Chapter 75 He hasn't showered for three months
Tao Ye distributed the fried cakes, then turned her head worriedly to look into the carriage.
That bearded man looks even fiercer than the leader of Yongning Temple. Will Miss be alright?
She suddenly remembered Lin Qiao.
She was just a child who came to this desolate place all alone, facing so many vicious people.
How incredibly brave she is!
Tao Ye admired Lin Qiao at this moment, and thought that she should be in the carriage with her young lady.
She seemed a little absent-minded, still clutching the fried dough sticks in her hand as she handed them out. The other person took the dough sticks and, seeing that she wasn't letting go, glared at her and said, "Hmm!"
Tao Ye snapped out of her daze and immediately let go of her grip.
She quickened her pace in distributing the fried cakes, and when she returned to the carriage, Yao Qingling was drinking hot tea with the bearded man.
They seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.
Yao Qingling looked over, holding her teacup: "Is it all distributed already?"
Taoye nodded: "Mm."
Yao Qingling looked at the bearded man and smiled slightly: "Boss Ruan, it's getting late, we should go home."
After chatting for a while, she learned that the man's name was Ruan Sheng and even made a new deal with him.
However, this new deal is a heavy burden and not easy to handle.
But this deal was proposed by Yao Qingling herself.
Ruan Sheng put down his cup, his dark, sharp eyes, like those of a wild beast, remained fixed on Qing Ling. He didn't say anything more, but his gaze towards Qing Ling seemed to soften.
He suspected the woman was exaggerating.
What?
She actually tried to negotiate with him, demanding that he hand over all the stolen silver to her.
But he couldn't help recall the woman's calm and leisurely expression as she slowly said, "Boss Ruan, you can't spend this money if it's in your hands. None of you will be able to leave this mountain. The money is just dead stuff in your hands. But if you give the money to me, I can share the risks with you, and more importantly, I can help you get out of your current predicament."
Ruan Sheng didn't believe that a young woman could have such abilities.
But they had been bandits for over a year, and for that year, they had no other way to go but to go down the mountain and rob passing merchants.
The authorities pressed even harder after the night at Yongning Temple, determined to find the place sooner or later and storm the mountain.
He couldn't find a way out, but he didn't want his brothers who had come out with him to die.
However, while this woman was at Yongning Temple, she ensured that her brothers could retreat in time; they suffered no losses.
Moreover, because public opinion was leaning towards sympathy for the displaced people, the government was already dealing with the resettlement of them, and the imperial court decided to retry the corrupt officials who had escaped justice back then.
This was a great comfort to these displaced refugees; many of their brothers wanted to go home.
It can be said that this woman was the one who propelled the whole thing forward.
Ruan Sheng didn't believe her, but he had no choice but to place his hopes on this woman.
Oh well, I'll give it a shot. This is the worst that can happen.
The man hunched over and lifted the curtain, his voice low and menacing: "Madam Yao, if you take our money and fail to deliver, you'll lose your head!"
After uttering those vicious words, he leaped off the carriage.
The carriage shook violently.
Tao Ye looked at Qing Ling nervously: What did you two talk about?
Yao Qingling held the teacup, smiling slightly, but ignored Tao Ye.
She slightly raised her chin, and her clear voice drifted out of the carriage: "Brother Ruan, the smell of wild animals on you is very different from the smell of real wild animals. If you want to avoid being searched by soldiers, you only need to find some tiger urine, bear urine or other wild animal excrement to smear on your body. You can use it whenever you want and hide whenever you want. There's no need to make yourself suffer like this."
The man stood outside the carriage, paused for a moment, then understood what the woman meant, and lowered his head to sniff himself.
Smelly.
It was a world apart from the refreshing smell in the carriage.
He hadn't noticed it before, but now, just smelling it made him want to vomit.
He hasn't showered in three months.
The guards outside understood as well, glancing at the man while suppressing their laughter.
The eldest brother simply didn't like taking baths, it had nothing to do with hiding from the soldiers; he even said it was a sign of manliness.
Ruan Sheng's face quickly turned red, but fortunately it was dark and he had a full beard, so no one could see it.
The man kicked the person closest to him, yelling, "What are you laughing at! Get lost!"
On the carriage, the driver shouted "Giddy up!" and the horse galloped away.
A woman's laughter seemed to come from inside the carriage.
Ruan Sheng stood there, watching the carriage drive away, his face still burning with desire.
The carriage gradually emerged from the valley.
Peach Leaf asked impatiently, "Miss, what did you talk about? Why did he say he wanted to take our heads?"
“At Yongning Temple, you only told them that you could save their lives and prevent the government from holding them accountable afterward. I have been worried about this ever since.”
"The matter has escalated so much, with 323 people dead! Almost all the monks of Yongning Temple are gone, and so many guards have also perished... Neither the government, nor the officials and wealthy merchants will let this go. Miss, how will you help them settle this matter?"
Too nervous and worried, Taoye said a lot in one breath.
She felt that the best solution was for them to leave the capital, change their names, and prevent those people from finding them.
They shouldn't have come to this place at all.
Yao Qingling glanced at her and poured her a cup of tea: "Take this to calm your nerves."
Tao Ye took the teacup, looking rather bewildered.
Yao Qingling said, "I want the gold and silver jewelry they stole—"
"Ha—" Tao Ye's hand trembled, and she took a deep breath and drew out the largest gasp, her eyes opening to twice their usual size.
"Miss...they robbed Yongning Temple, you robbed them?" she stammered incoherently, "That's stolen money, the authorities are searching everywhere!"
Yao Qingling nodded and said calmly, "That's why I said I'd help them use this money."
Peach Leaf's eyes remained wide open.
Isn't this... colluding with those thugs?
They were perfectly fine before, and now they've been dragged into this!
The authorities were already investigating why everyone at Yongning Temple had escaped overnight, suspecting that someone was helping them...
Yao Qingling said calmly, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. There's a saying: 'When officials force people to rebel.' If the world weren't so unbearable, why would they have to become outlaws? If some people weren't enjoying themselves and treating the poor as ants, how could they be driven to use killing to vent their hatred?"
"If I can change their identities and let them live normal lives; if I have the ability in the future, I will help others to atone for the sins of the massacre at Yongning Temple..."
The Buddha said, "Turning back is the shore."
This is the way back to shore.
Will Master Yuanci forgive her?
If these people are caught by the authorities, they will only face death.
However, the gold and silver treasures seized may not necessarily be put into the national treasury; even if they are put into the national treasury, they may not necessarily be used for the benefit of the people.
Born into an official's family, Yao Qingling had lived a miserable life over the years, but she had also witnessed the filth within the powerful and wealthy.
Besides, she also needs to live...
She wants to achieve a win-win situation.
The carriage swayed gently for a long time before returning to the city before the city gates closed.
There were inspectors at the city gate who stopped the carriage.
"Where have you been? Why are you back so late?" the city guard asked carefully, his voice stern.
They ordered everyone in the carriage to get down; they were going to search it.
Yao Qingling had been prepared for this for a long time.
—The Censor's wife was also present when she negotiated with the bandits at Yongning Temple. In other words, the Censor's wife was one of the few who knew that Qingling had made deals with the bandits.
In addition to helping her deliver messages, the censor's wife also helped her obtain a pass to leave the city.
Yao Qingling handed over the token.
The city guards, assuming she was helping a VIP, let her pass.
Tao Ye breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew..." She pressed her chest.
Once inside the city, things became much more relaxed.
The carriage traveled through the quiet streets, and apart from the sound of the wheels and the clatter of hooves, there was no other noise in the air.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
"Why did you stop?" Taoye asked, lifting the curtain. She saw a tall, silent man standing not far ahead, as imposing as a mountain.
The light was dim, making it difficult to see what the person looked like; but judging from his demeanor, one couldn't help but think of the phrase "riding a horse with a sword drawn."
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