I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

"Even if this is a misunderstanding, what about those refugees?" Old Man Yan shook his head. "There's one thing I didn't have time to say just now - the price of food in Luancheng has risen. In just this one month, it has increased by at least three times compared to before, and there is no sign of stopping."

Grain prices are closely related to people's livelihood, and local government officials normally pay close attention to them. Cangzhou is a major grain-producing province. Since last year, the weather has been good and the grain is sufficient. The grain price should have been stable and slightly decreased, but the result is just the opposite.

At this point, even the two bosses Zhuang and Zhao, who had previously gone against Mr. Yan, became uneasy.

"Boss Yan's concerns are not without reason." Boss Zhao quickly sorted out his thoughts: "We are willing to listen to your advice and ship out the goods as soon as possible. You have a wide network of contacts in Luancheng, could you please help us find a good buyer for the goods we have? We don't ask for a high price, just don't add insult to injury."

This request was not excessive. Yan Sou nodded and said, "I will contact them right away. However, given the current situation, I am afraid that the merchants and people in the city are also worried. I can only promise to do my best."

"Thank you, Boss Yan." The merchants clasped their fists and said.

After Boss Yan left, the rest of the people couldn't sit still and ran out one after another to inquire about the information and find the seller. After all, it was impossible to pin all their hopes on others.

Luo Qianhuai also followed Master Mo out for a walk. When she passed by the shacks built at the city gate for refugees to temporarily live in, she looked a few more times out of curiosity, and then a few strong men who didn't look like refugees at all came forward with their arms folded.

"What are you looking at!" One of them showed a ferocious expression: "This is not a place for people like you!"

The other man, whose face was covered in dust but looked much more elegant, patted the former on the shoulder and said gently, "This place is dirty and messy. If you two want to help, please bring some food and money. It will at least help us poor people."

Luo Qianhuai blinked, and before she could say anything, Master Mo protected her behind him: "You all misunderstood, my husband and I are new to Luan City, and we came out for a walk out of boredom, and we didn't mean to offend you."

As he spoke, he turned around and took Luo Qianhuai away. The people behind him did not chase after them, but only turned back to the shed after they disappeared on the street.

"The man who spoke later was polite and courteous, and obviously literate. Although he wore straw sandals like the others and exposed his calves, his legs and feet were too white. He could not be a refugee fleeing the spring famine."

As soon as he turned the corner, Luo Qianhuai shared his observations with Mr. Mo.

Mr. Mo did not respond to him immediately. Luo Qianhuai raised his head in confusion, and saw that his phoenix eyes were slightly cold, and his thin lips were tightly pursed, obviously angry.

"What's wrong?" Luo Qianhuai turned his head and looked around, and asked carefully: "Could it be that they found out that we have discovered our whereabouts and want to catch up and silence us?"

"Yinyin." Master Mo sighed, his expression softened, but he was a little helpless: "Whether those people are refugees or not, they are men after all. You look at their bare legs and feet in front of me without any scruples... I am not a saint, but I feel jealous too."

Luo Qianhuai was stunned for a moment. She had never expected that Mr. Mo would still be concerned about these issues at this time. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Wei Ying suddenly appear like a ghost.

"Sir, Madam." After he finished his greeting, he reported to Master Mo: "As of today, there are about 1,600 young and strong men who have entered the city among the refugees. As for the weapons, they did not stay in Luancheng, but were transported to Yinfengpo, a hundred miles away, which is the venue of the so-called New Martial Arts Conference. By the way, the mountain gate of Baimamen is also nearby. Recently, it seems that many suspicious people have frequently appeared there."

Baima Sect? Isn't that the sect headed by Jin Yanyu's father? How come it is involved in this? Luo Qianhuai pricked up his ears in confusion.

"Have those people in the capital done anything unusual in the past few days?" Young Master Mo asked in a calm voice, with his hands behind his back.

"My lord, the people sent by the Shangguan family moved into the governor's mansion five days ago. Ji Yan was not a very good official, but he was very grateful to the Shangguan family for promoting him. He collected a lot of delicacies and beauties from the surrounding areas to entertain them, and personally hosted banquets every day."

"Warm hospitality? The visitors are not Shangguan Jin himself, nor are they his arrogant sons. They are just his staff members. As a governor, Ji Yan should be entertained, but he should not be treated with such courtesy..."

Master Mo paced twice on the spot, and suddenly stopped: "Go and check it yourself immediately. How many people did the Shangguan family send? Who are they? I always feel that something is wrong."

Wei Ying took the order and left. Master Mo's expression became even more solemn, and he pulled Luo Qianhuai back.

No matter how anxious he was, his steps were still graceful and steady, without any sign of nervousness.

Luo Qianhuai didn't know how to comfort him, so he had to change the subject: "We have already arrived in Cangzhou, shouldn't we leave the caravan?"

"Yeah." Master Mo nodded, but his steps suddenly stopped.

"Hehehe." A man in a long blue gown, waving a folding fan, came out from the alley in front with a smile and stood in front of the two men.

As soon as Luo Qianhuai saw him, his pupils subconsciously shrank inward. He shifted his gaze guiltily and did not dare to look him in the eye.

Because she recognized this man. He was the second-in-command of the Hongze Thieves whom she had met on the Weishui boat before. She even snatched the topaz gourd ornament that he was determined to get from him in front of him.

In a split second, she knew that she had acted too deliberately. She was clearly wearing a mask that day, and a large oilcloth cloak on her body. Even if the other party had great abilities, he should not have been able to recognize her.

After she figured this out, when she looked up at him again, she saw him laughing sinisterly:

"So it really is you." He said, "Ms. Luo, how are you?"

Master Mo took a step forward and blocked Luo Qianhuai behind him: "I and my wife are strangers to you, so I don't know why you are blocking my way in front of me. What do you want to teach me?"

"Mr. Du is really a noble man who forgets things easily." The second in command put away his folding fan with a "swish", and the smile on his lips became even brighter:

"That night on the Wei River, the elegance of the virtuous couple is still vivid in my mind. Could it be that you two have forgotten it so quickly?"

As he spoke, a dozen strong men with their heads wrapped in red cloth ran out from the alley and silently surrounded the two men.

Although the place where they were was not a main street, there were still many pedestrians at this time.

However, the pedestrians seemed to be very familiar with this kind of scene. They quickly lowered their heads, quickened their pace and left, and no one cared about anything.

"Let's go." The second in command raised his chin with satisfaction and pointed to a small building in the alley with his folding fan. There was a corner of a tea banner fluttering diagonally, which turned out to be a teahouse.

"Brother wants to see you." He said seriously, "I don't know what kind of shit luck you two have. Brother repeatedly told me to be polite and invite you up properly - in fact, in my opinion, there is no need to go through so much trouble..."

"Second brother!" A young woman with light makeup and a plain dress, but beautiful face, walked out of the teahouse entrance and called softly.