The maid's road to success

Wen Niang and her group of four were sitting in the carriage. An Ning was sitting in the front, dressed like a rough man. It must be said that Bihe had made a lot of progress in makeup. She was able to quickly make An Ning look like a man with no visible flaws. There was also a scar on his face, which looked quite scary.

Anping himself was also dressed as a young man, and originally wanted to use his normal appearance, but after discussing with a few people, they felt that it would be better for them to all transform into young men. However, Wen Niang and Bi He's behavior always revealed the habits of women, and their fingers did not look much alike.

An Wenniang thought about taking medicine to change her gender, but An Qing said that kind of medicine would cause great harm to the body and should not be taken lightly. An Wenniang and Bihe took medicine to change their appearance. She and Chen Luoxi had been using this medicine for six years, and An Yun had been very cautious in using it.

The damage is relatively small, as long as the two people look very ordinary, not many people will notice their group.

An Ning drove all the way south. This was also the idea of ​​Wen Niang and Bi He. They had heard that the scenery in the south was very beautiful, with green mountains and clear waters, small bridges and flowing water. Even the people in the south were very gentle and beautiful. They didn't plan to get married and have children anyway, so they might as well take a good look at the scenery in the world and then choose a suitable place.

A few people can open a shop and, if conditions permit, raise one or two abandoned babies. It would be nice to live like this until old age.

Wen Niang lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery along the road. It was quite interesting. She chatted with a few people from time to time and did some needlework, so her life was not boring.

They did not stop after passing Linjing City. After all, they were still quite close to Kyoto, and who knew if people from the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion would come to look for them.

Now that I have escaped, I have never thought of retreating and going back. That would make me seem pretentious.

They didn't stop until they reached Luzhou. This time they went directly to the provincial capital and rested in a clean and deserted restaurant. The location of this restaurant was not remote, but the owner and the cook were a couple, and the waiters were also their sons and nephews. Although it was not as lively as the prosperous and luxurious restaurant, it also had a warm atmosphere.

Wen Niang and three other people checked into two rooms. Xianzi washed up, put on her veil and prepared to go out. Just as she reached the door, the waiter suddenly stopped them and said something.

"From what I heard from you, you are from Kyoto, right? This Luzhou should be different from your Kyoto. There is a curfew at night. You can't walk outside after the end of the Xu hour. Don't walk too far. If you can't come back, find an inn nearby to stay first. Don't walk around the streets."

Wen Niang and the others suddenly stopped and looked at the waiter's face, very curious. Why was there a curfew?

There were such cases in Kyoto in the past, but that was because there was a very chaotic time. Wen Niang also heard from the elders that there was a gang that kidnapped young women at night and sold them to distant barbarian tribes.

How come Luzhou looks peaceful and bustling everywhere, but there are such regulations?

The shopkeeper nearby immediately rushed over, pulled the waiter over, and said to a few people with a smile.

"Please don't listen to his alarmist words. The governor set the curfew to protect the people of Luzhou. After all, a curfew at night can prevent many people from going out to drink and gamble. Isn't this a good thing?"

Wen Niang and Bihe looked at each other, and An Ning and An Ping pulled the two people back into the store. They did not choose to go out again. After all, the store owner had already said so, and everyone thought of bad things. Now it was dark and curfew would soon be here. If they could not get back in time, it would be no joke if something happened.

Wen Niang and Bi He looked at An Ning and An Ping, not understanding why they were so nervous and pulled themselves back to the room.

"The curfew in Luzhou might not be right!"

An Ning said this directly, shocking Wen Niang and Bi He. They carefully looked at the streets outside the window. There were many people setting up snack stalls. This was just an ordinary county. If there was really a big problem, would the governor of Luzhou not care?

"The shopkeeper was very nervous just now. He was afraid that the waiter would tell us the truth, so his muscles were tense. Besides, even if there is a curfew in any place, there will be patrol officers and soldiers checking the curfew. If they encounter people like us who are from other places and don't know the rules, they will just give us a warning and let us go."

An Ning looked unhappy and said as she looked at the passers-by outside.

"Did you pay attention to what the waiter said? If you can't come back, find an inn nearby to stay. Don't walk around outside. No inn that's open will push people out, unless it's really dangerous to go out at night."

Wen Niang nodded and said, "Yes, when they decided to stay here today, the shopkeeper was very happy and cleaned the room for them. He was very attentive and looked very happy that several people chose to stay in their shop and would not push them away."

Is there really a problem?

An Ning saw that it was already dark and some snack stall owners had already started to pack up. If this happened in Kyoto, now would be a busy time and the best time to make money, but these people had already started to pack up and go back one after another.

Even the customers who were eating quickened their pace and were not angry at the stall owners for packing up their stalls.

"I'm afraid there's something really wrong with this Luzhou."

Bihe looked at everyone's strange behavior and felt a little scared. Wen Niang wanted to suggest that everyone should leave this place quickly.

Stopped by An Ning.

"It's too late to leave the city now. Besides, I think the shopkeeper's family is quite kind and their words are trustworthy. As long as we don't walk around outside casually, there will be no danger. It would be a bad idea to leave now."

Wen Niang nodded. An Ning had experienced a lot and was very calm. She ordered some food to be brought up. After they had eaten, they decided not to live separately and it would be safer to live in one room.

When An Ning and An Ping were moving their luggage, they saw that the shopkeeper had closed the door tightly and even put three bolts on it.

Even the windows were barred, and the door to the backyard was closed tightly.

An Ning was more cautious. She walked to Wen Niang's room, closed the door carefully, and then used something to prop up the door and windows.

He also took out a few bells and hung them on the doors and windows. Now the doors and windows were closed and there was no wind, so the bells would not make any sound. But if someone pushed the doors and windows, the bells would wake up a few people.

For safety reasons, Wen Niang also took out a bottle of medicine powder and sprinkled it on the gaps of the doors and windows. As long as someone broke in through the doors or windows at night, the medicine powder would take effect immediately when it came into contact with the skin, making the person's limbs stiff. It would not be fatal, but would cause paralysis for three hours.

Wen Niang and Bi He were lying on the bed, feeling a little scared. After all, the waiter's words could easily lead to many bad associations.

After hearing the steady breathing of several people, An Ning came out from under the quilt, stood in front of the window with a face mask on, listening to the noises outside.

The sound of roosters crowing in the early morning woke up several people. Wen Niang didn't expect that she could still fall asleep after being so scared last night. Looking at An Ning's haggard appearance, she knew that she didn't get enough rest.

"You didn't sleep last night?"

An Ning nodded and told everyone what she had discovered last night.

"I paid close attention last night. There were no patrolling officers outside, so this curfew was most likely not set by the government voluntarily, but was caused by some objective reasons. Also, I heard a cry for help last night. The voice was not loud, so it should not be very close to us, but it sounded like a woman."

Anping immediately stood up and packed his things.

"Then let's go quickly. I'm scared when you say that."

At this time, the waiter's voice came from the door.

"Do you need any water? The scenery of Bairi Luzhou City is very beautiful. You can take a look around at will."

The waiter seemed to know that his words yesterday had scared a few people, so he came to explain in the morning and specifically mentioned that it was safe during the day.

"My dear, I want to ask, why is Luzhou City safe during the day and dangerous at night?"

After one night, the effect of the medicine had worn off. An Ning opened the door, took out two cents of silver from his bosom and stuffed it into the hand of the waiter, who was the nephew of the shopkeeper.

He collected the money, looked around carefully, walked into the room with the water, and spoke quietly to a few people.

"There used to be no curfew in Luzhou City, but nine years ago something unexpected happened. A few nights ago, a woman who was setting off lanterns by the river was kidnapped. The next day, her body was thrown on the street, unrecognizable."

"At first, I thought it was bandits entering the city, but later, anyone who wandered outside late at night would be killed, even beggars were not spared, so there was a curfew."

Anping looked at the waiter and asked.

"So you haven't found out who did it yet?"

The waiter shook his head.

"Those people are very cautious. No one has ever seen their true faces. The prefect once designed officers and soldiers to disguise themselves as civilians and walk on the street at night, but several officers and soldiers died, and those people were not caught. Besides, as long as you don't go out, those people will not break into the house to commit crimes."

Anping was very surprised, she noticed what the waiter said.

"They? The murderer is a group of people?"

The waiter nodded.

"It should be, because sometimes several people would be killed suddenly. On the night when the prefect set up the trap, three teams of people died. It's impossible for one person to be so powerful, right?"

The waiter heard the shopkeeper's call from below and said something quickly.

"Don't worry, everyone. As long as you don't go out after curfew, Luzhou City is still very safe. You can go anywhere you want during the day."

An Ning and a few others looked at the waiter and decided to leave Luzhou City. After all, they valued their lives very much and there were many places they could go, so why should they be scared in Luzhou?

"You're the one talking nonsense. You scared the customers away. I told you not to talk nonsense in the future. How many times has this happened?"

The shopkeeper was so angry that several people left because of the waiter's talkativeness that he hit the waiter on the head with a book. The waiter gritted his teeth and tried to argue.

"I can't just watch the guests get into trouble without warning."

An Ning and a few others remembered the waiter's kindness and took out fifty more copper coins as a thank you gift to the waiter. After all, the two cents of silver they gave them just now was still in the waiter's arms.

A few people in a carriage arrived at the city gate and saw that it was closed. Many people were crowded in front of the gate and shouting.

It took me a while to understand.

The person who got into trouble last night was the prefect's wife's sister. This time the prefect is determined to find the murderer.

Wen Niang and a few others said they were from other places and had just arrived yesterday, and there were witnesses, but they were all scolded and not allowed to leave the city.

I had no choice but to return to the inn.

I was so depressed that I didn't know what to do. I only told them when the waiter came to deliver the food in the evening.

"The reason for closing the city this time is, firstly, that the victim was the prefect's sister-in-law, and the prefect was harassed by his wife and Yue family, so he had to send a large number of officers and soldiers to search for the murderer. Secondly, because the capital has set up an inspection department. Now that the inspection envoys have been sent down to inspect the local areas and officials, they have the power of life and death, so the prefect is determined to catch the murderer."

Wen Niang and a few others finally understood why Luzhou had been in chaos for nine years and why the whole city had to be under a curfew. It turned out that one only knows the pain when one is hurt.

Only when one's family members died did one know the pain. The inspector inspected all officials and only when his own career was threatened did he decide to blockade the entire city and catch the murderer.

"Everyone, I also heard that the soldiers will come to our area to search tomorrow. You are all from other places. We can prove that there will be no problem. Don't worry too much. It's just that the soldiers in Luzhou are a little bit cautious. If you want to be safe, you will have to pay some money. You can just show your appreciation when the time comes."

Wen Niang and a few others knew that the waiter was kind enough to remind everyone. After all, there were actually quite a few soldiers like this, and it wouldn't be a big deal if you didn't give them money. They would just search them thoroughly or just ask a few questions casually, depending on whether you have made all the arrangements.

Bihe had seen soldiers searching before. They were so rude that they wanted to turn the house upside down, search every inch of it, and interrogate people all the time.

Although these people had just arrived in Luzhou yesterday and were definitely not suspects, it was still better to have less trouble than more.

I just hope that the governor of Luzhou is a talented and capable person who can catch the criminal as soon as possible so that everyone can leave this place.

Everyone felt uncomfortable after encountering such a horrifying incident inexplicably and now having to be detained here. After all, the group had originally planned to travel along the way.

Now that we are trapped in Luzhou, there are such huge hidden dangers in this place. How can we not worry?

At night, several people still closed the doors and windows. This time, with the consent of the store owner, An Ning and the waiter directly moved a large bamboo bed to Wen Niang's room.

After all, I don’t know how many days it will take, and it’s not comfortable to sleep on the floor all the time.

They were originally said to be four siblings, and it was not strange for brothers and sisters to live in the same room in such a dangerous time.

Wen Niang saw that the street was much quieter, but there were many more soldiers and officers, who seemed to be rushing to the city gate to provide support.

If the city is closed rashly, some people will inevitably become restless, which will easily lead to riots. Those who are truly in a hurry and want to escape from here will keep making noise at the city gate. These officers and soldiers should take over the job of guarding the city gate.

It seemed that the prefect was serious this time, and the inn closed early, as if it was not going to be open for the next two days. Wen Niang and the others had no choice but to stay here. The owner did not chase them away, but just closed the shop and told them not to go out casually, as safety was important.