Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

Li Xu remembered that Qiao An had said that he had lived in South Vietnam for more than ten years, and that he spoke highly of Kou Xiao in his words, so he must have met him in person.

After Kou Xiao stared at Qiao An for a few moments, his legs became weak, not only his face turned red, but even his neck turned red. Li Xu rubbed his chin and thought, is there any unknown relationship between this?No way, Joan's attitude is too suspicious.

At this time, they settled in a simple inn. This inn was opened at the junction of two counties. It was half black and half white. It treated customers according to their mood, and the prices they opened were also very random.

At first, seeing that these two teams were caravans with not too many guards, they demanded a lot of money. After being taught a lesson by Kou Xiao's subordinates, they shrank their heads. Li Xu was worried about their food, so he Let people occupy the back kitchen and plan to cook something for themselves.

The location of this inn is remote, and there are very few pedestrians, especially after the Lingnan riots, even fewer people will pass by here, so these two groups of Li Xu are all the guests.

During dinner, Li Xu sat at a table with Kou Xiao, Qiao An, and Qian Lin. The food was simple, but fortunately, it was all hot. Everyone was used to not being particular about going out, so a meal was not bad. comfortable.

However, Li Xu noticed that Qiao An would peek at Kou Xiao from time to time. His skin was fair, and his blushing was very obvious. Even Qian Lin could see that his attitude towards Kou Xiao was very different.

Li Xu lived in the same room with Kou Xiao all the way, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it. After all, the conditions outside were limited, and often there were not enough rooms to live in, so we had to form a partnership, and it was reasonable for two people with the highest rank to share one room, let alone Kou Xiao. It is the duty to protect the prince.

After entering the room, as soon as the door was closed, Li Xu pressed a stick against Kou Xiao's back and asked, "Tell me, what's the situation with you two? Childhood close friend? Ex-boyfriend?"

Kou Xiao didn't know what these two words meant, but he answered honestly: "I'm also at a loss, it just looks familiar, but I can't remember when I saw it, maybe it's because Master Qiao has an ordinary Face?"

In all fairness, Qiao An's appearance is very outstanding, he is an extremely gentle and polite person, occasionally a little pedantic, but his character is upright, that's why Li Xu is willing to support him.

Li Xu took the stick away, as if he believed Kou Xiao's words, he was just curious, so he could only ask Kou Xiao if he couldn't ask Qiao An, but Kou Xiao himself was puzzled.

"Why don't I ask him?" Kou Xiao is not a talker, he wants to know the answer when he is curious.

Li Xu felt that it would be better to make it clear, so as not to be misunderstood by others, so he nodded, "However, he has just returned to his room to rest, and his wife and children are here, so you can go at another time."

Kou Xiao flirtatiously teased him: "Aren't you afraid that he will fall in love with this general, and has admired this general for a long time?"

"So what? Are you going to like the new and dislike the old?" Li Xu looked up at him slightly, with the corners of his mouth raised, his expression was unspeakably evil. Just hardened.

He picked him up and went to bed in a hurry, but was kicked off the bed by Li Xu not long after, and the two looked at each other out of breath.

Kou Xiao's anxious eyes were red, his lust was ready to come out, he gasped and said: "The arrow is on the string and I have to shoot, you are killing me."

Of course Li Xu also thought that they hadn't been close during the time when they went out, but the sound insulation effect of the room in this era is almost non-existent, and the bed is particularly swaying, and it makes a "creak" sound when it is moved, and "creaks" when it is moved a few more times. There is no end to it.

The people next to him could clearly hear what they were doing in the room, and they were surrounded by a group of big men with smart eyes and ears, no matter how dazed Li Xu was, it was impossible for him to lose face.

"The bed is too loud!" Li Xu said angrily, it was because of the sound of the bed that he came to his senses just now, and kicked Kou Xiao off the bed.

Kou Xiao took off his coat and spread it on the table, dragged Li Xu off the bed, pressed him on the table and asked, "Is it quiet here?"

Li Xu fell back on the table, his legs were upright, and his waist was bent at [-] degrees. At this time, he could test that this body had practiced martial arts, and it was indeed relatively flexible. He didn't feel uncomfortable.

After that, he couldn't feel the pain or not, but he only remembered the big hands that pinched him tightly, and the fiery touch.

Being hugged profusely in sweat, Li Xu didn't even want to move a finger. Kou Xiao was gently stroking his back, his chest heaving rapidly, and biting Li Xu's ear to answer his question just now: "Like the new and dislike the old It will never be possible, no one in this world can compare to you, I want to die directly on the prince."

On a cool winter night, Li Xu stood in the middle of the room with only half of his pajamas hanging on him. He was so cold that he had to stick to Kou Xiao's chest, poking his chest and saying, "Take some face."

The two of them washed up and lay down under the quilt. The quilt and quilt were brought with them, otherwise Li Xu would definitely not be able to lie down on the bed in this country inn. He thought in his heart, it would be great if Xiao Liu was here, and the quilt would still be incensed before going to sleep. It was good to sleep after smelling it, the people behind tightened their arms, and Li Xu's thoughts were scattered, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, a few figures got into the stables in the backyard. Li Xu and the others tied up their horses here, and the carriage was unloaded aside. The cart was full of bags.

Because they were not valuable things, Li Xu didn't let anyone guard them. Qiao An arranged an old slave to guard the farm tools, but the winter night was cold, and the old man had already got into the carriage to sleep.

"Move!" The leader shouted in a low voice.

"Which one to move?"

"You are stupid, of course you are picking the expensive ones, go and see what is there first, this group of people are very rich at first glance, the goods they buy must be good things."

A few younger brothers got busy, the loading cart was unobstructed, bags and bags of goods were piled up on the cart, they picked the stuff carefully first, opened the bag to look, and rolled out something the size of a soybean , stuffed it into his mouth, "Bah bah! It's inedible, what is this?"

The thing looked like a plant seed at first glance, and everyone threw it aside in disgust, and went to another car to check, but it was full of iron objects, which shocked the group of country bandits, "Iron...iron objects, there are so many, these People really have money."

But the leader scolded: "The iron is too heavy, and one person can't resist much. It's not worth it. Find something else."

A younger brother said regretfully: "But this is an iron tool, and it looks like a new farm tool from the government. Let's carry it back and farm."

The boss in the lead kicked him, "It's worthless! What kind of fields do you have to grow if you have money?"

They overturned a few more carriages, and they turned out to be messy things, with food and clothing, but they seemed to be of low value. They wanted to take everything away, but they couldn't take it with their own hands. ah.

"Brother, which one to take?" The little brothers were in trouble.

"I thought it was a big merchant, but what did I buy here? Let's go for a walk, don't take it first, and try to stun them tomorrow. I must have all the valuable things with me."

A few people slipped away quietly, not seeing that a certain window near the yard closed a gap after they left. If they dared to steal something just now, the corpses might be cold now.

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On the second day, everyone got up early, and it got warmer the further south we went. In the depths of winter, Li Xu only had to wear two clothes. In terms of life, it was indeed a little better than in the north.

Early in the morning, the shopkeeper of the inn brought tea to the table, and flatteringly said: "Dear guests, the tea is ready, and porridge and dried meat cakes have been cooked in the back kitchen. The guests should use some ?"

He Zun stood in front of him, and replied fiercely: "No, we will cook the food ourselves."

He Zun no longer wears a mask. His face must be ugly, but he can't scare the daring gangster. The other party asked nervously: "But I don't like the products made by the small shop? But there are no ingredients to sell around here. The kitchen I used everything I could use."

Li Xu replied with a smile when he passed by, "It doesn't matter, we have prepared our own ingredients."

Thinking of the bags of food in the car, the shopkeeper knew that they were definitely not short, so he decided to ask the next best thing: "Then how about some hot water for you? It's still comfortable to drink hot water on the road in winter."

He Zun still had that dead face, and sternly refused, and then settled the bill, and gave him an extra ten coins as a reward.

Seeing that they didn't touch the water and food in the store at all, the shopkeeper saw that the plan didn't work, so he sent them out sleepily, and when they left, a few younger brothers pretending to be mistresses surrounded them.

"Don't ask, the plan failed. They didn't eat or drink. It's strange, but our plan was leaked?"

"It's definitely not, it's just that rich people are particular about it and think our products are not good, but don't worry, brother, people can not eat or drink, but animals can't refuse."

"You mean?"

The younger brothers laughed and said in unison: "We fed all the horses water with croton powder, within half a day, they must stop."

The shopkeeper looked around and asked pessimistically, "What's the use of that?"

"what?"

The shopkeeper cursed bitterly: "What's the use of a horse if the drug is poured? Can you beat those strong guards, or can you carry those dozens of carts of goods?"

"This..." The smiling faces of the younger brothers turned into dejected faces, and they said bitterly: "Then there is nothing to do."

One of the shopkeepers gave a slap, then clapped his hands, and said: "Get ready to go, when their horses fall down, this group of people will probably abandon the horses, let's go and bring the horses back, if one or two can be cured, It’s a lot of money to sell.”

"Brother is still smart!"

Li Xu noticed that He Zun's attitude towards the shopkeeper was different today, so he asked him on the way: "Is there any problem with the people in the inn?"

He Zun then told what happened last night, and told Li Xu: "They wanted to feed the horses water with medicine this morning, but they were replaced by their subordinates."

Li Xu didn't expect this to happen again, looked back, said with a smile on the corner of his mouth, "Then go ahead and find a place to rest, and wait for them to catch up."

He Zun didn't really want to waste time on a few thieves, but he still had to listen to what the master said.

After finding a flat grassy area to sit down and rest, Li Xu said to Qiao An: "I happened to grab it and send it to Lingnan to work as a coolie for you. After the chaos in Lingnan, all businesses are waiting to be prosperous, and there must be a shortage of people."

Qiao An followed this topic and asked: "My lord, I don't know how you have a good plan for the criminals exiled to Lingnan? If you continue to deal with the criminals in the past, I am afraid that such things will happen in the future, but if you keep them in captivity, it is a big deal. In prisons, thousands of criminals consume a lot of food."

Lingnan is very poor. Although the land is more than that of Nanyue, the people's planting technology is very backward, and the population is sparse. It is not easy to support thousands of prisoners.

Li Xu gave an example and said: "General Kou conquered an island and captured tens of thousands of pirates. It would be a pity to kill so many pirates, so I let them go to work to make money for me."

Qiao An knows this idea, but his difficulty lies in: "Although these prisoners are not all vicious, they are definitely harder to discipline than ordinary people. It is not so easy to make them obedient. There are no soldiers and no generals in Lingnan, and it depends on a few yamen servants. Can't stop them."

"Who said they should be suppressed by force?" Li Xu explained to him: "They are criminals, and the imperial court exiles them here to punish them. According to Mr. Qian, the former prisoners would be assigned to work everywhere, It is heavy physical work, and it is not easy to eat and wear well, and they are often beaten or scolded, and many prisoners even die within a year."

Joan nodded: "In the eyes of many people, they are the ones who deserve to die. Naturally, there is no need to be soft when dealing with wicked people. It is a good thing to die, so you don't need to look after them."

"People are trying to survive. Their ability to travel long distances to reach Lingnan shows that they have a strong will to survive. Being harshly treated and scolded will not only destroy their bodies, but also their nerves. If the nerves are too tight, accidents are easy to happen. So, just treat them in a different way, give them hope, give them motivation, and let them do things for adults willingly. Save some food."

Qiao An made a deep bow to him, "I also ask the prince to teach me how to do it."

This is the purpose of Li Xu's trip to Lingnan. This group of prisoners is prone to accidents. If he wants to do business in Lingnan, he must want a stable environment, so he readily agreed.

They rested for half an hour before He Zun came to report that the thieves had caught up and were peeping in the woods not far away.

Li Xu smiled, hooked his fingers towards He Zun, and said in a low voice, "Just a few little thieves don't go to war, you take a few people to tie them up and bring them here."

With a sugar cane in his mouth, Kou Xiao came over and handed a peeled one to Li Xu, sat beside him and asked, "You are just waiting for a few thieves? Is it worth it?"

Li Xu took a bite of the sugar cane, chewed it slowly in his mouth, the sweet juice overflowed, and he squinted his eyes in satisfaction.Spit out a mouthful of scum, he said: "Since we met, and the other party made a mistake again, he should be punished and punished, so I just sent him to Lingnan on the way."

Soon, He Zun and the others came over with a few heavily tied people, and threw them in front of Li Xu, lying face down, very embarrassed.

Li Xu sat without moving, lifted the shopkeeper's chin with his sugarcane tail, looked him up, and sighed, "Why are you doing this? Is it fun to hit a stone with an egg?"

It’s fine for the three or two cats to imitate others to open a black shop, but they can’t see the situation clearly, and they dare to attack in the face of more than ten times more power than themselves. I don’t know whether to praise them for their courage or call them stupid.

"My lord, please forgive me, we didn't do anything, we just passed by." The shopkeeper said with tears on his face.

He didn't dare to go head-to-head with this group of people, he just came to see if he could catch any mistakes. Although they opened a black shop, they had few customers, they couldn't make any money at all, and they were poor.

Li Xu then asked: "Have you ever killed anyone?"

The shopkeeper turned pale with fright, and hurriedly shook his head: "No, no, the villain doesn't have the guts."

"Really? Then how did you open this black shop? How can you get more goods without killing people?"

"Actually... In fact, I didn't cheat. I just steal things occasionally. They always pick on the weak and powerful. They dare not speak out, but they really haven't killed anyone."

Seeing that they didn't seem to be lying, Li Xu nodded and said: "In that case, I will send you to the government, and the officials will try and judge the case, and you can deal with it as you like."

Those people shook their heads in fright when they heard that they were going to see the official, and begged: "My lord, my lord, please don't take us to see the official, we don't dare anymore, why don't we kowtow to you to make amends... I beg you Please forgive us..."

"My lord, there are old and young among us, please show mercy and let me go, we will never dare again..."

Li Xu cast his eyes on the person who cried the most and howled the loudest, pointed at him and said, "You raise your head."

The man's voice stopped abruptly, and then he raised his head quietly, only dared to raise his head halfway, and then lowered it instantly.

Li Xu could see clearly, there was not a single tear on that palm-sized face, and he was not afraid at all, which is strange.

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly moved his body to block the young man, and answered for him: "Master, this is the villain's younger brother. We are all villagers in the vicinity. Later, when Lingnan was in chaos, the villagers moved to the north. The few of us Because I was reluctant to open the store, I stayed."

"Brother?"

The shopkeeper turned over, faced the sky, closed his eyes and shouted loyally: "It's better not to be a real brother than a real brother."

"What about the others?"

"Too."

Li Xu asked He Zun to untie them and let them kneel down to answer. He likes to look into people's eyes when he asks questions, so that he can tell what's going on in their hearts. He bows his head like this and listens to everything as if it were real.