Zhou Huiniang lowered her head, thought for a while, then raised her head and said to Chen Xiaomu, "I wonder if I can save that little girl Xiaohuan if I take you there now?"
Chen Xiaomu ignored her and asked her instead, "There are so many tenants living in your father's inn. Why did you target the two of us as soon as you got here? And you even asked someone to pry open the door of our room?"
"As soon as I entered the house, my father asked me to go back to Zhang Yong without asking any questions. He said that you had just killed a Chu soldier and were willing to pay five thousand taels of silver to settle the matter. When I heard this, I felt that this was a serious matter. Made out of nothing, if you really killed a Chu army, how dare you hang around in Xinjing City until midnight and then come to my father's place to stay? Most people have already fled the city and don't know where to hide, and when I came, I already knew that Xinjing City was there. Being controlled by Zheng Jun, I suspected that you two were Zheng Jun's spies. In addition, my father told me that he told you a lot about his relationship with Zhang Yong, so we discussed it and prepared to be unaware. I don’t think I’ll kill you two to silence you.”
After Chen Xiaomu heard what Zhou Huiniang said, he couldn't help but praise her. He felt that this woman was quite smart, at least not stupid, so he turned to Ximen Ruoen and smiled: "I just took in two personal bodyguards, why don't you take care of them?" How about this woman staying here and being your personal maid?"
As soon as Chen Xiaomu finished speaking, before Ximen Ruoen could speak, Zhou Huiniang was unwilling to say, "This military master, although I don't know what official positions you two hold in the Zheng Army, but I see that your ages are incomparable. Is Zhang Yong's magistrate still big? I am Zhang Yong's concubine now, so my status is much higher than that maid's, right? Besides, I'm just asking you not to kill me, and I'm not planning to be that kind of personal maid!"
Chen Xiaomu sneered and said: "You are already about to die, why do you care about your status? OK, then I have decided not to spare you now, and we will kill you in half at three quarters today!"
Zhou Huiniang's heart suddenly felt as if she had fallen into an ice hole, and she felt as if the blood in her body was about to solidify. She asked Chen Xiaomu in a mosquito-like voice, "Master Jun, didn't you just promise my father to spare the lives of our father and daughter?" "
Chen Xiaomu squinted his eyes, glanced at her, and said, "It was your father who led us to capture Zhang Yong, not you. Why should I spare your life? Besides, you followed Zhang Yong and betrayed the country and surrendered to the enemy. Just because of this One piece is more than enough to kill you!"
Zhou Huiniang was stunned by fright. After a long while, she softly begged, "Master Jun, my father only has one daughter. Now he is very old and needs someone to take care of him. I beg Jun Master to spare my little girl's life. I am willing." Become a maid to this female military master."
"It's too late!" Two short words came out of Chen Xiaomu's mouth.
This is when Zhou Huiniang really panicked. Since her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn't move easily, she crawled and knelt down in front of Chen Xiaomu, kowtowed and begged for mercy. Her tears soaked the black cloth on Menza's face.
Seeing Chen Xiaomu's indifferent look, Ximen Ruoen couldn't bear it. She bent down and hugged Zhou Huiniang, comforting her: "I won't let him kill you, I'll protect you!"
Zhou Huiniang felt as if she had found a savior when she heard this. She immediately stopped kowtowing to Chen Xiaomu and buried her head in Ximen Ruoen's arms.
Ximen Ruoen rolled his eyes at Chen Xiaomu and said angrily, "He is still a child, how can you bear to scare him like this?"
Chen Xiaomu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "She is a child. How old are you?"
Simon Ruoen raised his head, "I don't care, you can't kill her anyway. If you want to kill her, I will fight you to the death!"
"Okay, okay, it's up to you. I'll let you be the good guy. I don't care." Chen Xiaomu raised his hands above his head in a gesture of surrender and said.
"Hmph." Ximen Ruoen snorted proudly, reached out and untied the black cloth belt that tied Zhou Huiniang's hands. After Zhou Huiniang's hands were freed, she immediately lay down in front of Ximen Ruoen, kowtowed to her, and said, "Little woman Thank you, the female military master, for not killing me!"
"Pfft." Chen Xiaomu couldn't help laughing after hearing Zhou Huiniang's name to Ximen Ruoen. Ximen Ruoen glanced at him, "What's so funny? What's wrong with me, now I'm a female military master?"
Chen Xiaomu held back his laughter and quickly bowed to salute her, "Yes, yes, you are the female military commander, and I have also met the female military commander."
"Your Highness!" Zhou Huiniang, who was lying in front of Ximen Ruoen, raised her head in surprise and looked at Ximen Ruoen with shock. She heard Zhang Yong said that the word "His Highness" was not used randomly, only the emperor's son Only when you and your daughter can be called Your Highness, otherwise it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor and beheading him.
Chen Xiaomu smiled and said: "What? Didn't you just think that her official position was not as good as that of your prefect? Now I tell you, she is a serious princess. Maybe in three or two months, you should Call her Your Majesty the Emperor!"
As if in a dream, Zhou Huiniang first turned to look at Chen Xiaomu, and then turned back to look at Ximen Ruoen. She wondered if these two people were teasing her. At this time, Ximen Ruoen was blushing with embarrassment. She stretched out her hands to help him kneel down. Zhou Huiniang, who was on the ground, said: "'It's good that I used to be the princess of the E Kingdom, but now the E Kingdom is gone and we are preparing to restore the country."
Zhou Huiniang took off the black cloth that was tied to her face with trembling hands, and fell at the feet of Ximen Ruoen again, "You deserve to be damned, I didn't know that the master is your highness, princess, please forgive me!"
Chen Xiaomu sighed. It seems that this Chinese culture has been official culture since ancient times. Even if you only have an awe-inspiring title, it can scare people to the ground.
At this time, the sky outside the room was getting brighter. Standing in front of the window, you could distinguish the plants and trees in the yard with your naked eyes. The few men in black who were injured in the yard were unknown to the scout and the two brothers He Jian. After carrying it somewhere, there was a layer of faint white mist floating in the center of the garden in the yard.
'' oops! "Ximen Ruoen exclaimed from behind him, which made Chen Xiaomu tremble all over. He quickly turned around. It turned out that Ximen Ruoen was carefully observing Zhou Huiniang's face after taking off the Monza black cloth. This was a face that did not look like anything. Stunning, but with facial features that make people feel very comfortable and likeable. At this time, Zhou Huiniang's face was covered with blue and purple bruises, and there were also several wounds with bloody scabs in between that seemed to have been made by a knife. .
Chen Xiaomu frowned, walked to Ximen Ruoen, stared at Zhou Huiniang's scarred face, and asked her, "Were you beaten by Zhang Yong?"
Zhou Huiniang nodded gently.
"Why did he hit you?" Chen Xiaomu then asked.
Tears instantly filled Zhou Huiniang's eyes. She looked at Chen Xiaomu and bit her lips tightly without making a sound.
Simon Ruoen put his arm around Zhou Huiniang's shoulders like he did his sister, and whispered in her ear: "Tell me, girl, we will catch Zhang Yong later, and I will make the decision for you!"
Zhou Huiniang began to sob and said intermittently: "The night before yesterday, Wu Yan came to the magistrate's house to talk to Zhang Yong. Zhang Yong asked me to go over and drink with him. Who knew that Wu Yan took a fancy to me at a glance and asked me at the wine table? Zhang Yong proposed and asked Zhang Yong to give me to him. Zhang Yong agreed without saying a word. I was a little embarrassed and felt like I was being sent around by men like an object. Besides, Wu Yan was A native of Chu State, if he is transferred back to Chu State in the future, wouldn’t I have to follow him to an unfamiliar place, leaving my father alone in Zheng State? In desperation, I boldly said After saying that he was unwilling to follow Wu Yan, Wu Yan turned his back on him and walked away.
Zhang Yong then ordered me to be sent to the Wu Mansion that night. I was unwilling to do so, so Zhang Yong asked several women who did rough work in the mansion to strip me naked and then tie me tightly to the bed. While he was ravaging me, he was twisting and pinching my face and body. When he was done, he took out a knife and slashed my body and face randomly! "
"This old beast!" Ximen Ruoen cursed angrily through gritted teeth.
Chen Xiaomu asked with some confusion, "He abused you like this and dared to send you back to find a hiding place for him. Aren't he afraid that you would report him? Also, we just asked you to lead us to arrest this beast Zhang Yong. You still don’t want to?”
Zhou Huiniang raised her sleeves to wipe her tears and said: "Zhang Yong is a native of Xinjing City. His friends and colleagues who were classmates with him either escaped or were killed by the Chu people after they entered the city, so he cannot be found. He can entrust someone he trusts, and our family is an old household in Xinjing City, with many relatives in this city, so in the end he can only hope that I will find him a hiding place, and when he comes, he He once told me that Wu Yan came to him that night to ask him to guard the new capital for a few days. After he led his troops to destroy the Zheng army outside Xinyang Pass, he would return to the new capital soon. At that time, Wu Yan would Recommend him as the deputy general of the New Capital City garrison. Because I am afraid that Wu Yan will really return to the new capital city in a few days, I dare not take you to capture Zhang Yong. Instead, I think that if I can help Zhang Yong get through this, no matter how hard he goes, Please beg him, maybe he will remember my feelings for saving him and find a way not to send me to Wu Yan!"
"Do you dare to kill someone?" Chen Xiaomu suddenly asked Zhou Huiniang.
Zhou Huiniang glanced at Chen Xiaomu timidly, shook her head, and whispered, "I don't dare."
"Okay, don't you dare. Then you'll be watching from the side...!" Before Chen Xiaomu could finish his words, the door in front of the yard was pushed open with a crash, and a few people in the yard were hiding in the dark. The remaining scouts immediately jumped out and surrounded him with knives.
Li Gui took the lead into the courtyard of the inn. Chen Xiaomu saw Li Gui in front of the window and immediately walked out of the room to greet him.
When Li Gui saw Chen Xiaomu, he first saluted him with a military salute. Before Chen Xiaomu could return the salute, he couldn't wait to ask Li Gui, "Have you been caught?"
Li Gui pointed at the crowd of people who were coming in one after another behind him, and said with a smile: "Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life, and brought them all to me!"
Chen Xiaomu stretched his head and looked behind Li Gui. Li Gui's thirty or forty scouts were holding knives and surrounding a dozen men, women and children wearing colorful clothes, and they were walking into the yard.
Chen Xiaomu pulled Li Gui aside and asked in a low voice, "Have you caught the prefect named Zhang Yong?"
Li Gui pointed to an old man who was walking among a dozen people. He was not tall and had a gray beard on his face. He looked not angry and intimidating, but he looked like an upright old man. He said to Chen Xiaomu, "I was briefly interrogated on the road just now." After a while, a little maid here secretly told me that the old man with a gray beard is Zhang Yong."
Chen Xiaomu nodded and walked towards the dozen or so people. He walked up to Zhang Yong with a smile and cupped his hands, "Prefect Zhang, you have always been good!"
Zhang Yong was startled by this sudden greeting. He stood there and looked at Chen Xiaomu carefully, then waved his hand and acted like a prefect, "You little kid, I don't know you!"
Chen Xiaomu laughed dryly, "Don't we know each other now?"
Zhang Yong frowned and said with an angry face: "Little baby, who started this trouble and who is the mastermind? Such a bold and reckless act is going to kill the nine tribes. Even if you don't want to live, why don't you do it for me?" Think about your parents, brothers, uncles and brothers!"
"Haha," Chen Xiaomu looked up to the sky and laughed, "You are a traitor, but you can still speak so righteously. I think before I kill you, I have to cover your shameless old face with a piece of black cloth to avoid unnecessary trouble. Shame on your ancestors."
"Kill me?" Zhang Yongyong sneered, not wanting to be outdone, "'You are such a cunning man who doesn't know the heights of heaven and earth. I advise you to let me go with good words as soon as possible. When General Wu Yan returns to the new capital, I can suddenly do something for you. Speak good words and ask him to spare your life, otherwise he will kill all nine of your clans!"
"Oh, if you say that, I have to thank you first!" Chen Xiaomu said jokingly: "But I forgot to tell you, you will meet your Chu country master General Wu Yan later!"
"Alas" Chen Xiaomu sighed again, "I'm just curious about what topics you two can talk about on the guillotine!"
"What? You caught General Wu Yan?" Zhang Yongyong looked at Chen Xiaomu in disbelief! Then he shook his head again, "How can you be General Wu Yan's opponent? You want to trick me, little kid, are you a little green?"
