The surroundings were in a mess. Jiang Yushu was only concerned about the injuries and did not notice that Tian Bo was staring at her with ill intentions.
"You look so gentle, yet you dare to kill people with a knife. You really can't judge a person by appearances!" Pan Kui asked in a loud, rough and heroic voice, holding his head high: "How old are you? How many years have you practiced martial arts?"
Guo Honglei humbly replied, "When I was seventeen or sixteen, my father hired someone to teach me boxing and kicking."
"No wonder. Although you're a refined person, you don't have the energy and spirit of a somber scholar." Under the scorching sun, Pan Kui wiped his sweat with his sleeve and glanced around the Guo family. He casually asked, "Hey, the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children! Sir Zhang, what crime have these people committed? Where are you from?"
Zhang Feng glanced at Guo Honglei, then hesitated, remembering his life-saving grace. He replied vaguely, "We are from the capital. Actually, this group of people didn't commit any crime; they were just implicated."
"Oh? Implicated?" Pan Kui was initially nonchalant, but upon hearing this, he became curious and asked, "Boy, has anyone in your family broken the law? It must have been a serious crime, otherwise they wouldn't have—" He paused, then asked in confusion, "Hey, with a hundred or eighty people in your family, you're not a large family, are you?"
Facing the powerful border troops, Jiang Yushu recalled the Yongzhou corruption case, her heart skipped a beat, and she gritted her teeth and held her breath.
Guo Honglei knew he couldn't escape it, so he secretly prepared himself and answered frankly: "My brother committed the crime of corruption, and his entire family was exiled to Xicang."
"Embezzlement?" Pan Kui exclaimed in surprise. A thought struck him, and his smile vanished. He frowned, examining the prisoners, and slowly asked, "What's your name?"
Guo Honglei replied: "My surname is Guo, and my given name is Honglei."
"Who are you to the son of Marquis Jingyang who embezzled military funds in Yongzhou?" Pan Kui's face suddenly darkened.
Guo Honglei couldn't avoid it, "That's Brother Sinner."
"So," Pan Kui's face turned pale and he asked angrily, "You are actually from the Marquis of Jingyang's Mansion?"
Guo Honglei could only nod.
"Hmph!" Pan Kui was instantly furious. He demanded, "In the past few years, border troops' rations and salaries have been repeatedly embezzled by corrupt officials to enrich themselves, leaving the soldiers starving and freezing in the dead of winter, fighting on empty stomachs. Morale has been severely damaged! It even led to the fall of Yongzhou, with over 100,000 people brutally massacred, leaving corpses strewn across the land like rivers of blood. Did you know about this?"
Guo Honglei took a deep breath and nodded again.
"Forget it!" Pan Kui glared at him, cursing passionately, "Bah, you greedy, shameless dandies! You've lived in the capital your whole lives, how could you possibly know the hardships of the border guards? It's a pity for the over 100,000 people who died tragically; their lives were lost in vain."
The captain was furious, and the soldiers also changed their expressions, showing contempt and hatred.
Tian Bo was stunned, thinking: Is she from the Marquis's Mansion? Judging by her words and actions, she must be the wife of a playboy. The daughter-in-law of a Marquis's Mansion must be a lady from a prominent family, no wonder she is so beautiful... I have never played with a lady from a wealthy family, I wonder what it feels like?
Alas, they were indeed taking their anger out on me. However, this was human nature, and the only thing to blame was the prince's breaking the law and bringing trouble upon the entire family. Jiang Yushu could do nothing but silently accompany her husband as he was scolded.
Guo Honglei, filled with guilt, solemnly stated, "My brother broke the law and was long ago sentenced to death by Your Majesty. My father, ashamed of his inadequate teaching, passed away in grief. Now, Your Majesty orders my family to be sent to the army and cultivate the land, and to spend the rest of my life atonement for my elder brother's sins. Once I join the army, I will go through fire and water, sacrificing my life to kill the enemy and defend my country!"
"Heh." Tian Bo said with a forced smile, "Everyone can boast. Killing the enemy in battle depends on real skills, not just words."
Jiang Yushu then noticed Tian Bo and was very displeased. She thought to herself: You are so sarcastic. Others may not dare to compare with you, but the Second Young Master is definitely better than you!
"Alas." Pan Kui's strong chest rose and fell violently. He barely suppressed his anger and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, these people are not the ones who are corrupt. Let's go!" After speaking, he walked to the shade of the trees on the hillside and ordered his men to clean up the corpses.
Zhang Feng hesitated to speak, finally sighed, and said loudly: "Rest for half an hour, bandage the injured quickly, we have to hurry on!"
After being scolded, the Guo family felt uncomfortable.
"We're already so unlucky, what else do they want?" Wang trembled with anger and said sadly, "Are they not satisfied until Your Majesty kills our entire family?"
Wang Qiaozhen leaned against the cart, sneered, and said coldly, "Hmph, if you have the guts, go to the capital and file a complaint with the Emperor, begging His Majesty to execute us. It's a pity that we're just a bunch of vulgar and uncouth men. I'm afraid we won't even be able to find the Imperial Palace, hahahaha."
Jiang Yushu frowned disapprovingly, "Sister-in-law, be quiet, be careful they don't hear."
"So what if they heard it? The worst that can happen is that I'll die. I don't want to live anyway!" Although Wang Qiaozhen was stubborn, her voice got lower and lower as she spoke.
Guo Honglei remained calm as he counseled, "Brother did make a mistake, embezzling military funds. No wonder the soldiers are angry. We were born in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion, enjoying a life of luxury. Now it's only right that you atone for your family's sins."
"They hate us so much," Guo Hongxuan said, feeling wronged and frustrated. He asked anxiously, "Are they deliberately making things difficult for us? Are they secretly plotting to harm us?"
Jiang Yushu replied calmly, "Fourth brother, His Majesty has pardoned the Guo family's death penalty. We can live with dignity. As long as we are strong enough, who can easily bully you?"
"That's right!" Guo Honglei encouraged, "Be a real man, be open-minded, don't be afraid of hardship, there will always be a time when good times will come!"
Because the fugitive was injured and could not run fast, he was captured alive not long after.
Qian Xiaoshuan, his uniform soaked with sweat, reported, "Sir, the deserter has been caught!"
"Tie them up and bring them back alive and dead so we can report back." Pan Kui gave an order and the soldiers quickly carried the bodies of the deserters onto their horses.
The other side
"Slow down, be gentle. Don't worry, brothers. When we get to the post station, I'll ask someone to buy a coffin and take you home." Zhang Feng personally worked with his companions to neatly stack the official's body on the cart. He looked up at the sky and shouted:
"Lord Pan?"
Pan Kui was adjusting his saddle when he turned and asked, "What's going on?"
Zhang Feng said earnestly, "It's getting late. We'll probably have to travel at night. If the smell of blood attracts wild animals, it will be disastrous. I wonder if you can—"
"Alright!" Pan Kui interrupted, understandingly. "We're going to the post station too, let's go together." He thought for a moment and ordered, "Those who are seriously injured, come over and squeeze in with my men."
"Thank you! You guys are seriously injured, hurry up and ride your horses." Zhang Feng breathed a sigh of relief, made some busy arrangements, and urged, "Let's go, follow Master Pan, there's no need to worry about being attacked by wild beasts."
So Pan Kui rode his horse, held the reins and walked slowly, leading the crowd to the post station.
As we walked, night fell and the deep mountains and dense forests were pitch black. Tired birds returned to their nests and nocturnal animals began to look for food. Various howling sounds came one after another, strange and harsh, and extremely creepy.
Guo Honglei repeatedly urged: "Stay close together, take care of each other, and don't be left alone!"
"Uncle, Yu'er is scared." Guo Yu huddled in his nanny's arms, sobbing.
Guo Honglei soothed him, "Why are you afraid? There are so many of us. Just take a nap, and you'll be at the post station when you wake up."
"I'm scared." Guo Yu was young after all, and he couldn't stop sobbing.
Pan Kui turned his head and looked at her, then slowly threatened, "Why are you crying? If you keep crying, the wolf will take you away. Wolves love to take children away."
"No!" Guo Yu burst into tears in fear.
Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words. Just as she was about to comfort her nephew, she suddenly heard a strange noise in the woods to the west, mixed with the long, dark howl of a wolf:
“Ouch…”
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