43 Chapter 043
◎A place to stay◎
There was no one on the official road, so it was a good time to take action.
Xie Mingzhuo quietly untied the ropes of Jiang Qing and Li Jiuyue, and signaled Jiang Qing to wait for the cooperation of the car behind, and then go to deal with the security guard driving outside the car.
They were in front, and Yang Yunkai and the other two were behind.
If there is a problem with the car in front, the car behind will immediately be alert. She is waiting for Yang Yunkai's action.
Being able to become the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Yang Yunkai is indeed quite capable. After quickly untying the ropes, he also untied Feng Caiyu and Luo Qi, quietly leaned out of the carriage, neatly twisted the guard's neck, gently dragged the body into the carriage, and drove the car himself to speed up.
Xie Mingzhuo had sharp ears and heard the noise behind him, so he winked at Jiang Qing.
With Jiang Qing around, she didn't have to do it herself.
Before Yang Yunkai caught up, Jiang Qing had already killed the security guard and stuck her head out to alert the car behind.
The three people in the car behind immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
They didn't think much of it, just thinking that Jiang Qing was a martial arts expert and used special means to untie him.
The two cars were only a few feet apart. Just as they were about to meet, Xie Mingzhuo's ears suddenly moved.
wrong!
She decisively pulled Jiang Qing back and narrowly avoided the arrow flying from the sky.
There are ambushes on both sides of the official road!
Xie Yu was indeed cautious. To prevent any accidents, he even hid assassins on the roadside, determined to take their lives.
There were six killers in total, all hiding in the bushes not far away.
It was not allowed to bring weapons into the palace for a banquet, so Xie Mingzhuo did not bring his pocket pistol with him.
Knowing that it was a Hongmen Banquet, in order to prevent someone from breaking into the house and searching after they left, they carefully placed their important belongings, including their pistols, in a secret place.
The other side had bows and arrows and could attack from a distance, while they were unarmed and didn't even have a close-range weapon.
"Be careful!" Jiang Qing pushed Li Jiuyue away with force.
An arrow grazed the latter's temple and disappeared into the wall of the carriage.
Xie Mingzhuo listened to the sound and determined the position, easily avoiding the arrow, reaching out to pull out the feathered arrow, breaking the wooden arrow shaft, leaving only the arrowhead.
The arrowhead is made of fine iron, is a bit heavy, and is sharp, making it suitable for use as a hidden weapon.
Xie Mingzhuo identified the positions of the six people and decisively shot out an arrow. He heard a scream and the arrow pierced one person's throat, killing him instantly.
The remaining killers: ???
They were so shocked that they hesitated for a moment.
Yang Yunkai took the opportunity to jump off the carriage and quickly approached the archer, with Luo Qi following closely behind.
Jiang Qing stayed close to Xie Mingzhuo.
There were wild grasses on both sides of the official road. Although they were only half a person's height, they were still big enough to hide one's body.
One of the killers died inexplicably, and the rest dared not act rashly. They all hid deep in the weeds, tracking the whereabouts of Yang Yunkai and Luo Qi, and then shooting them to death.
It is inevitable to make noise when walking through the grass, and even Yang Yunkai cannot avoid it.
A feather arrow came flying through the air. He had just dodged it when the next arrow came at him.
Luo Qi is good at boxing and kicking, and is good at close combat. Facing one cold arrow after another, he is really hard to defend against, and he is accidentally hit in the left shoulder by a stray arrow.
He made up his mind and broke the arrow shaft with force. Just as he was about to continue approaching the killer, he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Luo Qi, take the knife!"
A slender Miao knife fell from the sky and landed right in front of him. He reached out and grabbed it, and the long knife landed in his palm, reflecting a cold and eerie light.
With a knife in hand, what is there to fear?
The sound exposed the owner's position, and because of the thrown knife, half of the man's body was also exposed, so the killer immediately drew his bow and arrow.
Xie Mingzhuo was well prepared. He had taken materials from the arrows on the chariot wall and obtained two arrowheads, which he shot at the assassin again.
She possessed divine power, and the arrowhead flew at an extremely fast speed. In the blink of an eye, the arrowhead had reached her throat.
The killer had no time to dodge before his throat was pierced and he lost his voice.
Li Jiuyue, who was standing by, looked at her with a very complicated expression, a mixture of shock and admiration.
"Miss Meng, you have great aim. Thank you." Lin Fan had just thrown the knife and had to expose his body. If the killer really shot this arrow, even if he could avoid the vital parts, he would still suffer.
Xie Mingzhuo didn't ask why he was there, nor where he got the knife from. He just said, "Thank you, Miao Dao."
"Miss Meng," Lin Fan carefully avoided the arrows and lightly got into the carriage, "Are you willing to cooperate again?"
He also held two sharpened wooden sticks in his hands, which must have been made by using a knife after escaping from the palace. They could be used as melee weapons.
"Come." Xie Mingzhuo decisively gripped the arrowhead.
Lin Fan suddenly leaned forward, grabbed one of the sticks, and shouted, "Yang Da, take it!"
The killer had to reveal his tracks in order to shoot the arrow, and this exposure allowed Xie Mingzhuo's arrowhead to fly away.
He was prepared and narrowly avoided the attack, disappearing again.
But Luo Qi and Yang Yunkai were already approaching.
One wielded a knife, the other a stick, as they engaged in a fierce battle with two assassins. Both were experts, but despite their limited martial arts skills, they easily defeated the assassins, who were only skilled in archery.
The remaining two were terrified and wanted to escape, but were stopped by Lin Fan with a stick. They were then hacked and stabbed to death by Yang Yunkai and Luo Qi respectively.
The three of them returned to the carriage, and Lin Fan said, "Xie Yu will definitely collude with the government to arrest us. Living in the city is not safe. I do have a place to stay that the government will have a hard time finding. Miss Meng, are you willing to trust me?"
"Let squad leader Lao Lin lead the way," Xie Mingzhuo said without hesitation, "Luo Qi has been shot by an arrow and needs medical treatment as soon as possible."
"Come with me."
The six men abandoned their horses and chariots and followed closely behind.
Li Jiuyue and Feng Caiyu were the only two who had no ability to protect themselves. From the moment they were kidnapped in the palace to the moment they were ambushed by killers, their hearts never stopped beating, and they are still in fear until now.
Even though their faces were pale and their legs were weak, they did not slow down. They gritted their teeth and followed all the way until they entered Lin Fan's secret residence.
But there is no time to stop and sort out my emotions.
"I left some medicine here for healing," Lin Fan said without delay, helping Luo Qi lie down inside the house. "If you trust me, I'll remove the arrow for him."
Xie Mingzhuo nodded: "Captain Lin, you are too kind. Thank you for your help."
"Shopkeeper Li, could you please go to the kitchen and boil some hot water?" Lin Fan asked, taking out the herbs from the cupboard.
Li Jiuyue hurriedly said, "I'll go right away."
"I'll boil the medicine." Feng Caiyu stepped forward and took the herbs.
Although Luo Qi's injury was not fatal, the wound was affected when he was fighting with others, and a lot of blood was lost. In addition to applying external medicine, he also had to take internal medicine to regulate his condition.
Fortunately, Lin Fan was well prepared.
He lit a candle, took out a dagger, and first tore open the clothes on Luo Qi's shoulders, revealing the arrow that was embedded in his flesh.
When the hot water is delivered, pour boiling water over the dagger, wipe it clean, and then bake it over the candle flame.
"It will be painful to remove the arrow later. To prevent Brother Luo from struggling and stretching the wound, please help me hold him down, Brother Yang." Lin Fan sat down on the bed, holding the dagger. "Removing the arrow will result in blood. Miss Meng and Shopkeeper Li may wish to wait outside."
Xie Mingzhuo shook his head: "I'll stay and help."
Luo Qi is quite strong, and Yang Yunkai alone may not be able to hold him down, so she can lend a hand.
"Second Madam, let me do it." Jiang Qing felt extremely ashamed. He was supposed to be a personal bodyguard, but he was completely useless just now, and the princess had to save herself.
It's good for the princess to be able to protect herself, but she's the guard, and these are the things a guard should do. She can't let the princess do this kind of heavy work for her.
Xie Mingzhuo did not insist and took Li Jiuyue out of the room.
Only after coming out did she have the mind to look around the two-story house.
They were now in the southern suburbs, their house built in the southwest corner of a small town, remote and deserted.
When I came here, I didn't meet anyone.
The house is not much different from an ordinary house. It has all the necessary furniture and there is even a stone mill in the yard.
The overall layout is clean and tidy, as if someone cleans it regularly.
"Second Madam, what should we do next?" Li Jiuyue looked very haggard. She was worried about her current situation and was also concerned about Luo Qi's injury.
Xie Mingzhuo soothed him gently, "After the arrow is pulled out, we can discuss it together."
"good."
Not long after, the door opened and Lin Fan stepped out, holding a tray with a blood-stained arrowhead in it.
"The bleeding has stopped. He's fine for now. He may have a fever. He should feel better after taking some medicine."
Xie Mingzhuo stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Captain Lin."
"I'll go take a look." Li Jiuyue hurried into the house.
There were only two people left in the yard.
"Miss Meng, you and I have worked together many times and shared hardships together many times. There's no need to be so polite." Lin Fan walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, squatted down to wash his hands, and said, "Don't blame me for escaping from the palace without permission."
"Xie Yi has framed you for the assassination of the prince. If you don't run away, won't you be at the mercy of others?"
"Thank you for your understanding," Lin Fan suddenly stood up, raised his hands, and asked embarrassedly, "Could you trouble Miss Meng to roll up my sleeves for me?"
Xie Mingzhuo walked up to him and reached out to help him roll up his sleeves.
There was still a hint of blood on his palm, his fingers were relaxed and half-clenched, and the calluses and lines on the palm could be clearly seen.
The water on the palms and fingertips gathers between the fingers and accumulates into droplets under the finger bones, which seem to fall but cannot.
The two of them were quite close, beyond the normal distance between collaborators.
Xie Mingzhuo lowered his head and concentrated on rolling up his sleeves.
The sleeves were too narrow, and her fingertips inevitably touched her arms during the process. She looked calm, but the other person's hands gradually stiffened.
"Although I successfully escaped from the palace, I felt something was wrong." Lin Fan had to speak to divert attention, "The palace is heavily guarded, and it was too easy for me to escape."
Xie Mingzhuo gestured for him to switch to the other hand.
"So you guessed that Xie Yu had a deeper intention."
Lin Fan smiled, lowered his head to look at her drooping eyelashes, and said, "Tuiguan Shen and I have a deep friendship. If I died in an unclear manner, he would definitely not care and would investigate the matter thoroughly. Only if I 'flee' would Shen Shi be hesitant."
"When Tang Song posts a wanted poster, you'll have nowhere to hide. If you die at the hands of your enemies, even Shen Shi won't be able to trace Xie Yi to you."
"Similarly, Xie Yu will not kill you in the mansion, but will send you to the government."
After rolling up his sleeves, Xie Mingzhuo took a step back and continued, "So when you escaped, you 'borrowed' a Miao Dao from the palace guards, cut two wooden sticks to use as weapons, and hid by the roadside waiting for us."
The smile in Lin Fan's eyes grew more intense.
"Miss Meng remained calm in the face of danger and her accuracy was excellent. I admire her."
He sneaked all the way back, and in order to treat Luo Qi in time, he had no time to take care of himself. His hair was messy and there were red marks on his cheeks from branches, making him look a little embarrassed.
But this embarrassment seemed to make his face more clear and three-dimensional. Only then did Xie Mingzhuo realize that Lin Fan was indeed a man of outstanding appearance.
She asked, "Is this place safe?"
"It's safe for now," Lin Fan seemed to have forgotten to continue washing his hands. "I rented this house with my master and fellow apprentices for a while. After they moved out, I bought it privately under someone else's name without telling anyone. This place is secluded and most of the neighbors are traveling merchants. They're not at home all year round, so you don't see them here."
If you can't see people, the news will naturally be difficult to spread.
"If you don't show up, will your master and fellow disciples be implicated?"
"No, before I decided to go to Bishan, I had already persuaded them to leave Anlu and go to other places. Even I don't know where they are now."
"That's good. You continue to wash your hands, I'll go see Luo Qi." Xie Mingzhuo turned around.
"Wait," Lin Fan grabbed her wrist in a hurry, but when she turned around, he let go in frustration. "I, I just wanted to say that you have a kind heart, not like a Jinyiwei."
Xie Mingzhuo: “…”
I wonder what the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard felt when he heard this.
Yang Yunkai happened to come out and saw the two standing opposite each other by the well. Without thinking much, he just said, "Second Madam, I'll go get my belongings."
The belongings are hidden outside the city, so there is no need to enter the city. With his cleverness and skills, there should be no accidents.
It’s better to take it as soon as possible before Xie Yu and the government react completely.
"Be careful on the road."
Xie Mingzhuo watched him leave before answering Lin Fan: "Is it important whether I'm a Jinyiwei?"
"No, it's not important." Lin Fan felt inexplicably flustered and clumsily changed the subject, "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat tonight?"
Dusk was falling. He had not eaten much at the banquet at the palace, and after experiencing fighting the enemy and escaping, he was really hungry.
"You cook?"
"I only know some home-cooked dishes, so you can just make do with them," he asked again. "What do you want to eat?"
Xie Mingzhuo: "Anything is fine. I'm not picky about food."
"good."
Lin Fan made thorough preparations, storing some rice, flour, oil, and salt in the kitchen. He would replace the long-lasting seasonings every once in a while.
I cleared a few plots of land behind the yard and planted some seasonal vegetables, which should be enough to last for a few days.
He went to the vegetable garden behind the house first.
Xie Mingzhuo went to visit Luo Qi. As soon as he entered the house, he saw Luo Qi and Li Jiuyue holding hands.
Her footsteps were so light that Li Jiuyue didn't hear them, and Luo Qi, who was injured and had hearing loss, didn't notice either.
That's when she bumped into it.
Li Jiuyue immediately let go of Luo Qi's hand and stood up.
Xie Mingzhuo approached calmly, as if nothing had happened, and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Very, very good. Thank you for your concern, Madam." Luo Qi almost forgot how to speak.
"Well, thank you Jiuniang for taking care of Lao Luo. I'll go see how the medicine is."
Xie Mingzhuo went to the kitchen again.
A stove was set up in the open space outside the kitchen. Feng Caiyu was originally guarding the medicine alone, but later Jiang Qing came to accompany her, and the two of them got together.
Feng Caiyu had never experienced this before, and her hands and feet were still cold. She hugged Jiang Qing's arms tightly, trying to draw a sense of security from her.
"Ah Qing, should I also learn some self-defense?"
Jiang Qing agreed with both hands: "Sure, I'll teach you when I have time!"
"Okay, I will study hard and never fall behind again." Feng Caiyu made up her mind and immediately hugged her two sisters.
Xie Mingzhuo paused, then turned and left again.
There was no place for her to stay in a two-story house.
Lin Fan finished cooking when Yang Yunkai returned with his belongings.
Except for the wounded Luo Qi and Li Jiuyue who took care of the wounded and provided them with food and medicine, the other five people were sitting around the table.
There aren't many dishes, only six, but the portions are large enough for seven people.
As Lin Fan said, they were all ordinary home-cooked dishes, but the taste was unexpectedly amazing. Everyone ate half a bowl more than usual.
After the meal, everyone discussed their next plans.
Lin Fan said, "Tomorrow morning, our wanted posters will be posted all over the county. This place is safe for now, but it's not a place to stay for long."
"Who would have thought he would kill his father?" Li Jiuyue, after taking care of Luo Qi, also came out to participate in the discussion. "He's simply a lunatic."
Once the crime of assassinating the prince is proven, even gods cannot save Lin Fan.
He didn't look worried at all, and was even in the mood to prepare a table full of delicious food.
For Xie Mingzhuo, this mission seemed to be nearing its end, so it would be fine to return to the capital now.
To catch a thief, you must first catch the king. Before they could take action themselves, King Liang, the biggest threat, died in such a ridiculous way at the hands of his own son.
Now that the rebel leader is gone, can the rebellion still gain momentum?
She couldn't guarantee it because Xie Yi was a madman. He could commit patricide and might also rebel without considering the consequences.
Before the banquet, Xie Mingzhuo had intended to "manipulate" Xie Yu to cause a internal conflict with him, but plans could not keep up with changes. King Liang was dead, and even if Xie Yu came back with control of the mine, he would be unable to compete with the prince who inherited the army.
Besides, there is no time to wait for Xie Yu to come back.
Xie Yu is now useless, and the Henan mine will be where he will be caught.
At the same time, Xie Yi must be completely dealt with, but the prerequisite for dealing with Xie Yi is to first eliminate the troops and horses that King Liang privately raised.
"In Anlu, the most likely place to secretly hide troops and horses, besides Prince Liang's Mansion, is the Bishan Mausoleum." Xie Mingzhuo said slowly, "But we currently know nothing about Bishan."
"Second Madam, do you want to go in and investigate?" Yang Yunkai replied, "But Bishan is heavily guarded, and it's not easy to go deep into it."
"Wait for King Liang's funeral."
During his lifetime, King Liang claimed that he had his eyes on the Feng Shui treasure land of Bishan. He couldn't be buried anywhere else after his death, right?
It was impossible for Xie Yi not to bury his father. He hoped that King Liang would be buried as soon as possible to prevent Chen Shi from conducting an autopsy and discovering any clues.
"That's right, we can sneak into the funeral procession and then look for opportunities to investigate after entering Bishan." Lin Fan agreed, but then changed the subject, "But Bishan is full of dangers."
"I know a little bit about hunting, and I can even catch a bite of wild beast if I come across one," Yang Yunkai said modestly.
Lin Fan shook his head. At this point, he no longer hid the truth.
"It's not a danger from wild beasts. The Green Mountain Mausoleum is just an excuse. What's really hidden inside are the palace soldiers armed with muskets."
Xie Mingzhuo was slightly surprised. She originally thought that apart from Xie Ni and others, no one in Anlu County knew about the fact that Prince Liang had privately cast a fire gun for rebellion.
How did Lin Fan know about this?
Everyone's eyes fell on Lin Fan's face, and no one spoke for a moment.
Lin Fan keenly noticed their unusual behavior and asked hesitantly, "Aren't you here for King Liang to privately manufacture fire guns and cast iron-based silver?"
These two things combined are enough to show that King Liang is going to rebel.
Xie Mingzhuo remained calm, "We are indeed here for this matter, but how did you know there were soldiers hidden in Bishan?"
"I saw it with my own eyes." Lin Fan repeated what he had told Chen Shi before.
Li Jiuyue was surprised: "You were only ten years old ten years ago. This is too dangerous."
If a ten-year-old child is stranded in the wild and encounters palace soldiers on the mountain, he will be killed if he is not careful.
Lin Fan: "It was dangerous ten years ago, and it's even more dangerous now."
No one knows the distribution of Bishan’s troops. If you run into the palace soldiers, there is no chance of survival.
"It's different," Xie Mingzhuo analyzed. "Prince Liang is dead, and there's a high possibility of 'military instability' on the mountain. If some 'generals' want to have any evil intentions, we will have a lot of room to stop them."
It is unlikely that they can rebel on their own, but they will face the difficult task of choosing a "wise leader".
It is legitimate for the Crown Prince to inherit everything from King Liang, but the Crown Prince has no children, which is his biggest weakness.
——Xie Yi kept it secret too tightly, so the guards in Bishan must not know about Xiaobao’s existence.
Even if the news spreads to Bishan, Xiaobao is now in Xie Yu's hands. Once Xie Yu goes to Henan and takes control of the mine, it is hard to say who will have the final say in the Prince Liang's Mansion in the future.
A helping hand in time of need is far more impressive than simply adding icing on the cake.
Lin Fan immediately understood: "Miss Meng, that's a good idea, but..."
"Just what?"
"Without a token, it would be difficult to gain their trust."
It's not so hard to gain their trust, but I'm afraid that we'll be defeated as soon as we meet.
"I'll figure out a way to deal with the token." Xie Mingzhuo looked at everyone. "With seven of us together, whether we're hiding in a house or heading into the mountains for the funeral, our targets will be easily exposed. Luo Qi is injured and needs to recuperate. Jiu Niang and A Yu will stay behind, while Lao Yang, A Qing, and Lin Ban will head up the mountain."
Yang Yunkai and others seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Say whatever you want to say."
"Second Madam, why don't you let me and the forest team leader go first?" Yang Yunkai advised. "Once we have memorized the route and the direction of the forest, we can explore again later."
Li Jiuyue also quickly agreed: "Old Yang is right. The mountains and forests are dangerous and steep. Why would Second Lady go through these risks herself?"
Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing nodded vigorously.
The candle on the table burned quietly, the flame jumping up and down.
Xie Mingzhuo didn't say anything, and everyone was feeling upset.
"Miss Meng is quite skilled, so exploring Bishan is not impossible," Lin Fan said with a smile. "However, the funeral procession travels approximately sixty miles from the Eastern Suburbs Palace to the Western Suburbs Bishan. The procession moves slowly, so it may take a whole day. I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for you and Miss Jiang to follow along."
People have three urgent needs, and how two girls can solve them is a problem.
Although there were female members of the funeral procession, they naturally had people to help serve them, and the curtain was drawn so that no one could see them.
Xie Mingzhuo hadn't thought of this just now. In this case, if she and Jiang Qingruo went together, they would indeed be a drag.
"Team Leader Lin has thought it through. Ah Qing and I will stay, but the plan has changed. You and Old Yang only need to remember the route into the mountains this time. If you can find the troops' location, that would be great. If not, there's no need to take the risk. We'll discuss this again when you return."
No one had any objection.
"The key now is how to sneak into the funeral procession." Li Jiuyue was a little worried. "Xie Yu will definitely be there on the day of the funeral. If he recognizes me, the consequences will be disastrous."
Lin Fan: "The prince's funeral procession will have at least a thousand people, and they will inevitably be staffed by craftsmen who play funeral music, carry the coffin, and transport paper figures and horses. These people are hired from the city or the countryside, and few people truly care about them. I, Lin, am not talented, but I happen to have some connections."
The matter was settled.
The body will remain in state for seven days, and they can rest and recuperate during these seven days. The task of blending into the funeral procession will be left to Lin Fan.
Li Jiuyue said, "The prince has been assassinated. The government will definitely impose martial law throughout the county to catch the assassin. It's safe here, but what if something unexpected happens? We can certainly disguise ourselves, but if the government investigates strictly and asks about the land deeds..."
The deed not only contained the householder's name, but also his appearance, age, etc. None of them looked like Lin Fan at all.
"Don't worry, Manager Li. I've been in the government for many years and am familiar with household affairs. It won't be difficult to create a fake deed that looks real."
Xie Mingzhuo and others: "..."
"Let me make it clear first, this is just a concession, but you can't use this to punish me in the future." Lin Fan joked.
Xie Mingzhuo couldn't help but smile and replied, "No problem."
【Author’s words】
There are quite a few today!
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