Upon hearing his young master's words, the guard looked up at the two soldiers in the center of the room who were taking off their armor and warming themselves by the fire, and at the gleaming long sword beside them. Then he looked at the straw cushion he was sitting on and couldn't help but swallow hard: he no longer wanted to run for his life.
It's no wonder he was so easily frightened.
Anyone who spends half a month running around the grasslands in constant danger, and several times escapes just before the Di tribe's scimitar is about to cut their neck, will see everyone as an enemy.
In the small room.
Wu Dong, who had been searching for the tribe all day, was now finally returning home starving.
He sat cross-legged on the woolen felt, drinking rice porridge with walnuts, peanuts, and some dried meat, while recounting in detail his encounter with Lin Qingyuan.
"From what you're saying, Lin Qingyuan escaped from the direction of the Mida River Valley. What was he going to do there?"
Song Dekui scratched his chin and frowned.
Wu Dong said, "I met Young Master Lin by a river. His men were breaking the ice to get water, and when they saw us, they came over to ask for food."
He actually gave Lin Qingyuan face.
At that time, Lin Qingyuan and his group were about to start a fire to cook when they saw people and horses coming from afar. They were so frightened that they dropped their pots and pans and ran away.
It was only when he displayed the banner of the Zhenbei Army that Young Master Lin turned back.
"Young Master Lin said he was a merchant from Pingyang Prefecture."
Every year after the Di tribe enters the winter pastures, the Lin family would send grain and salt to a few regular customers, and also bring back some of the fattest beef and mutton to their parents.
This year, he came to deliver goods as usual, but for some reason, he encountered a war as soon as he entered the grassland.
His regular customers weren't at the usual spot anymore. He got robbed of everything he brought, and almost lost his life, before a few people showed up.
Song Liyun thought about Lin Qingyuan she had just seen. Although he was in a sorry state, there was no fear in his eyes. Seeing her acting out of character, it seemed as if he was trying to cover something up.
This guy wasn't telling the truth.
Wu Dong and his group did not come away empty-handed after a day of travel. In addition to encountering Lin Qingyuan, they actually caught up with the migrating tribe.
To prevent misunderstandings, the Wu Dynasty soldiers stayed far outside, while only Balin and his group went into the tribe.
But in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Bahrain group hurriedly left, their expressions tense.
It turns out that the tribe that migrated did not hear news of the Mida River Valley, but was instead absorbed by another tribe.
When they entered Bahrain, they saw slaughtered cattle and sheep lying on the ground being skinned.
This is the fate of tribes that are annexed; their property is no longer theirs, but belongs to others who can kill them at will.
He was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't been near the border of the Wu Dynasty, he would probably have been one of those annexed as well.
Wu Dong, as a soldier of the Wu Dynasty, had no particular feelings about this result; he simply needed to report the situation to the garrison.
Song Liyun was somewhat disappointed; she did not get the information she wanted.
However, since Lin Qingyuan escaped from the Mida River Valley, he should have the answer.
Anyway... Lin Qingyuan is eating and living in his own house now. If he dares to resist, he'll be kicked out.
At that moment, Bahrain was leading people to set up tents.
The snow hadn't stopped, and there was already ankle-deep snow on the ground; they would need to spend the next night there.
The prefabricated house only had two rooms, one large and one small, which was already a bit crowded. Now, with the addition of Lin Qingyuan and his group of seven, the situation has worsened.
Apart from Song Liyun having her own small house, a large room of 20 square meters was obviously not enough to accommodate so many people, and Song Liyun did not want to bring out any more things.
Fortunately, Lin Qingyuan and the others had brought tarpaulins, which they used to block two sides of the stable, turning it into accommodation for the seven of them.
The pampered young master, accustomed to a life of luxury, is now forced to live in a stable, and even then, it comes with conditions.
Inside the small house, Lin Qingyuan's eyes were wide open, his handsome face, revealed after being washed, was now filled with panic.
He stammered, "Manager Song, I offended you before. That was my fault. I couldn't control myself."
Song Liyun snorted coldly, and Song Dekui raised the riding whip in his hand.
Lin Qingyuan twitched the corners of his mouth, looking pitiful, and said, "A beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman; what crime have I committed?"
"If you don't believe me, young lady, when we return to the Wu Dynasty, I will send a procession with colorful banners stretching for miles and a grand sedan chair carried by eight men to welcome you into my home."
With a stern face, Song Liyun pointed to the howling snow outside: "If you, you filthy scoundrel, dare to spout nonsense again, get out here right now."
Lin Qingyuan saw that her eyes were full of cold frost, unlike the delicate and fake demeanor of other women; she was truly serious.
He also toned down his roguish manner: "Manager Song, I am grateful for your kindness in taking me in and am willing to pay ten taels of silver to stay in your stable for one night, but I cannot accompany you to the Mida River Valley."
"If Young Master Lin doesn't want to go, I won't force him. But... ten taels of silver, Young Master Lin's life is really cheap!"
"You know, you're making my horses uncomfortable living in there. You should just take the ten taels of silver and leave!" Song Liyun said coolly.
"One hundred taels of silver! Leaving tomorrow morning!"
"If Steward Song says anything else, I am willing to leave immediately. Steward Song also needs to understand one thing: if something happens to me, a member of the Wu Dynasty, within a hundred miles of the border, the Wu army will be held accountable."
The Wu Dynasty's patrols covered an area a hundred miles beyond the border, in order to protect the safety of the border residents' pastures. They also bore responsibility if they encountered any of the dynasty's people in distress within this area.
However, this hundred li was merely a customary agreement between the Di and Wu Dynasty border troops; there was no explicit written rule, and no one would actually measure it with a ruler.
Lin Qingyuan's brow twitched slightly. He knew that Song Liyun was difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect her to be so blatant in trying to extort him. He had even considered doing business with her.
The Mida River Valley is now a bloodbath, and I certainly won't agree to take another step into it.
"In that case, I don't need your hundred taels of silver. Just give me a map of your route for buying gems."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Qingyuan's expression changed drastically. His inherent frivolity vanished, and he stood up abruptly, staring coldly at Song Liyun: "Manager Song, what do you know?"
Ruzhu Pavilion was his secret; apart from a few trusted confidants, even the Lin family didn't know about it. So how did Song Liyun find out?
Song Dekui chuckled as he stroked his riding crop beside him. Song Liyun gave a light laugh and said, "Young Master Lin, I'm just guessing. Don't worry, no one has leaked your secret."
Manager Wan only suspected that Ruzhu Pavilion was related to Lin Qingyuan, and even Young Master Lin did not notice anything unusual.
If she hadn't met Lin Qingyuan on the grassland, she wouldn't have thought that this playboy would personally acquire jewelry.
Now that Lin Qingyuan is in distress on a snowy night, exhausted and vulnerable, he has exposed his weakness when pressed.
Lin Qingyuan's face stiffened, only then realizing that he had actually stood up. He couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Manager Song, you're kicking me when I'm down, you're trying to extort me!"
Song Liyun cupped her hands in greeting: "Young Master Lin, rest assured, I am not interested in jewelry."
Now that Lin Qingyuan had already given himself away, Song Liyun stopped beating around the bush and everyone spoke frankly.
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