Chapter 2 Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Soon Chen Che realized that even the Prince Song, whom he had been counting on, was not spared.
The two were thrown onto the carriage, back to back with a sack between them. They had never expected to be in such a situation.
Two officials sent by the imperial court came here on business for the emperor. They planned everything along the way and arrived here in disguise. Before they could figure out the other party's background, they had just stepped into Yangzhou and were kidnapped.
What a joke.
The little girl's medicine only made people lose their strength, but not their consciousness. Precisely because they were still conscious, the humiliation of being slaughtered was even more intense.
Frustrated, Chen Che's hatred for this city where wealthy businessmen were rampant reached its peak. He twisted his body in anger and struggled, but when he realized that it was useless except for making tiny "woohoo" sounds, which made the two of them look even more miserable, he became like a lamb to be slaughtered and remained silent with his fellow sufferers.
As the carriage moved forward, the hawking sounds became louder and louder.
They were actually walking through a busy downtown area, which was enough to show how arrogant the other party was.
After about a cup of tea, the carriage stopped and someone came over to lift the curtain. A female voice came from the attic: "The man is wanted by the lady, be careful."
She's also a female thief.
Chen Che's eyes went dark, and he felt even more insulted. He cursed in his heart, "Where did you come from, you evil woman, looking for death? Open your dog eyes and see who I am."
But the other party couldn't hear his thoughts. What he meant by "being more careful" was that two burly men carried a sack at each end, stepped over the threshold, bumped up the stairs, threw it on the ground, and pulled the two men out of the sack like peeling a melon.
Finally able to see the light of day again, Shen Che glared at the thief in front of him.
A large area of light came into view. It was not the dark prison I had imagined, nor was there any ferocious and evil woman.
In front of me is a room with a light tea fragrance. At the end, the cicada shell window is open, revealing a few crabapple branches extending from the outside. A dazzling young lady is sitting by the window.
The young lady had her hair tied up in a bun, a gold crown inlaid with a circle of thumb-sized pearls, a Song Dynasty brocade skirt, and a light silk skirt. She was holding a white porcelain teacup in her hand. She was originally admiring the flowers, but when she saw the two people "appear", she turned her head to look over. The spring sun behind her illuminated half of the young lady's face. Her almond eyes were clear, her skin was snowy and her face was as beautiful as the moon. She was a stunning beauty.
There was never a shortage of beautiful girls in Kyoto, but Chen Che was still stunned.
The young lady opposite was also stunned, and the surprise in her eyes was like a spring crabapple blossom entering her eyes, slowly becoming gorgeous.
But she was not looking at Chen Che, but at Prince Song beside him.
It is true that Qian Tong did not see the young man's true appearance when he was in the tea stall, and made his choice based solely on his figure and clothes.
She likes tall guys.
Compared with scholars, warriors are more suitable for the Qian family. Only if they can protect themselves can they live long.
The young warriors were even more destitute and poorer.
It’s good to be poor, it’s easier to control.
Unexpectedly, the young man's appearance gave her a big surprise.
The people below did not know the seriousness of the matter, and were inevitably rough when "inviting" people. Although she had been trapped in a sack, she did not see a trace of desolation on the young man. The young man had a fair face, dark eyes and sparse eyebrows. There was a kind of suppressed anger in his eyes as he stared at her, and there was a bit of stubbornness in his eyes that said "don't bully the poor young man."
She is not a bad person.
Qian Tong tried to appear friendly, but even the most friendly gaze, if stared at someone for too long, would be offensive. Sensing the hostility slowly emerging in the other person's eyes, Qian Tong restrained his inquiries, put down his teacup, and took two steps forward.
As she moved, the golden crown on her head fell into the sunlight, and a brilliant light made the man opposite her squint slightly.
Song Yunzhi was caught off guard by the dazzling golden light and turned his head to avoid it. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the young lady leaning over from the golden light. She took the cloth from his mouth and whispered to him, "Young Master, I promise you a lifetime of glory. How about it?"
Being so close, he could clearly see her amber pupils, her clean and clear eyes, and her gentle and holy smile, which easily gave people the illusion that everything at the moment had nothing to do with her.
The golden light was too dazzling, and Song Yunzhi felt sore in his eyes, so he closed his eyes for a moment.
I already have all kinds of guesses in my mind.
Dayu had gone through eight years of war and was left battered and bruised. Even after five years of peace, many people were still poorly clothed and hungry.
The young lady in front of me has an outfit that is enough to cover the expenses of ordinary people for several years. With such a luxurious style, she must be one of the four great families in Yangzhou.
Park, Qian, Lu, and Cui.
who is she?
"Sir, are you suspecting that you are dreaming?" Qian Tong understood his reaction and told him, "It's not a dream." In order to help him come back to his senses as soon as possible, he reached out and held his arm, twisting it while he stared blankly for a very short time.
The force was not light.
Seeing the chill in his eyes, Qian Tong loosened his grip. "Look, it's true. It's a pie in the sky. Sir, you've encountered it today. Are you happy?"
Song Yunzhi was very clear-headed.
However, he was caught off guard and fell, and had no strength to avoid her attack. He could only let the pain in his arm spread, and his bright black eyes were throbbing with anger.
Shen Che's reaction was much greater than his.
A child of destiny, cherished by the Emperor and the Princess, a jade-faced general on the battlefield, the bright moon he had admired since childhood, respected, feared, and loved by everyone...
Now, not only was he tied up by a young woman, but his arm was also twisted.
For Prince Song, this kind of insult was no more satisfying than being stabbed in the back. Shen Che protested with all his strength: "Wuwuwu——"
Qian Tong turned around and inquired about him for a while, then realized he had misunderstood. "Since they are friends, I'll take them both."
She looked very reluctant. It seemed that she had to choose the person she had robbed first. He was the nephew of the queen. Chen Che: "Wuwuwu——"
Qian Tong ignored him. She didn't need to come in person to talk about this matter. She called Fu Yin, "You go and convince them."
The pie in turn persuades people to eat it, and Fu Yin showed the attitude that the pie should have, "My two gentlemen, it is your good fortune that my wife likes you, don't be ungrateful..."
Yangzhou is rich in resources, including people. Even though the two young masters are more handsome than each other, there are many superficial people, and there are not many who are as rich as my lady.
Chen Che: “Woo woo woo——”
"There are a lot of young people who come to Yangzhou to make a living at the docks, but they don't have the luck you two have, to have met our lady. Do you know who she is?"
As soon as she finished speaking, two pairs of eyes turned to her, waiting for her to reveal the answer.
Chen Che thought to himself: You can say it, and then you can die.
Fu Yin: "You'll understand later... Yangzhou isn't as lush as people imagine. There are plenty of those headless flies wandering around the streets, outsiders everywhere. You're lucky to be with me. From now on, you won't have to worry about money for the rest of your lives." Having said all that needed to be said, Fu Yin puffed out her chest and said, "Whether to stay or leave, it's up to you two gentlemen to decide."
No one doesn't like money. Fu Yin was sure that they would not leave, so she untied them.
The drug on the two of them had already worn off by 50%. Once they were free again, Chen Che immediately threw away the cloth in his mouth and glared at Qian Tong, wanting to tell this ignorant young lady that being pretty was useless and she needed to be discerning. "You bold female thief, do you know..."
Before he could finish his words, Song Yunzhi interrupted him, "I am not worthy of your kindness, young lady."
Before leaving, he quickly glanced at the jade pendant on the young lady's waist, grabbed Shen Che's arm, and walked towards the door without looking back despite his resistance.
"Brother Song..." Chen Che's face turned pale. Such humiliation was intolerable. "Just let it go like this?!"
Song Yunzhi didn't answer, but gave him a look to silence him.
Shen Che was so angry, "Damn Yangzhou..."
Fu Yin stared at the two men's stumbling backs, not reacting for a long time. Was she not clear enough? She was so poor, how could she have the courage to refuse the wealth that was thrown at her lips? She turned back to look at her master blankly, "My wife..."
Qian Tong doesn't quite understand either.
Are young people nowadays so arrogant? If someone told her, "I promise you a lifetime of glory," she would accept it even if they tied her up.
Seeing the two figures disappear without any intention of looking back, Fu Yin took a breath and said thankfully, "Thank goodness my wife has a backup plan."
—
The place where the two were taken was a teahouse.
Presumably because of the young lady's act of robbing people, the teahouse owner specially cleared the place and the building was empty. Going down from the private room on the second floor and passing through the lobby, you will see the main door of the teahouse.
Stepping out of the threshold, there is a spacious street that can accommodate horse-drawn carriages.
The streets were bustling with people, and it was obvious that what had just happened in the building had not caused any alarm.
Chen Che followed behind with an angry look on his face. Song Yun was in front. When he turned around, he saw a towering crabapple tree on the right side of the teahouse. After looking at it for a while, he pulled Chen Che and said in a low voice: "You are pretending to persuade me, let's go back."
Shen Che had no idea what he was saying, "Huh?"
Song Yunzhi: "This woman is one of the four richest businessmen. The prey is delivered to your door. Do you want it or not?"
After repeated setbacks, Chen Che was so angry that he was confused. After listening to Song Yunzhi's words, he slowly calmed down. The purpose of the two of them going on this secret trip was to infiltrate the unscrupulous businessmen, find evidence of their rampant behavior, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
In order to avoid alerting the enemy, they left the patrol team and disguised themselves as merchants trying to make a living. They went to the most chaotic dock in Yangzhou and even the prefect was unaware of their whereabouts.
I thought I could show my skills, but I didn't expect to be plotted against one after another.
He couldn't wait to see the young lady's look of fear when she found out who she had offended, but he didn't quite understand. "If that's the case, why should we leave..."
Song Yunzhi: "This woman is not simple. Our identities are unclear. If you respond too readily, it will only make her angry..."
"Two gentlemen, have you found a place to stay yet?" A sarcastic voice suddenly came from an alley on the side.
The two turned to look at each other.
A group of people came from the street on the left. The middle-aged man in the front had his sleeves tucked in with his hands, his cheeks were sunken and he looked mean. He was the Chaitou who had been soliciting business at the dock before.
Seeing the two again, Chaitou lost his previous good face. "You are poor, yet you pretend to be noble. You don't accept my toast, but you drink for it. Before coming to Yangzhou, you didn't even ask who you shouldn't offend." Without waiting for the two to react, he raised his hand and attacked, "Hit me, and spare half your life!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the warrior behind him rushed forward with a wooden stick in his hand.
The street vendors and the people had long been accustomed to it, and they scattered like birds, fleeing from the place of trouble.
Shen Che was still feeling depressed and laughed at this scene, "Looking for death..."
The warriors of the Cui family used to be bandits, and had been domineering for a long time. Ordinary people would run away when they saw them. They didn't expect that the two seemingly weak and down-and-out young men opposite them actually had the ability to fight back.
Especially the warrior youths.
The stick did not hit him, but fell into his hands, and he used it as a sword.
In the streets, the young man's green clothes fluttered, and his body was covered with crabapple petals, with flowers falling and branches sprouting, which was extremely eye-catching. The wooden stick in his hand seemed to have eyes, and he kept hitting the other person.
The people hiding in the dark watched intently. A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Another tragedy has occurred.
The current emperor is a relative of the previous emperor six generations ago. He often lives in Shuzhou. The whole family practices martial arts, and the eldest princess is no exception. Although she married into the Song family, a famous scholarly family in Kyoto, early on, she did not delay in educating her son after marriage.
For this reason, in addition to inheriting his father's literary talent, Song Yunzhi also had excellent martial arts skills.
Chen Che is the nephew of the Queen. He has been practicing swords and guns beside his uncle the Emperor since he was a child. Later, he turned to literature and did not neglect his martial arts.
The effect of the medicine in the two men had already lost 70% of its effect, so it was no problem for them to deal with these lunatics. Soon, the Cui family's Chaitou realized that something was wrong.
If you continue to fight, you will also suffer.
"Retreat!" Chaitou's face was distorted. He grabbed the two people with bruised faces and noses beside him and reluctantly retreated from the street.
The villains left, leaving behind silence and chaos.
The young man holding a wooden stick bent down to help his beleaguered companion. After standing up straight, he looked up at the upper floor. His cold, dark eyes met the young lady in front of the second-floor window. The few petals that fell from her black hair did not soften his expression. He asked calmly, "Have you seen enough of the excitement?"
The young lady was leaning against the window, holding his broken cowhide bronze sword. She didn't expect him to look at her suddenly. She was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't know what he was talking about. She looked at the crabapple petals scattered on the ground and said distressedly, "Young Master, you broke my crabapple tree. How are you going to compensate me?"
Song Yunzhi followed her gaze and glanced at the fallen flowers on the ground.
The price of one weeping crabapple tree is equivalent to the income of ten households.
After a moment's silence, he threw away the stick in his hand, looked up again to meet her pure gaze, and asked, "How much?"
The young lady didn't answer, but her smiling eyes showed: You can't afford it.
The four looked into each other's eyes, one was a down-and-out young man being hunted, the other was a wealthy man shining with light.
The young man below experienced an even longer silence, seemingly weighing the pros and cons between money and self-respect. Finally, at his companion's signal, his proud head lowered along with his voice, "I'll go with you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
