Chapter 136 Preparations under the cover of rain, bandits lying in wait…
Inside the inn, shouts and screams continued unabated.
Zhang Ting turned over and got up, putting on her outer garment with her back to her husband. "You go to sleep first, I'll go outside and take a look."
"My lady, my baby and I are waiting for you to come back."
She had just reached the door when she heard this, turned back and smiled, "Okay." Fearing someone might take advantage of the situation, she instructed him, "Don't open the door for anyone except me and Zheng Er."
After saying that, he disappeared through the doorway.
Thunder roared and rain poured down. Zhang Ting glanced outside worriedly; this long-awaited rain might not be a welcome relief after a drought, and the situation seemed unlikely to improve.
Zheng Er and the other three had their room on the first floor. When she rushed over, she ran into them coming up the stairs to find her.
"Master."
Zhang Ting raised her hand to stop their greetings, saying, "In extraordinary times, we shouldn't concern ourselves with such formalities."
"Zheng Er, let me ask you, are there any low-lying or dangerous sections on the road to Fengxian County?"
Zheng Er recalled carefully, "Only Fengxian County was located in low hills, while the official roads along the way were all built on high ground."
Are the trees in the jungle dense? How are the rivers distributed?
Wang Wu gestured with his hands to tell her everything.
Zhang Ting breathed a sigh of relief; the situation wasn't too bad, and they could continue their journey tomorrow. She immediately instructed Zheng Er to buy more than ten raincoats to cover the carriage, and the rest for the rest of them. She also ordered Liu Duo to purchase some clothes, dry food, and medicine to treat colds, as these might be hard to come by in the future.
"The shops are closed for business. Give them plenty of money and remember to come back as soon as possible."
Remembering that the original owner was from Luchuan County, she asked Wang Wu to remind the county magistrate to prepare for flood prevention.
He left Li Ruilian alone and said, "Master Li, you stay in the lobby of the inn to prevent any bandits from taking the opportunity to cause trouble, burn, kill, and loot."
Li Ruilian nodded, drew a gleaming silver broadsword and plunged it into the ground. Her eyes flashed with a fierce light as she stood menacingly in the center of the hall, like a bloodthirsty demon who had killed countless people.
Zhang Ting: "..." There's no need to scare people like that.
The guests who had just peeked out and were about to go downstairs screamed when they saw this scene and immediately shrank back into their rooms. Even the innkeeper and the waiter hid behind the counter, too afraid to come out.
The entire inn fell into a deathly silence, and the travelers hiding in their rooms were terrified.
Zhang Ting touched her chin, wondering why she felt that the other women were the ones who were committing evil deeds.
Never mind, the effect is the same.
"Master Li, thank you for your help."
The rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so Zhang Ting turned to the shopkeeper to discuss flood prevention measures.
She didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night to find the inn collapsing, leaving her, Zong Suyi, and their baby to tumble into the water for a swim.
The innkeeper trembled with fear as the bandit leader approached, barely able to speak. "This old woman has elderly parents and young children to support. Please, sir, have mercy and spare my life..."
The waiter immediately knelt on the ground, begging for mercy, tears streaming down his face. "I...I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything! Please, sir, spare me!"
Zhang Ting supported her waist with both hands, her lips tightly pursed. Did she really look like such an irredeemable villain?
Too lazy to say more, she took out her official title decree and held it in front of the two of them.
"I am the magistrate of Fengxian County, personally appointed by His Majesty, as evidenced by this imperial edict."
She wasn't the bandit leader? The waiter was utterly astonished, his mouth agape as if an egg could fit inside. The shopkeeper wore the same expression. The two looked at each other, then knelt even more upright. "This humble commoner greets Your Excellency. We were blind just now. Please forgive us, Your Excellency."
Zhang Ting didn't take it seriously, told them to get up, and went straight to the point.
The shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his fear dissipating, replaced by deep admiration. "You even know about flood prevention and control. Thank you for your instructions. I will go and make the preparations right away."
Water had started seeping into the gate, so the waiter found a few more people to help seal the leak completely.
Upon receiving Wang Wu's message, Magistrate Tang rushed to the inn in a great hurry, forgetting even to open his umbrella.
Soaked to the bone, he rushed into the inn, only to be met with a pair of fierce eyes. He was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
Did someone spread false information and lure her into a bandit's den?
Tang Bo'an forced himself to stare at the bandits, but in reality, he was completely flustered and at a loss.
What to do, what to do? This villain looks ferocious, his evil eyes seem to want to devour her!
Fortunately, Zhang Ting rescued her in time. "You must be Magistrate Tang?"
Tang Bo'an looked at the newcomer in a panic. She was tall and graceful, with an air of nobility, and looked exactly like a noble lady from a prestigious family.
"You...you are."
Zhang Ting smiled faintly and extended her hand, "I am Zhang Ting from Fengxian County, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Her smile was like the gentle, bright moonlight, so dazzling and captivating that Tang Bo'an was momentarily stunned and subconsciously reached out his hand to her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Zhang Ting lowered his eyelids, pulled her up from the ground, took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, saying, "It's chilly tonight, Lord Tang, please remember to take care of yourself and don't catch a cold."
Tang Bo'an was flattered and pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders. "Okay, okay."
"Please have a seat."
Tang Bo'an sat obediently next to Zhang Ting, staring straight at her, his mind blank. Not only was she incredibly capable, but she was also so beautiful.
A few breaths later, she suddenly remembered the purpose of her trip. "Lord Zhang, I came here in a hurry because I was informed by your servant. You said that Luchuan would suffer from floods, but this place has never experienced floods in the past hundred years. I don't understand why. Please enlighten me."
Zhang Ting poured her a cup of warm tea and pushed it towards her. He then analyzed the potential disasters that might occur in Luchuan County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, based on the terrain and geographical conditions, combined with tonight's heavy rain.
Tang Bo'an listened with his mouth slightly agape in amazement, clapping his hands in praise, "Lord Zhang, you are truly learned beyond measure, I am completely in awe." She seemed to be enveloped in a halo of light, radiating a strong and dazzling brilliance.
"I am foolish and ignorant; please, Lord Zhang, teach me how to deal with the disaster."
Out of a sense of kinship, Zhang Ting patiently taught her how to resettle the disaster victims, stabilize public morale, report to the imperial court, and handle the aftermath of the disaster.
"I have said all I need to say. I hope Your Excellency will cherish and value it."
"Certainly, certainly." Tang Bo'an immediately replied, rising and bowing to her with heartfelt gratitude. "We, along with hundreds of thousands of people in Luchuan, thank Lord Zhang for saving our lives."
Zhang Ting helped her up, his gaze gentle. "Luchuan is also my hometown. It is Luchuan's good fortune, and also my good fortune, that Lord Tang is here to guard this place."
Tang Bo'an blushed with pride and his eyes shone brightly. "I will certainly live up to Lord Zhang's expectations!" His heart was surging with excitement, a wave he had never felt before.
After discussing and refining the disaster relief steps with Zhang Ting, Tang Bo'an returned to the county government office with great pride and arrogance.
Before long, Zheng Er and Liu Da returned with their bundles and told the two to go and have a bowl of ginger soup first.
The four men gathered together, their eyes gleaming, awaiting Zhang Ting's orders.
By this time, it was almost midnight.
"Everyone has worked hard tonight. I think there shouldn't be any more trouble. We'll probably have to set off early tomorrow morning in the rain, so we need to rest and recharge. Everyone, go back to your rooms and get some rest."
"Yes." The group then dispersed.
The villains, who originally harbored evil intentions and wanted to cause trouble and plunder some valuables, were squatting at the back door, holding back their actions.
The bandit leader poked a hole in the door and carefully observed the group's movements.
"Boss, who are those guys? I've never heard of them in the Daoist temples before," the short bandit said in a very low voice, scratching her head, completely puzzled.
"Don't even mention it, their knives are gleaming silver and chillingly sharp; I bet they've killed countless souls. We'd better stay away!" the tall bandit whispered.
"Third brother, you coward! The knife's not even at your throat, and you're already so scared you've wet your pants?"
"You shorty, you're talking nonsense! If you've got the guts, speak up! Dare you?!"
Once the group had completely disappeared from sight, the bandit leader straightened up and gently told them to stop arguing. "Stop arguing. I think these guys are no ordinary people."
The two of them looked at her simultaneously. "What did the boss say?"
The bandit leader stood with his hands behind his back, his tone heavy, "You didn't see it just now, but the magistrate of Luchuan County was chatting happily with this man."
The two exchanged a puzzled look. "So this person is on good terms with the magistrate of Luchuan County?"
"Fools!" The bandit leader said through gritted teeth, exasperated. "Who knows, tonight might just be a trap set up specifically to arrest us. Once we let our guard down and start our operation, the officers hiding in the shadows will swarm out and capture us."
The bandit leader shook his head and sighed. Only she had glimpsed the truth of all this. The heights of wisdom were truly lonely.
The two were dumbfounded. "Boss, we don't understand."
"It would be strange if you understood this shocking scam." The bandit leader sat down, speaking earnestly, "Have you ever seen an official treat others with utmost respect? Have you ever seen an ordinary person wielding such a fine broadsword? Have you ever seen an ordinary person treat an official so casually?"
The short bandit retorted, "Perhaps this person has money and connections, and... is an official?"
The bandit leader nodded at her helplessly, as if to say, "You just don't understand. Why are there so many 'whys' and 'assumptions'? You think being an official is as easy as cabbage, it's everywhere?"
"The truth is right in front of you, stop deceiving yourselves."
The two were full of admiration, "No wonder he's the boss, he's so meticulous."
The bandit leader, with his back to them, waved his hand, saying, "Keep it down, keep it down."
...
By the candlelight inside the room, Zong Suyi saw a tall figure walking towards him.
His eyes narrowed slightly, a surge of excitement welling up inside him. He silently approached the door and gripped the large knife tightly in his hand.
As soon as the thief breaks down the door, he will take the opportunity to cut off her dog's head!
"It's me, Xiaoyi, open the door."
Hearing the familiar voice, Zong Suyi blinked and casually tossed the broadsword onto the table. A loud clang followed as the blade fell.
He nervously rubbed his head; he hadn't touched this thing in years, and picking it up and putting it down felt strangely unfamiliar.
Zong Suyi went barefoot to open the door, then threw herself into the man's arms, pouting, and said, "My lady, I'm so scared when you're not here. There's so much thunder outside, and I can hear footsteps every now and then. I'm so afraid that a thief will break in."
"My lady, if you had come any later, you might not have seen me at all." He turned his head away and tried to squeeze out a few tears.
His words were mournful and pitiful.
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