Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Love Talk
She Lan is in a good location, on the shortest route to the capital.
It is only half surrounded by mountains, and there are still many bandits on the mountain.
After years of burning, killing and looting, who wouldn't feel scared when just a few people pass by and pairs of green eyes stare at you in the middle of the night?
As time went on, fewer and fewer people walked on this road, and the bandits were more willing to go to Daguan Road to stop people.
But in recent years, either there has been no profit at all, or the strength is very strong.
Gradually, they discovered new business opportunities. This mountain pass is well-connected, but the security in the surrounding area is not as good as that on the mountain.
The county magistrates were all timid and fearful, and in order to avoid losing their heads or their official positions, they were willing to offer some food as tribute.
Although the money is small, there are a lot of things!
They have great power in the mountains and they act in a domineering manner whenever they go out. Over time, some young people will even go to the mountains specifically.
There is also a strong chain of contempt among the bandits, and the group that came down are all cunning and experienced.
They have long been fat and strong, and can make money by just sitting there, so they have lost their ruthlessness.
It would be fine if they were outnumbered, but they really put a knife to their necks.
A strong desire to survive suddenly erupted.
Zhao An was not talking nonsense, he first showed his skills, the first two had blood on their faces and rolled on the ground in pain.
"Sir! Please ask!"
The one behind him was shaking like a sieve, and the wound of the person above him was close to his neck.
He knelt on the ground, feeling weak all over. He usually commanded the most people here.
"grown ups……"
"Should I greet you first, or should you…"
"Me! Let me speak first!" The man shook his head heavily. "That...Brother Yong took Old Man Chen's money and said he was going down the mountain to have a feast tomorrow. It's...it's all about killing people and stealing goods."
"I'm just in charge of logistics, no... no killing!"
He tilted his head back and smiled ingratiatingly, but the years of luxury had made him fat and big-eared.
There are more wrinkles on his face than money in his pocket, which makes people feel sick.
Zhao An didn't even bother to look up at him, his chin raised like a blade, pressing against his neck: "Stop talking nonsense. If I don't want to listen, your mouth is useless."
"Yes, yes, yes! What do you want to hear, sir?" The man was forced to raise his head, not even daring to swallow his saliva.
Hezhou frowned as he watched from the side, and pulled Xie Xunzhi's sleeve and walked out.
The corridor outside was filled with things, all sealed and covered with all sorts of knife marks.
He stepped on one of the wooden boxes, his head lowered.
"What's wrong?" Xie Xunzhi asked worriedly, pulling him carefully.
"Is there something wrong?"
Hezhou shook his head and sighed: "I'm just a little scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
"Yeah? What are you afraid of?" Zhao An walked out from inside with a square handkerchief in his hand.
He smiled and asked again: "What are you afraid of? You are not afraid of me..."
"Of course, who wouldn't be afraid of Lord Zhao?" Hezhou folded his arms and looked inside.
"alright?"
The other party pointed inside with disdain and said, "You confessed everything, you idiot. I think you weak scholars should come down and gain more experience."
He paused for a moment. "If you can't stand this, how are you going to interrogate me later? Weren't you afraid of looking at corpses before?"
"How are they the same? One is dead, the other is alive." Hezhou smiled with the corners of his mouth curled up: "Just think of me as soft-hearted."
"Are you soft-hearted? The soft-hearted people in the two neighboring counties have all been ridiculed and shit on..." He stopped Hezhou and clenched his fist on his chest.
"Brother, we can't just eat cabbage this time, right?"
Hezhou pursed his lips and said nothing, just glanced at him sideways.
Zhao An knew what their level was. If they wanted to dig a deeper well, they might have to report it to their superiors.
"Hey, what's that look? The Chen family is about to fall, and there's more than just this leaking through their fingers, right?"
"Master Zhao, you are joking. What we eat today will be paid on the public account tomorrow." Xie Xunzhi continued with a smile.
Zhao An didn't say anything, his eyes moved down, fixed on the two people's fingers that were slightly touching, and then let go in disgust.
"You two are so funny. I get so nervous doing anything! It's boring."
He waved his hand and turned back: "Don't worry, I like girls and I want to keep them for offspring."
Zhao An walked in with a cold face, and soon a pig-slaughtering scream was heard from inside.
Xie Xunzhi took his hand: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, maybe I just can't stand the sight of blood and things like that." Hezhou forced a smile, his eyes always looking inside.
Logically speaking, everything is now developing as they wish, or even better.
Not only did Zhao An bring a lot of people with him, he also successfully caught a lot of miscellaneous fish and had a lot of information. Why couldn't he get motivated?
He just brought Xie Xunzhi out.
Xie Xunzhi pulled him back, and as soon as he entered, he saw Zhao An lying by the door.
Not only did the other party not feel guilty about being caught, he also took the initiative to talk.
"You really are a jade-faced scholar, but you are so timid?"
"Sir, if you knew this, why didn't you send him to the jail?" Xie Xunzhi smiled.
The few people kneeling at the back looked like they were no match for human beings. Their injuries were not serious, but their cries were getting louder and louder.
The wounds were almost all in vulnerable places, so it was no wonder that some people were howling and spitting out information, no one wanted to die.
Hezhou rubbed his temples irritably. "I thought it would take a while before he could speak. What did he say?"
"Take him to the cell and keep him under guard." Zhao An waved his hand.
"This situation might have been possible earlier, but now the bandits have grown stronger and resources can't keep up. Furthermore, they have to be divided into different levels, so internal conflicts have long existed."
He ran to the kitchen, got a cake and started eating it.
"Master He...can we have a meal and chat? The brothers are all hungry?"
Hezhou's mouth twitched: "How can you eat the blood all over the floor?"
Zhao An was seen holding the fried dough cake and looking back.
A man in a loose hemp robe appeared nearby and smiled innocently at him, "Your Excellency, this is ridiculous! Sometimes when we lie in ambush for too long, we eat off corpses. Excuse me, but where is the government's food?"
Chunjuan came out, took the key and went to the warehouse with the man.
Bags of rice and vegetables were carried out one after another, and it was frightening to watch.
You have to know that they bought these things from passing merchants who bypassed the Chen family.
There were few merchants passing by and even fewer selling grain, so when the market was good, they would buy large quantities.
Every time Hezhou saw him, he felt that Xie Xunzhi was like a little hamster.
The warehouse filled up little by little, as if reminding him that he and Xie Xunzhi would be together for a long, long time.
But these things were moved out bit by bit today, and how could he not feel uncomfortable watching them?
He stopped Chef Luo, who was carrying bacon in both hands.
"You're taking this too?!"
"Hey, my lord, you don't know, our Lord Zhao likes to eat this bacon the most."
Chef Luo dodged, his fingers tightly hooked on the hook, and the two pieces of meat swayed on the hook, looking particularly tempting.
"That piece is enough! This meat is salty."
He lifted the meat up and hung it up: "Sir, we have a strong taste, and there are many people outside the county."
Hezhou wanted to fight for it again, but before he could do so, he was pulled aside by Xie Xunzhi.
"We are the main family now, so forget it."
He gave him a soothing look and whispered in his ear: "If this matter is resolved, I will buy a full copy back."
"That's different." Hezhou still felt a little uncomfortable. He was not like this before. He had experienced the days of spending every penny in half.
He began to care more and more about money, and he didn't feel bad about spending it on Xie Xunzhi.
He didn't feel bad about spending money in the county, but whenever he spent it on "outsiders", his heart would tremble and he would feel inexplicably anxious.
He sighed resentfully: "Forget it, it's also worth the money."
In the distance, Chef Luo was directing people to move things. Zhao An leaned against the door in the yard, staring at them pretending to be casual.
Xie Xunzhi glanced at him sideways, and put his arms around Hezhou's neck: "What's wrong? Something has been wrong just now."
A face that he had been thinking about day and night suddenly enlarged in front of his eyes, and it was in such an ambiguous posture. Hezhou was so shocked that he didn't even know what to do with his hands.
Although he had been this close before, it was rare to see her face so directly, and it even made his breathing much clearer.
A pair of hands passed behind his ears, feeling slightly hot.
"You're so dark, I thought I couldn't see your blushing face. It's so hot."
Hezhou was so embarrassed that he couldn't speak. He felt that everything around him was blank and he could only see the person in front of him. His hands were stiffly wrapped around Xie Xunzhi's waist.
He clearly felt that the person in front of him also paused: "It's... too hot..."
"What?" Xie Xunzhi curled his lips and tapped his neck with his finger: "Let's talk business. What happened today?"
"Don't look up, Zhao An, look again." He held Hezhou's face with both hands and squeezed his mouth into a mouth.
Hezhou's vision blurred, and it seemed to be real during that moment. He saw Zhao An looking at him curiously, and the ambiguous atmosphere faded a lot.
He was also very active in his thoughts. He pushed forward fiercely with the hand that was around Xie Xunzhi's waist, and Xie Xunzhi fell violently into his arms.
"Zhao An is a cruel and ruthless person. I'm a little worried that you'll be exposed. I made an unusually large amount of food tonight. How many people do you think came?"
"If not eighty, there must be at least sixty people." Xie Xunzhi lowered his head and thought seriously.
Hezhou leaned his head against his, his lips almost brushing against his face: "The plainclothes men today seem to be a little different. They don't have the stupid feeling of fawning over Zhao An! And..."
"What's sweet?" a familiar voice came.
Zhao An appeared behind them at some point, his eyes shining: "Take me one, take me one."
Hezhou loosened his hand and smiled gently. "My Lord, if I continue to talk sweet nothings with Xunzhi, isn't it you who warned me? I'll be doing something that will cost me my life tomorrow."
Xie Xunzhi's face was pale, and he couldn't hide the slightest sign of blushing. He reacted in two seconds and hid behind Hezhou.
"Master Zhao is so unkind. I almost emptied my warehouse for you, and you treat me like a thief?" Hezhou straightened his back and touched his nose embarrassedly.
"Hey, I'm curious, right?"
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