"Master, please look at this. This is the cargo hold. It contains the food and grass that the imperial court urgently needs!"
The middle-aged man quickly opened the iron rope and respectfully led Lao Wutou into the cargo hold.
Lao Wutou casually pointed with the smoking pot that he never left, and his soldier immediately drew out his knife and slashed at the pointed sack. Suddenly, yellow and orange grains flowed down the cracked opening. When it came out, it was dripping all over the ground.
When Lao Wutou pointed again, the middle-aged man immediately showed a pained expression and bowed to Lao Wutou repeatedly:
"Please be kind to me, military master. I really can't afford to pay for it. This was recruited from the Ministry of War..."
"Don't do this, use the Ministry of War to suppress me?" Lao Wutou slowly took a puff of dry cigarette.
"Little ones don't dare, little ones don't dare." The middle-aged man was so frightened that his knees weakened and he knelt down to kowtow.
Lao Wutou immediately hit him with a smoke pot and said kindly: "I also know that it is not easy for you to work hard, but it is also our duty to board the ship and inspect it. In case there are enemies hidden on this ship and sneak into Yujing, That’s a matter of losing your head, right?”
"Yes, yes, what your lord said is absolutely true. The small one is just a grain transport ship. We don't dare to harbor any enemies. Just search it, lord!"
"The general will check whether he is hiding or not, but the brothers under my command also need to eat, so this move is not serious..."
"Oh, little one understands, little one understands"
The middle-aged man suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly took out his money bag and poured out all the broken silver.
"What are you doing?" Lao Wutou frowned.
The middle-aged man who was busy was stunned when he heard this.
As soon as the experienced Lao Wutou saw this man's behavior, he knew that he was a simple and honest person, and he couldn't help but relax his vigilance.
"Ahem!" Lao Wutou coughed twice and winked at him.
The middle-aged man understood immediately, put the money back into his purse, and stuffed it into Lao Wutou's hand.
"As a small favor, I would like to invite the military men to a drink! Don't refuse, sir!"
Seeing Lao Wutou nod and accept, the middle-aged man dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves.
"You guys put your knives away and turn them around, don't miss every corner."
After Lao Wutou finished giving orders to his soldiers, he stared at the middle-aged man and asked, "Why did your ship travel alone? But it was delayed along the way?"
The middle-aged man hurriedly waved his hands and defended: "Don't get me wrong, sir. This small ship originally followed the fleet into Chengdu. Because there were not enough civilians to transport grain, this ship was the last to set off. The small ship did not dare to have any passengers along the way. Even if you stop for a moment, everyone on the boat can prove it!”
"Is there any official document to prove it?" Lao Wutou glanced lightly.
"Yes, yes, I'll get it for you, little one!" the middle-aged man responded quickly.
Lao Wu nodded slightly and waved his hand, calling over a few people who were milling around in the cargo hold.
The middle-aged man led the way, and everyone filed out.
Not long after, the grain transport ship started slowly and gradually moved away from the mouth of the pot.
Pei Liang jumped out of the pile of sacks first, and then opened the sacks stacked above the heads of the three women one by one.
Yaoniang was the last one to be pulled out by Pei Liang. As soon as her feet landed on the ground, she patted her chest and gasped:
"The soldier just looked at me suddenly and almost scared me to death."
"It's okay, as long as you don't make any noise, he won't notice."
"The steward on the ship is pretty good at acting, so he finally managed to fool him."
"Well, what I taught him is that he can't act like he understands everything, but he can't act like he doesn't understand anything either. Only in this way can people let down their guard."
"You're the only one who knows everything!" Yaoniang rolled her eyes at the young man angrily.
Lu Qingyan said with a smile: "These soldiers have been checking here all year round, and they have a very vicious eye. If they find anything suspicious, they will have to dig up the ship."
"Money can make the world go round, so give them a little more money." Yaoniang still didn't care.
"Do you think it's money or their heads that are more important? They only dare to accept money that they feel comfortable with. If they stuff money as soon as they come up, it just proves that there is something wrong in their hearts. How can they dare to let it go so easily?"
Xiao Wan added on the side.
Yaoniang suddenly understood and gave a thumbs up to the maid.
Xiao Wan covered her mouth and smiled, with a bright expression on her face.
"I asked the steward to prepare a few large wooden boxes in advance. You guys will hide in the wooden boxes. When you get off the boat, I will disguise myself as a boatman and take you out of here!"
Pei Liang's eyes swept over the faces of Lu Qingyan, Xiaowan and Yaoniang in turn.
———
At sunset, on the path of the garden, an old man in purple clothes with a clear face was walking, followed by two maids.
When the three of them came to a wooden house shaded by bamboo, the old man suddenly stopped and stared at the empty eaves in a daze.
A gust of autumn wind passed by, and the yellow leaves fell one after another.
A maid saw that the old man seemed to have a sentimental look on his face, so she stepped forward and asked softly: "Does the master miss the young lady?"
"Why do you see that?" The old man turned his head and smiled slightly. The expression between his eyebrows was somewhat similar to Lu Qingyan's.
The maid answered cautiously: "The master must have thought of a poem at this moment. The flowers fell helplessly, and the familiar swallows returned. The swallows migrated south. There was nothing under the eaves. It must have made the master fall in love with the scene!"
The old man nodded slightly when he heard this: "Luyi, you are very smart. I put you next to you because of this, but sometimes you have to know how to hide your clumsiness!"
The maid named Lu Yi trembled and quickly lowered her head.
"Let's go"
The old man waved his hand and turned around.
After dinner, the old man in purple clothes just opened the door of the study, and his expression suddenly froze.
Pei Liang was sitting on the Grand Master's chair in front of the desk, leisurely playing with a pair of white jade lions on the desk.
Seeing the old man standing at the door, Pei Liang put the things in his hands back to their original places, clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Lu, I am not an assassin!"
The old man in purple asked in a calm tone: "What do you call your Excellency?"
"I am Pei Liang, a nobody in the world, here to send someone off."
“I don’t know who Pei Zhuangshi sent as a gift.”
"Lord Lu, can you come into the room and talk?"
Hearing what Pei Liang said, the old man in purple hesitated for a moment, then turned around and closed the door.
"Master Lu really has the courage to be a prime minister!" Pei Liang said with admiration.
Lu Qin has been in the officialdom for many years, and his eyesight and determination are beyond the reach of others. The young man in front of him can avoid the many guards in the mansion and come to the study. If he is really an assassin, with his skills, he will never speak to him. Chance.
So Lu Qin, who had already been relieved, just smiled slightly and sat down peacefully.
Pei Liang turned around and walked behind the screen, nodding slightly.
Then a woman in white walked out slowly.
"Yan'er?"
Lu Qin left his seat in shock, with a dull look on his face.
"father"
Lu Qingyan could no longer suppress her crying and rushed forward instantly.
When the father and daughter reunited after a long separation hugged each other, Pei Liang quietly retreated.
….
On the street, a man and a woman sat down at a roadside stall and ordered two bowls of Yangchun noodles.
"The scene of the reunion of father and daughter must be very touching!" Yaoniang, who deliberately pretended to be ugly, did not forget to wipe a layer of black ash on her face when asking questions. This was all the idea of the man opposite, for fear that she would be too attractive. Attention.
Pei Liang nodded with emotion on his face.
"If I were you, I would stay, just in case Mr. Lu is grateful for your contribution in saving his daughter from the fire pit, and seeing the talent of this young man, he will agree to you on the spot as his son-in-law!"
“This is indeed a good opportunity to rise to the top in one step”
"No, no one else can get it even if they squeeze their heads!"
Yaoniang sneered and waited for Pei Liang's reply.
Unexpectedly, after the noodles were served, the man just buried his head in wolfing down the food and seemed to have forgotten what he said.
"You are a pig, you just know how to eat."
As soon as the woman complained, the man raised his head with an aggrieved look on his face.
"Sister, I haven't eaten for three days and three nights, and I will be hungry."
Yaoniang suddenly remembered that Pei Liang had distributed food to the women on the boat in the past few days, and indeed no rice had been eaten along the way. She couldn't help covering her mouth with her sleeves, and her shoulders were shaking.
"You're still laughing?" Pei Liang felt even more aggrieved.
"Aren't you in the Golden Body Realm?" Yaoniang laughed so hard that her breath became unsteady.
"You have to eat no matter what the situation is."
"Okay, let's eat your food... is it enough?"
"not enough"
"Boss, have another bowl."
Pei Liang ate the two bowls of noodles and two watery soups, licking his lips and feeling satisfied.
"Can you wipe it properly?" Yaoniang was a little disgusted.
Hearing this, Pei Liang wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve again, and Yaoniang suddenly became even more speechless.
"I've never seen you so arrogant before."
Pei Liang had a manly expression and casually got up and moved around a few times.
"Let's take you somewhere"
When Yaoniang heard this, her eyes lit up and she nodded repeatedly.
On the city tower, thousands of lights stretch endlessly.
Yaoniang was lying on the city wall, holding her chin in her hands, letting the breeze blow on her face.
"This Jade City is huge!"
Pei Liang sat at the top of the city, with one leg propped up on his knee and the other hanging casually.
"It's so big, and the houses here are taller than anywhere else I've ever seen. It's quite prosperous."
"After all, it is the imperial capital of the Thirteen Dynasties, so it has a decent momentum."
Yaoniang thought for a long time and suddenly asked: "Has this Jade City been occupied by foreigners in history?"
"Occupied."
Pei Liang answered simply.
"The end must be tragic!"
Yaoniang sighed.
"Well, the city was massacred three times in total. I didn't seal the sword for ten days, and there were corpses everywhere wherever the horse's hooves trampled."
"Where's the emperor?"
"Ran"
"No matter what time it is, the people are the ones who suffer the most."
"yes"
"It seems like this is my final destination."
"look at you"
"What does it mean to look at me?"
"If you want to stay in Yujing, you can stay. After I settle you down, we will say goodbye. If you still want to travel around the world with me..."
"Go away, I don't want to"
Yaoniang turned around and was about to walk down the city wall.
Pei Liang scratched his head in embarrassment, jumped off the city wall, and took Yaoniang's hand.
"Let me go!" Yaoniang's voice suddenly rose several times higher, and she tried to shake Pei Liang's hand away. But the man still held her tightly.
"Pei Liang, tell me, what are Jianghu? What are Jianghu?"
"In order to make a career in the world, you can do anything, not even give me a stable day, right?"
Faced with Yaoniang's repeated questions, Pei Liang remained silent.
"Sometimes I really feel that you don't have me in your heart at all, and you won't fall in love with anyone. Everything is just my own passion..."
Yaoniang's voice was filled with sadness, and when she lowered her head, she was already sobbing.
Pei Liang sighed softly and hugged her into his arms. The woman struggled for a few times and then gradually fell silent again.
