse brush in her hand and walked over.

It was quiet early in the morning, and the shouting woke up almost everyone who was sleeping in the post station.

The merchants ran out in a panic and hurried to check their cattle, horses and goods.

The merchants traveling around the country are the most sensitive to the outbreak of war. The slightest disturbance will become the fuse that causes them to lose all their money.

"Where did you get this news?" Ah'an quickly grabbed the waiter and asked.

Seeing that someone believed him, the latter hurriedly explained, "I got up early to go to the market, and wanted to buy some vegetables and fruits as the shopkeeper instructed. Because our post station is relatively remote from the town, and Yuanzhou has always been a dry land with a lot of wind and sand, so I have to go early in the morning to buy fresh fruits."

Ah-yi was impatient, "Get to the point."

"Oh." The waiter replied listlessly, "I went to Mrs. Baicai's stall, but found that not only she didn't set up her stall, but all the vendors on the whole street didn't set up their stalls! So I felt strange and waited. Not long after, a patrol team of officers and soldiers passed by, so I plucked up the courage to ask them. The officers said that Qing County fell the night before and the city was opened to the enemy. The Youbei people took down two cities without bloodshed!"

The guy didn't understand military tactics, nor could he comprehend the meaning of these words. He only knew that foreign invasion was definitely not a good thing.

He continued, "Our city is the closest county to Changguan, and Changguan is only 300 miles away from the main city of Yuanzhou. If the Youbei people fight quickly, it will be a matter of time before they capture Changxian and Changguan and head straight for Yuanzhou. The officers and soldiers said that Changxian has been under martial law and no one is allowed to move around in the city at will. They told me to run for my life, so I turned back immediately and told the shopkeeper about it."

Ah'ao thought about these words carefully and felt that something was not right.

Zheng Da followed and looked at her, "I'll go pack my things first."

Ah-yi nodded.

This is strange. The strange thing is, how can a patrolling soldier have the patience to tell civilians so much military information.

According to common sense, shouldn't we just get rid of it quickly and be done with it?

"Then, did the officer tell you why Youbei started the war?"

The waiter touched the back of his head and said, "Da Chong originally wanted to send the princess to marry, but the princess ran away." When he said this, his eyes sparkled, and he was very fond of rumors in the market, "It turned out that it was Zhao Hou of Kezhou who fell at the feet of the princess. This has been spread to everyone! The Youbei people didn't receive the princess for marriage, and the prince lost the wife who was about to get him, so naturally he was furious and started a war."

When Ah'ao heard this, the corners of her eyes twitched.

I thought Youbei would go to war, but I didn't expect it to be so soon.

In fact, Ah-yi owed Hu-gui the responsibility for breaking the marriage agreement. After their brief meeting in the palace on a winter day, they had not seen each other again.

All plans were basically based on her temperament. I don't know what Hu Gui explained to King Youbei and his subordinates.

On the surface, the victim of the broken contract was Hu Gui, who lost both his wife and his face. But they knew very well that they did not take this forced marriage seriously at all.

So in fact, the victim was Hu Gui.

Of course, Hu Gui let Luo Ya escape because Ah-yi and Heng-chi saved her life, and in order to repay their kindness, but You Bei's dispatch of troops was expected, and if Hu Gui tried to stop them, he would certainly expose himself, and he could not be expected to help to such an extent.

Ah's heart was heavy.

It was her own selfish desire that she was not willing to marry into the alliance, but if, because of this selfish desire, the people on the border of Da Chong were displaced and lives were lost everywhere, then even everything she had learned in her life would not allow her to turn a blind eye to such a mistake.

There is bound to be a battle between Da Chong and You Bei, sooner or later, it will just be a delay.

Yunli ran down in a hurry, holding the bag.

The people in the post station were in a panic and fled like birds and beasts. When they came out with the crowd, they saw Ah'ao standing alone in the courtyard, wondering what she was thinking about.

Yunli walked to Ah-yi with a worried look on his face. "Madam, what should we do next? Should we return to Kezhou?"

Returning along the original route is the best way for most business travelers whose route or destination is Yuanzhou.

Once the war started, it would not stop in a short time. In the midst of the flames of war, it was a blessing to be alive. Who would do business with?

Ah-yi looked at the vague mountains in the distance without looking away, "No, we are going to Yuanzhou City, and we will leave immediately."

She thought of several ways, including asking Zheng Da to take the mourners and Yunli back quickly, while she rode alone to Yuanzhou. Although this was the safest way, it was not the best way.

She had already done something treacherous and dangerous alone. Not to mention others, Hengzhi would never give in to her, and within a few days, the two of them would definitely appear in Yuanzhou.

Moreover, this is also a very disrespectful way to behave towards friends. If you only share the good times with others but not the bad times, you may think that you are doing it for their own good, but it is easy to create resentment over time.

It would be better to go to Yuanzhou together. Even if the Youbei people attack faster, Yuanzhou City is the last place to defend. Moreover, Li Chongxuan has ruled Yuanzhou for many years and will not let the city fall into the hands of the enemy.

Even if we don't expect the capital to send help, we still have to fight for the slim chance.

Zheng Da moved very quickly. When he appeared in front of the door again, he had already packed all the bags and carried them down, then put them into the car meticulously.

There were seven people in Wanlang's group. They picked an auspicious number and packed up after hearing the news, so they were ready to set off immediately.

Ah'ao still couldn't figure out the doubts that had just occurred to her, but she didn't have time to dwell on them. After telling everyone to get on the bus, she took her purse and walked to the room of the innkeeper.

The shopkeeper still lay on the bed, oblivious to what was happening outside the window, letting the guests flee in all directions, since he didn't expect them to pay anyway. There was a knock on the door, and the figure reflected on the door paper was slender, not his timid clerk.

The shopkeeper turned around, closed his eyes and sank back into the quilt.

But this man was really patient and kept knocking for a long time, which was really annoying.

The shopkeeper frowned, looked towards the door, and shouted, "Just check out and leave! Leave the key at the counter, and don't disturb me while I'm sleeping!"

Ah'ao put her ear to the door, but was startled by the loud sound.

She had indeed come to check out and pay the bill, but it was inappropriate to leave keys and money downstairs during this time of trouble, where anyone could take them.

And she didn't understand why the shopkeeper didn't go with his employees.

"Then I'll leave it at your door. Remember to take it away."

After Ah-yi finished speaking, she was about to turn around and go downstairs. But before she reached the stairs, the door behind her rang.

When I turned around again, a strong figure appeared behind half of the door, "Wait."

Since I entered this inn, I have never seen the innkeeper show up, and all things are handled by a few waiters. This is really a bit scary when you suddenly see it.

Ah-yi looked at him slowly. How could a shopkeeper who runs a post station grow up to be so strong and muscular? He didn't look like a businessman, but more like a soldier.

His hair was tied up high and he looked unkempt. His stubble almost blended into his bronze skin, as if he had rolled in coal dust.

"You come to pay?" the coal ash man questioned, "We're going to fight, and you still have the heart to pay?"

Ah-yi glanced at him and thought to herself that this man was really strange. There was a war going on, but he was concerned about this matter. "Isn't it natural to pay the bill for staying in a hotel?"

The other party paused, nodded in understanding, bent down, put the four keys and a silver ingot into his arms, and then waved his hand, "Okay, let's go."

"Wait." Ah-yi stopped him, "Your friends have all fled, why aren't you leaving yet?"

The man simply opened the door, took two steps, and leaned on the railing. "Those who are afraid of death will naturally run for their lives immediately."

It was as if he had specially invited the scolding. Ah-yi was a little confused and would rather not say it to him.

"For your honesty in business." The man picked up a machete from the window sill and handed it to Ah-yi. "This is for you. Use it for self-defense."

After saying that, he lazily turned back to take a nap.

The knife was heavy and covered with an old leather sheath, and looked like a machete. Ah-yi lowered her body a little before she could hold it.

The handle of the knife was wrapped in cloth, and a faint silver glow could be seen.

It’s still a good thing, A’ao thought.

They had no weapons, so even if it was just a knife, it was better than nothing, so they gladly accepted it.

For two days, he traveled day and night without looking back, and thanks to the machete, he didn't encounter any robbers.

On the third day, when the sun was just getting light, the group arrived at Changguan.

Yuanzhou is located in the northwest. Although the climate is dry and the sun is shining brightly, standing in the shade under the towering city walls, it is still a bit creepy in the early summer.

Ah'an rubbed her arms and waited for the city defense soldiers in front of her to check their passage one by one.

"Are you here to do business?" The soldier looked at A'an cautiously.

"Yes." Ah-yi instructed, and General Zheng opened the goods at the back. "They are all sacrificial paper flowers, for the funeral of Ma from Changguan."

Several people put away their weapons, patrolled around, and came back to nod to the leader.

"There is an order in the city now that anyone entering the city must wait for someone to pick them up. I have sent someone to the Ma family, so you can just wait by the side."

Although the procedure was complicated and redundant, the soldiers were quite friendly, so Ah-yi agreed. The group moved the carriages and horses aside and waited for the Ma family to arrive.

As for the battle situation in the past few days, Ah'ao was so busy on the road that she had no way of knowing.

Just as she was wondering about the attack route of the Youbei people after Qing County, a rumbling sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar.

Dust flew up, and the people waiting in line in front of the city gate to enter made way in fear.

Not long in time, the sound of horse reining in became intermittent. After the horse's hooves stopped, the dust and yellow sand around slowly settled down, and only then could we really see the person coming.

Ah'ao choked and coughed, squinted her eyes and waved away the dust in front of her with her hand, blinking constantly and almost shedding tears.

"Why are you here!"

A familiar question was heard, and Ah'ao raised her head. Sitting on the tall horse at the head was a very familiar-looking person.

"Why are you here?" Ah'an asked in confusion.

(End of this chapter)