"Woof woof..."
Several dogs outside the courtyard barked in unison.
"Young Master, it's Li Xiaoqi and the others."
Xu Sanlang, who was watching vigilantly at the window, turned to Xu Qin and snorted, then opened the door.
Li Xiaoqi and one person entered the main room.
Xu Qin, who was closing his eyes to rest, then opened his eyes.
"I have met Mr. Xu in my humble position..."
Under the dim oil lamp, I saw Li Xiaoqi standing in front of him, bowing to report, and another strange woman.
"who is she?"
Xu Qin was shocked.
He waved his hand to stop Li Xiaoqi's report, pointed at the strange woman and shouted in a low voice.
Xu Sanlang next to him was holding the handle of the knife tightly with his right hand.
The three Confucian scholars were also very nervous.
"Oh, she is the woman we saw huddled in the livestock pen during the day. She is my fellow villager. She said she had something important to report to your Excellency."
As soon as Li Xiaoqi finished speaking, the woman knelt on the ground obediently and kowtowed:
"Master Xu, my daughter's surname is Tang and her name is Wan'er. She is from Dongchang Prefecture..."
She began to tell Xu Qin a story about her life experience.
Tang Wan'er's father was a well-known wealthy businessman in Dongchang Prefecture, mainly engaged in rice and cloth, and opened many shops in Jinan, Dongchang and other places.
But it was the Battle of Jingnan.
The Jinan Defense War and the Dongchang Battle were very brutal. Artillery fire caused shops to be burned down, and homes were looted by soldiers.
The family rented a boat and planned to flee to Yangzhou to be with relatives and friends.
As a result, she met water bandits on the way, and Tang's father, Tang's mother, and others were killed by the bandits. She was brave and resolutely jumped into the river, but was rescued.
She worked as a shopkeeper in a restaurant opened by her father's friend in Yangzhou.
Not long ago, she went out to the market to purchase items and was accidentally kidnapped by a group of refugees headed by Liu Laoqi.
A rich girl, she usually wears gold and silver, eats and drinks well, and sleeps under a red gauze tent.
How could she be willing to be a woman for a vulgar man?
Seeing that she refused to obey, Liu Laoqi tortured her in every possible way.
Not only were they beaten and scolded, but they were also locked in a stable and handcuffed and shackled to prevent her from escaping.
Women dream of escaping from here.
She has seen the world, is shrewd and observant.
The arrival of Xu Qin's group of uninvited guests gave her hope.
She thought of opening the handcuffs and shackles first, and then sneaking over quietly.
In ancient times, steel was a commodity in short supply. These homemade handcuffs and shackles looked clumsy, but in fact they were mostly made of impurity waste.
Tang Wan'er kept hitting her with stones. Although she was just a weak woman with little strength, her hard work paid off.
Slowly, she broke the chains and opened the cuffs.
Of course there was a price, her slender wrists and ankles were all bruised and bloody.
This woman has perseverance and tenacity.
Xu Qin secretly admired this.
"Master Xu, the daughter of the people discovered that Young Master Wang was so late, and hurriedly walked out of the back door and headed for the back mountain."
"Oh? Then tell me, why did he go to the back mountain?" Xu Qin asked.
Xu Qin confirmed his inner thoughts almost instantly.
Young Master Wang wants to resist with force.
There must be a secret in the mountains behind this.
"Reporting to your lord, there must be someone hiding in the back mountain, and there are many people."
"The leader of the refugees who kidnapped and attempted to occupy him is called Liu Laoqi. He is the man guarding the fort gate today."
"He is often ordered by Young Master Wang to bring a group of his lackeys with him into the mountains carrying a large number of rice bags, as well as a lot of pork, vegetables and other supplies."
Well, this woman has very strong observation skills.
Tang Wan'er also said that in order to support these people in the mountains and the people in the earthen fort, they couldn't fill their bellies all day long.
I only eat one meal a day, and it's limited.
Not only that, but the refugees are also required to open up new farmland to grow crops.
"I heard from other refugees that this phenomenon has been going on for a long time, at least more than half a year."
Tang Wan'er continued to provide clues.
Xu Qin pondered, and a reasonable idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Sir, do you think there must be danger here tonight?"
Tang Wan'er suddenly thought of something.
It's really unbelievable.
"Oh, tell me." Xu Qin said with a playful smile.
Seeing the young official's nonchalant look, Tang Wan'er looked confused and confused.
Could it be said that he has already mastered the information about Young Master Wang?
"This Young Master Wang went up to the mountain all night. He must have gone to the mountain to call for help, and came to assassinate you at night, Master Xu, in order to keep the secrets here and on the mountain!"
"Haha, it's okay. Just let them come. They can't hurt me."
Xu Qin snorted, then turned to ask Li Xiaoqi:
"Now, you can report the situation outside."
"Master Xu, I have seen the reinforcements. Shi Qianhu is leading the team, and Master Yang is also here."
"They are lurking around the two or three miles outside the fort, just waiting for my signal from inside the fort."
Li Xiaoqi held it in for a long time and finally let it out.
"Okay, little flag officer, let me inform all brothers to be more vigilant from now on, guard the entrance, and prepare bows, arrows and knives. Let's have a battle tonight and practice our skills."
"By the way, bandage your fellow countryman's wound, provide her with the bread and water we brought, and let her find a corner of the house to rest."
"clear."
Li Xiaoqi turned around and made arrangements.
Inside and outside the shady castle, there are bloody murderous intentions and dirty secrets hidden.
…
Young Master Wang took advantage of the pale moonlight and the memory in his mind to enter the mountain.
This mountain is called Tongshan and belongs to Yizheng County, Yangzhou Prefecture.
The mountain is not very high, only 156 meters high, but it has dense forests. There are Tianchi, large and small caves, caves, temples, etc. on the mountain.
Thousands of men and horses are hidden here without any notice.
Tracing back to its origins, this was once the place where King Wu Fu Cha secretly cast iron.
Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty also secretly stationed troops for training here.
Young Master Wang met the guard on guard and passed through a canyon before entering a cave, which was the headquarters of the Yangzhou Rebel Army of the Jianwen Party.
The cave hall is spacious and the air is as warm as spring. It feels very comfortable to live in it.
There were some guards with knives and guns around.
They all knew Young Master Wang, and they all stepped forward to say hello.
He nodded to the soldiers and said:
"I want to see Mr. Zhou."
"Master Zhou is in his bridal chamber, you can go."
A rebel leader pointed very friendly to a brightly lit place not far away.
There are several large and small cave houses in this large cave for human habitation.
At this time, in a cave room, a man in his fifties was sitting on a wooden chair drinking tea.
A soybean oil lamp was lit on the table, and there was no one else in the cave.
His name is Zhou Shixiu, a native of Ji'an, Jiangxi Province. He was a Jinshi in the twelfth year of Hongwu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy of the Jianwen Dynasty, Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Punishment, and a second-rank official.
Currently, he is a wanted imperial criminal in the Yongle Dynasty and a key member of the Jianwen Party.
Seeing Mr. Wang going up the mountain late at night, he was surprised and asked with a smile:
"Why did my good nephew suddenly think of going up the mountain so late today?"
"Something unexpected happened in the castle."
"oh…"
Zhou Shixiu raised his eyebrows sharply when he heard this.
