Fortunate Young Gentleman

The cross-dressing woman across from her came from the grassland, which was something Tangning had determined when she chatted with her in the teahouse that day.

There is a lot of friction between Chen and Chu and the grassland, but there are also businessmen from the two countries who travel between the two countries for profit, regardless of their lives, especially on the border between the two countries close to the grassland. It is not uncommon to see them.

Comparatively speaking, she is not like a businessman, but more like a ranger. Last time, she came to help the proprietress who sold tofu pudding. This time, she also helped a female entertainer who encountered injustice on the road. Although her values ​​​​are a bit wrong when she doesn't have to rob. , but there is no denying the chivalrous spirit in her.

Screams could be heard outside the door, and not long after, Dong Cunyi walked in slowly, followed by a housekeeper.

"The dog has blind eyes and cannot recognize the mountain. I have offended Mr. Tang and I have already punished him severely." He forced a smile on his face and asked the butler to pass the tray in his hand and said, "This is a small kindness. Think of it as an apology to Mr. Tang, and please accept it."

The red cloth covering the tray was rolled up, and Tangning saw a stack of banknotes underneath.

Tangning was not short of money. He had not used the banknotes that Xiaoyi had prepared for him. If he accepted these banknotes, if someone named Dong reported him back, wouldn't he be asking for trouble?

What's more, it's not worth it for just a few hundred or even a thousand taels of silver.

He did not look at the tray, but looked at Dong Cunyi and asked, "Do I look like a bribe-taker?"

Dong Cunyi said quickly: "My lord, I misunderstood. This is just an apology, an apology..."

"I will not accept this money." Tang Ning waved her hand and said, "Although Mr. Dong is far away in Fengzhou and cannot be taken care of by the court, he still has to restrain his own children. If he is reported to the supervisory censor, I am afraid that the position of governor of Fengzhou will not be secure."

Dong Cunyi cupped his hands and said: "What Master Tang taught you is..."

If she hadn't been worried about having a conflict with Dong Mingjun on the street, attracting the guards patrolling the city, and exposing Zhao Man, Tang Ning wouldn't bother to come to the Governor's Mansion to talk to him.

After walking out of the Governor's Mansion, Tang Ning looked at the woman and asked, "It's fate to meet her again in a place like this. I don't know her name?"

"I've finished calling... Wan Yan." The woman put away the whip, looked at him, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Tang Ning." After informing each other of their names, the woman named Wan Yan said, "I ran away secretly and am going back now."

Tangning nodded and said, "We are going back too, so let's say goodbye and see you again when we are destined."

After the woman left, Zhao Man raised his head and asked, "Do you still want to see her again?"

Tangning shook her head and said, "It's polite to say goodbye, but maybe we won't see each other again for the rest of our lives."

"I thought you liked grassland women like her." Zhao Man looked at the direction where the woman disappeared just now and said: "When you are away from home, I have to help Sister Xiaoru and Sister Xiaoyi keep an eye on you..."

"Okay, okay, go back quickly, otherwise they will become suspicious..."

He wandered around the street again, and when he returned, although Lu Teng glanced at him twice, he was obviously not suspicious.

When Tang Ning returned to her room, she told the guard outside the door, "Go get me a map of Fengzhou."

Governor's Mansion.

In a room somewhere, Dong Mingjun was lying on the bed, and a woman was applying medicine to his butt in distress. Listening to his screams, she looked back at Dong Cunyi and said resentfully: "Master, you are so cruel. Ah, this is our biological son!"

Dong Cunyi said solemnly: "If he was not my biological son, do you think I would keep his legs today?"

The woman said: "Didn't you say that man is just a minor official from the fifth rank? You, a provincial governor with a full fourth rank, are even afraid of him?"

"To put it lightly, how can the capital and Fengzhou be the same?" Dong Cunyi said: "If he is willing, I would like to exchange this fourth-rank governor for his fifth-rank petty official!"

The woman looked shocked and asked, "Is he really that scary?"

"He has only been an official for a short time, and he has climbed to the position of doctor in the Ministry of Rites. His future achievements will definitely be high." Dong Cunyi sighed and said, "I don't have any extravagant hopes in this life. If I stay in Fengzhou for another ten years, I will resign." When I return to my hometown, I don’t want to spend my old age in a prison..."

"This person has already jumped over the dragon gate. He is not the stupid uncle from the Zhong family back then." He slapped Dong Mingjun on the butt and said angrily: "So you, you, let me save my worries. If you continue like this, you will give me Go back to your hometown!”

A miserable wail suddenly came from the room, making all the servants outside the door worried.

…

Fengzhou Station.

Counting from the day it arrived in Fengzhou, the team had rested in Fengzhou for three days.

Tang Ning had just gotten up in the morning when Lu Teng walked in and said, "Master Tang, the soldiers have rested and the food supplies have been replenished. Let's set off early tomorrow morning."

It was almost time to rest in Fengzhou. Tangning looked at him and asked, "Has the route been decided?"

Lu Teng said: "Leave Fengzhou and head north. It will take at least two or more than three days to reach Liaozhou of Chu State. When the time comes, there will be officials from Chu State to meet us."

As long as they enter Chu, the safety issue is the responsibility of the local government of Chu. Just like the Chu envoy was assassinated in Lingzhou and the Lingzhou governor was exiled to Fengzhou, the Chen envoy got into trouble in Chu, which also brought shame to Chu and directly affected the local government. Therefore, after entering Chu, the local government of Chu would be more concerned about their safety than Lu Teng. If someone wanted to do something, it would be extremely difficult.

If it was Tang Ning who didn't want the marriage between Chen and Chu to go smoothly, he would also choose to take action before the delegation entered Chu. In other words, the journey from Fengzhou to Liaozhou would be extremely dangerous.

Lu Teng walked to the table, drew a route on the map with his finger, and said: "Go through this forest and you will reach Liaozhou in two days."

Tang Ning thought for a while and asked: "Is it safe in this forest?"

Lu Teng said: "According to the local officials of Fengzhou, this forest stretches for dozens of miles. There are indeed some bandits in it, but they are all vagrants. The largest force has only dozens of people. They are not powerful. If they meet us, they will just stay away from us."

Tang Ning has no doubt about the strength of the guards. Eight hundred guards are fully armed. Under normal circumstances, they have an advantage against two thousand vagrants. But if there are so many enemies, even if they win, it will be a miserable victory, which is a loss that Tang Ning cannot accept.

Tang Ning looked at him and said, "Even so, we can't take it lightly."

Lu Teng said, "Don't worry, Lord Tang. I have sent people to investigate. If there is any abnormality, they will report back immediately."

Tang Ning nodded and said, "Then notify them and set off early tomorrow morning."

...

After leaving Fengzhou, more than ten miles to the north, there is a forest called Shililin.

Although it is called Shililin, the forest stretches far more than ten miles. Bandits are roaming in the forest, and few people go deep into it. The caravans traveling between Chen and Chu dare to pass through the Shililin only when they travel together.

Shililin has a special location, and therefore it has become a place where filth and dirt are hidden. Many bandits wanted in Chen and Chu have formed gangs and factions here, forming a group of forces.

However, although there are many forces here, they are very scattered, and there is a lot of friction between them. Fighting for interests, it is not uncommon to see swords and weapons.

Today, all the big and small bandit leaders in the ten-mile forest stood outside a hut in the forest.

At a certain moment, the door of the hut opened and several figures walked out.

The leader was a middle-aged woman. In addition, there were several people in strange clothes. After a few words, a young woman came out, looked at them and said, "Have you brought all your people?"

The scarred man in the lead raised his head and said in a trembling voice: "Lady, they are from the court. We only have two thousand people. Going up is to die..."

The middle-aged woman stepped forward and said, "I'm not asking you to die. You just need to create some chaos outside. You don't have to worry about the rest."

The scarred man said with difficulty: "This lady..."

The middle-aged woman looked at him and asked, "Don't you want the antidote?"

Thinking of the taste of living a life worse than death, the scarred man trembled and gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"