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Rong Qing led his men to search for the source and finally locked onto a barren mountain.
It is said that no one lives on the mountain, but people often transport supplies to the mountain. Many able-bodied men from a village called Lijiazhuang at the foot of the mountain were conscripted to work as coolies.
Often there is no return.
Some people reported this to the authorities, but the authorities said that it was a sacrifice to the mountain god and they would not care about anything else.
Gradually, there were fewer and fewer able-bodied men in the village, leaving only the elderly, the weak, women and children, and they could not cause any trouble.
When Rong Qing brought back the news, Bai Miaoke was studying medicine with Zhu Yu. It would be more accurate to say that she was learning how to make poisons. Ever since she was poisoned and passed out by Bai Miaoke using the simplest medicinal herbs last time, Zhu Yu discovered that her cousin was very talented and often pulled her aside to discuss her studies.
Even though Zhu Yu disliked him from time to time, Lu Yu still chose to sit aside and record the evidence he had recently collected. He would write it into a memorial and send it back to the capital.
From time to time, he looked up at Bai Miaoke and listened to her bickering with her cheap cousin. For the first time in his life, Lu Yu felt that this was a good thing.
Rong Qing came back to report about what happened in Huangshan and Lijiazhuang. Lu Yu put down his pen and thought for a moment with a frown.
"It seems that the prefect had some involvement in this matter." Lu Yu had already investigated the prefect of Gusu. He was a Jinshi graduate ten years ago and was transferred here after two years in the capital.
This move was probably instructed by the Grand Tutor, but a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, and if this matter is not handled properly, there may be big trouble.
Bai Miaoke followed Lu Yu to see Lord Xu to discuss countermeasures. The Xu family's influence in Gusu is complicated and they might be able to help.
After hearing the news, Xu Ge Lao stroked his beard and said, "If you want to search the mountain, you will inevitably have to go around the government. It's not impossible to confront them head-on, but you won't get much benefit."
"Since we are about to find the evidence, there is no point in hiding your identity. Why don't you reveal your identity and use the Prime Minister's Fish Talisman to command all officials. Just order the government office to clear the way for you."
As soon as Lord Xu said this, Bai Miaoke looked at Lu Yu with wide eyes, asking with her eyes if it was the fish symbol that was cut and sold for money?
Lu Yu closed his eyes and nodded slowly.
Since he became the prime minister, he has never used the fish symbol to command officials. He never expected that he would fail here.
Now that the fish token is damaged, the prefect has a legitimate reason to deny the matter, which only adds to the dangers caused by his identity being exposed.
When they were at a loss of what to do, Lord Xu broke the silence: "The prefect has an only son in his family. He is extremely spoiled. At the age of eight or nine, he would bully people on the street with his servants all day long."
Hearing this, Bai Miaoke and Lu Yu looked at each other and knew that the other party understood what they meant.
Seeing this, Lord Xu couldn't help but joked, "You two are really bad together."
"It wasn't my idea. My Xu family didn't do anything."
Bai Miaoke nodded in understanding. The Xu family had many members and had settled in Gusu. It would not be good to have a direct conflict with the local governor.
With a clear goal in mind, Lu Yu arranged several people to stake out the daily activities of the prefect's son.
Bai Miaoke was not idle either. She followed Zhu Yu to make several new types of poisons. The one that satisfied her the most was the itching powder, a colorless and odorless powder that would cause unbearable itching on the body and was difficult to wash off with water.
However, it is not difficult to detoxify this poison. You just need to wipe the affected area with water boiled with banana leaves, or wait for two or three days for the effect of the medicine to wear off.
Lu Yu's people found out that the prefect's son usually brought more than ten servants with him when he went out, and they mostly wandered around the streets.
Bai Miaoke was delighted when she heard this. Her new poison was just put to good use. It did not require violent fighting to hurt innocent people, and she could easily control more than a dozen servants. It was simply the best of both worlds.
So they started to act the next day.
Lu Yu arranged for someone to carry itching powder to follow them, and took the opportunity to sprinkle the powder on the servants. Bai Miaoke was the best at light work, so she volunteered to perform the eagle catching the chicken game.
When she saw him, Bai Miaoke realized that the son of the prefect was a fat boy. Lu Yu frowned worriedly and asked softly, "Is this... okay?"
Bai Miaoke raised her eyes and did not answer his question. Instead, she picked the person up with one hand.
The eight-foot-tall man was easily picked up by her.
They were in a teahouse box on the second floor at the moment. They didn't know whether the men waiting downstairs saw this scene, but Lu Yu's ears still blushed suspiciously.
“Ke’er, stop messing around.” The man’s deep voice sounded a little embarrassed.
Bai Miaoke readily let the man go and suddenly felt that Lu Yu was really shy at times, and was nothing like the ruthless and powerful official as rumored.
When Bai Miaoke was distracted, there was a sudden disturbance from downstairs. She looked down and found that the servants were in a mess.
Everyone was busy scratching their heads, and two of them even fell to the ground and rolled around, scaring passers-by on the road to get out of the way. Although the young master was not contaminated by the powder, he was also frightened by the sudden change and stood there in a daze.
Seeing the opportunity not to be missed, Bai Miaoke jumped down from the window on the second floor of the teahouse, reached out to the little fat man, firmly grasped his two fleshy arms, and then took a deep breath and jumped back to the room on the second floor.
She moved so quickly that the servants, who were busy with their own affairs, didn't have time to react before they realized their master was missing and ran around in panic like headless flies.
The little fat boy with his mouth blocked wanted to escape by jumping out of the window, but Bai Miaoke tied him up tightly with a hemp rope.
There was a carriage waiting at the back door, and Fugui quickly brought people over to transfer the "hostages" away.
Lu Yu took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and Bai Miaoke discovered that there was a gardenia embroidered on the handkerchief.
"Isn't this my handkerchief?" Bai Miaoke asked.
"This is clearly a token of love you gave me." Lu Yu did not even look up, still wiping her fair palms carefully and patiently.
Bai Miaoke remembered that this was the note that Lu Yu brought to her when he came to see her the night before they left Beijing. At that time, she was angry at this man's lack of understanding of romance, but she didn't expect that he would keep it until now.
"That doesn't count. I'll embroider a purse for you later." Bai Miaoke said with a smile.
"Okay." Lu Yu also looked very happy, and Bai Miaoke couldn't take her eyes off his smiling face.
I couldn't help but get closer.
The man took the initiative to kiss her, rolling and grinding.
The chaos downstairs where the master was missing was still going on, but both of them no longer cared about anything else and gradually sank into each other's breath.
The world seemed to have quieted down. With eyes closed, other senses became particularly obvious. The soft tongues chased each other, and the man's gradually becoming heavier breath entered the ears.
At the same time, Bai Miaoke felt something pushing up against her, which was extremely obvious in the tight embrace between the two.
She chuckled and twisted her waist maliciously, causing the thing to shake a little.
Lu Yu immediately let go of her hand and took a step back, putting some distance between them. He then saw the woman in front of him with a rosy face, licking her lips with an unsatisfied look, her eyes innocent yet somewhat charming, seducing her without her realizing it.
Mingming has always strictly followed the rules of etiquette since he was a child, but after meeting her, he always loses his composure.
Lu Yu exhaled slowly, poured himself a cup of cold tea, drank it in one gulp, slowly calmed his breathing, and waited for the restlessness to subside on its own.
Bai Miaoke looked at him with amusement. This situation was indeed not very convenient, so she wanted to leave: "Let's go."
Lu Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Wait a moment."
Bai Miaoke glanced down unconsciously and nodded in understanding.
After sitting for another cup of tea, the two returned to Xu's house.
The young master of the prefectural government had been tied up in the house, and he kept crying, "How dare you arrest me! I will let my father kill you all!"
Bai Miaoke's whip cracked loudly, but she didn't hit him at all. She just wanted to scare the child and didn't want to hurt anyone.
Then he said in a vicious tone: "Then I will kill you first!"
The child was so frightened that he stopped talking and just kept crying.
Bai Miaoke was annoyed by his crying and just pushed the door and left.
Lu Yu tilted his head to glance at Fugui, who understood what he meant and the room soon became quiet.
The prefect also soon received the "invitation" from Lu Yu, and the time was set for tonight.
Lu Yu brought with him the people he borrowed from King Xiang. This was also the condition he had discussed with King Xiang in Huzhou a few days ago: he promised that the court would never allow Yan to go to war, and even if Yan took the initiative to attack, the court would not abandon Huzhou. In return, he needed King Xiang's troops.
In order not to attract attention, hundreds of people stopped on the outskirts of Gusu, and Lu Yu only brought a dozen people into the city.
Lu Yu was determined to win the negotiation with the prefect tonight, so he arranged for the Jinyiwei to be on standby at the foot of the mountain. This matter had to be done quickly so as not to alert the enemy.
People were sent in advance to cordon off the three floors inside and outside the restaurant where they were meeting. Lu Yu sat in the house drinking tea and waiting for others, glancing behind the screen from time to time.
Bai Miaoke leaned on the soft couch behind the screen, slowly turning a strand of hair in her hand.
After waiting for a while, the door was pushed open and the prefect came in alone.
Lu Yu stated his purpose straight away, asking the prefect to explain that the things hidden on the mountain were in the hands of others. The prefect agreed without much struggle.
Things went more smoothly than expected. After the terms were agreed, Lu Yu immediately led his men up the mountain.
The forest was pitch black under the cover of night, like an open mouth that could swallow everything.
The soldiers borrowed by King Xiang were well-trained. They cleared the way in front with a knife in one hand and a torch in the other. The group walked very cautiously.
Bai Miaoke and Lu Yu followed behind. The early winter night was a bit chilly, so both of them put on cloaks.
Not long after they walked away, Lu Yu took the initiative to reach out and hold her hand, trying to warm her up, but the girl's palms were dry and warm, not cool at all.
Well, I feel really good.
Lu Yu secretly admired her in his heart, but still couldn't bear to let go. The two of them walked forward step by step, holding hands unscrupulously in the night.
It was quiet all the way up the mountain, with only the occasional chirping of insects and birds, which were fleeting. The only sound was the rustling of dry branches and grass stems as people stepped on them.
After walking for about half an hour, the person exploring the way ahead suddenly stopped. Rong Qing quickly came to report to Lu Yu: "Sir, it seems we have arrived."
Hearing his uncertain tone, Lu Yu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked, "As if?"
"I'm not sure either. Why don't you go and see for yourself?"
Bai Miaoke also became interested and took the initiative to pull Lu Yu forward.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight before her, and for a moment she was uncertain.
What on earth is this place?
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