Chapter 451 Zhao Duan: Then break both legs and leave one breath (5k)
"I'll go with you."
Madam Ning stood up from the secret compartment at the bottom of the cabin and completely shielded her daughter behind her.
Because of this action, her vagina was wide open, and her heavy breasts filled the eye sockets of the Cao Gang's number one killer.
Zuo Rong's eyes were filled with surprise at first, and then he was attracted by the temperament of this dignified woman. Although Madam Ning had given birth to several sons, in ancient times when people generally married early, even as a mother, she was still not very old.
Especially since she came from a wealthy family and was the Governor's wife, her graceful features and good figure amazed Zuo Rong, who was used to playing with women in the Cao Gang. He looked down at her and said:
"Madam, do you know who we are?"
Madam Ning, who remained calm and dignified in the face of danger, said calmly:
"Whoever dared to attack us, no matter which family, would never do it for the sake of robbing us. After much thought, the greatest use of my mother and I is nothing more than being used as bargaining chips in negotiations with my master."
"Haha, you are worthy of being the Governor's wife. You are different from the bitches on the brothels." Zuo Rong laughed and suddenly slapped her.
With a "pop" sound.
Madam Ning was hit and turned her head to the side, with handprints appearing on her fair cheek.
Zuo Rong squatted slightly, leaning on the stick with his left hand, and raised the Governor General's wife's chin with the rough fingers of his right hand. His eyes were cold: "I hate smart-aleck women the most."
As he spoke, his big hand slid down, reaching into Madam Ning's collar to rub and grab her.
Madam Ning stared at him intently and said calmly:
"Since the people behind you want to negotiate with my master, they must exchange something. When the time comes, I can ask my master to talk to your master in exchange for your life."
Zuo Rong paused, his fingers furious, and he leaned closer, smiling sinisterly:
"Tell me, can you two be used as bargaining chips twice? And guess again, will a desperado like me abide by those stinky rules of your officialdom? Oh, I forgot to mention, I like to eat tender things."
As he spoke, he glanced at the girl the woman was protecting behind her.
Madam Ning bit her lip, staring at him with bloodshot eyes, and suddenly smiled sweetly:
"Let the child go out, I will talk to you alone."
Zuo Rong was stunned for a moment, but his eyes showed a look of weighing the pros and cons. At this moment, a voice came from outside the cabin: "Master Rong, there is a boat approaching from behind!"
The Cao Gang's number one killer frowned, stood up, said "Tie these two men", pulled out the long black stick on the ground, and walked out of the cabin.
Looking up, I was surprised to see a ship that looked like a merchant ship behind me, which seemed to have noticed the movement here and was approaching quickly.
On the deck, a young man in gorgeous clothes could be vaguely seen standing at the front, with a woman beside him and a large number of servants and guards.
"Trouble..." Zuo Rong said displeasedly, "Let our ship intercept them and kill them. You immediately maneuver the ship and prepare to leave."
No matter which young master is behind this, since he is so brave and dares to get close, he might as well be killed.
…
Zhao Duan stood at the front of the deck with surprise in his eyes, holding a half-eaten bowl of rice and chopsticks in his hands.
He pointed forward with his chopsticks and asked curiously, "Did they get robbed by pirates? They're so fierce?"
There are bandits in the mountains and bandits in the waters. This is the first time I have encountered such a thing on my way south.
Eunuch Hai shook his head and said, "We were far away just now, so we couldn't see clearly, but we vaguely caught a glimpse of the flag of the Canal Transport Office flying on the boat."
Zhao Duan was stunned:
"Is it a ship carrying grain? No... this one is clearly carrying people. It must be an official vessel of the Grain Transport Office. Who is so bold as to intercept and kill an official vessel?"
"Just go and take a look and you'll know."
The old eunuch said calmly, then uttered a sigh and said with interest:
"It seems the other party is about to strike first."
Zhao Duan looked and saw that the bloodbathed ship did not move, but the nearby "black ship" was intertwined with it, and Yang Fan was heading straight towards them.
On the black ship, a killer from the Cao Gang drew his sword, full of murderous intent. He would jump over and start killing as soon as the ship approached.
Isn't it... that the people of Jianchengdao are so tough? Zhao Duan was shocked and said casually:
"Old Hou, say hello to the other side."
"Yes!" Hou Renmeng smiled and waved his hand. A group of elite soldiers from Lihua Hall took out their crossbows and shot in unison.
“Puff, puff, puff!”
Arrows flew like locusts, and in an instant, several Cao Gang killers were knocked down like cutting wheat.
"Something's wrong! It's the government troops!" The masked people on the black ship were terrified and dodged in panic.
However, Song Jinxi, who looked like a monkey, smiled coldly, and led several masters of the imperial palace to rush across the river like an arrow from a bow, and rushed onto the black boat. He didn't even bother to draw his sword, and slaughtered all the killers with punches and kicks.
In the distance, Zuo Rong, who was about to sail away, suddenly narrowed his eyes and thought to himself:
Could it be that there were two boats escorting Madam Ning? Were they both traveling together?
Without time to think about it, Zuo Rong became ruthless and picked up the heavy black iron rod. Wrapped in the biting cold wind, he ran to the stern in a few steps and stepped heavily on it!
"Bang……"
The bow of the ship rose up and the stern sank. He shook the entire ship with his own strength.
Immediately, using the force like a cannonball, he jumped high up. The masked killer carrying an iron rod ignored the slaughtered black ship and instead, like a falcon flying in the sky, he stretched out his "claws" in mid-air and grabbed the young man in gorgeous clothes who was standing at the bow of the ship, looking like he was watching the fun!
Catch the leader first!
As long as the leading young man is killed, the rest of the guards will collapse without a fight.
Zuo Rong was in mid-air, and saw that the young man in brocade clothes was still standing in a loose posture, and the group of guards around him also looked calm and composed, without any vigilance. He couldn't help but despise him in his heart, as if he had foreseen the scene of him being hit on the head with a stick.
Zhao Duan looked at the masked killer who was pouncing on him with a strange expression and muttered:
"He's quite an expert. This leap is at least above the mid-level Divine Chapter, or even higher."
Eunuch Hai gathered his sleeves, like the young master's old butler:
"He who can mobilize such a group of people is no small figure in the local area."
Zhao Duan nodded and said lazily, "Then break both legs and leave one breath."
Zuo Rong was getting closer and closer, and suddenly he felt a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart. He finally caught a glimpse of a swordsman with a wine gourd on his back and a scimitar in his hand. He looked drunk, but he suddenly stood up and jumped.
"puff!"
Lang Shiba's sharp scimitar swept past, and Zuo Rong's legs fell into the river like bamboo poles. His eyes went dark, and he felt a sharp pain in his dantian. He almost fainted and screamed loudly.
Lang Shiba casually shattered the Qi Sea that the Cao Gang assassin had cultivated for decades, threw it on the deck, and tore off the mask on his face, saying:
"I don't know you, sir."
Zhao Duan glanced at him, not recognizing him. He smiled and raised his boot, stepping on Zuo Rong's chest. In the latter's terrified and unbelievable eyes, he smiled and said:
"Who are you?"
…
In the cabin.
Mrs. Ning and her daughter were roughly dragged out, their hands and feet tied with hemp ropes, and then thrown into the cabin.
All I heard outside was a burst of shouting and screaming, and then the whole ship began to shake, and the mother and daughter rolled on the floor and bumped into the cabinet in the corner.
"Mom..." The girl's face was covered with tears and she had a big bump on her head, but her mother shut her mouth with a stern look.
The mother and daughter snuggled together and heard the terrified shouts coming from outside. The "water ghost" killers on the boat seemed to be stimulated and jumped off the boat in fear to escape, but then seemed to be forcibly pulled back by some force.
Afterwards, it seemed that another group of people boarded the ship, and footsteps were heard outside the door.
"Squeak."
The hatch was pushed open again. The mother and daughter looked up and saw that the sunlight pouring in was particularly dazzling, and a stranger was standing in the light.
"Master, there are no more survivors on the ship. They were all killed by that gang. Only these two are left. They must be the targets."
"kindness."
Bathed in light, the young man stepped in, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face.
Zhao Duan looked at him strangely, and said with a smile, "Who are you?"
The dignified and quiet Governor's wife looked at him in surprise and suspicion. She felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember having seen him before. She cautiously kept her mouth shut and did not answer.
"Tsk, he's still dumb," Zhao Duan smacked his lips, rolled his eyes, and said with a smile:
"Old Hou, throw this kid into the river and let him drown if he doesn't say anything."
Hou Renmeng grinned and was about to take action.
Madam Ning could no longer hold back, her eyes filled with sorrow and sadness. In her opinion, this strange young man had such a strong villain style that she and her daughter had just escaped from a pack of wolves, only to fall into the tiger's mouth again.
"Sir, there's no need to force us. We are the wife and daughter of the Governor of the Grand Canal in Jianning Prefecture. We were ambushed on our way back."
The villainous smile on Zhao Duan's face slowly froze, and confusion flashed in his small eyes.
…
A moment later.
The cabin has been tidied up and restored to its original cleanliness.
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged at a dining table, staring at the mother and daughter who were kneeling across from him. With a serious look in his eyes, he handed them a cup of hot water and said,
"So, Madam Ning doesn't know the identities and intentions of these people?"
Through the conversation, the Governor's wife, who had learned of Zhao Duan's identity and background, had the ropes removed from her body. Although still in shock, her face showed joy of surviving the disaster, as well as surprise and curiosity about the person in front of her.
Madam Ning held up the jade cup with both hands, her expression serious:
"I haven't heard of it, but from their conversation, I can tell they were ordered to capture my mother and me to threaten my master."
Killing court officials and kidnapping their families to threaten a powerful governor of the second rank!
“Lawless!”
This word popped up in Zhao Duan's mind, and he had a new understanding of the dire local situation in Jianchengdao.
At this time, there was a knock on the door: "Sir, the interrogation results are out."
"Enter."
The cabin door was pushed open, and confidential secretary Qian Kerou walked in, closed the door behind her, moved closer, lowered her head and whispered something in Zhao Duan's ear.
Zhao Duan's expression changed: "I understand, go down."
After Qian Kerou left, he took a sip of the hot water in front of him, and then, under the curious gazes of Madam Ning and her daughter, he slowly said:
"They're from the Cao Gang, He Xiaolou's men, and their leader is a man called Zuo Rong."
"It's them?!" Mrs. Ning was stunned, with surprise and understanding in her eyes.
"This is my first visit to Jiancheng Road, and I don't know much about this place. Could you help me clear up my confusion, Madam?" Zhao Duan asked.
Madam Ning explained:
"The grain transport gang... Your Excellency should know that the government needs a large number of people to load and unload grain at the docks and transfer it. The government cannot afford to support so many people, so they often recruit workers from local people... As more people come to work, the underworld emerges, and over time, large and small grain transport gangs are formed.
There were hundreds of them at most, and they started out by protecting themselves, but later on, they began to make profits by taking advantage of the convenience of water transport.
For example, they would drive a ship carrying grain to intercept a passing merchant ship, saying that the other party was delaying the grain transport. Grain transport was a big deal, and anyone who delayed it would lose their head. So the merchants had no choice but to pay money to avoid the trouble...
Later, they were gradually unified and the current situation was formed. What they did was slightly more decent, but they were not good people after all.
The leader of the Canal Gang in Jiancheng Road is called 'He Xiaolou'. He is quite powerful and has many gangsters under his command. Since he relies on the canal transportation for his livelihood, he has always been subservient to my master.
He does have a formidable underworld fighter under his command, called something like 'Master Rong', but I've never seen him before, and I didn't recall him in such a hurry."
The Cao Gang...similar to the Qing Gang from my past life? Um, an underground faction similar to the Red Flower Society in Beijing?
He Xiaolou…sounds familiar. I mentioned him in the materials I read before I came here, but not in much detail…
Zhao Duan didn't expect that the first trouble he encountered when he came here was neither the Grand Canal Governor Ning Zechen, nor the local nobles, nor his old rivals Prince Jing and his son, but a leader of the Grand Canal Gang...similar to Du Yuesheng?
Okay.
"Since the Cao Gang has been subservient to Governor Ning, why would they suddenly do such a thing?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.
Madam Ning shook her head bitterly and said:
"I don't know either. I can only find out after entering the city and asking my master. Fortunately, the young guard rescued me, otherwise..."
As he spoke, he began to cry.
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I came here to lend a hand to Governor Ning. Why should I thank you? It's my apology that I was late and frightened Madam."
At this time, the young girl, who was nestled beside her mother and still had a little baby fat on her face, who looked quite similar to her mother, blinked her eyes and said boldly:
"Are you the Zhao Shijun? My father often talks about you."
"Oh? What did the Governor say about me?" Zhao Duan was curious.
Madam Ning's expression changed slightly, and she was about to scold him, but the innocent girl spoke frankly and said complacently:
"Dad said you are amazing, and that being a son-in-law is better than him. Dad only became Mom's son-in-law, while Envoy Zhao from the capital became His Majesty's son-in-law."
Madam Ning was so embarrassed that her face flushed red. "No... My daughter is young and doesn't speak without thinking..."
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, stood up and felt the ship setting sail, pushed the door open and left, looking into the distance where he could vaguely see the city, thinking:
He is a wonderful person.
…
…
Jianning Prefecture.
The office of the Grand Canal Transport Office was magnificent, much more imposing than the prefectural office, and was popularly known as the "Grain Transport Office."
Behind the government office is a courtyard full of Jiangnan water town architectural style, with gray tiles, white walls, and a patio surrounded by colorful flowers and plants.
Governor-General of the Grand Canal Ning Zechen is dancing with a sword.
Ning Zechen is already fifty years old, but he does not look old at all. He has a strong physique, thick black hair, neatly trimmed sideburns, and a handsome appearance. He has the elegance of a scholar and the authority of an official who holds a high position.
At this moment, he was only wearing a loose training suit, and the sword in his hand was soaked with water. He danced with it, whistling through the wind, looking very powerful.
At the end of the set of sword techniques, a heavy chop was swung out, and the wet sword blade rolled up petals, and the grass and trees in the flower bed fell down with the wind of the sword.
"Your Excellency is in a very elegant mood." A middle-aged man dressed as a clerk walked in and said with a smile.
Ning Zechen sheathed his sword, picked up the towel on the table and wiped his sweaty neck with some emotion, saying:
"I'm old, and I've regressed a lot. You know, when I was young, I once wanted to be a knight-errant. Later, I led sailors and practiced some military skills. Although I don't have much talent for cultivation, I'm still considered a good fighter. Now... I can only dance with swords for people to watch."
The middle-aged man dressed as a clerk, but actually serving as the governor's staff member and "mentor", smiled and said:
"Your current position is a million times more beneficial to the country and the people than a mere ranger."
"Oh, that sounds good, but there are constraints everywhere. It seems that you hold great power, but there are few people you can use. How can it be more satisfying than being a ranger?" Ning Zechen sighed and asked:
"Any news about Madam's schedule?"
Master Wen said, "According to the letter I sent last time, it should have arrived in the next two days."
"If you ask me, Madam should have stayed in Linfeng with the children for a while longer. This Jianning Mansion is not peaceful, yet she insisted on coming back."
"After not seeing you for a few months, Madam must be missing you. It's always good to have a family reunion."
Ning Zechen nodded and asked, "Let's get down to business."
"It's about the new policy being obstructed in the measurement of the Shen family's land... The Shen family didn't come forward publicly, but they obviously threatened the tenant farmers and have been resisting..." Master Wen reported.
He did not have any paper or writing in his hands, but relied solely on his memory, yet he described the entire incident in detail without error.
Ning Zechen listened quietly with a sullen expression, and snorted coldly after hearing everything:
"The Shen family is the largest family in this area. The other clans are watching how the Shen family will compete with the imperial court. So, send someone to find the gangsters in the city. Don't let the government officials intervene. As long as these gang members do this..."
Master Wen said helplessly:
"Governor, we are ultimately the government, and you are the Governor of the Grand Canal. If you use these shady tactics, I'm afraid you will be criticized and impeached by officials in the court."
Ning Zechen said disdainfully:
"Impeachment? A bunch of servile court officials, coupled with a bunch of censors who can only bark and whimper in Your Majesty's ears. What else can they do? What's the point?
They all claim to be gentlemanly, but huh, they are just a bunch of useless people who have never done any real work. They talk nice things, but can they get things done?
Just do as I say, and let them impeach me. Although our current Majesty is a woman, she is a woman of her own ideas and will naturally block it for me."
Master Wen had no choice but to nod: "Okay..."
At this moment, an official suddenly ran in from outside the courtyard and reported:
"Governor, He Xiaolou from the Cao Gang has sent a letter, specifically requesting your personal review."
…
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(End of this chapter)
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