Chapter 177
Yu Ying and others not only heard that General Zhou Lang had been defeated, but also, after entering Xiping County, they heard the people talking about the looting of grain and grass in Yuzhang.
They said that the grain robbery was clearly carried out by people sent by the new emperor. The Cangwu prefect loved and protected the people, but because his relatives in the court were killed for disobeying the new emperor, the new emperor killed them all.
The prefect of Cangwu had no choice but to seal off the city to protect himself.
Moreover, if the new emperor wanted to attack Cangwu, he only needed to send the Lingnan garrison to attack. Why would he send the Yuzhang army all the way to Lingnan?
He probably wanted to inflict losses on both Yuzhang and Cangwu, but was also afraid that the Yuzhang army would win completely, so he intercepted Yuzhang's food and money along the way.
The rumor sounds very real, but when you think about it carefully it makes perfect sense.
Military doctors were either from the army or were the sons of Yuzhang soldiers. In their hearts, the new emperor who was plotting to usurp the throne was not even one ten-thousandth as important as the county lord.
After hearing these rumors, my heart was already shaken.
Everyone was silent, and no one knew what they were thinking.
After hearing those rumors, Yu Ying roughly knew where they came from.
Who else except Fu Wei and his men could know this so clearly?
The captain had food brought over and told them to have a good rest after eating as they had to continue their journey tomorrow.
After living outdoors for more than half a month, it is not easy to have a normal meal, so there is absolutely no reason to waste it.
All the food that was delivered was eaten.
But at night, the group was drugged without anyone noticing, and when they woke up, they found that they had all been captured.
Although he was captured, his hands and feet were free.
After Wei Yong woke up, he hurried to Yu Ying's side and shook her awake in a panic: "Sir, sir."
Yu Ying woke up from her coma, saw Wei Yong, and then took in the surroundings. Her fingers trembled slightly, and she took a deep breath and feigned calmness, saying, "We've been captured?"
Wei Yong nodded palely.
The others who woke up said, "None of us noticed, and when we woke up we found we were all locked up."
Yu Ying rubbed her swollen forehead, stood up from the haystack, and looked at everyone.
There were more than a dozen people in the cell, all military doctors, with all their hands and feet intact, and no one was injured.
She thought about it carefully, and went to bed tired after dinner last night.
After days of tense journey, we finally left Nankang and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they were gradually feeling sleepy after dinner, they did not suspect anything.
And since the food was delivered by the soldiers themselves, they would not be suspicious.
I think someone had drugged the food at that time.
When Yu Ying thought of this, she felt panic in her heart. If the drug was administered without anyone noticing, it was very likely that there was a spy among the soldiers.
Were those soldiers also tricked, or were they really colluding with the bandits?
And who kidnapped them?
The food was strictly controlled and the escorts were all elite soldiers. Logically, the thieves should have had almost no chance to drug them.
Since they are elite soldiers, the possibility of them being spies is very small.
But it is unlikely that all the hundred people would collude with the thieves.
Besides, they were captured after entering Xiping County. With so many people captured, it was impossible for the Xiping prefect not to notice.
Lingnan is now almost the territory of Sect Leader Zhou and the Lord of Muyun Mountain, and the chances of them getting into an accident are very small.
Moreover, everyone's hands and feet were intact and there were no injuries at all.
…
The more Yu Ying thought about it, the calmer she became.
If something unexpected happens, it means that Sect Master Zhou did it on purpose.
In this way, Yu Ying would not worry anymore.
She wasn't worried, but she didn't show it on her face. She just pretended to be calm and said soothingly, "The thieves only knocked us out and brought us here, but didn't kill us. This means they have some ulterior motive. Let's wait and see what happens."
After a month of training by Sect Leader Zhou and another half a month of trekking through mountains and rivers, everyone's mentality has changed from before they set out.
A dozen people woke up one after another, and after hearing what Yu Ying said, they all fell silent.
After a while, Wei Yong whispered, "Sir, you are our elder, and you are also a female relative. If you have a chance to escape, we will definitely help you escape."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Yu Ying.
Yu Ying advised: "Don't act rashly, first see what the situation is."
Someone echoed Wei Yong, saying, "We are real men. We are not afraid of life or death. If we find an opportunity, we will definitely help you escape."
Yu Ying was stunned.
Even though I am just saying it now, I am still touched in my heart.
These kids are a worry when you have a headache, but so reliable when it comes to critical moments. It's hard not to be moved.
Just as Yu Ying was about to speak, the cell door suddenly opened and three tall men with their faces covered came in.
The guys instantly tensed up, wary of the incoming person.
The masked man pointed at Yu Ying and said, "Come out with us."
When everyone heard this, they immediately stood in front of Yu Ying, which showed that what she said just now was not just talk.
"If you have any problem, come to us. You are not a man if you are looking for trouble with a woman!" Wei Yong's voice was shaking, but he still did not give in.
The person in front saw that the person who spoke was a young boy, and suddenly laughed: "A boy who hasn't even grown all his hair yet dares to lead the charge, he's got guts."
But then he paused, and said sternly, "Get out of the way, or we'll be rude to you!"
As he spoke, he drew the big knife from his waist.
As the big knife came out, everyone's faces turned pale instantly.
"We are here to seek wealth. As long as Yuzhang sends us money, we will let you go. But if you don't behave, don't blame us for being rude!"
Someone said, "If you're here to seek wealth, that's all, but don't embarrass the women!"
The man sneered, "We have no way to embarrass you, especially since we live in Lingnan and have heard a lot about Madam Yu's deeds. Someone is ill, so we asked Madam Yu to come over and take a look. We're asking her politely now. If we push her too hard, that would be a real problem."
If he was really a vicious and cruel person, he wouldn't say so much nonsense to reassure others.
If Yu Ying had only 60% to 70% doubt just now, now she is certain.
She pushed aside the young men blocking her way and breathed a sigh of relief: "I'll go with you. Don't make things difficult for them."
"gentlemen!"
Yu Ying looked at them and explained, "If they wanted me to go, they could just use brute force to capture me. Why are they saying so much here?"
After Yu Ying's reminder, everyone realized that this was indeed the case.
Even so, no one dared to relax.
Wei Yong suddenly grabbed Yu Ying's sleeve and pulled it tightly with almost all his strength, the veins on the back of his hand were exposed.
Yu Ying patted his hand lightly: "Let go."
Wei Yong's eyes turned red, and he said in a hoarse voice: "I promised Fu An that I would protect his aunt."
From the initial tit-for-tat confrontation to several months of exchanges, Wei Yong and Fu An had already become close friends.
At first, I really wanted to defeat Fu An, but later I was really impressed by Fu An's abilities.
"I'm fine. They won't hurt me for now. But if you push these evil people into a corner, who knows what crazy things they might do to me and you."
Standing in front of the cell, the three ruthless villains said: ...
But the villain was already used to playing the role, without making any mistakes. He said in a vicious voice: "Madam Yu is right. If you refuse to drink this toast and insist on drinking the penalty wine, then you can't blame me for waiting."
As he spoke, he took a step forward, stretched out his big hand and grabbed Wei Yong's arm. When he was about to throw it aside, suddenly a soft hand landed on his arm.
The man followed her arm and looked into those beautiful eyes, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"The child is ignorant, don't bother with him, I will go."
The man thought for two breaths and finally let go of her hand.
The man's grip was extremely strong, and even though Wei Yong only held his arm for a moment, he still felt his entire arm go numb.
The man looked at Wei Yong with a sharp gaze, his eyes full of warning.
Because Wei Yong's arm was numb, Yu Ying easily pushed his hand away.
Everyone watched helplessly as their husband was taken away.
After leaving the cell, the man handed Yu Ying a piece of black cloth and said, "Put it on."
Yu Ying took it and put it on without saying anything, very calmly.
The three of them looked at each other and wondered how this woman could be so calm and not afraid at all?
Yu Ying followed, pulling a rope. Strong light faintly shone through the black cloth. She must have gone outside.
She said, "Next time, let me go to see your village chief. Be polite."
As soon as she finished speaking, she bumped into the back of the man in front of her and silently took a few steps back.
After a moment of silence, the man who grabbed Wei Yong's arm spoke: "How did you know?"
Yu Ying said calmly, "It's not hard to guess."
"Tell me, how is it not difficult to guess?"
"First, in Lingnan, all the bandits, big and small, follow Mu Yun's lead. Mu Yun guards the border between Lingnan and Qinshui, and presumably has a good relationship with the governor of Xiping County. There are only two possibilities for our capture in Xiping County: either the governor, Mu Yunshan, or a conspiracy between the two of you."
"And the second one?"
"Secondly, although Mu Yunshan is rumored to be a fierce bandit, I've never heard of him looting or slaughtering a village. I think he has a bottom line. We were captured without any external injuries, and you also said you were only after the money. So I'm going to make a bold guess. I was only a few percent sure before, but now it's 100%."
Yu Ying deliberately lowered the probability of suspicion.
The man suddenly reacted: "Are you testing me?"
She had already guessed it without any need to test it.
"I guess so."
"Tsk tsk, I've only heard Mo Lang say that Fu Wei is a cunning man, but I've never heard that his wife is not easy to fool."
Yu Ying shrugged and continued, "If you're only after money, don't be violent towards those kids."
Judging from what we have just seen, although their lives will not be harmed, in order to deter them from doing anything reckless, we may have to use force to deter them.
"As long as they behave themselves, we brothers will naturally not use violence, nor will we treat them badly with food." After saying that, he pulled the rope and said, "Let's go."
Yu Ying stopped talking and moved forward along the rope.
After walking for a while, the person in front spoke up: "Three steps."
The man in front gave a warning, and Yu Ying slowly raised her foot to test it before putting it down.
After the steps, there was a reminder of the threshold. If they hadn't been captured, it would have been quite considerate.
After entering the house, the front end of the rope was loosened, and Yu Ying did not move.
I don't know what was said, I only heard a few whispers, and then a familiar voice came: "Madam Yu, you can take off the black cloth now."
Only then did Yu Ying take off the black cloth.
In front of her was a very long conference table. Sitting at the head of the table was someone Yu Ying was familiar with, and behind him was the man who had brought her here, but his face veil was still on.
Yu Ying nodded slightly towards the person at the top: "Village Leader."
The giant-like Muyun Village Chief raised his hand and said, "Madam Yu, please take a seat."
Yu Ying didn't hesitate and sat down.
The leader of Muyun Village said, "We robbed Madam Yu and Yuzhang's group only for their wealth. We will not harm your lives. Please rest assured, Madam Yu."
Yu Ying didn’t know Sect Master Zhou’s purpose before, but now she guessed it.
This group of people did confuse the public, but they did not give up on them.
They were captured by Mu Yunshan and temporarily imprisoned there, probably waiting for the right opportunity to send them to Lord Zhou.
Someone brought her tea.
Yu Ying nodded: "With the village chief's words, I feel at ease."
Having not had any water for a whole night, Yu Ying felt thirsty, so she calmly picked up the tea and took a sip.
Seeing her so calm, the village chief suddenly laughed and said, "I'm not afraid that the Duke of Yuzhang won't pay to redeem you."
Yu Ying put down the teacup and said, "Even if you don't pay for the ransom, so what? The heroes of Muyun Mountain are not the kind to kill innocent people."
As soon as she said this, the man behind the leader of Muyun Village suddenly chuckled.
When the leader of Muyun Village heard the whisper, he frowned and said, "Old Five."
The person behind him coughed twice and then explained, "I've never heard of a hostage calling us brothers heroes. I couldn't help myself."
The leader of the Muyun Village looked at Yu Ying and said, "The brothers in the village are not respectful. Madam Yu, I am sorry to have embarrassed you."
Yu Ying shook her head nonchalantly, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll have a proper talk with those kids when I get back. I hope the village chief won't make things too difficult for them."
Hearing this, the leader of Muyun Village turned around and glanced at the person behind him: "Did you get violent?"
The man called Lao Wu responded, "It's not really violent."
The village chief said, "The military doctors are just a bunch of kids, don't be violent."
"Although there are some young ones, there are also some in their twenties. How can they be considered little kids?" Seeing the village chief's obvious displeasure, he continued, "Since uncle has said so, I can only worship them as ancestors."
Watching the two acting, Yu Ying still pretended not to know their relationship with the Yuzhang Zhou family.
"Since the village chief has called me here, I think he wants to see my head."
The village chief nodded and said, "Indeed, I haven't had a headache for a long time, but it has started to happen again recently."
Yu Ying stood up and walked towards the chief seat.
Lao Wu looked a bit nonchalant, but when she came over, he secretly held the knife at his waist.
Yu Ying paused, looked at the village chief, and then looked at him again, her meaning was obvious.
She didn't want to be accidentally stabbed.
The village chief understood what she meant and pushed the person behind him: "Go aside."
Lao Wu walked a few steps away, folded his arms across his chest, and leaned against a pillar. He seemed nonchalant but was always alert.
Yu Ying took the pulse of the leader of Muyun Village. His heart rate and pulse were very normal, and he did not look like he had any serious illness.
I checked the temperature on my forehead and it was normal.
After carefully examining for a while, he glanced at the bloodshot eyes of the leader of Muyun Village and probably got the answer.
"Too much thinking and not enough rest."
"That's it?"
The one who spoke was Lao Wu.
Yu Ying didn't respond and asked the village chief, Mu Yun: "I think the village chief has been staying up late lately, thinking too much and not eating in moderation. Even an ordinary person would have a headache, not to mention that the village chief already has a headache."
Lao Wu muttered, "Second Uncle and Doctor Shi are not in the village, so no one can control Uncle."
Yu Ying said, "I'll prescribe a prescription for the village chief. He should also get enough rest and eat on time. Otherwise, even if he has nothing to do now, his life span will be shortened."
The village chief nodded and said, "Madam Yu is also a guest. Sharing a cell with men will be inconvenient. I will have someone arrange for a guest room."
Yu Ying was about to shake her head, but then she thought that it was really inconvenient.
Not to mention washing, even the three urgent needs of people are very inconvenient.
Yu Ying did not refuse and said, "Those children are worried about me. I will go back first to reassure them."
After the village chief agreed, Yu Ying returned to her seat and took the initiative to put on the black cloth. Then she took the rope and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you for your help, Fifth Master."
Lao Wu looked at her in surprise. Just by calling her Lao Wu, she knew that he was also the head of Mu Yun Village?
Yu Ying was just guessing.
He walked over, picked up the other end of the rope, and then led her away.
After leaving the house, she said, "You are courageous and intelligent, and you have a good appearance and a good temper. This is the first time I have seen a woman like you."
Yu Ying said calmly, "Thank you for the compliment."
"Don't follow Fu Wei anymore. Follow me. I'll let you be my wife."
When Yu Ying heard the familiar lines from film and television dramas, she never thought that one day a bandit leader would actually say the same thing to her.
After a moment's silence, she said, "The Fifth Master is about the same age as Mo Lang, right?"
"So what?"
"Mo Lang is already thirty years old, and the Fifth Master hasn't married yet at this age. Is there something wrong with his appearance, or is there some hidden illness? As a doctor..."
The person in front stopped, and Yu Ying noticed it this time and stopped in time, not touching him.
The person in front seemed to be gritting his teeth: "Don't think I won't use violence just because I have your uncle as a backer!"
Yu Ying, blindfolded, tilted her head and asked in confusion, "So why hasn't the Fifth Master married yet at this age?"
After a moment of silence, the person in front sneered, "What do you care about me? If you really care that I'm old and still unmarried, why don't you become my wife?"
"That won't work."
Lao Wu frowned: "Why not?"
"Let's not talk about the relationship between me and my husband. My husband is young, handsome, and has a great demeanor. Does the Fifth Master think he can compare to him?"
Lao Wu wanted to refute, but when he thought about the fact that Fu Wei was indeed younger than him, and his appearance and demeanor were indeed outstanding, he didn't say anything against his will. He just said unhappily, "It's just a facade and pretense. Only vulgar people care about appearance, and only when they are older will they care about others."
Yu Ying: ...
What nonsense are you talking about!
If you don’t love a young and handsome man, do you love him because he’s old and arrogant?
"If Fifth Master doesn't care, then if I were ugly and old, would Fifth Master still say such frivolous things to me?"
I thought the person in front was a stubborn person, but he said bluntly: "No, but don't use these metaphors with me. First, I am in my prime, and second..."
He touched his face, which was covered by the veil, and thought carefully before saying, "I should be pretty good-looking."
Yu Ying smiled and replied bluntly, "But I just love young and handsome men. I am just that vulgar."
Lao Wu dropped the word "vulgar" in an obviously unhappy voice, stopped talking, and led her back to the prison.
Back in the cell, she took off the black cloth. The others rushed over and asked hurriedly, "Did they show any disrespect to the master?!"
Before Yu Ying could say anything, Lao Wu said, "We're not so desperate for women that we'd pounce on any woman we see."
Wei Yong glared at him angrily and looked back at Yu Ying.
"Are you okay, sir?"
Yu Ying shook her head: "I'm fine. Their leader has a headache and needs my help. They are very polite to me and won't touch me for the time being."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the thief was still in prison, so they did not dare to let their guard down.
"Since you've reported your safety, Madam Yu, please follow me."
Upon hearing this, everyone stood in front of Yu Ying again and said, "Haven't we already examined your people? Why are you still taking the master away?"
The fifth brother smiled and said, "Madam Yu is a great doctor. My eldest son is waiting for treatment for his headache, so naturally we will treat her as a distinguished guest and entertain her well."
"It's you, a beautiful lady like me, living under the same roof with a bunch of young boys like you, who are the most dangerous."
Most people blushed at his malicious speculation: "You are judging others with your own mean mind, and you are judging others with your own meanness."
Lao Wu shrugged his shoulders and did not deny it. After all, he really had the idea of poaching someone just now.
Everyone looked at Yu Ying: "Sir, we swear that we have nothing but respect for you and absolutely no dirty thoughts."
Yu Ying didn't take what the fifth brother said seriously and was still quite relaxed. But now that the joke was directed at these children, her face suddenly darkened.
"I believe you."
She glared at the person at the prison door with a look of concern on her face.
Rather than scolding him, Lao Wu felt a little more uncomfortable being glared at by someone with such a sullen face. He cleared his throat a few times and said, "It was just a few jokes. Look how nervous you are."
"We are just seeking wealth. We won't make enemies with Yuzhang." He looked at Yu Ying and said, "Tell me quickly."
After that, he walked out of the cell and left them to talk.
After the man left, Yu Ying said, "Don't listen to that thief's attempts to sow discord."
They finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the gentleman was not wary of them because of the thief's words.
Yu Ying glanced at them and said, "Remember what I said before. When you are in danger, tell them that you are a military doctor. Military doctors are talented and can protect themselves."
"Sir, do you really want to go out with them?" Wei Yong asked anxiously.
Yu Ying looked at him and said, "They said preferential treatment is preferential treatment. You don't have to worry, and don't act rashly. We are unarmed. We just need to wait for the county magistrate to come and rescue us. Any rash action will only cost us our lives."
"But will the Duke really come to save us?" someone asked worriedly.
"This is inevitable. The Duke is kind and righteous, and he will definitely not abandon us. We just need to wait and see."
Lao Wu, who was outside the cell, couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
The woman was young, in her early twenties at most, only a few years older than the boys inside, but she comforted them like an elder, making people feel calm and reliable.
It's really unfair that Fu Wei got the advantage of such a rare woman.
A moment later, the cell door opened: "Leave."
Yu Ying said goodbye to everyone, then walked out of the cell and consciously covered herself with the black cloth again.
After they got outside, the man who had just spoken frivolously suddenly apologized: "I apologize for my words that went against my will in prison. I hope my lady won't blame me."
Yu Ying said coldly, "I dare not."
His attitude was cold, completely devoid of his earlier ease. Lao Wu knew he had offended someone. After a short silence, he spoke again: "Madam, don't worry. I won't let anyone mistreat your students."
"In that case, I thank you, Fifth Master."
The voice was not as cold as before, but it was still deserted.
He led the man into the house, asked someone to guard him outside, and then returned to the meeting hall.
After returning to the meeting hall, he took off the veil covering his face, revealing a handsome face.
He looked at the village chief who was reading the letter and asked, "Uncle, do you think I can pry open the base of Fu Wei's wall?"
Upon hearing this, the leader of Muyun Village paused for a moment and replied without even looking up: "No."
"Why?"
The head of Muyu Village looked up and stared at him quietly for a moment before speaking softly, "It is important for a person to know himself."
Lao Wu immediately became unhappy: "I'm not bad either."
"You also know that you are only just okay? If so, how dare you compare yourself to the son of Master Fu?"
Lao Wu was immediately choked: "Is Fu Wei really that outstanding?"
"It's not like you haven't seen it before."
I have indeed seen it, but only from a distance.
Just as he was feeling depressed, the village chief over there said again: "Next time I see Madam Yu, I'll ask you to help me check your head."
Lao Wu had a hunch that his uncle had no good words for him.
Sure enough, the next moment: "See if there is water in your head."
…
"I was raised by your uncle. I'm thirty now, and you don't worry about whether I'll end up alone."
The head of Muyun Village glanced at him and said, "Who will worry about me, an old lonely man?"
Lao Wu was silent.
If you think about it carefully, Muyun Village is really short of women.
"Don't think about how to pry them away. Wait until they have a few days' rest, then start making arrangements to send them over to Zhou Yi and the others."
"I want to steal someone's girlfriend, but I have to give her away. It's really unpleasant to think about it."
The village chief didn't waste any more time talking to him and told him to get out and think carefully about how to get rid of the people.
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