After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The mute man grinned, made two "ah ah" sounds, and raised his whip to lash the chestnut horse!

"Snapped!"

The chestnut horse neighed a few times, chewing on the grass in its mouth, and wobbled as it turned the carriage around, heading over Yaoshan Mountain towards Hangezhuang.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the carriage was draped in a warm, golden light.

The two sat facing each other in the car, Xiao Chun smiling as he stared at the old man opposite him.

"Second Master Xiao,"

The old man, dressed in black and wearing a brown crown, was expressionless, his eyes bloodshot, and his voice low and hoarse.

"I delivered the food and armor you requested to your stronghold at Yunze Lake eight days ago. Your stronghold also promised me that you would bring the woman back and eliminate all those who knew about it. Seven days ago, Second Master Xiao came down the mountain. I thought he was going to do something important and would bring good news. However, I never expected that Second Master Xiao would have so much leisure time and has been doing some trivial things."

The old man glanced at Xiao Chun, who remained noncommittal and indifferent, narrowed his eyes, and continued, "More than ten days ago, the people from your village told me that they had found the woman, but were unwilling to reveal her location, only saying that they would bring her over once they had the goods. After I fulfilled my promise, your village made no move. Until yesterday—"

The old man's voice suddenly turned cold, his eyes sharpening. "We just received news that the woman is in Li Family Village! And your village has remained completely inactive! Second Master Xiao, you really need to provide an explanation!"

The figure shrouded in black robes spoke in a chilling tone, as fierce as a storm, suppressing the constant creaking of the carriage wheels.

Xiao Chun didn't take it to heart, and smiled as usual, saying, "You are truly remarkable, sir, you only learned of this news fifteen days later than I did."

This is ironic... The old man narrowed his brown eyes and stared straight at the scholar in front of him: "Second Master, don't ruin the overall situation of your chief for the sake of quick words."

Xiao Chun's smile remained unchanged: "You are overthinking things, sir. I meant no disrespect whatsoever. Several days ago, I sent people over, but within a day, all three of them were dead."

The old man's pupils contracted, his expression turning cold: "Second Master, are you saying...?"

"Heh, you guessed correctly," Xiao Chun nodded with a smile. "The Embroidered Uniform Guards must be lying in wait here. I had no choice but to send men to keep watch outside the village day and night to see if the woman had left. Only after confirming that she hadn't left did I make that exorbitant demand of you... Of course, you are also very generous, having given my humble village so much help, for which I am deeply grateful. At that time, I made a decision to send out all the elite troops in the village, and with one decisive effort, no matter how many Embroidered Uniform Guards were lying in ambush in the village, I vowed to capture this woman for you!"

A murderous aura emanated from the scholar's brows.

As the carriage rolled over the pebbles on the road, the two men swayed slightly as the carriage bumped along.

The old man's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained somewhat unfriendly as he said, "But according to our information, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was only mobilized in large numbers yesterday..."

The old man paused abruptly, pondered for a moment, and decided not to dwell on the matter any longer. He waved his hand and continued his accusatory question, "Let's not talk about this anymore! Second Master, I just want to know, in these seven days, you've been robbing and committing all sorts of horrific acts, yet you haven't touched Li Family Village. Why is that?" A sharp glint flashed in his cold eyes.

Xiao Chun shrugged and gave a wry smile: "Your Excellency is unaware of this. I have received news that a powerful figure in the court is planning to take action against the village—"

He glanced at the old man's expression, which remained unchanged. Xiao Chun said with a bitter face, "Although I don't know if it's related to this woman, what's done is done. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Our village won't go back on its word. We've taken your money, so we'll naturally help you out."

"Xiao led two hundred heroes from the stronghold and fifty mules and horses down the mountain to do business for the nobleman. It is estimated that many heroes will have been lost to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The stronghold is empty, but we cannot sit idly by and watch the stronghold be destroyed by the government troops."

Xiao Chun clasped his hands together, his smile bitter.

"Therefore, I resorted to this inferior strategy, first making a trip through the prefectures and counties, so that everyone in the local garrisons would be insecure. When the high officials of the court come down with their orders to attack the mountain stronghold, the local garrisons, intimidated by the power of my cavalry, will not dare to send their elite troops..."

The scholar's words were sincere and comprehensive. The old man in black robes narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded inwardly. This man was thoughtful and composed, truly a fine steed. It was just a pity that he had failed the imperial examinations for a while, so he went to the mountains to become an outlaw, dreaming of becoming a hero in troubled times. He could only do some low-level work and was unlikely to achieve great things!

The old man straightened his sleeves and said calmly, "Second Master Xiao, the main force of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is currently in Lijia Village. In addition, there is also a 500-strong elite battalion in Hangezhuang. They are not garrison soldiers, but elite soldiers recruited to guard the capital!" He emphasized.

"Heavily armored cavalry are only twenty miles away. Once you attack Li Family Village, step into the trap, and are caught in a fierce battle, the surrounding garrison troops and this battalion will arrive, and you will have no chance of escape... In such a situation, what do you plan to do?" The old man's tone was sarcastic.

Xiao Chun smiled but did not answer directly: "I heard that the person in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard this time is a female commander?"

"Hmm, a hen crowing at dawn... Qin Yuanyao, but Shangguan Yun is definitely hiding behind it." The old man said calmly.

Xiao Chun nodded. "Don't worry, Steward Zheng. Now that I'm here, I'm confident in my abilities."

The old man's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in shock, "What...what did you just call me?" His deeply lined face showed utter disbelief, and he made a move to get up!

Xiao Chun was stunned for a moment before covering his forehead and saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He gave a wry smile, "I was presumptuous, esteemed sir, esteemed sir... please don't be alarmed."

"Perhaps it's because I haven't slept for three days, my mind is a bit muddled. After all, this is a matter of life and death, involving the extermination of nine generations of one's family. I inevitably have to use my brain a bit. Your Excellency need not worry, I certainly will not hinder your important matter. However... as for how I will do it? And when I will do it?"

He smiled warmly and spoke sincerely, "There's no need for you to trouble yourself. You only need to prepare what I need and wait for the woman to come to you..."

...

...

The afterglow of the setting sun hung above the green mountains, and in a moment, the crimson sun would sink into the faint blue.

Sanjin's house was turned into a temporary base. Ningnan arranged for Secretary Qin to give some money so that Sanjin could take his aunt and several children to stay at his parents-in-law's house. Uncle Sanjin was surprised and hesitated. After his aunt pinched his waist, the family quickly packed their bags.

Wang Fu was arranged to stay at Sanjin's house, and Xingge'er was taking his statement... Li Xing was very excited, holding paper and pen, his face redder than the setting sun. As soon as he entered the door, he immediately put on a serious face and looked very professional.

With Old Xu and a few others present, safety is not an issue. Whether Wang Fu can be trusted depends on his upcoming "confession."

Only by writing it down can you slowly analyze whether there are any inconsistencies in the other party's information.

Secretary Qin's intelligence capabilities are also quite good, it's a pity she wasn't here just now.

He could only tell Old Man Xu the name Xiao Chun, and Old Man Xu then presented him with some recent information about the other party.

For example, the reason the other side attacked Pang Family Village was because Old Master Pang had broken up his daughter and a young farmer. The young farmer was so angry that he went up the mountain to become an outlaw. Xiao Chun stood up for him, took down Pang Family Village, cut out Old Master Pang's heart and liver, fried them and ate them with wine, and shared them with his brothers... Ning Nan glanced at all of these things.

As I walked back to the Ning family courtyard, stepping on the fading shadows, I saw Secretary Qin about to walk out of the yard.

"Uh, did you come to visit Cuicui?" Ning Nan greeted her.

The other person remained calm and said, "Greetings, Young Master Ning."

Ning Nan smiled and said that he had just written down all the other things he wanted Steward Qin to do at San Jin's house, and asked for his help... such as building a shelter for the villagers in the back mountain.

He was very familiar with the back mountain and had written down the location and basic construction plan: a deep valley with only one entrance, large enough to accommodate several hundred people.

Qin Yuanyao nodded: "Don't worry, Young Master Ning."

The two passed each other. Qin Yuanyao stepped out of the Ning family's courtyard and glanced at the fence. Below the fence, wild grass grew vigorously.

He wanted to lend a hand, so let him help. It's better than letting him figure it out on his own... Qin Yuanyao lowered her eyes. Just now, Prince Xin was chopping vegetables when he said this to her.