Chapter 57
As soon as the door opened, a figure flashed past outside. Cui Pei instinctively made a move, but stopped abruptly when he saw Zhu Zijin's cold and stern face.
The young master of the Zhu family, who had traveled all over Jijing, rarely had such a solemn expression. Before Cui Pei could react, he saw Zhu Zijin squeeze past him and stride into the room.
"Uncle! Something terrible has happened!"
Following the clues provided by Pei Lingjun, the two elite guards outside the city finally found out about the group of assassins within a few days.
As soon as the curled letter was unfolded, it was covered with densely packed small characters.
In the past two years, taxes have increased in various places, and many places have seen a situation where taxes disappear as people leave. Ganzhou Prefecture is one of them.
Those who did not pay taxes became "unregistered residents" on the government's register. Without household registration or land, they could only live as bandits, robbing and plundering to survive.
Unexpectedly, bandits from Ganzhou Prefecture came to Anyang and even attempted to assassinate Wen Tao.
Pei Lingjun frowned deeply. In the silent space, only Zhu Zijin was still panting heavily.
Just as Pei Lingjun finished reading the letter, he suddenly stood up, exclaiming, "Oh no! Wen Shu—"
Wen Shu was taken out of the city bound. The carriage shafts sped over the gravel on the riverbank, and the bumpy ride almost made her vomit.
Fortunately, it was managed to be suppressed.
"Boss! I think that maid is quite pretty. Why don't we kidnap her together?"
The man with the thick beard spoke up, slapping him on the head, "Do you think we're some kind of heinous bandits? We don't do things that harm innocent women!"
The bandit who had just spoken about Hu retorted, "Isn't the Wen family's wife innocent?"
"For so many years, the corrupt official Wen Tao has been running rampant in Anyang Prefecture, oppressing the people. They can't pay the taxes due to the imperial court, and they can't satisfy the mouths of the corrupt officials. The corrupt official Wen Tao has driven them to the point of ruin, death, and separation from their wives and children." The leader of Longhu Mountain snorted lightly, glancing sideways at the carriage. "As Wen Tao's daughter, she is not innocent!"
After an unknown amount of time, before the brains were evenly mixed, the carriage finally came to a stop.
With her hands bound, Wen Shu awkwardly jumped off the carriage, her face pale, and gagged violently on the ground, vomiting up her acidic stomach contents.
It was almost dusk, but she hadn't even had lunch yet. The few mouthfuls of porridge she had hastily eaten in the morning wouldn't give her much strength for long.
The leader of Longhu Mountain made no attempt to conceal his territory from Wen Shu.
They felt it was really unnecessary. Such a delicate young lady could feel nauseous and vomit if the carriage was bumpy. How could she possibly escape from Longhu Mountain?
"Boss, I think we should forget about the ransom and let this young lady stay as our wife!"
The burly leader of Longhu Mountain gave him a look as if he were an idiot, and snorted with a snort, "Which is more important, women or money? Lust is a dangerous thing, don't underestimate women."
The bandit glanced at Wen Shu furtively; her delicate figure really didn't impress him.
He ordered two men to escort Wen Shu and shouted, "Let's go! To Dragon Tiger Stronghold!"
"It's Dragon Tiger Stronghold!"
As soon as Pei Lingjun spoke, he met Wen Tao's surprised gaze. He seemed not to have heard the news of Wen Shu's abduction, but was very curious about the Dragon Tiger Stronghold that Pei Lingjun mentioned.
How do you know about Dragon Tiger Stronghold?
Pei Lingjun bent slightly, staring at the ground, and said calmly, "To be honest, I heard earlier that many people in the south evade taxes. These people have nowhere to go and can only hide in the mountains. In just a few days, these people not only assassinated you but also kidnapped Fourth Sister. It is clear that they are often active near Anyang City."
The young man raised his eyes, his gaze sharp and intense, carrying a hint of barely perceptible killing intent. "There is Longhu Mountain near Anyang City, and several major merchants from Anyang Prefecture have frequently lost their goods when passing through Longhu Mountain, which shows that there are bandits causing trouble on Longhu Mountain."
"I beg you, Uncle, permission to lead men to rescue my cousin. We cannot delay any longer!"
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