Chapter 114 Reinforcements
Jiang Li had no time to pay attention to the orders from Feng Yutang and Princess Yongning, but she was not a fool. She had dealt with Princess Yongning in her previous life, so she knew that Princess Yongning would kill her next. The title of the Prime Minister's daughter could scare Tong Zhiyang and Feng Yutang, but not Yongning. They would kill her sooner or later, but the most important thing at the moment was to settle Peng Xiao and the others. They didn't have much time, and two days had passed out of the seven days.

The secret room that Jiang Li mentioned was hidden in an abandoned haunted farm in Tongxiang. There was a tunnel under the farm, and the entrance to the tunnel was on the stone wall by the lake. Outside was lush weeds and no one could see it.

Ye Mingyu placed Peng Xiao and the others in the secret room, and asked someone to change their clothes and give them some food. Peng Xiao and He Jun were fine, but they were a little weak. Gu Da and Gu Er were not in good condition, and Xiao Hei was the worst. When Ye Mingyu found Doctor Zhong according to what Jiang Li said, Doctor Zhong shook his head.

Ye Mingyu also brought Doctor Zhong's only son, and gave Doctor Zhong five hundred taels of silver, telling Doctor Zhong that as long as Xiao Hei and the others could be cured, they would find a way to send Doctor Zhong away from Tongxiang, and give Doctor Zhong another fifteen hundred taels of silver, which would be enough for them to settle down outside.

Tongxiang was a small county, and the people had never seen so much silver all at once. Moreover, Ye Mingyu had a scar on his ferocious-looking face. Doctor Zhong was terrified, so he put in his utmost effort to repair Xiao Hei's injury.

While Xiaoheigu Dagu and Gu Er were resting, Jiang Li, Peng Xiao and others went outside to talk.

Ye Mingyu first found a stone beside the secret room and sat down, saying, "Ali, you found a good place. I think Feng Yutang couldn't find a second place like this even if he dug deep into the ground. There are also stone tables and stone benches inside. I don't know who left them there."

Who left here? Of course it was Xue Zhaozhi. At that time, Xue Zhaozhi had read a lot of strange travel stories, and he often said, "One day, we will find a down-and-out hero who is being hunted by the government, just like what is written in these stories. We will let him live here. No one can find them. He will teach me martial arts here. Hey, in three to five years, I will be a great hero, and no one will dare to pick a fight with me. If anyone dares to touch you, I will - use my sword to make them kneel down and beg for mercy!"

The young man's wanton laughter seemed to still echo in the deep secret room. His words came true. Many years later, they really rescued the person who was being hunted by the government and hid here, but there was no Xue Zhao coming to learn martial arts from them.

Jiang Li collected her thoughts, met the gazes of Peng Xiao and the others, and said, "I also heard it by chance. This place is safe for now. At least within seven days, Feng Yutang's people will not be able to find this place. Once seven days are over, everything will be different."

"Ms. Jiang Er, thank you very much." Peng smiled. He now knew Jiang Li's identity and some of the things Jiang Li did in Tongxiang. Although he still didn't quite understand why Jiang Li was so dedicated to helping the Xue family overturn the case, at least now, the five of them who survived by chance all believed in Jiang Li.

Perhaps it cannot be said that they believed, but they were willing to believe, just like a drowning person who suddenly found a life-saving straw and would swim forward desperately, regardless of whether the straw would sink to the bottom. No one was willing to believe that it was a mirage. Xue Huaiyuan was their superior, more like a teacher. As long as there was a slight chance to save Xue Huaiyuan, they were willing to give it a try.

"What can we do?" He Jun asked.

Jiang Li looked at He Jun. She used to think that He Jun was too weak to be an official, but after what happened during this period, he seemed to have grown up overnight. The young man who always asked Xue Fangfei to find some books for him would grit his teeth and persist for the fairness and justice in his heart. Although he could not do anything, as long as he was alive, he would not give up to fate.

Fortunately, there is still a chance for fate to turn around.

"Looking at the Xue family's case alone, it can only go through the hands of Feng Yutang of Tongxiang. As long as Feng Yutang is involved, the Xue family's case will turn from favorable to unfavorable. You also know that Feng Yutang deliberately put Xue County Magistrate in jail. So this case cannot go through Feng Yutang's hands. After thinking about it, I think the only way to get Feng Yutang involved and hand it over to the Dali Temple is to have room for maneuver."

Peng Xiao and He Jun looked at each other and said, "You want us to identify Feng Yutang?"

Dealing with smart people is easy. Jiang Li said, "That's right. Originally, I thought it would be difficult for you to identify Feng Yutang. Even if you accused him of torturing you in private, it could be covered up and it would only be one-sided. But Feng Yutang actually asked you to go to the Dongshan Mine Road. This is courting death. He is heading for death himself, and no one can stop him."

"What does this mean?" Ye Mingyu interrupted, "If you don't accuse Feng Yutang of atrocities, what are you accusing him of?"

"They accused him of not reporting to the court and digging for gold privately. Although Dongshan is an abandoned mine, everyone knows that no gold can be dug out. But that happened more than ten years ago. Many people have forgotten about it. As long as the word gets out, there is still gold to be dug in Dongshan. But Feng Yutang hid it from the court and sent people to dig for gold privately. His crime is serious."

He Jun murmured, "Digging a well without permission is a capital crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan..."

"Everything in the world belongs to the emperor. He stole something from someone else and stole it from the emperor. He deserves death." Jiang Li smiled. "Besides, there seems to be someone behind this Lord Feng. The situation in Beijing is murky. Who knows what Feng Yutang wants to do with the gold? Digging for gold is just for money. If such a large amount of wealth is used to recruit soldiers, wouldn't it be suspected of treason? Treason is a big deal in the world. How can it be solved in a small place like Tongxiang? It's not too much to file a complaint with the emperor."

Ye Mingyu was stunned, and He Jun and Peng Xiao were also stunned.

In these short remarks, Jiang Li elevated Feng Yutang's crime to the level of treason. And yet everything she said was true. They had finally seen how words could kill without shedding blood.

"That's right." He Jun laughed through gritted teeth, his voice filled with a kind of happy hatred, "They have committed many crimes, and it's too easy for them to be accused of treason. Miss Jiang Er, what you said makes a lot of sense! Feng Yutang asked the fifteen of us brothers to dig for gold, and we will serve as witnesses to point out Feng Yutang's evil ambitions! He wants to dig for gold, but he's afraid that others will find out about his plan, so he wants us, Lord Xue's men, to do the work for him. If we dig day and night, once we die, there will be no one to collect our bodies, which is the best way to keep the secret from leaking!"

Jiang Li smiled. He Jun had really grown up. When facing his enemies, he knew that not all fair and honest methods were useful. However, his growth and understanding made people feel a little distressed.

Peng Xiao said in a deep voice: "Not only us, but also the ten brothers who died. The Lord was considerate of us. We are fifteen brothers, and all of us lost our parents early. But we still have wives and children at home. Now they were tortured to death by Feng Yutang, and their bodies were thrown in the wild of Dongshan to be eaten by wild dogs. It's a pity that there are also those who just got married and had children. Now their wives and children don't know how to survive... Even if I risk my life, I, Peng Xiao, will avenge those dead brothers!"

Although the tall man didn't shed tears, every word he said was full of blood and tears. Ye Mingyu was also very excited when he heard it. He said, "Count me in as well! Feng Yutang has done so many despicable things, and he should have been punished long ago. Since God won't take care of it, I will!"

Perhaps if people are united, many things that seem difficult at first will not be so unimaginable in the end.

"But..." He Jun paused, calmed down, and then looked at Jiang Li: "You are asking about Feng Yutang's crime, what about us adults?" He was still thinking about Xue Huaiyuan.

"The charges against County Magistrate Xue are completely groundless. As for the allegation that he embezzled disaster relief money, the people of Tongxiang can all testify to that. When the natural disaster occurred, the money was distributed to the people, and Xue Huaiyuan never embezzled a single cent." Jiang Li said.

"We all know this." Peng Xiao lowered his head, "but the problem is that no Tongxiang citizen is willing to stand up."

"It's not their fault." He Jun interrupted, "The harm did not affect their wives and children. Feng Yutang used their parents and children as threats. Everyone was worried and did not dare to come out to testify for you. Miss Jiang Er, after Feng Yutang became the county magistrate in Tongxiang, he bullied men and women and did all kinds of evil. Bai Xin was angry but dared not speak out. Not only that, they also took human lives lightly. If it weren't for this, the people would have revolted long ago. But Feng Yutang was originally a gangster, and his methods were very despicable. No one dared to take the risk."

"I know." Jiang Li said softly, "I don't blame them." In fact, it's the same. If one day she was asked to defend a good man, but it would cost Xue Huaiyuan and Xue Zhao's lives, she would hesitate. It doesn't hurt if the knife doesn't cut yourself. This is human nature, and no one can escape it.

"What should I do then?" Ye Mingyu scratched his head.

"Although the people have their own difficulties, this matter still requires the people of Tongxiang to stand up. I know there is danger, but there is no way. The world is like this. The original fairness and justice now require a price to be paid. Only when the people stand up can it become the last straw that breaks the camel's back. I will make sure that the criminals who framed the Xue family will be skinned alive this time, and I will never let them have an easy time!" Jiang Li's tone became heavier when she said this, and there seemed to be a fire in her eyes. After a while, she calmed down.

"I'll come. There are 568 households in Tongxiang. I'll come and persuade them personally. From today, there are still five days. Every household in Tongxiang will have received the kindness of County Magistrate Xue. A drop of water is repaid with a spring. Although help does not need to be repaid, now is the time to report. People are all made of flesh and blood. I will knock on each family and ask each family. I don't believe that there will be no family willing to stand up among the 568 households." She looked at a few people: "There will always be one family, right?"

Several people were silent.

Jiang Li's eyes were filled with anticipation. She was gentle and calm, and even when she was doing something urgent, she seemed to be unhurried. Therefore, she rarely showed her emotions, and Ye Mingyu had never seen such an expectant look.

Now I have seen it.

It seemed as if at this moment, she was like a real young girl, waiting for something good to happen with full anticipation, and anyone who broke this cautious expectation would be committing an unforgivable sin.

Peng smiled and said, "That's right. There must be more than one family. There are many people. The people of Tongxiang are not ungrateful people. Miss Jiang Er, don't underestimate them."

Jiang Li raised the corner of her mouth and said, "No, I always believe in them."

Just as their father believed in them.

……

After coming out of the secret room, Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu walked back.

Ye Mingyu said, "Ali, when you go to persuade the people, I will go with you. I am afraid you can't handle it alone. Five hundred and sixty-eight households is not a small number."

Jiang Li thought for a while and said, "Uncle, you don't know what favors they have received from County Magistrate Xue, so I'm afraid you can't convince them. How about I write a booklet for you later, and you can read it first."

Ye Mingyu was stunned: "Do you know what favors they received from County Magistrate Xue?"

"I guess so." Jiang Li smiled. She and Xue Zhao sometimes felt that Xue Huaiyuan was a rare good man in the world, because Xue Huaiyuan would help every citizen in Tongxiang as long as they had difficulties. At the beginning, Tongxiang was poor and no one was willing to come. After Xue Huaiyuan came, he never thought of leaving. In Xue Huaiyuan's view, every citizen in Tongxiang was his relative. As a parent official, he had to solve problems for the people. If the people could not even rely on him, then no one could rely on him.

In the past, she thought that as long as she had a clear conscience, everything was fine. But now, she suddenly felt confused and wondered whether what Xue Huaiyuan had done in the past had any meaning.

It would be great if Xue Zhao was here, Jiang Li thought. He would definitely understand her confusion at the moment and would be able to convince her in the shortest time possible.

The carriage convoy bypassed the path Jiang Li had taken and returned to the main road. Jiang Li had already changed back into her original attire in the carriage. Feng Yutang must have discovered that the people from Dongshan had been taken away, and was looking for them in a rage. His disguise could not be concealed for long, so he simply walked out openly. Feng Yutang knew that it was his people who took Peng Xiao and the others away, but he could not find out. Anyway, Feng Yutang did not dare to force him to tell him their whereabouts, so he was fearless.

Jiang Li sat in the carriage, thinking seriously about what to do next. Before she knew it, it was already dark outside.

The time was very tight this day, but even so, it passed quickly. Jiang Li felt more and more that time was not enough. Two days out of seven had already passed, and she didn't know if she would have enough time for the remaining five days.

She opened the carriage curtain. It was getting dark very quickly in winter. Tongxiang was not very lively at night, but there were still some people walking outside. But now, maybe because of Feng Yutang's tenure, there were very few people on the street. It took a long time to see a pedestrian. Every household closed the door and turned off the lights, making Tongxiang look like an empty city. The sound of the carriages moving on the street was particularly clear. Ye Mingyu muttered outside, "Why is there no one here?"

The wind blew up the carriage curtain slightly, and for no reason, Jiang Li's heart suddenly jumped.

Turning a corner, it was Qingshi Lane, a familiar street, but Jiang Li suddenly had an ominous premonition in her heart. She called out, "Uncle!"

"What's wrong, ah..." Before Ye Mingyu could finish the word "li", he heard a cold sound brought by the wind in the air. He reacted very quickly. Without thinking, he drew his sword and blocked it with his backhand. Then he heard a "clang" sound, and the sword and the knife collided with each other, making a loud noise.

Several black shadows whizzed out from the eaves around the house, moving extremely fast, almost blending into the darkness. They rushed towards the carriage from all directions, with the tips of their swords pointing directly at Jiang Li!
"Protect my cousin!" Ye Mingyu only had time to shout this before he started fighting with these black-clad assassins.

Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat. She had thought that Yongning would order Feng Yutang to kill her, but she had not expected it to happen so soon! Not to mention the time it would take to send a message from Yanjing to Tongxiang, it would not be so fast at least. Feng Yutang would hesitate for a while after receiving Yongning's order. She was Jiang Yuanbo's daughter, and this identity alone would make Feng Yutang wary.

But there are always mistakes. Feng Yutang, like his master Yongning, was born bold and ruthless. Perhaps he thought that Princess Yongning would keep him safe, which was why he was so bold!
Jiang Li looked outside, her heart gradually sinking. Wow, Yongning was really generous. There were only seven of them, but Yongning had more than 20 men. Among these 20 men, there seemed to be a few who were particularly skilled in martial arts, fighting with Ye Mingyu, while the rest were less skilled, but they also tripped up other guards. People kept rushing towards the carriage, and their target was Jiang Li!
This won't work! Jiang Li suddenly had an idea in her mind that these people were targeting her, not Ye Mingyu and the others. But if they continued to pester her, Ye Mingyu might be in danger. Without thinking, she suddenly got out of the carriage, which scared Ye Mingyu, and said sternly: "Ali, go back!"

"I'm fine, uncle!" Jiang Li moved so quickly that it seemed like a blink of an eye. She turned around, took out a dagger from her sleeve, cut the rope of the carriage, stepped into the stirrup, jumped on the horse, pulled the reins, and galloped away into the night.

In the blink of an eye, there was no trace.

When the assassins saw Jiang Li abandon the carriage and run away, they did not want to fight with Ye Mingyu and the others and wanted to chase Jiang Li. Ye Mingyu would not let them succeed and continued to fight with his sword, but the other side had more people and eventually missed a few of them and followed Jiang Li's back.

Jiang Li was on horseback. At this moment, the more critical the situation was, the clearer her mind became.

Sometimes, the more critical the situation is, the more panicked people are, the easier it is to make mistakes, and sometimes people who originally wouldn't lose so quickly surrender because of panic. She knows the truth of never giving up until the last moment, not to mention that she has a trump card that no one else can match.

It is her familiarity with Tongxiang.

Jiang Li had already figured out that the group of people who had just come to chase them were clearly divided into two groups. The ones with fewer people had better kung fu, while the ones with more people had poorer kung fu. The ones with better kung fu should be Yongning's people, and the ones with poorer kung fu were the mob that Feng Yutang had found from nowhere. It seemed that the assassins who were following him closely were Princess Yongning's people.

After all, hunting me down was their mission.

Jiang Li smiled slightly, and the horse nimbly crossed the tree path in the woods. In the night, the moon was gradually covered by thick clouds, and nothing could be seen.

But she seemed to be able to see, moving flexibly among the woods.

She grew up in Tongxiang, and this is her home. She watched Xue Zhao hunting here, and she knew that the most important thing when hunting is to lure the prey into the trap, silently, little by little. Every tree and every piece of land is her natural barrier and familiar courage.

Jiang Li raised the corner of her mouth. The sound of pursuit behind her was getting closer. She could even feel that if she turned around, a shiny silver sword would be placed across her neck, stealing her life in an instant.

But she just jumped lightly over the grass in front of her and stopped.

"Plop", "Plop", "Plop"!
Three sounds.

There was a sound like a heavy object sinking into water, followed by strange curses and, apparently, panicked cries for help.

Jiang Li stopped and laughed softly on the other side of the bush.

The peaceful grass had now turned into a lake that could be seen through a hole, as if something sticky and flowing had wrapped people in it. There was a figure struggling in it.

"Stop struggling," Jiang Li said slowly, "This is the most terrifying swamp in this area. The more you struggle, the faster you will sink in."

The moon gradually emerged from the clouds. The corners of her clothes were stained with mud from the woods, but her face was incredibly clean. She smiled and spoke softly, but her words were very scary, "Oh, I just realized that half of your body has already gone down. There is no hope for you. Even if someone comes, they can't save you. You will just be dragged down with me." She covered her mouth and sighed, "How pitiful."

The killers in black looked at her angrily and fiercely, but half of their bodies were already sunk in, and even half of one of them had his face sunk in. It was probably because he struggled too fiercely. The swamp submerged his mouth and was about to flow into his nose. There was fear in his eyes.

The feeling of waiting for death was too painful. Jiang Li might as well give them a sword and let them die quickly.

Jiang Li was obviously not so kind, and turned around, got on the horse, and left the swamp.

Xue Huaiyuan had forbidden her and Xue Zhao from playing in this forest because of the swamp. But Xue Zhao was naughty and thought it was a natural trap. They made many traps here and caught many prey. If Feng Yutang's killers hadn't come out suddenly today, she asked Ye Mingyu to arrange this forest and it would not be difficult to catch all the killers in one fell swoop. Just like in war, military tactics can sometimes beat brute force.

There are only three, which is a shame.

Jiang Li drove the horse back. She wanted to take a new route and return to Ye Mingyu safely. She didn't know how Ye Mingyu was doing now.

The horse took a few steps forward and suddenly stopped. Its front hooves swung in the air a few times, as if it smelled some danger and hesitated to move forward.

In the bright moonlight, under the bushes, dozens of men in black were vaguely visible, surrounding her.

"The Second Miss is indeed very powerful." The leader sneered, "No wonder Madam asked so many of us to come together. I thought she was a waste of talent before, but now it seems that I still underestimated the Second Miss."

Madam? Jiang Li frowned: "Ji Shuran?"

The other party didn't say anything, but Jiang Li understood instantly that it was indeed Ji Shuran.

She also knew that when she returned to Xiangyang this time, Ji Shuran would definitely do something in secret. After all, in Ji Shuran's eyes, she was a stumbling block that had to be eliminated. But she didn't expect that Ji Shuran's people would be so patient, and even come up with a method of following behind her, waiting for her and Feng Yutang's people to be defeated and distracted, and then suddenly kill her by surprise.

This was my own mistake, Jiang Li thought calmly.

There were more than ten people on the other side, and she was alone. She had no weapons, except for the short dagger in her sleeve. But this dagger was useless, as the strength of the enemy and her was too different. She had nothing to distract the enemy. Seeing Feng Yutang's men fall into the swamp, these people would only be more vigilant and would not fall for the same trick again.

God always plays jokes on people, telling them that there is no hope when it seems that there is a bright future ahead. This makes those who have hope even more desperate, and those who have despair fall into darkness forever.

"Miss, don't look around, think of other ways." The leader's voice carried a strange malice, saying: "Madam asked us to torture you in every way possible and then kill you." He laughed stickyly: "But Miss is so pure and lovely, wise and brave, we are reluctant to use such a terrible method to torture you, otherwise, try a more comfortable method?"

The black-clad men around him all laughed the same disgusting laugh as him. Jiang Li knew what kind of despicable tricks they were thinking without even thinking about it.

In an instant, she seemed to be back to that afternoon at the Shen family. The humiliation and indignation dominated her for the next six months, turning her life upside down. And these people brought back those disgusting memories.

Jiang Li's eyes deepened and she sneered, "Do you think you can win? Don't I have any other options?"

The leader laughed again, and said, "I know that the Second Miss is looking for a way to delay time, but just now Master Ye San was injured, and Feng Yutang's men have tripped him up in front. Moreover, the Second Miss's horse is going too fast, and Master Ye San's horse doesn't know the way, doesn't know there is this forest, and can't find the Second Miss's whereabouts. Now here, there are only us and you."

He said it arrogantly. Jiang Li knew the way, so she could take the three killers into the woods and let them get stuck in the swamp. But even if Ye Mingyu got rid of those killers, he couldn't find Jiang Li's whereabouts - Tongxiang was completely unfamiliar to him.

But Jiang Li just smiled: "Who said I want to find Master Ye San?"

The man was stunned.

Her voice was clear, with an inexplicable smile, and echoed in the woods.

"My Lord, we've been watching the show for so long, can we come out for a gathering?"

　Ahri: Is it surprising? Is it surprising? Is it exciting?

　　Killer: ...

　　I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival! Remember to eat Zongzi!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)