Something happened. This is not going to be bloody.

evening.

Zhou Leng brought up the beef that had been stewed for an hour, and everyone else sniffed.

Yao Qing's expression changed, and he said nervously, "Madam, where did you get this thing?"

Gui Yan smiled and said, "Why is Shopkeeper Yao so nervous? Today, a guest brought some mutton in his car, so the shopkeeper's wife bought some. Although it is a bit expensive, mutton is rare."

Yao Qing smiled and took the basin and put it on the table without saying anything. He had been a deputy in the government office and had eaten beef. When a farmer's ox died, he would report it to the government office, and important materials such as ox horns and cowhide would be handed over. The remaining meat would be eaten by many government officials, so he knew the taste of beef. Ordinary people had never eaten beef, so they couldn't tell the difference.

After dinner, we returned to the courtyard.

Yao Qing said to Zhou Leng: "Madam, tell me, what's going on with the meat?"

Zhou Leng told her about the men from Beichen today. She then said, "My lord, please make plans early. I am worried and scared."

Yao Qing held the woman's hand tightly and said, "Don't worry, madam. Tomorrow I will have the five of them dig a secret passage in the west yard to connect to the east yard where we live. This way, if something happens, we can escape through the secret passage. We can also hide the gold and silver in the house in the secret passage and make a small mechanism to cover it up."

Zhou Leng leaned his head on the man's shoulder and said, "Your Excellency is indeed thoughtful. If you were not here, I would not be able to sleep at night. If your Excellency had been well-read since childhood, he would have passed the imperial examination long ago."

Yao Qing straightened his back and smiled so hard that he couldn't close his mouth. He even pretended to be modest and said, "How can I be as good as my wife said."

Zhou Leng said coquettishly: "I don't care. Anyway, in my eyes, you are a man of foresight and vision. You are the person Yirong admires most in her life. No one can compare to you."

The compliments he gave to the other person made Yao Qing blush, as if he was filled with infinite power. It can only be said that praise is the best way to motivate a person.

The next day.

The seven of them began to secretly dig a secret passage again.

Two months later.

As the temperature dropped, more and more merchants passed by. As the news spread, Zhou Leng was very sure that King Chen would start to move south during the winter.

The restaurant was bustling with people. After drinking, some people got drunk and then everyone else claimed to be the boss.

A drunk man went up to the counter and was about to flirt with Zhou Leng when a dagger was pressed against the man's throat. No one in the room could even see how the woman did it.

The people who were traveling with him secretly cursed the drunkard for not knowing how to behave. How could a simple young lady be able to open a shop here and never get into trouble? She really overestimated her own abilities. He stepped forward to smooth things over and said:

"Madam shopkeeper, don't take it seriously. This guy has no idea how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is after drinking a few mouthfuls of dog urine. Don't bother with him."

Zhou said coldly: "Ten strings of money, or I will send him to hell."

"This... even if I kill him, I can't get ten strings of cash. Otherwise..."

The sharp blade cut through the fragile skin of the frightened drunk.

"No, no, no, Madam Shopkeeper, I'll pay for him right away, right away! He went back and rummaged through his bag, took out ten strings of money and put them on the counter."

Zhou Leng put away the dagger. The man's face was covered with sweat as he watched the speed. He quickly pulled the drunk back to the table.

All this was seen by a man with a round face and small eyes. He stood up and walked to the counter and said:

"Madam Shopkeeper, I heard that the shopkeeper here is named Yao Qing. How come I haven't seen him in the past three days? Is he not in the inn because of something?"

Zhou Leng thought about her cheap husband who was still digging the secret passage. She raised her eyes and asked, "Who are you? What do you want from my husband?"

The round-faced man whispered, "My surname is Gao, I am from Jinhe, Liaozhou, and I am an old friend of Yao Tixia. Please help pass on the message, madam shopkeeper. Thank you very much."

Zhou Leng nodded and ignored it. She knew that the three of them had been staying in the store for two days, and it turned out that they came here to see Yao Qing.

At noon, Zhou Leng went to the East Courtyard to deliver food to the "old ox" who was working hard on the ground, and mentioned this matter casually.

Yao Qing, who was sweating all over and his face was red, whispered:

"The man from Jinhe, Liaozhou, has the surname Gao. I'm afraid he is Gao Quan, the former prefect of Lin'an Prefecture. He treated me well, but he was demoted to Youzhou, which is under the control of Prince Chen. It's not easy for him to come here at this time."

Zhou Leng took a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, and she replied:

"I heard from the merchants that the Flying Cavalry, who should have resisted with all their might, turned to the side of the King. I heard that the current ruler took the confidante of the leader of the Flying Cavalry into the harem. Such a monarch is really shameful. Although I don't know who is the wise ruler, the current ruler is definitely not him."

Yao Qing asked in a low voice: "What do you think of Prince Chen?"

"What do you think, sir? Human hearts are unpredictable. Many loyal ministers and generals died in peace and prosperity. As long as I am with you, everything will be good. I am quite accomplished in boxing and kicking. I can protect you wherever we go. Just rest assured, sir."

Yao Qing looked at the woman, who looked like she was wearing too much clothes and looked soft and tender. He joked, "Madam, you are right. You will definitely be able to protect your husband."

Everyone in the inn knew that the innkeeper's wife had extraordinary physical skills and could use a dagger to perfection. Only the innkeeper felt that his wife had soft skin and a delicate figure, and was very charming.

After Yao Qing changed into clean clothes and ate a meal, he went to the door of Room A in the backyard and knocked on it.

The person in the room asked nervously, "Who is it?"

"I am the innkeeper of this inn. I just heard from my wife that someone is looking for me, so I came to visit you."

After the door opened, it was the round-faced man. He said with a smile, "Good boy, now you have established a career and a family. Come in quickly. I came here just to ask you for something."

After a careful look, Yao Qing clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Master Gao, long time no see."

"Come in and talk, there is no adult here now."

The door was closed, blocking out sight and sound.

evening.

Yao Qing leaned on the bed and looked at his wife who was dressing up. He said:

"In the past six months, Lin'an has begun to require customs documents to enter the city, and the sale of private houses is prohibited. Mr. Gao and his group of more than a dozen people are going to settle in Lin'an City, and they want to borrow the village's house in Lin'an."

Zhou Leng replied: "This requires the consent of Village Master Lin. Do you think they are ordinary merchants?"

Yao Qing took a breath and said:

"Master Gao has done me a favor, but I still need to discuss this matter with Village Master Lin. I always feel that Master Gao is afraid that Beichen is going to attack Lin'an City as a spy."

Zhou Leng looked at the man who was frowning and thinking and said:

"As the saying goes, wealth and honor come with risk. If Village Master Lin wants to rise to prominence, then he has to take risks. If he wants to live a peaceful life, then he should refuse. As for whether we should follow Village Master Lin, it depends on what you think."

Yao Qing pondered for a moment and said, "When I was a deputy commander, I also dreamed of becoming a high-ranking official one day, but now I just want to live a peaceful life with my wife and stay together until we grow old. I don't want anything else."

Zhou Leng curled his lips and said:

"If you want to do so, then introduce Gao Quan to the village chief Lin. We will just follow the village chief Lin from now on. Although he is a man of deep thoughts, he is a tolerant person. How about we just take shelter under the big tree?"

"My lady, what you said is very true, but I am afraid that you will think that I am incompetent and not a hero."

Zhou Leng turned sideways and looked at him steadily, and said in a rare serious expression:

"Sir, all I want is a good man. If you don't let me down, I won't let you down. If you change your mind, I will leave and find someone else."

Yao Qing didn't notice the other party's seriousness. He looked up at the ceiling and said, "My wife is still open-minded, but I won't let you down."

"That's for the best."

Zhou Leng turned sideways and faced the bronze mirror again. His face was slightly distorted, making it difficult to see the sharpness and seriousness in his eyes.