Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 259: Moonlight is also a night for murder
Going out for a stroll in the capital at night... In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, which had no curfew, this was not uncommon. Moreover, the annual Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month was approaching, and the whole city was filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year and the upcoming Lantern Festival. Many families hung various lanterns in front of their doors, so when driving on the street, Zhang Shou finally experienced the feeling of bright lights.
On weekdays, even if there was no curfew, except for the downtown areas with various red-light districts and restaurants, other places would be pitch dark at night, so after arriving in the capital, he rarely went out at night.
"Originally, Zhu Hong insisted on following suit, saying that the security in the capital is the worst around the Lantern Festival every year. Moreover, the Shuntian Prefecture's Wang Datou is about to leave office, and people are uneasy. The officers may not be in the mood to work... In the end, I just said that, and he was speechless."
At this point, Zhu Ying laughed so hard that she leaned her head on Zhang Shou's shoulder without realizing it. "He didn't even think about it. With Ah Liu driving, we're not riding horses, but taking a car. Even if we run into a crowd, we won't be separated. As for what kind of danger we might encounter? Even if there is any danger, we still have Ah Liu. Besides, I brought a sword with me!"
Zhang Shou saw Zhu Ying raised his hand, revealing the foot-long dagger in his hand. He couldn't help but laugh: "Yingying, you haven't forgotten the story of Cao Cao's defeat at Huarong Pass in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, right? Every time he escaped and shouted in triumph, a group of enemies would descend from the sky. In the end, if Guan Yu hadn't let him go, he would never have escaped."
“Puh, puh, puh!” Zhu Ying suddenly froze and jumped up, then said angrily, “Ah Shou, why are you so crow-mouthed! I just said it casually, why did you use Cao Cao as an example? How am I like Cao Cao!”
At the same time, Ah Liu outside the car also said quietly: "Master, you really don't know how to talk. Without the eldest lady, you are destined to be single!"
Zhang Shou's forehead was throbbing with veins due to Ah Liu's ridicule. He said angrily, "Ah Liu, if you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb! It's a good thing that a person with great skills is bold, but it's not a good thing if a person with great skills is so bold that he looks down on everyone! What if the person who asked you out has bad intentions? A daughter of a rich family should not sit in the hall, do you understand?"
Hearing that Zhang Shou actually changed the idiom seriously, Zhu Ying finally laughed again. She knew that she didn't want anyone to follow her, and of course she felt that Zhu Hong and others were in the way, unlike when Ah Liu restrained his presence, he really had no presence - but Zhang Shou insisted on asking people to follow him, wanting to show that he was open and honest, but more importantly, he valued her safety.
Therefore, she curled her lips and said with a smile: "Okay, Ah Shou, Ah Liu and I will listen to you, is that okay? But if Zhu Hong and his men fail to catch up with Ah Liu, they will have to blame themselves!"
Zhang Shou laughed, "That's right... Ah Liu, don't try to speed up and take a shortcut to get rid of me! If you dare to do that again, I would rather ride a horse than a car. Do you believe it? I will sell all the carriages and save some money. I wonder where you will get a car when the time comes!"
"Can't I buy it myself? I still have a salary of 100 guan per month!"
Although Ah Liu complained, the speed of his carriage, which had just been speeding up, slowed down instantly. Zhu Ying laughed so hard that her stomach hurt, and she slapped the wall and cried out "ouch". Fortunately, Ah Liu had just turned into an alley to speed up, so the others didn't hear the sound and wonder what happened in the carriage, so they came over to help.
As Ah Liu slowed down, Zhu Hong finally ran all the way and caught up in time. Although he didn't hear Zhang Shou's words to stop Ah Liu in the car, he still breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the future son-in-law was a good person after all. Otherwise, with the attitude of the eldest lady to throw them aside at any time, and Ah Liu's attitude to throw them aside, who knows what to do in the future!
He had disguised himself a little when he came out, and now he followed at a distance of about ten steps, leaving marks along the way so that others who were behind him could catch up quietly.
In this way, one car went forward, one person followed, and the main group followed. After walking for about half an hour, Zhu Hong saw from afar that Ah Liu suddenly raised his hand and whipped the horse whip, making a sharp sound. He immediately understood and stopped moving forward, waiting in the dark alley. Not long after, the others quietly caught up, each of them was a little out of breath.
Although riding a horse or a car is more convenient, more than a dozen people riding horses from different directions gathered together. After all, they were too conspicuous, so they walked when they came out. At this moment, everyone finally adjusted their breathing, concentrated and listened, and they could distinguish Ah Liu's voice.
"Come out, I see you!"
Sitting in the car, Zhang Shou listened to this very simple line, and couldn't help but curl his lips, thinking that this kind of statement really seemed like a pure deception. Sure enough, after Ah Liu finished this sentence, there was complete silence outside, and no one answered at all. But the next moment, he only heard Ah Liu sneer outside. Immediately afterwards, he only heard a sharp whoosh sound that broke through the air, and he couldn't help but jump in surprise.
Someone is shooting an arrow ! Wait, this arrow seems to be shot from near to far... Was it shot by this kid Ah Liu?
Zhu Ying was good at archery and almost jumped up at this moment: "Is there an assassin? Why is Ah Liu shooting arrows?"
When the two of them reacted almost at the same time, Ah Liu in front of the carriage said coldly: "This is just a warning!"
Such a declaration was tantamount to a demonstration, as if to say, if you don't come out, the next arrow will go straight to you. Then, in an instant, a voice came from not far away: "Master Liu, calm down, calm down! I was just joking with you, don't take it seriously! I will come out right away, right away!"
Zhu Ying found it funny to hear him call Xiaoliu Ye and old man again and again. She was reminded of her second brother who always called Liuge by apologetic smile. However, when she saw that Zhang Shou's face seemed a little serious, she couldn't help but feel a little confused. She asked in a low voice, "Shou, do you think there's something wrong with him?"
"Not really." Zhang Shou's mouth twitched, making his expression relaxed, and then he said nonchalantly, "I've heard that throughout history, there are many people in all walks of life who are good at being rude at first but respectful later, pretending to obey but actually disobeying, and changing their attitude according to the situation. Today I've seen it all."
Such people are often very good at observing people's words and expressions. It's good enough for them to say one thing and hide one thing. It's possible for them to say one thing and hide ten things! As for this kind of people who bow and scrape to your face but stab you in the back, this is even more common.
However, even though the short and fat Chinese character who appeared was good at observing people's expressions, his ability was useless when used on Ah Liu. When he came to Ah Liu with a smile on his face, Ah Liu still had the short bow in his hand and ordered directly: "Just say it directly. If you say anything nonsense, don't blame me for being rude!"
The short man swallowed the flattery that was about to come out of his mouth. He glanced at the young driver on the shaft, who he had never judged clearly, and then looked at the carriage that had just heard the movement. Finally, he whispered: "Master Xiaoliu, time is so tight, I really put in a lot of effort ..."
Seeing the short bow in Ah Liu's hand suddenly raised, he was immediately horrified and shouted hurriedly: "I found out, the old beggar woman had been begging in the outer city before, and she had a seven-year-old granddaughter with her, but now she is missing. It turned out that a few days before New Year's Eve, her little granddaughter was kidnapped, and the old beggar woman was like crazy, and then suddenly went to Shuntian Prefecture to complain."
Hearing this, Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying in the car understood that someone might have secretly captured the old beggar's granddaughter and threatened her to file a complaint. Although Zhang Shou never claimed to be a kind person, he despised such despicable means of forcing people to submit. Zhu Ying was even more explosive. She stood up in anger and almost hit the roof of the car. Zhang Shou still pushed her down to sit down.
Ah Liu outside the car remained calm and composed, and his voice did not change at all: "And then?"
The short man didn't expect that he had revealed most of the matter, and the people in and outside the opposite car were still so calm. He hesitated for a moment. But soon, he made up his mind and said, "The old beggar's granddaughter is quite smart. Originally, given her situation, she couldn't have been saved at all. It was a leader in the outer city who had a rare moment of sympathy and said that you are not allowed to touch her, otherwise she would have been kidnapped long ago."
"So, I went to find the leader, mobilized countless beggars in the outer city, and finally found the little girl."
At this point, the short man felt that he had finally taken some initiative, and he looked at Ah Liu calmly. However, to his great disappointment, the young driver not only did not show any emotion, but instead raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of mockery.
"You want me to go find that leader and ask for him?"
Zhang Shou almost laughed out loud. He had to admit that Ah Liu's skill in getting people angry was first-rate, enough to make people angry to death. Zhu Ying simply chuckled, and then muttered in a low voice: "That's right, if this guy outside refuses to tell the truth, Ah Liu will take action and beat him all the way!"
Hearing Zhu Ying's voice in the car, the short man's forehead was already covered with sweat, and he felt like a scholar meeting a soldier, unable to explain his reason. He could only swallow hard, trying to calm himself down, and then smiled dryly: "Young Master Liu, don't be impatient, I'm really not keeping you in suspense, I just want to explain things clearly..."
Seeing the short bow in Ah Liu's hand gradually raised higher, he suddenly felt uneasy and shouted in panic, "That little girl was taken away by a man from the uncle's mansion..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard another sharp sound of breaking through the air, followed by an arrow flying straight towards him. It was exactly the same scene as when he was hiding in the tree before and watched the arrow brush past his head and shoulder and pierce into the tree trunk behind him!
He dared not move at all. Sure enough, the arrow flew past his ear again and disappeared into the darkness behind him, followed by a miserable groan. Realizing that there were others following him in the dark, he seemed to be frightened and his face turned pale. Especially when he found that Ah Liu's fingers moved, the short bow made a continuous sound, and four or five arrows were shot out continuously, he became even more frightened.
In the carriage, hearing the continuous beating of bowstrings and groans from outside, Zhu Ying immediately sat up straight and grabbed the dagger beside her. After Zhang Shou's initial stiffness, he relaxed almost instantly and said with a smile: "How about it, Yingying, do you think that my analogy with Cao Cao's Huarong Road was very prescient?"
"What a foresight! Ah Shou, you are such a jinx!" Zhu Ying was so nervous that even her voice changed a little. She subconsciously wanted to use her body to block Zhang Shou. When he grabbed her wrist, she remembered that if anyone had a jinx, it should be her.
After all, she was the one who said, in a show of strength, that if anything really happened, it wouldn't matter as long as Liu was there, and she could protect him...
Thinking that Ah Liu was standing in front of them, she wanted to protect her lover, so she should protect the back half of the carriage. So, she couldn't help but shake her hands vigorously, and finally broke free from Zhang Shou's grip, wanting to protect him from behind. But at this moment, she heard Zhu Hong's angry shout not far behind, followed by the sound of fighting.
In an instant, she realized that even Zhu Hong and the others might have been intercepted. In other words, they only had Ah Liu to rely on, and they didn't know what the enemy hiding in the dark was going to do.
Without even thinking, she pressed the spring and pulled out a section of the dagger in her hand, and she was in a state of concentration and alertness. But the next moment, Zhang Shou grabbed her hand and made her almost jump.
As Ah Liu's continuous arrows continued to sound, the short man almost sat on the ground with his head in his hands, but as the sound gradually came from Zhu Hong's side, he rolled his eyes and suddenly rolled forward and dived under the carriage. Then, he, who had just looked humble and wretched, suddenly had a shining sharp blade in his hand, and the blade suddenly stabbed upwards through the floor of the carriage.
When he realized that he had stabbed something, he was overjoyed and was about to run away, but he felt a chill on his neck. He was horrified when he realized that it was a sharp blade stabbing his neck, and then he heard Ah Liu's familiar yet unfamiliar voice.
"I've been waiting for you to take action for a long time."
“You…you…”
The short man almost used up all his strength to utter those two words, and the rest of the words could only be roared in his heart. How dare you use your master as bait! How dare you use the daughter of the Duke of Zhao as bait! Moreover, even if Ah Liu caught him now, what would happen? His knife that penetrated the floor of the carriage should have worked!
However, when he was dragged out from under the carriage by Ah Liu grabbing his hair, he found that the perfect couple Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying were standing beside the carriage unharmed. Compared with Zhang Shou who was calm and composed, Zhu Ying had already drawn her dagger and was glaring at him fiercely.
At this time, he heard Ah Liu's words again: "I found the granddaughter of the old beggar woman you mentioned a long time ago."
