Idle game leads to another world.

Chapter 161 A false alarm

Yongli

1154, late July.

After sailing on the Jiao River for nearly half a month, the Tang family's ship finally arrived at the edge of the border of Yuezhou State.

This is also the most critical moment. If Zheng Yinping's identity is discovered, it will not be so easy to escape.

Miss Tang Lianyu of the Tang family had long noticed that there was something fishy about the three men's whereabouts, but after all, they had done her a favor, so she was considerate enough not to point it out, and also pretended not to see the three men hiding in the cabin when they were approaching the pass.

Tangfeng Trading Company is very famous in the local area. When a boat with lanterns bearing the Chinese character Tang comes by, small boats on the road will give way and sometimes people will even bow to the boat.

The Tang family not only has a big business, but also has an excellent reputation. They are not the type of family that is unkind because of their wealth. All merchants, big or small, and ordinary people treat them with courtesy.

Tang Lianyu stood on the deck and returned the greetings one by one, watching the big ship approach the pass sluice.

When the officers and soldiers in charge of guarding the sluice saw that it was the Tang family's ship, they just looked at the documents handed over by Tang Lianyu and did not check the cabin at all. They immediately ordered people to open the sluice to let the ship pass.

So far, the situation is similar to what Zheng Yinping thought. By taking advantage of the Tang family's exemption from inspection and visa, they can easily pass through customs. As long as they leave Yuezhou State, everything will be much safer next.

But the sluice gates had just been raised when an accident occurred.

The group rode fast horses to the sluice, talked for a few words with the officers and soldiers in charge, and then stepped onto the boat on the wooden planks.

"Why did this official stop my boat?"

"Don't panic, Miss Tang. I'm Sun Wei. I just came to ask a question."

The three people hiding in the cabin peeked through the gaps between the wooden boards. When they saw clearly who had stopped the boat, they were suddenly shocked.

This turned out to be Sun Wei, the captain of the Plum Blossom Guard who had once intercepted them.

When they take the Tang family’s boat, they have no say over the itinerary and they often stop in towns.

If Sun Wei followed the original plan and traveled downstream day and night on a black-sailed boat, it would be unlikely for him to catch up on horseback.

But doing so would make it more troublesome to get through the hurdle, and it can be said to be a risk that must be taken.

Now the expected risk came. The three people in the cabin didn't dare to breathe. They all pricked up their ears to listen to the noise. In case Miss Tang sold them out, they could run away as soon as possible.

"What does the officer want to know?"

Sun Wei deliberately glanced around the deck and said pointedly:

"Did the young lady meet anyone when she came?"

"We just encountered some pirates on the road. Thanks to the hard work of the servants and boatmen, we were able to repel them."

There were some issues with the identities of Zheng Yinping and Li Yingluo, and they seemed to be hiding something. Combined with the fact that the Plum Blossom Guards came to their door, Tang Lianyu knew as soon as she heard that Sun Wei must be here to find Yang Yiyi and the other three.

However, Tang Lianyu did not tell anyone about the three people. The reputation of the Plum Blossom Guards had long been ruined. It could even be said that the very fact that the Plum Blossom Guards were looking for Yang Yiyi and the other two was enough to prove that they were good people.

"Really? Miss, have you seen three girls of your age? They should have taken the same route as your ship."

Tang Lianyu was about to say that he had never seen it, but immediately realized that this was a trap.

Generally speaking, when asked this question, the first reaction of people who are not in the know should be to ask Sun Wei to describe the three people he is looking for. Direct denial would reveal a flaw.

Born in a merchant family, Tang Lianyu's 'poker face' skills have been perfected. He thought that Sun Wei was cunning, but did not show it on his face.

"What kind of attire do the three girls you are looking for look like? To be honest, we have seen quite a few along the way, including some girls of similar age who walked in groups of three."

The answer was very appropriate and sounded like active cooperation.

Sun Wei stared at Tang Lianyu, as if trying to determine whether she was lying.

This behavior was very impolite, but since he was wearing the official uniform of the Captain of the Plum Blossom Guard, no one dared to criticize him.

"The three girls are all from the underworld. One of them carries a sword, one holds a stick, and the other carries a spear."

This description confused Tang Lianyu. It didn't sound right for Yang Yiyi and the other two. Could it be that she had guessed wrong? Li Yingluo used a sword and Zheng Yinping used a gun, which made sense, but Yang Yiyi didn't make sense because she used a stick.

Of course, she didn't know that Yang Yiyi's Ruyi Jingu Bang had been taken into the Xumi Realm by Yugui. After listening to Sun Wei's description, she began to doubt her own judgment.

This tiny doubt was also caught by Sun Wei, who said:

"Forget it, miss. Don't worry about it."

It sounded like this sentence believed Tang Lianyu's words, and the three people who were hiding in the cabin listening to the noise also breathed a sigh of relief.

But then I heard Sun Wei say:

"If you run into those three, please tell them a message. The collusion between the bandits on Jiaohe River and the government is the fault of our Plum Blossom Guards for failing to supervise them. I have been ordered to deal with them formally. I apologize for threatening the passing ships. I personally want to thank the three chivalrous men for their help, but I have orders to follow. I have offended them before. If we meet next time, Wei will definitely host a banquet to apologize."

Zheng Yinping wanted to do the Tang family a favor and use the Tang family's ship to get out of the customs safely. This idea was correct, but he overlooked a problem.

Water bandit.

These guys had seen the three people with their own eyes, and dozens of them ran away when they saw that something was wrong. They couldn't catch up with them and silence them.

That leaves the eyewitnesses.

It just so happened that Sun Wei discovered bandits on the Jiao River while tracking them. After a brief investigation, he found that these guys were actually colluding with the government. He immediately sent someone to notify the Plum Blossom Guard headquarters and asked for an inspection order.

Before catching up with the Tang family's ship, Sun Wei first led his men to wipe out the bandits and arrested the officials who were in cahoots with the bandits. After a brief interrogation, they told them everything that had happened recently.

Naturally, Sun Wei also thought that Zheng Yinping would take the opportunity to leave the country on the Tang family's big ship.

Hearing what Sun Wei said, the three people hiding in the cabin had tensed their muscles and were ready to take action. Tang Lianyu, who was facing Sun Wei, was also very nervous.

But after saying these words, Sun Wei clasped his fists towards Tang Lianyu:
"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss. I have official business to attend to, so I won't bother you any more."

After saying that, he led everyone off the boat very straightforwardly, with no intention of breaking the window paper.

Tang Lianyu, who was on the deck, was confused by this operation. What were these Plum Blossom Guards here for?
She was not afraid of being arrested by the Plum Blossom Guards on the charge of "harboring a criminal". After all, the Tang family still had some connections, and she just had to insist that she didn't know them.

But Sun Wei clearly knew that three people were on the boat, but he pretended not to know, which is confusing.

Not only Tang Lianyu was confused, but Yang Yiyi and the other two who were hiding in the cabin were also confused.

So, you’re not going to chase me anymore?

"No doubt about it, he really doesn't plan to chase her anymore."

Li Chengxi's voice made the three of them look at the jade sceptre in Yang Yiyi's hand.

"The Plum Blossom Guard received an order from above, saying that Liuzhou State is putting pressure on Yuezhou State. If Zheng Yinping encounters any accident in Yuezhou State, there will definitely be a war."

Zheng Yinping was surprised:

"Brother Li, how did you know that?"

"I can count."

In fact, when Li Chengxi was checking Sun Wei's personal belongings, he saw an official document hidden in his arms, which contained what Li Chengxi said.

The Yuezhou Kingdom and the Liuzhou Kingdom were merely hostile to each other and had no real intention of going to war. Even if they wanted to fight, they would need time to prepare for the war.

Originally, Yuezhou State captured Zheng Yinping just to have a bargaining chip in its hand, but if it really angered Liuzhou State, once the war officially broke out, Yuezhou State, which was not well prepared for war, would be in a very passive position.

So the court weighed the pros and cons and issued a new order to the Plum Blossom Guard to release Zheng Yinping.

But then again, Li Chengxi's impression of Sun Wei is actually not bad.

He brought people to capture Zheng Yinping because he had to do it because he had orders to do so, and he praised them for fighting the pirates because he admired them from the bottom of his heart.

Li Chengxi didn't think that he was a bad person as he had such a clear distinction between public and private affairs, so naturally his impression of him was not bad.

(End of this chapter)