The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 185 The old man has nowhere to go

Zuo Guangdou shook his head without saying anything, making no excuses. Shen Lian waved his hand, and two guards immediately stepped forward to grab Zuo Guangdou and drag him towards the prison cart outside.

A dense crowd gathered around the prison cart, their cries echoing in unison. Zuo Guangdou had been in charge of farming in Luanzhou, responsible for developing water conservancy projects and doing many good things for the city. Furthermore, he was an honest official, unlike others who were greedy for money. All of this was witnessed by the people of Luanzhou.

When people heard that such a good official was going to be thrown into prison and face great danger, they came to see him off spontaneously.

More and more people were gathering. Gao Yifang, realizing the situation was getting worse, jumped on his horse and shouted, "The East Factory will arrest people and make their own judgments! Anyone who dares to stop us will have their property confiscated and their clan exterminated!"

The soldiers from Luanzhou Prefecture immediately waved wooden sticks and beat the surrounding civilians, who were driven away.

Shen Lian frowned at the brutal soldiers and ordered the Jinyiwei to quickly search the house and leave Luanzhou as soon as possible after the inventory was completed. The guards, armed with goose-feather knives, passed by Zuo Guangdou's family and rushed into the house without saying a word, rummaging through the cabinets.

Shen Lian walked out of the yard, turned his back to everyone, looked up at the dark sky of Daming, and wondered what he was thinking.

Suddenly, a rough voice sounded behind me.

"Zuo Guangdou, you son of a bitch, you've finally got what you deserve. A mere farming official, you think you can kill the factory manager?! When we get back to the capital, I'll kill you!"

Zeng Zongqi, his face thick with flesh, was pointing at Zuo Guangdou and cursing through the mirror: "My uncle pushed you to come to Northern Zhili to cultivate the land, and you're ungrateful. You're even fucking involved with the Donglin Party! You're betraying the factory owner! You're betraying the emperor! You're a traitor!"

Zeng Zongqi became more and more angry as he spoke, and swung the scabbard at Zuo Guangdou. He was also an expert in Beizhen Division and had great kung fu skills. With just one strike, Zuo Guangdou fell down in pain.

"With this much ability, you still dare to betray me! Damn it, today I... who!"

The scabbard was raised high and was grabbed from behind. Zeng Zongqi was furious and was about to hit the man with his fists. When he turned around and saw that it was Shen Lian, his fists softened a bit.

"General Zeng, hurry up and confiscate the house! The Northern Division is waiting to interrogate Zuo Guangdou! If we make a big mistake, the factory manager won't forgive us!"

Zeng Tianxing's veins bulged, and he was about to retort when a general came up, patted him on the shoulder, and pulled him away.

Seeing Zeng Tianxing disappear behind the courtyard gate, Shen Lian took out his coconut ladle and passed it in through the gap in the prison cart. Zuo Guangdou took the coconut ladle and drank two sips, and his breathing gradually stabilized.

"Left Censor, this is Xu Xianchun's nephew. He is the one who killed Yang Lian's son."

Zuo Guangdou's expression remained unchanged as he handed the coconut ladle back to Shen Lian. Shen Lian was deeply concerned, fearing that this man would die before reaching the capital. Last year, in order to win over this man, the factory owner had Xu Xianchun recommend Zuo Guangdou to Luanzhou, hoping to make a fortune there. However, Zuo Guangdou was unyielding, not only refusing to be greedy himself, but also preventing Wei Zhongxian's disciples from being greedy.

Because Xu Xianchun hated Zuo Guangdou so much, he arranged for his nephew to come to Luanzhou this time, not only to kill Zuo Guangdou, but also to monitor Shen Lian.

Xu Xianchun was a favorite of the factory owner and one of the Five Tigers of the East Factory. Like the other four, they were obsessed with getting rid of Shen Lian. Although Shen Lian was also a favorite of the factory owner, he was different from the others in that he didn't like making money or killing people.

This makes the other heroes look like scum.

In fact, he is a scumbag.

So, no one can tolerate him.

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from the room at the back of the courtyard.

"It's Qing'er!" Zuo Guangdou shook the fence of the prison cart and struggled to shout, "Captain Shen, you just promised me not to harm my family."

Shen Lian said nothing, holding the Embroidered Spring Knife and looking over there.

The confiscation officers have all come out, who is still inside?

At this time, the woman cried even louder, and the surrounding barbarians whispered to each other, pretending not to hear.

"Are you all deaf?"

Shen Lian roared, guessing that it was Xu Xianchun's nephew. He picked up the embroidered spring knife and walked quickly to the backyard.

Lu Jianxing and Zhao Yuanzhi looked at each other, and the two younger brothers gritted their teeth and followed.

The three of them walked through the main house, crossed the corridor, and soon came to the wing room in the backyard. The door of the room inside was ajar, and a woman's crying and shouting could be heard from inside the room.

Shen Lian strode forward, using his scabbard to push the door open. He caught a glimpse of two figures swaying inside. Zuo Guangdou's daughter was pinned to the bed by a guard, her skirt half-ripped off, still struggling desperately. Zeng Tianxing stood by the bed, a beaming smile on her face.

Shen Lian roared, kicked the door open, and with a crane-step push, he stepped forward to ram the hammer, elbowing the man in the back. The Bajiquan force was like a bow, fierce and explosive. The man had no time to react, and his body flew out like a sandbag, hitting the wall hard and fainting.

"I told you not to touch the women, damn you!"

The woman curled up on the ground, trembling all over. Shen Lian took off his Feiyu suit and put it on her.

Zeng Tianxing was stunned on the spot. It was the first time he saw Shen Lian so brutal that he could knock someone away with just one punch. He was shocked and angry.

"Why? Captain Shen is also interested in this woman?" Shen Lian pointed at the woman and said to Lu Jianxing and Gao Yifang, "Put her in solitary confinement."

Before the two flag officers could step forward, Zeng Tianxing shouted angrily, "Dongchang rules state that anyone who obstructs a property search can be killed without mercy by the Jinyiwei. This bitch is obstructing our investigation, and she even had the guts to bite me! I want her dead! Captain Shen shouldn't have stopped us!"

After Zeng Tianxing finished speaking, the goose-feather knife flashed with a cold light and slashed down fiercely.

Zuo Miaoqing stared at the Goose Feather Knife that was about to strike down on her head, her expression dazed and motionless. With a clang, the Goose Feather Knife was blocked by the Embroidered Spring Knife.

Shen Lian's eyes were sharp.

"Shen Lian, what's the matter? Do you want to rebel?!"

Zeng Tianxing exerted force with both hands and pressed hard towards the Embroidered Spring Knife.

The weapons collided, sending out dazzling sparks.

Shen Lian raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "I said, don't touch the Zuo family members! Are you fucking deaf?"

~~~~~
Shen Lian led a group of bandits to escort Zuo Guangdou and his family back to the capital from Yongding Prefecture.

All of Zuo Guangdou's family members died on the road, leaving only his daughter Zuo Miaoqing, who was frightened into a fool.

Captain Shen rode his horse to the Zuo'an Gate and greeted the soldiers guarding the city from the Five Cities Army. He was very familiar with these soldiers.

The city guard leaned out from the battlements, looking down at the graceful woman accompanying Captain Shen, and laughed out loud. "Tsk tsk, look at his luck in love. He can bring back a beauty even if he goes out to rob a house!"

Shen Lian was in a heavy mood, but he suppressed a laugh and said, "Thank you for Captain Song's care. Next time I go to Jiangnan, I will definitely bring him a skinny horse from Yangzhou!"

Shen Lian pulled out a wine gourd from his bosom and threw it towards the top of the city wall, shouting, "I didn't bring any extra women this time. Jiang Lubai from Luanzhou knows that Brother Song loves to drink strong liquor! I brought it back especially for you!"

～~～

That day, Shen Lian escorted Zuo Guangdou to the Pacification Office for detention. He sent Zuo Miaoqing home, instructing his mother to take good care of her. Before leaving, Zuo Miaoqing, half idiotic and half dumb, sat on the ground playing in the mud, grinning foolishly at Shen Lian's mother.

Shen Lian's mother helped the crazy girl up, muttering with her dry mouth, "What a sin, what a sin!"

Shen Lian was sad and hurried back to the Pacification Office. He didn't care because several of his acquaintances were not there.

After drinking tea with two younger brothers in the yamen, I remembered that Pei Dahu would be returning to Shandong in the next few days, so I wanted to go to the Shandong Guild Hall to get together.

Lu Jianxing and Zhao Yuanzhi followed Captain Shen, and the three of them had just left the Beizhen government office.

Looking up, he saw two Jinyiwei standing in front of him. Shen Lian recognized them as the heads of the Southern Pacification Office, one named Wang Lun and the other Fan Qi.

"What a wonderful day today is! All the masters from the Southern Division are here! Come in and have some tea!"

Shen Lian laughed and walked quickly through the gap between the two men. Wang Lun, a member of the frontier army, used a five-foot mace to block the way.

"Captain Shen, where are you going?"

He who comes has bad intentions.
"Going to the Shandong Guild Hall to drink with friends, is your Nansi going to take care of this?"

Wang Lun and Fan Qi exchanged glances, and Fan Qi said coldly, "Brothers, we have been ordered to come to the Northern Division to arrest the remnants of the Donglin clan. Captain Shen, please don't make things difficult for us."

Lu Jianxing and Zhao Yuanzhi stepped forward with their swords brandished, shouting angrily, "How dare you, you fool, come to our Northern Division and cause trouble?"

Fan Qi looked at the Northern Division guards rushing around him and sneered, "Investigate the Northern Pacification Division Captain Shen Lian. He is colluding with the remnants of the Donglin clan, embezzling Liao military funds, and slaughtering loyal officials. He must be arrested and interrogated immediately. No mistakes can be made!"

After saying this, he took out an official document engraved with the seal of the Imperial Household Department and waved it in front of everyone.

"This is the arrest warrant personally issued by Xu Chenshi. Anyone who dares to stop me will be punished just like the criminal!"

The crowd that had just rushed forward stopped immediately and stood there looking at each other, at a loss. Shen Lian shook his head and laughed, explaining to the two of them:

"The factory owner and I are brothers, and Xu Chenshi is his subordinate. There must be a misunderstanding! I have something else to do, so I'll leave you for now! I'll treat you to a drink another day!"

After saying that, he gently pushed the long axe in Fan Qi's hand away and walked out of the door. The two younger brothers followed him bravely.

"Shen Lian! We brothers have been putting up with you for a long time! You don't have to go to the guild hall. Xu Chenshi has led the major officials of the North and South Pacification Offices, about a hundred people, and they have already gone there. They should have taken the heads of your accomplices by now. You should just worry about yourself."

(End of this chapter)