Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 315: The First Half of My Life Was Wasted
Am I walking into a trap?
When Zhu Er heard the guards at the gate of Cangzhou shouting that people were allowed to enter but not leave, he secretly complained in his heart. According to his previous character, he would definitely retreat when faced with difficulties, and take a detour wherever there was danger, at most he would be laughed at by others. But this time he made the greatest determination in his life to come out. If he went back like this, not to mention his father and brother, he would not be willing to accept it.
So, seeing the old salted fish nodding and bowing, counting out the city tax one copper after another, with a look of extreme heartache, he couldn't help but admire this old man who was like a drama queen. But just as he turned his eyes away from the old salted fish and looked forward, he inadvertently met the eyes of a person who looked like a local onlooker on the side of the road.
With just one glance, he recognized that it was Zhu Yi, one of the guards he brought with him. Although he was not as good as Zhu Hong, the guard leader that his father gave to his sister, he was also an orphan picked up by his father like Zhu Hong and Zhu Yu. After seeing the other party nodded slightly to him calmly and then quietly left the crowd, he felt that the big stone in his heart suddenly fell to the ground.
Although there were scum like Zhu Yu among the Zhu family's guards, he certainly trusted his own family more than an outsider like Lao Xianyu. However, when Lao Xianyu came to meet him, he did not mention that he had already connected with Zhu Yi, but asked in an anxious tone: "Since we can't get out after entering the city, what should we do next?"
"Haha, of course... let's go to the palace first and see what the weather is like." Yesterday's life-and-death escape had consumed a lot of Lao Xianyu's energy, but at this moment he looked even calmer than the pale-faced Zhu Er. Of course, whether he was really calm or just pretending to be calm, no one knew.
"If those guys really intend to recruit people to take back the palace, then I will have no choice but to use a plan to destroy the entire family!"
Although he had contacted Zhu Yi - strictly speaking, it was not considered contact, at most he had seen him, but Zhu Er already had a good idea in his heart. But even so, when he heard the somewhat vicious words of Lao Xianyu, he couldn't help but be frightened and asked hurriedly: "What is the plan to wipe out the family?"
"Is it still useful to tell you? The secret cannot be revealed!" Old Salted Fish seemed to have seen through Zhu Er's timid nature. He grabbed him and walked forward immediately, whispering, "I am an old man and I am not afraid. What should you, a young man with a good family background, be afraid of? For the long-term stability of Cangzhou and for the people, we must fight!"
Zhu Er was so upset that he wanted to cry but had no tears. He was not the kind of poor scholar who had just started out with a strong sense of justice. Although he was willing to do something, firstly for the country and the people, and secondly to change his image, he was not going to risk his life!
However, the old salted fish's hand was like an iron hoop, holding him so tightly that he could not move. Along the way, although he wanted to learn the tricks in the storybooks and operas and leave secret marks along the way, the old salted fish did not give him the time, so he could only passively follow the old man through the streets and alleys, and finally suddenly flashed into a yard through a hidden back door.
At this moment, he finally broke free from the other party and rubbed his wrist angrily, shouting angrily: "Old man, what on earth are you doing? What the hell is this place? Could it be your old lover?"
"Don't make blind guesses! Also, keep your voice down, if you don't want to be taken to the government as a thief!"
Seeing Zhu Er's dumbfounded face, Lao Xianyu came to the clothes hanging in the yard without paying any attention, and quickly grabbed a few sets of clothes, and also took two pairs of shoes. Then he came to the door they had just entered, took a look outside, and turned to the still dumbfounded Zhu Er and said, "What are you still standing there for? You've got the clothes, let's go!"
Is this... really stealing? He, the great Zhu Er Shao, actually has a day to steal things!
When the voices came from a house in the courtyard, Lao Xianyu saw that the situation was not good and turned back to grab him and run wildly again, Zhu Er was already numb. When he reached a secluded corner, he thought that the old man was going to force him to change his clothes quickly, but he didn't expect that the man looked at him and said in an unquestionable tone: "See that well? Go take a bath and change your clothes!"
Zhu Er was almost going crazy. "In broad daylight, you're taking a bath in a place like this? If you don't freeze to death, you'll be taken to the government office as a suspicious criminal, right? Can't you just go to the bathhouse?"
"We smell like salted fish, so no matter how nice our clothes are, we'll be dragged to the government office! Don't be afraid of the cold, I've even brought a soft towel for wiping your body. If possible, I'd better wash your hair at the same time... Look at this sunny day, it will dry in a few minutes after wiping... What kind of bathhouse? Going to the bathhouse with a bunch of stolen clothes and smelling like salted fish, are you looking for death?"
"Don't worry, I can find an uninhabited place in Cangzhou City even with my eyes closed. There is a haunted house next to this. Even in broad daylight, no one comes here. This house has been deserted for many years, and even homeless beggars dare not live in it!"
Within a few days, Zhu Er felt that he had experienced excitement and thrills that he had never expected in the first half of his life - even though his first half of life was only eighteen years, but now it seemed that the first half of his life was lived in vain!
Although he was frightened by the so-called haunted house and was reluctant, he moved to the well reluctantly under the urging of Lao Xianyu, or perhaps the pressure from him, and threw the wooden barrel tied to the well wheel down. However, it took a lot of effort to draw up half a bucket of water.
Seeing that he was so useless, Lao Xianyu had to leave his clothes aside and come up to help. Poor Zhu Ersan was stripped naked in a few seconds, and several buckets of cold water were brought up one after another, making him shiver. It was only then that he realized what a feat it was for his elder brother to train in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer.
It was still April , and he was almost frozen to death by the icy well water!
In order to remove the possible smell of salted fish and sea water, Lao Xianyu forced Zhu Er to wash his body several times, and then roughly washed his hair. Then he simply and roughly threw him a soft towel to wipe his body, and went to the well to wash himself.
When the skinny old man showed his naked upper body and was being poured with buckets of water, Zhu Er noticed the old man's muscles. It turned out that the old man was not skinny at all, but he had no extra fat. When he moved, you could see the muscles bulging, as if he had great strength.
Although the situation was different from that of his father and brother, Zhu Er was a man who had seen many masters. Just from the flesh, he felt that the old man in front of him was not simple at all. He lowered his head and pretended to know nothing. He quickly put on his clothes and tied his headscarf. Although he could not look at himself in the mirror, he knew that he was no longer as embarrassed as when he entered the city.
I don’t know if Zhu Yi followed him. If he did, and saw the previous scene of stealing and bathing, he, the second young master Zhu, would be completely disgraced!
Although he felt aggrieved, Zhu Er could not help but be stunned when he saw Lao Xianyu dressed neatly. Because the old man at this moment was different from the immortal appearance when he first met him, and also different from the downtrodden state after escaping from the dead. The way he dressed was very much like an old man working in the market, the kind who was old but refused to admit his age.
"How about my outfit?" Old Salty Fish asked seriously. Seeing Zhu Er was stunned for a long time, he muttered something. He stopped teasing the unfortunate second son and said seriously, "The servants alone may not be enough. The families who colluded with the eldest prince will definitely recruit some people to attack the palace. We can take the opportunity to sneak in."
As he spoke, he examined Zhu Er's attire: "Although you are a little thin, you look like a man who works hard with your body dressed like this. However, if you speak, you will be exposed. If you want to settle accounts with the eldest prince, then listen to my advice, follow me, and don't say anything. Your guards don't have time to notify them. It would be best if they think the same as us!"
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Er's face suddenly changed. He was not sure whether the old man saw him and Zhu Yi meeting, but he admitted that this arrangement did have the possibility of making him meritorious service or even venting his anger. So, after hesitating for a long time, he agreed vaguely, but after thinking it over again and again, he took advantage of the time when the old salted fish was wiping away and picked up a stone to write a line of words on the wall.
Although Zhu Er was not sure at all whether Zhu Yi or anyone else could follow him, he still held out a one in ten thousand hope.
Sure enough, not long after he left here with Lao Xianyu, Zhu Yi hurried over. From the water stains on the ground, he saw something was wrong, and immediately looked around carefully, and finally noticed Zhu Er's words.
But after just a glance, he got a headache. The purpose of Zhu Er's trip was that the three women, the Madam, the Madam, and the eldest daughter, specially summoned him over. They really gave him many warnings and instructions, hoping that he would follow Zhu Er's wishes and protect the safety of this unreliable Second Young Master. But now, the Second Young Master is going to heaven!
They actually wanted to sneak in and attack the Cangzhou Palace...Oh my God!
Zhu Yi took a deep breath, and his first reaction was to bring the second young master back as soon as possible.
However, he wasted a lot of time looking for clues that Zhu Er might have left behind. Although another person had already caught up with Zhu Er and Lao Xianyu and left various marks along the way, when he finally found the place, he found it was crowded with people. Not to mention Zhu Er, he couldn't even find his companions.
"Those rebels have kidnapped the Second Prince, their crime is unforgivable! If this continues, all the people of Cangzhou will be implicated! Think about those guys who are called government troops but are actually tigers and wolves. Do you want them to break into your homes and act tyrannically? Do you want to be labeled as traitors in the future and have heavier taxes and labor service imposed on you?"
Although Zhu Yi did not recognize the person who was shouting on the platform, he quickly found out from the bystanders that it was the magistrate of Xu County in Changlu. Seeing this person shouting at the top of his lungs, a fat and big-eared rich man next to him promised a generous reward. As long as they were willing to volunteer to attack the palace and rescue the eldest prince, they would immediately receive ten strings of cash. Soon, a large number of people signed up.
And he soon discovered that Zhu Er was among the applicants!
When the man was handed a short whistle stick and his shoulders were clearly trembling slightly, although he could not see the expression of his second young master, he knew that he was definitely not happy!
Zhu Er was indeed devastated. It was outrageous that a group of unemployed spinners and their relatives, at best some unemployed vagrants and beggars, could actually fish in troubled waters and attack the Cangzhou Palace to hold the eldest prince hostage. Now this Xu County Magistrate actually recruited a group of "righteous people" to rescue the eldest prince, and the weapon they issued was such a short whistle stick?
Even though he disagreed a thousand times in his heart, Zhu Er had already been trapped in the crowd lured by money, so Zhu Yi had no choice but to squeeze forward and sign up. He was then given his weapon - not a whistle stick, but an axe, probably because the person who gave him the weapon found that he was relatively strong.
When the hundreds of people arrived outside the palace wall, he heard shouts from inside. Soon, there were dozens of people on the wall. When they were facing each other, no one knew who shouted from the top of the wall.
"Those corrupt officials actually drove innocent people to attack the palace!"
Under the wall, Old Salted Fish, who was sitting in the front row, took a deep breath and suddenly shouted, "Listen, everyone in the palace. County Master Xu is offering a reward of ten strings of cash per person to encourage us to wipe out the rebels and rescue the eldest prince! If you know what's good for you, surrender immediately. Otherwise, when the palace is set on fire, none of you will be able to escape!"
County Magistrate Xu, who was leading a group of yamen runners at the back, could not help but nod with satisfaction when he heard that there were actually "righteous citizens" who knew how to wage psychological warfare. He boasted to his subordinates about his idea of using the common people to take the lead. But when he heard the last sentence, he was so angry that he almost died.
What does burning down the palace mean…If he dared to burn down the palace, would he have to be so worried and anxious?
In the front yard within the wall, Xian Yunhe, who was the leader of the "rebel army", could not help but jump his eyelids when he heard the voice, and almost shouted out the word "uncle". Fortunately, he managed to stay calm and immediately rushed to the gate with a few capable arms. When he heard the officers yelling loudly to shut up and attack immediately, he cleared his throat.
"Fellow villagers of Cangzhou! The official surnamed Xu colluded with the eldest prince and the wealthy families to bully the common people and oppress the good. Now he wants us Cangzhou people to fight among ourselves. Don't fall for his evil tricks! He said nice things, but did he give you money? Did he give you money to settle down? Did he give you compensation in case of death or injury?"
As he spoke, he observed the reaction outside through the crack of the door. Seeing that there was already some commotion over there, he ordered his men to unbolt the door and open the gate without hesitation, and ordered the people on the wall to charge out. He was the first to lead the charge and even shouted loudly: "Capture Xu the dog official alive and let him accompany the vicious eldest prince!"
Zhu Er was stunned by this sudden change, but what he didn't expect was that when he saw the crowd that was just full of vigor and vigor being dispersed, Lao Xianyu dragged him forward instead of retreating: "We are surrendering, we are also the righteous army!"
