"I thought about it on the way back, probably because he was hinting that Veronica was not actually in danger, but deliberately did not send the message back, so as to cause him to make a mistake, and this was a trap set for him by competitors, and suspected that I was also involved, hoping that I would not harm him." An Long hesitated a little, "If he really thinks so, then everything he does has an explanation, and it is very likely that he did not commit treason, but he misunderstood, and we also misunderstood." ”

Xiao Tianjian snorted coldly: "Sophistry!" Although there are factional struggles in the current Security Agency, it is not to the point of chaos. What kind of thing is he?! The people who joined the department at the same time as him were all in charge of the General Administration, and he was the only one who stayed in the sub-district, and he did not make any great achievements for more than 20 years. If it weren't for his seniority, he wouldn't even be able to sit in his current position! Who will take him in the eye? Also competitors! What's more, even if he suspects that someone is plotting against him, there is no reason to ignore the dangers that his colleagues may encounter, at least he should send someone to search and inquire, he doesn't know which is more important?! ”

An Long was thoughtful, and Xiao Tianjian saw that his son had come to his senses, so he slowed down his tone: "Besides, you also know what Veronica's situation is now, and his guesses are all jokes." I think he just thinks you don't know, so he pretends to be drunk and says something that seems reasonable, so that you think he's really a good person. He's had a lot of flaws before, and your dad can now assert that he's a ninety percent chance of the traitor. ”

An Long thought about it and felt that his boss was indeed suspicious, so he couldn't help but worry: "Why did my father agree to attend their party on May Day?" Wouldn't that be able to go back to Ito with us? ”

"Hmph, that fat man has a bad stomach, he is testing us, if I don't go, he will ask me what I am going to do, and the reason he gave is indeed very good, if we really want to find Veronica, it would be too suspicious not to agree, so I will go with the flow. At the time, I was just going to stabilize him first, and it would be okay if he found out when we left, but now I have another plan. ”

He told him what he was going to do. Although he didn't go on the road with his son, he could let the people of the Xiao family trading house cover them, after all, every two or three days, the trading house would have a convoy to Ito City to deliver or pick up goods, as long as they hid them in the mezzanine of the carriage, it would be no problem. At the same time, he can also create all kinds of illusions to confuse Emon and the others, so that they mistakenly think that An Long is still in Meiton or in contact with Veronica, in short, not let them discover the true whereabouts of An Long and the others.

An Long frowned after hearing this: "The caravan's carriage has a mezzanine?" Xiao Tianjian didn't understand what he meant: "Yes, is there any problem?" It's convention, and everybody does it. An Long shook his head: "It's nothing, you think it through." "Too thoughtful, and listening to the tone, the father does not care about the decrees of the state, he has not thought about the position of his son as a state official at all? But how could someone as powerful as him take this to heart? He came up with a good solution so quickly, and it was much stronger than his original plan. An Long silently accepted his father's arrangement, but his heart was a little heavy, and he didn't know why he felt this way.

Xiao Tianjian said with a smile: "You kid is still tender, but it's okay to be quick, and you can be calm when you encounter problems, so you should leave these scheming things to me in the future." After a pause, he hesitated and said something else: "It seems a little strange that the people from the Xiao family's firm reported to me about your daughter-in-law just now. ”

An Long hurriedly asked with concern, Xiao Tianjian frowned and said: "She didn't go to the dock at all yesterday, the people in the trading house were afraid of accidents, so they took people to look around, until they asked the coachman, they didn't know that she was picked up halfway." This morning, they saw her on the docks with a man on a ship escorting armaments, but leaving her daughter to someone else. I said son, what's the matter with your daughter-in-law? Who is that man? Shouldn't I want to get you a green hat to wear? ”

When An Long heard this, he also became serious, it is said that Dora will not easily go with someone she doesn't know, so who will that man be? Ships escorting armaments? Was it to Port Matt? That's a good way, but the identity of that man still makes him very concerned.

Xiao Tianjian saw his son's expression, and said: "I don't care if your daughter-in-law misunderstands you, the woman's family is so careful and doesn't know the general situation, it's wrong, if she really does something sorry for you, even if you spoil her again, you can't bear this breath, you know?!" ”

An Long didn't say anything, he believed that his wife would not betray him, but the top priority was to find out the identity of the man, and suddenly, he thought: "Minna must know who that is, have you asked her?" ”

"Of course I asked, the child is having a temper tantrum and refuses to pay attention to me, why don't you ask? It's not that I said, it was really dangerous before, if Minna was allowed to open her mouth openly, you and Veronica would be in danger, but it's a pity that the child is not sensible, and only knows how to blame me. ”

An Long was a little puzzled, what happened?

====================== I'm the dividing line ===================== that transforms perspectives

Minna was sitting on the edge of the kitchen stove, eating the orange cake that Marshall had made for her, and complaining to the old butler, when she suddenly saw her father and grandfather come in, and she wanted to greet them, but suddenly she thought of what they were doing, and she snorted and turned her head away angrily.

An Long smiled and said to his daughter, "What's wrong?" Angry with your father? Dad went out to eat with someone just now, isn't this coming back? I haven't seen my dad for a day, don't miss me? ”

Of course I want to, but ......

"How can that woman live in our house?! It's because she makes her mother angry that her mother will leave. Daddy get that woman away and get Mommy back! Minna yelled angrily at her father.

An Long was embarrassed: "Minna, uh...... Aunt Veronica just came to our house to recuperate, she will be gone soon......"

"I don't care, I don't care! I want her to go now! ”

"Don't mess around, little Minna." Xiao Tianjian looked at his son's helpless appearance and frowned, "Dad and Auntie are going to do the right thing, so don't worry about your children's house." I ask you, who did your mother go with, you know? ”

Minna pouted, turned her head to stare at the fire in the stove, but refused to speak, no matter how much her father and grandfather coaxed her, she would not listen, and they would have a headache. Seeing this, Marshall took the initiative to come over and say, "Actually, Madame was taken to the Northern Fortress by Young Master Goodwin Chulov last night, because Young Master Chulov had something to do at night, and their mother and daughter and Winnie stayed in Young Master Chulov's room. This morning, it was also the young master Chulov who offered to go to Port Matt and give his wife a ride along the way. “

An Long breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and Xiao Tianjian hurriedly asked, "Chulov?" Is it from your sister-in-law's family? ”

An Long hesitated for a moment, then replied, "It's Lady Lilith's brother, and he used to pursue Dora. ”

Xiao Tianjian frowned when he heard this: "What is he doing here?" Take advantage of the situation? Your wife is too inattentive, how can she go with that kind of man? ”

An Long was not too worried: "It doesn't matter if it's him, I am a classmate with him and know who he is." He had always considered himself a gentleman, and with him escorting her, Dora would arrive at Matt safely. And as long as Dora doesn't nod his head, he won't mess around, I trust Dora. ”

Even so, Xiao Tianjian was still not very satisfied: "You are too indulgent to your wife, she went with other men, and you are not angry." Regardless of whether or not she has any mess with that man, you must teach her a good lesson when she comes back. ”

"Father, don't say that, Dora is a good woman, I love her, she loves me, and I trust that she will not betray me and our family."

Xiao Tianjian saw his son's hidden anger on his face, so he had no choice but to say more, but when he inadvertently turned his eyes to his granddaughter, he was a little surprised to see the anger in the little girl's eyes, and couldn't help but smile: "What's wrong?" Minna, are you still angry that Grandpa won't allow you to speak? ”

Minna yelled at him, "Grandpa is a bad guy!" "She was really angry, not only did her grandfather tease her for no reason, but he also brought that vicious bad woman to her house, and now she is still saying bad things about her mother, she hates grandpa the most!

Since then, she has always refused to forgive Xiao Tianjian, even if he bought her favorite chicken legs or candy, and gave her a lot of interesting alchemy gadgets, he couldn't coax her to change her mind, and finally admitted that she had said the wrong thing, so she barely exchanged a glimpse of her little granddaughter. Minna was very interested in the way he restrained himself that day and asked him to teach herself. Xiao Tianjian said that it was too difficult to teach, so Minna became angry with him again, causing him to smile bitterly: It is really not easy to coax a child.

An Long is also not treated well by his daughter, he refuses to pick up his wife for a long time, Minna has made trouble several times because of this, and has confronted Veronica, not only yelling at her father to drive people away every day, but also treating her worse than before: "You bad woman, get out of our house quickly, we don't welcome you!" ”

Veronica sat on the bed, leaning back against a stack of soft pillows, fiddling with the sword in her hand for many days, and glanced at Minna faintly: "It seems that your mother didn't teach you what etiquette is, do you want me to teach you a lesson?" As she spoke, her sword sharpened against the edge of its scabbard, making a screeching sound.

Minna couldn't help but shiver, remembering the chill that day in her throat, she involuntarily took a step back, but she was unwilling to be intimidated by the other party like this, so she mustered up the courage to shout: "You're a bad woman!" Shameless! ”

Veronica narrowed her eyes, sneered, and pulled out half of the sword in her hand, but was stopped by the figure who flashed through the door: "Veronica, she's just a child!" What do you want?! ”

The person who came was Xiao Tianjian, he frowned and looked at the cold woman, but the other party just said lightly: "Just scare her, what do you think I will do to her?" With that, he put his sword back.

Xiao Tianjian stared at her deadly: "It's best not to let me see a second time." Then he picked up his granddaughter and walked out. Minna began to struggle as soon as she went out: "When will she leave?" She's a big badass! I don't want her to live in our house! Xiao Tianjian had no choice but to coax her and say, "Good boy, don't make trouble, she's almost well, and she will leave soon." Minna stopped struggling and stared at him suspiciously, "Really? Xiao Tianjian nodded solemnly: "Really." Minna tilted her head to look at him for a moment, then shook off her hand and ran.

Xiao Tianjian looked at the back of his little granddaughter, sighed helplessly, but found that there was another person sighing next to him, and when he turned his head, it turned out to be his son An Long, so he teased: "The attitude of the iceberg beauty is very unusual, son, are you sure there is no adultery between you?" ”

An Long frowned and said, "What are you talking nonsense, I already have a wife and children, and besides, I only regard Veronica as my sister." ”

"Who is she your sister?" Xiao Tianjian didn't believe it, "Forget it, what can't you say to my father?" Be honest. It's normal for a capable man to have one or two confidantes. ”

"Father!" An Long held back his anger and didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, "I want to be loyal to my wife and maintain my family. I don't want the girl I care about like a sister to repeat my mother's tragedy, and I don't want my own children to suffer a fate like mine! He turned and walked away, as cold as his father had been when he had first arrived.

Xiao Tianjian was a little embarrassed, and began to regret mentioning this matter.

Perhaps his warning to Veronica worked, or maybe Minna didn't provoke her when she learned that the "wicked woman" was about to leave, and there was a pause between the two women. As the days passed, when the whole town began to make final preparations for the May Festival revelry, and the festive atmosphere grew stronger, Veronica finally announced that she was leaving.

Before Minna was happy, her mood immediately fell to a low point. In the early hours of the next morning, while she was still asleep, she faintly heard her father say goodbye to her, and then the kiss he landed on her forehead. She barely woke up and found no one else in the room but her, and the faint sound of horses' hooves was coming from the door. She hurried to the window, and did not even bother to put on her slippers, but saw her father and the Veronica on horseback, and said something to her grandfather, and they galloped away together, and then even her grandfather went in the other direction.

She suddenly wanted to cry, and felt cold on her body, so she dragged her bare feet back to the bed and buried herself in the quilt.

Dad also left, and left with that bad woman without saying a word. Doesn't he want Minna too? Just like Mom?

She sobbed under her breath, tears drenching the bed. I don't know how long later, I seemed to fall asleep again, but suddenly I felt a warm hand caressing me. When she opened her red and swollen eyes from crying, Marshall was looking at her tenderly: "My child, don't cry, there is still Grandpa Marshall." Minna's nose was sore, and she hugged the old butler and cried.

The games of yesteryear suddenly seemed to have lost their original appeal, and even her favorite food couldn't make her feel better, so Minna just obediently followed Marshall around the house, and she followed him wherever he went, sometimes helping him with a little work.

Sometimes Marshall couldn't see and pushed her out to play, so she had to hang out outside. But rumors had spread in the city about her parents, either that her mother had run away with someone or that her father had gone on vacation with his lover. She retorted angrily, but the women smiled and dodged, the boys winked, and Brie's stepmother's son shouted at her: "Minna is a child that no one wants, Minna is a child that no one wants~"

Minna angrily chased after her, and the children scattered, leaving her alone in the middle of the road.

Since then, she has stopped playing everywhere, playing knightly games, climbing trees, or even going to the woods, which used to be her favorite place to visit, but in her free time she finds her mother's painting utensils, doodles as Dora had taught her, or takes out her mother's poetry book and reads it aloud, asking Marshall if there is a word she doesn't understand. She felt that if her mother knew that she was so obedient, she would definitely go home immediately.

But when she thought of her father, she felt that this was not enough, so she began to practice the little grappling and swordsmanship that had been abandoned for days. It's a pity that she hasn't practiced for a few days, and there is no one to guide her, and when she finds that her practice is getting worse and worse, her temper becomes bad.

She became irritable, irritable, and angry at every turn, sometimes dropping Marshall's hard-earned refreshments on the floor, but she soon regretted it, and confessed her mistake to the old butler in tears. Marshall didn't care at all, just quietly comforted the restless child.

The May Festival celebrations had begun, and the whole town was filled with joy, and from time to time people laughed and walked down the main road in front of their house, but Minna and Marshall did not attend, not even the ball that was being held. This was Dora's most important social event for many years, and it had been prepared for quite some time in order to dress for this year's ball.

Minna was in a sad mood and didn't care about anything else, but Marshall deliberately didn't want to remind him. The rumors in the city intensified, many of them had bad intentions, and he couldn't let the poor boy suffer any more blows.

The old man and the young man stayed at home quietly, and Minna ate delicious pastries while listening to the old butler's interesting stories. At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and a tall figure entered.

"Why are you all at home? Didn't go play? Xiao Tianjian grinned, "I seem to be a little late to come back, but it's not too late, right?" ”

Minna looked at her grandfather, who had been missing for two days, and suddenly burst into tears.