In the evening, Rongshui Village was peaceful and harmonious with curling smoke from cooking fires. Whether viewed from near or far, it looked like any other village in Gyeonggi Province, welcoming another busy dinner.
However, at this moment, in the fields where various straw bales were piled after harvest, there were more than one pair of vigilant eyes, monitoring the official road not far away and the path leading directly to the village. If the disguises on their heads and bodies were removed, the faces revealed would definitely surprise people.
Because, they are all simple and honest villagers during the day...
When a dusty group of more than ten people finally turned from the main road, the villagers who were acting as secret sentries saw them clearly but did not react at all, and actually allowed such a group of people to reach the entrance of the village.
The door of the Zhang family mansion was half open. Old Liu, who was dozing off in front of the door, seemed to be awakened by the sound of horse hooves. He raised his head and glanced at the group of people who came. Then he patted his clothes and stood up and said, "Oh, there are still people coming to learn from me so late at night? Cuiyun Room is in the bamboo forest behind the village. Go up along the main road. After entering the bamboo forest, keep walking along the road. Turn the corner at the Pixiu screen wall and it's right there!"
As he said this, Old Liu yawned lazily, and sat down on the doorstep again, muttering, "It's almost late at night, and they're still here to study. These people in the capital are really in a good mood. Even if they bring guards, aren't they afraid of the rebellion outside?"
The middle-aged man in the lead immediately fixed his eyes, then winked at his left and right, and actually dismounted and walked towards Old Liu. When he came in front of the crowd, he forced a smile and saluted, then asked, "You just said there was a riot outside? We are not from the capital, we are in a hurry on the way to visit the great sage here, and we have never heard of such a thing. Can you tell me more about it?"
"Insurgents? Ha, that was what the people from Duke Zhao's residence said when they came to deliver the letter."
Old Liu was like one of those chatterboxes who always answered questions in a trifling manner. He laughed and said, "It is said that there was a rebellion in the Linhai Camp in Tianjin, but it was suppressed by the Zhenhai Camp. A few rebels escaped. As you can imagine, all the troops in the capital have been mobilized, and the next step is to issue a nationwide wanted notice."
The middle-aged man couldn't help but narrow his eyes. If someone familiar with him, they would be able to see that he was already harboring murderous intent: "If that's the case, compared to the dangers we face when walking outside, aren't you afraid of danger in this village?"
"What's so dangerous about this! I thought that these rebels might rob people on the roads to save some money and food, and then go into the mountains and forests to survive. The nobles in Cuiyun Room behind our village all have many guards with them. As long as the rebels are smart, they won't come here. Those nobles said that instead of running around randomly, it's better to wait for the capital to send people to protect them!"
"I see. Thanks for your advice, old man."
The middle-aged man raised his hand with a deep look in his eyes to express his gratitude, and then returned to his mount. Seeing his subordinates making eye contact with each other, he coughed and then said, "Okay, let's follow the instructions of the kind-hearted person and go directly to Cuiyun Room."
With a loud response, a group of people and horses immediately rushed away. When the dust stirred up by the horses' hooves cleared, he listened carefully and found that there was no suspicious movement around. Old Liu, who had just been calm and composed, suddenly sat down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and cursed softly without turning his head.