"Let us go, damn, you've got the wrong person," the tightly tied Coliff was carried toward the castle by two armed soldiers. He kept shouting, "You have no right to detain me for no reason. And my wife, you have no right to do this!”
"Be quiet." The armed soldier walking in front turned back and glared at Cliff, which suddenly made him break out in a cold sweat, making him feel like he was being targeted by a hungry wolf.
"I have money, I can give you money, as long as you let me and my wife go and pretend this never happened." Seeing that the messing around had no effect, Cliff quickly put on a flattering smile, "I I can give you a large sum of money, and everyone will have a share.”
"Can you tell me the price?" One of the armed soldiers carrying Koliff seemed a little moved.
"Half a deniel silver coin for each person. I mean, twelve copper coins, okay?" Kliff seemed to have made a major decision and said with a face that was difficult to let go.
The soldiers made eye contact with each other, and finally focused on the tax collector who could make up his mind.
A playful smile appeared on the tax collector's lips and he nodded. The soldiers laughed and threw Coliff heavily to the muddy ground.
A soldier with a crooked neck pulled out a rusty dagger from his waist, placed it next to Colif's hands that were tied behind his back with a rope, and said to him: "There are seven of us, that means you have to give us three daggers." How about a Niel silver coin and twelve copper coins?"
"Will you let me go if I give you money?" Coliff seemed like a drowning man who saw the last straw.
"Of course," the crooked-nosed soldier said as he cut off the rope on Cliff's hand, "I'll untie the rope on your hand first. You give us the money, and then I'll untie the rope on your leg, and then just treat it like this It didn’t happen, so how about it?”
With his hands free again, Cliff was overwhelmed with joy. He didn't think too much. He hurriedly struggled on the muddy ground, took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and gave all the "ransom" money to Crooked Nose. The soldier then looked at him expectantly.
The crooked-nosed soldier handed the money to the tax collector and returned to the muddy Colliff.
However, the crooked-nosed soldier did not cut the thick rope binding his legs as he imagined. Instead, he took out an intact rope from his waist and grabbed his hands like a chicken. His hands were tied again amid his wails and curses.
"I forgot to tell you, they all call me John the Faithful, or John the Cunning, hahaha!" The crooked-nosed soldier laughed together with the soldiers next to him.
"You bunch of beasts that don't keep your word!" Kliff's wife screamed hysterically as she struggled hard against the large hands of the armed soldiers behind her that were as motionless as iron pincers.
"Pooh!"
Even the bald robber who had bullied Koliff spat on the ground with disdain, and he couldn't stand it anymore. It's really ironic that a guy who is so pampered and privileged as a port tax collector is even worse than a mountain bandit leader in terms of integrity.
"Send them to the dungeon. The courier who came to deliver the arrest warrant hasn't left yet. I estimate that when he goes on the road tomorrow, he will bring back a prison van with the wanted criminals." The tax collector weighed the tax in his hand. Lief gave the coins, brushed off the mud stuck on the silver coins with his fingers, and then opened his personal pocket.
………………………………
Village Chief Duden was prepared for both things - either Colif was not captured, and he would act more cautiously in the future; or if Colif was captured, he would prepare a defense for himself.
Duden has a fast horse. If he is really desperate, he will not hesitate to take his wife and leave here together.
As for Adam, Duden could only pray that he could successfully steal a horse from the stable, otherwise there was really nothing he could do.
"Now the dirty water has been poured on that idiot Cliff," Duden walked absentmindedly on the path in the field, thinking secretly in his heart, "But why didn't Baron Simon execute those three people who are no longer relevant to him?" What about thieves of any use?”
Duden felt a little uneasy. If the three thieves were dead, there would be no possibility of Adam being exposed.
Even if Coliff is captured and interrogated, based on his one-sided story, unless Simon has irrefutable evidence, rashly taking away his position and personal freedom will only lower his reputation and leave an image of unreasonable cruelty to people. Isn't this what he doesn't want to see?
Yes, Duden has begun to study Baron Simon the same way he studied Baron Quinnier. He knew the former better than his own wife.
But today, even though the wind was sunny and the temperature was comfortable, he still felt a vague uneasiness lingering around him.
His feelings were always accurate.
The last time he felt this way was five years ago. That night, he embezzled the supplies stored by Baron Quinnier in the granary of Esbai Village and faked the scene of an accident.
But something went wrong at that time, and things spiraled out of control. They wanted to blame Old Mike, who was guarding the granary, but something went wrong - Adam, who was about to knock Old Mike out, was actually subdued by the tough old guy.
Not far away, Duden's mind went blank. He knew that if Old Mike shouted for help, all his plans would be ruined. For a moment he felt that the air was filled with the smell of death.
He soon became cruel, pounced on the frightened old Mike, strangled his neck, and personally killed this good old man who always greeted him with a harmless smile every time he saw him.
He didn't have time to clear his mind.
With deep uneasiness and guilt, he and Adam threw old Mike's body into the granary, stuffed a burning torch in his hand, and then fled the scene.
Afterwards, Baron Quinnier's men found Old Mike's body in the granary, and also found some stolen supplies in Old Mike's house, which Duden had put in in advance.
Therefore, Baron Quinnier, who was attending a banquet in the territory next door, ordered the guards to keep the recovered supplies, and then nailed old Mike's body to a wooden bridge in the territory, so that everyone passing by would trample on it. His bones can be regarded as repayment for his sin of "betraying" Baron Quinnier.
That was considered the pinnacle of Duden's frame-up, but what frightened him was that he would have the same nightmare almost every night during that period - old Mike dragging his charred body step by step towards him in the dream, Ask him why he wants to harm him.
"Uncle, uncle," Adam's voice brought Duden's thoughts back to reality, "Someone is approaching the village in front!"
"Is the messenger back?" Duden's uneasiness became stronger.
"Yes, he came back with a prison van." Adam pointed to the main road in the distance, and Duden looked along your finger.
The person leading the way was dusty, with the messenger's favorite large cowhide bag slung over his shoulder. Behind him, a group of armed soldiers marched slowly forward escorting a black-painted prison van.
"Hell, it can't be them..." Duden saw a couple being held in the prison van. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to see more clearly.
"Yes, it's them." Adam replied in frustration.
…………………………
Cliff was escorted back by Baron Red's soldiers. Nothing could make Simon happier than this.
According to one of the soldiers, if the tax collector had not stopped them that night, Clifford might have set foot on English soil by now.
Simon was glad that didn't happen. At that time, after he learned from Bill that Cliff had run north, he had a premonition that this guy would most likely go to the port and take a sea ship to England.
So, he immediately sent out all the couriers and cavalry, and posted the improvised arrest warrants for Colif along the villages and towns in the north to the port. Unexpectedly, he almost escaped in the end.
He asked little Klein to hand over the bounty of eight silver coins to the leading sergeant exactly, and asked him to bring his greetings and a precious gift to Baron Red - a pot of fine wine. Rotten wine.
Next, is the interrogation of Cliff.
After receiving Simon's order, the soldiers felt a little strange. In their opinion, the instigators have been arrested and brought to justice, so why bother to waste time and effort on interrogating them?
It turned out that Simon could never forget the moment when the village chief Duden was disappointed when he heard that he did not severely punish Theodore. He always felt that there was something strange hidden in it.
Cliff, who was imprisoned in the dungeon, looked ashen and said nothing. He seemed to have been ruthlessly abandoned by God.
When Simon came to the dungeon to interrogate him, there was no trace of life or vitality in this guy's decadent eyes. His lips were broken and bleeding due to dryness, and it looked like he hadn't had any water for a while.
"Give him some water." Simon needed Cliff to wake up. An unconscious person could not provide him with valuable information.
What Simon didn't expect was that after drinking the water, the first thing Cliff said was to ask Simon not to chop off his and his wife's heads. He would rather be hanged.
He said that if Simon promised him, he would tell Simon everything he knew.
Simon didn't know what to say for a moment. He almost forgot whether he had said these words before. To his surprise, Colliff actually remembered these words.
In the eyes of medieval people, there was nothing worse than being beheaded. This means that after their death, their souls cannot enter heaven and will be tortured in hell.
"Of course," Simon said magnanimously, "you will have my word, and I guarantee it on my honor."
"Thank you." Cliff closed his eyes, exhaled, and began to tell.
…………………………
"Duden," two armed soldiers with bad expressions came to the wheat field and found the village chief. They scared a few timid serfs to hide away, "the lord asked you and Adam to go to the dungeon. "
"What happened?" Duden scratched his head in confusion, "You can't be mistaken, right? I don't remember when I broke the law!"
"Someone has accused you." The armed soldier's words were short and cold, like a piece of emotionless ice.
"who?"
"Cliff."
"Damn it, I knew it was him," Duden suddenly lost his temper. "The flour he delivered to me was short of a pound, and I had a quarrel with him, and now he actually wants to frame me! How vicious People!”
"Hurry up, I don't have time to listen to your whining." The armed soldier became impatient and frowned deeply. "If you have anything to say, go talk to the lord. It's useless to talk to me here."
"Yes," Duden strode angrily towards the wooden castle on the hill, "I must unravel the misunderstanding that the lord has about me. I hope Lord Simon will not be bewitched by this cunning snake like Cliff again."
On the surface, Duden seemed very angry, but in fact, his heart was beating like a lively little white rabbit.
He wanted to escape from here immediately, but he knew very well that escaping in full view of the public during the day would undoubtedly be courting death. The horses of Simon's cavalry could easily catch up with him.
"Don't be nervous, Duden," Duden comforted himself in his heart, trying to calm down. "You know, Simon is a kind-hearted lord. Don't worry, he won't do anything to you."
