Shao Qing and the others became nervous and immediately looked around to see if there was any danger.
After a moment, Wang Jing shook his head and said softly, "There are no brothers of ours nearby."
The Qing Zhai guards who were in charge of close surveillance were nowhere to be seen, which meant that neither the Pu people nor Yuan Hong were within the range, and Kou Yue was not carrying any poison.
Shao Qing didn't know how he confirmed it, but since he could say this, it must be true.
She was relieved. After all, those Pu people were very vicious and she had no intention of getting involved in any way with them.
"Yue Niang, Yue Niang?"
As they were talking, Kou Yue came closer. She covered her face and cried, which attracted everyone's attention. However, she didn't pay attention to anything else. It was only after Shao Qing called her a few words that she noticed.
"Madam, Madam! Yuan Lang is missing!"
"Yuan Hong, when did you see him?!"
Kou Yue didn't find anything wrong with the question while crying. Instead, she burst into tears: "Madam, you don't know! Yuan Lang is not dead! Wuwu is my elder brother, my elder brother..."
"Brother, he lied to me. Yuan Lang is not dead!"
It's good that she's okay. The alley is next to the main entrance of the county government office. Shao Qing turned around and pulled her up the stairs. As they walked in, he frowned and asked, "What happened? Tell me."
"Wow, Yuan Lang came to see me yesterday, he..."
It turned out that it was getting dark last night and the shop was about to close, so Kou Yue resigned as the shopkeeper and returned to the county government office. Who knew that just after walking a distance, I heard someone in the side alley calling quietly: "Yue Niang, Yue Niang!"
This person was Yuan Hong who was sent down the mountain by the Pu people. Kou Yue was overjoyed to find her lover was not dead. She was about to take him back to announce the good news, but Yuan Hong pulled his clothes in panic, revealing a scabbed wound, and said that Kou Xuan did not want to marry his sister to him and wanted to take his life.
Kou Yue didn't believe it, but Yuan Hong told her the details of the danger he encountered, which made sense. On the contrary, Kou Xuan was unable to bring back Yuan Hong's body, so his statement that the latter was shot and fell off a steep cliff had a loophole.
Kou Yue was extremely upset and could only promise Yuan Hong not to reveal the news that he was still alive and to find a place to settle him down first.
An embroiderer was sleeping in the backyard of the clothing shop, so there was no place for Yuan Hong to stay. Yuan Hong did not have a household registration certificate, so he could not register in an ordinary hotel. Just when he was feeling troubled, Yuan Hong suggested at the right time that he should stay in the Yanyi Station beside the Fenshui River.
Pingtao has very developed water transportation. There are many official post stations of various sizes near the wharf, the largest of which is the Pingtao Salt Post Station.
The official post station was managed by the postmaster and under the jurisdiction of the Pingtao County Government. The postmaster of Yanyi Post went in and out of the county government office many times and had met Kou Yue. She is the younger sister of the chief clerk, and the former is always very enthusiastic and flattering.
Kou Yue didn't like these, but if she took people there, they would definitely be able to check in without the need for registration with a talisman.
That's all I can do.
Sure enough, Kou Yue didn't even have to say the excuse she had prepared, the postmaster warmly welcomed Yuan Hong in and arranged a room for him.
"I thought about it all night, and my elder brother would definitely not harm Yuan Lang. There must be some misunderstanding here! I planned to ask Yuan Lang carefully today, but who knew, the postmaster just said that he left early in the morning!"
He only passed a text message to Kou Yue, saying that if he stayed in Pingtao, his life would be in danger, so he had to leave with great pain. He was afraid that they would never see each other again in this life, and hoped that Kou Yue would not worry about him.
"Madam, madam, you tell me, my elder brother won't harm Yuan Lang! I want to find him back!" If she wanted to find him as soon as possible, she could only go back to the county government office for help.
"lady,……"
"What are you looking for! Do you know what Yuan Hong is going to do in Yanyi?!"
Shao Qing interrupted Kou Yue's words in a harsh voice. When she heard that Yuan Hong was going to stay in Yanyi, her heart immediately skipped a beat.
She seemed to vaguely understand the Pu people's conspiracy.
Yizhou is rich in salt and iron resources. The confluence of the three rivers of Pingtao and Tao makes it a key node for salt transportation. Passing salt ships must stop here for replenishment, including salt ships bound for Gaoling.
This stop can be as long as several days or as short as one night.
However, Yuan Hong tried every means to enter Yanyi and disappeared without a trace after one night.
The Pu people are good at using poison.
As for salt, its implications are too broad.
Although Shao Qing's educated youth Zhai Wei kept staring at Yuan Hong, her heart was still beating wildly as if it was about to jump out of her throat.
She didn't care about anything else. She ordered people to keep a close eye on Kou Yue, then she ran, rushing inside in three steps at a time.
Shao Qing caught someone to ask, and found that Wei Jing was in the outer study, so she rushed over without stopping.
…
"My lady asked me to come!"
"Without the lord's order, no one except the lady may be allowed to pass."
It turned out that Chunxi was still struggling with the outermost guards, and Qing Zhaiwei was meticulous. Seeing that the number of guards in the outer study was several times more than before, Shao Qing became nervous and didn't bother to talk nonsense and just rushed forward.
There was no obstruction to passing. Shao Qing braked suddenly in front of the outer study, pushed open the door of the outer study and closed it with his backhand, and was about to go in.
"...My Lord! As long as the poisonous salt flows into the market and the outbreak occurs, Dong Du and Bao Zhong will fight each other, and we will be the ones who benefit!"
Clearly, there was a crisp sound of kneecaps hitting the ground. Han Xi urged urgently: "The Yellow River will burst its banks next year. If we miss this opportunity, it may never come back. My Lord!"
Shao Qing was shocked and cried out in a choked voice: "Husband!"
…
——
After going down the mountain, Yuan Hong went straight to the clothing shop. Taking advantage of Kou Yue's smooth stay at the Salt Post Station and everything that happened at night, Han Xi reported it to Wei Jing at dawn.
At that time, Shao Qing was still sleeping under the effect of the drug. He got out of bed quietly, put on his clothes, and went to the outer study.
"My lord, Yuan Hong got the secret poison and stayed at Pingtao Salt Posthouse at the beginning of the evening last night."
How did Gahan make him submit? Qing Zhaiwei, who were monitoring from the outside, didn't know, but he thought it wouldn't be difficult. As soon as this coward left the Pu people who were leading the way, he immediately started digging his throat with a sad face. I guess he was fed something.
"Secret poison?"
Wei Jing asked solemnly, "Do you know the toxicity? Did Naang say anything?"
Meng Mogang sent another message, saying that the Pu tribe might use the tribe's secret poison to plot, but he was not sure about the toxicity and specific strategy.
As for Naang, he is the youngest son of the third elder of the Pu clan. The third elder is the patterned man that Meng Mo once mentioned, and he is in charge of the poison in the tribe.
Wei Jing did not like being passive, and even less liked being kept in the dark. Once he was sure that the Pu people had a conspiracy, he immediately ordered to find a breakthrough.
Among the Qing Zhai Guards, there was a group that was specifically responsible for tracking. They carefully followed the defeated Pu people and successfully found their settlement deep in the mountains. Close surveillance is of course necessary. After nearly half a month of careful observation, a suitable loophole was finally found.
This is Naang.
This arrogant young man was nostalgic for the prosperity of the Han Dynasty and the beauty of the Han women. He took advantage of the opportunity when his clan members were paying attention to Yuan Hong going down the mountain and once again sneaked down the mountain to sleep with the flowers and willows, but was caught by the Qing Zhai Wei who was following him.
The coward who was always bullying in his own home, after being tortured last night, he spilled the beans from a bamboo tube and revealed the toxicity of the secret poison clearly.
"The secret poison of the Pu clan is difficult to refine. There is only one bottle in the clan, and it cannot be used unless it is absolutely necessary. The dosage of this poison is small, but it can be used in a wide range of areas. The poison is like the plague. Anyone who consumes it will have a high fever, swollen and painful throat and tongue, foul breath, chest and abdominal pain, and severe coughing. There is no antidote for this poison, and the pulse condition cannot be diagnosed."
A man-made pseudo-plague?
Wei Jing immediately recalled that recently, the Pu tribe had caused several similar cases near Pingtao Salt Post.
Gahan sent his confidant to the vicinity of the salt post station, had a meal at a tavern and then went back. Afterwards, seven or eight people who were in the tavern fell ill, including the tavern owner.
He frowned, "What about Yuan Hong? Did he stay at Yanyi? What did he do last night?"
…
The time goes back to an hour ago.
Pingtao Salt Post Station.
In the second half of the night, dark clouds covered the cold moon, a drizzle began to fall, and a cold wind blew in through the window, and Yuan Hong shivered.
He didn't sleep the whole night, just lying there watching. He touched his throat, and the cold feeling of the poison pill sliding through his esophagus seemed to still be there. He didn't want to die!
But he was very scared, and there were soldiers patrolling the Yanyi Post in the middle of the night, so he never dared to step out of the room.
If he didn't take action, it would be dawn soon. He shook like a sieve for a while, and finally pushed open the door tremblingly.
Lying there all night was not completely useless. At least I figured out the patrol pattern of the soldiers. He dodged and bypassed the front area. Behind the Yanyi Station was a large dock, where a row of more than a dozen large salt ships were quietly moored on the shore.
The fifth watch gong has sounded, and there are soldiers patrolling outside the two walls. The sound of their footsteps is particularly clear in the silent night. Yuan Hong's scalp tingled, but fortunately he had already sneaked into Yanyi Station, and the only people he needed to deal with were a few guards at a sentry post leading to the dock.
The Pu people were well prepared. He carefully took out a piece of spice-like thing, took out a fire starter, lit it and threw it over.
After half a cup of tea, the guard fell down.
Yuan Hong's heart was pounding like a drum. When he ran over, he was tripped by a guard and fell heavily to the ground. A small blue porcelain bottle in his arms fell out and he jumped several times.
Yuan Hong didn't dare to cry out in pain, nor did he have time to do so. He quickly rushed over to pick up the porcelain bottle.
Fortunately, it didn't break.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and held the small porcelain bottle tightly, which seemed to have needles growing on it. Yuan Hong climbed up using his hands and feet, and tiptoed towards the salt ship.
The ship with brown paint on its side was the Gaoling Salt Ship. He looked around with wide eyes and found that it was the third ship on the left.
Yuan Hong carefully climbed onto the boat along the gangplank. There were two guards dozing off in the cabin. He used the same trick again and knocked them down.
He ran straight to a row of salt cabins and opened one of them, which was filled with official salt. He quickly took out a cloth bag and a fire starter from his arms.
After lighting the fire and opening the cloth bag, a very strange vessel was revealed inside: a long and thin tube connected to a stack of brown leather-like objects.
Yuan Hong opened it and found it was a large cowhide bag. He didn't know how the craftsman made it so light and thin.
He ran out to fill the cowhide bag with water, climbed to the top of the salt mountain, then carefully took out the small blue porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and threw the bottle and the liquid in.
His legs were weak, and the water bag was heavy and cold. He could hardly get up with the bag of poison on his back. But in the end, his life overcame everything. He climbed up in a panic, pointed the tube downward, and began to squeeze the cowhide bag.
This special spray vessel then gushed out a hazy umbrella-shaped mist, which, with the faint light of a tinder, sprinkled silently on the salt mountain below.
There was an arm-wide passage between the salt mountain and the cabin. Yuan Hong put the pipe into the passage and sprayed it.
He used a cowhide bag of poisonous water to spray half of the salt cabin. Even if he sold it one liter at a time, it would be enough to sell it more than a thousand times.
Finally, Yuan Hong threw the cowhide bag into a hidden corner, crawled and rolled down the salt mountain, and left quietly. Before leaving, he did not forget to make the two guards look sleepy.
The sky was already turning pale, and he slipped back to his room. As soon as the Salt Post opened, he left a letter and ran away.
…
——
"My lord, Yuan Hong has been captured!"
At this point, the Pu people's conspiracy was revealed.
Although the plague is fake and not contagious, who knows that it is a problem with salt? Once an outbreak occurs, it will be a very serious matter no matter where it occurs. Gao Ling will immediately trace the source of the "plague".
Wei Jing, the magistrate of Pingtao County, did not pay enough attention to the symptoms of plague that appeared near Pingtao Salt Post, and even allowed the salt ships to travel back and forth to be supplied normally.
He was the first to bear the brunt of the blame, but Bao Zhong, the person who promoted him, was also to blame. Dong Du will definitely seize this God-given opportunity to completely nail down the He Ergongzi and his faction in Anyang County and prevent them from ever rising again.
Jiahan successfully avenged his great revenge. When he could not choose between Bao Zhong and Dong Du, he chose Bao Zhong, whom he hated more.
"My lord, Bao Zhong has hated Dong Du for a long time. The case of poisoned salt is serious enough for him to kill first and report later. If we leak the news to Dong Du when he gives the order, the two of them will fight to the death!"
Dong Du and Bao Zhong each controlled half of the military power in Anyang County. Once a fight broke out, if they were used well, Bao Zhong would be put in danger and urgently need to summon his trusted counties for help. At that time, Wei Jing could openly follow orders and go to Gaoling.
With his lord's ability, there is no doubt that he will successfully take Gaoling into his possession.
"In this way, we can take over Anyang County within this year!"
Han Xi only puts the interests of his lord first, and everything else must be put back one shot. Wei Jing had a deep blood feud, but the Yellow River was not far from bursting its banks, and he urgently needed to capture Anyang County. Now that the right opportunity has finally come, Han Xi's face is filled with joy.
"My Lord!"
He cupped his hands and held his breath, waiting for Wei Jing's order behind the desk.
What awaited Han Xi was a long silence.
The sky gradually brightened, but there was no light in the room. Only a small ray of dim sunlight filtered in through the window screen, and Wei Jing's profile was plunged into darkness.
He remained silent, but his large palm on the armrest of the armchair slowly tightened until veins were visible.
…
Carrying a deep blood feud, he once vowed to do everything he could to avenge his mother and brother, even at the cost of his life.
The Yellow River was about to burst its banks, and he urgently needed to capture Anyang County. Faced with such a good opportunity, Wei Jing thought that he would give the order without hesitation.
But in reality, his emotions were surging like a tide at this moment, the knuckles of his big hands that were pinching the armrest turned white, and he used all his strength but was unable to utter a single syllable.
The scene of his first triumphant victory over the Tatars leading his army suddenly flashed before his eyes. Men, women, young and old from the border town lined the streets to welcome them. Their faces, chapped by the north wind, were full of smiles. Many people had tears in their eyes, and the cheers with tears are still ringing in our ears.
Wei Jing's throat rolled heavily. He thought he had forgotten it long ago, but it turned out he hadn't.
But, but so what?
As time goes by, does anyone still remember his bloody battle? !
He suffered a bloody betrayal and a devastating disaster. During the most difficult days, the people he had protected with his flesh and blood and his life were happy to cooperate with the officers and soldiers to capture him.
For a reward of ten thousand gold, for the title of nobility.
The pain that burned his heart and lungs surged up again. Wei Jing raised his head and gasped.
Have you forgotten how your mother and brother died tragically? Have you forgotten the blood feud? Once you fall into a disadvantage, it is very likely that you will never be able to kill your enemy in your entire life!
The blood feud between his mother and brother is still before his eyes, and his enemies are still looking down on the world with smugness!
"My Lord!"
At this time, Han Xi's urgent voice sounded: "The Yellow River will burst its banks next year. If we miss this opportunity, it may never come back! My Lord!!"
Wei Jing clenched his teeth, making a "clack" sound. His eyes were red and he stood up suddenly with a "thump".
He was about to give the order.
At this moment, there was a sound of hurried running, the door opened and closed, and a woman screamed in surprise: "Husband!"
His eyes were red and he suddenly turned his head to look.
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