50 Chapter 50
◎Delicious food◎
"Brother, how long do we have to wait?"
Inside the cabin, a dark-faced man held a musket, pointed it at Feng Caiyu, and turned to ask the thin man next to him.
The lean man was about to reply when his ear twitched slightly. He raised his index finger, signaling him to be silent. Then he nodded at Feng Caiyu and said in a low voice, "You, go to the bow."
Feng Caiyu's heart trembled, it must be the princess who returned.
Last night, several pirates suddenly appeared, holding muskets in their hands, and surrounded the boat tightly.
They are just pirates. Luo Qi can handle them.
They had muskets, but they fired bullets slowly. Luo Qi only needed to be faster to subdue these people.
But if the musket goes off accidentally, it will alert the sentries on the mountain. Not only will they be discovered, but they will also be condemned to death for disrupting the princess's plan.
Luo Qi and his two companions had no better choice but to pretend to surrender.
Several pirates took Luo Qi and Li Jiuyue away, leaving only Feng Caiyu, who looked the weakest, as bait.
Feng Caiyu slowly stood up, his mind racing.
These pirates surrounded her but did not kill her, so they must have other intentions. They left her as bait to deceive her "accomplices".
What exactly are they trying to accomplish by doing this? Is it also for Bishan's food supply?
Maybe these pirates have been planning to steal the food in Bishan for a long time, but they just didn't have a way to get in. This time, when they saw them successfully enter the mountain, they probably thought that there was an insider on the mountain and wanted to take this opportunity to get a piece of the pie.
No matter what their purpose was, she couldn't let the princess be passive.
Under the threat of musket fire, she slowly stepped out of the cabin, her peripheral vision passing over the mountain wall.
With her eyesight, she couldn't tell whether there was someone hiding there.
The pirates asked her to pretend that everything was normal and to show a welcoming attitude when she saw her "accomplices".
Feng Caiyu walked onto the deck, with bullets aimed at her behind her and the rippling river surface in front of her.
She bet the pirates wouldn't dare to shoot!
The black-faced man was holding a musket and hiding in the cabin, monitoring Feng Caiyu's every move. Seeing that she did not follow the instructions, he was about to urge her, but he saw her jump and sink straight to the bottom of the river without hesitation.
"Brother!" He was frightened and panicked, and his voice was distorted to avoid alerting the sentries on the mountain.
The lean man was obviously also held in place by this unexpected incident. A trace of panic appeared on his face, and he hurriedly said, "Help!"
The black-faced man immediately dropped his musket and jumped into the river.
The four people hiding in high places could see it clearly.
As soon as Feng Caiyu jumped into the river, Xie Mingzhuo planned to let Jiang Qing go down to rescue her. She knew that Feng Caiyu could not swim and would only die if she jumped into the river.
But before Jiang Qing could leave, the robbers on the boat actually jumped into the water to rescue her.
When the black-faced man dragged Feng Caiyu onto the boat, the thin man knew that his side had been exposed, so he decided to go all out. He went to the bow of the boat, pointed his musket at Feng Caiyu who was coughing up water, and stared up into the sky.
Yang Yunkai couldn't help but say, "This person is quite sharp."
"Let's go down together and see what their purpose is." Xie Mingzhuo stood up.
Whether the two robbers rescued people in order to save the lives of the hostages or they really did not want to kill anyone, it shows that they had other motives.
There's nothing wrong with meeting.
Yang Yunkai and Lin Fan took the lead, showing up first and stepping directly onto the stern.
The two men at the bow were instantly alert. The thin man turned around holding the musket, with the bullet pointing towards the stern. The black-faced man also picked up Feng Caiyu and grabbed her neck with his big hands.
The dual threats of weapons and hostages instantly made the atmosphere heavy.
Xie Mingzhuo stood at the stern, confronting the thin man across the cabin. He also took the time to glance at Feng Caiyu and gave her a reassuring look.
Feng Caiyu's eyes were slightly red.
The water was a little cold in early autumn, and she shivered suddenly.
The dark-faced man looked at her with pity and couldn't help but say, "Brother, it's almost dawn, hurry up and finish this and go back."
Big Brother: “…”
He steadied his musket, looked at Yang Yunkai, who had the most "big boss" temperament, and said, "No matter which path you are on, come with us."
After saying that, he pointed at Lin Fan with his musket and said, "You, go row the boat."
Lin Fan didn't respond and looked at Xie Mingzhuo.
The thin man also subconsciously turned his head and his eyes fell on Xie Mingzhuo, only then did he realize something was wrong.
These four people are clearly led by her!
He was about to speak when he saw Xie Mingzhuo reach into his sleeve and take out an object that looked like a musket, but it was much more delicate than the musket in his hand. It felt like a toy in his palm.
Xie Mingzhuo pointed the muzzle of his gun at the other person and said gently, "The thing in your hand is rusty and can't be used anymore."
"Even if it can't be used, it's better than the thing in your hand!" said the thin man with his neck stiff.
"Try it?" Xie Mingzhuo pulled the trigger.
The hand cannon designed and supervised by the Queen Mother and the eldest brother personally was much more convenient and stable than other firearms with complicated shooting procedures.
She always carries it with her but has never fired it.
Yang Yunkai usually had no expression on his face, but at this moment he opened his eyes slightly.
When did the Military Equipment Bureau create such a compact hand cannon? As the commander of the Jinyiwei, he had never heard a word about it.
No, the pistol held by the princess should not have come from the Military Equipment Bureau, but the Armory.
When did those people in the Armament Bureau who were just sitting there doing nothing become so motivated?
Although he was not clear about the performance of the pocket pistol, he was not blind. This pistol was incomparable to the regular muskets in the army in terms of both material and style.
Facing the muzzle of the gun that could shoot bullets at any time, cold sweat slid down the thin man's temples, and his hand holding the musket trembled slightly.
The family knows their own business. The thing in their hands has long been useless, and they don’t even have a bullet, so they can only use it to scare people.
This is a tough one.
But he was unwilling to give up just like that.
"Girl, we have no ill intentions, we just want to ask you to discuss cooperation."
"Kidnapped my people, forced them to jump into the river. Your invitation is truly unique." Xie Mingzhuo's face suddenly darkened. "Old Yang, do it."
Yang Yunkai immediately used the cabin as leverage and pounced forward. As fast as lightning, he seized the musket from the thin man, twisted his arm and pushed him down, causing his upper body to fall into the cabin, leaving only his two legs at the bow.
Before the black-faced man could react, Feng Caiyu grabbed his wrist and twisted it, using his clever strength to subdue him.
Jiang Qing immediately gave a thumbs up, A Yu is really great!
These two men had little martial arts skills, and I don't know where they got the confidence from, but they thought they could threaten people with just a broken musket.
The two men were captured, and they did not dare to shout loudly, but only whispered anxiously: "Miss, spare my life, Miss, spare my life."
Xie Mingzhuo put away his pistol and gestured to Lin Fan to ask questions.
The latter understood and took out a dagger from his bosom, put it against the skinny man's neck, and looked at the black-faced man: "If you don't want him to die, ask me a question and you answer it."
"Don't kill my brother!" the dark-faced man said hurriedly, "I'll tell you what I'm talking about."
He could have broken free from Feng Caiyu, but his elder brother was in the hands of this group of people, so he didn't dare to move and could only kneel at the bow of the boat in grievance.
Seeing this, the eldest brother gave up resistance and hit his head on the bottom of the cabin, motionless.
"Why kidnap people?"
"I really want to cooperate with you," the dark-faced man added hurriedly when he saw his expression darken. "We've noticed that grain ships often appear at the ferry ahead in the middle of the night, and we've been looking for an opportunity to rob them. But those people on the mountain are not pushovers. They'll shoot warning arrows at any approaching ship. Only this section of the mountain wall has no sentries, so we can avoid their eyes and ears."
The idea is right, but if you don’t have the strength to climb the mountain, even if you do, you will just become a lamb to be slaughtered.
Before Lin Fan could continue questioning, he spilled the beans, speaking plainly.
They were from a small boat gang whose base was near the dock of a small town upstream of the Fu River, almost out of Anlu's territory.
On weekdays, they collect some ferry fees, move goods to the dock, or help people ferry to make a living.
However, for some unknown reason, the grain stores in the town have been out of supply recently. Even if there is occasional supply, the price of grain remains high.
The same applies if you go to the county to buy it.
The boat gang looked like there were only dozens of people, but everyone had a family to support, and the stored food was not enough to eat.
They had been hungry for many days and had no other choice but to think of attacking the granary in Bishan, but they never found a chance to enter the mountain.
Now that he saw Xie Mingzhuo and his companions had successfully entered the mountains, he became so bold that he wanted to join the food-stealing team. The word "cooperation" was just a way to flatter himself. In fact, he just wanted to help and get a share of the broth.
"Where did the musket come from?"
"I found it."
"Where did you pick it up?"
The dark-faced man spoke frankly, "I picked it up in Yingshan."
"When did you go to Yingshan?" Lin Fan suddenly thought of the case handled by Chen Shi. A dozen people were killed in Yingshan, and a bullet was left at the scene.
It is an established fact that Yingshan has hidden muskets.
The dark-faced man hesitated and looked at his elder brother, who was sitting in the cabin with his eyes closed. Seeing that he didn't react, he had to tell the truth: "A year ago, we were still bandits in Yingshan. That's when we picked it up."
Yingshan is located at the junction of Huguang and Henan. There are many bandit problems in southern Henan, and there are also many bandit dens in Yingshan.
The government has been suppressing bandits one after another. In recent years, the number of officers and soldiers has been sharply reduced, and the finances are tight. The government is no longer able to suppress them. Today, Yingshan is still plagued by bandits.
"Since you were a bandit in Yingshan, why did you come to Anlu to be a pirate?"
The black-faced man stopped talking.
The eldest brother opened his eyes and answered in a muffled voice, "A group of powerful bandits came. They had firearms and we couldn't defeat them. Many of our brothers died, so we had to find another way out."
"Brother?" The black-faced man hesitated to speak.
"There's nothing I can't say," said the eldest brother, looking indifferent to life and death. "At worst, I'll just eat a bullet and be reunited with my dead brothers."
Jiang Qing: "It's not easy to be a bandit these days."
"If there's no other choice, who would want to be a bandit?" The dark-faced man seemed to have been touched by his elder brother's words. His eyes gradually became moist and he choked with sobs, "We can't farm in the mountains. We can only pick wild fruits to eat every day. Sometimes we rob some merchants, and the next day they call the soldiers to beat us up. Bandits from other hills also come to steal food. We might as well go home and farm!"
"Then why don't you farm at home?" Jiang Qing asked.
The dark-faced man glared at her and said aggrievedly, "You still need land to farm! The imperial government's grain tax is getting higher every year. I can't pay the tax, so I have to sell the land. After selling it, I give it to the landlord to farm. The rent is also getting higher every year. I can't survive."
As he spoke, he shed two lines of tears.
"Later, the government came to the village to conscript men. We never heard from those who were taken away again, so I had no choice but to escape with my eldest brother and become a bandit."
"Conscripting men?" Xie Mingzhuo heard these three words again.
Liu Hu at the ferry also said something similar, but the army of the Qi Dynasty was based on the Wei Suo system. Even though it has now developed to the point where a small number of battalion systems exist, conscription of able-bodied men is still quite rare.
"They're conscripting men. A whole bunch of soldiers and officers came into the village and arrested everyone they saw." The dark-faced man was filled with indignation. "If the government doesn't leave us a way out, we'll have to carve out a way out ourselves."
Both the Wang family's mines and Bishan's troops need a large number of manpower. Could it be that these miners and soldiers are all "conscripted men" from the government?
Xie Mingzhuo had some thoughts in his mind, but now was not a good time to verify it.
She asked, "You were bandits in Yingshan before, so you should be very familiar with the terrain of Yingshan, right?"
"What do you want to do?" The eldest brother raised his head with great effort.
Xie Mingzhuo: "Do you want to get some food?"
Big Brother:?
"My two companions have been kidnapped by you. Take us there and we will discuss the rest later." Xie Mingzhuo felt that the boat gang was also a good hiding place.
Big Brother: “…”
Don't keep people in suspense when you speak!
He could see that these people were no simple matter, and he wanted to take a gamble, so he agreed.
The wooden boat left Bishan and gradually sailed upstream of Fuhe River.
Mountains stand tall on the south bank of the Fu River. At dawn, the sky is filled with glowing clouds, and the magnificent rays of light fall on the peaks. The mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, and the light shines together, like a series of exquisite paintings.
It was originally a magnificent scene with beautiful mountains and rivers, but it was tarnished by a layer of haze due to the selfish desires of some people.
As the boat moved forward and passed around the green mountain peaks, the wide and flat river and the quiet village came into view.
"Lingxia Town is just ahead," the dark-faced man pointed at the large group of boats on the water ahead, "that's where we live."
During the voyage, he and his elder brother introduced themselves as Liu Tie and Liu Jian.
The closer you get to the side of the ship, the more clearly you can see how crowded and messy it is.
These boats are crowded together, forming a small floating settlement. Each boat represents a family, and many lively children are jumping and playing between the boats.
The cabin is a private living area, covered with old dark blue curtains. Dried fish are drying at the bow, and a few branches are used as clotheslines at the stern to dry clothes.
Seeing the strange ship approaching, the gang immediately rushed out several boats, with young and strong men standing on the boats, holding spears in their hands, vigilantly blocking the way.
Liu Jian stood on the bow and waved.
"It's big brother! It's big brother who's back!" The men's expressions relaxed and they all rowed the boat to greet him.
Liu Jian lowered his arm and asked, "Where are the two people we brought back?"
"Don't worry, big brother, he's not running away. He's staying inside," someone asked hurriedly, "Can you get the food out?"
Liu Jian: “…”
Not only did he fail to obtain it, he also provoked several evil spirits.
He turned sideways, revealing the few people who had emerged from the cabin behind him, and introduced them, "This Jiang boss is willing to take us with him. He said he wants to make a big profit and guarantee that we'll have enough to eat."
The men raised their spears and waved them happily, and their eyes became particularly enthusiastic when they looked at Xie Mingzhuo.
Several children also gathered around and looked at them curiously. They all looked pale and thin, with big heads and small bodies.
Jiang Qing despised their behavior of kidnapping and threatening people, but that didn't stop her from feeling sorry for these children.
"Take us to meet our companions." Xie Mingzhuo said.
Liu Jian did not dare to disobey, and immediately asked someone to lead the way. He rowed the wooden boat through the crowded boats and came to a half-old boat.
The two guards were sitting at the bow and stern of the boat respectively. When they saw the eldest brother, they immediately stood up to greet him.
Liu Jian ordered: "Please invite the two distinguished guests out."
Both of them:?
What kind of distinguished guest are you talking about?
They were quite obedient, and with confusion and bewilderment, they bent over and entered the cabin, bringing out two people tied with ropes, who were Li Jiuyue and Luo Qi.
The two men just had their hair and clothes messy, and had not been abused. When they saw Xie Mingzhuo, they felt ashamed and excited.
"The boss is here to rescue you," Feng Caiyu took the opportunity to remind them of their current identities, "Are you all okay?"
Li Jiuyue understood, her eyes moist as she said, "We are useless, so we had to trouble the boss to come here in person. Thanks to the boss, we are not injured."
"That's good," Xie Mingzhuo naturally wouldn't blame them, "Master Liu, untie them."
Liu Jian and others appeared at night, and it was pitch dark. Luo Qi could not tell whether their muskets could fire. In order not to affect the plan to enter the mountains, he had no choice but to surrender.
If Liu Jian and his men were extremely cruel, the three people who stayed on the boat would have died by now.
After the two men were untied, Xie Mingzhuo turned to Liu Jian and said, "Let's eat first, and then we can discuss the matter of borrowing grain."
If you want to rob food, just rob it. Why do you have to say "borrow"? What's the big deal?
Liu Jian muttered to himself, looking embarrassed: "Master Jiang, the gang is really out of food. We only have some dry biscuits. You'll have to make do with them."
"I'm going to the town to buy some food." Jiang Qing couldn't bear to let her prince eat dry biscuits and drink cold water.
Lin Fan immediately stood up: "I've been to Lingxia Town. I'll go buy it."
Liu Jian suggested: "Why not ask a few brothers to follow?"
"Okay." Xie Mingzhuo nodded.
Liu Jian sighed inwardly. He was obviously the boss of the boat gang, and now he was on his own territory, so why was he still so disappointing!
But as soon as he met the gaze of Jiang Dangjia, he felt somehow inferior to him.
Forget it, if this Jiang boss can really raise food for them, what does it matter if she becomes the boss?
Lin Fan put on some disguises and headed to the town market with a few brothers from the boat gang.
They arrived at the right time, as the grain store in the town had just stocked new grain, but the price was more than five times higher than the normal price.
The brothers in the boat gang couldn't afford it and were deterred from buying it.
Lin Fan took out the silver ingot and asked the clerk, "Why are grain prices so high?"
"Why else? It's so high outside." The waiter filled his rice bag with food. "Anything else you want to buy?"
"Weigh another ten pounds of mung beans," Lin Fan said, "Why is it so high outside?"
"Okay, who knows what's going on," the waiter filled a bag of mung beans for him, handed it to him, and leaned in close, lowering his voice. "I heard there's going to be a war, and the army is hoarding food. There's no food available nearby, so they have to ship it in from further away. It's going to be expensive, isn't it?"
Lin Fan raised his eyebrows: "Who is fighting with whom?"
"I don't know about that. Never mind."
After leaving the grain store, Lin Fan went to the butcher shop and bought some chicken, mutton, and pork. He also picked out a few stoves and casseroles at the grocery store, and bought some bowls and chopsticks. Finally, he walked around the market and bought some miscellaneous things before returning.
The brothers on the boat were all very enthusiastic. Some carried grain, some carried meat, and they returned home with a full load.
When we got back to the boat, everyone gathered around and stared at the grain bag eagerly.
Liu Jian felt bad, but he still warned everyone: "These grains were bought by our distinguished guests themselves, so they should all be distributed."
"You used to be bandits, and now you've become pirates. Robbery is a common thing. Why are you being so particular about it now?" Jiang Qing asked unhappily.
Liu Jian said sheepishly, "When a person reaches the end of his rope, he can do anything."
"My lady, when we were bandits, although we did some robbing people on the road, the targets we robbed were all rich and unkind people, and we never hurt innocent people." Someone spoke up for himself.
Jiang Qing glanced at him and said, "Robbery is robbery. It has nothing to do with who is being robbed."
"Haven't you guys robbed it before?" Liu Tie blurted out, standing behind Liu Jian.
Jiang Qing: “…”
Yeah, I forgot they are also gangs now.
"Aqing, come and wash the vegetables." Xie Mingzhuo called out, ending the conversation and saying to Liu Jian, "It's my first time visiting your gang, so I shouldn't come empty-handed. Use this rice to make porridge and the meat to make soup. Let's all taste it together."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gang members around him cheered.
"Master Jiang is so generous!"
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang!"
Lin Fan left three days' worth of food for his own people and gave the rest to the boat gang, then started a fire and cooked.
Li Jiuyue, Feng Caiyu and others assisted.
The gang members around were distributing food, and since they were far away, no one noticed this place, which gave them some privacy.
"Boss," Lin Fan called out. When Xie Mingzhuo looked over, he continued, "The guy at the grain store in town said grain prices are skyrocketing because of the upcoming war."
Xie Mingzhuo was stunned for a moment: "Fight?"
Apart from King Liang's rebellion, where else would there be a war?
“How long have food prices been rising?”
"It's been over a year, but the increase has been the most severe in the past three months."
Xie Mingzhuo understood.
If she and her family had not come through, King Liang would have already been on his way to "serve the king".
Before the army sets out, he must have stockpiled a large amount of food and fodder. The rise in food prices near Anlu is normal.
The Prince of Liang's Mansion could not afford to rely solely on purchasing grain, so it could only plunder nearby. After all, Anlu County was the seat of De'an Prefecture and could not be easily moved. The towns and villages outside the county became the granary of the Prince of Liang's Mansion.
Liu Tie had said before that the imperial court's grain tax was getting higher every year, but when she was in the capital, she learned about the tax policy of the Ministry of Revenue, and it was not getting higher every year.
Either there was something wrong with the Ministry of Revenue documents she had read, or the local officials were deceiving their superiors and concealing the truth.
The investigation into the case of Prince Liang's rebellion has not only uncovered the carrot of Prince Liang, but also brought out a lot of muddy spots.
The Henan government will conduct a thorough investigation from top to bottom, and the officials in Anlu will do the same.
Seeing that she didn't respond and was just staring at the river in a daze, Lin Fan stopped disturbing her and concentrated on cooking.
Due to limited conditions on the ship, he could only make a few stews.
Several stoves and casseroles were working at the same time. For a moment, the aroma of mutton stewed with sauerkraut, chicken stewed with mushrooms, and pork stewed with tofu intertwined and went straight into everyone's noses.
The kid on the boat sniffed hard, thinking that if he inhaled the smell, he would make money.
Xie Mingzhuo's train of thought was also interrupted by the fragrance.
These days, we can only eat dry food at Bishan Ferry. It’s not impossible to continue eating dry food, but who can resist the temptation of delicious food?
Even before the dishes were cooked, her eyes kept falling on the casseroles.
Jiang Qing said with anticipation, "It smells so good. How long will it take before we can eat it?"
"A quarter of an hour." Lin Fan scooped a spoonful of soup into a clean bowl and handed it to Xie Mingzhuo. "Boss, can you help me taste it to see if it's salty enough?"
Of course Xie Mingzhuo would not refuse, and took the bowl and brought it to his mouth.
"It's a little hot, be careful."
Lin Fansheng’s soup base is chicken stewed with mushrooms, and the aroma of chicken and mushrooms mixed together is just right.
"Not too salty, not too bland, just right." Xie Mingzhuo put down the bowl and gave the highest praise.
“Try these two more.”
Lamb and sauerkraut, pork and tofu are also perfect matches. Xie Mingzhuo feels that he can eat five large bowls of this meal.
The imperial meals in the palace focus on delicacy and health. Although they taste excellent, they are not strong enough.
Lin Bantou’s cooking skills are really good.
"Are you going to continue working in the county government in the future?" Xie Mingzhuo couldn't help but ask.
If he wanted to find another job, she could help him find a job in Beijing and occasionally give him a free meal.
"I……"
Liu Jian happened to come over with Liu Tie and interrupted Lin Fan's answer.
"Master Jiang," Liu Jian put down a plate of golden dried fish, "this is freshly fried, you guys should try it."
Oil is a luxury these days. Ordinary people are reluctant to use it when cooking, let alone the boat gang who have no food to eat.
I am so generous today just to repay the favor of Xie Mingzhuo and the others.
Xie Mingzhuo picked up a fish. The fish was fried to the perfect temperature. When he took a bite, it was crispy and fragrant, with the unique flavor of river fish.
“It’s delicious.”
Liu Tie chuckled and said, "My cousin made it."
"Iron Brother is so lucky."
After delivering the fried fish, the two went back. It was not that they didn't want to stay longer, but they continued to stay. The fragrance of the food made them reluctant to leave.
The fried fish tasted really good. After sharing the plate, everyone got a few fish.
After eating the fried fish, the stew is finally ready.
Xie Mingzhuo actually ate five bowls of rice. Jiang Qing and others were used to it. The princess usually had a big appetite. After eating dry food for a few days, she suddenly came across some delicious dishes, so she naturally ate to her heart's content.
The others also ate one more bowl than usual.
Lin Fan handed over the hawthorn meatballs: "It helps with digestion."
"Xiao Lin is so thoughtful."
Li Jiuyue praised with a smile, picked up a meatball and put it in her mouth. She was indeed full just now.
After Meimei had a full meal, Xie Mingzhuo felt too lazy to move.
Unfortunately, the boat deck is not like home where you can lie down anytime and anywhere.
The boat gang also had a good meal today. Seeing Xie Mingzhuo taking a break, Liu Jian came again with Liu Tie and several brothers.
"Master Jiang, you said before that you wanted to take the brothers to borrow food. Just tell us how to do it."
Xie Mingzhuo already had a plan in mind and waved to them.
"Sit down and talk."
【Author’s words】
Random 100 red envelopes ~ muah ~
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