This marked the first successful step of her plan!
However, persuading them to leave with him remains a major challenge!
Just from spending this one day together, it's clear that these people have no intention of coming down the mountain!
She wants to use tonight to change these people's minds and make them feel a sense of crisis!
After everyone went inside, Lin Ru was surrounded by them and led to a seat at the front!
Tonight's meal was even more plentiful than last night's!
As soon as she sat down, Hei Meng picked up a glass of wine!
"Brothers, let's welcome our heroes back once again!"
"Come, let's raise our glasses and toast them!"
The brothers below all raised their glasses and echoed!
"Dry!"
"Dry!"
Then they all raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp!
Lin Ru also picked up her wine glass and took a small sip as a gesture of respect!
She seemed to have something on her mind!
They barely spoke a word throughout the entire meal!
He would just occasionally put food on Xiaoyue's plate and feed her!
Ji Wenxuan noticed something was wrong with him, so after dinner he pulled him back to his room and questioned him carefully!
"Miss Lin, tell me the truth, what did you get from that woman that made you so distracted? You're making me very anxious!"
Lin Ru let out a long sigh!
"Hey! I've actually met her before. We went to Kangqu County to buy things together!"
"We bribed the guards at the gate with a lot of money before they let us in, but after we finished buying everything, the gate was sealed off!"
"Why can't we get out?"
"Later, a group of men suddenly arrived at the city gate, fought with the guards there, and then rushed out!"
"We took the opportunity to run away quickly!"
"Just as the curtain swayed, I saw the woman sitting in the carriage. Because their route was towards Kyoto, it left a deeper impression on me!"
"About a day after we left, Prince Shun attacked!"
"I saw that woman from afar today and she looked somewhat familiar, but I wasn't sure, so I thought I'd go over and ask her myself!"
"I never imagined it really was that woman from that day!"
"She lowered her guard as soon as she saw me, a little girl, and assumed I was just a refugee from the neighborhood!"
"She told me that they had just escaped from the hands of Prince Shun, and because they had traveled all night, they were exhausted and were resting here for a while!"
"We never expected to run into this!"
"According to her estimate, Prince Shun will arrive in about a day or two!"
"I think he's very likely to come up the mountain. After all, there's no water around here, only an underground river on the mountain. There are many capable and extraordinary people under Prince Shun's command, and he'll definitely be able to tell from the density of the forest. It's possible that he'll come up to rest for a while!"
"And there's the corpse by the roadside. Although we've hidden it in the woods and wiped away the bloodstains, I'll say it again: there are many capable and extraordinary people in Prince Shun's army! If we're discovered, we're all doomed!"
"I plan to take the people of Shili Village down the mountain and leave tomorrow, but I don't know if you are planning to leave as well!"
"But from what I've observed recently, it seems you have no intention of leaving, so I'm a bit worried about how to bring it up with you!"
Ji Wenxuan never expected that Prince Shun would arrive so quickly!
"Did he slaughter all the towns and counties around here?"
"That beast! How many people will die from this?!"
"I really want to stay here and perish with him!"
"But there are still many young people in these mountains, whose lives are just beginning, and there are also some women. If they stay behind, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"I'll talk to the boss about leaving!"
"It's perfect that we're leaving together; we'll have company!"
"But where are you going next?"
"Are you going to seek refuge with that wise monarch you mentioned before?"
Lin Ru nodded!
"Yes! But I can't say her name yet! But trust me, I promise I won't lie to you!"
Ji Wenxuan nodded!
"Of course I trust you completely, after all, you're the only one who knows my background and knows I'm alive!"
Lin Ru asked with some curiosity, "Brother Ji! Do you have anything on you that can prove your identity?"
"For example, a waist tag or something!"
Although Ji Wenxuan didn't understand why Lin Ru was asking these questions, he still reached into his pocket and took out a waist tray and an imperial edict!
"How can I not carry it with me!"
"I used to look down on minor officials like county magistrates. If my father hadn't forced me to come here, I wouldn't have become a county magistrate in this remote place!"
"I'd rather stay home and be a spoiled brat!"
"But now I'm actually looking forward to the day I'm reinstated, so I carry both of these things with me at all times!"
"We live in a chaotic world where no one can escape, and I don't want to escape either. I want to face my mother's killer head-on!"
"I also want to protect the people!"
"But now that I'm like this, I'm afraid I'll never fulfill my wish in this lifetime!"
Lin Ru took his waist tag. The front of the tag read "Magistrate of Huiwu County," and the back read Ji Wenxuan's name, place of origin, and physical characteristics.
The imperial edict clearly stated when Ji Wenxuan was appointed as the magistrate of Huiwu County, and it was stamped with a red seal at the end!
Judging from this, it should be the emperor's seal!
Ji Wenxuan gently stroked the seal!
"This was covered by the emperor himself!"
"Unfortunately, I failed to fulfill the duties of a county magistrate!"
Looking at these items, Lin Ru felt they were enough to prove his identity!
"Brother Ji, believe me, I will definitely help you fulfill your wish!"
"Keep these two items safe for now; they'll come in very useful later!"
"Go and tell the people at the mountain stronghold that we're leaving tomorrow!"
"I also want to tell the people of Shili Village this news!"
"If you can't leave, let me know so I can make preparations!"
"Oh, right! Didn't the soldier who was brought back say that another team was going to conscript men?"
"His brother was in that group too!"
"It's getting late, so it might not be appropriate for me to go find him now. After you finish communicating with the leader, go find that soldier and ask him where the other team went!"
"If we can rescue the other group of able-bodied men, it will be of great benefit to us in the future!"
"After all, no matter which monarch we serve, we need to have a certain level of strength!"
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have met with us, would they?"
Ji Wenxuan felt this made perfect sense, and he put the waist token and imperial edict into his pocket!
"Sure! Leave this to me!"
"I won't just stand by and watch them die!"
"Just wait for my good news!"
Lin Ru smiled and nodded. The two then parted ways to find their respective teams and explain their departure the next day.
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