Situ Yao glanced casually at his official seal and said, "We shouldn't stay here for long. Come back to the inn with us first."
He Xuyu's face lit up with joy, thinking, does this mean she believes what he said?
Qingfeng and the others had been waiting anxiously in the inn, thinking that if Situ Yao and the others didn't come back soon, they would have to break into Zuihonglou to rescue them.
Seeing that Situ Yao was safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened? What is that hypocrite Wang Shouli going to do?" Xu Chufeng asked first.
"They want silver." Su Mengyan answered for him, "He wants you to give them some silver."
"What a bunch of greedy people!" Angry curses rang out one after another in the inn.
After a while, he saw He Xuyu behind him, "Who is this?"
Situ Yao briefly explained his identity, then sat down and asked him, "Since you are going to save the people of Chu City, tell us what happened to them."
He Xuyu thought this was a test for him, because Situ Yao and the others had already arrived in Chu City, so it was impossible for them not to know what had happened. So he told them everything he knew.
"As early as half a month ago, a rare epidemic broke out in Chu City. Later, a doctor said it was a plague. The prefect Xu wanted to report it to the capital, but Wang Shouli was afraid of being blamed by his superiors, so he kept the matter secret..."
He Xuyu spoke in a rhythmic voice, like a storyteller, as he recounted the incident, mixed with his disdain for Wang Shouli's actions.
What he said was similar to what Situ Yao and the others knew, and it was not a lie.
"Since you are the magistrate of Qinghe County, why are you here?" Su Mengyan felt that he should be trapped in Qinghe County and unable to get out at this time.
"I came to Chu City for help, but not only did they ignore the plague, they detained me here instead," He Xuyu explained.
Su Mengyan also understood why he was so reluctant when he was in Zuihonglou.
"Where is my father? Have you seen my father?" Xu Chufeng asked anxiously.
However, He Xuyu did not recognize him. "Excuse me, who is your father?"
"The governor of Chucheng." Xu Chuyun answered from behind.
"It turned out to be Mr. Xu." He Xuyu remembered that they were talking about the Xu brothers in the study that day. They didn't expect that they were hiding here.
"Lord Xu was locked up by them. Wang Shouli dare not neglect them. Please rest assured, Mr. Xu." He Xuyu is now more certain that the identity of this Mr. Si is extraordinary.
"Where did Wang Shouli send the people infected with the plague?" Xu Chuyun and his companions searched for two days but couldn't find him. Situ Yao thought that since Wang Shouli participated in the whole process, he should know.
Unexpectedly, He Xuyu shook his head and said, "Wang Shouli was afraid that I would run away, so he sent people to watch me at all times. When they were discussing things, I was isolated outside."
"This is very difficult," Xu Chuyun said. "We can't find those people. Even if we capture Wang Shouli, he won't admit it."
"There's another way." Situ Yao stared at He Xuyu and said, "You go back and be our spy. Make sure you find out where the people are hiding."
"But I don't have their trust, how can I find out?" He Xuyu felt that Wang Shouli was a fox and would not believe him.
"That's easy. They want to capture Brother Xu, don't they?" Su Mengyan said with a smile, "Why don't we just send the person they want to capture to him?"
What she said was exactly what Situ Yao was thinking. He stared at Su Mengyan with approval for a while, then nodded and said, "That's right."
"We will discuss the specific rules later. Let's take Lord He to rest for a while first." Situ Yao asked someone to take He Xuyu away.
Only his own people were left in the inn. After making sure that He Xuyu wouldn't hear anything, Xu Chuyun asked, "Can you trust him?"
"If you were brought before Wang Shouli, would you two be able to escape?" Situ Yao asked instead. He knew that the two brothers were both skilled in martial arts, otherwise they wouldn't have dared to threaten him.
Xu Chuyun smiled reservedly, and Xu Chufeng said carelessly, "As for Wang Shouli and his guards, if we can escape once, we can escape a second time."
"Then there's nothing to worry about." Situ Yao's eyes flickered. "If he's trustworthy, let him find out the information. If he's not trustworthy, arrest him and use him as a witness!"
No one expected that they would plan for a whole night, but nothing would be used the next day.
In order to force the Xu brothers to show up, Wang Shouli tied the governor, Lord Xu, to a high platform on East Street. Since there were no common people walking around outside, he didn't even need an excuse and just sent someone to pass on the message.
If the Xu brothers did not come within one day, they would kill the prefect.
When Qingfeng brought back the news, Xu Chufeng almost went mad with rage. He picked up a knife and was about to go out to save people, and no one could stop him.
Situ Yao came over after hearing the news. He frowned at Xu Chufeng's reckless behavior and knocked him out and handed him over to Qingfeng, "Take him away!"
As a brother, Xu Chuyun was also anxious, but he knew very well that this was a trap set for them by Wang Shouli. As long as they showed up, they would be caught in a net of heaven and earth.
"You want to rush out too?" Situ Yao looked coldly at Xu Chuyun who was eager to try.
He smiled bitterly and said, "I want to, more than anyone else, but I know what I should do."
Situ Yao lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Go find He Xuyu."
"Sir, what do you want from me?" He Xuyu hurried over. "Can I go find Wang Shouli now?"
Situ Yao nodded, "Indeed, but I still have something to entrust to you."
"Ah? What's the matter?" He Xuyu was surprised for a moment.
Situ Yao signaled Qingfeng to tell him what Wang Shouli had done.
He Xuyu's face flushed with anger, "Master, do you want me to rescue the prefect?"
"Yes, you can exchange the clues about the Xu brothers for Lord Xu's life." Situ Yao said, "If you're lucky, you can make Wang Shouli trust you temporarily. It depends on how you respond when the time comes."
He Xuyu was no fool and quickly understood. Although it was disgusting for him to kowtow to Wang Shouli, the thought that he would soon be beheaded made him feel happy, and even if he had to do something he didn't want to do now, it was worth it.
He Xuyu ran to the East Lane alone, and his personal guards hid in the dark. As long as Wang Shouli dared to take action, they would rescue Lord Xu.
Wang Shouli was not there, and only the yamen runners were there. Seeing He Xuyu's embarrassed appearance, they laughed at him rudely, "Where has Lord He gone?"
"Where is Lord Wang?" He Xuyu asked anxiously.
"Sir He, please don't look for me anymore. I just want to kill you and won't see you." The yamen runners relied on the fact that they were close to Wang Shouli and were very rude to him, making them seem more like county magistrates.
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