Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

After a night of heavy rain and a rising sun, the humidity in the air gradually increased. The bustle of Xijin Prefecture filled the streets and alleys. As the seat of Nanjing Dao, the scale of this city was incomparable to that of Jizhou.

The people coming in and out of the city gate seemed to be unaffected by the defeat in the Liaodong expedition some time ago. They were still smiling, carrying goods and leading livestock to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables from towns to the city in exchange for three meals a day. Officials in brocade clothes rode out of the city in horse-drawn carriages to visit their friends' homes outside.

It was in such weather and atmosphere that Yang Lin and his two companions stepped into the city. They were not in a hurry to look for the Lu family, but instead chose a hotel to stay in first. Coming all the way from Liaodong, even the strongest man would not be able to endure the long journey. After having a meal and sleeping soundly, the two staff members of the general's mansion opened their eyes.

"...Brother Shi Qian."

Shi Qian was squatting on a chair by the window, holding a piece of fruit in his hand and stuffing it into his mouth. He turned his head when he heard Ma Lin's voice, and reached out with his juicy hand, holding a piece of fruit: "Do you want to eat it?"

"..."

Ma Lin tilted his head back unconsciously, then shook his head repeatedly: "No, brother, just eat it."

"It's delicious." After putting the fruit into his mouth, Shi Qian's vague voice came over: "It's sour and sweet."

Yang Lin smiled silently. Along the way, he got to know Shi Qian's character a little better. He was a very easy-going person, but he was not very clean. If he was still a man of the world, he would have looked down on such thieves. However, now that he had changed his stance and was working with Qiao Lie and Li Zhu, the two "former military advisors", he had formed the concept that everyone had their own value. Besides, Shi Qian had already demonstrated this twice.

Sometimes, stealing is a skill.

Yang Lin looked at Shi Qian meaningfully.

"What time is it?" Tie Dixian got out of bed and stretched lazily, with a much more energetic look on his face.

"It's the hour of You."

Shi Qian ate all the fruit in two or three bites, then jumped off the chair and wiped his hands with a white towel: "When do you two brothers want to deliver the letter?"

"There's no rush to deliver the letter." Yang Lin went to the basin to wash his face, then wiped it with a white towel: "Brother Shi Qian, don't you need to check out the location before taking action?"

Shi Qian grinned and gave a thumbs up: "It's comfortable to deal with people like Brother Yang Lin and Brother Ma Lin who are familiar with the business. I was planning to go and try some dishes tonight."

Ma Lin patted him on the shoulder and said, "Stop flattering me. When are you going to go?"

"The earliest time is the end of the Hai hour." Shi Qian looked at the two of them with a solemn expression: "The rich families go to bed late, so that is the safest time."

"Brother Ma Lin and I are not familiar with this. Everything depends on you, brother." Yang Lin touched the messy beard on his chin.

Shi Qian smiled and cupped his hands, "Brothers, take them with you. I will go and prepare some things first."

The two of them nodded at the same time, and the flea on the drum turned and walked out of the room. Ma Lin saw him close the door, waited for a moment, turned his head and looked at Jin Baozi beside him: "Brother Yang, do you really believe this thief?"

Yang Lin glanced at him and hesitated for a moment: "Let's give it a try, maybe he can give us a surprise..." He looked at the closed door, hesitated for a moment and said: "What do you think the master of the Lu family would look like if he suddenly saw a letter on the table?"

"...It should be quite interesting." Ma Lin raised the corner of his mouth.

It was a good night, with the moonlight occasionally blocked by dark clouds. Yang and Ma hid in the corner, watching Shi Qian, dressed in night clothes, take out the Flying Tiger Claw and climb up the three-meter-high wall in three or two steps. He then jumped into the wall and heard a dog barking, and then there was no sound.

"He's well prepared." "Knockout drug, right? I saw him buy some meat buns."

The two men who were keeping watch outside were talking, but their eyes were fixed on the other side of the wall, as if they could see through the thick wall.

I don't know how much time had passed. I watched the night watchman walking past me, knocking on his clapperboard. The sound of "It's dry, be careful with fire--" gradually faded away. The two people who had been waiting for a while couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Why haven't you come out yet? How long have you been in there?"

"Brother Yang, please be patient. It's only been a meal and the house hasn't become chaotic. It should be nothing."

As he spoke, Ma Lin narrowed his eyes and pointed to the top of the wall: "Isn't that coming out?"

Yang Lin looked and saw Shi Qian nimbly jump off the high wall, glanced around, crouched, and ran towards him at an extremely fast speed.

"There are very few Lu family guards inside, and most of them are asleep. Do you two brothers have the letter? I'll go in again and throw it on his bedside table tonight."

"Brother Shi Qian, don't you want to take a rest?"

"I'm exercising now and I'm in good shape. Brother Yang Lin, don't worry."

Yang Lin's eyes lit up and he looked at the Iron Flute Immortal next to him. Ma Lin understood first and took out an envelope from his arms and handed it to Shi Qian. The flea on the drum did not say a word and quickly turned around and threw another flying claw up, repeating the previous action and jumped into Lu's mansion again.

The moon was dim and the night was getting darker. The spacious mansion was still silent. The bonfire emitted light and heat in the eyes of the night watchmen. The guards who were patrolling with lanterns followed the same route as usual. Even the tranquility of the night was the same as before.

……

The sky brightened, and the golden sun pierced through the night sky and shone on the glazed tile house. The maid tiptoed into the house carrying a basin of water and placed the warm water on the wooden rack.

"Yan'er!"

As the master of the family, Lu Siyan suddenly opened his eyes, turned over and sat up in a cold sweat.

He is now in his fifties. To be honest, his official career has not been smooth. Although he entered the officialdom as a Jinshi during the Shouchang period, unfortunately, he only became a county magistrate. Instead, his brother succeeded him and became the Vice-President of State Affairs. Fortunately, his two sons were also hardworking, but unfortunately, news came from the capital that his eldest son and Prime Minister Zhang Lin of the Southern Palace had died for their country while covering the rear of the army.

"My dear..." The woman lying next to him opened her eyes and looked at her man. Then she understood something and her eyes dimmed.

"It's okay." Lu Siyan waved his hand and comforted the woman: "It's just a nightmare, it's okay, you can rest for a while."

"Um……"

The woman lay down obediently. Lu Siyan got out of bed, put on his shoes, walked to the table, picked up the water and took a sip. He glanced casually and saw a letter placed right on the table.

Looking back at the woman, Lu Si stretched out his hand to pick up the letter. When he turned it over and looked at the wax seal, his expression changed. He tore the letter open with a "swish", took out the letter and read it quickly, then looked up and asked: "Who are you waiting for to bring this letter into the house?" (End of this chapter)