The imperial capital is at the foot of the Son of Heaven, and the 400-year-old capital has made the city immensely large, with nearly five million people living in the city.

From the inside to the outside, there is the majestic imperial city, the inner city of eight streets and nine mo, and the outer city with tolerance.

The outer city of the imperial capital, the reason why it is called tolerant is large, is because the outer city has stood for 400 years, the original outer city of the imperial capital, now has long been accommodated into the inner city territory, and the current outer city has been overhauled several times, compared with the earliest time to expand a vast land of fifty miles!

Therefore, from any gate of the inner city to the corresponding wall of the outer city, it is fifty miles, and this vastness makes the area of the current outer city nearly a hundred times larger than the earliest outer city!

However, although it is in the imperial capital, the outer city is divided into 8 squares, with Zhengyangmen Street as the coordinates, and the east is Zhengdongfang, Chongbeifang, and Chongnanfang; The west is due west square, due south square, Xuanbei square, Xuannan square and white paper square.

The area of 8 squares in the outer city is large, and the largest white paper workshop is as large as half of the inner city area, because it is located in the most remote place of the imperial capital, and the white paper workshop is mostly occupied by people, and the situation is complicated.

There is a place called Qingping Lane in the white paper workshop, which can be said to be the poorest place in the entire imperial capital, in this alley, there are nearly 1,000 families living in it. On weekdays, even the county government officials and the captain of the Jinyi Guard did not dare to go in, this is really the most chaotic area under the feet of the Son of Heaven.

Just outside Qingping Lane, the three horsemen came together, but they did not enter Qingping Lane directly, but found a restaurant on another street away from the two streets, and placed three horses.

This is a strategic material, and they dare not be careless, so Liu Xin and the three of them had lunch here, and it took nearly an hour and a half to come all the way, which made Liu Xin speechless. Let the restaurant guy take care of the three horses, the little flag inadvertently showed his waist card of the brocade guard, the little guy immediately changed his face, almost knelt down, and said that he was optimistic about the three horses.

By this time, Ding Mingfu had already understood that the place where Lord Liu said he was going was that Qingping Lane. However, there was one thing that made him doubt a little in his heart, that is, the matter of depositing the horse in this restaurant, if it was him, of course he had a reason to do so, because he knew what the situation was in Qingping Lane. But Liu Xin has only been in the imperial capital for a few days, so he already knows Qingping Lane.

Although he had some doubts in his heart, but the next thing he was going to was Qingping Lane, and Ding Mingfu didn't dare to be careless, especially if he couldn't let people know the identity of their Jinyiwei, otherwise in Qingping Lane, there might be trouble, so those doubts were suppressed now.

"My lord, are we going to Qingping Lane?" Ding Mingfu approached Liu Xin's side and asked in a whisper knowingly.

Liu Xin smiled and nodded: "Remember, don't call me an adult next, just call me young master!" ”

Ding Mingfu sighed secretly and didn't say anything. He has no opinions, he has always followed the instructions of others, and it is because of this that Liu Xin brought him over, if it is Guo Yong, I am afraid that he will have to admonish a few words at this time.

Qingping Lane is actually a place name, not an alley, it contains four streets, and the area is relatively large, but because of the dense population, the roads here are more congested and muddy.

Entering from an intersection called Sanqing Street, there are some people on both sides of the street who set up stalls to sell, and the most common ones are some daily necessities. All the way inside, because now the rain has stopped, and it is noon, generally speaking, ordinary people do not eat this meal at noon, only two meals a day, so the streets are full of people, very crowded.

The little flag officer is the lowest official among the three, and he came here to make a move, so he is very discerning to block the way in front of the two, his burly figure has a crushing advantage in the face of the pedestrians on the street. The people on this street are basically leaning towards thinness, because it is at the foot of the Son of Heaven, no matter how poor the place is, it is actually much better than other cities, and the people here are dressed decently, but there are more patches on their clothes, some vegetables on their faces, and some weak bodies.

The clothes that Liu Xin and the three of them changed were not the kind of rich and expensive brocade and jade robes, but they were also relatively good cotton clothes, and this kind of dress stood out in Qingping Lane. At first, it was inevitable that there would be some pushes and shoves with people when the little flag official blocked the way in front of him, so there were still people who wanted to be angry, but when they saw the clothes of these three people, those people immediately coaxed.

The congestion of the road and the large flow of people did not make the three of them move forward quickly, but such three people attracted the attention of the people in some dark corners of the street, and many eyes followed the three of them slowly, and finally when the three disappeared from their sight, they slowly walked out of the shadows.

Liu Xin's target this time was Jiuli Street, Qingping Lane, where there was a residential area where the people he was looking for lived. This place, it is estimated that no one will be willing to investigate until the last moment, whether it is Dongchang or Jinyiwei, so it can be regarded as the key to whether Liu Xin can be one step ahead.

Walking to the end of Sanqing Street, you only need to pass through a narrow alley, and you can directly pass through Jiuli Street, which is parallel to Sanqing Street, but in this narrow alley, the oncoming people made Liu Xin stunned.

Time goes back to an hour ago, the same Sanqing Street, the same three people, but these three people, two women and one man, the woman is wrapped in a light veil on his face, and the man is tied with a strip of cloth behind his back, I don't know what is inside.

The man looked at the flow of people in Sanqing Street, his expression was complicated, his brows frowned slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"Miss, there are a lot of fish and dragons here, you better not go in, just let me go in alone, you and Xiao Ran still go to the inn and wait."

The one who was called Miss was a young woman wearing a lilac light gauze shirt and a cyan jacket on the outside, she couldn't see her appearance, but her temperament was extremely prominent, and she was wearing a string of green jade bracelets on her hands. Her voice is crisp, not like the gentle and delicate voice of an ordinary official lady, but like a yellow warbler out of the valley, giving people a sonorous and powerful feeling.

"Hmph, if you dare to steal my jade pendant, I have to take the thief down personally!"

"But... Miss, you are wearing a skirt today..."The woman who was called Xiao Ran by the man on the side echoed, her dress was not as luxurious and gorgeous as that of Miss, but an ordinary beautiful dress and dress, but it was not a maid's dress.

"I don't care, Uncle Lian, I'm going to take that person down personally!"

The man called Uncle Lian looks like he is in his early thirties, but in fact he is already a middle-aged man in his forties, but because of his martial arts, his face looks much younger.

The combination of these three people is from Xuzhou, and the man is a famous Jianghu ranger named Lian Subo, but the originally free-spirited Jianghu ranger later became the personal guard of this official lady for some reason.

And this official lady is from the royal family, the only daughter of the current king of Xuzhou County, and the county lord An Huan'er.

The woman next to her is her personal maid, but in fact, the two are distant relatives, and they are actually more like sisters.

Lian Su Bo reluctantly raised his eyes and looked at Sanqing Street again, and could only say helplessly: "I think that no one will be so blind at the feet of the Son of Heaven, people, after all, there are still the majority of good people, it's just that, Miss, I'll protect you in!" ”

An Huan'er snorted lightly: "Uncle Lian, I don't need your protection, I am also a person who practices martial arts, although this is a place where the three sects and nine streams converge, but I am a generation of heroines, I will be afraid that this will not happen!" ”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lian Su Bo said yes again and again, and then An Huan'er took the lead and began to walk towards Sanqing Street.

However, just after entering Sanqing Street, Lian Subo's originally somewhat helpless expression had already turned blue, because within this distance of less than a hundred steps, there were no less than five people who intended to approach An Huan'er, although they didn't know what they wanted to do, but this situation made Lian Subo extremely angry, although it was not a big deal for him to block these people and give some small lessons, but this kind of small trouble was continuous.

In order not to affect An Huan'er's mood, Lian Subo could only protect him all the way, and even beat him, which was not difficult for him, but disgusting.

Miss, Miss, I said that I can't wear that clothes into this kind of place, where will the people in here be any kind of goodness!

For the thief who stole An Huan'er's jade pendant, it was not troublesome to find him, because the jade pendant had a special secret fragrance from the county king's mansion, and the maid beside An Huan'er had a special ability to easily capture the fragrance of this dense fragrance, so she led the way, and the three of them moved forward with a clear goal.

After passing through a narrow alley, they arrived at Jiuli Street, where the flow of people was not so large, because there were mostly residential houses, and most of the men here had gone out to find a livelihood, leaving behind mostly old and young women and children.

Following the dense incense, the three of them soon found a dwelling, although the dwelling here was separated by a low wall, but the low wall was only three feet above and below, and it was unobstructed when they looked inside.

It looks like this is a house with a large number of women and children, and there are many women's clothes drying outside the house, and there are two or three frames of unknown plants under the eaves, and a lump of blue and brown.

"Xiao Ran, are you sure it's here?" Lian Subo asked.

The maid named Xiao Ran nodded, then turned her head and said softly to An Huan'er:

"Miss, this place looks like a home for women and children, even if it's inconvenient for my uncle to go, don't go there, Miss, just let me go and see it."

An Huan'er was looking at this house angrily at this time, and when she heard Xiao Ran's words, she shook her head again and again: "I'm with you!" ”

"Miss! Your dress doesn't fit in. Xiao Ran said softly.

An Huan'er looked at what she was wearing, although the hem of the skirt had been deliberately raised, it had also been stained with mud at the moment. This made her love clean already a little unbearable, if it weren't for the anger in her heart, she wouldn't have walked on this muddy road for so long!

"Then you have to be careful!" An Huan'er instructed, but she no longer insisted on entering.

Xiao Ran smiled and said softly: "I'm also a master, don't worry, Miss!" ”

After that, Xiao Ran slowly pushed open the door of this small courtyard, and there were a few people around who looked at them curiously, but because Xiao Ran was a woman, they didn't make any moves when they went in like this, they were still looking at it curiously, but if Lian Su Bo went in, their neighbors should be indignant.

This family is indeed mostly women and children, there are more than a dozen people, living in this small courtyard, coming to this Qingping Lane for several years, I heard that they moved to the imperial capital from other provinces more than ten years ago. It stands to reason that ordinary people can't move all the way in this era, but they just don't know what has happened in these years, and these women and children have moved to the poorest Qingping Lane.

The neighbors around them also often took care of them, and if it weren't for the fact that it was a woman, they would not have continued to be curious.

An Huan'er naturally saw the onlookers slowly gathering nearby, and she also thought of something, and a little fear rose in her heart. Although she has some martial arts, but some things on the rivers and lakes, her father never let her get close, this is her first time traveling alone, although there is even Su Bo, a master guard, but at this time she will still be a little scared.

At this moment, Xiao Ran had already come to the door of the house, knocked on the door, the door slowly opened, Xiao Ran seemed to say a few words there, and then entered the house, which made An Huan'er's heart tighten, and subconsciously pulled Lian Subo's sleeve and asked:

"Uncle Lian, Sister Ran will be fine, right?"

Lian Su Bo's eyes swept around, and then said lightly: "Don't worry, Xiao Ran's martial arts are still okay, and the thief will be brought out by Xiao Ran's neck later!" ”

Even Su Bo's words made An Huan'er feel a little calm, but the hand pulling the sleeve still did not let go.

Not long after the time passed, Xiao Ran slowly withdrew from the door, and even Su Bo's eyes suddenly sharpened when he saw this, and he shouted in a low voice: "Miss, be careful!" ”

An Huan'er was shocked by this low shout, although she was not very bold, but her vision was there, even Su Bo snorted softly, coupled with Xiao Ran's slowly retreating figure, An Huan'er could already imagine that behind the door frame where they couldn't see, there was a thief with a weapon, pointing at Xiao Ran, forcing her back!

Even Su Bo's hand slowly touched behind his back, and at this moment, the surrounding environment was like ice, full of murderous intent.

The number of onlookers has increased to more than a dozen, and being stimulated by the killing intent emitted by Lian Subo, everyone feels tight, goosebumps are rising, and some even subconsciously take two steps back.

Just when the atmosphere was tense to a critical point, Lian Suber was waiting for this critical point, once it reached that time, he would make a brazen move!

But just as the atmosphere was slowly rising and was about to reach its peak, Xiao Ran had already withdrawn from the range of the door frame, and she suddenly turned around and waved her hand towards An Huan'er and Lian Subo.

Lian Subo's cold face was stunned suddenly, and then he frowned suddenly, what's the situation?

Seeing that there was no reaction here, Xiao Ran took three steps and made two steps, and walked here quickly, and behind her, a woman walked out of the door with a ashamed face and looked here.

"Miss, even uncle, it's all a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Coming to An Huan'er and Lian Subo, Xiao Ran said again and again.

"Huh?" Even Sub hasn't turned a corner yet, what's the situation? What about thieves? What about weapons? What about the atmosphere of slaughter?

"Misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding, Sister Ran, what's going on? An Huan'er was also a little unsure, but she trusted her sister very much, so she asked.

Xiao Ran took An Huan'er's hand and said with a smile: "Let's go, just go in and have a look!" ”

An Huan'er was still confused, but she had already been pulled by Xiao Ran's hand and walked forward, halfway through, Xiao Ran seemed to remember, and said to Lian Subo:

"Uncle Lian, there are a lot of female dependents inside, so it's inconvenient for you to come in, please wait outside for a while!"

Lian Su Bo coughed lightly, he didn't know much about Xiao Ran, but he also knew that this was a person that the young lady trusted very much, so he nodded and agreed.

Immediately, An Huan'er was taken into the house by Xiao Ran, but saw more than a dozen women and children, crowded in a hut, although this house is not small, there is an outhouse and two inner rooms on the left and right, but after all, there are more than a dozen women and children living in it, and this space can be said to be very crowded.

And then An Huan'er also saw the thief who stole her jade pendant, it turned out that the thief was not a man, but a sixteen-year-old girl, dressed as a man, because of her thin figure, An Huan'er didn't find out that she was a woman at that time.

The oldest in the family should be the girl's grandmother, she almost knelt down and kowtowed to An Huan'er to admit her mistakes, just begging An Huan'er not to take her granddaughter to the government.

And then An Huan'er also knew what happened to the family, and in the process of understanding, she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.

The final outcome is, of course, the return of the jade pendant, because the jade pendant means a lot to An Huan'er. At the moment of parting, Xiao Ran left some broken silver, which added up to only two taels of silver, but it was enough for the family to buy some food and eat for a while.

In the gratitude of the family, An Huan'er and Xiao Ran, as well as Lian Su Bo, who had not yet come out of a certain emotion, were ready to leave this Qingping Alley.

At this time, An Huan'er was still immersed in the miserable situation of the family, walking in the narrow alley connecting Jiuli Street and Sanqing Street, An Huan'er waved her fists and said hatefully:

"When I return to Xuzhou, I must let my father write a book and punish those dog gelding thieves! Eunuchs, Dongchang, Jinyiwei, none of them are good things! Sister Ran, did you say? ”

"Hey, it's you!"

"Sister Ran, what did you say?"

An Huan'er raised her head, looked at Xiao Ran, and then followed Xiao Ran's gaze and turned her head to see the three people who came in from the end of the alley.

A young man led by the other side was slightly stunned, and then saw Xiao Ran, who had already taken off his veil and had not yet had time to put it on because he was in the pile of women and children just now.

"Ah, long time no see!" The man was stunned for a long time before such a sentence came out.

"Do you remember me?" There seemed to be some surprise in Xiao Ran's tone, which made An Huan'er on the side even more suspicious, and her eyes were full of gossip.

Liu Xin naturally remembered that the girl standing in front of her was not the girl named An Ran at the beginning, eleven years have passed, and her appearance has not changed much.