The yamen of the Suzhou prefect was silent and unwashed, and he didn't even have time to change his dirty robe, so he ordered someone to bring the 'beard and thin beard' into the signing room for questioning.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had not yet arrived, he trotted to the backyard and saw Ruohan waiting for him at the Hanging Flower Gate...... Female dependents can't enter the front office, this is a dead rule, so no matter how anxious she is, she has to wait here.

As soon as he saw Shen Mo's face gray and black, his robe was torn and dirty, and the back of his hand was wrapped with a black bandage, Ruohan's eyes turned red all of a sudden. Shen Mo hurriedly took two steps and said, "Lady, I'm back." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to hug her, but when he saw that his two paws were dirty, he withdrew his hand and just lowered his head and looked at her with a smirk.

Seeing him like this, Ruohan couldn't help but burst into tears, took the initiative to lean into his arms, and whispered: "Hold me ......" A delicate and delicate sound made Shen Mo sweet to his heart. Quickly reach out and carefully wrap your arms around your wife.

"Hold on tight...... Ruohan leaned firmly into his arms and whispered.

"I'm afraid of pressing our baby." Shen Mo whispered, and looked at her abdomen, the bulge was already very large, and it looked like it was all hard for her.

"It doesn't matter," Ruohan said softly, "I'm arm by arm." ”

Shen Mo hugged his wife's shoulders tightly and whispered in her ear: "I apologize to you, I was bad before, and I shouldn't have lost my temper with you." ”

Ruohan's delicate body stiffened at first, and after a while, he tasted the strong guilt and love in Shen Mo's words, and softened in his arms, tears couldn't help but flow down, and he sobbed quietly: "It's me who is not good, I have a little surname with you, and I only care about the baby, regardless of your feelings." After speaking, he gently tugged at his sleeve and said sadly: "You see that as soon as I am negligent, you will be dirty like this." Touching the bandage on his hand again, he was extremely distressed: "It's still hurt, does it hurt?" ”

"It doesn't hurt," said inwardly, "that's what I want." But there was a big man's smile on his face: "Silly girl, I am marching and fighting outside, how can I take care of so much?" As he spoke, he half-supported Ruohan's waist and said, "Let's go in and talk." ”

Freshen up in the backyard, change into a brand new robe, and silently say to his wife, "Wait for me." He hurried back to the signing room and said to the soldiers standing at the door: "Are people coming?" ”

"Here we are."

"Keep the courtyard and let no one in." Silently gave the order, and stepped into the signing room.

In the signing room, the beard with tattered clothes and some bruises on his face was really there, and it was surprising that this person was not only not tied, but also sat on a chair with a big knife and a golden horse, drinking tea slowly, as if he had arrived at his own home.

Sanchi stood behind him, without the slightest hint of unhappiness, as if he had taken it for granted...... You must know that Sanchi has the most problems, and when a magistrate comes to sign the house, if he is not in order, he will be very angry, thinking that this is disrespecting their family.

Seeing Shen Mo come in, the bearded man looked at him with his nostrils, and continued to drink his tea. Sanchi also didn't feel that it was wrong, it seems that this gentleman is really not small.

Seeing that Shen Mo didn't care at all, he smiled and arched his hand: "Brother He, don't come to harm." ”

Then 'Brother He' put down the teacup, looked at him and said, "I haven't seen you for a few years, Brother Shen has been in a red robe, which is really gratifying." ”

Shen Mo smiled awkwardly: "I just happened to be at the meeting, because the emperor wanted to use me to open a port, so I was able to overpromote." ”

"Hmph," Brother He sneered a few times and said: "The four-grade master is a shelf with a feudal territory, I have been waiting and waiting every day for the past few days, but the result is good, people didn't wait, and I was arrested by your minions." ”

"That's someone sent by the Jinyi Guard to spy on me, not my minions." Shen Mo laughed, but secretly wondered in his heart, it turned out that although this guy was yin and yang, he was still a good comrade, otherwise he would not agree to do the very unpromising job of undercover.

Now everyone knows who this 'Big Brother He' is, right? Yes, it is He Xinyin and He Daxia who went to the 'brother-in-law' with his lover...... Speaking of which, that was at the beginning of Jiajing's 35th year, and it has been more than two years now.

In the past two years, He Xinyin has been completely incognito, cutting off all ties with the past, from a smiling and proud laugher, to a hateful widow, and the sacrifice is so great that it cannot be experienced without personal experience.

So no matter how big his temper is, the silence will endure it unconditionally.

I don't know if it was stimulated by the Japanese when I was a widow, or if I had forgotten how to be a normal person, He Xinyin raised his nose and raised his eyes at Shen Mo, and said angrily for a while: "You officials, you deserve to be killed!" For a while, he hated and said: "This Ming Dynasty is rotten and hopeless." "It always feels like he's mentally twisted.

Thanks to Shen Mo knowing that he owed him a lot, he tolerated it all, and when he finished venting, he cautiously asked, "How is my sister-in-law?" ”

"Lotus Heart, ......" mentioned his lover, He Xinyin's face finally softened, and said: "She is very good, she plays the piano and paints with her sister all the time, but she is not lonely." ”

"What about Brother He?" Silent asked with concern, this was his focus.

"It's not good, it's not bad," He Xinyin said: "I performed well, and Xu Hai also trusted me, but leading troops to fight requires talent, but I can't compare to Xu Hong, so Xu Hai didn't let me lead the troops, but followed him and became a dog-headed military advisor who gave advice...... That's why I can use the excuse to go into the city to investigate, and come back to you to answer. As he spoke, he sat up straight and said, "If you want to know anything, you ask." ”

"Whose idea was Xu Hai's entry this time?" Shen Mo asked.

"Contributed by many factors," He Xinyin said: "Xu Hai has long coveted the wealth of Suzhou, and there are big inland households colluding with him, of course, more importantly, after the ban on trade, their business has become more and more difficult to do. ”

After listening to He Xinyin's words, he lowered his eyelids slightly, pondered for a moment, and said: "According to your meaning, the purpose of the Japanese Kou, seeking wealth is secondary, and breaking the sea ban is the key." ”

"Yes!" He Xinyin nodded heavily and said: "In Xu Hai's plan, it is good to be able to break through Suzhou City, but if it can't be breached, it is also acceptable to occupy a county seat facing the Wusong River." He didn't know about Qi Jiguang at this time, so he didn't worry about it: "This time Xu Hai is prepared, once Suzhou's attack is frustrated, he will turn to the second target, Kunshan." ”

"Yes...... Shen Mo nodded slowly: "Among the eligible counties, Kunshan is the one with the worst defense. "I can't help but worry about Hai Rui and Gui Youguang, they are supervising the river, it is likely to be outside the city, and I don't know if it is safe now.

"It's not that I grow the ambition of others and destroy my own prestige." He Xinyin said again: "If Xu Hai attacks Kunshan City with all his might, the government may not be able to hold it." ”

"I will send Qi Jiguang to focus on supporting Kunshan County." Said silently.

"How many people are there?" He Xinyin asked.

"Less than ten thousand." The silent face did not change color.

"Impossible, if you take 3,000 troops out to suppress bandits, Suzhou City will only rely on women to defend the city." He Xinyin ruthlessly pierced the silent words.

Shen Mo's old face turned red, and he said, "Isn't this giving you some confidence." ”

"I think you don't trust me, I'm afraid that I will be reversed by Xu Haice." He Xinyin sneered.

Silent said, 'What are you doing so bluntly?' But he said with a straight face: "I swear to the sky, I am full of respect for Brother He, without the slightest doubt, if there is half a lie, the sky will thunder," the last half of the sentence was read out in my heart: As long as you don't hit me, it's fine.

"That's it." He Xinyin forgave him, and then said: "You are not enough people at all, although Xu Hai is a bad person, but his ability to fight is unique in the world, I have seen him defeat 20,000 officers and troops with 2,000 troops, and now the number of people on both sides is reversed, this battle cannot be fought at all." ”

Shen Mo didn't tell him in detail, but just arched his hand and said, "So I have to ask Brother He for help." ”

"I'll do my best." He Xinyin sighed and said: "But in the current situation, even if the three of us say that the sky is broken, Xu Hai will not change his mind." ”

"The three of you?" Shen Mo asked, "You, sister-in-law, and ...... Wang Cuiqiao? ”

"Yes, I need to tell you a little bit more about this woman." He Xinyin lowered his voice and said, "Because after contact, I found out that she is the lifeblood of Xu Hai at all...... She is not only knowledgeable and elegant, but also kind and approachable, making everyone feel like a spring breeze. We originally thought that she was taken captive by Xu Hai by accident and became the lady of the village. But according to Xu Hai himself, when he was a monk in Lingyin Temple, he saw Wang Cuiqiao come to incense, and he was fascinated by her. But knowing that he was a little novice and not worthy of her fame, he returned the vulgar and followed his uncle Xu Qianxue to the sea, hoping to do business and make a lot of money, so that he could see her in the open. ”

Shen Mo couldn't help but sigh: 'It turns out that everyone has a cute youth with turtles.' ’

"As a result, later, the sea ban was strict, and smuggling could not make money, so Xu Qianxue changed careers and became a pirate." He Xinyin continued: "Xu Hai's identity has also changed, who knows if he has found a place to play his strengths...... He is good at organization, good at naval warfare, very military genius, strength swells quickly, after Xu Qianxue died, he became Wang Zhi, the second big pirate force, if it is only about combat effectiveness, he is not afraid of Wang Zhi at all. ”

"But even if he became such a pirate giant, he still didn't change his mind." He Xinyin said: "I have ventured to the mainland many times and spent a lot of money to see Wang Cuiqiao, but at that time, Wang Cuiqiao and Luo Longwen were in love, how could I pretend to be him in my heart?" Although Xu Hai was sad, he couldn't bear to make Wang Cuiqiao sad, so he never did anything to the surnamed Luo, and he said to Wang Cuiqiao: "As long as I can see her and know that she is doing well, I will be satisfied." ’”

If this is not love, then there is really no love in the world.

"But Luo Longwen is a swinger who can't do anything." He Xinyin said: "I am a good gambler, I have spent money like dirt, I have long relied on Wang Cuiqiao to support her, and I often beat and scolded her after drinking, which made Xu Hai extremely angry." He decided to take action to rectify Luo Longwen, so he secretly asked the big family that cooperated with him to crush Luo Longwen's Huimo business, so that he owed a debt that could not be repaid for eight lifetimes. He also sent someone to pretend to be a wealthy businessman and said to the surnamed Luo that as long as Wang Cuiqiao was sold to him, he could help him pay off his debts, and he would give him another sum of money to let him start again. ”

"Luo Longwen is already desperate and frustrated," He Xinyin continued: "I didn't want to agree, Wang Cuiqiao was struck by lightning after hearing the news, and he was going to commit suicide by throwing himself into the river." As a result, Xu Hai appeared, he rescued Wang Cuiqiao, took him back to his lair, and taught Luo Longwen a hard lesson, cutting off his descendants. ”

"Didn't you say that it was my sister-in-law Lianxin?" asked with a silent smile.

"It's Xu Hai first," He Xinyin sighed and said, "Lotus Heart is a white spot now." ”

It turned out that poor Brother Luo was abolished twice in a row, and he said silently: "No wonder he doesn't hate Lu Lianxin very much." ’

"After Wang Cuiqiao went to the island, at first everything was disillusioned and lifeless, then Xu Hai flattered and relieved in every way, and he couldn't wait to pluck the moon off for her, but he couldn't let her recover." He Xinyin said: "That's why I moved the idea of getting the lotus heart and giving her a companion...... Wang Cuiqiao's piece of ice was finally covered by him, and the two finally became relatives last year, both of them were single-minded, and they were happy. ”

He Xinyin finished speaking, what a touching love story...... But Shen Mo, a guy who is insidious to the bone, smells a glimmer of opportunity from it. Then he asked, "What is Wang Cuiqiao's attitude?" ”

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you." He Xinyin said softly: "She is a woman after all, especially a woman who has become a family, and she is very eager to be stable. She said to Lianxin many times that even if Xu Hai gave her gold and silver mountains and let her live a queen-like life, it couldn't compare to giving her a stable home. Said with a light sigh and said: "This lotus heart is also deeply touched, every time I follow Xu Hai out to sea, she waits for me at the dock all day long, sleepless all night at night, waits during the day, and loses sleep at night, every time I come back, I see that she is emaciated." ”

The Japanese are enemies of the entire court, they are people who lick blood from the knife edge and beg for a life with their heads, and they may lose their heads at any time, as their women, the torment in their hearts can be imagined.

"Wang Cuiqiao, this woman, like my lotus heart, has the solid eyes of Shandong people, and if she falls in love with one, she will ...... wholeheartedly" He Xinyin sighed with a face: "So I said, if you are looking for a daughter-in-law, you have to find Shandong." ”

"There's no need to boast about this." Silent about this sweat, he smiled dryly: "Let's talk about Wang Cuiqiao." ”

"Are you jealous......" He Xinyin drank saliva and said: "I discussed with Lianxin, make a fuss about this, every time I robbed, I paid attention to collecting some calligraphy and paintings with landscapes and buildings, as well as jewelry and bracelets with nameplates, rouge and gouache." and then transferred from the lotus heart to Cui Qiao, arousing her longing for her homeland. ”

Lianxin also often recalls with her the mountains and rivers of Shandong and Jiangnan, and the two often look forward to returning to their hometown or Jiangnan in the future, finding a place with green mountains and beautiful waters, and living in peace and stability. He Xinyin said: "It's been like this for a long time, and the word 'return' has formed a belief in her heart. ”

Shen Mo nodded slowly, motioning for him to continue.

Wang Cuiqiao often blows the wind on the pillow, hoping that her husband can put down the butcher's knife and return to the court. He Xinyin said: "But an outlaw like Xu Hai, who has a scar the size of a bowl on his head, how can he care about life and death?" Therefore, take Wang Cuiqiao's pillow wind as the wind next to your ears, and forget if you have heard it. ”

"But after the New Year this year, the situation is different," He Xinyin said: "Xu Hai's attitude began to waver. ”

"Why?" Shen Mo asked.

"Because Wang Cuiqiao is pregnant." He Xinyin said slowly: "But she doesn't want this child." ”

"Isn't she already in love with Xu Hai?" Shen Mo said strangely.

"But she doesn't want her children to be born as widows and be unable to be upright for the rest of their lives." He Xinyin said.

Shen Mo nodded slowly, didn't speak again, and only listened to He Xinyin continue: "Xu Hai is almost forty years old, and he never thought of having a queen, but once he heard that his beloved woman had it, he was going crazy, and his whole temperament changed greatly, and he was no longer the ruthless Xu Mingshan." ”

"And this unprecedented invasion?" Shen Mo frowned slightly.

"But he didn't use the main force to attack Suzhou." He Xinyin said: "You should know that being as fast as lightning and coming and going like the wind is Xu Hai's style, and now that so many people are attacking together, the good and bad of his subordinates are uneven, and the people's hearts are not aligned, but they can't give full play to Xu Hai's strengths." ”

Silent and said in a deep voice: "You mean, this time, Xu Hai is actually not prepared?" ”

"Yes, that's showing his ambivalence at the moment." He Xinyin said: "On the one hand, he is reluctant to be this happy person who wants to rob and kill if he wants; On the other hand, I was thinking about the way out in the future, so although I organized this big attack under the instigation of Xu Hong, Ye Ma and others, I felt that this was a good opportunity! ”

(To be continued)