The candlelight under the window swayed gently twice, made a soft crackling sound, and a little lantern burst out.
Leng Linjiang received Han Changmu's letter and came over at night, throwing the whip to Jin Yu, then hurriedly rushed into the room, grabbed Bao Cheng's collar, glared and scolded loudly: "You idiot A grown man, how can you let a little girl like A Yao go to the dragon's pond and the tiger's den? Why don't you go?"
Bao Cheng replied fearfully: "People, people, they want girls, not me."
"You, me." Leng Linjiang raised his fist, and finally threw Bao Cheng back to the bed angrily. He looked up at Han Changmu and said, "I threw him here for you on errands. You can't ignore him."
Han Changmu said expressionlessly: "Whatever, I didn't ask her to break into the den of thieves. Besides, do you know where she is now?"
"I," Leng Linjiang was speechless and suddenly slapped his thigh: "I don't know, as long as you know."
"..." Han Changmu said, "I don't know either."
"..." Leng Linjiang was speechless.
After a period of strange silence, Bao Cheng said in a depressed and awkward tone: "Well, just don't care?"
"Shut up." Han Changmu and Leng Linjiang both turned their heads, one with a gloomy face and the other with wide eyes, but they all said the same thing.
Bao Cheng shrank his neck and let it go. He had better stop talking to avoid being beaten by the crowd.
After a moment of silence, Han Changmu turned to Jin Yu and said, "Go get the map of Jialing River."
Leng Linjiang shouted in surprise: "You even have a map of the Jialing River. Jiuchao, what treasures do you have that you haven't brought out yet?"
Han Changmu raised his eyebrows: "We won't know until we need it."
"Hey." Leng Linjiang snorted disdainfully.
Jin Yu moved very quickly, walking in with a brocade box that had ended, unfolded the scroll in the brocade box, and hung it on a long nail on the wall.
A meandering river occupies the most eye-catching position on the map. Both sides of the river are covered with villages and towns, large and small. Islands of various sizes are scattered in the river, making it dazzling.
Han Changmu patrolled the map carefully, pointed his hand on a place on the map, and asked Bao Cheng quietly: "You mean the place where the accident happened was more than forty miles away after leaving the capital and taking the official road, and that group of people came from Coming from two directions, the wet mud on the horse's hooves has not dried yet, and there are still hoof marks on the ground?"
Bao Cheng nodded: "Yes."
"You mean that before they arrived at the tea shed, they captured nine more girls and sent them back first." Han Changmu lowered his head and looked at the map carefully, asking as he read.
"Yes." Bao Cheng said.
Han Changmu nodded slightly, slowly drew a circle on the map with his hand, and clicked twice with his fingers: "These villages are not very far from the tea shed and the Jialing River." He raised his eyes and looked at Bao Cheng: "It's in line with what Bao Cheng said."
Leng Linjiang swept away the decadence just now and said energetically: "So, does this mean that these water bandits may be hiding in these villages?"
Han Changmu glanced at Leng Linjiang lightly: "I mean these people might have gone to the village to capture the girl."
Bao Cheng finally came to his senses and said ecstatically: "Yes, yes, they must have harmed these villages. That old woman doesn't know the situation of these water bandits. Not all people in these villages may be the same." I don’t know, we can go from village to village to check.”
Leng Linjiang counted the several villages that Han Changmu had circled, and his eyes fell on Bao Cheng's face with an incomprehensible look: "Yes, there are six villages. After checking them one by one, three days will be enough for A Yao's body to be collected."
"..." Bao Cheng was speechless.
Han Changmu nodded: "It is indeed enough."
Bao Cheng rolled his eyes angrily and almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
Han Changmu patrolled the map quietly for a few times and then told Jin Yu: "Detach eighteen people from the mansion, take the flying slaves with them, and rush to these villages overnight. Three people will check one village. Before noon tomorrow, I want to Know where the water bandits stay and where they worship the river god.”
Jin Yu had never seen Han Changmu look like this before. Although his face was expressionless as usual, the coldness in his eyes made people shudder.
He said yes and sighed silently. His eldest son was angry, and these water bandits were in trouble.
After listening to Han Changmu's arrangement, Leng Linjiang felt a little more at ease. He stared at the map and said, "Even if we found the whereabouts of the water bandits and the place where they worshiped the river god, we have no idea about the number of water bandits or their weapons." As we know, the water bandits are more familiar with the conditions of the waterways than we are, so if we rush over rashly, we probably won’t gain much advantage, and it will probably be even more difficult to rescue A Yao.”
"Only when you know yourself and your enemy can you win every battle." Han Changmu nodded, but after saying this, he didn't speak anymore. He just pressed his forehead with his fingers slowly, with an anxious look on his face.
Leng Linjiang and Bao Cheng looked at each other in surprise, then shut up knowingly.
Han Changmu thought for a moment, picked up the pen and wrote another letter, slowly folded it into a narrow strip,
Leng Linjiang was extremely curious. He bent over and put his head to see what was written on the note.
Han Changmu pressed Leng Linjiang's forehead with one hand in disgust, pushed him away, and sealed the letter into a jade tube with purple hair.
"Stingy." Leng Linjiang grunted, straightened his back, and looked nonchalant. However, he still couldn't hold back his burning curiosity. He smiled playfully and came face to face with Han Changmu, nose to nose. : "Jiuchao, what did you write?"
Han Changmu sighed helplessly and pushed Leng Linjiang's face aside again.
Bao Cheng snorted and laughed.
Not long after, Jin Yu arranged the manpower, watched them set off with his own eyes, then turned back and reported: "Sir, the people we selected are all good people in the house. They have already set off. My subordinates also drew several kinds of marks commonly used by Yao Canjun. Tell them and ask them to pay attention when questioning."
Han Changmu nodded appreciatively, handed the sealed jade tube to Jin Yu, and said in a deep voice: "Give it to His Highness the King of Han personally."
"Sir, are you going now?" Jin Yu looked out the dark window: "It's already curfew."
Han Changmu turned his head and glanced at Zeng Le, and said softly: "It will be dawn in an hour. You go and wait outside Prince Han's Mansion."
Jin Yu sighed helplessly and walked out quickly without asking a single word.
Leng Linjiang was shocked when he heard that the note was for Xie Mengxia. He was sure that what was written on the note must be related to the gang of water bandits, but he could tell Xie Mengxia about anything, but he couldn't. Tell him.
He stared, jumped eight feet high, and muttered angrily: "Okay, Jiu Chao, tell King Han if you have anything, and you won't tell me, right? That's right, His Highness, King of Han, is in a high and powerful position, so naturally I can't compare with him." superior."
As soon as she said this, she looked like a resentful little daughter-in-law.
Han Changmu still smiled and looked around him: "Okay, Yungui and Lingtong, please take a rest quickly. Let's set off at dawn and go to the tea shed first." He asked Leng Linjiang again: "Jingzhao Have you made arrangements at the mansion? The old woman is here with her children, but she wants to join you. If you are not here, there must be someone to take care of these things."
Leng Linjiang rubbed his neck and grunted: "I won't go, and you won't tell me anything. I'm afraid you will sell me to the water bandits."
Han Changmu said four words with a smile: "Don't pull him down."
Leng Linjiang heard the meaning of falling out from these four cold words. He gritted his teeth in hatred: "Go, I'll go, can't I go?"
Han Changmu raised his eyebrows: "Even if I sell you, will you go?"
Leng Linjiang could only swear to God: "Go, let alone sell me, even if you beat me to death, I have to go."
Han Changmu nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, let's go back to sleep first and set off as soon as dawn. There is a tough battle to be fought in the next three days, and I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at all."
Leng Linjiang and Bao Cheng nodded in unison.
When the sky is twilight, there is already the smell of fireworks in the streets and alleys. The wheels are running over the bluestone road stained with morning dew, and the grunting sound is lonely in the empty streets.
The corner door of Prince Han's Mansion had just opened. A woman came out carrying a pail, and a boy was sweeping the floor with a broom. Jin Yu quickly stood up from the corner and squatted for more than an hour. His legs and feet were already numb and were not his own. .
He grinned and patted his legs, staggered to the corner door, and handed over the name card: "Please see Your Highness."
The boy inside the corner door opened the name card and took a look. He led Jin Yu through the door without asking any questions or passing the news.
When Xie Mengxia rushed to the Han Mansion, Cheng Chaoyan had already arrived and was looking at Han Changmu with an expression of embarrassment: "Sir, this is a humble position. I can't draw."
"Mr. Cheng Qi can't draw, but I can draw." Xie Mengxia rolled up his sleeves, took the dowry box from He Cai's hand, and walked in with a smile on his face.
Hearing this, Leng Linjiang jumped up with a cry: "No, no, I won't do it, why should you let me do it? Cheng, Mr. Cheng Qi, she doesn't need to draw. She doesn't need to draw to be a woman."
Han Changmu said with a half-smile, "You said it yourself, no matter what, you have to go."
Bao Cheng pushed Leng Linjiang back to the bed and almost burst out laughing: "Master Shaoyin, A Yao said, you are beautiful, you can be a peerless beauty with just a few strokes, and you can seduce a lot of handsome men. "
Cheng Chaoyan rolled up his sleeves, and Bao Cheng held down the struggling Leng Linjiang on the left and right.
Leng Linjiang roared in despair: "Whoever dares to touch my face, I will beat him."
"I'm here to make a move, you dare to hit me." Xie Mengxia watched the excitement and didn't mind the matter. She held Luozidai in one hand and the rouge box in the other. She walked closer, followed by He Cai, holding an open box in her hand. Leng Linjiang's twisted eyebrows were reflected in the bronze mirror.
Leng Linjiang's kick had just been kicked out, but before it could hit Xie Mengxia, he hurriedly pulled it back and begged again and again: "Your Highness, Your Highness, cousin, brother, please spare me, please spare me."
