Mo Jiuye knew that these three people had some silver on them and did not want them to sleep outdoors like himself.
So he casually found an excuse.
"You guys can go into town and take a look around, while gathering some information on the Salt Gang."
"Yes!"
After responding, the three's figures disappeared.
Returning to the tent, Mo Jiuye told He Zhiran what he knew about the Salt Gang.
"Four years ago, the Salt Gang bandits were rampant around the salt lakes, and their scale was growing.
When the Emperor heard about this, he decreed that Third Brother lead people here to suppress and eradicate the Salt Gang.
After more than a month of casting a wide net, Third Brother finally found the lair of the Salt Gang and captured the gang leader and some backbone elders.
As a result, there was peace here for a while. I didn't expect that in just a few years after Third Brother was ordered to eradicate the Salt Gang, the Salt Gang has developed and grown to such an extent again."
After listening to Mo Jiuye's account, the first thing He Zhiran thought of was that for the Salt Gang to reemerge in such a short time after being suppressed by the court, there must be someone manipulating all this behind the scenes.
"Have you ever thought that on the surface the Salt Gang seems to be a spontaneous organization formed by people with financial interests, but in reality there are mysterious figures truly controlling everything behind the scenes?"
This point was not He Zhiran's casual speculation. From ancient times to the present, which dynasty's Salt Gang did not have a mysterious figure supporting it behind the scenes?
Mo Jiuye pondered for a moment and nodded: "It's not impossible."
He just couldn't think of who the Salt Gang's real behind-the-scenes figure was.
Now that the Salt Gang has grown powerful again, it should be Emperor Shunwu who needs to worry about it.
Mo Jiuye was just chatting idly with He Zhiran about these things!
Anyway, they would be leaving this troublesome place tomorrow morning and the future of the Salt Gang had nothing to do with them.
Mo Jiuye looked at the sky and reminded: "It's getting late, we still have to travel tomorrow, so let’s rest early!"
He Zhiran was indeed a little tired. The two tidied up and then fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, they suddenly heard a clamoring noise.
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran came out of the tent at the same time to check.
There were flames rising to the sky on the outskirts of the forest.
"Hey! Officers, have you seen several men with knives?"
Zhang Qing had just changed shifts and went to rest. At this moment he was woken up and his mood was a little bad.
"Who are you, shouting here?"
The leader of the Salt Gang raised the whip in his hand and lashed Zhang Qing over the head, annoyed.
"How dare you be so arrogant on my Salt Gang territory, looks like you're tired of living!"
Seeing that Zhang Qing was at a disadvantage, Peng Wang hurried over.
"Don't fight, let's talk nicely, let's talk nicely."
When Peng Wang spoke, he clearly lacked confidence.
There is a saying, don’t press down the local snake. On the territory of the Salt Gang, he didn’t dare put on the airs of an official.
He had heard that the Salt Gang killed people without blinking, and they must have had someone backing them up. A small eighth-rank official like himself was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke.
Seeing that Peng Wang spoke softly, the Salt Gang boss snorted and put away his whip.
"Humph! Consider yourselves self-aware. I won't settle accounts with you today."
The Salt Gang boss ordered his men to search the camp with torches. When they didn't find the people they were looking for, he ordered them to leave.
Seeing the Salt Gang people walk away, Peng Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned his head to scold Zhang Qing, actually hinting at Mo Jiuye.
"I've told you countless times not to cause trouble when going out, why don't you ever remember?"
Zhang Qing scratched his head apprehensively.
"Boss, I was wrong."
Peng Wang patted him on the back of his head.
"If you know you’re wrong then you should change."
"I will definitely change."
......
Seeing the matter settled, everyone returned to rest in the tents.
In order to leave this troublesome place early, as soon as dawn broke, the officials urged everyone to get up and continue on the road, even skipping breakfast time.
Carrying their packed belongings, they came to the pier, but were told that due to a senior official’s visit over the next few days, the pier was closed today.
At this point, even if Peng Wang wanted to leave, he couldn’t.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead the people back, rest here for a day, then set off early tomorrow morning.
At this moment, both Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were guessing who the senior official mentioned by the pier master might be.
However, this question was really difficult for them to answer.
Those who could be called senior officials were not few in number.
Many higher-ranking officials in the capital could be addressed like that.
Since they couldn’t figure out the answer, the two tacitly decided not to continue wasting brain cells.
Out of curiosity, they decided to scout around when night fell.
With the rare opportunity of not needing to rush on the road, He Zhiran planned to rest well for a day.
He would also build up his energy as there would likely be action at night.
They had failed to leave this place, and so had Tang Mingrui.
At this moment he was hiding in the cellar of the old Tang house, finding some rouge and cosmetics that the family's women had not had time to take away, as well as a few pieces of women’s clothing.
He spent a long time making up and dressing up. Feeling flawless after putting on a woman's hair bun and changing into women’s clothes, he finally left the cellar.
The first thing he thought of was that his benefactor would not be able to leave here today. If the Salt Gang found anything suspicious, it would be dangerous.
Therefore, he decided to go over to warn them.
As a result, when he arrived at the camp, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye were resting in the tent, and Tang Mingrui did not see them.
However, seeing that this group of people still looked fairly composed, Tang Mingrui knew his benefactor should not be in danger, so he felt relieved and left.
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye claimed to the outside that they were napping so that no one would bother them.
The two entered the space together, enjoying delicious food while experiencing a special kind of tranquility.
It had to be said that this farm space was truly magical. The grains and vegetables planted had grown very tall.
The fruit trees on the mountain had also grown much taller, forming a vast green scene from afar.
The cattle and sheep on the grasslands were grazing leisurely, and even the donkeys that had just been brought in quickly adapted to life here, rolling around lazily in open spaces.
Such scenery was like a paradise for He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye.
After spending a leisurely day in the space, they finally stayed up until late at night.
