My enemies became my companions

Chapter 632 Hidden House (Two Chapters Combined)

Qin Yue burst into tears, feeling incredibly wronged. Chen Yi tried to comfort her several times, but she cried even harder. After thinking for a moment, Chen Yi picked her up. She struggled violently, hitting and slapping Chen Yi, but he remained unmoved. Instead, she punched her own fists until they turned red. When she was tired of hitting and crying, she began to sob silently, her cheeks puffed out.

Chen Yi carried her along the way, stopping frequently to admire the scenery. Neither of them spoke, and the father and daughter seemed a little awkward with each other.

He didn't know what to say to Qin Yue, and Qin Yue didn't want to talk to him either, keeping her head down and angry.

We stopped by a waterside pavilion along the way. The pond was right beneath our feet, with goldfish of various colors swimming around. They gathered around when they saw us. It was almost dusk, and the shimmering water was dazzling. When we stretched out our hands, the water seemed to be able to pass right through them. A cool breeze was blowing.

"How beautiful! So many little fish." Chen Yi said to himself while holding Qin Yue, "My sweet Yue'er, aren't the little fish pretty?"

Qin Yue ignored him, keeping her head down and remaining silent.

Chen Yi turned his face and asked provocatively, "You're not crying anymore?"

Qin Yue's little face scrunched up, and she burst into tears again.

Chen Yi laughed and laughed, swaying her back and forth in his arms, showing her the goldfish frolicking by the pond, but Qin Yue was in no mood for it and just kept crying.

Tears streamed down his face, soaking his shoulders. Chen Yi suddenly felt helpless. Perhaps instead of giving Qin Yue sugar disguised as salt, he should have pretended to suffer a few losses and then gradually coaxed and tricked her into taking a walk around the Prince's mansion, feeding the fish, drawing pictures, and getting her some small toys like the Nine-Linked Rings, Luban Lock, and the Jujube Mill. At that time, the father and daughter could at least play together properly, even if they didn't say anything else.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just Qin Yue who wanted to trick him into giving her candy; Chen Yi himself was also in a playful mood and wanted to tease his daughter. But that's when things got out of hand.

She was still crying, and Chen Yi was at a loss. He really didn't know how to take care of a child. He couldn't help but think that if Little Fox were here, she would definitely be able to take good care of the child.

"Mother, mother, mother!"

Through her tear-filled eyes, Qin Yue seemed to see someone and called out to them several times.

Chen Yi turned around and saw Zhu E walking gracefully down the corridor.

As soon as she arrived, Qin Yue struggled to cup her hands in front of her as if she had seen a savior.

Zhu E walked over quickly and took Qin Yue from Chen Yi's hands.

Back in her familiar embrace, Qin Yue's sobs subsided slightly. Chen Yi watched as Zhu E wiped away Qin Yue's tears, then glanced at himself and gave her a slightly apologetic smile.

Zhu E gently comforted her for a few moments, and after wiping away her tears, Qin Yue began to complain:
"Mother, he... he used salt to trick the very bad sugar, he tricked... tricked Yue'er."

"Salt disguised as sugar?"

Qin Yue nodded emphatically, clearly feeling that Chen Yi was utterly wicked, and continued, "He played very badly with Yue'er, played very badly, very naughtily! Yue'er, Yue'er's tongue tasted bitter, she played unhappily, played, played until the sun went down!"

"Oh, even the sun can't bear to look at him?" Zhu E said, trying to understand her meaning.

"The sun has no eyes, it doesn't look at him!"

“That dad is really bad,” Zhu E said softly.

"Dad is really..." Qin Yue paused, her voice rising slightly, filled with righteous indignation, "No, it's not Dad, he, he, is really bad!"

A sudden pang of disappointment crossed Chen Yi's mind at the unexpected remark, but he simply laughed it off.

Zhu E looked slightly apologetic and hugged Qin Yue, trying to coax her not to say such things. But the two-year-old child didn't understand any of this and felt extremely wronged.

But after all the grievances and tears, and the commotion, Qin Yue was exhausted. Zhu E gently rocked her, and she fell asleep almost immediately.

Zhu Wo looked at Chen Yi again.

"I... just wanted to tease her..."

"I hope I know."

Chen Yi wanted to argue a bit more, but in the end he sighed and said, "...Sigh, I'm too late. I should have come earlier. It would have been perfect if I had come when she was one year old."

"What are you saying? Two years is not too late."

"I hope so." Looking at the sleeping Qin Yue, Chen Yi reached out and pinched her soft, chubby cheeks, saying, "She's a little chubby."

Even though Qin Yue was only two years old, she was much taller than the average child, like a three or four-year-old, and her head was also a size larger.

“This isn’t fat. She’s always been this size. Even you, sir, don’t know. She was quite heavy at birth.” Zhu E paused and said, “Seven jin.”

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. It was obvious to the naked eye that Qin Yue looked petite and cute now, but in ten or eight years she would grow to be very tall, and might even catch up with Qin Qingluo. Even if she didn't catch up, she would only be a little shorter.

While chatting casually with Zhu E about Qin Yue, Chen Yi would occasionally pinch Qin Yue's little face. In the cool breeze, looking at his daughter's sleeping face with snot bubbles hanging from her nose, he suddenly felt like a father.

Seeing that there was no food for a long time, the goldfish in the pond dispersed with the night.

...............

Gaoliang Mountain.

Yin Weiying sat cross-legged, facing the afterglow of the setting sun, quietly contemplating the moment.

However, I just can't calm myself down.

Yin Weiying's eyes narrowed slightly.

He hasn't been back for a while...
She knew that Chen Yi would be busy with many other matters on his journey and wouldn't have time to attend to this place. However, there had been no news for so long, and the divination results were vague and unclear, which was truly strange and puzzling.

"strangeness…"

She spoke softly.

Could it be that he's so happy he's forgotten about Ying?
The female Taoist priest lowered her eyes slightly, then shook her head. Anything is possible in this world, but this is absolutely impossible. She knew perfectly well how much he cherished her.

If I were to ascend to heaven and leave, leaving him alone in the world, he would surely lose his appetite and find no pleasure in any beautiful woman.

Thinking about it this way, could he... be trapped in a den of demons, and have encountered some trouble or danger?
Yin Weiying was immediately uneasy and had to silently recite the Supreme Method of Forgetting Emotions to calm his mind.

"He'll probably be fine, after all, it's him," Yin Weiying murmured.

Chen Yi has escaped danger countless times, and this time will be no different. He'll probably just be bothered by some minor troubles... Yin Weiying believes that no matter how Chen Yi stumbles, he is still her golden boy, so there's no need to worry.

What if Chen Yi was held back by beautiful women?

Yin Weiying's heart was not at peace.

Yin Weiying was well aware of his lecherous nature; nothing could stop him except beautiful women.

Thinking of this, the female Taoist priest secretly regretted that her cultivation was insufficient, which prevented her from pulling him back from the brink and keeping him by her side.

We still need to practice dual cultivation as soon as possible.

Having made up her mind, Yin Weiying's thoughts became clear in an instant. As the afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, she felt as if nothing else mattered to her.

Having completed her studies, she got up and returned.

"Speaking of which, where did Qingyuan go?"

Thinking of his lecherous nature, Yin Weiying suddenly thought of this fairy maiden, whom he had not seen since their parting at the Demon Refining Abyss.

After a moment's thought, Yin Weiying found the answer.

The answer may not be complicated, especially matters between men and women, which are always simple.

"But they broke up after a falling out."

Yin Weiying sighed, feeling inexplicably melancholy.

Because of her status as the first wife, the two ultimately did not become a couple...
................
The Annamite Royal Palace has been operating smoothly in the southern border region for over three hundred years, thanks not only to the diligent governance of successive Annamite kings, but also largely to the small number of people in the palace.

With fewer people and more land, there were fewer conflicts and troubles. In addition, the mountains and forests were lush, and there were many barbarian tribes, making many areas difficult to develop. Even though the population has continued to grow for three hundred years, it is still too few compared to the vast land of southern Xinjiang.

However, recently there has been a surge in the number of households, with nearly 400,000 to 500,000 migrants pouring into southern Xinjiang. This is only the number of registered residents.
More people, more trouble.

Chen Yi sat on his horse, wearing the armor of the Iron Scale Army, following closely behind a tall horse. His black iron horse armor exuded a murderous aura, making him look like a moving iron mountain.

Such heavily armored knights could easily muster five thousand cavalry in the Southern Frontier.

There are only about a hundred people at present, but it is still quite a large group.

Chen Yi accompanied Qin Qingluo on an inspection tour today.

With a large influx of refugees into southern Xinjiang and their resettlement in various places, it is inevitable that some local wealthy families would conceal the population.

We should take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate and prosecute the assassination attempt at the ancestral temple.

Those who have few or no hidden households are naturally virtuous gentry and scholars who should be rewarded handsomely. Those who have many hidden households but make up for it are not involved in this matter. Those who conceal their hidden households and do not make up for it are undoubtedly accomplices.

The intricacies and details are too numerous to list, but Chen Yi, who was used to the petty scheming in the capital, could guess most of it. There were many refugees, but there was still a limit. The pie was only so big, and if the Prince of Annam's Mansion couldn't get the lion's share, it would inevitably be taken by other places.

As for why not just use the pretext of investigating hidden households?

Chen Yi understood perfectly well.

But he still asked telepathically, "Why not just investigate directly? Why go through all this trouble? Why come in person?"

The female prince rode ahead on horseback, offering no response.

Just as Chen Yi was feeling awkward and sighing inwardly, she spoke up unexpectedly: "If everyone knew that we were here to investigate hidden households, then we wouldn't find a single head."

"Oh?" Chen Yi asked.

"Southern Xinjiang lacks people but not land. There is plenty of land. Ordinary well-off families have dozens or even hundreds of acres of land, while Yongye has twenty acres. Not to mention how much land wealthy families have. But if no one cultivates it, all that land is just a piece of waste paper."

"By taking advantage of this major case investigation, people will be less likely to be on guard. After all, everyone knows they have nothing to do with it, and if it doesn't concern them, they'll remain indifferent. Even if someone knows that we've investigated hidden households but haven't reached theirs, they'll still feel a sense of侥幸 (a sense of侥幸, a feeling of getting away with it). Only by catching them off guard can we uncover the real hidden households."

After she finished speaking, she said calmly with a hint of sarcasm:
"The banner of investigating hidden households is meant to attract tribute from all sides. You, a thousand households in the capital, don't even understand this?"

Chen Yi wanted to speak, but hesitated. Qin Qingluo caught a glimpse of his ashamed expression out of the corner of her eye and let out a cold laugh.

"He is lazy and doesn't know how to distinguish between the five grains."

Seeing Chen Yi speechless for a moment, she felt a sense of relief. She knew that although she was tall, she had always been overshadowed by Chen Yi since they started dating.

After a short while, she turned her gaze back and continued walking.

Chen Yi let out a breath, composed himself, and tried to avoid going too far.

He certainly knew the difference; he had only asked the question on purpose to try and get closer to the two of them.

Her tone was a little awkward at first, as if she wasn't used to such serious casual conversation.
After all, their casual conversations since they started dating have never been very serious.

The caravan proceeded along the somewhat narrow official road, flanked by cultivated fields, with rolling hills and dense forests stretching into the distance. Sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, and the horses' hooves pounded the compacted dirt road with a dull, rhythmic sound.

The knights sat upright on their horses, their backs straight as spears, their sharp eyes scanning the fields and villages on either side of the road. Their route was clearly carefully planned, and they were quietly approaching the outskirts of several powerful estates suspected of harboring large populations.

It's too quiet here; even birdsong is rare.

They came to a three-way intersection, next to a small grove of trees, their branches dense with shade. Qin Qingluo reined in her horse, which, beneath its black iron armor, snorted and exhaled white breath. She raised her hand and made a gesture.

"Rest for a moment. Water the horses and be on guard."

The command was concise and powerful. The Ironscale Knights dispersed with practiced ease. Some dismounted and led their horses toward the nearby stream, while others automatically formed a perimeter, their hands on the hilts of their swords or spears, vigilantly watching their surroundings, especially the dark woods.

Chen Yi dismounted and stretched his stiff limbs. He walked to Qin Qingluo's horse and whispered, "This forest is a bit too quiet."

Qin Qingluo didn't look at him; her gaze remained fixed on the depths of the woods, and she only gave a faint "hmm." Clearly, she too had sensed something amiss.

at this time,

"kill--!!"

A hoarse roar suddenly erupted from the woods! Immediately afterwards, dozens of figures brandishing "weapons" rushed out.

There were hoes, sickles, sharpened sticks, and even stones.

They were ragged, emaciated, and their target was the group of armored cavalrymen who were resting.

"Protect the Prince!" The Ironscale Army shouted in unison, and the alert soldiers reacted instantly, raising their spears like a forest and their swords flashing coldly.

The bandits charged forward with incredible speed. They seemed to know what they were up against, yet they charged on without hesitation. Their target was not the well-equipped armored soldiers, but rather... the soldiers and horses that were watering their horses by the stream, relatively scattered. Their intention was to create chaos and even steal the horses.

"Ding-dong!" "Pfft!"

The crude farm tools struck the iron armor with dull or grating sounds. Occasionally, a lucky bandit would manage to stab a sharpened wooden stick into the gaps in the armor plates or into the soft belly of a horse, eliciting a mournful whinny from the warhorse and a roar of fury from the soldier. Stones pounded against the helmet with a loud thud.

The battle, or rather the massacre, erupted instantly.

The Ironscale Army soldiers reacted ruthlessly and efficiently. Facing these bandits who were almost entirely unarmored and poorly armed, they stood firm as a rock. Spears thrust out with pinpoint accuracy, easily piercing their frail bodies; steel blades slashed, sending sprays of blood flying. Screams, roars, and the clash of weapons instantly shattered the tranquility of the field.

Chen Yi stood still, not even drawing his sword. He merely frowned slightly, watching the bloody and desperate scene before him. He noticed that although these bandits were frenzied, their movements were clumsy and disorganized, more like a group of desperate farmers than well-trained bandits.

Qin Qinglu remained seated on his horse, motionless as if cast in iron, coldly watching the Iron Scale Army reaping the lives of these bandits like cutting melons and vegetables. His face was expressionless, only a cold understanding flashed deep in his eyes.

In a short time, most of the dozens of men who had rushed out had fallen, and the stench of blood was so strong it was nauseating. The remaining bandits, seeing their companions die tragically, let out terrified howls and turned to flee back into the woods in all directions.

"No need to chase after them." Qin Qingluo's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the battlefield, carrying an undeniable coldness.

The Ironscale Army obeyed orders without question.

At the edge of the woods, only a dozen or so corpses lay scattered and gruesome, along with a patch of land trampled into a mess.

The battle ended quickly, lasting only a few dozen breaths. By the stream, several wounded warhorses neighed anxiously, while soldiers silently tended to their wounds.

Chen Yi walked to a corpse. It was a gaunt middle-aged man, still clutching a broken hoe tightly in his hand, his eyes wide open.

His clothes were tattered, but they were clearly made of coarse linen, a common material in southern Xinjiang.

"Hidden account?" Chen Yi's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were stating a fact.

Qin Qingluo rode slowly to his side, her tall figure casting a shadow over the corpses on the ground. She looked down at them, her gaze sweeping over the crude weapons and tattered clothes.

"Hmm." She only responded with one word, her voice still icy.

Chen Yi straightened up, dusted off his hands (which weren't actually dust), and looked at Qin Qingluo: "They knew we were government soldiers, they knew they couldn't win, so why did they still rush out to their deaths?"

Qin Qingluo shifted her gaze from the corpse to the depths of the fleeing woods, as if she could see through the shadows to the hidden farms and their owners.

“Because someone instigated it,” her voice was low. “Some people threatened, some offered bribes, and some said: ‘Being found out to be a hidden household means death.’ People were outraged and responded to the call. This is why, in times of chaos, local strongmen can gather large groups of men. Rather than waiting to die, they might as well take a gamble. Even if they couldn’t kill the government troops, they could still cause chaos by killing the horses, seize a way to survive, and exchange them for money and land. A few years later, they could escape from the county again and be a hidden household again.”

She spoke clearly and plainly, and therefore somewhat coldly.

Chen Yi looked down at the man on the ground. In the dead man's eyes, which were staring blankly at the sky, there was not only bottomless fear, but also a kind of... numb despair.

He closed his eyes and began to recite:

"In times of great calamity, compassion extends its reach; the gate of nectar shines forth across the vast world; its influence extends in all directions, universally saving all sentient beings..."

(End of this chapter)