Shengshichun

Chapter 302 The "domestic slave" at the bottom of the boat?
Tongzhou Wharf is one of the most prosperous wharves in the entire canal.

Even though it is close to midnight, the river is still brightly lit. Most people choose to sail during the day and moor at night. The merchants and boatmen getting on and off the boats are even denser than during the day. The restaurants and teahouses along the bank are still full of guests, and the girls from Lianxianglou They were all in bloom, leaning against the railings in rows and waving handkerchiefs.

When Fu Zhen arrived at the pier, Liang Zhi was dressed like a boatman, sitting inconspicuously at a stall drinking tea. The guards were all similarly dressed, scattered everywhere, sitting and standing. Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan also dressed up in the same way. She became a clerk in the store, while Pei Zhan wiped two handfuls of kiln dust on his face. Under the bright or dark light, he was just an ordinary tough nurse. .

It was almost midnight, and the moonless sky was dotted with stars. When Fu Zhen sat down, he raised his head and asked Liang Zhi, "Where is He Qunying?"

"Inside the house," Liang Zhi motioned them to look at the upstairs of the inn opposite. "The third room counting from the one with the lights on is the one with the lights on. Half an hour ago, the Xu family's guards also came. Now they are also above. I have just sent people to investigate on the road. If Xu Yin comes, he will not escape our eyes. "

Fu Zhen glanced at Pei Zhan, who was crossing his chest: "Then we don't have to worry. We'll wait until the ship docks and they take action."

Liang Zhi said: "I just said hello to the shopkeeper of the Ning family business. After the ship docks, he will take a few of us on board, and then you two will find an opportunity to stay on the ship.

There are many people on the pier, and what I didn’t tell him is that they are not in charge, so don’t reveal the truth later. I will pick you up at the dock. Xiao Si and the others are also at various points. When you turn around, ask Guo Song and the others to follow me. I will take care of things and ensure that there are people there wherever you go ashore. "

After the three people had finished their discussion, they heard the boatman's shouts coming from the bottom of the pier, and then many trackers swarmed down the stairs carrying ropes and other tools. The girls from Qinlou who had been quiet before stood up again, and there was a roar of trumpets on the river. , it turns out that a ship has docked!

The escort sent out also returned to Liang Zhi at this time: "The Xu family's carriage has arrived in Tongzhou!..."

Xu Yin arrived in Tongzhou by car and drove directly into the inn where He Qunying was staying.

The two guards who arrived first came to the door and said, "Master arrived in time. The ship has arrived and is taking turns to dock. We will be able to board the ship in a short time."

Xu Yin walked into the room, and He Qunying also stood up: "Are you really here in person? You just brought someone with you, but you still can't trust me?"

"Why can't I trust you? It took so many days to travel from south to north, and there was also a delay of many days from Tanzhou to Hangzhou. I was anxiously waiting, and I couldn't help but come."

Xu Yin sat down as he spoke.

As soon as he stood on the stool, he stood up again, walked to the window and looked down. He saw that the river under the pier was densely packed with boats, and the flags of major companies were all hung on the tail poles. It was impossible to tell which two were rented by them. Boat.

"Are you sure you will arrive tonight?" He turned to look at He Qunying.

"Of course," He Qunying said, "I received the news an hour ago. Everything went smoothly. Among the densely packed ships you see, there is our ship."

Xu Yin took a deep look, walked back and said, "I'll get on the boat with you later."

"Why is this necessary?" He Qunying glanced at him, "You are just waiting here, why do you need to show up to attract attention?"

"It's okay," Xu Yin spread his hands, "I changed my clothes specially. I'm just getting on the boat with you, so I won't attract too much attention."

He Qunying looked at his ordinary silk robe and said nothing.

Just then someone came from below and said that the ship had arrived, so the two of them stopped talking and walked downstairs towards the dock.

Liang Zhi invited the shopkeepers of the Ning family business in Tongzhou to the dock early. The shopkeepers came out to greet the boatman, and Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan followed them onto the boat without any effort.

The boat has been lent to He Qunying, and most of the people escorting the boat are He Qunying's people. Logically speaking, no one from the Ning family should board the boat, but because the helmsman and some of the boatmen who are in charge of the boat are still from the Ning family shop, the people who boarded the boat The reason is not hard to find.

The lights on the boat were not on, and the shopkeeper brought a large group of people. Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan found a place to hide in a blink of an eye, without attracting anyone's attention.

After only half a turn and a few words on the pretext of asking the helmsman to pick up the cargo, the shopkeeper took the people off the boat again, and He Qunying's escort didn't say anything.

After the people left, the people on the boat began to move the goods.

Fu Zhen and the two men touched the cabin and saw that it was indeed piled full of silk and satin cloth, rolled into rolls and piled on the ship's board.

He took out his knife and cut a few pieces open, and found that they were indeed all silk.

The ship has two floors, both for loading cargo. The top floor only has a few rooms for living.

Pei Zhan held Fu Zhen's hand, walked around the house to find the entrance to the cabin below, and dived down the stairs.

A cough in the dim light made them immediately press against the wall and stop moving. When the voice calmed down and the eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a boatman sitting in the corner, with the word "Ning" taped on the back of his waistcoat. The two looked at each other and were tiptoed down behind the cargo.

The knife cut open the outer packaging again, and the inside was still satin.

Fu Zhen was unwilling to give in and was about to cut open each horse for inspection. At this time, footsteps came from above, and then two lanterns came in from the stairs.

"...This staircase is narrow, please be careful."

The boatman carrying a lantern was full of flattery in his words. As soon as he landed on the ship's deck, the people behind him also followed. He Qunying appeared first, and behind him were two scribes dressed in ordinary clothes. It was Xu Yin and Lian Ruan beside him!
Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan exchanged glances, held their breath and hid behind the pile of goods.

After landing, Xu Yin looked around at the pile of goods and said, "Your business is quite big. There are so many silks and satins in the two ships. Have you found a home yet?"

"Demand exceeds supply." He Qunying said and smiled at him. No need to look at his expression, the arrogance in his words could not be hidden. "With the sign of my General's Mansion, how come so few people come to visit me?"

Xu Yin smiled knowingly: "Yes."

He Qunying led the way: "Come this way."

The two of them bypassed the stairs, reached the stairwell on the other side, and then went down to the bottom floor.

Fu Zhen wanted to follow her, but Pei Zhan pulled her hand and said, "He Qunying's martial arts skills are not low either. Don't overwhelm him. Wait first."

Fu Zhen returned.

Looking around again, I still saw only lots of silk.

At this time, the guards who had just gone down to the bottom came up one after another. Fu Zhen counted them one by one and saw that all the people brought by Xu Yin and He Qunying had come up and were walking towards the top deck. Xu Yin However, the master and servant and He Qunying did not come up.

"Walk."

Pei Zhan said this word softly, and Fu Zhen followed his footsteps and walked around to the stairs.

The lantern was left below, and the brightly illuminated scene below could be seen through the gaps in the bed boards.

The ship is also full of cargo below. The difference is that there are three small rooms separated on this floor. They seem to be the residences of the boatmen, and they are also used to guard the cargo. All the people they brought have already gone up, and logically speaking, only Xu Yin, Master and Servant, and He Qunying are the only ones left. But under the light, there was another person in front of the three of them!

It wouldn't be surprising if there was a boatman down there, but this man was disheveled, kneeling on the ground, his hands and feet tied with hemp ropes, there was no way he could be the boatman!

"It seems that this is Xu Yin's purpose." Pei Zhan conveyed the message to Fu Zhen with his eyes.

Fu Zhen pursed his lips and stared at the tied man without blinking.

Who is this person? Can't see any clue.

But Xu Yin's eyes fell firmly on him, and he stretched out his pampered hand, grabbed the man's hair and raised his face.

Fu Zhen could see half of his face, but the face beneath his shaggy hair was completely unrecognizable.

"I have a few words to ask him first. Can Brother He make it easier for me?"

He Qunying nodded: "The person is yours, just do as you wish."

After saying that, he stepped onto the stairs and walked up with a bang.

Pei Zhan covered Fuzhen's nose and lips with one hand, and the two of them disappeared silently into the darkness like shadows.

He Qunying's footsteps disappeared at the top.

Down here, Xu Yin had already pushed aside the man's unkempt hair, and in order to better see the other person's face, he had also pulled out the rag that was blocking his mouth.

Without any hindrance, the man immediately started breathing heavily like a dehydrated fish. And a vague words came out of his mouth.

"Yes, it's him!"

While Xu Yin was still staring at this person, he quickly took the rag and stuffed it back into his mouth.

"Young man, let's take him here and take him back to the house."

"Wait a minute!"

Xu Yin pulled out the rag again with a cold expression and looked at the man with fixed eyes: "What's your last name? What are you doing in Tanzhou?"

The man bared his teeth and looked at him. He started arguing with his hands and feet, but it was of no use. Instead, he arched his body like a shrimp.

"This guy is disobedient, why don't you take him back first? There are a lot of talkative people here, and it will be troublesome if someone sees something."

Lian Ruan persuaded again.

Xu Yin pulled open the man's collar, glanced at the tattoo on the back of his neck, then pulled it open again, still covering the tattoo with the collar, looked at him deeply and said, "Take it away."

After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and stepped onto the stairs.

Lian Nuan pulled the knot of the rope and dragged the person down the stairs. Two guards were summoned, one on the left and one on the right, to hold the person, pushed him into a large wooden box, and then carried him up.

Fu Zhen watched the box pass by him without saying a word. As they were about to step onto the second flight of stairs, she asked Pei Zhan, "Do you know the nature of water?"

People who grew up in the North are not very water-based.

Fu Zhen knows how to do it herself, because she was self-taught in the moat when she was a child.

Pei Zhan said: "If you can, I can."

Fu Zhen gave him a blank look. The detective looked at his neck, then leaned down and said a few words in his ear.

Pei Zhan nodded: "Follow the order."

At this point, the lights on the stairs had dimmed, and the two of them took advantage of the darkness to reach the upper level of the ship.

Xu Yin and He Qunying were waiting on the shore, and the people they brought with them were following them. The crowd occupied a large area, and they all paid attention to the people who started to board the ship and unload the cargo.

The big box containing people was lifted onto the deck like a special warehouse filled with fine silk. Just when they were about to carry the box and step ashore, they heard one of them say "ah" and move back. When it tipped over, he naturally had to throw away this end of the box. The person at the other end was caught off guard and let go, and the box submerged into the water with a splash!

Xu Yin was suddenly shocked: "What's going on?!"

The guard who came forward after hearing the sound checked it out, then quickly came back and reported: "Master! There is oil on the board of the boat, and there is water on the soles of the brothers' feet. They slipped immediately after stepping on the oil!"

"Oil?!" Xu Yin raised his voice and looked at He Qunying, "Where did the oil come from on the ship? With so much cargo, how could there be oil underground? - Pull up the box quickly! Hurry!"

Unable to restrain his eagerness, he walked a few steps to the water's edge, only to see that the box that had been swinging on the water had sunk to the bottom! Apart from some ripples remaining on the lake, what other boxes can be seen? !

Xu Yin's body immediately straightened up: "This is definitely not an accident! Get into the water quickly! Get the box back for me!"

He Qunying also came forward, and while sending people to help him get into the water to salvage, he looked at Xu Yin doubtfully: "Isn't it your slave who committed a crime? If it sinks to the bottom, it will sink to the bottom. It doesn't matter if you die. You are so nervous. What to do?”

Under the firelight, Xu Yin's face flickered, making it difficult to tell the content, but what couldn't be concealed was the tense muscles all over his body, and his eyes staring straight into the water!
He Qunying had a different intuition: "Who is this person? Isn't he your domestic slave?"

Seven or eight people have plopped down under the water, but they have not come up yet. Xu Yin gritted his teeth and raised his head and said: "It is true that they are not my slaves, but they are closely related to you and me!"

He Qunying's face changed with just one sentence...

The moment the box fell, Pei Zhan used his excellent arm strength to pull it and swim a dozen or twenty feet away. When the Xu family guards reacted and jumped into the water to look for it, Pei Zhan had already dragged the box to the shore!

Fu Zhen came out of the water, looked back at the shore about fifty steps east of the pier, then helped hold the other end of the box and dragged it to the shore with all his strength!
After a secret whistle, Liang Zhi's guards who had been stationed along the line immediately appeared. Seeing this scene, they did not ask any questions. Several people cooperated tacitly and silently carried the box to the carriage in the distance. Only then did they Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan arrived and greeted him, opened the box, and then pulled out the man who had been half soaked by the inflowing river water!
"Leave one person down to send a message to your master. The others should not delay and follow us back to the city immediately!"

After Pei Zhan gave the order, the guard responsible for driving the carriage started to move forward in the next moment!

Fu Zhen ignored the fact that he was dripping wet. He lay on the back window and turned to look at the dock. The lights were brightly lit over there, and the sound of commotion was coming in waves like a tide...