Chapter 159 Are you interested in cooperating with me?
"Don't be afraid, they may not be doing this for us," Jiang Zhi's soft voice rang out.
Lu Yuan added, "Silence, you hear—"
The chaotic sound of horses' hooves grew closer, accompanied by a man's frantic shouts, "Go find a doctor! The chief is seriously injured! Quickly, gather everyone in the village who knows medicine!"
To the five women, these words sounded like heavenly music.
Tian Yan, who they saw as a ruthless devil, was actually seriously injured?
Lu Yuan's tone was heavy. "Now that Tian Yan is injured, the village is in chaos and they won't realize they've lost face for the time being, but they will definitely find out when they come to their senses. Moreover, those who stayed in the stone chamber... might go and inform on us."
Jiang Zhi also thought of this; she had already encountered too much wickedness in people's hearts.
If everyone suffers together, they can support each other; but if they know that they have actually escaped, some people will not only not help cover it up, but will also wish that you would be captured as soon as possible so that they will not have to face the predicament alone.
The group hid behind the trees in the woods, taking advantage of the darkness to watch a large group of people speed past and enter the village, before finally quieting down.
"Let's go quickly."
The rest of the people remained silent, following behind Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan as they headed down the mountain.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, and the five women supported each other, trying their best not to let anyone fall behind.
I don't know how long we walked, but the sky above us gradually brightened.
Except for Lu Yuan, everyone in the group was struggling to stay afloat.
A noisy commotion arose behind them, accompanied by curses and swears, making everyone's hearts tighten.
The villagers discovered their escape and gave chase!
These people are like persistent ghosts.
Fortunately, the foot of the mountain was already very close to them. After turning a corner and crossing a small hill, they met a group of people waiting at the foot of the mountain.
It was actually Yu Jun and Ru Ying An Yue!
The three men, leading their horses, waited anxiously. When they saw Lu Yuan and Jiang Zhi, their eyes lit up.
"Boss!"
"Young Miss!"
Jiang Zhi narrowly escaped death. The arduous journey through the night had left her physically and mentally exhausted, and her legs nearly gave way, but fortunately, Lu Yuan, who was beside her, caught her in time.
She didn't care about anything else and hurriedly asked, "How is Lord Shen?"
“Don’t worry, Miss, Lord Shen is safe and sound,” Ruying said. “He is already waiting for you in the villa.”
Only now did Jiang Zhi finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Lu Yuan, who was beside her, looked down at her and tightened his grip on her arm slightly.
*
Just in case, Shen Ci'an did not stay in Sizhou City, but rented a villa in the nearby Linhuai County.
When Shen Ci'an saw Jiang Zhi arrive at the villa with five women, he didn't seem surprised at all, as if he had expected it.
"Master, it's so good that you're alright!" As soon as Jiang Zhi entered the door, she went straight to Shen Ci'an, who was waiting at the door. If it weren't for the fact that there were so many outsiders present, she would have definitely rushed into his arms.
Shen Ci'an smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair, his voice clear and gentle, "You must be exhausted after traveling all night?"
After saying that, he cupped his hands in thanks to Lu Yuan, saying, "Thank you, Lord Lu, for saving my wife."
Lu Yuan scoffed coldly upon hearing this, "I didn't save her for you, so you don't need to thank me."
He looked at Jiang Zhi meaningfully, "I hope Miss Jiang still remembers what you promised me before I brought you here."
"Don't worry, Lord Lu, I'll investigate for you as soon as we return to the capital." Jiang Zhi naturally wouldn't forget.
Moreover, she already had a guess about the culprit, but she still lacked some evidence.
"Alright, the rooms are ready. Everyone, go wash up and rest. We can talk about other things when it gets light," Shen Ci'an said.
He disliked the way Lu Yuan looked at Jiang Zhi, and he also disliked their oblivious conversations.
After Jiang Zhi led the five women she had rescued from the mountain stronghold to rest, Shen Ci'an stepped forward and stopped Lu Yuan from leaving.
Lu Yuan's gaze was cold, and his tone was clearly distant, "Does Lord Shen have any further instructions?"
Shen Ci'an smiled, not minding at all. "Lord Lu, would you be interested in cooperating with me?"
"How so?"
"Tea has been prepared in the study. Please come in, Lord Lu, so we can have a detailed discussion," Shen Ci'an said.
After Jiang Zhi settled in the villa, she rarely saw Shen Ci'an and Lu Yuan.
The two were busy with something, and even Yu Jun and Gao Xi were constantly on the move.
Although the matter of the counterfeit goods has been temporarily resolved, the disaster relief efforts following the Sizhou floods have been delayed for so long and need to be restarted immediately.
Jiang Zhi guessed that they must be preparing for this.
However, to Jiang Zhi's surprise, Shen Ci'an and Lu Yuan acted so quickly.
Three days later, news came from Sizhou City.
Prefect Hang Yushu was found guilty of embezzlement and bribery, and misappropriated disaster relief funds and grain. With conclusive evidence, he was arrested by Imperial Commissioner Shen and the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He was executed without prior notification, and his head was hung at the city gate to comfort the people displaced by the flood.
The city of Sizhou was filled with cheers.
With the culprit eliminated, disaster relief was quickly put on the agenda.
Shen Ci'an and Lu Yuan directly found the grain that Hang Yushu had hoarded and distributed it in the city. As for the embezzled silver, it was used to help the disaster victims rebuild their houses and purchase and distribute medicine.
Jiang Zhi and five other women who had returned from the mountain village also joined in the help.
Although Shen Ci'an and Lu Yuan were a master strategist and a decisive leader, and worked together very well, they still did not get along.
When we meet, it's either sarcastic remarks or barbed remarks; there's never a time when we sit down and talk politely.
Jiang Zhi tried to persuade her a few times, but then she stopped caring.
After staying in Sizhou for another ten days or so, the disaster relief work came to an end, and they had to return to the capital to report back.
Jiang Zhi left the villa that Shen Ci'an rented to the five people she brought from the mountain stronghold.
They came from different villages, but after being kidnapped by bandits, even if they went back now, they would only be pointed at and gossiped about.
The five of them discussed it and decided that instead of going back, they should stay in Linhuai County, stick together for warmth, and find some work to support themselves.
Jiang Zhi didn't bring much money with her when she went south, and although she wanted to help them, she was short of funds.
She approached Shen Ci'an, wanting to borrow some money from him, which she would repay upon returning to the capital.
"How much does Miss want?"
Jiang Zhi thought for a moment, "Five hundred taels is enough. There are five of them, and they all have injuries that require seeing a doctor and need to recuperate. I'll feel more at ease giving them more."
Shen Ci'an looked troubled. "Although my money is the young lady's money, I didn't bring much this time. I just renewed the rent for their villa for three more years, and the rest was used for disaster relief. Now I only have enough money left for the journey back to the capital..."
His brows were deeply furrowed.
He didn't care much about money. He was used to a hard life and didn't spend much on food, clothing, or daily necessities. He entrusted the things bestowed by the emperor to Steward Lin and rarely inquired about them.
Only now did he realize that he and the young lady were about to get married, so how could he treat her so unfairly?
Jiang Zhi immediately waved her hand, "It's alright, it's alright, Master, you don't need to worry about it. I'll think of another way."
She went to ask Lu Yuan again, but received a similar answer to Shen Ci'an.
However, he said he had a jade pendant on him, which he could pawn for a lot of money, and then he could send someone to redeem it.
Jiang Zhi tried to stop her.
Speaking of the jade pendant, she recalled the token that Xiao Xuanyou had given her before she left.
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