noveltune Chapter 110 Don't underestimate the bond between us, you bastard!
Chapter 110 Don't underestimate the bond between us, you bastard!
Chapter 110 Don't underestimate the bond between us, you bastard!
Lu You was indeed a man capable of single-handedly defeating a tiger; his courage and heroic demeanor were undiminished.
Lin Zhou didn't talk much about this matter when he got up early, after all, walls have ears, and it was safest for Lu You to maintain his usual role as a soft-hearted mama's boy.
"Brother Lin, I'll take the revised book to Mr. Li for a look later. Aren't you going to the academy today?"
"Oh, today is a day off."
Lin Zhou slurped his porridge, but his eyes kept glancing outside. The number of people watching him had obviously increased, and they were almost no longer hiding from anyone. They were openly squatting on the street corner, staring intently at the entrance of his shop.
It seems Qin Hui secretly instructed him to do something, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a big commotion. This kind of behavior, which doesn't even bother to act, is extremely distasteful, but it also indirectly confirms Lin Zhou's guess last night.
Qin Hui, that old scoundrel, was truly desperate, so desperate that he resorted to any means necessary, even targeting a nobody like him.
"Brother Lin, there are a lot of strangers staring at us outside. I noticed it last night; there weren't this many people a few days ago."
"Yeah, I saw it." Lin Zhou turned his head and glanced at Tang Wan: "What are you still eavesdropping for? It's not enough that there are outsiders eavesdropping, you also have to prick up your ears here."
Tang Wan squinted her eyes and smiled, "Yesterday, my husband was shouting and threatening to kill me in the middle of the night. I felt that you two must have been plotting something. I just wanted to hear about it."
"Want to get your head chopped off? If you do, then shout louder." Lin Zhou picked up his tofu pudding and downed it in one gulp. "Or should I get you a megaphone so you can shout it out there?"
Tang Wan stuck out her tongue, then changed the subject: "Why haven't I seen my lovely little sister Hongliu these past few days?"
"Oh, she and her family went to the Great Bao'en Temple in Jiankang. They'll be back for the Lantern Festival." Lin Zhou smacked his lips a few times, then his eyes darted around. "Hey, speaking of which, haven't your families been pressuring you two to get a divorce lately?"
"No, that's not the case. My aunt heard that you, sir, have become a disciple of Li Qingzhao, and she's been bragging about it everywhere. Besides, you now hold an official position, though it's not a high one, it's a real one. So, my aunt naturally won't say anything more."
Tang Wan looked at Lu You with deep affection, then turned to Lin Zhou and said, "We have to thank Brother Lin."
"What's with the thanks, my own brother?" Lin Zhou clicked his tongue. "It's springtime now, it's pretty boring not to find something to do."
Tang Wan's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea came to her: "Oh, there is! Today, the city's talented men are holding a spring gathering. I wonder if you and your husband would be interested?"
"Going to another rally? They've already fought so many times, won't they just start fighting again?"
"That's not necessarily true." Tang Wan laughed heartily. "Now that your reputations have spread far and wide, no one dares to provoke you easily. Why not go and take a look around and see what kind of attitude they have?"
Lin Zhou realized that Tang Wan was definitely not the gentle and refined woman described in historical records. Instead, she was a troublemaker, a real handful, and always looking for chaos.
"There are many younger sisters today! Aren't you going, brother?"
"Go!" Lin Zhou nodded emphatically. "We have to go!"
But as the saying goes, things don't always go as planned. Before they even left the house, they saw Si Hou leading his men towards them from afar, their menacing appearance clearly indicating that they were up to no good.
After the group arrived, they immediately surrounded the front and back yards of Lin Zhou's shop, and then the guards came in and began searching.
Lin Zhou stepped forward and started arguing: "What are you doing? What right do you have to search me?"
Si Hou stood at the door, ignoring him completely. Instead, Cheng'er stretched out a hand to stop Lin Zhou, who was about to demand an explanation, and shouted, "The Imperial City Guard is in charge of its work. Anyone who obstructs it will be killed without exception!"
This shout was clearly not meant for Lin Zhou. While Cheng'er was scolding Lin Zhou, he used his body as a shield and slipped a note into his palm.
Lin Zhou cursed and muttered, but quietly hid the note in his boot. Then Cheng'er flipped him over and pinned him against the door.
The rudeness of the actions made it seem as if someone had committed some terrible crime.
"How dare you!" Lin Zhou shouted loudly as he was pinned down.
At this moment, everything in his shop that looked like a weapon was gradually turned over. Then, Cheng'er lowered her voice and said, "Qin Hui specifically asked my father to investigate you. You need to cooperate."
"What? Are you being suspected?" Lin Zhou lay there, seemingly quiet and afraid to move, but still whispered in response, "What happened?"
"General Niu Gao forcibly took Xiao'e and the others from Qin Hui's men and injured more than a dozen Imperial Guards. Qin Hui was furious. Coupled with the fact that the traitor was killed yesterday, he already suspected that his father was responsible. He was so angry that he couldn't contain himself and needed to vent his anger on someone."
Lin Zhou then shouted loudly, "Let me go right now! Otherwise, when my father-in-law comes back, he'll chop your heads off one by one!"
"Behave yourself!"
After a struggle, the two almost wrestled to a corner. Lin Zhou was pinned down on a chair by Cheng'er, who continued, "The Imperial City Guard is riddled with problems right now, and no one can be trusted. Don't let anything slip. Apart from me and my father, if anyone lies to you, you must pretend you know nothing."
"learn."
After a while, many strange and unusual items were found in Lin Zhou's possession. Si Hou glanced at him coldly and waved his hand, "Take them away!"
So the group of guards led Lin Zhou and those things whose purpose was unclear away from the streets. At this moment, Lin Zhou had a burlap sack over his head and could not see the road in front of him. He could only be passively captured and taken to the Imperial City Guard.
Lu You and the others inside the house naturally had to start running around, but since the prince was not there, the only person they could look for was Headmaster Chen.
Chen Shanzhang happened to be in the palace that day to play chess and paint with the emperor, leaving Lin Zhou truly isolated and helpless for a moment.
After being brought to the Imperial City Guard, he was not immediately taken to the dungeon. After all, his status as the son-in-law of the Jin people still had some effect. He could not be tortured before he was convicted. However, this status alone was not a get-out-of-jail-free card. If they really wanted to deal with him, there were ways. After all, he had not yet married the Jin princess. They could accuse him of being a spy of the Yue faction who deliberately approached the princess. That was not impossible.
But clearly, this time the target is not Lin Zhou but Si Hou. Niu Gao suddenly intervened. What happens next is another matter. If it really comes to the main hall, Niu Gao can steel himself and say, "Yue Fei's gang has already been brought to justice. Punishing these ignorant children might lose the people's support." In addition, given the current instability in public sentiment, he might actually be able to smooth things over.
The problem is that Xu Ping, the magistrate, was a thorn in Han Shizhong's side of the Imperial City Guard, something Qin Hui knew all too well. If they missed this opportunity, who knew when the next chance would come?
So sending him to handle Lin Zhou's matter was just an excuse; the person he really wanted to deal with was Xu Ping.
This isn't complicated; Lin Zhou could figure it out. It's simply a matter of dragging it out until the prince returns and flies into a rage, then Qin Hui pretends to mediate and pushes Xu Ping out as a scapegoat. Whether he's transferred to a lower-ranking position or assigned to another location, as long as he's not in the Imperial City Guard, everything will be fine.
Xu Cheng walked in at this moment, carrying a lot of things that Lin Zhou had looted. He then gestured for him to be quiet, and then a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face walked in behind him.
Lin Zhou had never met him before, but judging from his demeanor and posture, he was most likely a retainer of Qin Hui, just like Cao Wenda. Although such a person had no official status, his mere presence represented someone of immense power.
"Explain what all these are."
Xu Cheng sat down, coldly staring at Lin Zhou, while Lin Zhou tilted his head and looked at them, seemingly unconcerned: "Don't worry, you'll have your turn to cry later."
"Haha, what a boastful tone." Cheng'er turned her head to glance at the weasel-faced man, then continued, "Did you know that a commander of the Palace Guard was assassinated yesterday?"
"I heard that. They say he was struck by lightning and died."
"That can't be right." Cheng'er tilted her head slightly. "I've heard that you have a hidden weapon that can injure people from a distance, known as the Palm Thunder. Is that true?"
"Yes, we need that stuff when we're trading. There are a lot of pirates in Southeast Asia."
"Yes, that's good." Cheng'er nodded: "Tell the truth about why you were on that street the day before yesterday."
O
"Hiss—" Lin Zhou was stunned for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Hey, you're out of things to say, aren't you? Lin'an City isn't that big. I wander around here and there all day long. What, can't I even go get some breakfast?"
"You went there that day, and the next day the commander died there. You still dare to say that this matter has nothing to do with you?"
Lin Zhou leaned forward and stared intently at Cheng'er for a while, then turned to look at the weasel-faced man, pointing at Xu Cheng and saying, "Brother, you be the judge, don't you want to laugh when you hear what he said?"
This man was none other than Zhang Caihu, Cao Wenda's sworn enemy. He was actually quite bewildered by Xu Cheng's words. Although he had done many dirty deeds, he couldn't even imagine what this young master Xu was saying—he couldn't even imagine deliberately picking a fight with him.
"Then explain why that Lord Yu died."
"Hey, if you want to convict me, just convict me already. You've been playing these trumped-up charges for years, and you're still taking statements here? Isn't that a bit redundant?" Lin Zhou crossed his arms, laughing as he spoke, "I fucking—you're asking me why he died, how am I supposed to know?"
"Besides you, who else possesses that palm lightning technique?"
Lin Zhou clicked his tongue impatiently, then pulled out a pistol from his pocket and placed it on the table: "I don't want to say more. Go try it yourself. I don't know how that person died, and I don't know what you mean by it being related to me. Go try it and you'll find out. Have you ever used a bow? A bow's range is fifty paces, a crossbow's range is seventy paces. If you can hit it accurately beyond twenty paces, then you're exceptionally talented. Go try it."
>