The wealthy family is very determined to kill people, and Shangguan and his son are already on their must-kill list.
Moreover, their execution ability of killing was also very high. As soon as Shangguan and his son left the city gate, the assassins disguised as caravans were already following them from a distance.
The road outside Chang'an City was relatively flat. Shangguan and his son and the four officials walked easily. However, Shangguan Yi was already seventy years old and had lived a pampered life for many years. After walking for a few miles, he felt tired and had to slow down.
.
The expressions of the four officials were very impatient. After leaving the city gate, their attitudes towards Shangguan and his son changed and became a little cruel and indifferent.
Before Shangguan Yi left the city, he clearly saw his family secretly stuffing silver cakes into four officials. The portions were not light, and the officials also laughed and accepted them.
After accepting the money and still having such a bad attitude, Shangguan Yi seemed to understand something and sighed secretly.
If Li Qinzai had not made arrangements, not to mention the assassins on the road seeking their lives, these four official servants would have been bribed long ago, waiting to take the lives of their father and son.
The road is difficult and dangerous, and full of murderous potential. This road of exile is simply leading to the gate of hell.
They set off early in the morning and walked about ten miles by noon. Shangguan Yi was so tired that his face turned pale, and he could barely walk on with Shangguan Tingzhi's support.
The assassins disguised as caravans followed slowly, and they took their time.
This place has just left Chang'an City, and it's not time to take action yet.
If Shangguan and his son were killed outside Chang'an City just after setting off, the emperor and the court would not be able to explain it. The wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River were provoking the court. The emperor did not want to touch them in the first place, so he had to take action on them.
The plan of the assassins is to follow Shangguan and his son out of Guanzhong, preferably across the Yangtze River, and then take action. After they kill people, they will cause accidental scenes, such as accidentally falling off a cliff, or accidentally falling into the water and drowning while riding in a boat.
etc.
After local officials conducted an investigation, they finalized the case and reported it to the court, and the matter was considered perfectly resolved.
It's still early, all the assassins have to do is follow.
However, after walking ten miles, something unexpected happened.
A cavalry team wearing armor and holding halberds stopped quietly in the middle of the road.
This cavalry team is well-equipped, but it is stationed quietly in the middle of the road, but it exudes a power that is overwhelming, as if it is an unshakable mountain. The damn oppression makes people breathless.
The assassins disguised as a caravan suddenly stopped and looked at the cavalry several feet away.
The assassins looked panicked and fearful. Although neither party said a word, the assassins knew that an accident was coming.
This well-equipped cavalry looks like it has experienced real battlefield fighting. In terms of force and fighting experience, the assassins cannot fight back in the face of a real battle formation. No matter how hard they try, they will only be crushed.
The consequences of pressure.
This cavalry was stationed in the middle of the road, obviously coming towards the assassins.
The two sides faced off for a long time, and the first assassin stepped forward cautiously. At this time, he had not forgotten his identity. He was the manager of this caravan.
"General, may I ask..." The leading assassin just started, but was interrupted by the leader of the cavalry.
"We are ordered by the Duke of Liaodong to escort Shangguan and his son to Qiongzhou along the way. You can either go back the way you came, or fight with us. It's your choice."
The leader of the cavalry is a deputy captain of the British government, Feng Su's deputy, and he is responsible for the mission of protecting Shangguan and his son.
The assassins were startled, and the caravan suddenly became restless.
Liaodong County Duke...Li Qinzai?
Did he get involved?
The deputy team leader was speaking very rudely and straight to the point, indicating that they had already seen through the identity and purpose of the assassins, and both parties had simply revealed their cards.
The leader of the assassin frowned and did not bother to conceal his identity. He said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, did you really follow Duke Li's order? I dare to ask, does Duke Li know what he is doing?"
The deputy team member narrowed his eyes and showed a sarcastic smile: "Are you threatening my county?"
Looking at the friendly smile on the deputy captain's face, the assassin clearly felt a chill and murderous intent.
The assassins were raised by prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River. They rarely interacted with people in the military, but they knew that military men never talked much. Once they have the intention to kill, they will do whatever they say, and it will be life or death.
The assassin hurriedly said: "I don't dare. I have no intention of threatening you. We are just taking orders from others, so I would like to ask you to give me a word of approval before I can go back and resume my life. Does Liaodong County Duke really want to protect Shangguan and his son?"
"
The deputy captain was riding a horse, straightening up and staring at him coldly.
"That's right, my county prince said that from Chang'an to Qiongzhou, Shangguan and his son should not miss a single hair. This is my prince's wish. You can go back and tell your master every word."
With a cavalry of two hundred people in front, the assassins certainly didn't have the guts to fight with them.
So the assassin decisively clasped his fists and said, "It's good if you have such accurate words. I'll go back to the original route and say goodbye!"
The deputy captain said with a smile but not a smile: "Farewell, I hope we will never see each other again, otherwise it will be a life and death situation."
The assassin did not dare to say anything, and dozens of people turned on their horses and galloped away in the direction of Chang'an City.
After watching their figures disappear, the deputy captain withdrew his gaze and said: "March immediately to catch up with Shangguan and his son. There is also a problem with the four escorting officers. We must give them a warning and make them behave more honestly on the road."
The two hundred soldiers responded with a roar, and everyone jumped on their horses and ran towards the road.
…………
As the assassins returned halfway and told their master the important news, the chief officials of the Jiangnan wealthy family resident in Chang'an City were suddenly shocked.
Li Qinzai, the Duke of Liaodong, personally stepped down and threatened to protect Shangguan and his son. The originally unsuspicious action plan suddenly became complicated.
The heads of the wealthy family gathered together to discuss for a long time, and everyone was in a serious mood to judge Li Qinzai's intentions.
This accident was unexpected by everyone. The background of Liaodong County Duke, his status, and his weight were not comparable to those of Shangguan and his son.
With Li Qinzai's public end, things have become very complicated. There are only two options before the wealthy families in Jiangnan, either to give up the assassination of Shangguan and his son, or to go hard with Li Qinzai, betting that he will not offend the eight prominent families in Jiangnan to death.
While a group of people were anxiously discussing and making judgments about Li Qinzai's intentions, Li Qinzai was playing with four children in the Duke's Mansion.
A piece of land next to the backyard garden was compacted by the servants, and then Li Qinzai dug several small holes in the ground.
Including Li Qinzai, each person held five small clay marbles in their hands. Li Qinzai led the children to lie on the ground and taught them to play with marbles.
"Whoever takes up all four holes first will win. The rules are that simple." Li Qinzai spoke, bending his index finger, driving the marble with his thumb, and flicking hard...
The marbles ejected quickly, but the accuracy was extremely poor, and they were far away from the target pit.
The four children looked at him inexplicably, their expressions of admiration gradually turning into confusion.
"Didn't you go into that small pit? Why did dad play so far?" Qiao'er asked straightforwardly, not giving the old father any face.
Li Qinzai's face was filled with anger: "What do you know! If you don't plan for the overall situation, you can't plan for a region. It's like playing chess. I'm laying out the entire chessboard in advance."
Qiao'er showed a look of surprise, then she lay down and flicked her thumb...
The marbles came out in response and obediently entered the pit.
Facing Li Qinzai's surprised look, Qiao'er smiled and said: "My child is still young, so there is no need to plan for the overall situation. If there is a pitfall, just jump in."
The old father's face was a bit lost. Li Qinzai wanted to give this unfilial son a little bit of strength, but playing pinball was not something that could be achieved by letting go of the domineering spirit.
The marble was bounced far away by him again, and Qiao'er won without any suspense. After the victory, this guy became more and more carried away and dared to openly mock his father.
Li Qinzai fell out, and powerful people decide the rules of the game.
"You are smiling so proudly. Have you finished your homework for today?" Li Qinzai asked abruptly.
Qiao'er's laughter faltered, like a rooster that was crowing and suddenly had its neck strangled.
"Dad, you are cheating..." Qiao'er protested weakly.
Li Qinzai looked up at the sky, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "So this is called 'cheating'... Hmm!"
Then he lowered his head and looked at Qiao'er. Li Qinzai's eyes were sharp and he said: "Yes, I cheated. What can you do to me?"
Grabbing the marbles he won from Qiao'er's hand, Li Qinzai said: "The marbles are confiscated. You go do your homework. My son is still young. Your most important task now is to sharpen your homework..."
Then Li Qinzai looked at Kun'er and Wan'er with a pleasant look, and said with a smile: "Ignore him, let the three of us play, I promise not to cheat."