The bandits did not expect that the people outside the city would swarm to attack them. The stomping sound was like thunder, and the scolding and crying were mixed together, and the bandits were drowned like a flood. Their eyes were red, and they shouted in the midst of the fight: "The thief should be killed!"
How could the bandits defeat so many people? Stones and broken bowls flew around, causing the bandits to run away. Seeing that the situation was not good, the hall master wanted to escape, and when he looked back, Cai Yu's cronies had already run back!
"Son Turtle!" The hall master was furious and ran away.
But he was unlucky and was dragged back by Fei Sheng quickly. This Hall Master is just an ordinary rambunctious, how could he beat a well-trained Jin Yiwei like Fei Sheng, he immediately fell into the crowd, was beaten by the crowd, covered his face and rolled around to wail.
The rest of the bandits had already lost their minds, seeing that the people outside the city looked like evil spirits eating people, and seeing that the hall master was beaten, they even fled into the city without their helmets and armor.
* * *
Cai Yu waited for news in the mansion, the food on the table was cold, but he heard a sudden chaos outside. He got up in a hurry, and before he took a few steps, he saw someone stumbling in and said in a panic, "Master, there are a lot of people outside, and we have surrounded our courtyard!"
The main force of Cai Yu was sent out of the city, but only 500 people remained in the city at this time. He immediately understood, gritted his teeth and said, "It's hit!"
He was empty at the moment, and he was giving the little gangs a chance.
Cai Yu immediately said: "Let the nursing home and the rest of the staff keep an eye on the gates of the courtyards, bring my cloak, and I will go out in person to greet you!"
Cai Yu put on his cape and his knife, and hurried out with his entourage. The door of the mansion was tightly closed, and Cai Yu was across the door, and from the gap, he could see that there were torches outside the mansion. His heart was heavy, but he laughed out loud and said, "Who is this little friend? I have neither a banquet nor a happy event today, why should I come here to congratulate you so aggressively?"
Outside, Luo Mu replied leisurely, "I heard that my brother has been haunted by nightmares recently, and he can't sleep well. For this reason, I made a special trip to invite all the brothers. Tonight, I came here to expel the evil spirits in the house for my brother."
Cai Yu heard Luo Mu's voice, and his face was displeased, and he said, "Mengzheng, I will betroth you my own sister, and I will treat you well. If you repay your kindness like this, I'm afraid it will violate morality."
Luo Mu said without changing his face: "Cai Yu, you closed your warehouse to sell grain, took advantage of the fire to loot, and turned a blind eye to the displaced people outside the city. You are no longer a thief. As the prefecture of Chazhou, I have to let you off guard. I have been dealing with you for many years. Now that you have lost your heart, it is better to capture it as soon as possible."
Cai Yu is not a person who is good at disguising, and he said angrily: "Shizi is shameless! When you asked to marry my sister, how earnest you were with words, and now you have turned against each other, you, you despicable villain!"
Luo Mu took a few steps forward, not wanting to entangle with Cai Yu any more: "You open the door quickly, or we will attack!"
Cai Yu held the saber on his waist and shouted loudly: "I see who dares to attack! My Cai Yu's saber is not old, and whoever dares to come, I will kill someone!"
But even if Cai Yu's aura was like a tiger, he couldn't resist the siege of these parties. The nursing homes in the Cai Mansion are all ordinary people, and the swordsman who guards the door is bright, and they all have the idea of running away.
Cai Yu avoided the arrow rain under the protection of the left and right, and continued: "I will reward all those who have made meritorious deeds in the hospital! I am in Chazhou, and the son ordered it himself, and he even called me 'Grandpa'. Luo Mu, as long as you hurt me in the slightest tonight, the young master will make you double the payment!"
Before Luo Mu could say anything, he heard Kong Ling say, "Whose Chazhou is this Chazhou? You are only the servants of the Yan family, and you want all the people of the tea state to be the servants of the Yan family! How many good people have been killed for the sake of tigers! Don't mention anything else tonight, I'll wait for you!"
As soon as Kong Ling finished speaking, the gate of the outer courtyard had already been smashed open. Cai Yu watched them rush in, still unwilling to hold back, and followed the remaining men and horses left in the mansion to retreat while fighting, and within half an hour, they had already retreated to the backyard.
In the dark night, Cai Yu fell into a prison net. He was chivalrous for half his life, and fell into the dust net for the word "money". At this moment, seeing his house being destroyed, his wife and children crying, he couldn't help but feel the sadness of a hero's end, but it was too late to regret it.
Cai Yu despised Luo Mu's actions, so he desperately resisted. The market outside Cai's house was chaotic, and the gang members of various gangs were mixed together, and there were fewer and fewer people in Cai Yu. Just when Cai Yu's heart was ashes and he was determined to cut himself off, he suddenly heard a "brother" from the chaos.
Luo Mu only said "No", turned around and shouted, "Send Little Madam back!"
That Cai Shi was a boudoir's pamper, and in order to come, he ran all the way, not only lost his shoes, but also broke his hand. She didn't care about the sweat-soaked temples, she pointed at Luo Mu and couldn't help trembling. She used to have a pungent temperament, but now there is only a choked voice in her throat: "Luo... Luo Mu! You..." She burst into tears, "You despicable villain!"
Luo Mu took into account that Kong Ling was still by his side, but he couldn't help but take two steps forward.
Cai Shi's hair was messy, she raised her head in panic, spat fiercely at Luo Mu, and said with tears in her eyes, "I'm infatuated with paying a dog by mistake! I actually told a villain like you to be deceived!"
Cai Shi is Cai Yu's little sister, and she is quite a few years older than Cai Yu. Although she is a younger sister, Cai Yu raised her as a daughter. The two brothers and sisters depended on each other for life and had a deep relationship.
Seeing that Cai Yu was trapped in a siege, Mrs. Cai covered her face and said, "I killed my brother!"
When Kong Ling saw Cai Shi covering his face, he knew something was wrong and said quickly, "Quick, stop her!"
But it was too late, Cai shi pulled out the gold hairpin by covering his face, but in the blink of an eye, blood had already splattered on the satin. Seeing this, Cai Yu was heartbroken and burst into tears. Standing in the crowd, he raised his face and shouted in grief, "Silly girl, silly girl! It's clearly your brother who harmed you!"
After he finished speaking, he cut off the idea of wielding his knife and rushed into the bandit group with a loud roar, slashing several people, and finally died of exhaustion.
The night was chaotic, the sky was bright and the strife in the city had ceased. Nearly half of the courtyard wall of Cai Mansion collapsed, and the prosperity of yesterday disappeared completely. The servants fled in a hurry, carrying all the gold and silver ornaments in the mansion into the night.
Kong Ling stood beside Cai Shi, watching the pool of blood wet the hem of his robe. That night, Cai Yu's whole family was mourned, and many died under the knife of bandits. Kong Ling waited for Luo Mu to collect Cai's body, but listened to the attendant saying that Luo Mu went to investigate Cai's granary.
Kong Ling stood there until the afternoon, without waiting for Luo Mu.
* * *
As soon as Cai Yu fell, Luo Mu was in charge of all the grain stores in the tea state. Now he is not only sitting on Cai Yu's food, but also sitting on Cai Yu's money. The grain cart from Cizhou entered the city, but the money he promised Cizhou earlier was not fulfilled, and the price of rice in the city was still a stone or two that was set by Cai Yu during his lifetime.
Fei Sheng sighed in the courtyard: "When I was still in prison, I often heard Han Cheng's grandson talk about how hard it is to do fieldwork. The local 'fathers' are very good, and they deserve their reputation."
"This wrist is much stronger than Duguan," Qiao Tianya rested on the stone bench and basked in the sun with his arms resting on his back. "It's no wonder that you have the ability to do so long in Chazhou."
Kong Ling was making tea beside him without making a sound.
Shen Zechuan in the main room picked up the curtain and came out. The three of them had to get up. Shen Zechuan signaled that they didn't have to get up and said, "What time is it?"
Fei Sheng contended, "It's almost noon."
Shen Zechuan pinched the folding fan, saw the dazzling sun, shook the fan to cover his eyes, and said, "Isn't the celebration banquet not eaten yet? Go and post to Luo Mu and tell him to have a drink here tonight. "
Fei Sheng responded and said, "Master, what if he doesn't dare to come?"
Shen Zechuan showed his eyes, smiled a little, and said, "Don't dare? I think this person is full of courage."
Fei Sheng heard that he was unhappy, and hurriedly withdrew and went to post.
Kong Ling has spent the past few days drinking and playing for money, not thinking about Shu. At this moment, seeing Shen Zechuan going down the steps, he still stood up.
Shen Zechuan said: "I heard that Mr. Chengfeng's burial was the money from Mr. Chengfeng."
Kong Ling folded his sleeves, touched the remaining fried soybeans in his sleeve pocket, and replied, "Ah, um, it's me."
Shen Zechuan closed the fan and looked at Kong Ling for a moment.
Kong Ling thought that Shen Zechuan was unhappy, but he didn't want to explain more.
Unexpectedly, Shen Zechuan gave up on this, ate half a cup of tea, and didn't ask about it again.
Kong Ling felt even more tired when he remembered the injury in Shen Zechuan's left palm that night. He took this trip, consciously doing nothing, but he was much more tired than staying in Ibaraki.
To Fei Sheng's surprise, Luo Mu not only came at night, but also came alone. The cook in this house is newly hired, and the craftsmanship is still good. Shen Zechuan didn't call it a toss, but said it was a banquet, and the dishes were just a little more refined than usual. Chazhou is still homeless today, and Shen Zechuan eats simply.
After three rounds of wine, the two sides had a harmonious atmosphere. Fei Sheng saw that both Shen Zechuan and Luo Mu were all friendly, and they didn't look unhappy because of the shelving for the past few days.
Luo Mu toasted the wine and said, "Everything is ready now, and the food is easy to discuss, but I don't know when to return? When there is time, I can ask the staff in the house to draw up a charter."
Cai Yu had been dead for three days, and the matter had been negotiated long before they started. Luo Mu refused to act as promised, just wanted to delay time, and wanted to go around in circles with Shen Zechuan. As for why, as he said to Kong Ling, if the price of food drops by a bucket, it is real gold and silver. Now these real gold and silver are in his hands, and he wants him to throw it out like he thought before. too difficult.
There was a girl in the hall singing along with the blind old man. Shen Zechuan watched the old man play the erhu and put the fan on his fingertips, as if he didn't hear it. After the song was over, Shen Zechuan smiled and said, "My days are tight, just these two days."
Luo Mu looked embarrassed and said, "Two days are too busy, Tongzhi can't stay for a few more days? There are many scenes in Chazhou, and Tongzhi has not seen it yet."
Shen Zechuan's eyes moved and fell on Luo Mu's face, and said, "The family is anxious, and my heart is like an arrow."
Shen Zechuan spoke so gently, but Luo Mu restrained his frivolity for no reason. He sat down and said solemnly: "That's true, it's not as good as this. Tongzhi will go back first. After I have finished drafting the regulations, I will ask someone to submit it. Chengfeng can stay and inspectors will witness."
Kong Ling wanted to say something, but Shen Zechuan's fan just knocked lightly on the edge of the table, so he kept his mouth shut.
Shen Zechuan fanned his fan and stared at Luo Mu, but he said to the blind old man, "Let's sing a song from Chazhou again. Isn't there a song "Killing the Robbery" in Chazhou?"
The blind old man nodded slightly, moved, and asked his granddaughter to change the pipa and play it.
Shen Zechuan didn't pick up on Luo Mu, and Luo Mu didn't dare to mention it when he sat across from him. He was able to look directly at Shen Zechuan at first, but as the song gradually became murderous, he was sweating profusely.
Shen Zechuan opened the lid of the tea cup and said, "Is this tea given by adults, good tea, from Hezhou?"
Luo Muqiang smiled and said, "I found them all from Cai Yu's mansion. I'm a person who doesn't understand tea. It's good to be filial and knowledgeable."
Shen Zechuan laughed and said, "I don't like drinking tea."
The girl's fingers slid, and the clanging sound of the pipa, like the sound of a knife, splashed in her ears, and exploded urgingly, causing Luo Mu's back to sweat. This song was so long for him, the dishes on the table were cold, and the lion head placed in front of him was the most conspicuous. By the time Luo Mu left the table, his legs and feet were already numb.
Standing under the eaves, Shen Zechuan said to Fei Sheng, "It's a long way to send your lord."
Luo Mu reluctantly saluted, looked at Kong Ling several times, and was finally led out by Fei Sheng. In less than two hours that night, the previously promised documents and money were delivered to Shen Zechuan's house. He was lying in bed in the middle of the night, with only one sentence in his mind, that is, Shen Zechuan knew what he wanted to do.
Luo Mu's delay was to send Shen Zechuan away, waiting for news from Yan's family who was supposed to contact Cai Yu. Cai Yu is gone, but when he gets up, he can do what Cai Yu can do for Yan. The price of food in Cizhou is indeed low, but that is for ordinary people, and it is not beneficial to Luo Mu at all. He may not even be able to eat the small bonus when he is with Cai Yu.
He thought that Shen Zechuan didn't bring many people here, so he decided not to touch him. In this way, when Shen Zechuan returned to Izuku, he had already met Yan's head. When Izzhou wanted to ask for the account again, he would have the confidence to refuse.
But tonight Shen Zechuan's meaning is obvious, he doesn't eat Luo Mu's set at all. He was in a hurry, and if Luo Mu couldn't do it and pinned his hopes on Hezhou Yan Shi, he would dare to kill Luo Mu immediately, and that song was the obvious answer.
Luo Mu closed his eyes and thought of Shen Zechuan's actions outside the city. A person who even dared to take a bet on himself would not care about the consequences of killing him. Shen Zechuan had said "they are here to do business" before they started to do something to Cai Yu. Luo Mu recalled it now and felt that this sentence was also a warning that Shen Zechuan had left him early.
* * *
Two days later, Fei Sheng stayed in Chazhou, where he could not only take notes, but also watch Luo Mu. The grain trucks in Ibaraki entered the granary, and the shopkeeper who used to be in the fat powder business was the accountant, and the grain business between Ibaraki and Chazhou was settled in this way. The original price set by Shen Zechuan and Zhou Gui and others in Cizhou was 1.2, 1.8 bucks, but now it is a little higher, that is, 1.2.1.1 1.6 bucks. This price is already lower than Qidu.
Luo Mu bought grain from Ibara, not only had to set up a shed to cook porridge, but also figured out a way to spend the money on points. The primary problem in Chazhou is to re-enter the household registration. Now he has the food of the little bandits in his hand, and he can weave people into the garrison. There are still some follow-up questions, which can be discussed when a large amount of grain arrives in Cizhou. With Fei Sheng here, he can also keep an eye on the movements of the Yan family in Hezhou.
Shen Zechuan has successively removed Yan's two main forces in Zhongbo. This account was recorded in Yan's heart. They had nothing to do with them before, but now they have to focus on Zhongbo and Shen Zechuan.
Shen Zechuan didn't stop there, he got in the car and left on the same day. They were almost out of the Chazhou area, and suddenly they heard someone chasing after them in a car.
Qiao Tianya lifted the curtain of the car and whispered to Shen Zechuan, "It's Luo Mu."
Luo Mu came to see him off, but Qiao Tianya said that Shen Zechuan was not feeling well today, so he gave up, mainly to see Kong Ling off. The two of them got off the carriage and walked for a while along the official road.
Luo Mu took out the pastry wrapped in oil paper from his arms and said, "You love to eat this in the academy. When I came out, I saw someone selling it and bought it casually. You can take it with you on the road."
Kong Ling looked at the oily paper and said, "You still remember what happened many years ago."
Luo Mu smiled wistfully and said, "Yes... I should always remember. Next time the grain cart comes, will you come?"
Kong Ling took the oil paper, took two steps, and didn't answer.
Luo Mu looked at Kong Ling, like he always looked at Kong Ling like that many years ago.
Kong Ling held the package of pastries and said inexplicably, "When you left the academy, you asked me if I would go to Qidu, but I didn't answer. We parted ways later, have you ever gone back to see it?"
Luo Mu said, "I left the academy and went west with my family, and stayed in Yedu for many years..."
Kong Ling turned around and finally looked directly at Luo Mu, he said, "Mengzheng."
Luo Mu waited for a while, but couldn't help laughing: "I was in Yedu later, and I heard that you joined Tantai Long's command. He is a good official, and you have also done a lot of business... Why didn't you marry?"
Why didn't I get married.
Kong Ling meditated and laughed slowly. He is already old, but at this moment he exudes the warmth and calmness of his youth. For some reason, there is still spirit in these already cloudy eyes. He squeezed the package of pastries tightly and said only: "...I should go."
The wind blew the grass and Kong Ling turned around without waiting for Luo Mu to answer.
Luo Mu stood in the wind, watching Kong Ling's sleeves sway with the wind, his throat tightening. He couldn't help chasing a step, even extending his hand. The white hair mixed in Kong Ling's bun disappeared in the wind, and the flying leaves covered it, Luo Mu saw it many years ago in a daze.
Kong Ling missed a lot of things in his life, but that's not because he didn't fight for it. He once tossed and turned because of an invitation, and finally wandered in the academy, but only waited for a July rain. He got wet eyes in that rain, and went to a foreign country from now on.
Luo Meng is a romantic person.
This is what Kong Chengfeng understood in that rain. Years later, he waited again, but only until the blood stained the robe. No matter which time, Luo Mu did not come.
Kong Ling and Luo Mu never saw each other again.