After learning from the mute woman that Xue Huaiyuan's subordinates had been sent to Dongshan, Ye Mingyu had the mute woman sent back. Just as Jiang Li thought, because the mute woman was old and outsiders thought she could not speak, Feng Yutang didn't take the mute woman to heart. When Ye Mingyu's people sent the mute woman back, no one noticed it.
In the room, Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu were still sitting opposite each other. It was late at night, but they were not sleepy at all. Ye Mingyu looked at Jiang Li and said, "Ali, this is not easy."
Although Ye Mingyu knew from the beginning that the Xue family’s case was not trivial. After all, it was to rectify the case for criminal officials, but when the case was rectified and the grievances were cleared, it would inevitably infringe the interests of other people. This is clearly the case of Feng Yutang, the current county leader in Tongxiang. Not a good person, what Jiang Li has to do is naturally not that simple.
But what the mute woman said was beyond Ye Mingyu's expectations. Feng Yutang dared to blatantly turn the original officials into slaves to control the lives and deaths of others at will. This can be said to be very arrogant and brutal. Ye Mingyu would definitely not believe it if there were no big forces behind it. Although Jiang Yuanbai was the first assistant, but Beiyan's power minister was not Jiang Yuanbai alone.
Ye Mingyu thought that he didn't dare to underestimate the seriousness of this incident, but he did not expect that he still underestimated it.
Jiang Li looked at Ye Mingyu, saw Ye Mingyu's dignified expression, knew what Ye Mingyu was worried about, and said: "I know, uncle, but I don't plan to give up."
These words were what Ye Mingyu expected. Jiang Li had spent such a lot of trouble, and even hesitated to face Feng Yutang tit-for-tat. It was not Jiang Li's temper to retreat if he wanted to be so easy. Besides, Ye Mingyu thought that Jiang Li probably knew more about this matter than he did.
He is a reckless man. He is not as good as Ye Da and Ye Er. He can't think of any strategy to help Jiang Li, so he has to do what Jiang Li said, and do his best to help Jiang Li within his own ability.
So Ye Mingyu was just a little tangled, and said readily: "In this case, A Li, I don't advise you, what to do next, what to do next, just say, uncle will be with you."
Jiang Li said this with warmth in her heart. She said: "Although the mute woman said that those people are now in Dongshan, but time has passed so long, I don't know if Feng Yutang and the others have removed the people, or if they are still alive. Jiang Li paused and said, "Uncle also heard what the dumb woman said. Life in the mine is difficult, and Feng Yutang has the heart to torture them. Ordinary people don't know how long they can persist in it."
"What you said makes sense," Ye Mingyu said, "I'll take someone to visit Dongshan in person to see what those people are doing now. Tongxiang is not big, so it shouldn't be difficult to go to Dongshan overnight."
Jiang Li continued: "Not only that, if they are really in Dongshan, Feng Yutang must have a supervisor in the mine. The uncle's people have to see how many people they have, and whether they can avoid it and not be alarmed. If they have to be alarmed. , Can we take them all in a short time, so that they don’t need to report to Feng Yutang. When we come to support the troops, it will be difficult for us to think about actions again."
Ye Mingyu smiled: "Don't worry, I'm familiar with these threatening things, your uncle."
Jiang Li nodded: "I wonder if Uncle can give me an answer tomorrow?"
"So fast?" Ye Mingyu was surprised.
"It's not that I am embarrassing uncle." Jiang Li apologized, "It's really because there is not much time left for us. After seven days, Xue Xiancheng will be sentenced. If there is not enough evidence within seven days to raise doubts, stop. Execution, everything is in vain."
Ye Mingyu sighed, knowing that what Jiang Li said made sense. If Xue Huaiyuan died, everyone was dead, and there would be no point in doing anything else. He said: "Okay, I will try my best to do it once. A Li, when I am away, you will wait for me in the house, pay attention to safety."
Jiang Li said: "Okay." She took out a previously drawn map of Tongxiang from her sleeve, handed it to Ye Mingyu, and said: "This is the map of Tongxiang I drew based on what others said. Take it, uncle. You can hold it when necessary. Use it. I can also draw a map of Dongshan, but I have to wait for me to make a stick of incense."
Ye Mingyu took the map, but when he saw that the drawing was densely packed and the markings were very detailed, he was shocked for a while. Jiang Li said that this was a painting she had painted in Tongxiang along with other people's words, but when Ye Mingyu traveled with sea merchants, he knew such a map. If it weren't for someone who was very familiar with the environment, others couldn't paint it so carefully.
But he didn't say anything, just laughed and said, "Well, with this, I think our affairs can be half easier. Ali, the rest is left to you, I will explain to the brothers first. a bit."
Ye Mingyu went outside to explain to his little brothers. Jiang Li looked at his back, feeling both guilty and moved in his heart. Ye Ming Yuming knows many doubts, but because of her own reasons, she does not ask anything, and she repays her trust in herself. This trust is so precious that she will always remember it in her heart. Since arriving in Tongxiang, Ye Mingyu has been standing by his side to help. Jiang Li didn't want him to work so hard, but his father was on the other side.
She believed that when she was thinking about countermeasures, Feng Yutang must also be thinking of telling Princess Yongning about the situation in Tongxiang. Once Princess Yongning learns about this, she will undoubtedly find a way to get Feng Yutang to stop her, but Jiang Li believes that it is more likely that Yongning will directly let Feng Yutang kill herself.
She and Feng Yutang, the key to this war is time. Whoever is faster will have more chances to win. She didn't dare to stop and couldn't afford to delay a moment.
"Tonger, help me grind the ink." Jiang Li said.
Tonger quickly walked to the table and Jiang Li picked up the pen. She once went to Dongshan with Xue Huaiyuan because of curiosity and because Xue Huaiyuan wanted to understand what is going on in Dongshan. Although only once, she still remembers the places she walked. Although today's Dongshan may be a little different because of Feng Yutang's "mining", the general location should remain the same.
She drew the location of the Dongshan mine tunnel, which made it easier for Ye Mingyu and the others to investigate. However, when Ye Mingyu first found out what was going on on that end, she had to take a trip to Dongshan herself. Those fathers' subordinates used to get along with them day and night and knew them best. If Ye Mingyu wanted them to stand up and believe in herself, she had to talk to them in person.
It won't be long, it will be done soon.
…
After a stick of incense, Jiang Li gave the painted map of Dongshan to Ye Mingyu. Ye Mingyu was not sloppy either. After getting the picture, he immediately set off with his crew. Dongshan is not far from here, but you should always be careful when you explore in unfamiliar places.
After Ye Mingyu left, Jiang Li was not idle either. She continued to pick up Xue Huaiyuan's dossier and read it slowly. Tong'er and Bai Xue persuaded her to rest for a while. Looking at it so constantly, it was inevitable that she could not bear it. But where Jiang Li could hear it, she watched in silence until the chicken cried three times, and she really felt tired, then she collapsed and took a nap in her clothes.
But it didn't last long.
Jiang Li woke up by herself. For some reason, although she was very tired, it was probably because of Xue Huaiyuan's heart. She knew that she couldn't delay the moment, even in her dream, she was awake and prepared to wake up at will. When she slept ignorantly, she vaguely heard Tonger whispering to someone outside: "The girl just slept not long ago. She didn't fall asleep until dawn last night. Master uncle should wait for the girl to rest for a while."
Jiang Li opened his eyes suddenly, stood up from the collapse, and saw Ye Mingyu, who was still alive outside, although his face was tired, his eyes were bright.
Jiang Li's drowsiness was swept away immediately, without any hesitation, immediately asked: "Uncle, you are back."
Ye Mingyu and Tonger only found Jiang Li walking out. Tonger said anxiously: "Hey, girl, why are you getting up?"
"Yeah, Ali," Ye Mingyu also said, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?" They walked all year round, and it was nothing to stay up for a night. But Jiang Li is still young and a girl, so it will inevitably be very tired.
"I woke up," Jiang Li asked, "Uncle, how is Dongshan's investigation?"
When asked about business matters, Ye Mingyu didn’t care about other things, so he replied, “Ali, I took someone to see it. The dumb woman was right. There were people in the mine on Dongshan. But there were people guarding outside, so we took advantage of the vigil. When people fell asleep, they walked to the entrance of the mine and wanted to go inside. Seeing that the Dongshan cave was too big, we couldn't find the way. We were afraid that we would get separated and disturb others, so we retreated first."
Jiang Li murmured: "Yes, Dongshan Cave is indeed complex. People who don't understand are easy to get lost in it. Uncle and your people are right to withdraw in time, otherwise you will get lost in it and you will be easily trapped."
She said this as if she often walked in the Dongshan Mountains and knew the situation inside. But at this moment Ye Mingyu did not notice the strangeness of Jiang Li's statement. Instead, he said: "Although he did not go in, we can be sure that some people are mining gold in the mine. As for the officials, because I don't know the officials in the past. , So I don’t know."
Jiang Li asked: "How can uncle be sure?"
"Feng Yutang's people are too bad. We arrived at the mine at night. It's so late. Those miners are still working!" Ye Mingyu raised the matter and was filled with outrage: "This is a horrible misconception of people! "
Jiang Li looked down. Since Feng Yutang wanted to torture those people, he wouldn't make them feel better, but how many people can survive the work day and night
"Uncle, can you know how many miners are mining gold in the mine?" Jiang Li asked.
Ye Mingyu said: "I don't know the details, but I guess it's definitely not much."
Jiang Li's heart sank and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Because there are too few guards," Ye Mingyu said, "There are only two people in total. If it weren't for being unfamiliar with the terrain, to be honest, I could knock these guards down and rescue the miners inside. But you Thinking, there are really many people, why would Feng Yutang only send two people to guard him? He is not afraid of any problems? Unless there are not many people, he also feels that two guards are enough, and it is natural."
Jiang Li was silent for a long time, and said: "Uncle's words are quite right." In fact, there is another possibility. In Feng Yutang's eyes, once the emperor and the courtier, Xue Huaiyuan is already a dying person, and Xue Jia has no queen, these original subordinates. Naturally, he became an abandoned child. There can be someone who can save an abandoned child, and no one will come to rescue them anyway. There is really no need to send too many guards.
But Jiang Li knew that this might only be something she thought of to comfort herself, and what Ye Mingyu said was more likely. But at least, there are still people alive, which is a good thing in the end, which means that there is still a chance to find the witnesses she hopes.
"Ali, the people have been found now, but the terrain of Dongshan is complicated. We can't find a way to bring all these people out for the time being. Also, if we can take people away, I am not familiar with this place in Tongxiang, I don't know. Where can these people be safely hidden? If Feng Yutang sends a man to search, it will be easy to find out their whereabouts, after all, Tongxiang is too small."
This is also true, and Ye Mingyu's thinking is not unreasonable.
Jiang Li pondered for a long time, and said: "Where to hide people, this Uncle Mingyu doesn't have to worry, I have a way." Although Tongxiang is small, it is not exhaustive. She and Xue Zhao grew up in Tongxiang and have walked through every corner. Those abandoned secret rooms, Xue Zhao used to be fun things to share with her, without others knowing, now really become treasures.
Although Ye Mingyu wondered how Jiang Li solved this problem, he never asked more about things that shouldn't be asked. He had a simple mind, and he didn’t want to think about too complicated issues, so he said: “Well, let’s not mention it for the time being, but how do we get those people out? If you want them as witnesses, you have to take them with you. Li Dongshan. Once Feng Yutang knows you have this plan, or guesses, he will kill others, and then we will be busy all the time."
"Uncle Ming Yu, the reason why you feel troublesome is not because of the guards outside, but because you are not familiar with Dongshan and afraid of getting lost in the many mines inside." Jiang Li said, "Leave this to me."
Ye Mingyu asked: "What do you mean? Ali, what can you do?"
"I'm going to Dongshan," Jiang Li said, "Enter the mine tunnel, and I will bring the officials out."
When these words came out, Ye Mingyu almost jumped up and said, "What a joke, A Li, how can you get in?"
"Yeah," Tong'er, who has been listening, couldn't help but persuade at this moment: "Girl, you are also here for the first time in Tongxiang. Master uncle doesn't know how to walk in the mine. It's so dangerous. How can you? Risky?"
"I'm not in danger." Jiang Li said: "I know how to get inside the mine."
"No," Ye Mingyu said, "It's too dangerous. Besides, how do you know where to go in the mine?"
"Uncle Mingyu," Jiang Li looked at Ye Mingyu's eyes and said seriously, "I said, I know how to get inside the mine."
Ye Mingyu was taken aback.
Jiang Li's eyes were clear and distinct, like a stream of water, but the firmness in it turned the stream of water into a hard rock. She didn't lie, he really knew how to walk in the mine.
Ye Mingyu suddenly didn't know what to say. His niece described it as sincere, gentle and kind, but there are countless mysteries on her body, which sometimes makes people feel that she will never get into her heart.
"Okay." After a while, Ye Mingyu said: "But I can't let you in alone, Ali, I want to go with you."
What else Jiang Li wanted to say, Ye Mingyu waved his hand: "Ali, I know you have your own cares when you do things. I won't ask you why or what it is, but I am your family, and I can't just watch you take risks. If I were going to enter the mine today, I don’t think you would rest assured to stand by."
Ye Mingyu's attitude is also very persistent.
Tong'er and Baixue looked at this for a while, and that for a while, neither dared to speak.
After a while, Jiang Li said, "Okay."
As soon as Ye Mingyu heard this, his seriousness was swept away, and he said, "Okay! Ali, when do you want to leave?"
Jiang Li: "Now."
"now?"
"Yes, just now. Feng Yutang hasn't thought about the official post, but will soon think about it. Just in case, he will clean up all the things that may become evidence, including the official post. So we don't have any The extra time must be brought out as soon as possible."
"But girl, you just woke up..." Tonger reminded.
"I'm not in the way, Uncle Mingyu, we have to work harder. As long as we take them out and hide them, we can relax for a while."
Ye Mingyu swiftly replied: "It's okay, Ali, what do you have, just tell your uncle. Uncle has nothing to say, just leave!"
Bai Xue and Tong Er looked at each other helplessly, but the two uncles and nephews were equally bold and fearless in doing things.
"Then let's go."
…
From decision to departure, it was only half the time.
Although Ye Mingyu does things ruggedly and regardless of the consequences, but this kind of temperament of doing things when he thinks about it, he does not fear to waste time. Such resolute and vigorous behavior coincides with Jiang Li's idea. The group took advantage of the morning to avoid pedestrians and set off secretly to Dongshan.
Not all of Ye Mingyu's men and horses were taken. Some of them have to be pretended to be Ye Mingyu to fool the people sent by Feng Yutang to monitor them.
There were seven people in this group except Jiang Li. After Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu discussed, the other six people waited to meet them at the gate of the mine. Ye Mingyu and Jiang Li went into the mine to search for officials. Before that, they had to put down the guards sent by Feng Yutang, but just in case, they were afraid that they would have a special way of communicating messages. From tracing to picking up people, it is best to complete it in a stick of incense.
In fact, it is not difficult to respond to people. The difficult thing is to find those officials in the mine tunnels extending in all directions. After all, there are many mine tunnels in it, and I don't know which one they went. The people of Tongxiang didn't know the path in the Dongshan mine tunnel, they knew it, and anyone who dared to lead them knew that it was Feng Yutang's site.
So all the burden fell on Jiang Li.
Due to the danger this time, Tonger and Baixue were not taken with him. Jiang Li also changed into a man's outfit, short linen, black trousers and moccasin boots, her long hair tied up and hidden in her hat, she looked like a handsome young man. However, he hid the soft beauty together, bringing a bit of heroic edge.
Ye Mingyu asked Jiang Li: "Ali, don't worry too much. If you can't find them, we will go back. Try a few more times. You can always figure out the way. You don't have to take everything to yourself." Ye Mingyu thought, Jiang Li was too concerned about the Xue family's case. Although I don't know what caused it, Ye Mingyu didn't want Ali to blame himself for it.
"Don't worry." Jiang Li smiled at him, "Uncle Ming Yu, I won't find them."
Ye Mingyu was startled, scratched his head, and said, "All right."
The distance from Qingshi Alley to Dongshan is not too far. Along the way, the carriages follow the path mentioned by Jiang Li. Ye Mingyu gradually discovered that the road Jiang Li had let them go was very remote and there were no pedestrians along the way. It is indeed impossible for Feng Yutang's people to discover them along this path. Ye Mingyu found it strange. As far as he knew, Jiang Li came to Tongxiang for the first time, but Jiang Li was more familiar with Tongxiang than the locals.
For this reason, at first he thought that Jiang Li's way of knowing Dongshan Mine Road was a comforting word. Now, Ye Mingyu has gradually believed that Jiang Li is indeed the way to know Dongshan.
I don't know how long the carriage stopped. Ye Mingyu said outside: "Ali, here it is."
Jiang Li jumped out of the carriage.
Dongshan is to the west of Tongxiang, and almost no one comes to it on weekdays. This mountain is not as green and quiet as an ordinary mountain, but rather desolate. Occasionally, there was a crow's call from the sky, which made it even more depressing.
Jiang Li raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Dongshan.
I saw a bare round head mountain, sitting alone by a dry lake. The strange rocks on the mountain seemed to be weird in shape, like the head of some kind of monster, and it made people panic when they looked at it. Ye Mingyu had come at night before, and he couldn't see the face of the mountain, but now that he saw it clearly, he felt that his back was fuzzy. I wanted Jiang Li not to be afraid, but saw Jiang Li staring straight at the mountain, with the corners of his mouth curling slightly. Instead of showing a trace of fear, he seemed to be somewhat delighted.
Ye Mingyu didn't want to say anything immediately.
In fact, Jiang Li didn't feel pleased yet, but he really felt cordial. When she, Xue Zhaogang and Xue Huaiyuan came here, Xue Huaiyuan wanted to investigate the past history of Dongshan. He had taken them here once, but he only took a look at the gate of the mountain and never entered the mountain.
But Xue Zhao was bold and adventurous by nature. He secretly went inside and wandered a few times, not only that, but also took Xue Fangfei with him. Although she looks good on the surface, she is actually not constrained by the world, and she is very willing to explore Dongshan's secrets with Xue Zhao. It's just different from those described in the biographies of wild history. They didn't find any treasures, but the more times they came and went, she knew exactly what was inside and how the terrain was.
Now Feng Yutang has asked people to reopen the mining tunnels. At first, Jiang Li thought that the mine tunnels inside had changed. But later on, thinking about it, his father's men had only a dozen officials before. It is not an easy task for more than a dozen people to re-mine many mine tunnels. Furthermore, Feng Yutang sent these officials here, not really asking them to dig for gold, but to torture them. You must know that Dongshan cannot mine gold. These are facts that everyone knows how many years ago.
Therefore, the mine tunnel in the cave is still the same in all likelihood. As long as there are no accidents, those people can still be found.
Ye Mingyu asked Jiang Li and the two guards to wait in place first, and he and his men went to "fall down" the two guards first, but he didn't know if the other party would have any tricks. If something went wrong, the guard would take Jiang Li first. escape.
Jiang Li and the guards waited quietly in the grass. While waiting for Ye Mingyu's return, Jiang Li closed his eyes and recalled the scene of the past and Xue Zhao's exploration in the Dongshan mine tunnel.
When she was about to remember for the second time, the guard beside her said: "The third master is back!"
Jiang Li opened his eyes and what caught Ye Mingyu's cheerful face, Ye Mingyu said, "We have brought both of them down. A few people are left to watch. Ali, I will go in with you first. The others are here. Wait outside! If anything is wrong, just let go of the signal arrow!"
Jiang Li thought, in fact, there is something wrong. She is familiar with the mine tunnels in Dongshan, but she can hide in them under the cover of the mine tunnels, but she doesn't eat or drink inside, and she has to come out again to solve the problem. Xue Huaiyuan’s matter would not be possible in hiding, otherwise, the mine tunnel would be an excellent place to deal with gangsters.
Thinking about it, I found it interesting, and couldn't help but smile.
This smile fell in Ye Mingyu's eyes. Ye Mingyu thought he was doing a good job. Jiang Li was very satisfied and smiled naturally. He was more proud and said, "Ali, don't wait, let's go in!"
Jiang Li entered the mine pass with Ye Mingyu.
The cave was very dark, and the torch lit by Ye Mingyu illuminates the surroundings, but the emptiness and spaciousness inside the mountain can be seen more clearly. Ye Mingyu looked on the Internet and said in surprise: "My dear, this place is so big, so big, can you find people? Where can I find them?"
Jiang Li smiled and said, "It's okay, uncle come with me." Before Ye Mingyu continued to sigh, she stepped out first and walked straight forward.
Ye Mingyu couldn't stop him, so he had to quickly follow up.
Jiang Li guessed right, the path in the Dongshan mine tunnel remained unchanged. You just want to change if you want to, and you don’t need to make changes to the previously dug mine tunnels. Jiang Li followed his original memory and walked along, looking at the fresh footprints and the changes in the smell of the wind.
The mine was deep, and Ye Mingyu was afraid that Jiang Li would go too far and could not find his way back, so he kept marking all the way. But his marking movement couldn't even keep up with Jiang Li's forward movement. Jiang Li walked quickly and was firm. Ye Mingyu couldn't even stop him.
I don’t know how long it has been. Ye Mingyu felt that there were mines all around, and he couldn’t see what it was like just now. He really didn’t understand how Jiang Li distinguished these differences, and when he was about to ask Jiang Li to quit the mine, In the depths of the cave, someone coughed suddenly.
Jiang Li asked: "Who is there?"
－－－－－－Off-topic －－－－－－
It's a holiday! I don’t know if everyone’s Dragon Boat Festival is on holiday.