Chapter 36 Chapter 36 [VIP]
Chapter 36
A dog barked from nowhere in the night, and Song Yunzhi became more and more alert.
He sat in front of the star-shaped lamp, looking at the dark night outside, as if he was back on the battlefield a few years ago. It was as if he had sensed something in the dark, and relied on his own keenness to perceive his surroundings.
Half an hour later, he received replies from the secret guards one after another.
"The maidservant beside Lady Qi is no longer in the East City Teahouse. She left the city half a month ago."
Then another message came in: "Seventh Lady is not in the house."
Song Yunzhi couldn't tell whether he was feeling more lost or disappointed. He felt his heart sink, but only for a moment, a slight regret. His expression quickly returned to its calm, clear eyes, tolerant of even a grain of sand...
She is Shangu.
Such an ending seems reasonable.
When the third group of secret guards returned with the news, "Seventh Lady has gone to the harbor," Song Yunzhi stood up without hesitation and said, "Inform Wang Zhao, prepare the warships, and blockade the Yellow Sea."
He took the remaining secret guards and went ahead, "Go to the nearest Lujia port and requisition a Lujia cargo ship."
After the Cui family's ten cargo ships were bombed, government warships patrolled the sea every day. By the time Wang Zhao found the warships and chased her, he was afraid that she had already escaped and was using an excuse to get away with it.
The fastest way is to requisition the Lu family's cargo ship and chase them first.
He was more than half an hour behind her and didn't know if he could catch up with her, but he would do everything in his power to intercept her.
He put on a mask and no longer hid his secret guards. The group passed over the roof of the Qian Mansion. After the moonlight disappeared into the clouds, only the noisy light of the city spread up from under their feet. Song Yunzhi jumped onto the light horse first, and the horse's hooves knocked on the bluestone slabs in the middle of the night, making a vibration like the passing wind.
He rushed to Lujia Port as fast as he could.
——
Lu Daozhong happened to be at sea tonight. He had been tortured by Young Master Lan these past few days and had to deal with the court and the Park family. The court wanted him to give out Park Er, but Park Er not only did not help him clear the suspicion, but also asked him to get Young Master Lan out.
He is almost exhausted.
I originally planned to hide on the boat for a night, drink some wine to relax my mind, and then think of a way to get two pairs of beautiful shoes.
Just after drinking two cups, he heard noises outside, and he cursed: "You maggots, what are you doing? Can't you let me have some peace and quiet!" He was drinking alone tonight and didn't want to be disturbed, so he left no one around. After he finished cursing, he heard no response, and his heart was shocked. He realized something was wrong, and quickly got up and walked out. As soon as he came out of the cabin, before he could straighten himself, a sharp sword was placed across his neck.
Lu Daozhong didn't dare to look up again, thinking that he might not have burned enough incense, why was his luck so bad this year, and why did he keep encountering such bad things.
"We can talk it over. Your Excellency, do you want to..."
The other party interrupted: "Sail."
Lu Daozhong was stunned by his words at first, then he felt that the voice was familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere. He raised his head tremblingly, but saw a green iron mask.
At the same time, a waist badge was handed to him, "Imperial Court Requisition."
Lu Daozhong suddenly remembered that this person was the important figure from the imperial court who had sneaked into his study that night. His frightened spirit slowly returned to its place and he nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, the Lu family is willing to cooperate with the imperial court..."
Song Yunzhi took back the sword from his neck.
The remaining secret guards also released the knife that was on the boatman's neck.
Song Yunzhi ordered Lu Daozhong to chase as fast as possible. There were official ships patrolling near the strait of the Yellow Sea, and she would find a way to avoid them, but to leave Yangzhou, she had to cross the golden belt.
The Lu family's boat is empty, while her Qian family's boat is heavy, so they should be able to catch up.
——
After Qian Tong got on the boat, he explained everything and lay down on the couch to take a nap.
The man was too vigilant and she didn't know how long he could keep the secret. She needed to conserve her energy, so she slept for an hour and woke up, calling Fu Yin to ask where he had been.
Fu Yin said, "We'll reach the Strait Line in another quarter of an hour."
Qian Tong stood up and walked out of the cabin. The deep sea was pitch black, and only the ship she was on was emitting starlight. She had never walked such a long way.
Of the three great families, only the Qian family's ships could not leave the Yellow Sea. The Cui family and the Lu family, one transporting tea and the other silk, both of which were inseparable from sea transportation.
The Qian family's salt permit was restricted to Yangzhou, so it was useless even if they went out to sea.
The Qian family's early salt permits were obtained by sending grain to the border in exchange. The journey was arduous and countless ancestors died before they were able to build up the Qian family business. Later, they would use silver to buy salt permits at designated points by the government.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, in order to stabilize the country, he put aside past grudges and gave the Qian family five years of salt permits. They did not have to pay a high price, but the condition was that they would levy an additional 20% tax on their previous profits.
It is the current 28 points.
Eight from the imperial court and two from the Qian family.
Therefore, when the Qian family expanded their market last year, they never crossed the strait line guarded by the Park family.
Before the establishment of the new dynasty, the Park family was stationed in this sea area with their own warships and soldiers. When the emperor led his troops from Shuzhou all the way to Kyoto, and then to Hejian, to drive the foreign enemies out of Dayu, the Park family also resisted countless enemy invasions in this sea area.
This is the reason for the recovery of Yangzhou.
It is also a family that protects the world. Even the imperial court could not pass through this place last year. Who wouldn't want to go and take a look?
, went into the house and prepared to cross the corridor.
Just as I turned around, Ah Yin on the deck suddenly called out, "Madam! A boat is coming."
Qian Tong was stunned.
So fast?
After discovering a little light on the opposite side, everyone became alert. The only ships that could approach the Golden Strait line, apart from the three major ones today, were government ships.
But judging by the lights on the other ship, it didn't look like an official vessel. Just as they were beginning to doubt it, the other side blew a horn, the signal for the four major forces to connect.
The Cui family is gone, only the Lu family remains.
Lu Daozhong?
Young Master Lan and Park Er were unable to tangle him?
"Why is Lu joining in the fun?" Ah Yin said, "Madam, why bother with him? Let's go and let him blow..."
As soon as the words fell, a flaming arrow pierced through the darkness, piercing the sky above the sea with a whistling sound, and landed straight on the deck in front of the few people.
Ah Yin was stunned and didn't react. She probably didn't expect the Lu family to attack suddenly and have such ability.
Even the people on the boat couldn't see clearly, but the rocket landed right in front of them. Ah Yin couldn't stand such provocation and shouted angrily, "Does Lu Daozhong want to die? I'll grant his wish..."
"Wait a minute." Qian Tong stopped him and stared at the opposite side across the dark ocean.
Not Lu Daozhong.
He always prefers to be cautious and will never take the initiative.
The boat slowly approached, and she saw a slender figure standing on the bow. It was a young man, holding a bow and arrow in his hand, with long sleeves fluttering in the wind, wearing an iron mask on his head, and a floating brocade dress that shone silver in the deep sea.
It came quite quickly.
The corners of her lips curved, but her eyes were full of coldness. She softly instructed Yin, "Prepare for battle and act according to the plan."
Ah Yin stopped joking and immediately became alert. He turned around and went into the cabin, "Prepare the fire, check the boat ropes..."
The two ships gradually closed in distance, and the people on the other ship could be clearly seen. They were several guards in night clothes, their faces hidden, more like secret guards. Fu Yin behind them also noticed something was wrong, "Madam, they are not from the Lu family."
Of course not.
Qian Tong looked at the other party in silence, waiting for the boat to approach and for the other party to speak.
The first person to speak was Lu Daozhong. He was overweight and stood much shorter than the young man. He said anxiously, "Madam Qian, the police are investigating the case. I can't do anything about it. Just ask them to search the boat. I believe that Madam Qian is innocent. I have already told the police that the Qian family is dedicated to serving the people and has done so many good things in Yangzhou. They would never do anything illegal."
The rocket just now was definitely not shot by someone from the Lu family; he didn't have that ability.
It was shot by the adult next to me.
He was the one who ordered the horn to be blown first. He seemed to have expected that the Qian family would ignore him, so he said to the secret guards behind him, "Bring the arrows."
When the secret guard handed him the bow and arrow, Lu Daozhong heard a voice with his own ears, "Prince."
Crown Prince?
How many princes are there in the current court, and how many princes are of the same age as him? In order to curry favor with the court, Lu Daozhong had already thoroughly investigated the court's network of relationships.
There are four princes of the same age, but there is only one prince who has martial arts skills and can shoot rockets through the air.
The eldest son of the Marquis of Anping.
The eldest princess's son, Song Yunzhi.
Just such a guess made Lu Daozhong's legs go weak. He was not sure whether it was true or not, but he knew that the Qian family was going to be finished tonight.
Lu Daozhong couldn't help but get excited, thinking to himself that the seventh lady of the Qian family was very scheming. She had been in the limelight these days and had gained all the benefits, but she didn't expect that she had already been targeted by the government.
How could Lu Daozhong not know what was in the boat?
Since she accepted the Cui family's tea business, she must have surrendered. He was sure that the ship was full of tea, and once the government officials checked, there would be no Qian family left in Yangzhou.
That day, Qian Qi Niang came to laugh at his joke, and tonight it was his turn.
Qian Tong could see the smug look on Lu Daozhong's face even through the darkness. She chuckled and asked, "Government? Could it be that Patriarch Lu is jealous and resentful of my Qian family's recent success? He's jealous of me and found some assassins to impersonate officials and bury me in the sea?"
Lu Daozhong was stunned and said hurriedly, "That's not the case!" He glanced at the person next to him, made a trumpet with his hands at the corners of his mouth, and whispered to her, "He, he is the prince."
The young man beside him glanced over, as if blaming him for being too talkative.
Lu Daozhong quickly retracted his neck.
However, Qian Tong on the other side had heard it. He was stunned for a moment and asked Lu Daozhong curiously: "Which prince?"
"Song Shizi." Lu Daozhong didn't care about that anymore. He just wanted the Seventh Lady of the Qian Family to die here. Afraid that she wouldn't believe him, he explained in more detail, "The eldest princess's only son, Song Shizi."
"Oh~" Qian Tong finally showed surprise on his face, and then he asked in a long voice, "Is it that Prince Song, a man of both literary and military skills, rumored to be able to bring peace to the world with a pen and to rule the world with a horse, handsome as Pan An, born of noble birth, the one that countless young men in Kyoto dream of day and night?"
Her voice was soft and her excitement was so intense that it was hard to tell whether it was admiration or ridicule.
From the moment Song Yunzhi saw her, his eyes never left her cunning face, and his expression under the iron mask changed several times.
She used the business of running a teahouse to divert his attention, and used the tea needed for the teahouse to falsify the quantity in the account book.
Just for this day, she secretly shipped a shipload of tea out to sea. Where was she sending it to? And for whom?
Song Yunzhi was angry at her cunning, angry at her for not changing despite repeated warnings, angry at her for betraying his trust, and even more cruel was that she was not satisfied. Why did she insist on going down this path?
Seeing that she finally understood and was aware of the existence of such a figure, Lu Daozhong nodded hurriedly, "Right, right, right... The Song Crown Prince is impartial and will definitely not wrongly accuse Qi Niang. Qi Niang, lower the plank and let the Crown Prince go up and check first. If Qi Niang is worried, it's okay to wait a while. The official ship is nearby and should be arriving soon. We can check it then..."
The implication is that she can't escape tonight.
Qian Qi Niangzi seemed to realize this as well. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and said, "All right. After all, my Qian family is doing legitimate business. We have done nothing wrong, so we are not afraid of being searched."
She looked at the young man beside Lu Daozhong, squatted down and saluted, saying, "I am the seventh lady of the Qian family, with a single name of Tongzi. I didn't know that the Song prince was coming. I am very embarrassed. I hope the prince will forgive me for any offense I have just caused."
She was good at disguising herself and was extremely bold. She had never been afraid. Song Yunzhi thought that even if the person standing in front of her was the emperor, she would not necessarily be afraid.
After Qian Tong finished his greetings, he turned back and told Fu Yin, "Lower the planks and allow the prince to board."
A plank wide enough for two people to walk on was slowly lowered and placed between the two boats. Lu Daozhong was puzzled, and Qian Tong explained, "The last time we went out to sea, the wind and waves were too strong, and several planks were blown away. We haven't had time to repair them yet. For safety reasons, we will let one person go at a time. Prince, please watch your step."
Her tone was sincere, and the concern on her face came from the bottom of her heart, as if she was worried about the safety of Prince Song.
Song Yunzhi took a step forward.
The two ships were very close to each other. Even if the stern was broken, with the prince's skills, he could reach the other side in an instant.
He stepped onto the deck and stared at the young lady through the gap in the light. He noticed the corners of her mouth slowly curling up, and his heart suddenly started to alarm. Just as he was about to leap over, he heard a gentle voice saying, "Yunzhen, go up slowly."
The familiar name came into Song Yunzhi's ears unexpectedly. His body stiffened for a moment and he suddenly looked up at the young man opposite him.
Shao U ignored the shock, astonishment, and even anger in his eyes, and just pursed her lips and winked at him slyly.
Then, like a bullet, she suddenly rushed over and pounced on him. Before she hugged the prince's waist and jumped into the sea, she shouted to the people above: "Break the planks, attack!"
The force of falling made the sea breeze sharp, scratching Song Yunzhi's face.
The astonishment and countless doubts in his heart were forcibly pulled back at this moment, and he had to deal with the current dilemma first.
The icy coldness penetrated from his feet to his head. The moment he sank into the sea, he felt the hands that were holding his waist break away from him and move quickly to the side.
Unlike Shen Che, Song Yunzhi was a good swimmer. He followed the direction of the rising waves and chased them with all his might. The sea was pitch black and he could not see anything until the light of the explosion above the ship was cast down and he could see clearly what was ahead.
The Qian family's boat was moving forward at the fastest speed, and behind the boat, there was a small boat tied. The people swimming in the sea in front had already climbed onto the edge of the boat.
Enchanting!
How dare she!
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