Chapter 13: The Man Returning Late At Night
The Zhao County Town in the night was like an empty city.
There were not even soldiers patrolling the streets.
Doors were tightly shut on streets and alleys, pitch black everywhere, and even the children’s cries and dogs’ barking had disappeared.
However, there were two places with bright lights, one at the county office in the city, and the other at the city gate.
Especially at the city gate where the corpses were placed, besides lanterns, several torches were lit, illuminating it as bright as day.
The more than a dozen corpses placed on the ground were even more terrifying in the night and the glaring white light.
The soldiers on the city gate did not dare to look this way, only looking outside the city, but as soon as they thought of the more than a dozen corpses lying behind them, their backs felt waves of chill.
“These damned Embroidered Uniform Guards really know how to torment people.” A soldier could not help but mutter under his breath.
Tormenting the dead, and also tormenting the living.
The soldier next to him instinctively looked left and right: “Keep your voice down, those people have sharp ears, do you also want to be grabbed as a suspect?”
It was fine not mentioning it, but hearing this made the previous soldier even angrier, he snorted coldly: “Grab me if they want, they clearly treat everyone in Zhao County as treasonous, so many people have already been taken away by him, sooner or later it will be my turn.”
The previous soldier opened his mouth to say something, then turned his head to look at the city gate, his gaze falling on the brightly lit county office in the city shrouded by the night, he knew that there were many people in the county office now, besides officials, the prominent families in the city had all been invited over.
That Embroidered Uniform Guard adult had said: “If one person can’t think of the Jiang Family’s treasonous anomalies, everyone thinking together might be better.”
Thinking of that Embroidered Uniform Guard adult, the soldier could not help but shiver, feeling more terrifying than the corpses on display.
Hoofbeats came from the side of his ear, the soldier hurriedly withdrew his gaze to look outside the city, seeing several torches shining, getting closer and closer, and able to see it was a group of more than a dozen people.
They were holding torches, with several people having flags stuck on their bodies.
“Weiyuan Escort Agency.”
The soldiers on the city gate read it out.
At the same time, the group also arrived at the city gate, the leading man in his thirties shook a invitation in his hand.
“Wang San, we’ve escorted goods back, we have a pass invitation.” He shouted.
The soldiers on the city gate obviously all knew him, some smilingly said “Fourth Master Li is back” “You’ve been gone for half a month.”
The city gate slowly opened.
The soldiers did not look at the pass invitation handed over by the man, clearly this was also a common occurrence.
“Why is Fourth Master Li back at this time?” A soldier said.
Fourth Master Li of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, Li Hao, hearing this was somewhat unhappy: “How can we who escort goods be on time?” Saying that, he pulled a sachet from his waist, “Tea money for the soldier brothers, thank you for your hard work.”
That soldier hurriedly pressed Li Hao’s sachet: “Fourth Master, that’s not what I meant, hey, you were out and don’t know about the things in the city.”
Li Hao looked puzzled: “What’s happened in the city?”
The soldiers chattered and told the story, Li Hao and the bodyguards listened in shock and anger.
“Mr. Jiang is such a good person, how could he have met with trouble?” “How could Mr. Jiang commit treason? Isn’t this nonsense?” “My child is studying with him, he teaches very well.”
The soldiers waved and shook their heads along: “Don’t talk about it, don’t talk about it, that’s how it is now” “Fourth Master, your father has also been invited to the county office.”
Li Hao cursed a dirty word: “Isn’t this bullying people? My dad injured his leg escorting goods ten years ago, could a cripple still commit murder?” Saying that, he wanted to mount his horse, “I’m going to the county office to let them grab me, not grab my dad.”
The soldiers and bodyguards hurriedly advised together “Don’t be reckless” “There is also no torture for confessions” “Fourth Master calm down” “The old madam and madam at home are panicked, you go back first to reassure them”
Probably because his grandmother and mother were mentioned, Li Hao suppressed his anger, mounted his horse “Let’s go, home first.”
The bodyguards also mounted their horses one after another, passed through the city gate heading inward, the city gate side was brightly lit, so the group naturally also saw the corpses placed on the ground…
Li Hao seemed to want to dismount to pay respects, but was advised by the bodyguards, no matter what, the Jiang Family had been characterized as treasonous, better not to invite trouble.
Li Hao was advised, but still bowed half a rite from horseback to the corpses over there, before heading into the city.
The soldiers watching this scene sighed that Fourth Master Li was truly a righteous man.
Because returning in the middle of the night, not wanting to disturb the elders at home, Li Hao took the bodyguards directly back to the escort agency, the street-facing escort agency lit up, and not long after extinguished again.
In a windowless storeroom in the backyard, a table of wine and food was set, the bodyguards sat down, but did not immediately drink freely, instead exhaling a breath.
“Fourth Master, is this really okay?” A bodyguard asked in a low voice, “The Imperial Court people are still here.”
Li Hao picked up a pot of wine from the table, poured himself a cup: “We want the Imperial Court people here, only then are we safe when we return, didn’t I say, the most dangerous place is the safest.”
He raised his wine cup, looking at the bodyguards.
“Who would think that we who killed the entire Jiang Family could swagger into the city and go home.”
……
…….
The pot of wine in the storeroom was divided up, everyone drank it down and the tension dissipated.
“It’s also that Fourth Master you have such guts, if it were others, who would have the guts.” Everyone said one after another.
Li Hao laughed, picked up his chopsticks and ate a bite of dish: “Fortune and riches are sought in danger, if even this guts we don’t have, then we can really only rely on escorting goods to retire.”
Speaking to here, there was also some annoyance.
“It’s just that we put in so much effort, and still didn’t find the treasure map.”
A bodyguard was also annoyed: “Jiang Wangchun has no strength to bind a chicken, yet he’s so tough, no matter how we interrogated, he wouldn’t talk.”
Another bodyguard said: “Looks like that treasure is very precious, valued more than life.”
“That’s the Imperial Family’s treasure, of course it’s precious.” A bodyguard said with envy.
Yeah, who doesn’t want it, Li Hao thought, the Jiang Family members died without saying, clearly it’s something worth risking life to fight for.
It’s just…
His face turned ugly, he pounded the table.
“It must have been taken away and run off by that person.”
Yeah, clearly the arrangement was very thorough, an inside line had been arranged long ago, drugs administered beforehand, all Jiang Family members down, but still one person stumbled and killed their way out.
And moreover, the manpower they had arranged outside actually didn’t stop him, chased for a day and night, and still lost the person.
“Fourth Master, that person has accomplices.” A bodyguard said, “Suddenly popped out from the mountain forest, caught us off guard, good thing we brought many people, lost more than half the manpower to take them out, I almost couldn’t come back.”
But the person to be caught was completely gone, must have taken the chance to escape.
Li Hao exhaled: “Wait until the storm passes to continue searching, fortunately father arranged thoroughly, reported the Jiang Family for treason beforehand, so once dead they’re dead, the Imperial Court doesn’t care, those accomplices won’t dare come out again.” Saying that, he raised his wine cup, “Come come come, no more depressing talk, this time although not smooth, but safe and sound, great luck.”
The bodyguards at the wine table all raised their wine cups, just as they were about to drink together, the door creaked lightly and was pushed open, someone walked in.
Li Hao frowned: “I said no need to come…”
As he spoke he looked over, slightly stunned, the words “serve” stopped at his mouth.
This was a youth, wearing cyan clothes, not holding wine or dishes in his hands, only gripping a bamboo pole, he was very politely closing the door behind him, then meeting Li Hao’s gaze.
“Of course I have to come, night black and windy, with Imperial Court officials sitting in, it’s a good time for murder.” He said, raising the bamboo pole in front of him, “If not coming now, wouldn’t it be a pity?”
