Taohuaxi

Chapter 71
Not far away by the canal, there is a flower boat floating from nowhere moored.

The singer sang the tune in raw Yangzhou Mandarin: I heard that Jiangnan is a wine country, and passersby on the road feel heartbroken.Who knows that there is no drunkenness in the south of the Yangtze River, and the spring breeze is full of fragrance...

The night is getting darker.

The moon is dim.

Starlight is sparse.

The shops on Dongguan Street closed their doors one after another.

I said to Hua Lian: "Take 3000 taels of silver notes from the counter and follow me to Shenju Mountain."

Hua Lian didn't know what I meant, but she did it quickly.

I took out a black box from under the bed in the hut in the backyard and held it in my arms.

"Go hitch a carriage. Don't call the driver. Just drive."

"Yes."

The carriage left the city and became more and more deserted.

Shenju Mountain is the first mountain in Huainan.

Beautiful mountains and clear waters.The woods are dense.Green and verdant.There are lava hills, which are strange and beautiful.

On the mountain where God lives, there is a group of bandits.The leader, called "One-Eyed Dragon," led five to six hundred brothers and hid deep in the mountain col.From time to time, he would go down the mountain to rob and kidnap, specifically targeting the rich.Many government merchants in Yangzhou were afraid when they heard his name.The government once sent officers and soldiers to the mountains to suppress the bandits. However, after seven days of fighting, they returned defeated.The Yangzhou prefect at that time felt deeply ashamed and suppressed the matter.Later, nothing happened.The governor of Yangzhou changed several times and returned to suppress the bandits, but failed.

The one-eyed dragon has become a special existence between the officials and the people of Yangzhou Prefecture.

There are many legends about the bandit den on Shenju Mountain circulating in the market.

When I answered Zheng Tai's "I figured it out", I had already thought of a plan.

The carriage stopped on the mountainside, and there was no road ahead.

I got off the carriage, held the black box in my arms, took Hua Lian with me, and continued walking into the mountains.

After walking for about half an hour, I saw dots of torches in the forest.

Two men asked sharply: "Who is coming?"

I raised my voice and said, "I have a great gift for you, the master."

The man said: "You're so good, why do you want to give me such a big gift? What's your plan? You can see our boss whenever you want!"

I smiled and said, "Since I came here late at night, I have something to do. I have some business and I want to talk to the boss."

"Who knows if there are officers and soldiers behind you!" The two men were very vigilant.

I said: "All the way from the mountainside, your people must have been watching secretly. If there was any movement, how could you not have received the report? In Yangzhou City, I have heard about the name of the righteous bandits in Shenju Mountain. Today, I sincerely come to pay you a visit. . Please report this to the boss."

Putting on a "violent bandit" hat, the two men's tone became somewhat looser.

"What gift do you want to give?" the man asked.

"Firegun." I said.

The men were silent for a while.

Fireguns are in urgent need and vital to the bandits in the mountains.Just like sending a pen to a scholar, sending a knife to a cook, sending a sickle to a farmer, sending rouge to a woman.Sent to my heart.

The two of them discussed it quietly and said to me: "Only one person is allowed in. And he must be blindfolded."

"Okay." I replied simply.

Hua Lian said hurriedly: "My boss, it's dangerous."

I shook my head: "Don't worry. I'm measured."

I tucked the banknotes that Hua Lian brought into my sleeves, held the black box in my arms, and walked towards the two men.Suddenly, his eyes were covered.The men tied me into a net and whistled three times.The network port tightened suddenly.I don't know where the mechanism is located above, and I push hard.I felt like I was being lifted into the air and then put down again.

Two more people carried me and walked around for a long time.

I was put down again.

The cloth covering the eyes was lifted.

I opened my eyes and saw a chair made of rough wood in front of me. Sitting on the chair was a man wearing a black robe, looking at me.There was a scar on his left eye, which must have been caused by being hit by a heavy object and causing him to go blind.Only the right eye remains.

He must be the famous "One-Eyed Dragon".

I originally thought that the bandits were all big and thick, with big muscles and round waists, and a fierce look on their faces.Unexpectedly, the man in front of me was quite handsome.The tall and thin figure and the handsome face are somewhat bookish.If I hadn't seen him here, just by looking at his face, I might have thought he was a scholar from some academy in the city.

I look around.

A man next to the one-eyed dragon hurriedly scolded: "Don't look around!"

The one-eyed dragon raised his hand and stopped his men.

He stood up, waving the fan in his hand.On the fan, a sentence from "The Book of Changes" is written in Yan style: A humble gentleman can cross the great rivers.

He looked at me and said slowly: "I heard that you want to give me a gift."

I opened the black box.

There are two firecrackers inside.

Fireguns are extremely expensive on the market and difficult to find.A few days ago, I asked the factory guard to buy it from an officer in the Cao Army.After Bean Sprout's accident, I couldn't sleep well day and night. I originally wanted to buy a firecracker for self-protection.

Tonight, I plan to use this blunderbuss to put on a show.

The one-eyed dragon ordered people to carry the black box away, and then asked me: "I accepted the gift. Now you can tell me what you need me to do."

He smiled and said: "You are a woman, and when you go up the mountain late at night, you must be asking for something. Nothing in the world comes for free. You understand this truth. I understand it too."

"Please help me, the boss, to steal the bride."

"Steal who?"

"I."

He returned to the big chair and sat down, the fan in his hand closed with a snap, and he looked at me with interest with his right eye.

I continued: "Yangzhou City has twelve gates, four water passes, and six suspension bridges. On the first day of May, when the sedan passes by Yijiang Gate, the boss can come with his brothers to kidnap me and kidnap me."

I took out the banknotes, presented them, and said, "Don't worry, the boss, I won't let the boss make this trip in vain. I will give these banknotes to the boss and the brothers for tea."

If I explicitly reject Uncle Zheng Guo, it will definitely bring disaster to Zhujia Winery.My father, Zhu Xifeng, Hua Lian, and the guys, I can't ignore these people.

Zheng Guojiu was very influential in Yangzhou, so if he wanted to cause trouble for the Zhu family, it would be easy for him.

However, when the sedan chair was carried out of the Zhu family and was robbed by bandits, it had nothing to do with the Zhu family.

No matter how dissatisfied Zheng Taizong was, he could only find trouble with the bandits.

What can he do if the bandits cannot be suppressed by the officers and soldiers?
Anyway, I hid in the bandit's stronghold for a while, that's all.

Over in the capital, if there is good news, Douya will come to my rescue.

If not, I can only make other plans, slowly figure it out, leave Yangzhou, and choose another place to live with my family.

There is always a way out.

Stay out of the limelight.

The One-Eyed Dragon raised his head and said, "I have done this before. But no bride has ever begged me to steal her bride. Please tell me, who is the person who marries you? I will try my best to marry someone from a wealthy family in Yangzhou City." It’s knowing.”

I thought for a while and said: "No matter who it is, is there anyone in Yangzhou Prefecture that the master is afraid of? I have always heard the name of the master in the city. A hero in the green forest, courage is the first. Could it be that there are still masters in this world? Something you don't dare to do? If the master is afraid, I don't dare to say anything. Leave all the gifts and banknotes to the master, and I will come down the mountain. I'm sorry to bother you this time."

He laughed.

"Why don't you dare? Lord Yama, I'm not afraid either."

He winked at the person next to him.

The man came over and collected the banknote.

He said: "My one-eyed dragon stole this kiss."

I leaned over and said, "Thank you, Master."

He beat his hands with his fan and ordered his men, "Young gentleman, use the Shedachuan River. Good luck. Qian Gua. Wealth will come. Divide the silver notes among the brothers."

The men were all excited.

My eyes were covered again.Put it into the net just as it came.

Hua Lian was waiting for me where he was.

"Master, are you okay?" She untied the net on me.

I said: "Let's go down the mountain quickly and go back before dawn."

"Yes."

Hua Lian helped me up.We hurried to the mountainside and got on the carriage.

When we returned to Zhujia Winery, it was just dawn.

Two or three days passed by in a hurry.

Zheng Tai ordered people to give him new clothes and hairpin rings.

My father and Zhu Xifeng both knew about this.

My father sighed: "Sang Yu, I originally thought that we would live a stable life, but who would have expected that something like this would happen. That Mr. Qin... It's a pity, it's a pity."

He didn't say any more, his face looked sad and full of regret.

Zhu Xifeng got two fire sticks with thick tops from somewhere and said, "Sister, I will hide in the sedan tomorrow and go to Zheng's house with you. Someone lifts the curtain of the sedan, and I swing it with the stick..."

I said: "You are at home, and you are not allowed to go anywhere. Don't cause trouble."

At night, I slept on the bed, tossing and turning.

Tomorrow, there will be some twists and turns.

No matter what, I have to hold on.

At the third watch, it rained.

I keep my eyes open until dawn.

The rain stopped.The courtyard was wet.There were two fallen flowers on the soles of the shoes.

The old maid sent by the Zheng Mansion gave me festive makeup, and the rouge was particularly red.The new clothes are begonia color.Draped on me, my sleeves are empty.Like the wind in the mountains and fields with no home.

I got on the sedan chair.

My father stood at the door of Zhu Mansion, with a complicated expression in his cloudy eyes.He tightened his grip on Zhu Xifeng and waved his hand towards me.His hands are as old as dead branches.

Because it is a concubine, there is no instrumental music such as suona.

The sedan chair was lifted up and walked through the streets.

As I approached Yijiangmen, I felt nervous.

I excused the jolting of the sedan chair and asked the bearer to slow down.

However, the bandits have not been seen yet.

The sedan passed Yijiang Gate, but there was still no movement.

My palms felt sweaty.

Did the one-eyed dragon break his promise after finding out about the power of the Zheng family?

Just when I was anxious, the sound of fighting started.

The sedan was placed on the ground.

coming.coming.I feel a little relieved.

Not long after, the sedan was lifted up again and headed west.

Not in the direction of Shenju Mountain.

I asked: "May I ask the brave man, where are you going?"

Outside the sedan, no one answered.

Just when I was about to lift the sedan curtain to see what was going on, a hoarse voice spoke: "Don't move."

(End of this chapter)