Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

"Uncle Zheng, what brings you to my door so late at night? What brings you here?"

Pan Jinlian asked softly, looking at Zheng Tu with a smile.

A gentle night breeze stirred her dark hair, causing a few strands to cling to her fair cheeks, making her alluring face even more captivating.

Upon seeing the beautiful woman, Zheng Tu swallowed hard before replying after a long pause, "I was just passing by and stopped to inform you of some matters."

Pan Jinlian chuckled softly, stepped aside to let the door open, and said:

"Since Uncle is here, please come inside and sit down. It's cold and dewy outside, be careful not to catch a cold."

After saying that, he turned and walked inside.

The loosely draped outer garment swayed with her steps, making it increasingly impossible to conceal her graceful curves. As she walked, her waist swayed and her plump hips gently rocked, truly resembling a full moon swaying behind a thin mist.

Seeing that he had reached the door, Zheng Tu stopped being coy and stepped inside.

The room was simply furnished with an eight-immortal table, four chairs, and a dressing table against the wall, on which were many different kinds of rouge and powder.

The two sat facing each other at the table.

Only one candle was burning on the table, its dim light casting long shadows on the two people's faces.

Although Pan Jinlian wore no makeup, her naturally beautiful and alluring face was exquisite enough.

She raised her hand to smooth her hair, her alluring eyes fixed on Zheng Tu, but she spoke first:

"Uncle, what urgent matter requires you to inform me so late at night?"

She covered her mouth and chuckled, asking with a hint of teasing.

Although she and Wu Da were no longer related as uncle and sister-in-law after their divorce, Pan Jinlian still liked to call Zheng Tu that.

The fun of it all is something only she knows.

Zheng Tu said solemnly, "This time, I have to go on a long trip and I'm afraid I won't be in Qinghe County for a long time. If you need anything, you can send someone to find Erlang. He is thorough in his work and loyal to his friends. I think he can take care of anything you need."

Seeing Zheng Tu's expression, Pan Jinlian realized that he truly had something important to tell her tonight, and was not doing anything like that lecherous thing.

Even though she was engaging in such lewd behavior, she didn't find it offensive.

But hearing Zheng Tu's earnest and earnest instructions, one could vaguely sense that he was entrusting his affairs to him after his death.

The smile on her pretty face gradually froze, replaced by surprise. She grabbed Zheng Tu's forearm and asked anxiously, "Has something gone wrong? Is it absolutely necessary to leave? If... if it's really urgent, take me with you! I..."

Zheng Tu was taken aback, gently brushed her hand away, and smiled, "It's alright, nothing bad has happened. It's just that in order to make things more secure in the future, we need to go out and make some plans."

Having experienced being surrounded and killed by government troops before, the sense of insecurity in his heart never dissipated.

The purpose of this long journey is to gather reliable people and establish our own power base so that we can truly make a living.

The obstacles in Qinghe County have been cleared and things have been taken care of. I expect that when I come back next time, this place will be a solid block.

As for Ximen Qing being implicated by his in-law Chen Hong, Zheng Tu, though not well-versed in the intricacies of court politics, estimated that it should be no major problem. Ximen Qing had already sent his trusted confidants with a large sum of money to Tokyo to smooth things over, and he would most likely be able to get through it safely.

Thinking of this, Zheng Tu revealed a confident expression.

Pan Jinlian stared intently at Zheng Tu's expression with her large, bright eyes. Seeing that his eyes were clear and his expression was calm, without any concealment of his anxiety, her heart finally settled down a little.

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Only the sound of burning candles and flickering candlelight remained.

Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Zheng Tu stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Since that's the case, it's late at night and people shouldn't touch each other, so I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned and walked out the door.

Pan Jinlian bit her lower lip, watching the imposing figure about to step out the door. A strange, inexplicable emotion welled up inside her, and she blurted out:

"stop!"

Zheng Tu paused, then slowly turned around.

With a "thud," the outer garment slipped off.

.........

The next day.

The streets of Qinghe County remained bustling, with peddlers, porters, and carters making a living, seemingly as usual.

However, those who pay close attention can detect the differences.

Those wealthy families who usually openly and secretly competed with Ximen Qing were all unusually well-behaved today.

Several silk shops and herbal medicine shops that often competed with the Ximen family for customers also inexplicably closed their doors.

News spread through the county government office: County Lieutenant Shi Xiong and Master Li drank too much last night and both died drunk in the office!

This way of dying was truly undignified. When the common people heard about it, they only cursed, "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie," but they knew nothing of the details.

Several people who vaguely knew about the events of last night kept their mouths shut and dared not utter a single word.

As for the other large households, some heads of households died suddenly, and their sons or nephews took over the household; others suffered sudden illnesses and were sent to other places for treatment overnight.

These changes all happened quietly, without causing the slightest ripple on the streets.

The sky over Qinghe County has changed color without anyone noticing.

Pan Jinlian was tidying up the bed in the small courtyard room.

Today, her long black hair was loosely tied into a bun, with only a hairpin inserted, which gave her a more mature and elegant look.

Her foxy face was radiant, with a blush like peach blossoms, and her eyes and brows were full of relaxed and gentle vitality.

She carefully folded the brocade quilt; the bed was truly a mess.

"This idiot! He really is..."

She cursed inwardly, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up slightly.

Zheng Tu had already left Qinghe County and was riding alone on the official road.

He couldn't let those wealthy families know that he had left.

The most terrifying sight is when a sharp sword hangs overhead, about to fall.

If they know where I am, the deterrent effect will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, this trip was not carried out in a grand manner; he left the city quietly, leaving only a letter for Wu Song.

Zheng Tu traveled straight ahead for several days.

On this day, after crossing a mountain ridge, they saw that the mountain road was rugged and the forest on both sides was getting denser.

As they were walking, a woodcutter carrying a load of firewood came towards them from the edge of the hill ahead.

Zheng Tu reined in his horse and asked, "Brother Woodcutter, what's the name of this place?"

The woodcutter put down his load, wiped his sweat, and said, "Sir, this ridge is the Mengzhou Road. The famous Shizipo is located next to the large forest in front of the ridge."

Zheng Tu's heart stirred. He thanked the woodcutter and spurred his horse forward.

Looking into the distance, one could see a tavern standing on the hillside ahead, with an old tree in front of it that would take four or five people to encircle, entwined with withered vines. A wine flag fluttered in the wind beside the tree, and there seemed to be some kind of pattern embroidered on it.

Looking closer at the big tree, the hotel became clearer: three thatched houses, with a woman sitting by the door and window sill, leaning half her body out to look at the road.

She was wearing a green gauze shirt, with a head full of bright yellow hairpins and a few wildflowers in her hair. Though she was far away, her coarse cloth hairpins and simple hair ornaments revealed a flirtatious and alluring demeanor.

Zheng Tu smiled slightly, patted his horse's neck, and slowly rode up the slope.