Qi Ning frowned and said, "Are you from the Northern Han Dynasty?" ”

Xiuniang said: "My father was originally a small county official under Dingtao County in the Northern Han Dynasty, before the Qinhuai War, my father knew that Dingtao would be affected, and he was afraid that his family would be implicated, so he took us away from Dingtao, wanting to avoid the disaster of war." Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info"

"Oh?" Qi Ning said: "Your father is an official, and he left before fighting, so it can be regarded as an escape." ”

"Yes." Xiuniang said: "At that time, many officials left with their families first, and my father also went with the flow. However, they didn't dare to go to the north, for fear of being arrested and held accountable, and they didn't dare to go south, so they could only come in the direction of Dongqi. Lowering his head, his voice was calm: "I haven't been walking for long, and I met a chaotic ....... on the way!" ”

Qi Ning knew that the war was coming, and the people's hearts were panicked, and some people were burning and looting for the sake of the Kou, which was also unavoidable, so he heard Xiuniang continue: "They will kill people when they see them, and rob them when they see money, and none of us will be spared....... Speaking of this, his voice was also sour.

Maybe it's because a few years have passed, and she has been sad for many years, so now her emotions are well controlled.

Qi Ning asked, "So, your family was killed a few years ago?" ”

Xiuniang nodded: "Those thieves killed people and robbed the goods, but they didn't kill the young girl and arrested us back." At this time, the head of the mantis pressed even lower: "We thought it would be ...... I thought we would be humiliated by them, but they didn't touch us, they just locked us up and took care of us every day. After more than a month, we were taken to the country of Qi, and after staying in one place for only a few days, I was sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion. ”

"Why is that?" Qi Ning frowned.

Xiuniang said: "Later, the slaves and maids learned that those people took us to Dongqi to sell them to high-ranking officials and nobles as slaves, and some people ...... Someone saw that the slave and maid looked quite peugeot, and told the steward of the Xiangguo Mansion, and the steward asked people to send me over, and then ..... Since then, he has been staying in Xiangguofu. ”

Qi Ning said: "I see. ”

"There is an art orchestra in Xiangguofu, and the slaves and maids practice dancing together." Xiuniang said: "The slave maid also had some roots before, so ..... So the practice is very handy. Later, the slave maid knew that Xiangguo's art orchestra would change a group of people every few years, and after training, they would often give it to other dignitaries. ”

Qi Ning thought to himself that Ling Huxu was also a scholar, but why did he engage in these methods? But I thought in my heart that Ling Huxu, as the minister of Qi, although he is in a high position, but to form his own set of teams, it is inevitable that there will be some means to win people's hearts, and this method of giving away beauties is also a good means.

"If the people who were sent out of the orchestra were returned to the orchestra, there was no way out." Xiuniang said softly: "The Prime Minister's Mansion will not take it back, and the people who come out of the Prime Minister's Mansion will not dare to be taken in by other mansions." ”

Qi Ning understood and said, "So you definitely can't stay in Qi Country?" ”

Xiuniang said: "The slave maid heard that during the Qinhuai War, Dingtao was also beaten into ruins, and the slave maid ..... When the slave and maid returned, they could not find a home. He smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, the slave and maid have no home for a long time. ”

After the war, the people were displaced and homeless, this was not just Xiuniang's experience, Qi Ning sighed and said, "You have an uncle, but it's true?" ”

Xiuniang immediately said: "The slave maid is just worried that the Hou Ye knows that the slave maid is from the Northern Han Dynasty, so he ...... I won't want a slave or a maid, the slave and the maid and the rest of the words are true, the slave and the maid have an uncle, but they have long been missing, and they don't know whether they are alive or dead. ”

Qi Ning frowned, thinking that in this way, this girl really has nowhere to go, and after thinking about it, she said: "If you want, go back with me, I can always let you have a bite to eat." ”

Xiuniang saluted and said, "Xiuniang Xie Hou Ye took it in." ”

Qi Ning summoned people to come in, and ordered Xiuniang to arrange a place to stay, and he was going to leave early tomorrow morning, the post house was very big, and he could make up for a night anywhere, Xiuniang thanked him, and was about to go down, Qi Ning suddenly thought of something, and called Xiuniang and asked: "Xiuniang, you were arrested in the Northern Han Dynasty, and then they were sent to Eastern Qi, and then you were sold into slavery?" ”

Xiuniang said: "Yes." ”

"Is there a lot of this situation here in Dongqi?" Qi Ning asked, "Is it often that girls in distress are sold to Dongqi?" ”

Xiuniang frowned slightly, thought for a while, and then said: "The slave maid is not very clear, but there should be a lot." The Xiangfu's art orchestra is divided into more than a dozen teams, each team has five or six people, and they say that the girls in the art orchestra are carefully selected ......! His cheeks were slightly red, and he bowed his head and said, "If you look good and have a good body, you will be sent to the art orchestra, otherwise you won't be able to enter." ”

Qi Ning said: "In this way, there are nearly 100 members in the art orchestra. ”

Xiuniang said: "The slave maid just listened to them occasionally talk about how many people there are, and the slave maid doesn't know it, and I haven't seen it." But the slave maid ...... The slave knows that every year there will be new people joining the art orchestra, and every year someone from the art orchestra is sent out, the slave and the maid ...... The slave maid stayed in the art orchestra for three years before being sent to Hou Ye, and she has been staying for a long time. ”

Qi Ning thought to himself that this is naturally not because you are not excellent, on the contrary, whether it is your appearance or figure, you are very good, so naturally you will not send it out easily.

At this time, he couldn't help but think of the situation in Huize City, when Xiao Yishui, the head catcher of Huize County, secretly sold girls together with Mrs. Hua, controlled the girls in distress from the war-torn places, and with a little training, he sent them to the capital to sell them to dignitaries, and formed a dirty underground line.

That's why Fluttershy is missing.

Today's Xiuniang's encounter immediately made Qi Ning think of Fluttershy, although she felt that it was extremely unlikely, but a small flame still rose in her heart, and asked, "The girls from the art orchestra are all from the Northern Han Dynasty?" Can there be a girl from Chu State? ”

Xiuniang hesitated, but still nodded slightly: "Yes, in the slave team, there are two sisters from Chu State. Thinking of something, he said, "Does Master Hou remember the girl who came with the slave maid today?" ”

Qi Ning nodded, remembering that the girl looked charming, but she was impressed.

"She is from the Chu State." Xiuniang said: "Her experience is not much different from that of the slave maid, it is also a time of war, the family is broken, and she was sent to the Qi country, but she is not willing to say more about this, so the slave and maid are not good to ask." ”

Qi Ning frowned, thinking that he was really a mistake, if he had known that this was the case, he should have left the girl together, and he might not be able to ask some clues.

It was only then that he realized that during the war, the secret forced sale of girls did not only happen in Aizawa County, but now it seems that there are many people who are secretly doing this beast-like thing, and the dart team that sent Fluttershy and the others to the capital was wiped out halfway, and all the girls escorted were abducted, not necessarily by another gang engaged in human trafficking.

Fluttershy's disappearance has always been a hidden wound in Qi Ning's heart, and there are no clues, and trying to find Fluttershy is really looking for a needle in a haystack.

Although he knew that Fluttershy was missing, it was impossible for him to be sent to Dongqi, let alone to Ling Huxu's art orchestra, after all, there were many human trafficking gangs, and there were more dignitaries and nobles who bought girls as slaves, and there could be no such coincidence in the world, but there was still a glimmer of hope in his heart, and he asked, "Except for that girl today, how old is the other girl from the Chu Kingdom in your team?" ”

He remembered the rare shadow of Fluttershy, whom he had never met before, but who still had the image of a mink, remembered that Fluttershy was a little younger than him, and that she looked fifteen or sixteen years old.

Xiuniang thought for a moment and said, "I am one year older than the slave maid, and I have been in the art orchestra for more than a year. ”

When she said this, Qi Ning knew that it could never be Fluttershy, Xiuniang looked eighteen or nineteen years old, older than her, that is, almost twenty, and had been in the art orchestra for more than a year, and the time was not right, she was slightly disappointed in her heart, shook her head, and secretly thought that she was really thinking too much.

Seeing that it was getting late, the soldiers took Xiuniang down first, and before Xiuniang left, she was still a little shy and said, "Master Hou...... Don't you have to wait for someone at night? ”

Qi Ning thought to himself, not to mention that I didn't plan to touch you at all, even if I really wanted to take you, it wasn't tonight, I had to leave for Beijing tomorrow, you had a long way to go, and you always had to recuperate.

Before dawn the next day, the Chu delegation got up early, everything was ready, and under the leadership of Qi Ning, they went to the south of Lucheng.

When I arrived at Nanshengmen, there was already a guard of hundreds of people waiting, but the princess had not come yet, just waited for a while, and the prince led a team to come, there were many maids and eunuchs, and the carriage in which the princess rode was spacious and gorgeous, with four horse-drawn carriages, which was very magnificent.

The monarch of Eastern Qi has said goodbye to Princess Tianxiang in the palace, and did not send it over, after the prince and Qi Ning met, they discussed slightly, in the territory of Qi State, everything is naturally done according to the prince's intentions, led by the Qi State Cavalry Guards in front, the princess's car is in the middle, there are cavalry guards on both wings, and behind the princess's car, it is the accompanying Qi Palace people, more than 30 palace maids and more than 20 eunuchs, Qi Ning asked for a set of palace maid's clothes, so that Xiuniang dressed up and mixed into the palace maid team, so that it will not be conspicuous.

After departure, before arriving at a place, someone notified the local government in advance, and the government along the way also tried their best to supply extravagantly, not to mention that it was for the sake of Princess Tianxiang's face, the prince was escorted by the marriage envoy, and no one dared to slack off.

Qi Ning, as an envoy of the Chu State, with the crown prince, is naturally courteous, and there are even a lot of gifts from the government along the way.

There is no need for Qi Ning to worry about food and accommodation along the way, everything is arranged by Tao Qian, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites of Qi who accompanied him.

Qi Ning also told the prince in private, the speed does not have to be too fast, the prince is also a smart person, knowing that Qi Ning is to give Chu a little time to prepare for the work, after all, this is also related to the face of Qi State, the prince naturally agreed, so there are not many trips every day, and he walked for three days before entering the territory of Xuzhou.

Entering Xuzhou City, everything is in order, Qi Ning thought to himself that it seems that the death of King Taishan was still controlled by the State of Qi, and did not cause much turmoil, he knew that these days, the reception of foreign envoys is certainly one of the major events of the State of Qi, but the court of the State of Qi must also be dealing with the aftermath of King Taishan's rebellion.

Xuzhou city is full of traffic, everything is in order, and there is no sign of chaos, to the Xuzhou post house, Qi Ning only then knew that Xuzhou is currently cooked by Situ Mingyue, after the death of King Taishan and Xuzhou Thorn Shi Fang Xingzhai, Xuzhou dragons have no leader, but the prince governor Shi Situ Mingyue was recommended by the prince to temporarily manage Xuzhou affairs. , Qi Ning thought to himself that it was no wonder that when he arrived in Lucheng, he had never seen Situ Mingyue.

Situ Mingyue has not yet been named the Xuzhou Thorn History for the time being, and the official position is vacant, but what he has done is equivalent to the Xuzhou Thorn History.

This is the prince's henchman, and he has prepared in advance, so he is naturally warmly entertained, although the banquet in the evening is also lively, but after the banquet, there is no gift from the officials on the way, Qi Ning knows that this Situ Mingyue has just been in Xuzhou for a few days, and his ass has not been hot, so he will definitely not be able to take out anything, not to mention that he is the prince's person, but he does not have to send gifts to pat himself, but this makes Qi Ning less entered.

After the dinner, back to the post house, Li Tang came over to report: "Master Hou, there is a person named Mao Hu'er who is out asking to see him, saying that he has something urgent to meet Master Hou." ”

"Mao Fox?" Qi Ningqi said: "Who is that?" ”

Li Tang said softly: "I see that he is in shabby clothes, but the chassis is very stable when he walks, he is a practitioner, ask him who he is, he said that the Hou Ye knows, and he doesn't say much, look at the appearance, he is a bit like a beggar gang!" ”