Fireworks bloomed in March, rain fell one after another, and all parts of the south of the Yangtze River were shrouded in gloomy clouds. It was almost dusk, and there were even fewer pedestrians on the road. On an official road leading to Jinling, a dozen officers were escorting five prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons.
is moving forward with difficulty.
"It's so damn unlucky that I have to go on a business trip in such a terrible weather." An official picked up the wine gourd, shook it, and found that it was empty. He was even more upset and angry. After all, it was such a terrible weather.
It was wet and cold, and there was no burning knife to warm the body, so I was bound to suffer from typhoid fever.
"Hurry up, everyone!" The official waved his official badge and vented his grievances on the prisoner. Because these orphans and widowed mothers, apart from crying and moaning, were just dragging their feet, and now they have no way to go to the village or shop, he
There was nowhere to buy a drink. And it was getting late. If they couldn't reach the next inn before dark, they would have to spend the night in the wilderness.
Seeing that the big stick was about to hit her, an older woman hurriedly protected a child behind her and let the stick hit her. When other people saw it, they rushed over to protect her. The group of prisoners continued
There was a burst of crying, and when the officer saw it, he became even more angry, and the stick fell with a little more force.
"Third son, stop it. Are you busy with Magistrate Gao's orders? Don't treat the Liu family's wife and children badly." An old official stepped forward and grabbed the stick he held high.
"Brother Zhou, these people have committed a serious crime of treason. They will not come back alive with their lives. Why don't we..." The officer put down the stick in his hand and looked at the four female prisoners again.
She was pretty good-looking, either a virtuous young woman or a harem girl. Although she was unkempt, her pitiful appearance made the official even more evil-minded.
"Brother Zhou, you are right. There is no village or shop in the back. Let's find a place to stay first and have a good night before leaving." Several officials also agreed with lewd smiles. They all came from Qingtian.
The Liu family is from the county, and the hereditary earl of the Liu family is a famous family in Qingtian County. Now that the lady and countess from a famous family have fallen into their hands, why not take advantage of others' danger?
"You bastards are getting more and more courageous. Have you forgotten what Magistrate Gao ordered before leaving? You don't want to die, do you?" the experienced official said angrily.
"Brother Zhou, if you don't tell me or if we don't tell you, who knows? The Liu family lady is very pretty. Brother Zhou, please have some soup." The officer named Sanzi said with a lewd smile, and those few
When the orphans and widows heard that these guys were blatantly targeting them, their faces turned pale with fright.
"This, this is not good, these people are all serious criminals of the imperial court. If they are found out, we can't afford it." The old officer hesitated a little, and looked at a female prisoner who looked like a teenager.
"So what if we find out, let's fight to the death. They are repeat offenders, and no one will believe what they say." Another official continued to cheer everyone up.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, but we have agreed that if something comes out, we will have to keep our mouths shut." The old officer stared at the Miss Liu family for a few more times, but in the end, desire triumphed over reason.
"I understand, even if I'm beaten to death, I won't say anything." All the officials immediately agreed.
"Pull the people to the woods over there. Let's spend the night there and let everyone have fun." After the old officer gave the order, several officers swarmed up like wolves and tigers, pulling the orphans and widows towards the woods.
When we went there, the prisoners cried out and resisted, but they were beaten and kicked. In short, it became a chaos.
Just when these beast-hearted officials were preparing to enjoy themselves in time, more than a dozen cold arrows flew out from the edge of the woods. They were caught off guard, and all of them were hit by arrows in their hearts. They screamed in agony, and fell to the ground one after another. Dead people fell on the ground, and then
The prisoners were immediately frightened when they were splashed with blood.
Just when the prisoners were at a loss when facing the dead people on the ground, a dozen masked men jumped out from the trees and surrounded them.
"Who are you?" an old woman asked in a trembling voice.
"The person who saved your life." As soon as the masked man's voice fell, he slashed the opponent's neck with a hand knife. The bodies of those criminals softened and they all collapsed on the ground.
At this moment, several carriages came out of the woods, and the masked men worked together to lift the prisoners onto the carriages, and quickly disappeared into the night fog. After traveling for several miles, the carriages came to a river with several
The boat was waiting there, and the masked men quickly carried the prisoners onto the boat, loaded them into several large cargo boxes, and nailed the lids shut.
"There are five people in total, four women and one man." A masked man pulled down the mask on his face, revealing a fair face, which was Liu Wan.
"Sister Wanwan, why does that bad guy named Wan want these people? And he is willing to give out thirty artillery pieces in exchange. Are these people really that valuable? How about we detain him and give him a good deal later?
." Another person's cold female voice sounded, it was Lan Yue.
"Xiaoyue, we can't break our trust." Liu Wan said sadly.
"Why are you breaking your trust? Let's not tell him. How many people does he know? Besides, in this chaotic environment, it is normal for one or two people to be missing. Let's secretly detain one or two people, and we will have a handle in the future.
In hand." Lan Yue said again.
"They are allies with us, so we can't plot against them anymore. If they allow us to handle this matter, they must have some back-up, so we'd better send them over honestly to avoid causing other problems." Liu Wan frowned and said,
She once fell into Wan Lei's hands, so she had an instinctive fear of Wan Lei, and because of her, her master was still a hostage in Beiping City, so she couldn't fall out at this time.
"Sister Wan, you always speak for that bad guy, don't you..." Before Lan Yue could finish her words, she got a chestnut on the head.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I will ask my godmother to send you to Xiaoliuqiu to test your monkey nature."
"No, please don't. Xiaoliuqiu is poor and miserable. I don't want to go. It's better to stay in Jiangnan." Lan Yue said hurriedly.
"Okay, stop gossiping and get dressed up and set off immediately. We have to get to Zhoushan before tomorrow night so that we can catch the cargo ship heading north." Another man dressed as a boatman said.
The so-called cargo ship going north is actually a caravan. This caravan is not an ordinary caravan. It is a lucky ship and is equipped with artillery. It is a maritime smuggling team. Of course, if you encounter other people along the way,
Ship, it can immediately transform into a pirate and directly rob it.
"Sister Wanwan, are you going north with us?" Lan Yue asked in confusion when she saw that Liu Wan had also changed into a fisherman's costume like her.
"Well, I want to go see Master." Liu Wan said, looking a little unnatural again.
"Oh!" Lan Yue gave a look of understanding, but then said: "You left, what about Jiangnan..."
"The godmother will take care of Jiangnan's affairs herself, and we will just listen to the arrangements."