Chapter 127 Joining forces
After Ma Zi left, Shen Jinan showed a slightly worried look.
"It seems that if it's a blessing, there's no disaster. If it's a disaster, there's no escape."
Her voice was still calm. Gu Yanqing looked at her in surprise. He didn't expect her to be so calm.
"My dear, I will go to the banquet alone. If you go, you will definitely be in danger. How can I bear to let you fall into the tiger's mouth again?"
Gu Yanqing grabbed Shen Jinan’s thin shoulders and said in a deep voice, his eyes full of heartache.
"No, since Boss Liu has said that we should go together, if I don't go, Boss Liu will definitely not let you go given his personality."
Shen Jinan raised his head and met his worried gaze, his fair little face full of determination.
Seeing her insistence, Gu Yanqing didn't know what to say. He just held Shen Jinan's hand tightly and said, "My wife, no matter what the situation is, I will advance and retreat with you."
"My husband's words are enough."
There was a hint of smile in Shen Jinan's eyes, and the two of them were speechless.
At this time, Lady Hong pushed the door open and entered the yard. "Hey, why are these two so reluctant to leave?"
Hearing her voice, Shen Jinan blushed and let go of Gu Yanqing's hand, and said coquettishly, "Sister, why are you teasing me again?"
"Oh my good sister, tell me what delicious food we're having tonight, and I promise to keep my mouth shut."
Hongniang twisted her slender waist, sat down at the tea table beside her, and looked at the two of them with a smile.
Unexpectedly, when she asked this question, Shen Jinan fell silent. Hong Niangzi noticed something was wrong, stopped talking, and put down the teacup.
"But what happened? Talk to your sister."
Shen Jinan forced a smile and said softly.
"Boss Liu invited my husband and I to attend a banquet at Thirteen Village tonight."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hongniang slammed the table and stood up.
"This Liu guy is really too much of a bully! Sister, wait for me to go up the mountain and take down his lair!"
Hongniang pulled out the whip from her waist and her beautiful eyes widened.
"Sister, don't be impulsive!"
Shen Jinan hurried forward and held Hong Niang's hand, fearing that she would rush into the Thirteen Village if she was unhappy.
At this time, Yue Buwei and Duan Ya also came back. Seeing the strange atmosphere among the three people in the yard, they asked Gu Yanqing about it and fell silent.
The Thirteen Villages are located on the mountain, and the terrain is inherently complex. Boss Liu has many men under his command, and none of them are pushovers.
"Don't worry, everyone. Everything will work out. I'll be more careful."
Shen Jinan walked to Gu Yanqing, took his hand, and nodded solemnly to everyone.
“Miss Shen, we will also be waiting for you to return safely at the foot of the mountain.”
Yue Buwei was silent for a while, and finally said this with a worried look on his face.
"Take this. If you are in danger, throw this up into the sky."
Broken Tooth ran back to his room and took out a flare he made and gave it to Shen Jinan.
"Thank you, Brother Duan Ya." Shen Jinan looked at Duan Ya gratefully, then looked at Yue Buwei and Hong Niangzi, and a warm feeling flowed through her heart.
Without them, she wouldn't have been able to hold on until now. Even for their sake, she had to return safely.
In the Thirteen Villages, Boss Liu sat in the first seat, Master Cao sat below, and a group of minions stood below, waiting for their master's orders.
“Boss, that bitch Shen Jin’an said that you have to come down to greet her in person, otherwise she won’t come.”
Ma Zi made a bitter face and reported in a timid manner.
Upon hearing this, Boss Liu's face suddenly changed, and he raised his hand and smashed the wine bowl on the table at Ma Zi's feet.
"Useless thing! I'm the leader of Thirteen Villages! How dare she?"
Ma Zi was so frightened that he said nothing. It was Cao Xingzhu who spoke up, "Brother Liu, you and I both know that Shen Jinan is not an ordinary woman. She said this now just to test how much we value her. Women are all scheming."
Boss Liu, who had never heard this explanation before, became interested. "Oh? Brother Cao, what do you think we should do?"
"Why not take advantage of her trick? You and I will go down the mountain to meet her, but we must give her a warning!"
Cao Xingzhu made a chopping gesture, and Boss Liu narrowed his eyes, then had someone tie up Shen Xitang.
Shen Xitang had done a lot of heavy and tiring work in the Thirteen Villages, and was so exhausted that he looked like a ghost. When he was tied up, he trembled and knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically.
"Chief, I haven't made any mistakes these days. Please forgive me."
She cried so hard that her face was covered with snot and tears, and her messy hair was stuck to her face, which was a horrible sight.
Boss Liu showed a look of disgust. "Alright, alright, stop crying like a ghost. I called you here because something's going on. Your dear sister is going to a banquet in the mountains today. I'm considering your sisterly bond, so why don't you come with me to greet her?"
Hearing Shen Jinan's name, a trace of viciousness flashed in Shen Xitang's confused eyes. It was all because of Shen Jinan! Otherwise, she would be the third imperial concubine now!
Now I am a slave in this mountain stronghold, living a life neither human nor ghost, with the calluses on my hands growing longer and cracking again and again.
Boss Liu and Master Cao had already stood up, and took Shen Jinan and a group of minions to the village gate to greet them.
As soon as they reached the gate, they saw two figures walking slowly towards them from a distance.
It was Shen Jinan and Gu Yanqing. Shen Jinan dressed up for the first time today. She wore a sky blue wide-sleeved silk dress and a water-colored jade hairpin was inserted diagonally in her bun.
Her whole body was as pure as a lotus flower emerging from pure water, which was very different from the usual peasant woman's dress. Many people were stunned by her appearance.
Boss Liu had always been interested in Shen Jinan, and now he was even more obsessed with her.
“As expected of Miss Shen, she is so punctual!”
Cao Xingzhu on the side looked at Shen Jinan and praised him with a smile, but there was a bit more calculation in his eyes.
"Master Cao is here to join in the fun too? Could it be that he's already allied with Boss Liu and is planning to plot against me together?"
Shen Jinan smiled slightly, and suddenly became even more stunning. Gu Yanqing, who was wearing a black robe beside her, was also very graceful and could not be ignored.
The jealousy in the eyes of the imprisoned Shen Xitang was almost bursting out. She looked at Shen Jinan who was dressed in fine clothes and fed with delicious food, and then looked at herself who was disheveled and dressed in tattered clothes. She almost bit her back teeth to pieces.
Boss Liu laughed and said, "I invited Master Cao here. I don't know what Miss Shen meant by the alliance. I don't understand it. However, I have prepared a gift for you."
After saying that, he clapped his hands, and the tied-up Shen Xitang was hung up by the men with ropes. With her center of gravity unstable, she spun in the air and screamed.
Her appearance made many men in the village laugh, and they kept talking and looking at Shen Xitang in obscene ways.
Shen Xitang burst into tears. She wanted to struggle in the air but didn't dare, so she could only sob.
Although Shen Jinan hated Shen Xitang, he hated the bandits’ behavior, and his face instantly turned cold.
"Is this the gift that Boss Liu prepared for me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com