Tang Fan woke up from the quarrel.
After gradually regaining consciousness, he found that his hands and feet were tightly bound, with a hard wall behind him, his eyes were blindfolded, and there seemed to be two people talking in a low voice in front of him.
A rude voice said: "Aren't you going to kill him outside, why are you still trying to get it in?"
Another deep voice replied: "Big Liu, you are stupid! Didn't you hear what Xiao Liuzi said, those people were tricked by him to run up the mountain, and he also lost two fingers and was stabbed in the body. , it took a long time to convince them that if they can't find someone, they will definitely come back. If they find out that this guy is dead there, maybe they will be suspicious and find it here. We are just trying to delay time, not to Attracting pursuers!"
The big guy Liu said depressedly, "It's all to blame for the lame man. If you hadn't figured out the origins of those little devils and tied them back, how could such a big thing happen!"
The other party was also very depressed: "Actually, I can't blame him. Those little devils go out shopping, and they don't have labels on their bodies. Who knows whose children they are, they have to be quick-witted and act decisively when they do this kind of thing. It looks good again, so let's start it, it's not really wrong..."
Big Liu asked, "What should we do now? People from Jinyiwei and Xichang have chased them here. Do we want to send them back?"
The man said: "Listening to the meaning of the second master, it seems that he said that he would not send it back. If it was wrong, it would be wrong. If these little ghosts were transported to the south to sell, there would naturally be someone there who would take over at a high price. Maybe they will push us out as scapegoats! Hey, haven't you seen the stuff this time too, that thin-skinned and tender meat can be sold for at least one hundred taels of silver for one person, and those two look like It's very beautiful, maybe it can be sold for a few hundred taels, at least that's the amount that each of us can get by then!"
Big Liu: "Five taels?"
The man sneered: "Can you be a little bit more promising? Add ten at the end!"
Big Liu gasped.
What is the concept of fifty taels? Tang Fan's annual salary does not add up to that much. Of course, officials in the Ming Dynasty suffered too much. From Zaifu to Sesame officials, everyone's wages were very low, otherwise he wouldn't need to write anything. Fengyue Huaben has subsidized the family, but fifty taels is also a large amount for ordinary people. A family of five needs only about thirty taels a year. Like Feng Qingzi's redemption price of several thousand taels, then Only the wealthy and wealthy can afford it, but this is the case, there are still many people rushing to support Feng Qingzi. It can be seen that this is really a hugely profitable industry, and it also shows that there are still many real rich people.
So it's not surprising that this person in front of him would take risks for the "high return" of fifty taels.
Listening to his description, Big Liu seemed to see the silvery silver, he laughed, and said with infinite longing: "Brother Xin, you have to support me! How can you get the eyes of the second boss and work under his command like this, you are always a senior, what do you say, I'll just follow you!"
That big brother Xin is also a slick: "Don't! We are all following the second master, how can I have the ability to support you! To tell you the truth, this time, the trouble is a bit big, it is estimated that the surname is Wan. He couldn't help us, so he had to send someone to look for him. The second master meant to drag him for ten days and a half months. The people in the imperial court were always doing things one after another. It won’t be that big anymore, and then we will take a boat from Tianjin to the south, and when we reach the south, the sea and sky will be vast, and I don’t believe they can trace it there!”
Tang Fan closed his eyes and continued to pretend to be unconscious, hoping to hear more useful information. There was a throbbing pain in the back of his head, and he wondered if he had been knocked out of blood by a brick.
In my ears, I heard Big Liu say: "But Big Brother Xin, I think Jiu Niangzi and the others are trying to convince the second master to put back the two most beautiful little ghosts? They said that the two little ghosts are officials. Family, those people outside are chasing so closely now, and it is all because of them. If we put people back, the people in the court will not chase us anymore. In this way, if we sell other people, this time You can still make money from buying and selling!”
Brother Xin sneered: "You are stupid! They are just timid, and the second master is open! Now that things are so big, it's not just that they can be returned. The surnamed Wan is missing the blame for the dead ghost. Instead of doing this, it's better to keep doing one or the other, holding people in your hands, and negotiating terms with those eagle claws!"
Liu Dagu was full of praise: "Brother Xin, you are really smart, you can figure out the mind of the second master, but then again, should we continue to hide here, or take advantage of those people to go up the mountain and leave quickly. already?"
Hearing this, there was suddenly no sound in front of him, Tang Fan was feeling a little strange, he was hit hard on his calf, and he couldn't help groaning in pain!
"It's still pretending to be asleep!" The other party sneered.
Immediately afterwards, the blindfolded cloth was torn off, and Tang Fan narrowed his eyes, only to see that there was only one candle lit in the room, and the light was weak, which did not prevent him from looking around. I knew where the secret room was dug. There was only one chair in it and a quilt on the ground. It couldn't be simpler.
Tang Fan also noticed that four round holes were dug in the four corners of the roof of the cave, which were slightly smaller than the man's slap, and seemed to be used for ventilation.
His heart moved, but he didn't have time to think about it. He was kicked heavily on his calf again. Tang Fan made a muffled sound and twitched in pain.
"What are you looking at, you are thirsty!" The surnamed Xin shouted: "Don't look at it, don't even think about going out when you come in!"
For the first time in his life, Tang Fan was called by people with thief eyebrows and rattling eyes, and the person who was called was a group of human traffickers and thieves, which was really ridiculous.
He cleared his throat and said: "Did the two big brothers misunderstand? You must know that there are many people looking for you outside. In fact, I came here under the secret order of the commander Wan. I want to meet your second master, Pass Commander Wan's words to him."
The surname Xin sneered: "It's still pretending, don't think we don't know, you are obviously the pusher of Shuntian Prefecture, and you are in the same group with those who came after us! I might as well tell you, your life is now It's in our hands, it's up to us to kill or not, don't use those clever little tricks, not only will you not be able to save yourself, but will take your own life!"
Tang Fan's heart sank, and he was suddenly half cold.
It's not because the other party threatens their lives, but because the enemy is dark and we are clear, they have already figured out their origins clearly, and they know nothing about them except what they learned from Wang Zhi's mouth. known.
Seeing that Tang Fan was speechless for a while, the man surnamed Xin couldn't help but smile proudly: "Honestly stay here, don't think about playing tricks, maybe you can live a little longer!"
He said to Big Liu again: "This kid is awake, I will report to the second master, you are watching carefully here!"
Big Liu responded, and the surnamed Xin left in a hurry.
As the name suggests, Mr. Liu is tall and big. The roof here is very low, and he has to bend slightly when standing like Mr. Liu. He felt suffocated and could only sit on the chair, which was already shaking. Akira, he sat down on his butt, and the whole frame fell apart with a clatter, and Big Liu followed with an ouch, and his entire body fell firmly on his butt.
Tang Fan wanted to laugh but couldn't, for fear of attracting the other party's anger, so he strained his face and said with concern: "Little brother, are you all right? Don't fall to the bone, why don't you use some medicinal wine?"
Big Liu gave him a stern look: "Where does the medicinal wine come from in the barren mountains and wild mountains, shut up for me, or I'll shove this chair leg into your mouth!"
Tang Fan sighed: "Little brother, just now I heard the elder brother call your surname Liu, so I'll just call you Brother Liu. Brother Liu, I think you are handsome and talented. You are thinner than me. Bamboo pole is much stronger, and he must be very good at it. If you are willing to serve in the government, you must be the leader of the patrol squad now, so why waste your good body here?"
He pretended to be serious and sincere to talk to people, but he saw that in the previous conversation, this big Liu was obviously the kind of person with a lack of brains. Hope to have more inside story.
If the person surnamed Xin just now stayed here, Tang Fan would probably only get another punch and kick.
Sure enough, he flattered him, and even if Big Liu still ignored him, the expression on his face had relaxed a little.
Tang Fan continued his efforts: "Before I came in, people from Jinyiwei and Xichang were already searching for you outside. What are the origins of Jinyiwei and Xichang? You should know without me having to say more? No scruples, it’s not comparable to the general officials of Shuntian Prefecture like me. If you fall into their hands, how can you play the pipa, keep your fingers out of the water, and take turns to torture you in battle, then life will be worse than death, and now you don’t have any. It's just a matter of abducting a few children. There is still room for negotiation. There is no need to make trouble to this level. As I said, if you are willing to give up and help me get out, I can guarantee You are unscathed, not only that, but you can also be a patrolman in Shuntian Mansion, isn't that more majestic than the days when you were hiding in Tibet?"
He talked bitterly for a long time there, and suddenly Big Liu suddenly asked: "Then what kind of patrolling in Shuntian Prefecture, how much salary do you get in a year?"
Tang Fan tried his best to persuade him, but he couldn't help but tell the truth, "A dozen or so."
"As long as I work under the second master, there will be more than fifty taels a year, why do I follow you to earn those ten taels?" Liu Da looked at him with a "you're sick" face, "Don't fool me. Now, Brother Xin said that you people who are officials, only a few dozen taels a year, and I can't be an official, so what's the point? I think you might as well join us, the second master will make you popular Drink spicy!"
Tang Fan: ... Yes, I was inadvertently recruited and surrendered!
He calmed down, continued to put on a face of candid communication, and used a gentle tone to lower the other party's defenses: "Speaking of which, why do I always hear you say that the second master is the second master, and you are the second master, and that is also famous. hero!"
Liu Da was bored, and when he saw someone willing to chat with him to pass the time, he followed his words and said: "Yes, but I don't know, since I joined the Nancheng Gang, I have never seen a big boss, In my eyes, the second master is the most powerful person, and Zhibi is so…”
Tang Fan: "Zhuge."
Big Liu: "Yes, Zhibi Zhuge! We are all very convinced. Since I joined the second master, life has been getting better day by day, and the mother-in-law at home can also wear a silk shirt!"
Tang Fan said with a smile, "That's really good, I can't wear a silk shirt yet, but does your mother-in-law know what you're doing
Big Liu said, "I didn't let her know, because she was working outside because of me!"
Tang Fan said: "Then your home is in the capital, and you are trapped here now, aren't you afraid of her worrying?"
Big Liu: "There's no way, who made those people search tight, but it's not far from my house, if you can go back, an hour will be more than enough!"
Tang Fan said: "Brother Liu, although you and I have different positions, but I see you and you and we can talk to each other, and I can't bear to see your husband and wife separated. Let me take the liberty to ask, have you ever thought about this matter? After that, Xichang will definitely mobilize the whole capital to hunt you down, even if it is in the wilderness, they may not be able to find it, even if you want to leave, I am afraid you will not be able to leave!"
Big Liu scratched his head: "That can't be helped, we seek wealth and wealth at risk, the second master is not afraid, and we are naturally not afraid, but it is difficult for them to find here, the second master said, although this is only one with the above. It's a foot away, but as long as we don't go out, they won't be able to come here, so let's rest assured!"
Tang Fan was overjoyed. He got two important pieces of information from Daddy Liu: First, they were probably still in that deserted village, and secondly, it was probably underground, and the Nancheng Gang took advantage of the deserted village's favorable terrain and environment. , and dug several cellars large enough here to use as hiding places.
With Suizhou's vigilance, if they can't find anyone on the mountain, they will definitely go down the mountain and come back to find themselves.
That is to say, as long as he can go out to report the news, or he can pass the news to the ground, he may be able to catch everyone here.
Tang Fan said: "This is also a solution, but you can't stay here forever?"
Big Liu said defensively: "Why are you asking so much, do you want to know where the exit is, I won't tell you!"
Tang Fan was speechless.
If you say that this person is smart, he makes Tang Fan talk in three or two strokes, saying that he is stupid, but he is very vigilant, and there is no ambiguity at the critical moment.
Tang Fan couldn't figure out whether he was acting stupid or really stupid.
At this moment, a hei hei came from the door: "You are very capable, you still want to tell the big man Liu! Come with me, our second master heard that you woke up and wanted to see you!"
The man surnamed Xin went back and forth, strode over, grabbed Tang Fan roughly by the shoulder, and lifted him up.
Tang Fan's hands were tied, and he sat on the ground for a long time. He lost his center of gravity, and when he was dragged, he couldn't help but fall on top of him.
The surnamed Xin pushed him away with a look of disgust: "Look at your delicate skin and tender meat, you shouldn't be playing with the backyard flowers, I'm not good at this, let's be dead!"
Tang Fan: "..."
He also wanted to speak foul language, but it's better to be honest when people are under the eaves and their lives are in the hands of others.
Master Tang squeezed out an apologetic smile and said lowly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! My feet are numb, it's not intentional!"
He asked again with a look of flattery: "I now hold my life in your hands, how can I dare to act rashly! Dare to ask Brother Xin, what is the matter with your second master looking for me?"
The surnamed Xin glanced at him, and sneered in disgust: "How do I know! You, a jerk like you who are greedy for life and fear of death, really can't make it to the stage. If it wasn't for the second master who said he wanted to see you, I would have sent it away a long time ago. You're on your way, where's your turn to be chattering here!"
With his glance, Tang Fan saw the bloodthirsty light in his eyes, and immediately understood that this was a completely different character from Liu Da. The other party must have seen blood, and he might have a lot of blood life.
With this kind of desperado, naturally you can't communicate with Liu Daji in the same way, no matter how much you talk about it, it's useless.
Tang Fan simply closed his mouth, ready to see where he was so that he could remember the road.
Unexpectedly, at this time, the surnamed Xin picked up the cloth strip that had just been thrown on the ground, blindfolded his eyes, and pushed him forward.
Tang Fan had no choice but to walk and count his steps by feeling.
He felt that he had walked about ten steps forward, was pushed to the right again, and then walked two or three steps, and then faintly heard the childish voices, but they seemed to have their mouths gagged, so they could only say There was a faint moan, and then someone whispered, "Be honest, and then declare that I won't give you food for the rest of the day."
Tang Fan's heart moved, but before he had time to think about it, he was pushed to turn left again, walked five or six steps, turned right again, and was finally stopped by his shoulders.
"Second master, someone brought it!" said Xin, surnamed.
"Bring him in." Tang Fan heard someone say.
He was busy remembering the position, and was suddenly pushed in by the man surnamed Xin, staggered under his feet, and fell directly to the ground, very embarrassed.
There was a delicate voice complaining: "Xin Shitou, he has a grudge against you for killing your father, why is he so cruel?"
Xin Shitou smiled: "Jiu Niangzi, you are so distressed? Dare you fell in love with this kid, so you won't let the second master kill him, this kid is weak, can you still serve you comfortably? Let the brothers come!"
Jiu Niangzi lowered her voice and said tenderly, "Deng Xiucai, that's how you manage your subordinates? Let them be so rude to me!"
Tang Fan heard the voice that let him in just now and said, "Stone, don't apologize to Jiu Niangzi!"
With a gentle and gentle voice, he must be Deng Xiucai, the second head of the Nancheng Gang.
Xin Shitou had to apologise to Jiu Niangzi in a loud voice.
Hearing Deng Xiucai again, he said, "This person must be Lord Tang of Shuntian Prefecture? I've admired the name for a long time."
Tang Fan smiled: "I'm just an insignificant little pusher, where can I get such a big name, the second master is really too famous, but my eyes were tied too tightly, and it hurts, can the second master help me first? pick up?"
Deng Xiucai smiled and said, "Don't you just want to see what we look like, why bother? Shito, helped Master Tang get his eyes out and gave him a chair to sit on."
The cloth strip was pulled down, Tang Fan sighed, and took a look at everything in front of him.
This is also a narrow and cramped inner room, but the difference is that the furnishings here are much more comfortable than the place where Tang Fan just stayed.
Not to mention, the chairs that those few people are sitting on will not be shaky at least.
There were three people sitting in front of Tang Fan, the leftmost was an old man who had not spoken a moment ago, Deng Xiucai was in the middle, and the lovely Jiu Niangzi was on the right.
In addition to Xin Shitou, Deng Xiucai and Jiu Niangzi were standing behind each other, who seemed to be personal guards.
Deng Xiucai, as his name suggests, is gentle, in his mid-thirties, and has a neatly trimmed beard under his lips and jaws.
From Wang Zhi's mouth, Tang Fan learned that although Deng Xiucai was the second head of the Nancheng Gang, he had a lot of power. Since the gang leader Ding Yimu didn't show up very often in recent years, Deng Xiucai had instead become a figure of real power, and the gang members often I only know Deng Xiucai, but I don't know if there is a gang leader.
In addition to human trafficking, the Nancheng Gang also opened brothels, gambling halls, and loan sharks, all of which were huge profits. They became more and more unscrupulous, and only then did they do something that even the daughter of the Crown Prince's Taifu family had the guts to do, but I didn't expect that this time the incident would become too big, and Vantone couldn't keep them. , they had no choice, so they had to come here.
Now that he saw the real Deng Xiucai, Tang Fan made a judgment in his heart: Don't look at people's parents being gentle, this must be a cruel master.
However, when he shifted his gaze to Jiu Niangzi next to him, Tang Fan was stunned.
Seeing his expression, Jiu Niangzi giggled: "Why is Master Tang so surprised, have you seen me before?"
Tang Fan quickly returned to normal, and laughed as well: "To tell the truth, girl, your appearance is somewhat similar to an old friend I've seen, and I did almost recognize the wrong person."
Jiu Niangzi covered her mouth and laughed so much that the branches trembled, and threw a wink at him: "You guessed it right, I do look a lot like the old man you met, not only that, we are still sisters. !"
Tang Fan said calmly: "It turned out to be Miss Chen, so it seems that the old friend I met should be Sister Ling?"
Jiu Niangzi did not deny it: "You have good eyesight."
That's right, the ninth lady in front of her is the sister of the Chen family, Li Man's concubine, whom Tang Fan had met earlier at the Li family.
At that time, the case of the Li family happened, and Chen lost his whereabouts immediately, but he did not expect to see Chen's sister here.
It's no wonder that his identity will be exposed, and the courage to love is thanks to this Jiu Niangzi.
When the conversation between the two of them came to an end, Deng Xiucai finally said slowly: "Nine Niangzi is in good spirits, and the disaster is about to come, so she can still reminisce here."
Jiu Niangzi glanced at him: "Second Master's words are wrong, you caused this matter, if you hadn't tied those two hot potatoes, how could you have caused the officials' people to entangle
She smiled again and said to Tang Fan: "Master Tang has a clear understanding, this is not our intention, what do you think we should do?"
Tang Fan didn't know what the identity of this woman was in the gang, but seeing the anger on Deng Xiucai's face flashed away, he followed her words and said, "This matter is easy to handle, I know that you don't intend to fight with the imperial court. Instead, let these children go back a little bit, and we can pretend that this time it never happened."
Deng Xiucai said gloomily, "I'm afraid that what Master Tang said is not enough?"
Tang Fan said with a smile: "The second boss doesn't know anything, and now the people who are in charge of arresting you are nothing more than Xichang and Jinyiwei. I still have some personal friendships with the Admiral of Xichang, and Xichang is forcing you to press hard now because of this group. There are officials and family members among the children. This matter alarmed His Majesty, so I asked for a thorough investigation. If you are willing to take a step back and let us hand over the people back, it will naturally reduce the big matter. As for the Jinyiwei, it will be better. Now, I heard that your gang and Commander Wan have a good personal relationship, so your words are more effective than my ten words."
Before Deng Xiucai spoke, Jiu Niangzi said coquettishly: "Second master, I will say that Master Tang is the most reasonable, but you still don't believe it, no matter how talented those children are, when they are sold, their full value will be lost. However, those Xichang Fanzi could kill us for a thousand taels. Now that they have been ordered by the emperor, they will definitely bite us like mad dogs. Do we need to take our lives for one thousand taels of silver? "
Deng Xiucai said slowly: "Jiu Niangzi really doesn't have a backache when she stands and speaks, and now the top cares about money and money. If I don't have this thousand taels, I won't be able to complete this year's task. Besides, things are so big now. , Wantong is worried about being implicated, and will definitely find a hapless ghost who will take responsibility. If I return the child now, I will be a living unlucky ghost. You are so smart, you can't think of this? Or is it that you deliberately want to I, Deng, pushed someone into the fire pit?"
Hearing this, Tang Fan somewhat understood.
In the inn where Chen's disappearance had left the mark of the White Lotus Sect, if Jiu Niangzi was Chen's younger sister, then she must also be related to the White Lotus Sect. In this way, the "upper" in Deng Xiucai's mouth is very likely to be White Lotus.
Judging from the dialogue between the two, it is not difficult to see that this Deng Xiucai and Jiu Niangzi are a little contradictory. They have different views, but this Jiu Niangzi is probably not a member of the Nancheng Gang, but a guest from the White Lotus Sect. , so even though Deng Xiucai was not on the right track with her, he couldn't have an attack.
Jiu Niangzi wanted him to make peace with the officials and hand over the child, but Deng Xiucai's opinion was just the opposite, so the two had differences.
Thinking of this, Tang Fan couldn't help being secretly startled. If Deng Xiucai wanted to flee south, wouldn't he have no need to exist
But since Jiu Niangzi is a member of the White Lotus Sect, why does she have to protect herself everywhere
A woman's mind is really hard to guess.
Jiu Niangzi said with a smile: "The second boss is serious, you are one of the best figures in the Nancheng Gang. If something happens to you and Ding Yimu is unable to support the overall situation, will the Nancheng Gang disband in an instant? I just feel that things haven't reached that point yet. , to stay with the officials of the official family will not benefit you or the overall situation of the sect. If you ruin the major events of the sect because of this, you will not need to be held accountable by the officials at that time. It was directly dealt with by the canon, do you believe it?"
There was too much information revealed in these words, and Tang Fan was almost unable to accept it. Cold sweat broke out on the back of his palms. The more he knew at this moment, the less good it was.
Sure enough, Deng Xiucai's face sank, and his eyes swept over Tang Fan next to him: "Did Jiu Niangzi have the problem of not being able to walk when she sees a handsome man? She said so much in front of this kid, it seems that this kid It is impossible to keep it, and I will do it for you to remove it today, so as not to cause trouble for you in the future!"
After that, a silver light flashed from his sleeve, a dagger flashed out, and he stabbed Tang Fan directly!
Tang Fan's hands were tied, and he sat on the chair again. He didn't have time to escape, he could only reflexively lean back, but the other party's movements were lightning fast, but he was already in front of him in a blink of an eye.
The dagger shone with cold light, and the blade could pierce the clothes on his chest, and it was about to pierce the skin!
However, Jiu Niangzi screamed: "You dare to kill in front of me!"
As soon as the voice fell, a whip shadow swept over, but it was not the person who hit, but the dagger was pulled from the hands of Deng Xiucai!
This change was only a short while, and everyone was stunned.
When the two men remembered that they wanted to protect the master, the two sides had stopped fighting.
Jiu Niangzi said coldly, "I have the best of both worlds, will the second master listen?"
Deng Xiucai snorted coldly: "What the best of both worlds, when I don't know what you're thinking, don't I just want this kid to be your concubine!"