The two of them set off soon after the prefect left.
Because the Yangtze River officials and bandits have been uneasy in the past two years, Xu He had already planned a route for this trip before coming.
He did not take a boat from Songjiang Prefecture to Chongming via Hebaozhong, and then transfer to Haimen or Tongzhou.
In this area, Cao Jiang's army patrols very frequently.
After what happened in Yangzhou last time, Xu He was very afraid of being noticed by others, so he could only take more land routes.
The land route is from Jiading to Taicang Prefecture, Changshu, Jingkou all the way to the vicinity of Jingjiang, then take a boat to Taixing, and finally go north to Hailing.
Although this journey is hard, the big cities are the most numerous and the safest. As long as you don't go to remote places, it's still very safe.
The two traveled for two days and stayed in Changshu and Jingkou for two nights.
Early on the third day, I met the waiter who came across the river to pick me up.
Even though Xiao Er's family is just an ordinary fisherman in a small town far away from the Yangtze River.
But in fact, families like theirs are closely connected with many water-based life-seeking forces on both sides of the Yangtze River.
Of course, I'm not saying that Xiao Er's family is a gangster, but these days, people from all walks of life know that they have to get together to fight when something happens.
Just like the Nian Army during the Taiping Rebellion, what does Nian mean?
Gather together!
A very vivid word refers to the relationship between a family like Xiao Er and his family, Pan Dao Noodles and Wonton Noodles.
On weekdays, everyone doesn't say hello when nothing happens, but if they encounter a difficult time, they will respond to each other and rebel together!
Xu He and Ding Ze were quite happy to see the waiter.
The three of them were all still young and there were no restrictions when meeting each other. Xu He asked the waiter to sit down and have breakfast together.
The waiter smiled and sat down without any politeness at all: "Sir, my father invited us to have the leaders of the area and the forces in Jingkou reported. Here!"
As he spoke, he took out a small red flag from his arms and said: "When the time comes, hang this thing on the bow of the boat. Those people who are seeking a living on the river will not come to provoke you. Even Cao Jiangjun will not interrogate you if he sees it!"
When Xu He heard this, he curiously took the little red flag from his hand.
The red flag is not big, with the word "Su" written on the back, which is probably the surname of the person in charge of this area.
After reading it, Xu He returned the flag with a smile, and then asked the store owner to bring more dry food so that the waiter and Ding Ze could eat well.
After eating, the three of them came to the river. The waiter pointed to a boat in the distance and said, "The boat was already alive when we came here. This is the boat I can find."
Ding Ze smiled and said: "Is this ship reliable? The boss of the ship won't turn his back on him when he gets to the center of the river, right?"
When the waiter heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he spat, which made Ding Ze a little confused.
The waiter said sternly: "Brother Ding, you don't know if you don't run the boat, you don't want to say such things!"
It was rare for Ding Ze to tell a joke, but he didn't expect to be scolded by the younger waiter, which made him a little embarrassed.
But the waiter smiled and said: "There are many rules on board, Brother Ding, don't worry!"
After getting on the boat, Xu He saw that the boat was very clean and the boss of the boat was a kind-hearted old man, so he felt relieved and read a book in the cabin.
Soon after, the boat sailed towards the north of the Yangtze River. After about a stick of incense, Ding Ze suddenly said from outside: "Who is it?"
The waiter also seemed to be questioning the other party: "Brothers on the opposite boat, didn't you see the red flag on the bow of my boat?"
Xu He heard the movement, and just when he felt something was wrong, he heard a "boom", and then he fell into the cabin.
Just as he stood firm, the light at the cabin door suddenly dimmed, and several barefooted men broke in.
Before Xu He could figure out the situation, he heard the waiter shouting: "Who are you? Do you follow the rules? We have already visited the dock!"
But just as he finished speaking, Xu He heard a whine. When he was escorted out of the cabin by several strong men, he discovered that not only him, but also Ding Ze, the boatman, and his family members were all tied up and gagged. Bar.
"Heroes, if you want money, don't hurt anyone. Everything we have on us can be taken away!" Xu He tried his best to calm himself down and said to the big man next to him.
It's a pity that those big men ignored Xu He's words and didn't talk to him at all. A few people directly carried Xu He to the big boat on the side, threw him on the board and ignored him.
When Xu He was looking confused, suddenly a woman beside him spoke: "Mr. Xu, isn't it rude to leave your benefactor without thanking him?"
When Xu He heard this voice, he stood up and turned his head to look. Sure enough, a saintly girl dressed in white, who looked like a fairy from the world, was standing behind him, looking at him with a pair of bright eyes like water and spring.
"Saint..." Xu He said in surprise.
The woman chuckled and said, "Hey, I didn't expect Mr. Xu to still remember the slave family!"
After saying that, she waved her hand and said: "This is not the way we treat guests. Come on, help Mr. Xu into the cabin to drink tea!"
Arriving in the big cabin, Xu He was shocked to find that the decoration inside was even more luxurious than the study room of a big family.
Just the Yanghaohu pen on the pen mountain on the table is not affordable for ordinary scholars.
The saint sat down opposite Xu He, picked up the teapot and tapped it, and then placed a cup of fragrant tea in front of Xu He.
"Mr. Xu, I'm scared. Come on, drink tea!" The saint girl had a smile in her eyes, but although she couldn't see her face, Xu He could feel that the other party didn't mean any harm.
Xu He cupped his hands and said, "I haven't thanked the Holy Lady for saving my life last time. I wonder what I can learn from you this time?"
The saint said: "Mr. Xu, aren't you curious about who I am? Why should I save you?"
Xu Hexin said that you hide your head and show your tail. If you want to say it, you have said it a long time ago. How can you wait until now?
But what he didn't expect was that after the saint finished speaking, she took off the veil from her face.
Xu He looked at it and said in surprise: "Yes, it's you..."
The saint smiled and said: "I didn't expect that the young master could still remember the little girl!"
It turned out that the saint sitting opposite Xu He was the one who Xie Liangcai took him to visit the academy when he was in Hailing and received their brothel girl... Su Yaoguang.
Xu He really couldn't believe it even if he wanted to, a cult saint turned out to be the gentle and lovely prostitute Su Yaoguang from the academy.
"It turns out to be Miss Su!" Xu He cupped his hands and said, "I really didn't expect you to be the saint of Qingcha Sect! But I still want to thank you for surviving last time!"
Su Yaoguang was slightly startled when he heard [Qingchamen]: "It seems that Mr. Xu knows a lot about us?"
Xu He smiled and did not continue. His knowledge of the Qingcha Sect was limited to what his uncle had told him before, and nothing more.
But in this case, it's better to pretend to be mysterious so that the other party can't figure out your true identity.
Su Yaoguang stared at Xu He for a long time, as if wondering how the scholar in front of him knew about Qingcha Sect.
However, after drinking tea, she was no longer entangled and said with a smile: "Last time in Yangzhou Mansion, I thanked Mr. Xu for speaking up and bringing Zhou Tianxiong to justice. Otherwise, the crimes that the little girl suffered would have to go to the underworld. Forget about looking for him again!"
