cabinet first lady

Chapter 67

Sun Haoyou, who had a bad nose at Ruan Muyang's place yesterday, decided to go out today to find some friends to relieve his depression and think of countermeasures.Last night he spent the whole night arguing with the concubine's room in the mansion, but he felt it was boring. Today he slept until the sun was shining, and he was about to go out when he happened to meet Sun Zhen, the magistrate who came back from the mansion.

"Where are you going?" Sun Zhen's face was not very good-looking.

Sun Haoyou curled his lips and said with a smile, "Father, I'm going out to meet friends for drinks."

Sun Zhen snorted coldly: "Where did you take the people from the government office yesterday? What did you do?"

"Father, when did you care about me so much?" Sun Haoyou asked.

Sun Zhen seldom took care of what Sun Haoyou did on weekdays.But last night someone came to remind him faintly, and it turned out to be the person under the cabinet who came, and only then did he know what stupid things Sun Haoyou had done.

Although the person who came didn't say what the identity of the woman Sun Haoyou provoked was, but it was related to the one in the cabinet, so her identity must be quite high.

"You'd better not provoke others." Sun Zhen reminded.

Sun Haoyou frowned, looked at Sun Zhen suspiciously and said, "Father, do you know his origin?" He was extremely curious about Ruan Muyang's arrival.

Sun Zhen remembered the person who came to tell him not to say anything, snorted coldly and warned again: "Always be honest with me and don't cause trouble for me." He has already asked people in Beijing to find out who came to Cangzhou Yes, there should be news soon.If he really has a close relationship with that lord, he still needs to take this opportunity to curry favor with him.

It seems that it is still the outer room of a high-ranking official.Sun Haoyou didn't take it seriously.

After going out and having a drink with some friends in the private room of the restaurant, Sun Haoyou was a little absent-minded.

"Young Master Sun, it's only been a while, and you've already sighed several times. What happened to you?" His friends are also all playboys from Cangzhou.

Sun Haoyou roughly talked about what happened, and those cronies began to give him advice one by one.The ideas of those who were with him were of course bad moves.

"Is there anything you can't handle in Cangzhou? Give her a little bit of trouble and she will be obedient. At that time, why don't you do whatever you want?"

When they said this, Sun Haoyou's eyes lit up again.

The martial arts of the guards in the manor house are not weak, so they will definitely not be able to force their way in. How can they give her a hard time?

When Sun Haoyou came back at night, thinking about it, he bumped into an official who was in a hurry.

"How do you walk? I dare to hit you?"

The official quickly apologized.

Finding that this was someone next to Sun Zhen, Sun Haoyou stopped him who was about to leave and asked, "What's the matter with looking for my father in such a hurry?"

"There are traces of the rogues who came from the sea. It turns out that they are among the suffering people outside the city. No wonder we didn't find them before."

"Outside the city?" Sun Haoyou raised his eyebrows.

The officer didn't notice anything unusual, so he nodded and told the exact location. "Young master, I'm going to find your lord first. These rogues have been hiding for two days, and I'm afraid there will be a big move, so I have to hurry to encircle and suppress them."

Isn't the place where the rogues hide not far from the manor?Sun Haoyou came up with a plan: "Stop! Don't rush to tell my father about this."

"How can you not be in a hurry?"

"I told you to stay a few hours late, and tell my father when it gets dark." Sun Haoyou said.

The official hesitated.

Sun Haoyou snorted coldly and said, "Did you hear that! Otherwise, I'll have someone arrest you right now!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Watching the officials turn around and leave, Sun Haoyou smiled triumphantly, and said to the servants beside him, "Go, send me twenty officers. Let them make a false search and force the rogues to hide in the manor courtyard."

The servant vaguely guessed something, and said hesitantly, "Young master, this... will something happen?"

"It's just a group of rogues from the sea. What are you afraid of? Just make that girl suffer a little bit first, scare her, and then we will come forward to stop it. Just delay for a while and wait for my father to bring someone over." Sun Haoyou stroked his chin triumphantly , I feel that my plan is perfect.

At this time, Ruan Muyang didn't know Sun Haoyou's clever idea.

Because there were bandits on the sea, and Sun Haoyou's arrival yesterday, she told the guards and courtyard guards to be extra careful. When the sky started to darken, the gate of the villa was closed, and no one could go out.

When the sun was setting and the sky was still a little bit bright, but not completely dark, the guard commander Heyue came to report that a group of people who were suffering and were going to seek refuge with their relatives and friends wanted to stay overnight.

"How many people are there?" Ruan Muyang asked.

"Return to madam, eight people."

Ruan Muyang thought about it.

The rogues at sea made troubles and went ashore to burn, kill, and loot. Many fishermen and villages living by the sea suffered disasters and became displaced, so they had to seek refuge with their relatives.

"Let them come in, arrange a place for them, and prepare some food. Then send someone to pay attention to them, so as to prevent any rogues from mixing in." The rogues have never been found by the government, and they obviously concealed their identities. possible.

He Yue nodded: "Yes, madam."

When it was almost Haishi, Ruan Muyang, under the service of Fang Fang, was about to read a book for a while before falling asleep, when suddenly there was a knock on the door of the room.

"lady."

It's the voice of the moon.

He knocked on the door so late, maybe something happened.

Ruan Muyang immediately asked Fang Fang to help put on his clothes and let Heyue in.

Heyue's footsteps were hasty and his expression was serious. "Madam is very predictable. The subordinates sent people to secretly observe the movements of those few people, and found that what they spoke in private was not the local dialect of Cangzhou, and most of them were pretended by rogues."

Ruan Muyang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Can you find out how many rogues among the eight common people sneaked in?"

In addition to some desperadoes, the rogues at sea will also have ronin from Japan, whose strength should not be underestimated.

But there are also a lot of guards in the courtyard, and they can win by relying on more people.

Heyue frowned and said: "All eight of them, and their martial arts are not low." Therefore, his expression is dignified.

If there are any remaining rogues cooperating outside, then they will be in danger, and there are so many helpless servants in the courtyard.The guards looked forward and backward to protect people, but the rogues had no scruples, and it was inevitable that the guards would gain the upper hand.Ruan Muyang pursed his lips and asked, "Did someone secretly send someone to notify the government?"

"I have already sent someone to go." He Yue said, "Madam, please be prepared. If the situation is not right, the subordinates will do their best to protect Madam's safety and escort Madam back to Beijing."

Ruan Muyang nodded and said, "Okay, go down and arrange people."

After Heyue left, Ruan Muyang said to Fang Fang: "Pack up some clothes, dry food and belongings. The clothes should be ordinary."

Seeing Fang Fang's pale face and solemn expression, she smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, it's just in case." She is used to being cautious in doing things.

Enamel nodded and packed up.

Not long after, the sound of fighting came from outside.

I think the rogues did it.

Ruan Muyang sat in the room and waited.The occasional screams from outside made the room especially quiet.

Fang Fang stood beside Ruan Muyang, not daring to say a word.

Slowly, the outside brightened up.

"Ma'am! Is the official messenger here?" Fang Fang said with a sigh of relief.

Ruan Muyang nodded: "Probably yes."

At this time, the door was suddenly pushed open from the front, and the loud noise startled them who had just breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it is a month.

"Ma'am, those rogues really have accomplices. After they burned, killed and looted in the front yard, they saw that we are strong, so they set fire to the front yard."

After the door was opened, the sound of fighting outside became clearer, and the flames could be seen faintly.

"The people from the government haven't come yet?" Ruan Muyang asked.

Heyue's expression was very serious, and the speed of speaking became faster under this tense situation: "No. The situation is not good at the moment, and the fire is getting bigger and bigger. For the sake of Madam's safety, my subordinates will escort Madam to leave through the back door first. Madam, can you help me?" What should I bring?"

Unexpectedly, the luggage that Enamel had packed before would actually come in handy.

Seeing Fang Fang holding the burden in his arms, Ruan Muyang said decisively: "It's all packed, let's go now."

Ruan Muyang took the enamel, escorted by Heyue and four other guards, out of the room, and escaped from the courtyard through the back door.

When she came out just now, she saw Pan's mother fall down from a distance.Thinking that there are still many servants and maids who will die under the blade of the rogues, Ruan Muyang feels sad and hates these rogues.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid it's not safe here, let's go further away." He Yue said.

Ruan Muyang nodded.

On the other side, Sun Haoyou, who was watching the movement in the direction of the villa with twenty officials from afar, frowned when he saw the faint red light.

"Master, something is wrong." An official said.

Sun Haoyou didn't speak.He was also a little uneasy.

Immediately afterwards, an officer shouted, "It's fire! That mansion is on fire!"

After a few breaths, the flames instantly became larger and the flames soared into the sky.

"Master, what should we do now?" The situation deviated from their original expectations.

At this time, Sun Haoyou also realized that he was playing too much, and his face changed: "Send someone to see where my father and the others are, and the rest should help quickly!"

When he came to the villa with nineteen officials, he realized that he had underestimated the strength of those rogues.

In the light of the flames, the rogue was already red-eyed, even if he was injured, he didn't seem to feel anything.Seeing the official messengers coming, they were not afraid, and they came up and killed the few official servants brought by Sun Haoyou.

Sun Haoyou was so frightened that he turned around and ran away, not daring to look back to see if any rogues were catching up.

After not running far, he saw a large group of people coming here, and he was relieved.

It's a government official.

"Father! Father!"

Seeing Sun Haoyou, Sun Zhen's face turned livid, but this is not the time to teach his son a lesson.He asked his men to lead the officers and soldiers of Bailai to rush to the rescue.

Even though he had already heard the report, Sun Zhen's face changed when he saw the flames on the scene. "Save people! Take down these rebellious bandits, and let none of them go!"

The people from the government came late, and the guards in the manor and the guards brought by Ruan Muyang had been fighting with the bandits for a long time.There were more rogues than the guards and guards in the manor, but the people arranged by Zhang Anyi were not bad, and they almost injured the rogues desperately.

The people from the government came just to finish the work, and in the end they took a huge advantage without spending a single soldier.

The bandits were brutal, most of the helpless servants in the manor died, and those who survived were buried in the sea of ​​flames, and the only two or three who escaped were also seriously injured, except Heyue who protected Ruan Muyang from leaving Among the five guards, most of them were guards, and all of them were seriously injured.

Sun Zhen walked in front of a seriously injured nursing home who had been rescued, and heard him keep saying, "Madam...protect Madam."

Most of the mansion was burned down, and only a few people were saved, and most of the missing people were dead.

Thinking of the previous point, Sun Zhen asked in a low voice: "What is the identity of the wife you mentioned?"

"Our wife is the wife of Mr. Zhang Ge, the chief assistant of the cabinet. Why don't you send someone to look for it?"

As soon as these words came out, Sun Zhen's expression changed immediately.

Sun Haoyou's face turned even paler beside him: "How is it possible? Inside——"

Before he finished speaking, Sun Zhen gave him a hard look.Realizing the seriousness of the matter, he immediately shut up.

He only regarded her as the concubine of a high-ranking official, how could he have thought that she would be his official wife?Or the wife of the current chief minister of the cabinet, the first lady of the cabinet?

Mr. Zhang Ge is the head of the hundred officials today, how can they afford to offend him?

"Take the injured back first, and find if there are any survivors left." Sun Zhen ordered with a sullen face.

Ruan Muyang had already hid under the escort of Heyue and the others, so Sun Zhen's people naturally couldn't find them in the sea of ​​flames.

After searching for most of the night and finding nothing, Sun Haoyou became more and more frightened, and asked Sun Zhen softly, "Father, what should we do now?"

The fire had already been extinguished, and Sun Zhen looked at the scorched earth with deep eyes: "Secret the news first, let people continue to check the identity of the person who was burned to death, and go back and make a long-term plan."

It was already dawn when we returned to the Sun Mansion, but Sun Zhen didn't feel sleepy at all.

Sun Haoyou was in a panic for a long time, and seeing Sun Zhen not saying a word, he panicked even more.

"Father, you are talking!"

Sun Zhen suddenly raised his hand and slapped him hard, and said angrily: "Nizi! I have warned you not to cause trouble, but you still dare to go! Our Sun family will be killed by you this time!"

Sun Haoyou was stunned by the beating, and he was stunned for a moment before he said uncertainly: "There should be nothing wrong, right? The Empress Dowager will protect us." At this time, he had completely lost the suave and unrestrained look he had pretended before. It's all panic.

"You have provoked the chief minister of the cabinet. Even the queen mother may not be able to keep us." Although Sun Zhen is only a magistrate, Cangzhou is close to the capital, so he is very clear about the situation in the capital.

Sun Haoyou was so frightened by Sun Zhen's serious words that his face turned blue, and a big man almost cried: "Then—what should I do?"

Sun Zhen was silent for a few breaths, his eyes were firm, and he said in a serious tone: "The only plan for now is to kill people and silence them. Even if we are discovered by then, we just don't know what to say. Just push it all to the rogues."

If there is no one in Cangzhou, will the prefect of Cangzhou be responsible?

As long as they don't admit it, even Zhang Anyi won't be able to embarrass him in the open, and then talk to Queen Mother Qiu to intercede - the matter will not be so difficult.

Sun Haoyou looked at Sun Zhen in surprise.

After listening to Sun Zhen whispering to him, he was so shocked that he couldn't say a word.Although he usually behaved mischievously, they were all small troubles. Compared with what he came into contact with today, they were all children's tricks.

Ruan Muyang and the others hid overnight in the outskirts of Cangzhou.

Hearing footsteps, she opened her eyes.

Leaning against the tree for a while, she was not asleep.

It turned out that the person Heyue sent to inquire about the news came back. "Madam, Commander, those rogues have been arrested by the government, and our injured brother has also been rescued. The government is still searching around."

"Are you looking for us, or the rogues who slipped through the net?" Ruan Muyang stood up with the support of Fang Fang.Those who were rescued might have revealed her identity, and Sun Zhen was looking for her everywhere.

But the person who came back from the investigation shook his head, and said with some doubts on his face: "They seem to be looking for us. But they blocked all the news and looked for it in private."

Block messages?

Ruan Muyang frowned.This is not unusual.She had a bad feeling.

For so many years in the capital, she mostly watched the turmoil in the court as a bystander, and secretly came into contact with the power struggle at the peak. These experiences have trained her to be sensitive to the situation and accurately predict the direction of things. .So if she has a bad premonition, most of the time it is very accurate.

At this time, Heyue suggested: "Madam, Sun Zhen's behavior is a bit abnormal, in my subordinate's opinion, it's better to be more careful."

Ruan Muyang nodded.After experiencing such a thrilling thing last night, it was the first time she slept in the wild, and she didn't even have water to wash. At this moment, her face was a little dusty, her clothes were dirty, and she looked very embarrassed.But her eyes were very calm, and there was no panic.She said, "Send someone to investigate again."

She said again: "Falang, share the dry food we brought out with everyone. Only when you are full will you have strength."

Counting Ruan Muyang himself, there are seven of them now.

The five guards all have martial arts and are not weak. It will not be difficult for them to return to the capital after they inquire about the situation.

After eating, Heyue sent two of his men out to inquire about the news, while the rest waited in place.

They waited until it got dark.

The two guards sent out were out of breath when they came back.

"How's it going? He Guang, tell me first." He Yue said.

He Guang said solemnly: "Go back to Madam and Commander, I went to the government office to inquire, and saw that after the sun went down, they secretly transported many corpses out from the back door. I felt something was wrong. They are our people. Sun Zhen killed all the wounded people he rescued."

The enamel gasped: "How is it possible?"

Ruan Muyang and He Yue fell silent.

At this time, another man named He Mu said: "Madam, I checked outside and inside the city, and found that Sun Zhen's people are investigating someone, and there are checkpoints set on the only way out of the city to the capital."

He Mu's words confirmed Ruan Muyang's conjecture. The dancing fire made her face bright and dark, and her expression was vague but dignified. "Sun Zhen is probably looking for those of us who slipped through the net." Amid the crackling sound of burning wood in the fire, her voice was very clear and her tone was firm.

He Yue nodded and said: "Madam is right, fortunately we didn't fall into the trap today."

This incident shocked Fang Fang too much, and she didn't want to understand it, so she couldn't help asking: "Why did Sun Zhen do this?"

"The rogues appeared strangely last night. The government has been investigating so closely these past few days. They managed to hide among the common people. They should wait for the limelight to pass. If my guess is right, this matter should have something to do with Sun Haoyou." Ruan Muyang Said, "After rescuing our people, Sun Zhen knew my identity, and most likely he was afraid that I would deal with him after returning to the capital, so he jumped the wall in a hurry, so he simply stopped and killed him."

He Yue snorted coldly: "The courage of these people is really too great."

Thinking of the people who died in the bandits and fire last night and the wounded who died at Sun Zhen's hands today, Ruan Muyang's eyes flashed coldly.

Their guts are indeed too great.

She won't let them go.

"Ma'am, what should we do now?" He Yue asked.

Ruan Muyang looked at the fire with no emotion in her tone, but everyone present could feel her anger.She said: "Continuing in Cangzhou will definitely be discovered. The strong dragon does not suppress the local snake, and we are the ones who suffer. The few of us are too obvious, and Falang and I don't know martial arts. We will definitely not be able to break through the barrier. The only solution for now is to pretend Dress up, go south to find a safe place to stop, and then contact the capital."

He Yue looked at Ruan Muyang with a look of obedience and admiration in his eyes.He lowered his head sincerely and said, "But it's up to Madam to decide."

As he said that, he thought about it again, and suggested: "Madam, why don't you send someone to try to find a chance to break through the checkpoint and report to the capital, and I and the rest of the people will protect you and go south."

Ruan Muyang thought about it and thought it was okay.

It's just that the person who was sent there may be in danger.

"Just do what Commander Heyue said." These people's lives will eventually be paid by Sun Zhen and Sun Hao.

Heyue looked at the four subordinates, then fixed his eyes on Heguang and said, "Heguang, you are the one with the strongest adaptability and flexibility, so I will leave it to you."

Ruan Muyang said: "If you can't make a breakthrough, don't force your way in. Stay dormant in the city, or go to the Lin family to find Lin Zhengqiao and ask him to help. If it still doesn't work, the second master will always send someone to ask for news, and you can wait until then I'm trying to figure out a way. If Sun Zhen and the others investigate closely, if it doesn't work, you can come to us in the south. We've already lost so many people, we can't let anyone lose their lives."

Relying on the Queen Mother Qiu behind him, Sun Zhen's influence in Cangzhou is too great, covering the sky with one hand, the Lin family may not be able to fight against him.

He Guang solemnly said: "Madam and Commander, please rest assured!" This night, Ruan Muyang's heart was heavy and he did not close his eyes.They waited until early in the morning, and when it was daylight they got up and put out the fire, and the soldiers set off in two groups.

(End of this chapter)