Zhu Tingfang calls him Lao Xi's bodyguard. He is a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a thin build, an unattractive appearance, and even some gray hair. If he were placed on the street, most people would think that he is a man whose family is in embarrassment.
He is an ordinary person. However, if anyone saw his cheerful smile and his all-round attitude when dealing with people, they would never think so.
However, at this time, Lao Xi put away his signature flattering smile that he showed when meeting people in the past few days, and stood beside Zhu Tingfang with a solemn face. He and Zhu Tingfang were standing in a dark alley at this time, and
A cluster of low houses is vaguely visible at the end.
It is one of the areas where laborers gather in Cangzhou City, but there are also many unemployed people living here who are living in evil ways. It is a mixed bag of fish and dragons, dirty and messy, and even the dark alleys in front of you are exuding various kinds of evil spirits.
A peculiar smell.
However, Zhu Tingfang, who was standing among them, did not look strange at all. He knew that there were two of his guards watching at the other end of the dark alley. Even if someone wanted to take a shortcut here, they would be killed because of the two "drunkards" fighting.
But he had to take a detour. At this moment, he squinted his eyes and said thoughtfully: "We have only been in Cangzhou for a few days. You did a good job."
"Young Master praised me, but in fact many things are coincidences... So although I secretly sent you a letter, I am still not sure. After all, time is too tight, and although the clues all point to that, I am only 70% sure at most."
Lao Xi's ease in dealing with the three religions and nine streams in Cangzhou in the past few days was completely lost at this moment. Not only was he a little embarrassed, but he was also unspeakably worried: "Even if this is really the person who claims to be the eldest prince's staff,
Where this guy is hiding, it would be better to directly dispatch the county government's third class officers... No, wouldn't it be better to simply dispatch the Ruiqi Battalion to capture him?"
Seeing that Zhu Tingfang was noncommittal, he quickly suggested: "At least, it's not too late to wait until the others come to join us."
"No need." Zhu Tingfang said with a smile, "I'm already here. If I don't go and meet this guy who hides his head and shows his tail, wouldn't this trip be in vain? Moreover, it will also be in vain all the efforts of people to divert the tiger away from the mountain and cause trouble in the county government. Call them.
The two of you go guard the back door over there to prevent people from escaping. It's enough for you to follow me!"
Seeing Lao Xi's face full of disapproval, he did not dare to persuade him. After saluting, he hurried over to call someone. Only then did Zhu Tingfang touch the sword on his waist. The relief on his face disappeared. When Lao Xi left, he
When he returned, he walked forward immediately.
When the two of them came out of this dark alley one after another, they saw that the road in front of them completely lost any horizontal and vertical appearance, and was twisted to the extreme, as if they had barely left a trace when building a house that was all-pervasive and could still provide people with space.
It's just the way to go.
All kinds of stinky garbage can be seen everywhere on the roadside, and I don’t know how often it will be cleaned up. Low-rise houses are either built with wooden boards or built with waste bricks and stones, and there are many low-rise buildings.
Some of the thatched shacks are in a state of decay, as if a gust of wind could blow them down.
It was mid-afternoon, but there were not many people around. There were no middle-aged people, only a few old and weak people. Zhu Tingfang knew that just like on the grassland, the old and weak people were warriors, while the old and weak were doing chores. If one day the old and weak become
If you can't even do chores, there is only one way to die. In the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, it seems peaceful and prosperous, but the real bottom is still so cruel.
Lao Xi's voice of instructions came from behind, and Zhu Tingfang looked at a seemingly ordinary wooden house on the roadside. The only thing that stood out was that among the few clothes hanging on the clothes drying pole at the door, there were...
A long gown that is rare in this area.
"It was because some people had seen blue or cyan clothes with similar styles appearing here several times, so they remembered it in their hearts. After I caught Luo Laosan, the beggar leader in Dongcheng, from behind, I heard about it and asked him to
He sent people to keep an eye on this place. It is said that a relative of a laborer came here, and he was a poor scholar who had failed many times. There were several people coming in and out last night. After hearing the news, I rushed to take a look and saw the opportunity to knock one of them unconscious.
One, asked that they were going to make a big fuss at the county government office, so I urgently sent you a letter to the eldest son, but..."
"No need to persuade me, I have made up my mind."
Zhu Tingfang raised his hand and told Lao Xi not to explain, but glanced around a few times, and then strode forward. He was not wearing any splendid clothes today, but as the eldest son of the Duke of Zhao, he was in charge of Cangzhou this time.
This is General Mingwei. Among the clothes he brought with him, the worst thing he brought was this set of fine cloth clothes that were easy to move around. He looked out of place when walking here.
What's more, Zhu Tingfang was carrying a sword on his left waist, a quiver on his right waist, and a bow on his back. Lao Xi not only carried a sword, but also hung a string of willow-leaf flying knives on his waist. At this time, his smiling posture was completely reduced.
When they stood up, they exuded an extremely powerful aura. When the two of them were in tandem, everyone would think that they were asking for debts, looking for trouble...or seeking revenge!
A washing woman who was beating the dirty clothes with a wooden stick outside saw that something was wrong. She didn't even take her clothes and hurriedly ran away. The two older boys who were chopping firewood also hurriedly held firewood.
He hurried home, and after a while, there was no one else around.
Zhu Tingfang walked straight to the wooden house without squinting, but stretched out his hand to stop Lao Xi who was about to shout, and shouted in a deep voice: "People in the house, please come out. If no one is seen within three breaths, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
.”
Seeing that no one inside agreed, Zhu Tingfang reached out to untie the bow and arrow on his back, and took out an arrow from the quiver he was wearing. When Lao Xi on the side hurriedly lit the tinder with a flint, and then brought the tinder up again, he just stopped.
He said hurriedly: "Since you are hiding your head and showing your tail and don't want to come out, then I have no choice but to attack with special rocket fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a roar came from the wooden house opposite.
"Zhu Tingfang, how dare you! You have read the books of sages. Aren't you afraid that your arrow will burn down the houses that countless people rely on for survival and make them homeless?"
"Even if these simple wooden shacks are really burned down, I can build them a better house."
Zhu Tingfang's tone was calm, as if he was just talking about an insignificant matter.
The people inside are hiding here in the name of the eldest prince. If it is true, in order to capture the damage caused by this troublemaker, the eldest prince should naturally come up with money to make up for the losses of the people here. And if it is false, after all, it is
The eldest prince has brought so much trouble to the people of Cangzhou, so of course he should also spend money to help these unfortunate poor people.
Therefore, Zhu Tingfang took a breath and said calmly: "I'll count to three, if you don't show up..."
Although Lao Xi on the side had just lit the tinder himself, his whole body was tense at this moment. In his opinion, Zhu Tingfang was not a person who would do anything to achieve his goals, regardless of whether there were people in the surrounding houses or how much damage it would cause.
Property damage, insisting on setting fire to force people to come out, this is not impulsive, but reckless!
Aren't all the prisoners who were about to be arrested trying to escape, so they set fire to disturb the view, and then took the opportunity to escape? Why is it reversed now, and it is the arresters who threaten to set fire? Wait, could it be...
Lao Xi shook his hand and the lit tinder almost ignited the arrow. When he saw that Zhu Tingfang just glanced at him and did not say any words of blame, but began to count slowly and leisurely, he knew that Zhu Tingfang might be afraid that someone would light it first.
The house was set on fire, so he resorted to this move. Sure enough, the next moment, he heard an angry voice.
"Hello Zhu Tingfang...you thought you were sure to win, didn't you?"
There was just a loud noise, and the side of the wooden house facing them collapsed. What appeared in front of them immediately was not only a middle-aged scribe in green clothes, but also a dozen well-dressed men holding sharp blades. However, they were obviously not the same as the other party.
Compared with the scene that he had been prepared for, what shocked Lao Xi the most was that there were actually two strong men manipulating two crossbows!
"Zhu Tingfang, do you think I'm really afraid of you? Hehehe, do you think it was your overly clever subordinates who discovered the clues about me? I took the initiative to expose the flaw and let him discover it! I used the warehouse to set fire to the tiger to leave the mountain and lure you out of the county government office.
, it’s just the first plan, to let those stupid people besiege the county government to demand justice, that’s just the second plan, as for the third plan..."
The green-shirted scribe laughed fiercely and said: "The third plan is to trick a conceited guy like you into throwing yourself into the trap! Most of your people have gone to the warehouse to check, and there are only a few people around you at most! What are you doing?
Seeking death!"
Zhu Tingfang's left hand holding the bow did not even tremble at all. His right hand was still resting on the bowstring, and the arrow clasped between his fingers was also held there steadily. He seemed not to notice Lao Xi's cold sweat and extreme nervousness beside him.
With an expression on his face, he said slowly: "My sister once told me the story of when she was in Rongshui Village and met the group of rebels from Linhai Camp."
"The commander named Ding Hai was just like you at the moment. He just wanted to play with a few wealthy children who had no power to resist like a cat and a mouse. He became sullen and ended up talking too much. He was beaten by my sister and future brother-in-law.
I took the opportunity to overturn the situation."
When he said this, he saw that the middle-aged scribe in green shirt suddenly looked extremely ugly. He chuckled and said: "You have worked so hard to plan for so long, and this is how you led me to fall into your trap. If you don't tell me and show off, it's like walking at night in brocade clothes."
, it’s really hard not to vomit, right?”
"Zhu Tingfang! Don't get carried away. Now your life and death are in my hands..."
Before he could finish his words, Zhu Tingfang interrupted him with a smile: "Haha, my future brother-in-law once said something to Ding Hai when he captured him. As a villain, he should have the consciousness to be a good person.
Action, otherwise, the villain will definitely die from talking too much!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly bent his bow like a full moon, and without paying any attention to the tinder in Lao Xi's hand, he suddenly shot out the arrow. The moment the sharp arrow left the string, he grabbed Lao Xi with one hand and jumped to the side.
Almost in an instant, two crossbow arrows passed through the position where he and Lao Xi had just stood. Lao Xi almost broke out in a cold sweat when his feet landed on the ground. Even on the battlefield, he had not never faced life-or-death dangers.
This was the case more than once, but there were always other people around me at that time.
Unlike at this time, there was only one Zhu Tingfang, and the other two guys ran away to who knows where, and they didn't even know to come out to support at this critical moment...
The next moment, he suddenly thought of the arrow shot by Zhu Tingfang, and quickly looked up, only to see the middle-aged scribe in blue shirt squatting on the ground and covering his right shoulder. His voice was already distorted: "You...
Arrow...isn't this arrow a rocket?"
"I'm sorry, this is not a rocket or flint at all. I'm just pretending to bluff you." Seeing Lao Xi looking at him blankly, Zhu Tingfang nodded slightly and said, "Let's lie first."
Only by relying on your own people can you deceive the enemy."
The middle-aged scribe in blue shirt was so angry that he turned blue with anger and roared: "Kill him quickly...kill him quickly!"
Seeing those well-dressed men leaving two of them to take care of the injured middle-aged scribe, others rushed towards them. The two holding crossbows were trying to wind it up again. Zhu Tingfang saw that Lao Xi had already drawn his sword to protect him.
Before. When he heard someone yelling, "Young Master, please leave first," a smile appeared on his lips.
"I'm not going anywhere! Others in this world are not the only ones who can set traps, I can also... Where is Commander Du!"
Following the loud shouting, Zhu Tingfang pushed Lao Xi aside, shot three arrows in a row, and then threw the bow and arrow in his hand to Lao Xi. Instead of retreating, he advanced, and actually drew his sword directly.
When he entered the middle of the group of well-dressed men, blood was flying everywhere. Lao Xi was stunned for a moment and hurriedly dropped his bow and tried to get help, but he didn't even understand the meaning of the words "Commander Du".
But the next moment, he heard a stiff voice: "Zhu Tingfang, I finally know your uncle!"
Du Heng was indeed furious. When Zhu Yi came to deliver the letter to him, his first reaction was that Zhu Tingfang had caused a big trouble for him! However, Zhu Tingfang made it clear in the message that if he didn't go, he planned to live alone.
Fighting Huanglong, life or death is left to fate! Although he wanted to let Zhu Tingfang get stabbed twice more at this time, preferably seriously injured, he still had to bring a few confidants to join the battle group.
Facing this scene, the middle-aged scribe in blue shirt finally turned pale. He watched as the stunned Lao Xi hurriedly stepped forward to help, and watched as three Zhu family guards surrounded him from behind. There was one more person than expected.
, had to roar angrily. Seeing more than a dozen well-dressed men pouring out from all around, he felt that he had the upper hand again in terms of numbers, so he felt a little more at ease.
He stood up staggeringly, holding his shoulders, and said with a vicious smile: "Do you think this is the only way I can ambush? Zhu Tingfang, Du Heng, you two will die here today!"
"I told you, you talk too much!" Zhu Tingfang raised his sword and lowered it. He stabbed the two of them in the chest simply and roughly, paying the price of two cuts on his body. Then he frowned impatiently.
Suddenly there was a sharp whistle. Following the sound, a figure dropped from the sky and pounced into the crowd like an eagle preying on prey.
At that moment, Zhu Tingfang glanced at Du Heng, who was stunned next to him, and then said in a deep voice: "Uncle Hua, kill everyone without leaving any one behind!"