Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

The enemy relentlessly pursued them.

The coachman burst into tears, crying, "Who are you? Why are so many people chasing you? I don't want your money anymore, can't you just get off the carriage?"

Cui Zeyu didn't want to implicate innocent people, but if he got off the carriage now, he would surely die.

He pushed aside the coachman and took the reins himself, saying, "I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this. But if you abandon me, they won't let you off the hook."

The coachman couldn't cry out inside the carriage; it was the first time he'd encountered something like this. All he could say was, "What should we do?"

Cui Zeyu looked back and saw that the other party was chasing after him on horseback, so he could only hurry to the town.

If there are people, then they can be saved.

He never expected that the Qian family would hold such a grudge against him, relentlessly pursuing him.

As the carriage rounded bend after bend, the people behind them drew closer and closer. Cui Zeyu frowned and told the driver to throw everything he could back behind him.

But the driver looked limp and his legs were weak; he couldn't do anything.

Just as someone lunged at him with a sword, Cui Zeyu dodged to the side. Another person climbed up from the other side, and he kicked him hard, sending him tumbling off the carriage, and snatched the sword from him.

"You're from the Qian family?" Cui Zeyu gripped the hilt of his sword. "You're determined to kill me, aren't you?"

The person opposite frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to charge towards Cui Zeyu.

Just then, the wheels fell off the road, and the entire carriage rolled down the slope.

The coachman rolled around in the carriage several times, and when Cui Zeyu pulled him out, he was so scared that he wet himself.

Without asking any questions, Cui Zeyu grabbed the person and ran down the mountain.

Meanwhile, Xie Yunting, who had returned to Bianjing after suppressing bandits, was leading his troops.

His campaign against the bandits went smoothly, and he returned to Bianjing even faster than expected.

Most of the brothers who joined the army with him have died. Only Shuanzi is left by his side, and a few brothers have returned to their hometowns with physical disabilities.

Xie Yunting, with a dried foxtail grass dangling from his mouth, told the group to stop. He wanted to go to the roadside to urinate. "It's almost noon, everyone take a half-hour break."

He and Shuanzi went to the roadside.

Shuanzi said, "Brother, our bandit suppression went so smoothly this time, what do you think the authorities will reward us with?"

"You little rascal, all you think about is good things, huh?" Xie Yunting shook his waistband and smiled at Shuanzi. "Alright, I know what you're thinking. When we get back to Bianjing, I'll ask someone to arrange a marriage for you, so you'll have someone warm your bed when you get home, okay?"

Xie Yunting was willing to give these brothers all the best things.

Even now, he still sends money to those disabled brothers who have returned home every quarter.

Those who followed him would never let them starve to death.

Shuanzi chuckled. "Thank you, brother. My parents died early, and I have no brothers or sisters. I just want to have a home of my own."

"I understand. I'll promote you when we get back and help you find a good wife." After Xie Yunting finished speaking, someone brought over a water bottle and dry rations.

He ate a few bites casually and led his team back to Bianjing.

Not long after, a commotion came from the distance in the mountains and forests.

Shuanzi blurted out, "Judging from this, it's probably a bunch of wild boars. Brother, how about we go hunt some and have a treat for the brothers?"

They had been eating dry rations all the way and were craving meat. Now that they thought about wild boar, everyone got excited.

Xie Yunting agreed and led his men to the distant mountains and forests. He himself would not participate; it was just a group of wild boars, and he was content with his men.

He leaned against a large tree by the roadside, and before long, he heard someone shout, "It's not a wild boar, it's a person!"

Upon hearing that it was a person, Xie Yunting turned and ran away.

Halfway up the mountain, behind Shuanzi were two men with torn clothes. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be Cui Zeyu!

Fresh blood seeped from Cui Zeyu's wound, dripping onto the green grass.

His kung fu skills are mediocre; he can beat one person, but he can't defeat a group of people.

Just when Cui Zeyu thought he was going to die, he encountered a group of soldiers.

Fortunately, God didn't drive him to the brink of despair.

His vision went black, and he fainted.

"Brother Cui!"

Xie Yunting ran over and ordered someone to take Cui Zeyu to the back. As for those who were chasing Cui Zeyu, he told them, "Leave them alive!"

There are fewer assassins now, but more government soldiers.

The assassins realized something was wrong and tried to run away, but they were surrounded.

Xie Yunting's eyes were filled with hostility. "Speak, who sent you?"

From the few exchanges they had just had, he could tell that this group of people were not just ordinary bandits, but well-trained individuals.

The two surviving bandits exchanged a glance, one drew his sword and killed the other. Before Xie Yunting could react, he too committed suicide by poisoning himself.

Not a single survivor was left.

Xie Yunting frowned and ordered his soldiers to search the mountains.

Someone bandaged Cui Zeyu's wounds, while Xie Yunting inquired about the driver who was shaking like a sieve.

"Reporting to...General, I really...really don't know what...happened. I'm just an ordinary coachman. This man rented my...my carriage and asked me to take him...to the next town. Then...on the way, we encountered these people chasing us." The coachman's clothes and trousers were soaked, and he was still panting heavily. Just thinking about how he almost lost his life made him want to cry.

Xie Yunting lowered his gaze to look at Cui Zeyu, who was still unconscious. The specifics of what had happened would only be known when Cui Zeyu woke up.

But Cui Zeyu is just a businessman, so why would he be being hunted down?

Xie Yunting frowned. Could it be because of what happened with the Qian family last time?

If so, then the old man from the Qian family is truly despicable!

He couldn't help but think of the Qian family.

Meanwhile, at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, Madam Qin frowned as she looked at the messenger who had returned with the message. "Just a merchant, and he actually managed to escape? What am I doing keeping you around? You actually let him run away?"

The servant knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, barely daring to breathe. "Reporting to Madam, that boy is really cunning. He seemed to realize we were heading towards him, and he turned and ran, abandoning even the caravan's goods."

"Why didn't you chase after him when he ran away? You're all idiots! I raised you to do things, not to cause me trouble!" Qin Shi became angrier and angrier as she spoke. She had already killed everyone, leaving no survivors, so Lu Zhong couldn't find anything even if he wanted to investigate. Now, however, he had escaped.

"Don't worry, Madam. We have already sent people to investigate. That boy is injured and shouldn't have gone far."

"Don't be so quick to boast. If we let him return to Bianjing alive, you'll see." Madam Qin took a deep breath. She thought it was a sure thing, but things didn't go as planned.

Qin narrowed her eyes. Lu Zhong refused to agree on who to adopt, and several elders in the family also helped him.

She must not give Lu Zhong any hope.

"Remember this: Cui Zeyu must die." Regardless of whether Cui Zeyu is Lu Zhong's son or not, if not, then Cui Zeyu is the one who is unlucky.

Better to kill ten thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

After Qin sent the person away, her head started to ache again.

What she didn't know was that while she had people around Lu Zhong, Lu Zhong had also placed spies around her.

When the Duke of Dingguo learned that Lady Qin had sent men to hunt down Cui Zeyu, he blurted out, "A madwoman! She's a crazy woman! Once I find my son, I will definitely divorce her!"