On November 25th, a heavy snowfall fell in Shu. The auspicious snow heralded a good harvest. Although the hands and faces of the people in Shu were red from the cold, their faces were filled with festive smiles.
Although it was located in a remote area, due to its proximity to Tubo, news of the Tang army's victory had already spread throughout Shu.
People have stopped farming at this time and like to gather together and talk loudly every day when they have nothing to do.
In addition to the topic of the Tang army's victory over Tubo, the topic of the appearance of a talented woman in Shu was most frequently mentioned.
The woman's name was Fei Ling'er. She was originally unknown, but she went to Chang'an alone and challenged ten famous families in Chang'an with ten kinds of musical instruments.
Although she won less and lost more, no one really felt that she had lost.
Because of this incident, the people of Shu were greatly exposed, and many people who loved music began to travel across mountains and rivers to Shu to learn Shu music.
Some businessmen with a keen sense of smell began to come to Sichuan to purchase musical instruments and sell them to other places. For a time, there were gratifying changes in Sichuan.
Fei Ling'er herself was sought after by the Shu people for this reason, but unfortunately she had an eccentric husband who set traps outside her home to discourage people who wanted to visit her.
In Qinzhou, there is Yazhang Mountain twenty miles west of Shanyin County. Wang Chen and Fei Ling'er lived by a small stream at the foot of the mountain.
A small courtyard and three houses.
Wang Chen has agreed to Wu Chengsi's invitation to serve in the Shenhuo Camp. This time he went home to deal with some chores, pack his luggage, and then move to Chang'an.
Wang Chen was busy in and out of the house, while Mrs. Wang was sitting in the yard playing the pipa.
It's not that she doesn't want to help her husband, but Wang Chen doesn't allow her to do it.
The carpenter loved his wife's white and delicate hands the most, and how could he let her hurt those beautiful hands by doing rough work?
Mrs. Wang was in a very good mood. Although she and Wang Chen were as affectionate as each other, she occasionally felt that her husband was too stubborn and withdrawn.
This time Wang Chen was willing to become an official in Beijing, so she was naturally very happy.
The song reveals the inner voice. This originally resentful pipa song became cheerful and bright because of Mrs. Wang's good mood.
At this moment, there was a scream mixed with the music. Mrs. Wang's ears were naturally more sensitive than ordinary people, and she heard that it was the sound of someone stepping on her own trap.
He stood up and went over to take a look.
She had just walked out of the hospital and walked a few steps on the thick snow. Suddenly, an arrow shot out and passed by her ear.
Mrs. Wang screamed in fright.
As soon as Wang Chen heard his wife's cry, he immediately put down his affairs and rushed over like a whirlwind. He held his wife's hand and said, "What's wrong?"
At this time, Mrs. Wang had retreated to the entrance of the courtyard, pointing to the woods in front of her, her face turned pale and she said: "I just heard screams in front of me, so I wanted to go over and take a look, but I almost got hit by an arrow."
Wang Shen said: "You wait here, I'll go take a look." He was short in stature and moved very quickly, and he quickly disappeared into the woods.
After a while, Wang Chen ran back and said hurriedly: "Go quickly, go quickly, trouble is coming!" After saying that, he took his wife's hand and headed to the guest room.
Arriving at the guest room, Wang Chen said, "Wait for me here" and hurriedly left the guest room.
When he came back, he had an extra baggage in his hand, which contained some clothes and several coins of Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang had already laid down on the bed in the guest room. Wang Chen lay down next to her and pulled a mechanism on the side of the bed. The bed board flipped and the two of them fell down.
The bed board is extremely delicately designed and returns to its original shape after turning around.
With a click, the mechanism was locked again, and even if someone else was lying on the bed, they would not be able to fall down.
Not long after, more than a dozen men in black entered Wang Chen's courtyard. Many of them became disgraced and embarrassed because of the trap.
The leader was a man in black with gold trim on his clothes. He stood in the middle of the yard with his hands folded and said coldly: "Search!"
All the men in black immediately rushed into the house and rummaged through the boxes and cabinets. The originally neat and cozy cabin suddenly lost its appearance.
The house was not big, so the search was quickly completed, but there was no trace of the couple.
The leader in black said coldly: "They must have escaped. Old Zheng, your tracking skills are the best. Do you know which direction they escaped from?"
A one-armed man in black took two steps forward, hesitated, and said, "Captain, I just checked. It's impossible to hide the footprints in this snowy weather. They probably haven't left this yard."
Another short man in black said harshly: "Fart, this is a place as big as a palm. If they hide, can they escape our eyes?"
The one-armed man in black remained silent, his eyes full of doubts.
The leader in black suddenly said: "The target this time is a carpenter."
The short man in black shouted: "The carpenter doesn't know the invisibility technique!"
The leader in black said coldly: "The carpenter knows how to dig tunnels. Search it again for me. There must be a tunnel or a secret room in the house!"
Everyone's eyes lit up, they agreed, and went to search the house again.
However, no matter how much they moved all the furniture away, they could not find a place that resembled an authentic place.
The one-armed man in black knelt on the ground and knocked on every inch of the ground with the handle of his knife. However, he knocked all over and could not find the secret passage.
The faces of all the men in black were a little ugly.
All of them are the most intelligent, capable and capable people in the organization, but they are being manipulated by a little carpenter.
The leader in black said coldly: "Ignore the secret passage, I will guard it here, and you will divide into four groups to follow in four directions!"
All the men in black agreed and went in different directions.
Wang Chen pushed aside a piece of snow and came out of a hidden cave. He then pulled Mrs. Wang out and helped her clean the grass clippings from her body.
Mrs. Wang frowned and said, "Husband, who are those men in black? Why do they want to come to our house?"
Wang Chen held her hand and walked toward Qinzhou City, and said, "They all have their faces covered, and I don't know them, but..." There was a hint of worry on his face.
"But what?" Mrs. Wang asked.
Wang Chen smiled bitterly and said: "Madam, we are not out of danger yet, so we should go to the county to report to the official!"
Mrs. Wang agreed and headed east quickly with her husband.
Not long after walking, the two of them came to the official road. There were more pedestrians on the road, and they felt relieved.
Unexpectedly, not long after they left, two men in black were chasing after them. They ran very fast and blocked the couple's path in the blink of an eye.
Wang Chen stopped his wife behind him and shouted loudly: "Who are you?"
A man in black said coldly: "Kill your people!" The sword flashed, and he actually planned to commit murder on the official road!
Two passers-by nearby screamed in fear and ran towards the county town.
When Wang Chen saw the light of the sword coming, he did not panic. He took out a crossbow from his sleeve and shot an arrow at the opponent.
The man in black didn't care at first. The sword light had enveloped Wang Chen, and he planned to kill him with one strike.
Unexpectedly, the arrows fired by the small hand crossbow actually made a terrifying scream.
The man in black was shocked and hurriedly stepped aside. His left cheek hurt as he was hit by a crossbow bolt.
He was extremely brave and pulled out the crossbow bolt directly, and blood immediately flowed from his black scarf.
The man in black shouted loudly and slashed with his sword again. Wang Chen retreated and fired another crossbow bolt.
The man in black had the intention to ignore the crossbow bolt, but the sound of the crossbow bolt breaking through the air was so frightening that he had no choice but to duck sideways, only to be hit in the left shoulder by the crossbow bolt again.
At this moment, another man in black came quietly behind Wang Chen and slashed at his vest.
A sharp whistling sound sounded from behind him. The man in black ignored it and wanted to kill Wang Chen directly.
Suddenly, his throat clicked, and a crossbow bolt shot into the back of his neck. The pointed crossbow head passed through his neck and emerged from his throat.
The man in black no longer had the strength to cut off the knife and fell to the ground.
The man in black who was shot in the cheek and shoulder was shocked and angry. There were originally three of them. After discovering the footprints in the snow, one went back to report the news and the other two followed.
I thought that the other party was a small carpenter, so he wouldn't be able to catch it.
Who would have thought that such a helpless carpenter couple could threaten their lives!
The person who killed the man in black was Mrs. Wang. She had a hand crossbow exactly like Wang Chen's. Seeing that her husband was in danger, she subconsciously took action.
Although she often helped her husband hunt with a crossbow, this was the first time she killed someone. She stared blankly at the man in black lying on the ground, her mind going blank.
Wang Chen hurriedly grabbed her and ran past the injured man in black.
The man in black was worried that the couple would be unable to resist if both of them fired their crossbows at once, so he only followed behind and did not dare to get close.
Wang Chen and his wife were always on tenterhooks until they entered the county town and felt a little more at ease.
There were guards at the gate of the city. The man in black knew that he could not enter the city with his appearance, so he did not follow him.
The two of them went to the county government to report to the police. The county government chief knew Wang Chen and immediately agreed to send someone to investigate and told him not to go home for the time being.
Wang Chen didn't want his wife to stay in an inn, so he went to the city to find his friend Zhang Zhongxiao, planning to stay for a few days.
Gu/span He escaped in a hurry this time and left many important things at home. Otherwise, he could have left Shu directly and went to work in Chang'an.
Zhang Zhongxiao is a well-known swordsmith. He lives in the south of the city and has a rich family. His house covers an area of five acres.
His personality is as eccentric as Wang Chen's, and he makes swords entirely based on his mood.
When you are in a bad mood, you will not cast them no matter how much money others offer. When you are in a good mood, you will keep all the swords you have forged and will not sell them.
Only when he is in a good or bad mood will he accept money to help others make swords.
His charges were extremely high, but his craftsmanship was far superior to other swordsmiths in Shu. Others had no choice but to adapt to his personality and would rather wait a few days and pay him a high price to make swords.
When Wang Chen came to Zhang's house, Zhang Zhongxiao happened to be in a bad mood and was helping others make swords.
When he helped others make swords, there was a rule that others must stay in his house and wait.
Someone once asked him why he did this. He said: "This is a ritual. I want the owner of the sword to think only about this sword in these few days. The sword I made must be respected like this!"
When Wang Chen and his wife came to the lobby, they saw a tall man with a beard sitting on a chair waiting. This man was the man who came to make the sword.
The bearded man glanced at Wang and Shen, then quickly looked away without squinting.
Wang Chen and his wife were also sitting and waiting in the lobby. While Zhang Zhongxiao was forging the sword, nothing could disturb him.
The housekeeper knew that Wang Chen was friends with his master, so he ordered someone to serve tea and chat with Wang Chen.
It's a pity that Wang Chen didn't pay much attention to him. The housekeeper felt bored and wanted to leave.
Wang Chen suddenly said: "Steward Chen, where is your master's harp? Bring it over and let my wife play with it."
Butler Chen looked embarrassed and said: "Mr. Wang, my master likes the harp the most and never allows others to touch it. I really can't make the decision. Please bear with me."
Wang Chen glared and said, "I gave him his harp. Do you think he dares not to let my wife touch it?"
Butler Chen was surprised, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Okay, please wait a moment."
Mrs. Wang frowned and said: "Husband, now that you are talking about it, how can I still think about it?"
Wang Chen was very obedient to his wife and immediately stopped Butler Chen so that he didn't have to go get it. He asked his wife, "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Mrs. Wang shook her head with a gloomy expression.
Wang Chen comforted him: "Madam, don't worry. I'll ask Brother Zhang to send someone to fetch my tools later. We won't go back to that home and will go directly to Chang'an to settle down."
Mrs. Wang sighed quietly: "We have lived in that house for more than ten years, and it makes people really unhappy that such a good house has been ruined by others."
When the couple hid under the bed, they didn't go far away at first, wanting to eavesdrop on what the other party was doing.
Later, when I heard the banging and banging noises above, I knew they were demolishing the house, so I fled.
Wang Chen said hurriedly: "Then let's not leave now, wait until the government catches those people, then go back and tidy up, and then enter the capital, okay?"
Mrs. Wang then showed a smile and nodded.
The bearded man didn't speak a word from beginning to end. He had his eyes closed and he didn't know if he was asleep.
Wang Chen and his wife whispered some plans after entering Beijing. When they mentioned their future life, Mrs. Wang's mood became better again.
Around Shen time, the snowflakes in the sky were as small as flying catkins and the wind stopped. Mrs. Wang stood in the corridor watching the snow, with Wang Chen accompanying her.
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked quickly from the end of the corridor.
"Haha! Brother Wang, I didn't expect that you would come to see me. I didn't believe it when Lao Chen told me. Sister-in-law, you are here too. I wonder if Zhang has a good ear today and can listen to your fairy music."
The person who came was none other than Zhang Zhongxiao. Although he was dressed in fine clothes, his feet were bare and his cheeks were dark. His hands, which were darker than his face, squeezed Wang Chen's hand, leaving a black slap mark.
After the three of them entered the lobby, Wang Chen cupped his hands and said, "Brother Zhang, I suddenly encountered a group of thieves in my home. I can't go back for the time being. I want to stay at your home for a few days. Is it inconvenient?"
Zhang Zhongxiao laughed and said: "You can stay here as long as you want." Then his face darkened and he said coldly: "Who is so bold and dares to go to your house to cause trouble? Could it be someone from Huanglong Village?"
When he said this, he looked at the tall man with the curly beard.
After Zhang Zhongxiao came in, the man stood up to show respect.
Hearing this, he hurriedly said: "We in Huanglong Village have nothing to do with this brother, so why would we go to trouble him for no reason?"
Wang Chen was startled, and then he realized that this bearded man was actually from Huanglong Village.
He had long heard that Zhang Zhongxiao had secret dealings with bandits, but he didn't like to spy on people, so he never asked.
Zhang Zhongxiao nodded and said: "That's good. Second Master, your broad sword is ready. Please go ahead."
As soon as he finished speaking, the butler took a few steps forward holding a sword.
Wang Chen saw that the butler was struggling and knew that the sword must be heavy.
Hearing a clear metallic sound, the big man with a beard pulled out his sword from its sheath, and a blue sword nearly two inches wide was held horizontally in his hand.
"What a sword! Brother Zhang, thank you very much!"
Zhang Zhongxiao waved his hand lightly, not being as kind to him as he was to Wang Chen.
Wang Chen and his wife stayed in Zhang Zhongxiao's house like this. Three days passed, but there was still no movement in the Yamen.
Mrs. Wang suddenly felt uneasy, so she agreed to her husband's previous idea and asked Zhang Zhongxiao to send someone to retrieve the tools at home, planning to leave Shu and go to Chang'an.
However, the people Zhang Zhongxiao sent never came back.
That night, the bearded man from Huanglong Village suddenly left and returned. Zhang Zhongxiao met him in the study.
"Second Master, has something happened?" Zhang Zhongxiao couldn't help but ask when he saw the bearded man's serious expression.
The second master said in a deep voice: "Brother Zhang, you can't stay in the house any longer as that couple."
Zhang Zhongxiao's face changed slightly: "Why?"
The second head of the family said: "Someone is offering a reward of one million dollars on the head of that couple. Everyone in the underworld has heard about it. If the couple hadn't lived in your house, everyone in the underworld would have known about your relationship with our Huanglong Village.
, I’m afraid I’ve already taken action.”
Zhang Zhongxiao said with emotion: "One million dollars? What a big deal. Do you know who paid the price?"
The second master shook his head: "In short, you must drive them out of the house as soon as possible. After tonight, they will no longer care about the face of our Huanglong Village. What will happen then? I don't need to remind you, right?"
Zhang Zhongxiao said coldly: "This is Shanyin City, do these guys dare to do anything in the city?"
The second master sighed: "Brother Zhang, your family is originally from the Taoist community. You should know how attractive a million dollars is to those people in the green forest. This is Shu after all, and there are many places that the government cannot control."
Zhang Zhongxiao was silent.
The second master frowned and said, "He's just a carpenter, why do you have to defend him like this?"
Zhang Zhongxiao said in a deep voice: "He helped me improve the method of making swords. If not for this, my sword-making level would not be as good as it is now."
The second master smiled and said: "I thought he saved your life, but it was just a trivial matter. You have protected him for a few days, and you are worthy of him."
Zhang Zhongxiao shook his head and said, "You don't understand."
The second master said in a deep voice: "Brother Zhang, you have to think clearly. There are so many people in Lulin staring at his and his wife's heads. You can't protect them at all. It's better to let them go to the Yamen. It may be safer."
Zhang Zhongxiao remained silent.
The second master said no more, said goodbye and left.
Zhang Zhongxiao thought about it for a long time in his study and finally sighed.
The second boss's last words were right. Even if he wanted to protect Wang Chen and his wife, he didn't have the ability to do so.
After leaving the study and coming to the other courtyard where the couple lived, Zhang Zhongxiao didn't beat around the bush and directly told the story about Lu Lin's bounty for the two of them.
Mrs. Wang covered her mouth with her hands and said in astonishment: "How could this happen? Who on earth wants to offer a reward to us?"
Zhang Zhongxiao shook his head.
Wang Shen said: "Brother Zhang, our husband and wife will leave early tomorrow morning. Do you think it's okay?"
Zhang Zhongxiao said apologetically: "Brother Wang, Mr. Zhang has no intention of driving you away. If you want to stay, Mr. Zhang will give up his family fortune and fight to the death to protect you. I am afraid that I am not capable enough to protect you, but instead
It cost you your lives."
Wang Chen said gratefully: "I know what Brother Zhang is like, but I, Wang Chen, will never do anything that will harm my friends. Tomorrow we and I will go to the government and ask them to send someone to take us to Beijing."
Zhang Zhongxiao thought for a moment and said, "I have some friendship with Cao County Lieutenant. Why don't I go with you tomorrow?"
Wang Chen smiled and said: "Thank you very much, Brother Zhang, for your kindness. But Brother Zhang, don't worry. I have a badge in my hand given by His Highness the King of Zhou. The people in the Yamen will not refuse my request."
Zhang Zhongxiao was stunned for a moment, then touched his nose and said with a wry smile: "Brother Wang, is it because of His Highness King Zhou that you came to Beijing this time?"
Wang Chen nodded.
Zhang Zhongxiao said loudly: "I have heard some of the deeds of His Royal Highness King Zhou. If Brother Wang can follow him, his future will be limitless. I wish Brother Wang a good journey!"