Song Wanning turned around and looked at Zhuque, chuckling softly, "Silly girl, that village head is indeed a capable manager. This village earns so much money every year now. If we change him rashly, I'm afraid we won't be able to find a manager like him. Besides, his assistants all obey him. The 100 taels he embezzles every year is a small amount compared to the bulk of the money. This is what he deserves. A steward should always use both kindness and authority when doing things."
Caique and Zhuque both showed an expression of understanding and nodded thoughtfully.
At this time, it was already dark outside, the sun was setting, and the master and servants were rushing towards the city gate.
But what Song Wanning didn't expect was that a group of bandits jumped out at the fork in the road. The leader of the bandits was very aggressive and had a big scar on his face.
"Those of you inside, hand over your money obediently, or you will suffer the consequences."
Song Wanning and the two maids beside her were a little surprised. Cai Que frowned at Song Wanning and said, "How could there be such bandits so close to the capital, at the feet of the emperor?"
Song Wanning lifted the curtain and peeked out. The road was packed with bandits, at least dozens of them, and she only had a dozen or so guards. If they went head-to-head, they wouldn't stand a chance. Seeing so many bandits was a bit unexpected for Song Wanning.
But Song Wanning's reaction was very quick. She looked at Uncle Liu who was driving in the front and said in a low voice, "Uncle, ask them how much they want."
Uncle Liu sat in the front of the carriage and said to the bandit leader, "Young man, how much do you want?"
"How much? The more the better, of course." The leading bandit glanced into the carriage and laughed. "I'm afraid the person sitting inside is a beautiful lady. It just so happens that I need a wife back home. I'll snatch her back and live a luxurious life with me."
Song Wanning knew these people were probably up to no good, and frowned, feeling strange. It was truly bizarre that so many bandits were roaming around the capital, and she had to run into them. She was afraid these bandits had heard the news somewhere and were specifically trying to block her on the road.
Uncle Liu, who was sitting on the shaft of the cart, was immediately displeased when he heard the bandits' words and said, "I'm afraid the people in the cart are not people you can afford to offend."
"Big shot? Then I'm even more excited." The scarred man who was in the lead looked intoxicated, causing all the younger brothers around him to laugh.
"Even if she's a princess, I'd still take her away." The scarred man said proudly, "Now, I want both her wealth and her beauty. Take them all up the mountain."
Caique and Zhuque in the carriage had already turned pale with fear. Zhuque's lips even began to tremble. Looking at Song Wanning, he trembled and said, "Madam, what should we do now? The bandits outside are numerous and powerful, and they come with ill intentions."
"Don't panic, we can always find a way." Seeing this, Song Wanning said through the curtain, "My dear warrior, I don't have anything else at home now, but I have money. If you are willing to let me go, I will definitely give you all the property in my house."
"You went home to get help. Do you think I'm easy to fool?" The scarred man narrowed his eyes and stared at Song Wanning's carriage.
Song Wanning's voice was very powerful. She said directly, "You are staying here now. Someone must have given you a lot of money. I can give you ten times as much as you want. As long as you tell me who that person is, it will be fine."
Seeing this, the scarred man hesitated for a moment, then said, "No, there are rules in the underworld. You can't break the rules just because you give too much."
"How can anyone in this world be so against money?" Song Wanning's voice was resounding. "If he gives you a hundred taels, I'll give you a thousand taels. If he gives you a thousand taels, I'll give you ten thousand taels. If we have this money, why would we brothers need to rob to make a living? It's enough to even quit and buy a shop in the capital to do business. I can guarantee that I won't find fault after giving you the money. Besides, the warrior just said that I do have some status. If they rob me or kill me and cause some disaster, it would be even more unprofitable."
When Song Wanning said this, the bandit leader hesitated for a moment. He looked at his brothers beside him, and finally turned around and said, "How can I believe whether what you said is true or not? Tell me your home address and let me hear it."
Song Wanning spoke word by word in the carriage, "I am the legitimate daughter of the mighty general's mansion in the capital. If you kidnap me, I'm afraid my father will lead his troops to attack your stronghold. You might as well think carefully about whether this deal is worthwhile."
"The mighty General Song Jing?" The scarred man in the lead immediately changed his expression upon hearing this. He looked at Su Qingjiu in a daze and asked, "Are you Song Jing's daughter, Song Wanning?"
Song Wanning was surprised to see the scarred man react strangely to her family's name, but she never expected him to change his attitude immediately. "It was Song Jing who led his troops to disrupt my home over a decade ago. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a predicament now. Now I've met his daughter. It's really fate."
The scarred man laughed and said, "This is truly a blessing. Today I will take revenge for my brothers who died back then, and let you know how powerful I am."
When Song Wanning heard this, she immediately knew she had said the wrong thing, but it was too late to change her mind now. Now she could only give it a try, not knowing if these guards could lead her out of the encirclement.
The two sides were on the verge of a fight when, in the distance, a cloud of dust and the sound of horses appeared on the road, as if a large number of people were approaching. Song Wanning suddenly had an idea and said, "My father saw that I hadn't returned yet, so he brought people here. If you don't leave now, you won't have another chance."
The scarred man was stunned when he heard this, then glanced at Song Wanning's carriage, and finally gritted his teeth and left, "Just wait and see, we have a long way to go."
Song Wanning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the people leaving. She said to the old man in front of her, "Uncle, we have to move quickly. Otherwise, they might turn back once they realize what's happening."
Uncle Liu responded and drove the carriage forward.
Song Wanning breathed a sigh of relief, and soon she saw the figures ahead. From a distance, they looked like a group of people, but in fact, it was just one person making all the noise.
This person was Pei Xuanzhi. When Pei Xuanzhi saw Song Wanning, he immediately said, "Wanning, are you okay?"
Song Wanning was a little surprised. She looked at Pei Xuanzhi and asked, "How can you be here?"
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