Zhong Niangzi Wanfu

Chapter 25
一
Originally, Shen Feng was worried that she would become the target of public criticism after being promoted to the magistrate of Qinlin County. She was afraid that someone with bad intentions would do harm to Zhong Lan, so he did not rush to take her back. He only often wrote to Zhong Lan to ask her to take good care of her body, and also sent many supplements with the letter. .

Zhong Lan understood Shen Feng's thoughts and patiently answered each letter, asking him to take care of himself, concentrate on county affairs, and not to worry too much about himself.

Naturally, news about Zhong Lan also reached the Zhong family, which made people really scared. Thinking that Zhong Lan’s dowry, Chang Huan and others, were not very skillful, and the martial arts servants could not be protected closely, so the Yue family gave Zhong Lan another gift. He married two girls who were good at martial arts, one named Feng Shuang and the other named Zhan Lu.

As soon as they met, the two performed a good boxing game in Shen Mansion, and even Wen Yi couldn't help but praise his handsome kung fu.

After April, Tan Lin's situation was very good, and Shen Feng sent a letter to Zhong Lan asking about his return date.

Zhong Lan replied with a smile and asked Shen Feng to figure it out.

Shen Feng decided to have a rest day on April [-]th to pick up Zhonglan and return to Qinlin.

Unexpectedly, on the morning of April [-]th, Shen Feng received an urgent request. The governor Zhang Yan asked him to inspect the [-] Danzhou troops stationed on the outskirts of Qinlin County, so he had to write a letter asking Zhong Lan to wait a few more days.

Zhong Lan felt that there was nothing wrong with it and he could go back alone.

Although Shen Feng felt ashamed of facing Zhong Lan, he could only agree.

On April [-]th, Zhong Lan bid farewell to Shen Lin and the Yang family and set off from Shen Mansion back to Qin Lin.

Shen Lin and Yang added dozens of armor-clad servants to escort Zhong Lan. They originally wanted to hire an escort team, but Zhong Lan felt that it was too much to make a fuss, so he declined.

In the end, it was Wen Yi who agreed to send Shili away, which finally made the Shen family feel relieved.

After walking ten miles, Zhong Lan brushed the curtains of the car and looked at Wen Yi who was driving the horse with a smile: "We have seen each other for ten miles, but we have to say goodbye eventually. Master Wen, please stay."

Wen Yi looked at the vaguely visible boundary monument in the distance and curled his lips: "I was going to send my sister into the city."

"Tai Mingchun is in a hurry. I heard from Yun Lang that you have been up for three days and three nights. You must have sneaked out this time, right? I really can't send you any more." Zhong Yan pursed his lips and smiled.

Seeing that the weather couldn't last any longer, Wen Yi had no choice but to say: "Sister Lai, please take care of yourself. When you see Brother Mian, tell him that after I finish what I'm doing, we'll meet up for another trip!"

"Okay," Zhong Lan looked at the young man in red robe and white shirt, "Brother Yi is still like a child even if he becomes an official. He will have to be more steady in the future."

Wen Yi touched his head and said with surprise: "Sister Lai's tone is so familiar! Why is it the same as my elder sister? I have to run away quickly."

"Let's go." Zhong Lan waved his hand coolly and said goodbye to Wen Yi.

two

Although Taiming and Tanlin were not actually adjacent to each other, they were not far away, and walking on the official road was fast. In addition, Zhonglan returned home as fast as an arrow, and when it was dark, they were already five miles outside the city of Tanlin.

"This official road in Qin Linwai didn't feel bad when there were many people during the day, but now it's pitch dark everywhere, which makes me feel a bit scary." Chang Huan put down the car curtain and took Zhong Lan's arm.

"It's winter now. It gets dark earlier. Let's light the lamp." Zhong Lai patted the back of Chang Huan's hand reassuringly.

On the dark road, the lone carriage lit up its lamp, as if there was only one star shining in the sky in the long night.

The bright lights in the dark night are out of place and very eye-catching.

The road ahead was dark and the carriage had to move slower.

After a day's journey, everyone was tired. Zhong Lan leaned on Chang Huan's shoulder and fell asleep.

Suddenly, several sharp arrows shot through the sky in the dark night, and several young men fell to the ground after being struck by the arrows.

The horse driver Feng Shuang saw this and drew his sword to block the arrow: "There is an attack! Wake up! Madam!"

Zhong Lan woke up with a start, and quickly pulled Chang Huan and Zhan Lu down to lie down, just in time to avoid a hidden arrow shot into the car through the window.

"Take good care of the eldest lady." Zhan Lu said to Chang Huan, then stood up and rushed out with his sword drawn.

Zhong Lan looked at the hidden arrow that had penetrated the wood three-thirds of the way, pulled out one and looked at it carefully: "This arrow..."

"Come on!" A rough roar came from not far away, like an angry beast coming down the mountain, making Zhong Lan and Chang Huan in the car tremble.

Zhong Lan quickly put the arrow in his sleeve: "How far is this place from Qin Lincheng?"

"Less than four miles."

"Don't be too eager to fight, ride your horse and charge out!"

"Yes!" Feng Shuang pulled the reins tightly, "Drive!"

The horse neighed and galloped wildly.

The accompanying boys fought under the car and held off most of the people; when driving in the frost, Lu took a sword in the car to guard against those who tried to kill people who got on the car, and everyone fought for Zhong Lan.

"It's okay, it will be okay." Zhong Lan comforted Chang Huan, "We will arrive in Qinlin soon. Your uncle has sent someone to wait for us at the city gate."

Chang Huan's body was trembling slightly, but she still hugged Zhong Lan quickly to prevent random arrows from hurting her: "Girl, Chang, Chang Huan is not afraid."

Before he finished speaking, a shout came from far behind the car: "They are here!"

Only then did Zhong Lan notice the bright light hanging outside the car, and quickly took it off and blew it out.

It was pitch black everywhere except for the ghostly roar behind him.

Zhong Lai pulled the back curtain of the car and saw a dense crowd of people in the distance. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

"Girl, girl!" Chang Huan hugged Zhong Lan tightly, "What should we do?"

"Killing is a serious crime. We only have one carriage. Why did they not hesitate to kill people and rob our carriage?" Zhong Lan murmured, "Just now, all the swords were fired, but very few were shot at the carriage. Now it is even more..."

Suddenly Zhong Lan's eyes lit up: "Stop the car!"

Chang Huan, Fengshuang and Jielu outside the car were all shocked.

"Stop!" Zhong Lan repeated it again, and the three of them had no choice but to do it.

In less than a moment, the chasing people surrounded the carriage.

Zhong Lan took a deep breath, emboldened himself, opened the curtain and prepared to get off the carriage.

Feng Shuang leaned into Zhong Lan's ear and whispered: "Madam, I, Zhanlu and Madam alone may have a six to seven chance of escaping."

The implication is that except for Zhong Lan and the other three, the lives and deaths of the others including Chang Huan are unpredictable.

Zhong Lan shook his head slightly, got out of the car and confronted the person.I saw that the people who came were all wearing various kinds of cloth, with hemp ropes girdling their waists, holding large swords, and they all looked fierce.

The leader was a tall, round-waisted man with only one eye.

"You heroes, all the money you brought for this trip is in the car. If you need it, we will give it all. I just ask the heroes to let us go." Zhong Lai rolled up his sleeves and said calmly.

"We not only rob money, we also rob people!" Everyone laughed.

"Less than three miles from here is Qinlin. My husband, Shen Feng, is the magistrate of Qinlin County. He kidnaps the officials and their families, tattoos them according to the law, and sends them to the frontier. If you brave men don't want to cause trouble, you can help us."

"Are you Shen Feng's wife?" One Eye was riding on the horse, looking down at Zhong Lai, and pulled out the knife, "But it is Shen Feng's wife that I want to rob."

"Who are you? Who instigated you to come here?" Chang Huan got out of the car and stood in front of Zhong Lan.

"Shen Feng blocks other people's way, so naturally someone will plot against him." Duyan sneered.

Zhong Lan sneered: "I guess it was because the debt settlement was in your family's way before, right?"

"Whatever nonsense I'm talking to you, take it all away!" One Eye lost patience and ordered his men to come forward and kidnap the person.

Zhong Lan suddenly took out the dagger from his sleeve and put it against his neck, shouting: "Everyone, step back!"

Duyan was stunned, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and he said cruelly: "Do you think you can threaten me like this?"

"You can't threaten the strong man, but," Zhong Lan stabbed the sharp arrow halfway, and a small column of bright red blood flowed from the slender neck, "I think the people behind the strong man have some use for me."

One Eye clenched the big knife in his hand, gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want to do?"

three

That night, Shen Feng, who was patrolling on the outskirts of the county, felt a sudden pain in his chest, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy: "Jiang Liu, is there any news about the lady returning home?"

Jiang Liu entered the tent and shook his head at Shen Feng: "Sir, there is no news about the lady yet."

"I have already ordered Jiang Chuan to take Chang Yu and Chang Xi to wait at the city gate. As soon as the eldest lady returns home safely, she will come to report to me immediately. What happened now..." Shen Feng's heart tightened.

"Perhaps the eldest lady was delayed on the way and the city gate was locked. Jiangchuan and the others had no choice but to go back home and make plans. The eldest lady also found an inn to rest before entering the city tomorrow."

"I told her that if anything goes wrong, she should send someone to report it to me." The more Shen Feng thought about it, the more something was wrong. He stood up and picked up his cloak.

"Where are you going, sir?" Jiang Liu asked hurriedly.

"I'll go to the city gate and ask the city guard. She will enter the city at dusk as soon as possible. There will be few people at that time, so she should have an impression."

"Your Majesty, the patrol is not over yet. If you rush from the northern suburbs to the south gate to look for someone at this time, you may not be able to come back tomorrow." Jiang Liu stopped Shen Feng and advised him.

"This patrol is a reward and preferential treatment from the governor. If you delay the mission, you will be punished. It is better for Jiang Liu to go for you."

"No, I have to go there in person." Shen Feng frowned.

"If I can't come back tomorrow, you can tell me that it's cold but I can't stand the cold. I'll rest in the tent for a day. I don't think the governor will punish me severely."

"Master Inspector doesn't seem to be such a foolish master."

"Then it's up to you." Shen Feng said with a hint of anger in his tone, "I didn't raise you in vain. Use all your previous intelligence."

Jiang Liu was stunned. He had been with Shen Feng for more than ten years. Shen Feng was famous for his good temper. This was the first time that Shen Feng had lost his temper with him.

Shen Feng couldn't care about that, put on his cloak and raised the curtain and went out.

four

Shen Feng hurried to the south gate, but met Qin Shen.

Qin Shen was wearing a green robe and a gray shirt outside. He was looking at Shen Feng with a smile: "Master Shen, you are fine."

"Master Qin." Shen Feng dismounted and saluted, "Shen is in an emergency today, so I can't talk to you about old times. We will wait for another day..."

"Master Shen, are you here to find your wife?"

Shen Feng was slightly startled: "Master Qin, does he know where Mrs. Shen is?"

"I am no longer an adult, just a commoner." Qin Shen waved his hand.

"Uncle Qin." Shen Feng called hurriedly, "If I know the whereabouts of Mrs. Shen, please tell me clearly."

Qin Shen chuckled twice: "Master Shen has done a lot of things in the past four months and offended many people. After Qin was dismissed, someone came to visit Qin in order to take revenge on Master Shen. Qin is not talented. I had no intention of doing so, so I refused. However, I still remember a few words about those people."

Qin Shen stepped forward and took Shen Feng's hand, left three words on it, and left with a smile.

Shen Feng was just thinking about these three words when he heard Chang Huan's anxious shouting from not far away: "Uncle! Uncle!"

Chang Huan, Feng Shuang and Zhao Lu rushed to the city gate, panting and unable to speak complete words: "Save the girl, the girl was kidnapped."

"Sir, the eldest lady risked her life to force the thief to let us back, and please find a way to save our eldest lady quickly." Chang Huan was relieved.

Feng Shuang took out an arrow from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Feng: "This is the arrow used by the thief. Can you tell me something about it?"

Shen Feng looked at the arrow carefully and murmured: "The arrow head of this arrow is rough and not very sharp. It should not be made by the government. And the arrow feathers are long and colorful, not like ordinary chicken feathers..."

The answer in his heart gradually overlapped with the three words written by Qin Shen in his hand.

Luoxia Village

Shen Feng looked at the horizon. The east was white. He also looked at the embarrassed looks of Chang Huan and the other two people, and ordered: "Looking at the sky, the city gate will be opened soon. You guys go back to your house first."

"After returning to the house, someone sent a letter to Wen Yi, saying that there is Luoxia Village thirty miles east of Qin Lin City. The people in the village only recognize money and not good and evil, and commit all kinds of crimes by burning, killing and looting. The imperial court has sent troops to encircle and suppress it for several years without success. The second time he kidnapped the eldest lady, I want to attack her quickly. If he is interested, he will bring five hundred county soldiers to help me."

"Yes!"

"Remember the secret message, it must be a secret message!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)