"In that case, I can rest assured."
Lu Baichuan nodded symbolically, without showing much emotion.
"Please come in, everyone. I will certainly treat you well."
Little Fatty was very enthusiastic, feeling that since these important figures rarely came, he must treat them well.
"No, we need to get going, so we won't bother you any longer."
Lu Baichuan coldly refused, but still maintained proper etiquette.
Seeing that they came and went in such a hurry, Little Fatty looked very sorry and said words of apology and regret.
Qin Jian was unwilling to stay any longer and said, "We came here to settle Miss Qinglian. Since Lord Zhao has handled it well, we should set off now."
As he said this, he saw Qinglian's face filled with disbelief and resentment at being deceived by a scumbag.
The incident happened suddenly, and although it was somewhat embarrassing, he had no choice but to do it. So, he gave Qinglian a wink, signaling her to stay calm.
Qinglian now truly felt as if she had been deceived. These people said they would help her take revenge, and she came to the yamen to find helpers, but they didn't mention the bandits at all and even wanted to abandon her and leave.
She wanted to ask, but seeing the adults' stern faces, she didn't dare. Just when she was in despair, another adult winked at her.
Is there another arrangement?
Right, you said you were coming to find help, but now you're not mentioning it at all?
Has the plan changed?
Regardless, she decided to trust them one more time and believe they would come again.
As for why they didn't mention the bandits, I'll just pretend I don't know and take a gamble.
So she nodded and said, "Thank you, sir."
The group then left on horseback without lingering.
However, two guards were missing from the group that left the city together. Lu Baichuan had arranged for them to keep an eye on the chubby boy's movements and protect Qinglian.
"What bad luck! I thought I'd finally have a place to sleep tonight, but it turns out I'll still have to sleep under the open sky!"
Once outside the city and confirming that no one was following him, Qin Jian dismounted, plopped down on the grass, and sighed deeply.
"Sir, weren't we going to the yamen to find some men? Why did you leave without mentioning anything?"
Some people were puzzled and asked.
Lu Baichuan sat to the side drinking water, not answering, but thinking about what to do next.
This is where Qin Jian came in handy. He glanced at the guard and said, "Idiot! Didn't you see that the fat man is acting strangely?"
The guard was even more confused. Wasn't he being quite enthusiastic? What's wrong with him?
The others were also confused and gathered around. Qin Jian then asked, "I'm asking you, what place is this?"
"Xingchun County."
What are its characteristics?
"Special features? There shouldn't be any special features. It just looks like the city is quite poor. It's not far from the capital. I really can't understand why it's so poor here."
The guard scratched his head, genuinely surprised that there were such impoverished places beneath the imperial city.
Even if it's a remote place, it shouldn't be this poor, right?
As I walked down the street, the people there looked like zombies, their faces filled with sorrow and devoid of any smiles.
"Yeah! It's because we're poor!"
Qin Jian clapped his hands and continued, "The people are so poor, yet the county magistrate is fair-skinned, plump, and slick-back. Isn't that a problem?"
Everyone immediately realized that the fat man was definitely suspicious!
"Oh dear, why did we leave that girl behind? Is she even safe?"
Some people realized it belatedly and looked surprised.
"Didn't we send people to keep an eye on things? What's wrong with your brains? Did you forget to bring them with you when you went out?"
Qin Jian thought he was a clueless person, but he never expected to be able to regain a little bit of a sense of superiority in front of these people. It was really not easy!
There was a moment of silence, then someone asked in a low voice, "So what do we do next?"
Qin Jian was also puzzled and looked at Lu Baichuan.
Lu Baichuan lay down on the lawn behind him and said, "Let's sleep."
Everyone: ? ? ?
Qin Jian: "Oh right, right, right, time to sleep! You need to be well-rested to have the energy to work!"
He was like a mind reader to Lu Baichuan, sending everyone to sleep.
There are few people here, so it's not a problem to take a short nap.
At the yamen, Qinglian was temporarily placed in an empty room, which was somewhat dilapidated but generally clean.
After thanking him, Qinglian wanted to shut herself in and not see anyone. She was a little scared, feeling that Lord Zhao's gaze was not proper.
She feared that she might escape one wolf's den only to fall into another.
Her parents and brother were gone, and her sister-in-law was suffering in the bandit's den, but she was helpless.
More importantly, he didn't know if Lu Baichuan and his group were reliable. If they weren't, he couldn't just stay here and wait idly.
"Knock knock knock..."
A knock came at the door, and Qinglian jumped in fright, looking warily at the entrance.
Before she could ask anything, Lord Zhao's voice came from through the crack in the door: "Miss Qinglian, are you ready? I need to know the truth about your situation. Would you mind if I came in for a cup of tea?"
Upon hearing this, Qinglian looked around. There was only a table and a bed in the room, not even a pot of water. What was he going to do with tea?
Furthermore, if you really want to know about her situation, why not go out and ask her openly instead of coming to her room to ask?
There isn't even a small stool to sit on here. Does Lord Zhao intend to sit directly on the bed?
"My lord, I am not feeling well and have already gone to bed. May I ask again tomorrow?"
He thought that if he said that, Lord Zhao would leave, but to his surprise, the other party became anxious: "Oh dear, you're not feeling well? I'll send someone to find a doctor to take a look at you right away!"
Without waiting for Qinglian's objections, he left.
Qinglian was worried that he would actually go to see a doctor, causing unnecessary trouble for others, so she hurriedly opened the door to stop him. However, as soon as she opened the door, Fatty Zhao was standing outside, smiling at her, showing no intention of going to fetch a doctor at all.
Qinglian's face turned pale; she realized she had been tricked. She tried to close the door, but it was too late.
Fatty Zhao leaned against the door, his smile growing increasingly lewd, yet he still managed to ask in a soft voice, "Isn't Miss Qinglian perfectly fine? What, do you really not want to see me?"
"No, no, sir, I, I really... Ah!"
She tried to explain, but Fatty Zhao had already barged into the house and slammed the door shut behind him.
"What are you trying to do, sir!"
Qinglian is now certain that she has entered the tiger's den, and that Fatty Zhao is no good person!
"Hehehe, didn't I say I wanted to personally find out about the young lady's situation?"
As he spoke, he tried to reach out and take Qinglian's hand.
Qinglian dodged instantly, her body trembling: "Those two lords told you to take good care of me!"
"What are you saying, young lady? Aren't I just trying to settle things for you? Wouldn't it be better for you to stay by my side instead of becoming my concubine?"
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