Chapter 21: Pull the person out
When Zhang asked someone to call Jiang Rui over, he was still yawning.
"Why did mother call me over so early? I haven't even had breakfast yet." Jiang Rui complained a little.
Zhang asked Tanxiang to prepare breakfast and then earnestly advised, "Didn't I tell you yesterday to get up early today? Your father got mad again when he saw you didn't come. You must work harder from now on and don't let your father think you can't compare to your elder brother in everything."
At first Jiang Rui didn't take it seriously, until he heard the last sentence. His eyes darkened for a moment and he sneered, "Isn't my eldest brother almost dead? Besides, he's just a nerd. What's the point of comparing him?" He stood up and bowed, "If mother thinks I'm useless, then I won't be an eyesore in front of her anymore."
After saying that, he turned around and left. Zhang hurriedly called him back. At this time, Tanxiang came in with breakfast. Seeing Jiang Rui with his back turned and ignoring everyone, she knew that he was in a bad mood again. After putting the breakfast on the table, she went over and talked to him nicely, and finally coaxed him into peace.
After Jiang Rui finished breakfast, Zhang continued what she hadn't finished saying before, "Your father said that from today on, you can't go anywhere except the school. You can go out when you write a good article."
"It's just an article. Just find a gentleman to write one for you." Jiang Rui said indifferently.
Zhang pretended to be serious and said, "Your father said that if he finds out that you have someone writing for you again, you will never be able to leave the house again in your life."
After hearing this, Jiang Rui finally felt a sense of crisis. His father might be serious this time.
"Just stay home and study hard these days. Your father will be counting on you in the future."
Jiang Rui mumbled, looking reluctant, and when Zhang gave him a serious look, he grunted reluctantly.
After dinner, Jiang Cheng received a letter from Jiang Lan, saying that she had already boarded a boat to Zhangzhou.
A bright moon is reflected on the sparkling water. The night breeze is cool and the fragrance of peach blossoms is floating in the air.
During the day, Jiang Lan was on the deck and saw pink peach blossoms blooming on the green hills on both sides. Now that night had fallen, the fragrance of the peach blossoms became a little more obvious.
She sat on the deck looking at the moon, wrapped in a snow-white cloak and a snow-white blanket on her knees. Looking from afar in the moonlight, she looked spotless, as if she was about to melt into the bright moonlight.
On another ship a few hundred meters ahead, someone was holding a telescope and peeking at the people on the deck behind.
"My Lord, you should take a rest for a while and don't let anyone find out." Ling Feng said.
"Looking at a beauty under the moon, the more you look at her, the more beautiful she becomes. If I miss her, I will be at a loss," said Qi Wuhan.
“…”
"You are not allowed to peek."
“…”
Jiang Lan was looking at the bright moon in the sky and didn't notice that there was a ship in front of her. Her thoughts drifted away unconsciously until she heard Gui'er calling her.
"Miss, look, there's a fish~" Guier raised her hand excitedly and pointed in the direction the fish was swimming. This was her first time taking a boat, and she found everything strange and interesting.
At this time, Qing'er came out of the cabin and walked over to Jiang Lan to tell her that the bed was made and asked her to go in and rest early to avoid catching a cold.
Jiang Lan was also a little tired, and told Gui'er not to get too close to the railing to be careful not to fall, and not to stay outside for too long to be careful not to catch a cold.
After Qing'er helped Jiang Lan into the cabin, Qi Wuhan put down the telescope. Ling Feng, who had been standing with his back to the boat behind him, turned around and reported the business. "The spies we sent to Zhangzhou earlier found out that this epidemic was indeed secretly orchestrated by the Black Lotus Cult, who deliberately spread the disease by using items used by the patients. In addition, Master Ye has already arrived in Zhangzhou and discovered that someone had poisoned the well. Although it's not fatal, it weakens a person's immune system and makes them more susceptible to the disease. After the onset of the disease, the patient will die within three days. The spies later found out that the poisoner was also a member of the Black Lotus Cult."
"Even a centipede dies, its legs remain stiff." Qi Wuhan twirled the bone fan in his hand and said nonchalantly, "If you ask me, we'd better dig the deposed crown prince out of the ground and give him a good beating. These people will behave themselves."
"My Lord, isn't whipping a corpse too inhumane?" Ling Feng asked the truth.
"That's right." Qi Wuhan curled his lips and smiled, "Then don't use a whip, beat him with a stick. First, hit him a hundred times. If he still doesn't behave, hit him another hundred times."
"My Lord, I heard that the deposed crown prince burned himself to death that year, and not even his body was left behind." Ling Feng said.
Qi Wuhan feigned regret and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I was so happy for nothing." Then he asked casually, "How far is the ambush?"
"There are still more than ten miles." Ling Feng replied.
"If a fight breaks out, move the boat away and don't scare the little girl." Qi Wuhan said seriously.
"Yes." Ling Feng replied.
When Gui'er returned to the cabin, Jiang Lan had already gone to bed.
Not long after I rested, I was awakened by a rapid knock on the door.
"Miss, wake up quickly, there's something wrong up ahead!"
It was the butler's voice.
Qing'er and Gui'er, who were sleeping on the couch nearby, were also awakened and quickly put on their clothes. Qing'er asked Gui'er to open the door while she helped Jiang Lan get dressed. Jiang Lan was already wearing a cloak. After opening the door, Gui'er asked the housekeeper what was going on.
Qing'er also came over with Jiang Lan, and the housekeeper hurriedly reported, "Miss, the boat ahead is on fire, and someone is shooting arrows at the boat, and the arrows are on fire. I'm afraid we've encountered pirates."
When they heard the pirates, Qing'er and Gui'er were both shocked. Jiang Lan was also startled for a moment, but then she calmed down and asked everyone not to panic, stop the boat first, and not move forward.
The steward said that he had ordered the boat to stop when he went out to check the situation just now.
The captain and his crew gathered on the deck, each holding a self-defense weapon in their hands, including sticks, clubs, rolling pins, harpoons, and cooking spatulas... they took everything they could.
When the steward led the master and servant out, the captain came over to ask Jiang Lan if she wanted to turn the boat around and leave. The steward was worried that the large boat would be conspicuous, so he planned to send a bodyguard to escort the master and servant in a small boat.
The captain said that a small boat could not be as fast as a big boat, so if they turned around quickly, the pirates might not be able to catch up.
The steward was worried about what would happen if the other side shot arrows and the ship caught fire like the big ship in front.
While the two were arguing, Jiang Lan kept staring at the flames ahead. As the flames drifted further and further away, she suddenly asked, "Are there pirates in this place?"
He hit the nail on the head right away.
The captain was stunned, then realized that something was amiss. He said that he had been sailing on this waterway for five or six years and had never heard of any pirates, let alone encountered any. Moreover, this waterway was an official road, and he had never heard of any pirates daring to rob people on the official road. Tonight was really a weird night...
Hearing what the captain said, Jiang Lan's guess was confirmed. Those were not pirates at all. They must be heading for the ship in front, either seeking revenge on an enemy or taking money to help someone get rid of a disaster.
If it was one of the latter, that group of people would not come to attack her ship again, but it is not ruled out that the other party would be so cruel and murderous that they would kill everyone on the ship.
She immediately ordered all the torches to be extinguished, leaving no light that could make people targets.
After all the lights on the ship went out, the fire in front was only the size of a green bean. Suddenly, it went out and the whole ship seemed to sink.
After there was no movement in front, Jiang Lan waited for about half an hour to be on the safe side, and then asked two bodyguards to take a small boat to check. If everything was fine, they would light a tinder and wave it towards this side.
The two of them sat in the small boat and rowed quietly forward. Jiang Lan stared at the boat as it went farther and farther away and gradually became blurry. Just then, a dark cloud floated over and blocked the moonlight, and the boat disappeared completely from sight.
Everyone was nervously waiting for the signal of the tinderbox being lit, which would mean that the road ahead was safe.
As the dark cloud slowly moved away, the bright moonlight once again fell on the water.
A bright light appeared in front of me and swayed left and right a few times.
It is the signal of waving a fire stick.
Jiang Lan's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The captain was impressed by Jiang Lan's fearlessness in the face of danger. If it were those delicate young ladies, they would have been scared out of their wits and would have cried and made a fuss to go back.
The torches on the boat were lit again, and under the command of the captain, the big ship set sail again. When it met up with the small boat, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the side of the boat, scaring everyone, who thought they had encountered a water ghost.
"Miss, it looks like a person!" Guier said in surprise.
The other person had one hand holding onto the side of the boat, his head resting on a piece of driftwood, so his face couldn't be seen clearly.
Jiang Lan recognized the black jade ring on the thumb of that hand, but remained calm and pretended not to know.
The housekeeper analyzed that the other person should be someone from the sunken ship, so it would be better to rescue him first and ask him what happened after he woke up.
Two bodyguards prepared to rescue the person.
"Wait." Jiang Lan asked someone to bring her a bamboo pole, then she stretched the pole over and poked the other person's head, as if to confirm whether he was dead or alive.
The head lying on the driftwood moved.
"Miss, it's alive!" Guier said happily.
Two bodyguards prepared to rescue the person.
"Wait." Jiang Lan poked the other person with the pole again, as if to confirm whether it was a zombie.
"Miss, do you know this young man?" The butler felt that there seemed to be some personal grudge between the two.
"I don't know him." Jiang Lan retracted the pole and said calmly, "Pull him up."
The two bodyguards on the boat pulled the man out first.
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