mtl008 Chapter 570 Hejia Village
Chapter 570 Hejia Village
Lin Yi, seeing Wang Erniu's resolute expression, was once again impressed. "General, you are truly a great man! Please rest assured, General, upon returning to the capital, I will definitely rescue the Lady and retain your position. It is a blessing for the Great Song Dynasty to have such a virtuous minister as you. Even if the Emperor is confused, he cannot afford to lose such a good general."
Wang Erniu waved his hand and said, "Just do your best in this matter. Whether I am the general or someone else is, the beliefs of the Qi and Lin battalions must not change. Everything must be for the sake of the people and the country of the Song Dynasty. People may have personal feelings, but they cannot lose their sense of righteousness. Those who embezzle and pervert the law will be beheaded, and those who sell out their country for personal gain can also be killed. Regardless of their official rank, everyone is equal. Remember this."
Lin Yi's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. With such a great belief, how could the Song Dynasty not prosper? "I will follow the general to the death."
Wang Erniu waved his hand, "What you should follow is your own ideal. I am just an ordinary person. My original intention for joining the army was simply for the safety of my family. Now I am just using my greater abilities to protect the safety of the country."
Lin Yi raised his hand in salute and said, "General, rest assured, I understand." But inwardly he thought, "Madam Chen's trade routes are well-established, and General Wang's military leadership is also excellent. With such a powerful alliance, it's unlikely that the Song Dynasty wouldn't be strong. Unless the higher-ups truly suspect General Wang, wouldn't that be..."
He pondered that perhaps it was time to use some tougher measures. The Lin Battalion now had nearly a hundred men, the Qi Battalion nearly ten thousand, and countless other merchants and businesses. Commodity protection, agriculture protection, and the army are the foundation of the nation. If the government could give up such a good start, it might be incapable of fulfilling its role as the Son of Heaven.
On his way to the capital, Wang Erniu went to find Zhao Lue. "Young Master, is there any news of my godmother? Nearly ten days have passed. Could it be that you haven't found any place where my godmother might be hiding?"
Zhao Lue's eyes flickered as he said, "It's not that I haven't found him, it's just that I haven't been sure, which is why I haven't told you. I think he is very likely hiding in the Commander's Mansion, otherwise, how could there be no traces elsewhere? I have basically mobilized all my connections, I've practically dug three feet into the ground, but I still haven't found the place."
Chu Yi bowed and said, "That's good then. I'll find the rest myself. Perhaps I should venture into the Commander's Mansion."
After Chu Yi left, Zhao Lue's expression changed. It seemed they had become suspicious. He had to go there himself; perhaps he could persuade her to go with him.
On the carriage back to the General's Mansion, Cheng Xiang asked suspiciously, "Brother Chen, don't you think that Prince Zhao is lying?"
Chu Yi chuckled and tapped his hand with his folding fan, saying, "Is there even a question? It's obvious. He's hiding something. Sending someone to follow him won't find out where his godmother is!"
"Yes!" Cheng Xiang nodded. It was time to notify the Qi Battalion.
In the suburbs of Beijing, there is a small village entirely inhabited by the He family, with fewer than a few dozen households. However, they have been a prominent family for decades, all belonging to the He clan. Chen Wenfang, dressed as a peasant woman, lay in the courtyard basking in the thin sunlight. She squinted her eyes, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, while secretly peeking out from between her fingers.
She has been living in this village for over a month now, and she has never left the courtyard. This is because Qinglan Niangzi has made it clear to her that the entire area within a ten-mile radius is under her control, and there are no carriages or help from her. She bets that she can't escape at all, so there's no point in wasting her efforts.
Surprised, Chen Wenfang could only stealthily observe, only to discover that every woman in the village possessed extraordinary skills, and that the children all looked remarkably alike. A bold thought crossed her mind: could these children, or rather, all the women in this village, be He Tianxia's women, and could these children be his children? And what about the men?
Chen Wenfang was puzzled but couldn't figure it out. She became a little drowsy after basking in the sun for a while and fell asleep without realizing it.
The maid who had been watching her relaxed, and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. This Madam Chen was truly no ordinary person; she slept soundly in their den of wolves and tigers, without the slightest disturbance.
Across from Hejia Village is Liujia Village. Liujia Village is a village with many different surnames, and it is not surprising that there are many unfamiliar faces there.
Zhao Lue followed Uncle Liu Tong, who was delivering meat, into the village.
They delivered the meat to each household. When they arrived at Chen Wenfang's yard, Uncle Liu Tong told him to carry the meat into the house. Zhao Lue responded in a low voice, lowered his head, and obediently passed by Chen Wenfang without showing any sign of anything unusual.
Chen Wenfang, however, could smell his scent. She subtly lifted her hand from her face and glanced over, just in time to see Zhao Lue turning his head. Their eyes met. Chen Wenfang recognized him but remained silent, letting them carry things into the house, one trip after another. The maid didn't notice anything amiss and went to help them put the things down.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, Zhao Lue tossed a note past her as he passed by. The note fluttered down onto her skirt, and Chen Wenfang quietly caught it. After he left, she went to the restroom and read the note: "Meet me after midnight at the outhouse in the backyard." Chen Wenfang pursed her lips; it didn't seem like a good time.
At the same time, a family moved into Liujia Village. It was an older brother with three young men. It was said that they had suffered a sudden misfortune and were persecuted by relatives who seized their property. They had no choice but to sell their property and then fled to this place. The four of them were Chen Xuanyu and his two companions, along with Qi Shiliu.
It turned out that due to the betrayal of the Green Robe member of the Qinglan Sect—that alluring woman—they tracked the Qinglan Sect to this place and discovered that Chen Wenfang had been brought into the village. Given their current strength, they were unable to rescue Chen Wenfang and could only stay temporarily in Liu Family Village, hoping to find a way to rescue her.
Because Zhao Lue was wearing makeup, Chen Xuanyu and the others did not recognize him when they left the village.
As night fell, Chen Wenfang dared not sleep for a long time. Finally, around midnight, she took advantage of the opportunity to sleep alone and went to the outhouse in the middle of the night. The maid did not find it strange, because Chen Wenfang often wanted to peek at the situation and would take the opportunity to get up to relieve herself, so she was used to it.
Just as Chen Wenfang squatted down, a soft voice sounded, "Would you like to come with me?"
Upon recognizing Zhao Lue, Chen Wenfang asked, "Did you come to rescue me?"
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a soft reply, "Mm."
Chen Wenfang immediately replied, "Then, let's hurry up and leave. I don't want to stay here for even a day longer."
A muffled voice said, "Wait a little longer. I will come to rescue you in three days."
Chen Wenfang nodded. "Okay, thank you."
There was no sound from the other end for a long time.
Zheng Wenfang thought he had already left, so she stood up.
Suddenly, a soft voice came again, "Is he good to you?" Chen Wenfang replied, "Very good."