strokinit Chapter 43 Poor Liu Zhao
Chapter 43 Poor Liu Zhao
Wangjiachong.
On the winding mountain road, two villagers got into a fight over water, blocking the way.
One of the families simply dug a hole in the middle of the road, and murky water gushed out, cutting off the entire mountain path.
Liu Zhao's carriage was forced to stop.
"Get out of the way! You bunch of troublemakers! If you dare block the road again, you'll lose your heads!"
The steward of the Liu family shouted and cursed, and several guards stepped forward to push and shove the crowd.
It's unclear who started it, but the verbal abuse between the two families suddenly escalated into a physical fight, with sticks clashing and stones flying everywhere.
The guards who rushed in were immediately driven back.
"You ignorant fool!"
The steward's face turned ashen, and he was about to order a forced entry when Liu Zhao's icy voice came from inside the carriage: "Scatter some copper coins and silver fragments by the roadside to quickly lure them away. If anyone dares to block the way, kill them without mercy."
"Yes."
The guards obeyed the order and threw handfuls of copper coins and silver coins to both sides of the mountain path.
Upon seeing this, the villagers became enraged and swarmed to grab the loot, leaving only a few people still fighting.
The Liu family's axemen stepped forward with their knives, and the men trembled in fear, scrambling away as if they were crawling on the ground.
However, although the road was cleared, the ditch dug by the villagers blocked their way.
The irrigation ditch that the villagers dug on the road was just the right size, about the width of a horse-drawn carriage.
If a carriage were to pass by, it would undoubtedly get stuck.
The steward of the Liu family gritted his teeth, ordered someone to untie the ropes of the carriage shaft, summoned the accompanying martial arts master, and with a shout, lifted the entire carriage and crossed the ditch.
This whole ordeal took up a lot of time.
At this moment, a hint of anxiety appeared on Liu Zhao's usually calm face.
The series of unexpected events made him vaguely feel that there was an unseen hand manipulating him in the dark.
Liu Zhao drew back the curtains, beckoned the steward, and asked, "Have you got the coachman from the Cui family under control?"
"Don't worry, young master. His whole family is in our hands. They will definitely press the mechanism as we ask and lock Miss Cui's carriage."
Liu Zhao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As long as Cui Xijun is still in the car, it should be fine for a little while tonight.
For some reason, his eyelids started twitching and his heart was pounding like a drum.
It's like something really bad has happened.
The convoy continued forward.
After a while, everyone heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the mountain.
From afar, it swept down the mountain path like a sudden rainstorm.
Liu Zhao subconsciously looked outside and saw two riders galloping towards him. The riders were dashing and their clothes fluttered in the wind.
Upon closer inspection of the woman's face, Liu Zhao was immediately horrified.
The man riding the horse was none other than the protagonist he was to arrange for today—Cui Xijun.
Cui Xijun also caught a glimpse of the Liu family's convoy, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she did not stop or ask any further questions.
She spurred her horse, sending it tumbling through the dust as it passed Liu Zhao's entourage.
Liu Zhao abruptly drew the curtains, his face deathly pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and dared not show his face.
As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, he could no longer sit still, and he was restless in the carriage like an ant on a hot pan.
"Get out of the carriage! Prepare the horses!"
He gave a low shout and hurriedly got out of the car.
Then, with two or three trusted confidants, he mounted his horse and galloped off towards Xiangguo Temple.
His uneasy premonition grew stronger, and he desperately wanted to know what had happened ahead.
After an incense stick has burned.
Liu Zhao, accompanied by his trusted confidants, arrived at the bend in the narrow mountain path.
Even before anyone got close, they could smell the stench of blood carried on the wind.
He walked through the forest path, rounded the bend, and was immediately horrified to see corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.
The bodies included not only members of the Cui family, but also some familiar faces he recognized.
He stumbled off his horse and walked into the pile of corpses, where he saw Cai He's enormous head.
The latter's eyes were wide open, and he died with his eyes still open.
He continued walking forward and stood in front of the elaborately decorated carriage.
At this moment, the mechanism on the carriage had been triggered, the carriage door was wide open, and the inside was empty.
Liu Zhao trembled all over, almost losing his balance, and his last shred of reason completely collapsed.
He kicked Cai He's head away, hissing and cursing, "Useless trash! You ruined my big plan!"
The steward behind him, his face ashen, hurriedly stepped forward, his voice trembling, and asked, "Young Master... what should we do now?"
Liu Zhao caught his breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and gritted his teeth, ordering, "The caravan must turn around immediately, not returning to the capital, but heading straight for Yunzhong. Also, send a messenger on horseback to inform Father to make preparations as soon as possible."
The steward standing next to him felt a chill run down his spine.
Yunzhong is the ancestral home of the Liu family.
If things hadn't gotten out of control, the young master would never have retreated so easily.
Because once he leaves the capital, it means he will be far from the center of power and lose the right to be nurtured by his family.
This time, young master... is truly panicked.
……
Chen Ye cannot ride a horse.
He could only lead the horse that Cui Xijun had given him.
After leaving the narrow mountain path, he did not go down the mountain to return to Beijing, but instead turned around and went into the Fulong Mountains on the outskirts of Beijing.
This mountain is not high, but it has deep forests and wide ridges, making it easy to hide.
After walking up a secluded path for a short while, you will come to a simple thatched hut.
This is a place where villagers from the foot of the mountain take a short rest when they go hunting in the mountains; it is usually deserted.
Before taking action, the group agreed to meet here.
Chen Ye looked around to make sure no one was there before knocking on the door, only to hear a long knock followed by two short ones.
The wooden door was pulled open.
Zuo Dongxi and Su Guangli stood inside the gate, both of them taken aback when they saw him leading a horse.
Su Guang quickly reminded them, "The horses of the major families in the capital are all branded, so we can't take them away, and the horse market won't accept them either."
Chen Ye stroked the horse's mane and smiled, "This was a gift from Miss Cui, it should be fine."
Su Guang's eyes lit up. "The deal to get into the Cui family is done?"
"No conclusion has been reached yet," Chen Ye shook his head and said, "but it's a good start. Let's go inside and discuss it in detail."
Chen Ye tied his horse to a tree next to the thatched hut, slipped inside, and locked the door.
The hut was small, with some dry firewood and straw piled in the corner, but next to the firewood pile was a two-foot-three-inch wooden box.
Chen Ye walked over, used his toes to pry open the box, revealing stacks of silver ingots and gold cakes, as well as scattered jewels.
For a moment, the room was filled with a soft light.
Zuo Dongxi stepped forward and whispered, "Brother Su and I have roughly counted it; it's about 1,400 taels. Of that, 1,100 taels is the incense money from the Cui family, and the remaining 300 taels was found on those people."
Chen Ye scoffed, "These aristocratic families are really rich."
"With the Imperial Preceptor presiding over Xiangguo Temple, all the prominent families in the capital are eager to befriend it, and the donations are naturally generous. However, the Liu family's generosity this time is quite unexpected."
Chen Ye said, "They probably never intended for these people to go back alive. If we hadn't interfered, this money would have gone through a roundabout way and ended up back in their hands anyway."
As he spoke, he leaned closer to the window, glanced outside a few times to make sure no one was following him, and then turned back and said, "This operation went smoothly, thanks to the two brothers working together, and we also got this unexpected windfall."
"Whether we can join the Cui family in the future is another matter; let's divide this money first."
Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi sat up straight and listened attentively.
Although they weren't particularly short of money or greedy, they couldn't help but be tempted by such a large windfall.
Before the two could speak, Chen Ye said directly, "Let me share my thoughts first. The distribution of the silver must be commensurate with each person's contribution; otherwise, resentment will fester and affect the relationship between us brothers in the future."
"With clear rules, our brotherhood can last a long time."