mtl008 Chapter 349 You and I share a room?
Chapter 349 You and I share a room?
Bai Wuyou released him, but did not relax, always ready to gag him again to prevent him from shouting.
However, the fat man was quite frightened but also knew when to back down. Instead of shouting, he lowered his voice and said, "Hero, spare my life! I'll give you whatever you want, and I promise I won't make a fuss."
"So cowardly, yet you dare to rebel?" Shen Li's bright eyes swept over his neck: "That's a matter of losing your head."
"Who...who are you people?" The man realized that these were not ordinary bandits.
"Get dressed and come downstairs to talk," Shen Li said, turning around and walking towards the outer room.
Bai Wuyou looked at Shen Li's dashing back and felt both amused and exasperated. He used to be the one who did nothing, but now he was the one doing all the odd jobs.
A moment later, Shen Li sat on the couch in the outer room, and the fat man knelt in front of her and confessed: "I am Hou Wenyuan, the magistrate of Yanshi County. He used to be a subordinate of Lord Zhou Zhen. He has a lot of evidence of accepting bribes. He ordered me to start a rebellion, and I dared not disobey."
He didn't know who the woman in front of him was, but he was certain she was from the imperial court, so he always addressed her as "this humble official."
“Now that Prince Rui has deployed a large army outside the pass, troops from all over the country will come to the aid of the emperor. Not to mention that the deposed crown prince cannot take the capital, even if he does, he is just a rebellious traitor who will not be able to cause trouble for more than a few days.”
Shen Li looked at him and said, "After the reckoning, not only will Magistrate Hou's own head be executed, but his entire family will be wiped out."
Hou Wenyuan was sweating profusely and repeatedly kowtowed to Shen Li: "Your Excellency, it was Zhou Zhen who forced me to do this. I am willing to atone for my sins by performing meritorious service."
He wasn't unaware that the rebels were illegitimate and had little chance of success, but he had been coerced into having no other choice at the time, and now that he had the opportunity, he would be a fool not to take advantage of it.
"Very good. I vouch for it. As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee that you will not only be without fault but will also be rewarded." Shen Li was very satisfied with his performance.
Hou Wenyuan looked up and saw a dazzling golden light in Shen Li's hand. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a gold medal.
"A gold medal bestowed by the emperor? You...you are?" Hou Wenyuan had a rough idea of who it was.
"Censor-in-Chief, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy—Shen Li." Shen Li deftly accepted the gold medal and looked at him: "Is that enough to protect you?"
"Lord Shen." Hou Wenyuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately tried to ingratiate himself: "This humble official was a student of Grand Secretary Shen, back in the imperial examinations that year..."
"That's enough." Shen Li didn't want to listen any further and went straight to the point: "When did the rebels' supplies pass through here?"
"It will be tomorrow. The route map is here, Lord Shen, please take a look." Hou Wenyuan became even more pragmatic after learning Shen Li's identity.
If it were someone else, they might only represent the imperial court, but behind Shen Li are not only the imperial court, but also the Shen family and Gu Chang'an, a Grand Secretary and a Minister of Revenue. These are high branches that others can only dream of climbing.
"How often are the grain supplies transported?" Shen Li continued to ask.
"Ten days, and this is only the second batch."
"So you're experienced. How many people are in the grain transport team? Do they need your help to entertain them?"
"The grain transport team has 3,000 elite soldiers and 300 carts of grain. They need to rest when they arrive at this county, but they only eat the dry rations they brought with them," Hou Wenyuan replied honestly.
"Very alert," Shen Li thought to herself.
"We need to replenish our water supply when we eat dry rations," Bai Wuyou said from the side. "Where do they get their water?"
“They don’t drink the well water in the county; they fetch fresh water from the streams outside the county.”
Bai Wuyou glanced at Shen Li upon hearing this and nodded slightly.
“Very well, when they come tomorrow, receive them as usual. If you give yourself away in the slightest, I will definitely take your life.” Shen Li’s words were laced with threat.
Bai Wuyou grabbed him by the back of the neck, threw a pill into his mouth, and slowly said to Hou Wenyuan in his horrified gaze, "If you don't get the antidote within three days, you will die from festering sores all over your body. You can try it if you don't believe me."
"Your humble servant will obey your command." Hou Wenyuan's expression was even more bitter than a bitter gourd.
He never intended to disobey them. After all, the fact that these two could appear in the government office so quietly was enough to demonstrate their abilities. If he wanted to prolong his life, he wouldn't bother with them.
And since he didn't have to do anything, he naturally cooperated.
After Shen Li and Bai Wuyou left, they realized that they had nowhere to go, and that staying at an inn or lodging would leave clues.
"Let's just pick a room anywhere; we'll make do for one night," Shen Li said, pointing to the vast government office.
Bai Wuyou pointed at her and then at himself: "You and me, in one room?"
"Don't worry, I'm married now, I won't take advantage of you." Shen Li was very generous about this.
"I was worried you'd mind, but what am I, a grown man, afraid of?" Bai Wuyou said as he flew out to look for a house.
"Why are you blushing?" Shen Li shook her head, amused.
In the end, the two slept in a guest room. Shen Li slept on the bed, while Bai Wuyou sat cross-legged on the floor.
Nothing happened that night. The next day, Shen Li stayed in the same guest room. Bai Wuyou stole some food for her from the kitchen and told her, "Don't make a sound here. I'm going to find out where the grain is being transported. I'll come back to pick you up later."
"Don't worry, I can manage on my own." Shen Li's words were mumbled because she already had a hot steamed bun in her mouth.
Seeing that her eyes were clear and no different from those of an ordinary seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, Bai Wuyou felt a little uneasy, but then he thought of her methods and put those worries aside.
It wasn't her who suffered the consequences of being discovered; it was the person who discovered her.
If they don't twist your head off, you're lucky you're alive.
"These are for you to pass the time." Bai Wuyou took out a few blue books from his pocket and said, "I just grabbed a few when I passed by the study. You can make do with them."
Shen Li's cheeks were bulging from eating, and she was somewhat surprised to see the book, her eyes widening slightly.
First, they didn't expect Bai Wuyou to be so meticulous; second, they didn't expect him to come and go from the government office in broad daylight as if it were his own home, taking whatever he wanted.
She couldn't swallow the steamed bun in her mouth for a moment, and finally clasped her hands in thanks to him.
Bai Wuyou's usually handsome but serious face was practically cracking with laughter; he hadn't expected Shen Li to be so adorable.
In the end, I actually burst out laughing.
"Go away, go away. How am I supposed to eat if you bring people here?" Shen Li waved her hand to shoo them away after finally swallowing her words.
"Alright, Master," Bai Wuyou replied with a smile, then jumped out of the window.
After he left, Shen Li ate a hearty meal and then leaned against the bed to read. Although Hou Wenyuan was corrupt and lawless, he had entered officialdom by studying the classics, and his collection of books was still worth reading.
Bai Wuyou returned at noon. Shen Li was engrossed in reading when she heard the wind howling. Then she opened the window and smelled the aroma of roast duck.
Looking over, she saw Bai Wuyou carrying a food box in each hand and landing lightly on the ground. He said to her, "Are you hungry? Have something to eat."
"What do you mean, eat something?" Shen Li looked him over and at the food box in his hand, quite suspiciously asking, "What were you doing this morning?"
Has he forgotten that he has a mission to complete?