Seeing that the matter had been arranged, Xi Yu waved his hand to everyone and said loudly: "Everyone is separated."
After hearing this, everyone dispersed around one after another.
At this time, a commoner came over hesitantly. He was one of the people who had originally worked in the checkpoint.
He looked ashamed, lowered his head and did not dare to look directly at the Western Regions, and whispered: "Prime Minister, during that time, Xiao I was blinded by lard and followed them to do something wrong. He had complained to you. But now I understand. After all, what you did is for the good of our people. Xiao I am really guilty. I hope the Prime Minister can forgive me."
After saying that, he kowtowed several times to Xi Yu with a "thump", and his forehead hit the ground made a "bang" sound, as if only in this way could he slightly relieve his regret.
Xi Yu said gently: "It is human nature to make money, but a gentleman loves money and makes it well. Since you already know your mistake, don't make it again in the future."
As he said that, he reached out to help the people and asked him to get up quickly.
Then, Xi Yu raised his voice and shouted to the people around who had not yet dissipated: "Today's business is over, everyone should go back quickly and live a life of their own."
After saying that, he took Luo Xiaoyu and Xiaohong and turned around and walked back.
On the other side, Linglong stood in the Huangfu courtyard. The morning light shone through the branches and leaves, falling on her body, which was still weak after recovering from a serious illness.
The mansion with carved beams and painted buildings in the past is now scattered, as if the old dream of prosperity has disappeared. Only the old gatekeeper still sticks to it and becomes the last attachment in this mansion.
She walked all the way to the gatehouse, and the old gatehouse was sitting on the threshold, staring blankly into the distance.
Linglong whispered: "Uncle, I'm leaving."
She believed that the people in Hesheri would come again sooner or later and could not stay here and wait for death.
The old concierge slowly turned his head, his eyes full of reluctance: "Madam, where can you go alone? It's not easy to live outside."
Linglong smiled miserably.
"It's better than being scared here. Uncle, don't be there, go with me."
However, the old gatekeeper shook his head firmly and patted the doorpost beside him: "Madam, this Huang Mansion has been my place for the rest of my life. Even if I do this now, I will still guard it."
Linglong's eyes were red, and she knew the old concierge's wishes.
The old gatekeeper looked at Linglong, and wanted to speak but stopped, but finally turned into a sigh.
Linglong looked around the cold and lonely Huang Mansion, and her heart was filled with emotions.
The servants took advantage of the chaos to sweep away valuable items that could be taken away, leaving only this empty house.
But a trace of confidence flashed in Linglong's eyes. She knew that there was still a secret in the mansion that had not been discovered.
The moonlight was like water, and she laid a layer of silver gauze on the courtyard, and she came to an abandoned flower house alone.
In the corner, under the pot of withered orchids, there was a loose piece of brick and stone hidden.
Lingqing moved it away with difficulty, and a dark hole was revealed, and there were a few strings of pearls, some exquisite gold hairpins and several ancient seals lying quietly.
These are all treasures of the Huang family in the past. After being hidden here, they are forgotten, and even those greedy servants have not noticed it.
In the next few days, Linglong carefully wrapped the treasures in a cloth towel, so she found an opportunity to go out as an ordinary peasant woman.
She carefully avoided the attention of others and came to a hidden pawnshop in the city.
The shopkeeper's eyes swept over these objects, and a light flashed in his eyes. Although he knew that the origin might be extraordinary, he still completed the transaction with Linglong and exchanged it for sufficient silver notes and some scattered silver. Linglong carefully sewed the money on the inside of the corner of his clothes.
Back at Huang Mansion, Linglong stood under the courtyard in the courtyard and looked up at the sky. She knew that it was time to leave.
The old concierge walked slowly, his eyes full of worry and reluctance.
"Madam, are you really going to leave? The world outside is difficult."
Linglong smiled slightly, but her eyes were firm.
"Uncle, it will be dangerous to stay here. I can't sit still and wait for death."
She took out a thick cotton coat from the bag and handed it to the old gatekeeper.
"Uncle, this cold winter is approaching, so you keep it warm. Thank you for your care."
The old doorman took it with his hands tremblingly, tears flashing in his eyes.
Linglong took a deep breath and turned around and walked past the high threshold.
Linglong stood outside the Huang Mansion Gate and looked back at the mottled vermilion gate, and felt mixed feelings.
After thinking about it, Linglong remembered that she had heard of the prosperity and lively Youzhou, and that Xi Yu had also found herself. Perhaps she could have a glimmer of life when she went there and could find Xi Yu's protection.
After a certain idea, she found a carriage and hired a simple carriage.
The coachman was a honest middle-aged man. He raised his horse whip and asked, "Girl, this journey is not close. What are you going to Youzhou?"
Linglong lowered her eyes slightly and said softly: "Go and find an old friend."
The coachman didn't ask much, shouted, and the carriage slowly started.
Linglong sat in the car, and in the bumpy state, she grabbed the bag beside her, containing clothes and dry food.
The scenery outside the car windows is constantly changing, and it gradually drives from familiar streets to unfamiliar suburbs.
In her heart, she was both nervous about the unknown and a little expectation for the future.
The drizzle was as soft as silk, falling quietly. Before I knew it, the carriage she was riding in slowly drove into a quiet village - Wang Haipeng's.
The coachman tied the reins and turned to Linglong in the car and said, "Girl, I'm afraid the rain won't stop for a while. We have to find a place to shelter from the rain."
Linglong lifted up a corner of the car curtain, looked at the village covered by the rain, and nodded slightly and replied: "Then let's borrow a roof from a family."
The coachman jumped out of the carriage and led his horse to search in the village. Soon after, he stopped in front of a small courtyard.
The coachman stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.
After a while, the gate of the courtyard opened and Wang Haipeng poked his head out.
He looked at the uninvited guest outside the door with confusion.
The coachman hurriedly gave up his smile to explain his purpose. Wang Haipeng looked at the carriage behind and Linglong inside the car. He hesitated for a moment, and still turned sideways and let them into the yard.
Linglong got out of the car and walked into the yard. The rain fell along her hair.
She thanked Wang Haipeng slightly, and Wang Haipeng scratched his head and said uncomfortablely: "You don't have to be polite girl. It's raining heavily, let's go into the house first."
The two of them were about to step in, but they suddenly stopped. There were many soldiers wearing armor in the yard, and the atmosphere was solemn.
The coachman looked alert and whispered to Linglong: "Girl, what's going on?"
Linglong was also full of doubts and her eyes were circling on the soldiers.
Wang Haipeng noticed the strangeness of the two, hurriedly looked at the soldiers, with a question in his eyes, as if he was silently asking whether he would tell the girl about their identities.
At this time, a soldier stepped forward and said with a calm expression: "We are soldiers from the Youzhou border crossing, and we have some official duties here."
Linglong was slightly stunned, then showed a gentle smile and greeted him softly: "Hello, Jun, this heavy rainy day has disturbed you."
The soldiers nodded and looked back, but their eyes were still a little scrutinized.
Linglong's eyes inadvertently swept towards Wang Hu on the side. Wang Hu seemed to know what she was thinking, and quickly waved his hand and said, "You don't have to look at me. I'm not a soldier, but an ordinary farmer."
The rain ticked down the eaves, breaking the brief silence. Linglong thought secretly in her heart, why did these soldiers appear in the homes of ordinary farmers? What is their so-called official business?
But she remained calm on her face, standing there quietly, waiting for what might happen next, and this unexpected rain seemed to have caused this peaceful village to be involved in an unknown storm...
Wang Haipeng pretended to be sick on the bed for a few days. In the early morning, he finally stopped pretending and sat up slowly.
Just now, a soldier frowned and asked, "The robber came that day and kept saying that there was treasure in your home. What was going on? You have to give me a clear word today!"
Wang Haipeng's heart tightened, his mind was running rapidly, thinking about how to answer to get away from it, suddenly, a knock on the door sounded.
The shouts of the coachman and the delicate and gentle inquiry came from outside the door.
The sudden knock on the door made the atmosphere in the house frozen instantly. A trace of gratitude flashed in Wang Haipeng's eyes. He hurriedly made a gesture to silence the soldiers, signaling them not to speak out for the first time.
The soldiers looked at each other, and although they were a little reluctant, they temporarily suppressed the idea of ​​continuing to ask questions.
The rain was majestic and had no intention of stopping. The raindrops as big as beans hit the ground, splashing layers of water.
Soon, the heart-wrenching knock on the door exploded again in the wind and rain.
Wang Haipeng hurriedly held up a shaking oil-paper umbrella and walked towards the yard with the accumulated water.
The door opened, and a carriage rushed into view with the wind and rain.
Liu Xiaoyu and another soldier were wearing armor and jumped off the carriage in agile posture.
Wang Haipeng looked at Liu Xiaoyu who appeared at the door, and his heart was stormy and his eyes were full of surprise.
He clearly remembered that Liu Xiaoyu should be in the underground secret passage, so how could he appear here at this time?
Seeing Wang Haipeng's face showing shock, Liu Xiaoyu just said briefly: "All this is all, let's talk about it when you enter the house."
That unquestionable tone made Wang Haipeng come to his senses instantly.
Wang Haipeng did not dare to ask any more questions, so he quickly turned sideways and led Liu Xiaoyu and the soldiers into the house.
The rain curtain was heavy, like an endless net, covering the whole world.
Liu Xiaoyu strides into the house, with a heroic figure. The rain slid down his armor and splashes slight splashes on the ground.
Seeing this, the soldiers in the house quickly stood up and saluted him in a neat manner.
At this time, a young soldier looked suspicious and couldn't help asking: "Sir, aren't you in the secret passage? Why did he show up here?"
The rain was still raging outside the house. Liu Xiaoyu was about to answer the soldiers' questions, but her eyes suddenly swept to Linglong and the coachman in the corner. Her brows frowned slightly, her eyes full of vigilance and confusion.
Linglong was keen and immediately noticed Liu Xiaoyu's doubts. She said to Wang Haipeng softly: "Look at you, you seem to have something to discuss. I am afraid that it will be inconvenient for me and the coachman here. Can we go to another room to avoid it for a while?"
Wang Haipeng looked at Liu Xiaoyu, then looked at Linglong, and nodded quickly and replied: "Of course, of course, please, girl."
As he said that, Wang Haipeng led Linglong and the coachman to a small house next door. The room was a little dim and some old farm tools and debris were placed.
"Girl, you feel wronged here first. Just call me if you need anything." After Wang Haipeng said that, he hurriedly left and closed the door.
Linglong sat on a shaking stool, but her ears were unconsciously pressed against the wall. She knew that the next conversation might involve some unknown secrets.
And all of this is developing in a more mysterious direction during these stormy days...
Liu Xiaoyu's face was solemn, and she told everyone about the secret passage.
They encountered many mechanisms and traps in the secret passage, but fortunately they were in danger in the end.
He also left two capable soldiers to guard the treasure in secret passages in case of accidents.
Only then did the soldiers realize that the secret passage led to Youzhou, and they all showed surprise.
Liu Xiaoyu continued to say that the matter had been reported to the Prime Minister's Office. Although the Prime Minister was not here for a while, he also explained the situation in detail with the Prime Minister's wife and waited for the Prime Minister to come back to decide the next step.
Liu Xiaoyu stood in the room with a tall figure, and continued with firm eyes: "This return is to clarify everything and take out the treasures in the secret passage. These treasures are the most appropriate only if they are presented to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister decides how to deal with them."
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier turned to Wang Haipeng and asked with a sharp look: "Are the treasures in their mouths in the secret passages that the robbers who came to ask for that day?
Wang Haipeng's body trembled slightly, and he nodded and replied: "Mr. Jun, this is true. The villain will never dare to say anything false."
A soldier suddenly stepped forward and pointed at Wang Haipeng and said loudly: "Chief, he is lying! When he heard that there was a treasure in the basement, his surprised look could not be fake. He must have known it for a long time. He must have something to hide from us."
Everyone's eyes instantly gathered on Wang Haipeng. Wang Haipeng's face turned red to his ears, his eyes dodged, and he was stammering but didn't know how to speak.
Liu Xiaoyu's face darkened, her eyes looked at Wang Haipeng with a torch, and her voice was low and majestic, "What's going on?"
At this time, another soldier stepped forward to report: "Chief, several robbers attacked that day, and they were very fierce. If it weren't for the help of brothers Wang Hu, we two brothers might have encountered an unexpected accident."
Everyone stared at Wang Haipeng, as if they wanted to find all the hidden secrets from him, while the rain outside the house was still drizzling, knocking on the windows, as if adding a bit of uneasy rhythm to this tense situation.
Liu Xiaoyu's eyes were as cold as an eagle, and shot straight at Wang Hu. It seemed that the soldiers looked full of admiration and admiration for Wang Hu.
Retracting his gaze, Liu Xiaoyu stared at Wang Haipeng again, his voice low but unquestionable: "Wang Haipeng, now, you'd better tell me honestly and not hide anything anymore. Otherwise, military law will deal with it!"
Beads of sweat as big as beans on Wang Haipeng's forehead rolled down. His hands were squeezing the corners of his clothes uneasy, his eyes wandering between Liu Xiaoyu and Wang Hu in a panic, his lips trembling, as if he was trying hard to decide whether to tell the truth.
The room was silent, and everyone's eyes were stuck on Wang Haipeng like nails.
After a while, Wang Haipeng seemed to have made a great decision and finally spoke: "General Liu, I really have never heard of the treasure hidden in the secret room."
Wang Hu sneered from the side: "Hmph, sure, if I knew there was such a good thing, I would have thought of a way to steal all the treasures!"
Wang Haipeng's head lowered. He bit his lip tightly, without refuting, obviously accusing Wang Hu of what he said.
Seeing that he could not hide it, Wang Haipeng hurriedly said truthfully: "Commander Liu, I will not hide it from it. The treasure that the robbers wanted that day was actually something else. All the soldiers wait for a moment and allow me to get it." After that, he turned around quickly and walked towards the other room.
Soon, Wang Haipeng came out of the room and carefully held a bag in his hand.
Everyone's eyes were instantly attracted by the bag. The house was very quiet for a moment, and only the sound of raindrops falling outside the house could be heard. Everyone was curious about what treasure was contained in the bag, which attracted the robbers to come to ask for it.
Wang Haipeng took a deep breath and slowly opened the bag. He saw some golden leaves lying quietly inside, flashing with an attractive luster under the dim light in the house.
He picked up a piece gently and said in a little helpless tone: "This is my grandfather's stay. Back then, my grandfather had done a stolen matter with some people. After the matter was done, it was uneven and the stolen goods were very unpleasant. I guess those robbers were descendants of the people who made enemies with my grandfather back then. After so many years, they were still thinking about these things."
Liu Xiaoyu raised his hand slightly, signaled everyone to be quiet, and then said to the soldiers: "No matter what, since this is something passed down from Wang Haipeng's family, it is all his own things."
After saying that, Liu Xiaoyu chuckled softly and continued, "We are all doing things on orders, so how could we do that corruption? Wang Haipeng, please pack up these golden leaves quickly. We won't have any idea of ​​it."
When Wang Haipeng heard this, his eyes were full of gratitude. He quickly put Jin Yezi back on his bag one by one, hugged him tightly in his arms, and kept saying "Thank you, Commander Liu, thank you, all the soldiers."
In the slightly dim room next door, Linglong pressed her ears tightly against the wall, listening attentively to every word coming from next door, feeling surprised. She really didn't expect that there were so many complicated things hidden behind it.
The coachman looked at Linglong's actions and frowned slightly, feeling that it was inappropriate and indecent to eavesdrop on other people's conversations.
But he opened his mouth, hesitated for a few moments, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just shook his head helplessly, sat aside silently, listening to the sound of rain outside the house, waiting for Linglong to finish this story that they shouldn't have participated.
After a while, Linglong found that the coachman was looking at him, probably knowing that what he did was a bit indecent.
She then smiled slightly.
Chapter completed!