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"You are not an outsider, so I will be honest with you."

Old Master Zhao sighed deeply, his expression full of worry: "Right now, my family can't even provide you with a cup of tea. Chi'er must have gone to the neighbor's house to borrow some."

Yi Xiaochuan was full of doubts and asked puzzledly:
"Lü Gong, don't you run a private school? How did you fall into such a state?"

"Ugh……"

Old Master Lu shook his head slowly. "It's all because of Liu Bang. He's living as a bandit in the mountains, and the people from the county government come to arrest him every few days. In this case, who would dare to come to my private school? If it weren't for Chi'er's hard work, this family would have been unsustainable. Alas, when will this life end?!"

Old Master Lu's words revealed deep fatigue and helplessness.

"Lü Gong, I came here to solve this matter." Yi Xiaochuan said solemnly and firmly, "Now, it is those corrupt officials of Qin State, especially Zhao Gao, who arrested Liu Bang for endangering the Lu family. The Qin Dynasty was tyrannical and the people were living in misery. I assert that sooner or later, something bad will happen in this world. I am just thinking of looking for my sworn brother to plan something big together! When the time is right, we will drive out all those corrupt officials of Qin State and do something earth-shattering! In this way, my brother won't have to hide in the mountains and live in fear every day."

"what??"

When Lu Gong heard this, his face suddenly changed and he was shocked. He never expected that Yi Xiaochuan would have such a bold idea.

Lu Zhi walked out of the inner room slowly, holding a tea bowl. Hearing Yi Xiaochuan's words, she frowned slightly, looked at Yi Xiaochuan and said:
"How can this be easy? It's easy to say, but if you really want to do it, you have to risk your life. You have to forge weapons and recruit soldiers! Look around our house, where are the valuable things?"

"Don't worry about this, sister-in-law. I've already prepared for it!"

Yi Xiaochuan said confidently, and took out a night-shining pearl from his waist. This night-shining pearl killed several people, and was later given to him by Yu Shu. Now he did not care about the blood on the night-shining pearl, and said with peace of mind: "This is a priceless night-shining pearl, please sell it. All the silver you get will be used for the right things. I will go up the mountain to discuss with my elder brother immediately! You two, Xiaochuan will take your leave first!"

After saying that, Yi Xiaochuan turned around and strode away, leaving Lu Gong and Lu Zhi looking at his back.

Lü Zhi held the Night Pearl, hesitant in her heart. She knew the value of the Night Pearl, but she was also worried that once she sold it, it would cause unnecessary trouble.

Lü Gong saw Lü Zhi's worry and said, "Chi'er, Xiaochuan is a man of great righteousness. We should trust him. The world is in chaos now. We can't just sit there and wait for death."

"Okay! Aung, I'll get ready right away!"

Lu Zhi nodded, her eyes revealing a resolute look. The current situation is difficult, and for the future of her family, she must take this step.

Just when Lu Zhi made up her mind and prepared to sell the night pearl.

"Bang!" There was a loud noise and the gate was slammed open.

A patrol officer led a group of bandits and rushed in aggressively. The patrol officer had a stern face and a dignified look in his eyes, while the bandits behind him were holding weapons and had solemn expressions.

Lü Zhi was startled and subconsciously protected Lü Gong and Liu Ying. She looked at the leader of the group and asked with a trembling voice, "What are you doing?"

The patrol shouted: "Liu Ji killed the police officer, released the corvée without permission, and fled out of fear of punishment. According to the law, his entire family must be punished."

"Ah? No..."

Lu Zhi's figure swayed, her face full of shock and disbelief. Escaping privately and killing the yamen runners and running away are two different things. Didn't he say that he ran away on his own?
Lu Zhi's mind was in a mess and she didn't know how to deal with this sudden change.

Lu Gong's face turned pale, and he hugged Liu Ying tightly. His eyes were full of worry and fear, and he secretly regretted his involvement with Liu Bang.

Liu Ying was so scared that he hugged Lu Gong's legs tightly, and his small body trembled constantly.

Lu Zhi took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She stared at You Jiao with anxiety and expectation in her eyes, and tried to explain: "Sir, there must be a misunderstanding. My husband is definitely not the kind of murderer. He has always been kind and righteous. He must have had his own reasons."

As she spoke, Lu Zhi gritted her teeth and, with trembling hands, she slowly and secretly put the bag of night-shining pearls into You Jiao's hands. There was a hint of pleading in her eyes: "Can you please be lenient? Our whole family will be grateful."

"Humph! You dare to bribe me? Your crime is even more serious!"

You Jiao's eyes widened with anger and he shouted loudly.

However, when he inadvertently looked at the night-shining pearl in his hand, a barely perceptible strange color flashed in his eyes. The night-shining pearl emitted a soft light, and it was obviously priceless at first glance, which made him feel moved.

But then, You Jiao seemed to remember something and shuddered. The Liu and Lu families were personally named by the big shots above. If they were found to have accepted bribes and released the prisoners privately, the consequences would be disastrous. At that time, his family's lives would be in danger!

With a cold snort, You Jiao said sternly: "Now that the evidence is irrefutable, how can you quibble? Detain the family members now, and deal with them together after Liu Ji arrests them! Come, take them all away! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

The bandits immediately stepped forward and pushed Lü Gong, Lü Zhi, Liu Ying and others again. Lü Zhi was desperate, but still unwilling to give up. While being pushed away, she looked back at You Jiao, hoping that he would change his mind. However, You Jiao had no expression on his face and watched them being taken away indifferently.

Seeing this scene, people on the street gathered around and whispered.

After leaving the door, the patrol gave an order and immediately sealed off the Lu Mansion.

After a while, while being escorted, Lu Gong and others saw Liu Ji's parents, brothers and sisters-in-law being escorted by a group of thieves. They were also wearing heavy shackles, their faces were haggard, and their eyes were full of fear and despair.

Liu Ji's father's face was filled with grief and anger, and he kept cursing Liu Ji; Liu Ji's mother was in tears, and she murmured and prayed for God's blessing; Liu Ji's brothers and sisters-in-law also looked gloomy, not knowing what fate would await them in the future.

But for some unknown reason, the bailiffs locked up Lu Zhi and Liu Ying together, and locked up Lu Gong and the rest of the Liu family in another place.

The cold cell was filled with the smell of dampness and decay.

Lü Zhi hugged Liu Ying tightly, trying to bring him a little warmth with her body temperature. Liu Ying's small body trembled slightly in her arms, and his eyes were full of fear. Lü Zhi kept comforting Liu Ying, whispering soothing words, trying to calm him down.

Although the yamen runners stopped asking questions after locking up the men, they sent a portion of millet rice at night. The millet rice was rough and cold, and gave off an unpleasant smell. But at that time, it was already a rare food. Lu Zhi carefully divided the rice into two portions, one for Liu Ying and one for herself. Although her stomach was rumbling, she was more concerned about Liu Ying's food and clothing. Lu Zhi was always in a state of panic. She didn't know what the future would be like, whether Liu Ji could escape the pursuit, and whether their family would ever see the light of day again.

In this way, three long days were spent in fear.

During these three days, every minute and every second was a torment for Lu Zhi. Her once pretty face was now haggard. Her eyes were full of bloodshot and her face was as pale as paper. Her hair was scattered on her shoulders in a mess, and she seemed to have lost her former glory.

During these three days, Lü Zhi was constantly concerned about the safety of her family. She was worried about whether Lü Gong and the rest of the Liu family were safe, and whether Liu Ji was still on the run. Every unknown was like a sharp knife hanging over her heart.

Until a jailer came over with an expressionless face, and the heavy footsteps echoed in the silent cell. He opened the cell door and took Lu Zhi and Liu Ying out of the cell. Lu Zhi hugged Liu Ying tightly, but no matter how she asked, she never got a response.

In a state of panic, the mother and son were taken to a prisoner's car. The prisoner's car was shabby and exuded a rotten smell. The wheels moved forward unsteadily on the rugged road, making a creaking sound. Lu Zhi looked through the fence of the prisoner's car and looked at the unfamiliar scene outside, feeling confused. She didn't know where the prisoner's car would go, nor did she know what fate awaited them.

...............

Dang County.

In the 225nd year of the reign of Qin Wangzheng ( BC), after the powerful Qin State destroyed the Wei State, it changed the former Dasong County of the Wei State into Dang County. The name of this county came from Dang Mountain. According to the note of "Han Shu·Geography", Shi Gu said: "Because there is Dang Mountain, it is named Dang County."

Dang County is one of the few counties named after a mountain among the 36 counties set up by the Qin Dynasty. Not only Dang County, but also Dang County is also named after this mountain.

Mangdang Mountain is located at the junction of today's Henan and Anhui provinces. Its main peak is nearly 156.8 meters above sea level. Compared with those towering mountains, such a height is indeed insignificant. However, because it is surrounded by flat plains, it looks particularly tall and straight.

Today, this place is a marshy land with lakes and rivers crisscrossing. The Sui River, an important waterway connecting the Yellow River system and the Huai River system, flows slowly through it, and ships traveling from north to south can see the mountain from a long distance.

On the mountain trail, dozens of ragged, gloomy-looking masked men were lying in ambush nervously, holding their breath, staring intently at the end of the trail with their eyes as sharp as torches.

These men were obviously extremely poor. They held sticks and other crude weapons in their hands, and their hearts were filled with tension and anxiety, like hungry wolves waiting for prey. They just hoped that passers-by would pass by so that they could rush out to rob property to solve their urgent needs.

The sun shone through the gaps between the leaves, creating patches of light and shadows. The masked men trembled slightly in the light and shadows, not knowing whether it was because of nervousness or the cold.

Time passed by, and the path remained silent. The men's patience was gradually worn out, and anxiety began to spread in their hearts. They kept changing their postures, trying to relieve the tension in their bodies. Some people bit their lips, some people clenched their fists, and everyone silently prayed in their hearts that the prey would appear.

Finally, there was a slight sound of footsteps in the distance. The men's spirits instantly tensed up, they clenched their weapons, and stared at the direction of the sound. As the footsteps got closer, their hearts rose to their throats. When the figure gradually appeared clearly on the trail, they seemed to see the hope of survival, and were ready to rush out like hungry tigers...

"Go!" The masked man in the lead shouted fiercely, and the sound echoed in the mountains like thunder. Then, he stood aside, his eyes revealing a hint of ruthlessness and expectation, and watched his men rush out like wolves and tigers.

"Hey~"

"ah?!!"

"my hand!"

But after a while, a sharp scream suddenly sounded. This scream was particularly harsh in the quiet mountains, and it sounded familiar, as if I had heard it somewhere before.

The leading man's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked up. He saw several of his companions lying on the ground in pain, rolling and screaming. Their faces were full of pain, some holding their injured arms, and some covering their bleeding legs. The people around them surrounded the man in the middle, their faces full of fear, and they dared not move forward.

When he looked closely at the man in the middle, he was shocked, his eyes full of disbelief: "Brother?"

"Brother, are you okay?!"

Yi Xiaochuan, who was standing in the middle of the crowd, heard the voice, slowly turned his head, and showed a few white teeth to Liu Bang.

The masked men around were all stunned, looking at each other, not knowing what to do. They never thought that the person they robbed was actually an acquaintance of the leader.

Liu Bang was also stunned. He stared at Yi Xiaochuan with wide eyes, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. He was surprised to meet Yi Xiaochuan here, and felt helpless about the embarrassing situation in front of him.

Liu Bang opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He showed an awkward smile on his face, scratched his head, and tried to ease the tense atmosphere: "Brother, why are you here?"

…………

Following Liu Bang and his party, we slowly moved forward along the winding mountain road and finally arrived at a cave hideout on the mountain.

When Yi Xiaochuan stepped into this so-called "den", a damp and decayed smell hit him in the face. The light in the cave was dim, with only a few weak rays of sunlight shining through the cracks, barely illuminating this simple space. Some hay was casually spread on the ground, which was their bed. In the corner were some worn-out pots and pans, some of which were already incomplete. A few worn-out clothes were hung on the wall of the cave, swaying gently in the breeze.

Yi Xiaochuan looked around, his eyes revealing a hint of mixed emotions. He frowned slightly, looked at Liu Bang and said with a half-smile:
"I thought that big brother had robbed a mountain of gold and silver, but I didn't expect that he would end up like this?"

Yi Xiaochuan walked slowly to a place, reached out and gently touched the cave wall, feeling the rough texture: "Brother, your life is really hard."

Liu Bang stood aside, showing an awkward smile on his face. He scratched his head awkwardly and said helplessly: "Don't make fun of me, my dear brother. Do you think I am willing to do this? Now that Zhao Gao is in power, he is offering a reward for my arrest. I have no choice but to do this to make a living. I dare not even go home!"

As early as when Liu Bang learned that Zhao Gao had become the Minister of the Imperial Chariots, he was like a frightened bird. He immediately abandoned his family and children, not even caring about Lu Zhi and his newborn son. He fled in a hurry, fearing that Zhao Gao would settle accounts with him.

Whenever Liu Bang thought of this, he regretted it. If he had known that the boy would be so lucky, he would have made friends with him. But now, everything is irreversible. Zhao Gao was framed by him and entered the palace as a eunuch. Now that he is in power, he will definitely not let him go.

Liu Bang secretly blamed Zhao Gao for being narrow-minded, and thought to himself, if he hadn't stabbed him in the back, would he have been so successful today? But he also knew that it was useless to say all this now. He could only live in fear in this mountain, not knowing when he could get out of this predicament.

(End of this chapter)