Ye Moxun glanced at Xia He with an unfriendly look. Xia He's expression stiffened, and she lowered her head slightly, feeling a little guilty.
He often likes to think of the worst possible outcome, but things are often not that serious. This is good, as things are always better than imagined, so there is no disappointment and it is easier to accept.
Riding a horse is more than half as fast as walking. What should have been an hour and a half journey was covered in just over half an hour on horseback. There was indeed a section of gravel road that was very difficult to walk on. The horse was in pain when its hooves stepped on it. It almost threw Song Tantan off the horse. It was quite a close call.
Despite being mentally prepared, Song Tantan was still taken aback when entering the city gate. Everyone had to pay one tael of silver to pass through the city gate. Why not just rob them?
Are these people bandits?
"You paid this much silver yesterday too?" Song Tantan asked, looking pained.
"Yesterday it was one tael for two people and half a tael for one person, but the price has gone up today." Ye Moxun was also shocked by this. These people were truly lawless to an outrageous degree.
No wonder not many people dare to enter the city. The year of famine has just passed, and many ordinary people don't even have a single copper coin to spare. Where would they get the money to pay the city entry fee? Right now, unless someone absolutely needs to go into the city for business, no one will waste this money to enter. Of course, some people want to enter the city but can't afford the money.
Glancing at the five people behind her, Song Tantan felt another pang of heartache. In addition, she and Ye Moxun had to pay seven taels of silver to enter the city, which was more than many farming families could save up in a whole year.
It's fortunate that they don't have to go into the city to return to Xifeng. If they had to go through the county, wouldn't a group of about a hundred people have to pay more than a hundred taels of silver?
Besides, in addition to people, the merchants also have to pay extra tolls for the goods they transport and the carriages they use. This is outrageous! She can't stand it.
"Don't be impulsive, let's go into the city first. It's only seven taels of silver. We'll get it back with interest later."
Ye Moxun held down her restless hand. This girl was always ready to draw her sword at the slightest provocation. If they really started fighting now, she wouldn't come out on top and might even hurt innocent civilians. It would be better to wait until nightfall to make her move.
When it came time to pay, the gatekeeper said that they would have to pay extra to bring their horses into the city. The horses were huge, and each horse would have to pay one or two taels of silver to enter the city, just like people. Ye Moxun and his group of seven had seven horses, so the total cost would be fourteen taels of silver.
Song Tantan immediately protested, and Ye Moxun's attempts to restrain her were futile. She angrily said, "I have no money, only seven taels. That's all I have."
"You have seven horses. Anyone who can afford horses wouldn't be short of money. Don't try to fool me. By the way, what's your status? How do you have so many horses? Ordinary people can't afford so many horses."
"I now suspect your identities are questionable. Brothers, take these men to the yamen for proper interrogation."
The general guarding the city was eyeing the horses with a shifty look on his face. This guy was clearly trying to steal someone else's horse, and was deliberately framing people.
"Pah, stop spewing nonsense. We have official documents and travel permits. We have connections in the capital. You think you can steal our horse? No way!" Song Tantan didn't want to play games with the other party and directly exposed the young general's intentions.
"What documents and travel permits? I think you are spies sent by the Hu people. You are so arrogant. Men, take these people away."
At the general's command, about thirty soldiers armed with long spears rushed out of the city and menacingly surrounded Song Tantan and his party.
In a moment of desperation, Song Tantan sprinkled a handful of muscle-relaxing powder, then turned his horse around and galloped away. Ye Moxun was slightly taken aback and immediately followed, only to see Lin Zhuang and the others still standing there with expressions of surprise and uncertainty.
He shouted, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you want to experience what it's like to be in jail?"
"Chase them! Chase them now! Don't let them get away!"
The general guarding the city roared and took the lead in chasing after them, but after running for a while he only got a mouthful of dust and couldn't even find Ye Moxun and his group at the fork in the road.
Seven people were just poisoned with the muscle-softening powder. The remaining twenty or so people searched the surrounding area, but gave up after failing to find anyone. They just wanted to get some money or other valuables. If anyone resisted, they would all work together to subdue them. They wouldn't dare to fight back against tough opponents.
Now that they've chased them out, they're quite far from the city gate. The surrounding environment looks terrible. Who knows if that group of people were lying in ambush in the undergrowth, just waiting for them to die? For the sake of their lives, they should just pretend to search around. It's safer to stay at the city gate.
Not long after, the soldiers left. Song Tantan and the others emerged from a patch of weeds. She felt a pang of regret; if those soldiers had been bolder and searched further, she would have killed them all with a single blow.
"Master Ye, what should we do next?" Lin Zhuang asked worriedly.
"You all wait outside the city. Tantan and I will go into the city. We'll meet you when the city gates open tomorrow morning." After leaving the town, he and Tantan were going to go somewhere else. Lin Zhuang was going to take the others back to Xifeng.
Originally, they were supposed to leave first, but Lin Zhuang refused, insisting that the place was not safe and that he would not feel at ease until they returned safely.
Since he was so thoughtful, Ye Moxun couldn't bear to disappoint him and didn't rush to send him away.
"Just the two of you going in? That won't do. It's too unsafe." Lin Zhuang looked anxious. He wanted to go in and cause trouble too, so why was he never taken along? What was the point of him insisting on coming along?
"It's safer with fewer people, and it won't arouse suspicion. You take your men and wait here. You're the best fighter here. I'm handing the men over to you. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you accountable."
Originally, Lin Yu was in charge of the team, but since he was absent, Lin Zhuang naturally took his place, which was a good opportunity for him to train.
Upon hearing that he was to take full responsibility, Lin Zhuang instantly felt a great sense of duty. The lives of nearly a hundred people were in his hands. If he wasn't there to guard the group, what would happen if something went wrong?
"I understand. You can go ahead without worry. Don't worry about the team. Leave it to me." Lin Zhuang said solemnly.
After calming Lin Zhuang down, Ye Moxun and Song Tantan changed their appearances. This time, she played a genuine hunchbacked old woman, and Ye Moxun also carried a package on his back to make him look hunchbacked. The two pretended to be an elderly couple.
The two men, leaning on their canes, slowly walked towards the city gate. Before they even got close, the gatekeeper spat at them, and several constables began to curse.
"Damn it, where did these two old geezers come from? Judging by their tattered clothes, they must be penniless. Where would they get the money to pay the city entrance fee? Get out of here, don't come any closer, they're annoying me."
The junior officer from before was no longer at the city gate; it seemed that a new officer had taken over.
"Old man, what is this official saying? What silver? Do we still have any silver?" Song Tantan pretended not to understand what the soldier was saying and whispered in her husband's ear.
Ye Moxun also raised his voice in agreement, pretending that he couldn't hear very well, "Ah? Silver? Yes, I have some."
Then, with trembling hands, he pulled out exactly two taels of silver from his pocket.
The soldiers' eyes lit up when they saw the silver, and their smiles became even more lewd. "Old man, we didn't realize you were carrying so much silver. You're smart to be so shrewd."
Before he finished speaking, he had already reached out and snatched the silver.
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