Xiao Tang, Wu Song and others were invited to the cottage by Zhou Tong, and then they learned that they were not far from Taohua Village, and Zhou Tong's business was still in the "early stage of entrepreneurship". This cottage
However, it is surrounded by some fences and has about a dozen simple thatched huts. It only has fifty or sixty gangsters under its command. It is more like a group of thieves than green forest bandits.
However, Zhou Tong was quite open this time. Although I don't know if it was because of Su Jinniang's presence, he was pretending to be generous. He went through the good wine and food in the village and brought out cooked chicken and roast duck, large pieces of steamed buns, etc. to entertain Xiao Tang and others.
people.
After announcing their names to each other, Zhou Tong asked: "Several heroes, seeing that you and Miss Su are so tired, you are still walking on this desolate mountain road. Why do you think so?"
Xiao Tang sighed and replied: "Brother Wu and I were originally from Xiaojiaji in Zongcheng County and Kongsongzhuang in Qh County, and there was a bully in Daming Mansion called the Nine-Headed Insect Li Shaohua. He was so heartbroken that he killed Su
The house was full of girls, and they sent minions to hunt down Miss Su, but we caught them, so they falsely accused me and Brother Wu of colluding with the bandits, and killed Miss Su's family.
As Miss Su was helpless, Brother Wu and I planned to send her to her uncle in Qingzhou for resettlement before looking for the Nine-Headed Insect. On the way, Brother Deng Fei and Brother Yang Lin drew their swords to help when there was injustice.
It took a lot of hard work to come to you."
Zhou Tong opened his mouth and listened to what Xiao Tang said. He really didn't expect Xiao Tang, Su Jinniang and others to have experienced such a disaster. When he looked at Su Jinniang again, he saw that she was filled with grief and sorrow because of injustice and deep hatred.
When Zhou Tong saw my pitiful expression, his heart ached again.
How could anyone be so cruel as to harm such a poor little lady? Those dandies in the bureaucracy are thousands of times crueler and crueler than the thieves and bandits in the rivers and lakes!?
Zhou Tong suddenly stood up, walked up to the arrow-shooting pot, pulled out an arrow, snapped it into two pieces, and said angrily: "Although I, Zhou Tong, am of low ability, I, Zhou Tong, can do anything for Miss Su and everyone else."
It is my duty to do my best for a good man. Even if I hesitate even if I go through fire and water, I am not a man!"
Zhou Tong then added: "As long as it's from my village, regardless of food, clothing, money, horses... whatever you can use, just take it!"
Seeing that Zhou Tong was filled with indignation and his chest was heaving with anger, Su Jinniang stood up and bowed to Zhou Tong Yingying: "Thank you so much for your heroic action. I will deeply appreciate it for you, the little girl."
"This, this...can't be done!" Zhou Tong was at a loss and felt that all the bones in his body felt a few taels lighter. Although he was embarrassed, he felt that whatever he did at this moment was worth it...
Under Zhou Tong's arrangement, Xiao Tang and others had a full night's rest. Early the next morning, Zhou Tong gave the only two horses in the village to Xiao Tang, Su Jinniang and others, and said to Xiao Tang: "
Miss Su is delicate and expensive, so I gave her this horse to ride on to save her from fatigue, and put some warm clothes on the other horse to be careful not to catch the cold."
Xiao Tang saw a corner of the big and small bags exposed, and there seemed to be some women's clothes. He couldn't help but asked: "I said your village is full of men, why are there these women's clothes?"
Zhou Tong's face turned red and he murmured: "I got it from a carriage a few days ago. I thought there was no one selling women's red undergarments here, so I thought I would keep it as a preparation. If I can marry a girl one day,
Mrs. Zhai, if you need to wear or use something, don't neglect her."
After listening to Zhou Tong's pitiful words and looking at the bruise on Zhou Tong's face, Xiao Tang even felt a little guilty for Zhou Tong. He patted Zhou Tong on the shoulder and sighed: "You have to have dreams.
, what if it comes true?... But you shouldn’t always think about grabbing a wife, right?”
Zhou Tong looked at the retreating figures of Xiao Tang, Su Jinniang and others, and couldn't help but sigh. What would I do if that happened to me? A hero saves a beauty... Even a woman like Miss Su,
You still won’t fall in love with me? But with my ability, how can I help you?
Thinking of Xiao Tang and Su Jinniang's love for each other again, Zhou Tong couldn't help but feel a heart-wrenching sadness in his heart. In this state of mind, he wanted to recite a few love poems he had heard before, to relieve the anger and sorrow in his heart.
Love. But what comes to mind are the obscene lyrics and songs that I have heard in the house, such as "A pretty enemy, I want my slave", "A good official, I want my slave".
Zhou Tong had no idea at all, so he tried his best to find a few fragmentary passages that seemed not suitable to read together. After holding it for a long time, Zhou Tong could only put his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky that was as lonely as him, and faintly
Long groan:
"Damn it!..."
※※
At the same time, the Daming Prefecture Military Academy Prison.
This is not an official prison where prisoners are usually held. In the Song Dynasty, local prisons not only had state and county prisons, but also Zhuzhou Military Academy, Si Li Yuan and other prisons to collect and process various types of prisoners. Originally, these were mainly used to hold prisoners in the Xiang Army.
The military prison for violating military regulations had been emptied, and only two people were locked behind the cold iron bars.
Wu Zhi was beaten until his skin was torn, and his body was covered in blood. He had his staff broken, a whip pulled out, his nails pulled out, and torture (the punishment of clamping the prisoner's fingers). After a lot of torture, Wu Dalang, who was strong and healthy, was already on the verge of death. He fainted at this time.
In a prison, if it weren't for the occasional body twitches caused by severe pain, he would look like a dead person.
In another prison, Father Xiao closed his eyes and sat upright. He was shackled and imprisoned. The surroundings were dark and murderous. In this terrifying environment, it seemed that ghosts could still be heard crying and howling.
, but Father Xiao is still like a proud pine tree, possessing an inviolable majesty.
The iron door outside was suddenly opened, and two vicious minions dragged a bloody man, dragging two long blood trails straight towards a prison. They opened the cell door, and grabbed the bloody man.
He threw it in and left without looking at it again.
Father Xiao slowly opened his eyes. He turned to look at the bloody man. Only then did his eyes show a bit of sadness. Father Xiao sighed and said, "Xiao An... I've suffered so much for you...
...." The bloody man moved his lips slightly and only hummed twice, but it was so unclear that no one could understand what he was saying.
Li Shaohua framed Xiao Tang as a spy for the Liao Kingdom, and at the same time imprisoned Xiao Tang, Xiao An and several housekeepers. Originally, he wanted to imprison Grand Duke Pan, Mrs. Pan and Miss Pan Jinlian of Kongsongzhuang.
Waiting for everyone to be captured, but because old Mrs. Pan was a court official and had some connections in the officialdom, the charges were originally made out of nothing. If the trouble got bigger, it would be more likely to cause complications, so only the long-term workers in Pan's house were arrested.
Wu Song's brother Wu Zhi was tortured.
After Xiao Tang, Wu Song and others escaped, Li Shaohua and Lei Ben, the former manager of the Xiao Mansion, ordered Xiao An to testify against Xiao Tang and Wu Song for a series of framed charges. However, although Xiao An was flattering at first and
He wanted to please him, but when the pleadings were delivered to him, he repeatedly pushed back and refused to sign or deposit them. Finally, he pissed off the nine-headed worm Li Shaohua. Unexpectedly, under severe torture, Xiao An, who seemed to be tactful and timid, and Wu Zhi
It's the same, they are all resisting death.
"Master..." At some point, Lei Ben, the general manager of the Xiao Mansion, came to the prison where Mr. Xiao was being held. His expression was numb and his tone was extremely cold...
"Master? Let's avoid this title! Yishi Bolu (Lei Ben's Khitan name), I have never regarded you as a servant..." Father Xiao turned his back to Lei Ben and said calmly: "
But what about you...? You have never regarded me as your master."
Lei Ben pondered for a while and then said slowly: "I know that the master does not believe what I said, but when we were in Daliao, our families have been friends for generations. My life was also given to me by the master...
.Actually, I never thought about betraying the master at first. I just wanted to do my duty as the general manager of the Xiao Mansion and serve the master well throughout my life..."
Father Xiao smiled coldly and said: "You were originally a wolf of the Khitan, but now you have become a dog of the nine-headed worm. Do you still want me to believe you?"
"But Master, you know very well what kind of person your son was back then!" Lei Ben's tone suddenly became a little excited, and he added: "After a hundred years, Master, if you let that Jinmao Mastiff inherit the Xiao family collection,
, I’m afraid that all my life’s hard work will be lost in his hands! At first, I just thought, if your son has to live a ridiculous life, I will support him for the rest of his life, but the Xiao family’s foundation will collapse in his hands.
, why not leave it all to me!
But how could I have imagined that Xiao Tang suddenly changed his gender, and after that, sir, you gradually alienated me from him. If it hadn't been for this, if I didn't seize this opportunity, sir, would I have a place in the Xiao Mansion again!?
I am also on the verge of an arrow and have no choice but to do so!"
Father Xiao half-turned around and looked at Lei Ben with cold eyes, his eyes full of contempt and mistreatment: "Slave B, slave B, slave B, it turns out you are such a coward! If you want to accomplish great things, you don't stick to trivial matters.
How many ruthless people there are? Just do it if you do it, you are so mother-in-law!"
Lei Ben's violently heaving chest gradually calmed down, and he remained silent for a while before saying: "Master... This is also the last time I call you master. I came here to tell you that I will meet Xiao An and Wu Zhizui
There's nothing you can get out of it. The Nine-Headed Insect is planning to question you. As for what method it will use, I don't need to explain it clearly. I tried to stop it, but I can't stop it anymore..."
"Come on, come on!" Father Xiao interrupted Lei Ben, and he snorted coldly: "You think only Xiao An and the Wu family have strong bones, don't I have strong bones?"
Speaking of this, Father Xiao raised the corner of his mouth and smiled calmly: "These days, I finally solved the knot with my son. That brat... always teases me about being stubborn. In fact, he is...
How do you know that I, his temper, are far more stubborn than he imagined!"