Less than a month after Gu Er arrived in Quanzhou, Zhao Zongquan and his son from Yuzhou were hunted down by a group of rebels whose leader named himself Emperor Zhaode, just like in the original drama. They wanted to sacrifice the heads of Zhao Zongquan and his son, two unpopular clan members. flag, raised the banner of rebellion against the imperial court.

I don’t know if it was due to destiny or something else. Although there was no rescue from Gu Er, Zhao Zongquan and his son had several generals under their command who were good at martial arts and willing to risk their lives for them. Fortunately, several generals fought to the death to protect them. , saved the lives of Zhao Zongquan and his son from the rebels. However, Zhao Zongquan was stabbed by the rebel leader, and his son Zhao Ceying was also stabbed several times.

In addition to Zhao Zongquan and his son from Yuzhou, several unpopular clans were hunted down, which immediately attracted the attention of the imperial court.

Yuzhou is located in the southwest of Beijing, with Jinghu Road to the southwest, the Huaihe River to the southeast, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the south!

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is late July. Changbai not only gets married, but also fills a vacancy in the Hanlin Academy. After being admitted to the imperial examination, he was admitted to the imperial examination, and after being admitted to the imperial examination, he entered the official career. It can be said that he is very proud of himself. Even Sheng Hong's face is full of happiness. Wear a smile every day.

On the other hand, Chang Wu, the eldest son of Youyang, failed in the martial arts examination and failed to enter high school. He had no choice but to return to his hometown to get married first and then plan his future.

Sheng Wei had rushed back to Youyang a few months ago to take care of life-long affairs for Chang Wu, leaving all the affairs of Jihai Company in Quanzhou to Shulan and Changsong.

When the wedding day is approaching, the two siblings will rush back early to attend Chang Wu's wedding.

At the same time, Mrs. Sheng, who was far away in Bianjing, had already started to pack her bags and asked Sheng Hong to prepare the boat.

Xiaotao got Minglan's order and left Sheng's house early and went straight to find Wang Erxi who had been waiting in Tokyo for a long time.

In the past two years, there has been little peace in all parts of the country. Water thieves and bandits are everywhere. The Cao Gang was born with the water and relies on water transportation to make a living. It is said that wherever there is water in the world, there are Cao Gang members. Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, But it also shows how powerful the Cao Gang is and how well-informed it is.

Especially the information from the Jianghu that the officials in the court did not pay much attention to, Caobang was the most well-informed.

Nowadays, the largest sales place for the frosting business that the Sheng family and Wang Zhong cooperated with is Tokyo. Mrs. Sheng is now in charge of all the Wang family's properties, so naturally she is not ignorant of the news on the waterway.

"Why is Miss Xiao Tao here?" Seeing Xiao Tao, Wang Erxi's face suddenly showed a smile.

Xiaotao saluted Wang Erxifu, called Brother Wang, and then went straight to the point: "Brother Wang, the old lady plans to leave back to Youyang in a few days!"

I don’t know if it’s because she has been practicing martial arts all year round, but Xiao Tao doesn’t talk much in front of outsiders, and she always gives people a naive feeling.

Hearing this, Wang Erxi frowned and reminded with a serious expression: "Miss Xiao Tao, the road is not very peaceful now. There are several water fish on the water. They are quite powerful. They specialize in robbing and killing passing merchant ships. There are already seven or eight companies. The business became famous, and the local government sent troops to suppress it several times, but with no success.

Moreover, the land is not peaceful now. In many places from the south to the north, there are strong men who dominate the mountains and rob the merchants who pass by!"

Xiao Tao shook her head: "Both the old lady and the girl know what you said, but you don't know the whole story. Brother Wu from Youyang's Dafang will get married in three months, and the eldest lady from Dafang has always

She is not in good health, the old lady is now older, and Youyang is far away. If I don’t go this time, I wonder if there will be a chance to meet again in the future! The old lady just wants to take this opportunity to see the eldest lady in the big house again.

Last time we met."

Wang Erxi still had a serious look on his face when he heard this, but he stopped trying to persuade him: "Although Third Master has given instructions a long time ago, the situation now is more serious than expected. Miss Xiao Tao allows me to make preparations and pick more good players.

Prepare some weapons for emergencies!"

Xiao Tao also knows that this journey may not be smooth, so it is always better to be more prepared: "If there is anything you need help with, Brother Wang, just ask."

Wang Er said happily: "Don't worry, Miss Tao. The Third Master has long expected that the old lady and the Sixth Miss will return to Youyang sooner or later, and has arranged everything well in advance. It just takes some time to gather the manpower, and some arrangements will have to be made on the ship by then."

, By the way, can the female servants who serve you take less of them and bring more strong servants? It is best that they all know how to swim. If they are really in danger, they can also help. "

"I'll tell my girl when I get back!" Xiao Tao nodded cautiously.

After returning to Sheng's house, Xiaotao immediately told Minglan about Wang Erxi's suggestion. Minglan was convinced after hearing this and immediately found Mrs. Sheng and conveyed all Wang Erxi's words.

Old Mrs. Sheng was not one who couldn't listen to others' opinions, so she immediately asked Minglan to arrange manpower with Aunt Fang.

Three days later, everything was ready. Wang Erxi took 32 good men with him and prepared many spears and poles in the warehouse, as well as hunting bows, feathers and arrows, and long knives.

Some of these thirty-two people were elite players in the Cao Gang in the past, and later joined Wang Zhong with Wang Erxi. Some of them were villagers in Zhuangzi. Over the years, Wang Zhong provided them with good food and drink, and they trained every day.

They were good men who dared to fight and kill, and were clean-blooded, had seen blood, and fought with thieves. In the early years, they often traveled south and north to transport frosted cloth, and even followed Wang Zhong to Quanzhou.

It was specially selected by Wang Zhong to leave to the old lady and Minglan before returning to Quanzhou this time.

The day before departure, Wang Erxi led a team of experts to board the ship first and moved into the bottom warehouse. Mrs. Sheng and Minglan did not bring too many female servants, but arranged for a dozen servants to guard the house.

We followed him on board the boat.

As soon as Mrs. Sheng and Minglan uploaded the message, Wang Erxi went to see them.

"According to the news from the Caobang, the Bianhe River is relatively peaceful at present, but there are several groups of water thieves entrenched near Huaiyin. The brothers of the Caobang and the government have suppressed several groups, but only two of them were wiped out.

There are many fish that slipped through the net and escaped, and I'm afraid they all surrendered to the remaining gangs of bandits. I have already informed the brothers in the Cao Gang, and they will come to support us when we reach the realm of Huaiyin."

Old Mrs. Sheng looked at Wang Erxi and nodded and said: "You are Zihou's brother, so I can naturally trust you. Now there are only two female relatives on the ship, me and Ming'er, and there are no men. Zihou has sent you here."

, you will be fully responsible for the guarding matters. It is up to you to decide how to walk and how much you should walk every day. The dozen or so servants of the Sheng family who guard the courtyard also follow your arrangements.

One thing, we must get to Youyang before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Wang Erxi bowed his hands respectfully and said: "Old lady, please don't worry, everything has been arranged. We are following the cargo ship of the Changping oil mill. There are brothers from the Cao Gang on the three cargo ships of the Changping. Even if we really meet

Thieves, they will also give us a warning so that we have enough time to respond."

"Just watch and arrange these things!" Old Mrs. Sheng knew that she was not as proficient in these matters as Wang Erxi, so she might as well leave all these matters to Wang Erxi.

Wang Erxi said: "Back to the old lady, Third Master's intention is to let Sixth Girl try to be her own person and gain experience!"

Mrs. Sheng's breath was stagnant and she looked at Wang Erxi: "Zi Hou wants Ming'er to take charge of things?"

"Let me take care of things?" Minglan on the side was also surprised and looked at Wang Erxi in confusion.

Wang Erxi smiled and explained: "The third master said that the sixth girl is very smart, has a good plan, and has been taught by the old lady, but she still lacks a little experience and experience, and a little bit of hard work.

Now we have almost prepared everything we need to do. Let Miss Six take charge, and the villain only needs to give a little advice, which will be beneficial and harmless to Miss Six in taking charge of the Wang family in the future."

Mrs. Sheng nodded, "Brother Zhong is interested. In that case, let's listen to Zihou's arrangements!"

"Grandma, I..." Minglan wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Mrs. Sheng raising her hand.

"Zi Hou has thought carefully. You will get married next year. Brother Zhong will be working hard outside. You will be in charge of such a large Wang family. It is also time for you to gain experience and see the world."

"Grandma, my granddaughter has never been in charge of things. I'm just afraid that I can't do a good job!" Minglan said modestly.

"Silly girl!" Old Mrs. Sheng held Minglan's hand and said with a smile: "No one is born knowing everything. Besides, you have helped me manage the Wang family's property for several years. It's just a good time to try to take charge of it on your own.

The taste of."

"How about grandson, let's try?" Minglan blinked her big black and bright eyes, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.

The big ship went all the way to the southeast along the Bianhe River, and parked at the Hewan Wharf in the evening. Caobang and the previous ship Changping had walked on this waterway countless times, and they were very familiar with the entire route. Minglan and

This was not the first time for the old lady to go south. The journey was smooth and she did not encounter any setbacks.

When nothing happened in the morning and evening, Minglan took a fishing rod and sat on the side of the boat with Xiaotao and Danjue to fish. Minglan’s fishing skills were not bad, but they could only be described as average. On the contrary, they were the worst on weekdays.

The unassuming Xiao Tao has harvested every time, making Dan Ju and Cui Wei envious of fishing together.

Naturally, the fresh fish caught every day should not be wasted, so Minglan cooked it for the old lady in different ways, steaming it today, braised it in braise the next day, stewing it the day after, making soup, making soup, pickled fish, etc., etc., all the way

From Bianjing to Huaiyin, Minglan and the old lady ate almost all kinds of fish preparations.

On this day, as soon as we entered the boundary of Huaiyin, several small boats came next to us.

The visitors were none other than Che Sanniang and his wife who had met Minglan before, as well as several men from the Cao Gang. They were all dressed as fishermen, and they also had fishing nets and harpoons on the boat.

Che Sanniang and her husband Shi Keng boarded the Sheng family's ship. After greeting Wang Erxi, they went to see Minglan.

"Brother Shi, Mrs. Che! Are they you?" Minglan was quite surprised when she saw the people coming, but she was more happy. Last time when she followed Wang Zhong south, Minglan had met Che Sanniang and Shi Keng.

, had a good impression of Che Sanniang and his wife, and hurriedly invited them to sit down.

"We haven't seen each other for several years, and Miss Six is ​​becoming more and more sophisticated!" Che Sanniang went around the world to show off her background. She had never read any books, and her speech was relatively simple and straightforward.

Minglan said: "Mrs. Che is still so upright!"

Che Sanniang couldn't help laughing after hearing this. Danju and Cuiwei hurriedly brought several bowls of herbal tea to the two of them to quench their thirst. After drinking the tea and exchanging a few words, they went straight to the topic.

Che Sanniang said solemnly: "That group of water fish has become more and more arrogant. In recent months, they have robbed several groups of passing cargo ships, killing people and stealing goods. Their methods are so ruthless. Our people have fought with them several times and have suffered losses."

We had a lot of manpower. For this reason, my uncle specially transferred me and the leader from Quanzhou. He also brought a lot of elite gang members. We had a fight with these water fish and killed many of them. Unfortunately, this group of water fish and loach

They seemed so slippery that after circling the river a few times they disappeared, and I still haven’t been able to find their home base.”

When saying this, Che Sanniang couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. If the troops from the Huaiyin Command Battalion could be mobilized to join the Cao Gang in encircling and suppressing this group of water fish, they might have wiped out all the water fish long ago. But what about the Cao Gang?

Although they have some power, in the end they are just Jianghu gangs and cannot mobilize the manpower of the Huaiyin Command Battalion.

Although the Xiang army is corrupt, it is still an army after all. It has all the armor and its weapons are sharper than those of the water thieves. Although its combat power cannot be compared with that of the Forbidden Army, it is not completely corrupt. It is still possible to suppress and kill bandits.

"But don't worry, girl, with our brothers from the Cao Gang, we will be able to send the girl and the old lady to Youyang safely!" Although Che Sanniang and Shi Keng came here to suppress bandits, compared to suppressing bandits,

Obviously the safety of Minglan and Mrs. Sheng is more important.

Not to mention how powerful Wang Zhong is now, the Wang family and the Sheng family have always taken care of Caobang over the years. Whether they are going south or north, all goods traveling by water are transported through Caobang, and they do not know what they bring to Caobang.

Considering how much profit they made and how many Caobang brothers they supported, Che Sanniang and his wife also put the safety of Mrs. Sheng and Minglan first.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Not to mention, the sub-rudder set up by the Cao Gang in Quanzhou has already made a big name in the sea with Wang Zhong's blessing, and the gold and silver are even more

It's a lot of money.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Che!"

"We are all our own people, why are you so polite!" Although Che Sanniang is a woman, her temperament is quite bold. It is precisely because of Che Sanniang's natural temperament that she and Shi Keng can hang out in the Caogang.

It's so prosperous.

"I wonder what to do with those water thieves?" Minglan asked curiously.

Che Sanniang said helplessly: "What else can we do? Unless we can find their lair, otherwise we have to be careful on our own."

Minglan's black and white eyes kept turning, and her eyes were slightly focused: "Since we can't find the nest of the group of water fish, why not use a trick to lure the snake out of the hole! Then follow the clues!"

"Ling the snake out of the hole? What you mean is, luring those water fish out??" Che Sanniang and Shi Keng couldn't help but look at Minglan.

Minglan smiled and said: "Maybe they will run out on their own without us leading them!"

"This group of water thieves has been able to stay here for so long, and even the government can't do anything about them. I guess they must be extremely well-informed."

Che Sanniang said with deep conviction: "This must be the case, otherwise, why would the government have tried to suppress them several times without success, but instead made this group of water fish become more and more arrogant."

"Maybe they have spies stationed at the nearby ferries and docks."

Minglan said: "According to that, we and the cargo ship Changping are five big ships in total. Such a fat fish will definitely not be able to escape their eyes. Do you think those water thieves will look at us helplessly?"

Has it passed?"

"Definitely not!" Che Sanniang slapped her thigh and said excitedly: "Young lady, what you mean is that we wait on the boat for those fish to come up?"

Minglan shook her head and said: "They may not have their eyes and ears on the ship. It would be too blatant to ambush them like this. It is better to ambush nearby and wait for the group of water thieves to come over and attack the ship. Then you can fight out!"

The three people's eyes lit up when they heard this: "If we go out at that time, those water thieves will definitely not have time to escape. If we catch a few more people alive, we will definitely not be able to find out where their lair is!"

Ming Lan said: "Why don't we surround them in three circles, kill some, capture some, let some go, and then arrange people in advance to quietly follow the few who escaped, and find out where the water thieves' lair is.

"

"This is a wonderful idea, girl, but this group of water fish is too thieves, and we don't have that many manpower in Huaiyin to take care of both ends. We are afraid that they will be defeated and move overnight."

Minglan said happily to Wang Er: "Brother Wang, I remember that the Huaiyin Command Camp is nearby. I asked the second brother to bring gifts and name tags of his father and brother and go to the Huaiyin Command Camp.

Let me just say that my grandmother and I went back to our hometown to visit relatives and worship our ancestors. We heard that Huaiyin has been plagued by water thieves recently. We are afraid of being disturbed by water thieves. We specially requested the commander to send troops to take care of our ancestors. My mother and I will definitely remember the commander's kindness when we return to Bianjing.

After that, I will definitely report it to my father and brother and give me a generous gift!"

Wang Erxi has been following Wang Zhong for a long time, and he has learned to use his brain. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask: "What does the girl mean, do you want the sergeants from the command battalion to ambush and follow you to the water thieves' lair?"

Minglan said: "That's right! We don't know the specific situation of the water thieves' lair now. If we kill them rashly, although it is possible to catch the water thieves off guard, it is also very likely to fall into a stalemate. We have limited manpower. As time goes by, we may not be able to

If we have the upper hand, we can command the battalion of soldiers who are well equipped with bows, arrows and armor. They are far better than us and far better than the water thieves. If they chase the water thieves' lair, they may be able to achieve success in one fell swoop."

"You little man, go right now!" Wang Erxi said, cupping his hands.

Minglan said: "Danju! Go to the warehouse and pick some gifts for Brother Wang to bring. Prepare more money and jewelry, as well as the brocades from the palace!"

"Slave, go now!" Danjue is Minglan's big butler and Minglan's confidant. She is very capable, but she is too kind-hearted and not tough enough on the people under her.

"Sister-in-law Che, Brother Shi, when do those water thieves usually attack?" Minglan asked carefully for information about the water thieves.

Che Sanniang and Shi Keng had dealt with this group of water thieves, so Minglan naturally wanted to ask questions.

"Usually it's in the latter half of the night, around midnight, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. We take advantage of everyone on the boat to go to sleep before taking action, sneaking onto the boat quietly and catching them off guard." Shi Keng replied.

Minglan nodded slightly, pondered for a moment and then said: "Then please trouble Brother Shi and Sister-in-law Che to follow us closely and send people to pay attention to the movements of the water thieves. When the water thieves come to kill them and see the lights on our boat extinguished, we can then leave from the shore.

Come and kill."

"It's all up to the girl." Mrs. Che was very surprised by Minglan's cleverness. At the same time, she couldn't help but admire Minglan. She had such a plan at such a young age, and she couldn't help but sigh. No wonder the third master had such a plan all over Tokyo.

He didn't choose the daughter of the wealthy family in the city, but he chose the sixth girl of the Sheng family, a concubine from a high-ranking official family, to be his future wife. It seems that the third master has a keen eye for talents, and he discovered the extraordinary qualities of the sixth girl of the Sheng family early.

, then he specially came to ask for marriage...

Minglan naturally didn't know that in just a short moment, Che Sanniang had so many thoughts popping up in her mind. She just smiled softly, picked up the tea cup, and said modestly: "Minglan is just a layman, detailed regulations

, what should we do, it’s up to Brother Shi and Mrs. Che to arrange it!”

"Sixth Miss, please be humble. Your arrangements are already very good. As long as those fishes dare to come to our door, we will definitely make sure they never come back." Che Sanniang said with a bold smile.

Liu Che Sanniang and Shi Keng had lunch, and the couple said goodbye. Near sunset, Wang Erxi finally came back, and brought back good news. There were famous cards from Sheng Hong and Chang Bai, and Ming Lan.

The commander of the Huaiyin Command Battalion was naturally happy to do this generous gift, but he did not say that he would send troops to protect him, only that he would send troops to suppress bandits, but he would also escort the Sheng family and his party.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Five large ships slowly sailed into the Huaiyin boundary. The first night was calm and the sea was calm. On the second day, the big ships sailed into Hongze Lake and stopped at the shore for repairs after nightfall.

I don’t know whether it was because she was far away from Tokyo and the hustle and bustle, the days on the boat were too peaceful and leisurely, or something else. After nightfall, Old Mrs. Sheng’s energy became more and more vigorous. She saw that Haishi was almost passing, and when the time came,

The old lady didn't feel sleepy yet.

Minglan didn't dare to ask the old lady to stay up late, so she made a soothing decoction for the old lady to take, and her roommate silently waited for the old lady Sheng to rest.

After Mrs. Sheng fell asleep, Minglan came to the top deck, followed by Xiao Tao and Dan Ju. She felt the cool night breeze blowing from the lake and looked at the brightly lit ships in front. She couldn't help but feel happy.

Somewhat complicated.

There is tension and worry, but in addition, there is actually a trace of expectation.

"Girl, it's getting late, let's go back to the cabin and rest!" Danju next to her said with concern.

Minglan shook her head, looking at the lake where she could not see her fingers in the night, and then looked up at the night sky. It was also pitch black, with the stars and moon blocked by the night.

"The moon is dark and the wind is high, it's a good time to kill people and set fires!" Minglan said with emotion.

"Don't worry, girl, Xiao Tao is here!" Xiao Tao subconsciously touched the double knives stuck in her waist, and entered the realm of Huaiyin. After nightfall, Xiao Tao carried the double knives with her every night, guarding Minglan every step of the way.

, that is, sleeping at night, Minglan sleeps in the back room, and Xiaotao also stays outside.

Minglan looked at Xiaotao who was a little nervous, with a smile on her face, and said softly: "Don't be nervous, the thief may not come!"
Chapter completed!