Chapter 47
Xie Zheng looked at Fan Changyu and said, "You are acquainted with the captain of the police named Wang. Go find him and have him take the guards to guard the city gate. Do not let the mob enter the city."
Fan Changyu was puzzled: "The mobs entered the city, so they should have been looking for trouble with the county magistrate and the yamen runners. Why should we help the county magistrate to stop the mobs?"
Xie Zheng's expression was indescribably cold: "They risked their lives to rebel, do you still think they just want justice? What they want now is power and wealth! Any family in this city is richer than those farmers, and they hate them to the core. If they go one step further, they can also become rebels who burn, kill, rob and abuse. If you don't want to see this county being looted, just do what I say."
When Fan Changyu heard him say this, her heart sank for a moment because of the complexity of human nature. She pursed her lips and said, "Captain Wang has been dismissed by the county order. His words are no longer valid in the government office."
Xie Zheng frowned, but said, "Just go and deliver the message, saying that the county magistrate has been sidelined, and ask him to take the yamen runners to set up defenses at the city gates, and appease the mobs if they encounter them, and promise that the government will return all the grain collected, and will not hold them accountable."
"But what if the government doesn't return the food?"
"Calm the mob first, and I'll figure out the rest." His eyes were calm, which made people convinced for some reason.
Fan Changyu thought about it and still had some concerns: "Didn't you say that they all rebelled for glory and wealth? Can this really calm the mob?"
Xie Zheng glanced at her and said, "The mob will fight to the death because they have no way out. If we promise not to hold them accountable and give them food back, they can go back to farming as before. Ambitious people will continue to instigate and refuse to give in, but those who just want to do their job and are forced to this point will start to hesitate."
Fan Changyu finally understood that he wanted the rioters to disrupt their formation first.
For a moment, she felt that Yan Zheng in front of her was very strange, as if she had never really understood him.
Xie Zheng noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
Fan Changyu shook his head and asked, "How do we get out?"
The soldiers were still guarding the alley behind Yixianglou. If they went out through the alley, they would definitely be seen by the soldiers guarding outside. If they knocked the soldiers unconscious before leaving, the soldiers who had collapsed there would be discovered soon, and their whereabouts would be exposed again.
Unfortunately, the other end of this alley is blocked off and is extremely narrow. It is used to drain rainwater dripping from the eaves between two houses. It is only wide enough for one person to pass through. Because it is damp and has never seen sunlight all year round, the walls are covered with sticky moss, and one will slip if one is not careful.
Xie Zheng glanced at the high wall at the end of the alley and said to Fan Changyu, "Step on my shoulders and climb over."
Fan Changyu estimated the two men's stature and nodded, "Okay, I'll climb up and find a ladder for you."
When Xie Zheng half-knelt at the foot of the wall, she supported herself on the wall with one hand and stepped one foot on his broad shoulder.
With the combined height of the two people, Fan Changyu finally reached the top of the wall. She pushed herself up with her arms and looked around the yard. She saw a man writing something at a desk in a room with a wide open window. He suddenly looked over here sharply.
Fan Changyu picked up a tile from the wall with lightning speed and smashed it onto his acupuncture points.
The man was so shocked that he fell onto his desk before he could say a word.
After smashing the things, Fan Changyu realized that the man looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him for a while.
Xie Zheng heard the noise inside and asked her, "Is there someone on the other side of the wall?"
Fan Changyu nodded and said, "I've knocked him unconscious. There's a bamboo ladder in the yard. Wait a minute, I'll bring it over."
As she spoke, she jumped down from the wall, her figure as nimble as a cat.
The bamboo ladder was neither too long nor too short, just enough to reach the courtyard wall. After Fan Changyu climbed up the wall, he passed the ladder to the other side of the high wall, allowing Xie Zheng to reach the yard smoothly.
He walked into the room and took a look at the man who was knocked unconscious by Fan Changyu. A strange look flashed across his eyes and he said, "It's the owner of the bookstore."
How come the Zhao family's house is right next to Yixianglou?
This slight doubt in his mind made him take another look at the unfinished letter on the desk. Because of the heavy strokes of the brush when Zhao Wen fell, many of the words on the letter were covered by ink, but he could still make out the general outline.
Xie Zheng's eyes suddenly turned cold, and when he left, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his sleeve accidentally knocked over the inkstone, and thick ink spilled all over the table, staining the unfinished letter, and even Zhao Wen's sleeves and half of his face were covered with ink.
After hearing him say that this was the owner of the bookstore, Fan Changyu already felt guilty. When she saw Xie Zheng knock over the inkstone, she was terrified. She stammered, "I... I beat up your boss, and you knocked over his inkstone. He won't hate you, will he?"
She remembered that Xie Zheng wrote contemporary essays in the bookstore. Didn’t he include a deposit in the forty taels he paid last time?
Xie Zheng was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that she was worried about this. His cold expression faded a little and he said, "It doesn't matter. He may not remember you, and he doesn't know I was here."
Fan Changyu thought about it and realized that he almost didn't recognize him. He was a wealthy businessman and met so many people every day. He would definitely not remember him. He breathed a sigh of relief.
The Zhao Mansion was a two-story house, but there were hardly any servants in the entire mansion. Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng easily slipped out through the corner door of the Zhao Mansion.
Fan Changyu thought that they had gone through so much trouble because the front door and the back alley of Yixianglou were guarded by soldiers. She couldn't help but ask, "Shopkeeper Yu and the employees in the building were all arrested by that bastard official and thrown into prison. Why did they still send people to watch over Yixianglou? Could it be that they were looking for Yu Baoer?"
Xie Zheng looked gloomy and said only: "It's possible."
Fan Changyu suddenly looked a little angry: "Those dog officials are so vicious!"
In order to make an example of someone, even a child was spared?
Xie Zheng didn't respond, and said, "The child asked me to temporarily leave him with the old man who helped you get on the bus."
Fan Changyu had rented the old man's ox cart for a month to deliver goods, so he could be considered a trustworthy person.
But it would be easy for people to notice something was wrong if the old man brought a rich young man with him, so Fan Changyu said, "I'll take Bao'er with me when I go to Captain Wang's house."
Xie Zheng nodded, and as they parted ways, he looked at Fan Changyu, as if he wanted to tell her something, but in the end he said nothing.
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Fan Changyu asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
The sky was gloomy, making Xie Zheng's eyes look darker than usual. He said, "If the mob enters the city, just protect yourself."
He paused and said, "Don't trust anyone easily."
Fan Changyu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he looked up at him: "Are you leaving?"
It really felt wrong to say such things to her suddenly.
Xie Zheng choked and said with a bad look on his face: "Although I am not someone you can trust, you can still trust me for now."
After he left, Fan Changyu stayed there for a moment before quickly picking up Yu Baoer from the old man and taking her to Captain Wang's house.
Captain Wang was also shocked when he heard about the mob. He paced back and forth in the room several times and said to Madam Wang, "Bring me my police uniform."
When Madam Wang went to the inner room to get clothes, Captain Wang looked at Fan Changyu and said, "Your husband has such insight and is so sharp. I'm afraid he is not a simple man..."
Fan Changyu said: "His family used to run a security company, so he might be more knowledgeable than others."
Captain Wang said "no wonder" and after changing into his constable uniform, he went out to look for the people under his command.
Mrs. Wang saw him out of the house with a worried look on her face.
Fan Changyu didn't know what Xie Zheng's next plan was. It was risky to let Captain Wang, a dismissed detective, do these things.
But once the mob enters the city to plunder and has no way to retreat, their ambition and greed will also soar, just like a beast on a ravenous diet, they can no longer stop. This beast must be strangled before it is stained with blood.
She thought for a moment and said to Mrs. Wang, "You said before that you have maps of the county government and the county magistrate's residence?"
Mrs. Wang nodded hesitantly and asked, "Yes, yes, what do you want to do, little girl?"
Fan Changyu said, "From what my husband said, the grain collection has become such a mess, the county magistrate is probably being sidelined. Why don't we rescue the county magistrate? Apart from anything else, we must first restore Uncle Wang's position as a constable, so that it will be easier for Uncle Wang to do things."
No matter who is secretly in power at this moment, in the eyes of ordinary people and yamen runners, the county magistrate is the highest official in Qingping County.
Mrs. Wang didn't know whether this girl was born brave or something, she was still a little frightened at this moment, but this girl was still thinking of something more daring. She thought of her husband who went to stop the mob, and calmed herself down and said, "This is too risky. I will go with you."
Fan Changyu thought for a moment and said, "There is a less risky way, but I still need to ask my aunt for help."
Mrs. Wang's expression changed.
-
The fragrant building.
A horse-drawn carriage drove towards the back alley of Yixianglou and stopped not far from the alley entrance, but no one got out of the carriage. The guard at the back door of Yixianglou looked at the carriage silently.
Two of them exchanged glances and were about to go over to take a look when a dark figure suddenly appeared from the other side of the alley, picked up a club and hit the back of the remaining two guards' heads with it. The two guards fainted on the spot.
Fan Changyu changed into a boy's clothes at Captain Wang's house and smeared her face with pot ash so that her original facial features could not be recognized. She kicked open the seal on the back door of Yixianglou and ran into the building.
The two guards who were about to check the carriage shouted, "An accomplice of murder has broken into the inn to destroy the evidence!"
They followed in again to capture Fan Changyu, who was waiting for them behind the door.
As soon as the people came in, she threw the club and knocked one of them unconscious. The soldier behind him drew his sword to chop Fan Changyu, but Fan Changyu dodged to the side and kicked him into the slop tank in the backyard. The slop tank was quite deep, and the soldier was trapped in it, unable to get up for a long time.
After Fan Changyu entered the house for a while, he quickly left the yard, holding something in his arms wrapped in a shawl.
The soldier screamed hysterically: "The thief ran away! The thief ran away!"
This commotion had already alarmed the guards at the main entrance of Yixianglou. A group of people wearing constable uniforms but clearly not like constables, split into two groups and chased from both ends of the alley. However, they only saw a small man who seemed to be holding a child in his arms, hurriedly getting on the carriage parked at the entrance of the alley.
Before the soldiers could catch up, the carriage had gone far away.
Snow was flying everywhere. The driver was wearing coarse cloth and a hat, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. But from the way he whipped the horse, it was obvious that he was a martial artist.
When some officers and soldiers who were surrounding the team from the front were about to go forward to stop them, the driver swung out another whip, which was more than ten feet long and hit them, tearing their skin and flesh. With a sweep to the left and right, the officers and soldiers who had surrounded them could only lie on the side of the road and howl in pain.
The leader of the soldiers shouted, "It must be the accomplice in the building who ran away with the kid. Hurry up and call for reinforcements!"
A whistle arrow was shot into the gray sky, and the county government quickly sent a team of soldiers over.
The people in the car were Fan Changyu and Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang was very familiar with the streets and alleys of the entire county. After turning a few corners, she left the soldiers behind. Fan Changyu jumped out of the car and said, "Please lead these soldiers for a walk for two quarters of an hour. After two quarters of an hour, leave them alone and get away on your own."
Mrs. Wang raised her hat and asked, "Two quarters of an hour, is it in time for you?"
Fan Changyu said, "My husband must have gone to the county government office. I will go to the county magistrate's house. The soldiers are out in force to arrest Yu's son. We will find the county magistrate no matter what."
Naturally, Yu Baoer was not in the car. She had just wrapped the person she had brought out of Yixianglou in a blanket, which was nothing more than a small quilt.
Mrs. Wang just said, "Be careful!"
Fan Changyu said: "My aunt is the same."
The carriage slowed down, and after Fan Changyu got off at a deserted place, it turned several turns into an alley and headed towards the county magistrate's residence.
-
When Fan Changyu arrived at the county magistrate's house, he found that Song's mother was also there.
She hid in the dark and only saw Song's mother and a very young maid, standing at the door of the county magistrate's house, carrying large and small bags of things. She had a flattering smile on her face: "Yan'er is going to Beijing to take the exam, and he misses you very much. So, he asked me to buy so many small things for you..."
The housekeeper at the door said, "Mr. Song is very thoughtful."
He ordered the servant behind him to accept all the pearl jewelry that Song's mother had bought with great reluctance, but he did not ask Song's mother to come in and sit down.
Song's mother's face was almost frozen from laughing. She had been turned away for several days in a row, and she was unwilling to spend money on so many gifts but still not be welcomed by the county magistrate's family. She said, "Madam praised my shoes a few days ago. I came to have tea with you today and bring you the shoes."
The housekeeper just said, "Madam has caught a cold and is not well yet. If Madam Song has anything for you, just give it to me, this old servant."
Song's mother originally felt that the county magistrate's family background was a little low. When Song Yan passed the imperial examination, she thought that the daughter of a county magistrate might not be worthy of her son. However, because she was in this county, she had to rely on the county magistrate to take care of her, so she became close to the county magistrate's wife.
Previously, the wife of the county magistrate had been determined to arrange the marriages of her sons and daughters. She had been making plans in her mind, and she had been trying to lure the county magistrate and his daughter with the promise of a wife of a prostitute or a wife of a successful scholar, but she had not decided to get them engaged.
Occasionally, when the wife of the county magistrate was pressed too hard, she would cry and bring up the matter of Song Yan's recent broken engagement. She said that Song Yan was a filial son, and for her sake, he broke off the engagement with the Fan family, who killed pigs, despite the reputation of being heartless and ungrateful. But the Fan family was now almost telling everyone that the Song family had let her down. They said they were afraid that Song Yan would get engaged again so soon, which would make the girl of the Fan family even more jealous. If she spread rumors, it would definitely affect Song Yan's career. The two families would be relatives sooner or later anyway, so there was no need to rush.
The county magistrate's wife was frightened by her words. On weekdays, the two of them would drink tea and watch plays together, and the county magistrate's wife was always warm to her.
During the Chinese New Year, Song Yan happened to have a scandal with the Fan family at a lantern festival, and Song's mother felt ashamed for a while.
She was afraid that the county magistrate's wife would look down on her son. Although she only wanted to ride a donkey to find a horse at first, this incident suddenly made Song's mother worried. What if her son failed to pass the imperial examination and could not go to the capital to be an official? Looking at the entire Qingping County, it would be most glorious to marry into the county magistrate's family. That's why she took the gifts to the county magistrate's house to pay New Year's greetings on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
Who would have thought that I would be turned away.
When Song's mother returned home that day, she was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She was afraid that it would affect her son's studies, so she didn't dare tell Song Yan about this. However, she secretly made up her mind to repair her relationship with the county magistrate's family, and she had been sending gifts to the county magistrate's family in the past two days.
Since I couldn't get through to the county magistrate's wife, I tried getting through to the county magistrate's daughter. However, even after giving gifts until today, I still can't even get into the county magistrate's house.
Song's mother felt as if her face had been ripped off and thrown under someone's feet. She couldn't even force out a smile as she left. Her face was ashen. After she passed the corner of the street, she dared to spit on the ground a few times: "What kind of person is this? She's just the daughter of a county magistrate. Do you really think that I, Yan'er, would beg you to marry her? You have the nerve to accept the gift, but you don't even let me in to sit down and have a cup of tea?"
Fan Changyu stood with his back to a stall on the street, pretending to pick things up. He heard Song's mother's words clearly and glanced at her as she walked away. Although he no longer took the Song family seriously, when he saw Song's mother's face, he could only sigh that evil deeds would be punished.
I thought that the county magistrate's family had better see through the nature of these mother and son and ignore them.
She went around the back wall of the county magistrate's house, climbed up a tree at the base of the wall, and flipped over the wall.
Captain Wang had been a constable for more than ten years and had worked for several county magistrates. He was very familiar with the topography of the house. After looking at the map given by Mrs. Wang, Fan Changyu could roughly understand the layout of the mansion. This should be the kitchen.
She walked out quietly along the wall, and after passing a door with hanging flowers, she just saw the housekeeper coming in, so she quickly hid behind the corner of the wall.
The housekeeper brought the things given by Song's mother and begged a man who looked like a guard: "Master Jun, these are given to the young lady by our future aunt. Please be flexible and let me give them to the young lady."
The butler of the county magistrate's mansion actually requires a guard to do his job?
This was obviously abnormal, so Fan Changyu pricked up his ears to listen.
The guard just sneered and said, "Throw it into the closet with the other things. If any word gets out, you won't even have a chance to keep your heads!"
The butler was obviously frightened and dared not say another word.
Fan Changyu suddenly felt that the group of people who controlled the county magistrate's mansion must be no simple people, and his breathing became more subtle and long.
She noticed that in the entire county magistrate's mansion, no one had cleaned the snow in the courtyard. She didn't know whether the county magistrate's family was under control and the people under him were passive and slacking off, or someone had ordered not to clean the snow.
After all, there is snow, and no matter how lightly people walk through the courtyard, they will always make sounds when they step on the snow.
Fan Changyu was deep in thought when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind him.
When she turned around, her eyes met with a maid carrying a tray.
The little maid was about to scream when Fan Changyu approached her and chopped her unconscious with a knife. She took the tray from the maid with one hand, supported the maid with the other, looked around, kicked open the door of a room next door, and walked in with the maid.
A moment later, Fan Changyu, dressed in maid's clothes, walked out boldly with a tray in her hand.
When she turned the corner, the guard under the eaves glanced at her. Fan Changyu walked over with her head lowered, heading in the direction the butler had left.
She had looked at the map in advance and had a good sense of direction, so she found the housekeeper's residence without much effort based on the layout of the mansion.
When he pushed the door open and walked in, the housekeeper was sitting on a chair, still in grief. When he saw Fan Changyu, he was almost frightened to death and fell to the ground. He grimaced in pain, but at the same time, he wanted to act like an old housekeeper and asked with a cold face, "Which room are you from? You are so brave!"
Fan Changyu felt that the county magistrate was under custody, so the order to dismiss Captain Wang was definitely not issued by the county magistrate. The county magistrate might be counting on Captain Wang to save his life now.
She said, "I am Captain Wang's man."
The anger on the housekeeper's face froze, and then he almost cried with joy, "Captain Wang is really experienced. He can tell at a glance that something is wrong with the county government these days..."
Seeing that he was about to cry for a long time, Fan Changyu frowned and interrupted him, asking what he wanted to know: "What's going on in the mansion?"
The housekeeper wept and said, "Didn't the Jizhou government issue an order to collect grain a few days ago? A team of soldiers holding Jizhou government badges came to supervise the collection. My master heard that they would collect one dan of grain per person and begged for mercy, saying that this would force the people into a desperate situation. But the superiors forced us to do it with the grain collection order."
"My master had no choice but to order the grain collection, but the officers and soldiers who went to collect grain killed farmers in the countryside. My master was afraid that the incident would be reported to Lord He in Jizhou Prefecture, and his clothes would be in danger, so he wanted to go to Jizhou Prefecture to apologize in advance, so he asked the officers and soldiers from Jizhou to take him into custody. They claimed to be the men of Wei Xuan, the governor of the northwest, and said that everything was up to them. Now Lord He has been dismissed by the governor, and they said that my master had obstructed the grain collection, so they took him into custody in the mansion first, and even the wife and daughters were not allowed to go out or see guests."
Fan Changyu frowned even more tightly. She had heard of the name Wei Xuan. The tragic case of grain collection in Taizhou was caused by him with the help of his subordinates.
She was unsure for a moment. If Wei Xuan was cruel and unjust and really used this method to forcibly collect grain, even if Captain Wang persuaded the mob at the city gate, what would she do if Wei Xuan turned around and led his troops to kill those people?
Fan Changyu thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we kidnap the high official sent by Wei Xuan and have the county magistrate return the military rations to the people."
If we tie up that leader, he won't be able to order the killing of civilians.
The butler's lips trembled, and he didn't care about the second half of her sentence. The first half of the sentence alone almost scared him to death: "Kidnapped...kidnapped? There are more than a dozen soldiers in this mansion, all of them are highly skilled in martial arts, and the county government is all their people. How to kidnap?"
Fan Changyu said: "If you can't beat him, won't you use drugs or something?"
The housekeeper couldn't help but look at Fan Changyu, wondering if this was really the person Captain Wang called to help?
How serious a crime would it be to kidnap the military commander of Jizhou Prefecture? If those people come to settle accounts later, even one more piece of the mansion's head would not be enough to chop off!
He waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no! How will my master explain to those military officers later?"
Fan Changyu also knew that this method was a bit damaging, but the county magistrate had been in office in Qingping County for three years, and although he had not done anything evil, he had not done anything good for the people either. This was the only way at the moment, and it was just to trick the county magistrate, but it would be a waste if not used!
She said, "People have been killed by soldiers in Ma Village. The soldiers have forced the surrounding people to rebel. There are thousands of mobs gathering to destroy the county government. Do you think your master will be pushed out as a scapegoat? Will you, the butler of the county magistrate's mansion, also be hated by those mobs?"
The housekeeper's lips began to tremble again. After considering for a moment, he said, "There is no such thing as aphrodisiac in the mansion, and those people are very cautious. They will let the servants taste anything they take first."
Now Fan Changyu was also in a dilemma.
Seeing this, the housekeeper said angrily, "But there is croton in the house, and the kitchen is cooking Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup right now."
-
A moment later, Fan Changyu went to the front yard carrying a tray and a servant carrying a wooden barrel.
In Fan Changyu's tray was a white porcelain cup. In the cup was a large snow pear with the upper half cut open and the pear flesh inside hollowed out. Then, Tremella fuciformis and lotus seed soup was poured into the cup and the lid of the cut snow pear was closed, and the cup was simmered over low heat.
Through the soup bowl, you can not only smell the fragrance of Tremella fuciformis, but also the sweet fragrance of pear.
Fan Changyu could only sigh that even wealthy families could indulge in such novel foods.
The wooden barrel that the servant was carrying contained only ordinary Tremella fuciformis and lotus seed soup.
Of course, croton is added to these soups.
The housekeeper smiled and said to the guard under the eaves: "The weather is very cold. Madam, please consider the officers and ask the kitchen to make some Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup for them."
The guard had a shallow scar at the corner of his eye. He snorted through his nose with a condescending attitude, but it was obvious that he enjoyed it very much.
The butler seemed to be used to his cold face. He asked the servant to scoop a bowl of Tremella soup and drink it first, indicating that the soup was fine. The guard said, "Okay, put the things here."
The butler pointed at the tray in Fan Changyu's hand and said, "This is specially stewed for the master inside."
The guard glanced at Fan Changyu. She lowered her head halfway. At first glance, she looked really gentle and considerate. The guard's smile turned even colder. "Leave it to me."
The housekeeper flattered, "That gentleman has come from a long way. Qingping County is a small place, and there is nothing good to entertain him. Let this girl go."
The reason why Fan Changyu had to go in was not for any other reason. Although croton could cause diarrhea, it could not knock down all the people in the yard in a short time. If Fan Changyu went in to deliver the soup, he could get in close contact with the chief of the officers and soldiers. If he could subdue him, then things would be much easier.
The guard's face was still full of sneer, and he probably thought of something. He glanced at Fan Changyu and said, "I'll go in and ask the master."
After knocking on the door and entering, he said to the young man who was playing chess alone with his elbows half propped up on the chessboard: "My Lord, the people in this mansion insisted that a beautiful maid come in to bring you soup."
The one who robbed and killed the soldiers of Jizhou Prefecture, disguised himself as a grain-collecting officer and controlled the entire Qingping County for several days was Sui Yuanqing, the son of the rebel king of Chongzhou, Prince Changxin.
Prince Changxin had two sons. The eldest son was weak and sickly since childhood, so the position of crown prince fell to the youngest son.
In the early years, Prince Changxin kept a low profile and was known as a playboy when he followed Yuan Qing outside. It was not until Prince Changxin rebelled that he began to show his talent on the battlefield in Chongzhou. His methods were so ruthless that he was even called "Little Marquis Wu'an".
After hearing his subordinates' report, Sui Yuanqing also sneered and threw the chess piece in his hand back into the chess basket: "Wei Xuan is known for his cruelty and lust, there is no reason why his subordinates are clean and self-disciplined. Okay, let him in. What can a small county magistrate do?"
The guard received the order and was about to withdraw, but he heard him ask: "Did the scouts report back? Has Wei Xuan brought his men?"
The guard said, "No news has been sent back yet."
Sui Yuanqing frowned unconsciously. With Wei Xuan's stupid temper, how could he not bring his troops to kill on the spot when he learned that Qingping County had not collected grain?
Could it be that something unexpected happened in Jizhou?
The mob from Qingping County is almost reaching the county seat. If that idiot Wei Xuan doesn't come, his stage won't go to waste.
He tapped the table with his long fingers and said, "First, we should transport the money and food we have looted from the merchants and people in Qingping County, and then we should select a thousand soldiers and horses to wait at the slope outside the city. If that idiot Wei Xuan doesn't come, we will kill the rioters for him."
The guard was puzzled: "Those rioters wanted to surrender to Chongzhou, why did the prince want to kill them?"
Sui Yuanqing sneered, "There's no need to kill them all. Just do it for show and completely chill the hearts of the people in the world towards the court. If we don't kill this group of rioters, how many of them will vent their anger for a moment and really go to Chongzhou to join the army? Only when they are pushed into a desperate situation will they really take this rebellious path."
The scholar who was deliberately let go brought the news to Jizhou that the court officials and soldiers were forcibly collecting grain and leaving no way for the people to survive. The people wanted to go to the Jizhou government to seek justice, but were slaughtered by the officials and soldiers.
No matter how the Wei Party clarified the matter, the world would only tend to believe the scholar's words. After all, the Wei Party had been notorious for a long time, and behind the scholar's tearful accusations were tens of thousands of lives in Qingping County.
Things that are based on facts always make people more empathetic and easier to believe.
The guard said hurriedly: "The prince has a distinguished name."
Sui Yuanqing ignored the guard's flattery and asked, "Did you catch that brat?"
The guard was nervous and said, "Half a minute ago, someone broke into the incense shop and injured one of our people. It seems that he escaped with a child in his arms. I have already dispatched troops to chase him. I think we will have news soon."
Sui Yuanqing just said: "Don't hurt the child, after all, he is my eldest brother's flesh and blood."
The guard asked one more question: "The woman in the prison..."
Sui Yuanqing raised his cold eyes and said, "How to deal with my eldest brother's concubine? My eldest brother will decide after taking her back. Let her suffer in prison for two days first, and don't let others humiliate her."
The guard should be.
After the guards left, someone came in with a tray.
When he heard the light yet extremely steady footsteps, Sui Yuanqing's mouth curled up coldly.
When he raised his eyes and looked at the maid, although he had expected that the county magistrate wanted to please him and the person he sent would not be too bad, but seeing such a beautiful woman in this remote place, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
Especially the other person's eyes, which were neither bright like stars nor as smart as a deer. At first glance, the impression given was that she was pretty and honest, the kind of honesty that made people worry that if they brought her back home to be a maid, she would be ostracized.
Fan Changyu might have been often looked at by Xie Zheng for a long time, so when she was suddenly stared at by a strange man with such a scrutinizing gaze, she did not feel scared at all, but just took the tray steadily.
Fan Changyu put the soup bowl on the table and reached for the tray with one hand when the other party smiled and said, "You are quite brave."
Fan Changyu thought that he knew that there was croton in the Tremella fuciformis soup, and some sticky cold sweat broke out on his hands. He thought that this man was obviously the same type of person as Yan Zheng. Although he was not as good-looking as Yan Zheng, he was also smart and not easy to fool.
As the old saying goes, it is better to strike first. She immediately picked up the tray and pretended to put it on his head. The other person's eyes suddenly turned cold and he stretched out his long arms to block it.
Fan Changyu's lifting of the tray was just a pretense, as he kicked him directly in the abdomen. Yuan Qing was shocked and immediately bent his body in pain. Fan Changyu's other hand had already chopped at the back of his neck.
A normal person would have fainted after being stabbed like that by her, but Sui Yuanqing still had the strength to overturn a few tables to stop her. When he stood up with his hands covering his neck, he staggered but rushed towards the door very quickly.
Fan Changyu didn't expect this man to be so stubborn. When the guard outside the door heard him flipping the table, he immediately rushed into the room and asked, "General?"
Fan Changyu had already realized that he couldn't capture this guy at close range, so he immediately took out the thin rope he had tied a noose with early in the morning and put it around Sui Yuanqing's neck.
The winter coat was thick, so the rope could not be seen because she had tucked it into her sleeve.
When the guards at the door broke in, they saw Fan Changyu put a rope around their prince's neck and pulled it back hard. The rope tightened instantly. Sui Yuanqing put one hand across his neck and held the rope tightly to compete with Fan Changyu. His face was red, perhaps from lack of oxygen or anger.
Sui Yuanqing had amazing arm strength. Logically, if he pulled the rope hard, the ignorant woman on the opposite side should have been pulled over by him like a broken kite. However, the other party only staggered for a moment, and immediately steadied her steps to compete with him, pulling with a force as strong as a bull.
Sui Yuanqing's neck was still no match for the other party's two hands. When she dragged him over like a dead dog and held him against his neck with a sharp knife, his handsome face was half filled with fear caused by suffocation, and the other half was filled with hatred that he wished he could cut the person behind him into pieces.
He said ruthlessly: "You'd better not fall into my hands, otherwise I will peel off your skin and hang your body on the city wall!"
Fan Changyu was using the name of the county magistrate to control this gang. He was not afraid of anything and poked a shallow bleeding hole in his thigh with the sharp boning knife in his hand: "Then let's see who can peel the skin faster, you or I can stab the knife faster."
Although the knife that Fan Changyu stabbed was not deep, it still penetrated the flesh and drew blood. Sui Yuanqing was stunned and didn't even make a sound.
The guards outside the door were frightened. On the one hand, they were worried about him, and on the other hand, they were shocked that Yuan Qing was captured by a woman.
The guard who entered the room earlier was his personal guard, named Mu Shi. He immediately shouted at Fan Changyu: "Don't hurt my general!"
Fan Changyu said, "If you do as I say, I will not hurt him."
Mu Shi and the others looked at Sui Yuanqing and waited for his signal. Sui Yuanqing gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "Do as she says."
But he threatened her in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "I'll remember you."
How could he think this woman was honest at first sight!
Fan Changyu thought to herself, why did this person only remember her grudge and not hold it against the county magistrate? She was clearly working for the county magistrate now!
Fan Changyu thought for a moment, then pressed the boning knife a little deeper into his skin, and said to the guards outside, "Quickly release our county magistrate!"
Mu Shi looked towards the butler, his eyes looking as if he wanted to tear him apart.
The housekeeper was shaking all over and almost passed out.
After a while, the county magistrate who had been detained for many days finally walked out of the room. When he arrived in the yard and saw this situation, he almost fainted on the spot.
He would rather stay locked in the room for another year than face such a scene as soon as he came out!
Sui Yuanqing asked with a faint smile on his face: "My people have released the county magistrate, can you let me go now?"
As if he was afraid that Fan Changyu might be worried about his revenge, he became a gentle and elegant gentleman at this moment: "Don't worry, even if I want to arrest you, I will wait until you escape completely before arresting you. I won't do it now."
At this moment, a soldier rushed in from outside the gate: "Report - the mob has gathered outside the county gate, all the prisoners in the county government have been released, and they have seized the military rations that were collected and transported to the county gate, saying that they will return them all to the mob that caused the trouble!"
Sui Yuanqing's face was twisted with anger, and he asked Fan Changyu with a smile: "You who made the plan are very thoughtful."
Fan Changyu ignored him. What happened in the county government was most likely the work of Yan Zheng.
The man in his hand right now is a hot potato. If he really kills him, he will have killed a high-ranking official. He will probably have to take Changning with him to a thief's lair for the rest of his life.
But if I let this man go, I will definitely have a hard time in the future.
She looked at the county magistrate and said, "Mr. Magistrate, the people in the countryside of Qingping County have rebelled because of the military rations. You must give them an explanation to calm their anger."
As she spoke, her eyes glanced at the person she was holding.
When the county magistrate heard that the mob had reached the gate of the county city, his face turned pale. Once the mob entered the city, they would have to kill several corrupt officials. He, the magistrate of Qingping County, would definitely be the first to be sacrificed.
If he dies, his superiors will demand an explanation and put the blame on him. After all, his political performance is indeed mediocre, and the dead are the easiest to take the blame.
The county magistrate saw Fan Changyu's suggestive look. Although he was timid in front of his superiors, he was a shrewd man who could make his way in official circles. He immediately understood what Fan Changyu meant.
After thinking about the feasibility, I was instantly overjoyed.
Yes, he didn't dare to do anything to this group of people, and the mob needed an explanation, so why not just push these people out and let them give an explanation to the mob?
The county magistrate had a belly that looked like an eight-month-old baby. The fat on his face trembled. He didn't even look at Sui Yuanqing and said, "The grain collection is an order brought by the generals. Now that things have come to this, I'd like to trouble the generals to go to the city gate and give an explanation to the people."
How the mob deals with these people is up to the mob.
Sui Yuanqing just sneered: "Okay, then go to the city gate and give an explanation."
Mu Shi met his gaze, and understood what he meant, and the anger on his face subsided.
They ambushed a thousand soldiers on the hillside outside the city gate. When the time comes, all they need to do is shoot arrows to kill all the soldiers on the hill, and it would be no problem to massacre the entire Qingping County!
-
On the outskirts of Qingping County, a group of soldiers under the banner of Lizhou came winding their way along the official road. The veteran leading them was none other than He Jingyuan. He was wearing heavy armor, and his elegance was suppressed, with more majesty on his face.
But he is old, with white hair and beard, and he hasn't gotten much sleep these days, so he doesn't look very energetic.
Zheng Wenchang rode half a step behind him and said, "Perhaps the scholar is exaggerating. How dare a mere Qingping County Magistrate take advantage of the grain collection to oppress the people? I will lead the troops to check on you. Why do you have to come here in person?"
He Jingyuan shook his head, his eyes old and dignified: "There is a salt lake in Qingping County. This incident happened during the grain collection. I'm afraid the cause is not simple."
As soon as he finished speaking, a scout came riding a horse in front of him, whipping his whip, "Report - a Chongzhou army hiding in the mountains and forests was discovered ten miles ahead at the slope!"
Hearing the news from the scouts, even Zheng Wenchang broke out in a cold sweat.
The author has something to say:
Changyu: I hate people who pretend to be cool, except Yanzheng.
Sui Yuanqing (tied with a pig rope around the neck and stabbed): ...Heh.
Sorry for being late. I will send 100 red envelopes to my baby in this chapter~Good night~
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