lcionline Chapter 194 Lord Zhu, Here's a Merit for You
Chapter 194 Lord Zhu, Here's a Merit for You
Wenwen immediately disappeared from the space.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Wen Chengbin, who was next to her, also opened his eyes at the same time.
"Little sister, is it big brother and the others who have arrived?"
"Let's go out and see for ourselves."
The brother and sister emerged from the cave and, using the faint moonlight, looked into the distance. Sure enough, they saw two figures rushing towards the cave entrance, and a dozen more figures following them quite a distance away.
Only when two figures stood in front of him did he realize that they were Wen Qilin and his son Wen Chengjian.
"Father, you've come."
"Um, are you all alright?"
"Don't worry, Uncle, we're doing fine!"
Wenwen handed Wen Qilin an arrest warrant and briefly explained the situation here.
Soon, Lord Zhu arrived at the cave entrance with a dozen or so yamen runners and soldiers.
"My lord, look!" Wen Qilin handed Lord Zhu a wanted poster.
"Ah? Ah!" After reading it, Lord Zhu's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a duck egg.
"Sir, this way."
The Wen family led Lord Zhu and his entourage inside.
Not far into the cave, a dozen or so bandits tied to the side of a large rock came into view.
Wen Cheng pointed his sword at these people and said, "My lord, these people are in cahoots with the ones outside."
Wen Qilin added, "Lord Zhu, have your men report to the Shian Prefecture government that we were attacked by bandits on the road, and that they have been captured."
Lord Zhu was taken aback, looked up at Wen Qilin, and the latter nodded back to him.
After digesting all this information, Lord Zhu's gaping mouth remained open for a moment.
This is the Wen family giving him a sales performance bonus!
It was practically a blatant declaration: "Lord Zhu, here's a reward for your service!"
He remembered that when he left Yanta Town, the garrison commander mentioned that a bandit gang had been wiped out in Linfeng Town, but unfortunately the biggest bandit leader had escaped.
Unexpectedly, by sheer luck, the Wen family stumbled upon him and easily won the case. The Wen family then bestowed the credit upon him, and if this were reported to the imperial court, his promotion would be a certainty!
Lord Zhu hurriedly made arrangements, "Quickly, take these people out."
A dozen or so bandits were led out of the cave.
Wen Chengjian continued to lead the people inside.
"Sir, this way."
The group arrived at the main hall of the cave and looked through each of the inner rooms.
It must be said that, apart from bows and arrows and iron ore, the remaining food and daily necessities were just enough for Lord Zhu to arrange for horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts to transport them away.
Wenwen had a perfect amount of remaining supplies—just enough to fill the vehicle.
Finally, the group entered an inner room where bows and arrows and iron ore were kept.
When Wen Chengjian and his men opened all the boxes, they saw boxes of bows and arrows, as well as iron ore.
Lord Zhu was stunned and remained unsettled for a long time.
These are no ordinary bandits. Ordinary bandits wouldn't hoard so many weapons and these boxes of iron ore.
Even if Lord Zhu was unclear about the markings on the specially supplied bows and arrows for the front lines, and even if he had never been to the front lines, as an escort officer, he knew that no one was allowed to hoard weapons without the court's approval, otherwise it would be considered treason.
The number of weapons here far exceeds the standard for a prince.
According to the rules of Zhongzhao Kingdom, a prince can have three hundred guards. There are at least several thousand bows and arrows here, enough for a dozen princes' guards to share.
However, there are not that many princes in Zhongzhao Kingdom, so the origin of these weapons is very strange.
Whether it was obtained through robbery by bandits or for other reasons is none of Lord Zhu's business.
All he knew was that when he was leading the exile team through Linfeng Town, they were attacked by bandits on the way. In the end, the bandits were no match for the government troops and were killed. During the search of the bandits' den, they accidentally discovered this batch of weapons.
If he were to report this to higher authorities, a promotion and a higher rank would be within his grasp.
Thinking of this, Lord Zhu was immediately filled with high spirits and issued a series of orders.
"Chen Xian, ride at full speed to Shian Prefecture to report."
"Yang Chang, have someone move all this food and supplies away."
"Lord Cheng, send some men to tie these people up and take them to the government office."
"Wen Qilin, I am well aware of the contributions you all have made."
Lord Zhu, with his hands behind his back and walking with a pigeon-toed gait, turned and walked towards the cave entrance.
This trip truly brought him two benefits.
Not only did they achieve merit, but they also gained a batch of supplies.
The supplies here are now more than enough for their journey, and they don't need to spend a single extra penny.
It was estimated that the imperial court officials would arrive before dawn, and Lord Zhu and a group of yamen runners and soldiers were waiting outside the cave entrance.
The Wen family followed the people who came to deliver supplies back to the exile group.
The two car thieves who were caught have been taken to the government office.
It wasn't until dawn that Lord Zhu and several constables returned to their ranks.
Here in the group, everyone had already packed up and was eagerly waiting to enter the city.
Lord Zhu sat in his private carriage, lifted the curtain, and shouted, "Let's go!"
As expected, everyone who heard that shout was thrilled.
To be honest, everyone has been looking forward to this day for a long time.
Since leaving Linfeng Town, for more than twenty days and nights, I had been working non-stop, almost to the point of starvation and forgetting the deliciousness of normal meals. But then, I followed the Wen family and got a meal of bear meat, which brought me to another peak in my life.
Now, going into the city to eat and drink is another great pleasure in life.
Everyone, without being urged or threatened, should roll up their sleeves and follow the person in front, speeding forward.
After most of the day had passed, it was just past noon when everyone could finally see the city gate clearly.
Because the soldiers of the Shi'an City government had given prior notice, the large group of people quickly passed through the city gate and the guards' inspection. They then passed through the bustling streets and arrived at the post station without any problems.
Once everyone had gathered in the backyard of the post station, Yang, the yamen runner, came over to give them a special message.
"Listen up, everyone. Further ahead is the desert. It's all yellow sand and sparsely populated. You might not see a person or village even after seven or eight days. It will be difficult to get supplies in time. You may have money but not be able to buy supplies. It's best if you go to the city to buy some supplies. It's better to bring more. We'll stop in Shi'an City for a day and set off promptly at 3:00 AM the day after tomorrow."
"Also, rooms at the inn need to be booked here. You need to pay and register here. The inns across the street require you to register over there. Once the reservation expires, you won't be able to stay."
Many people rushed to pay and reserve rooms, and in a flash, all those who had paid to reserve rooms followed the constables away.
The Wen family was no exception.
The tall, thin constable led the Wen family to the inn opposite the post station.
"There are no guest rooms available, only a side courtyard. Would you like to stay there?" the tall, thin constable asked as he came out.
As the head of the household, Wen Yuanqian answered decisively, "Stay."
Pay the money and move in smoothly.
The innkeeper led the Wen family into the inn's inner courtyard, through several corridors, and to the gate of a courtyard.
"Esteemed guests, this is the guest quarters. Please make yourselves at home."
"Thank you!"
The waiter turned and left.