Golden Branch

Thunder strikes?

A hint of sarcasm flashed across Governor Li's cloudy old eyes.

Prince Qi, you are so arrogant!

I just don't know how you were able to launch a lightning-fast attack after you even sent out the troops borrowed from the Lou family, leaving only three or five personal guards by your side?

Governor Li had already received the news sent back by the secret agent: 1,600 troops had set out from the river camp and headed straight for the bandits' lair.

When Governor Li received the news, his first reaction was ecstasy: It’s done!

What followed was fear: Yang Rui had been in Yizhou for less than a month and had already found the bandits' lair!

Governor Li was extremely grateful that he had made a prompt decision and agreed to something from someone in the capital.

Only in this way could they gain the support of several officials including Lu Huaixin, and everyone worked together to weave a huge network.

The huge net is spread, the prey is caught, and success is only one step away.

When Governor Li thought of his foolproof plan, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself: Yang Rui, Yang Rui, even though you are both talented in literature and martial arts, and unparalleled in wisdom and courage, you are still too young.

Young people are very proud and impatient. When they hear people kneeling on the ground begging them, they easily decide to "send troops."

Governor Li knew that Yang Rui should have guessed that this was a trap, but he had to step in unless he wanted to destroy the prestige of himself and the Prince of Qi's Mansion and offend more than a dozen families.

In the pleasure boat, the kidnapped children had more than a dozen families behind them.

They may be just a side branch or from a certain family, but they are still members of the clan after all.

In the capital and everywhere, they have clansmen and relatives!

If their children were to meet with murderers because of the "indifference" of the Prince of Qi, those families would not dare to say anything on the surface, but they would certainly harbor resentment in their hearts.

When the Prince Qi's mansion was in full bloom, no one dared to retaliate.

But once the Prince Qi's Mansion encounters a crisis, at the critical moment, these people can make unauthorized moves and stab in the back without leaving any trace.

Even if these people don't hold a grudge, they still have to worry that the people in Prince Qi's Mansion will worry that they hold a grudge.

It’s a bit confusing, but everyone understands the principle of “strike first, gain the upper hand”.

Therefore, if this matter is not handled properly, it will create enmity with more than a dozen families, which will be difficult to resolve.

"...This is an open conspiracy! Haha, so what if Prince Yang sees through it? For the sake of Prince Qi's Mansion, after weighing the pros and cons, this brat will jump into it even if he knows it's a trap!"

The more Governor Li thought about it, the more proud he became.

However, he still had the common sense to know that it was not the time to laugh.

Once the plan succeeds and someone is killed, it won’t be too late to celebrate.

Li, the governor, secretly thought of it with great joy, but he still had to flatter and agree: "The prince loves the people like his own children! The prince is wise and brave, and he will definitely be able to wipe out the Yi River bandits!"

Yang Rui: ...Are you sure?

I hope you won’t kneel down and cry when I wipe out the bandit’s lair!

They both have their own thoughts.

Lu Huaixin, Wang Lin and others found the slaves, servants and followers of each family and inquired about the situation in detail.

Especially Wang Lin, his heart seemed to be on a roller coaster, going up and down, almost going crazy -

Good news, Jiu Niang was not kidnapped by the pirates!

Bad news, Jiu Niang fell into the water.

"Did you see clearly that Jiu Niang really fell into the Yi River?"

Wang Lin grabbed the pale and extremely weak Wang Mian and questioned him repeatedly.

Wang Mian didn't know how many times he cursed Wang Lin as a "bad dad" in his heart, but at this moment, facing Wang Lin who was on the verge of exploding, Wang Mian was actually a little afraid.

She was not intimidated by Wang Lin's "fatherly heart", but she thought of his despicable character and his high position.

The chief secretary of a state, the second in command of a state.

I am just an ordinary person, and the other party can crush me to death with just a snap of his fingers.

Wang Lin is not Lou Yu. Although Lou Yu is also domineering and capable of killing him, Lou Yu will tolerate her continuing to "serve" Wang Heng for Wang Heng's sake.

Wang Lin doesn't even care about Wang Heng, so how could he care about Wang Heng's best friend?

Wang Mian was too aware of her own identity and the wickedness of scumbags to dare to show any contempt or resentment towards Wang Lin. Instead, she replied very respectfully: "My lord, the pirates disguised themselves as fishermen and tried to sneak into the pleasure boat."

"Ahu and his followers realized something was wrong, so they wanted to protect Jiu Niang and escape from the pleasure boat by boat!"

"I never expected—"

Having said that, Wang Mian paused and subconsciously glanced at Lu Huaixin on the other side.

She had learned from Wang Heng that Lu Jialan was the daughter of the Hedong County magistrate.

Wang Mian didn't know Lu Huaixin at first, but when Lu Huaixin was questioning the maid who was serving Lu Jialan, she guessed it instantly.

Originally, Wang Mian wanted to tell Wang Lin everything that happened on the pleasure boat in an objective manner.

But seeing this scene, Wang Mian hesitated.

She knew that Wang Heng did not want to attend the river cruise banquet at first.

But after returning home and seeing her scumbag father whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she changed her mind.

Wang Mian couldn't help but guess: Could it be that Jiu Niang's scumbag father forced Jiu Niang to support Lu Jialan for his own benefit?

In official circles, it is extremely rare for officials to collude with each other and help each other.

If Wang Lin and Lu Huaixin are allies of interest, would he let go of the person who tried to murder Jiu Niang for Lu Huaixin's sake?

Yes, Wang Mian had guessed some of the truth.

After the fierce battle, Wang Mian crawled out from the corner.

While she was tending to her wounds, she tried desperately to recall all the details of what had just happened.

In fact, Jiu Niang had a chance to escape.

But, Zheng Chi delayed the time.

There is also Lu Jialan, who is even more hateful. He directly revealed Jiu Niang's identity and reminded the water bandits that Jiu Niang was trying to escape.

Perhaps Zheng Chi was just afraid of death. She was a little smart and knew that she was safest with Wang Heng, so she followed Jiu Niang like a dog-skin plaster.

As for Lu Jialan, he was probably just scared. He was in danger and wanted to do everything he could to save himself.

The only way she could think of to save herself was to "divert the trouble away."

Or perhaps, besides being afraid, she also had some malicious thoughts: I was caught, how could Wang Jiu escape? I might as well drag her down with me, so that we can all suffer together!

The most terrifying possibility is that Lu Galan is not afraid at all, she is just simply evil.

What's more, the whole incident was a conspiracy. Even if Lu Jialan was not the mastermind, he was an insider.

Wang Mian had long suspected that the so-called river cruise banquet was actually the Hongmen Banquet.

If Lu Jialan knew about it, or even "aided and abetted" it, then a certain problem - Lu Jialan obviously didn't like Jiu Niang, but insisted on inviting her to participate, would become reasonable!

All these thoughts flashed through Wang Mian's mind in a flash.

Considering that this was a conspiracy and that Wang Lin, the scumbag father, might be an insider, or even if he was not aware of it, he might choose to ignore it for the sake of his own interests, Wang Mian swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"The pirates discovered our actions and rushed over to stop us."

"I was protecting Jiu Niang and was slashed by the bandits. Another bandit cut the rope towing the boat."

"Zheng's Thirteenth Lady was helping Ninth Lady and preparing to jump into the boat. At that moment, the rope broke, and Ninth Lady and the boat fell into the river!"

"... Half an hour ago, the young master of the Lou family arrived. He jumped into the river and followed the direction of the river to search for Jiu Niang!"

After a brief pause, Wang Mian continued to narrate the story carefully and objectively.

She is not someone who likes to take credit. If the person she is facing is Lou Yu, Wang Mian would never say that she blocked the knife for Jiu Niang, because Lou Yu cares about Jiu Niang and he would investigate it himself.

Unfortunately, the person she has to face now is a scumbag who doesn't even love his daughter. Wang Mian is afraid that this man will go crazy and take his anger out on her.

Wang Mian doesn't want to die in vain at the hands of his scumbag father.

She publicly stated that she saved Jiu Niang. Although Jiu Niang eventually fell into the water, it was a fact that she blocked the knife and was injured for Jiu Niang.

Even if Wang Lin did not offer a generous reward, he could not repay kindness with enmity.

Save your life first, otherwise, when the little pervert rescues Jiu Niang, she will no longer have a legitimate wife who can cook delicious food for her and make money for her!

"Did Lou Yu jump into the Yi River?"

The person asking the questions was not Wang Lin, but Yang Rui who had approached without him noticing.

Wang Mian had met Yang Rui before, so he naturally knew that he was the honorable Prince of Qi.

She quickly bowed and saluted, "Reporting to the prince, the young master was so eager to save the people that he jumped into the water himself without waiting for his men to act!"

Wang Mian was worried that Yang Rui would misunderstand Lou Yu as an impulsive and reckless man, so she wanted to defend Lou Yu.

Ahem, although Wang Mian was instinctively afraid of Lou Yu, the little pervert, she knew in her heart that she and Jiu Niang could live smoothly and comfortably in Hedong, all thanks to the little pervert's protection!

Wang Mian was not sure which dynasty she was living in, but she had a rough guess based on some stories she heard from Wang Heng and Lou Yu.

King Yang Chong of Qi looks very much like the famous General Tiance.

In other words, if nothing unexpected happened, Yang Chong would most likely ascend the throne and become emperor.

And the Crown Prince Yang Rui is definitely the crown prince.

This young man has some of Zhu Biao's characteristics: he is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the eldest, and the virtuous. He has all the qualities.

He is simply the most perfect heir.

He should not become Li Chengqian, but the most stable Eastern Palace.

If Lou Yu had made friends with this person who was destined to stand at the top in advance, his future would have been limitless!

Only when Lou Yu is well will Jiu Niang and her Wang Mian be well.

Therefore, we must never let Yang Rui misunderstand Lou Yu and think that he is useless!

Just as Wang Mian was racking his brains to think of a way to argue, Yang Rui said with relief, "Great! I knew that Ayu is a good boy who values ​​friendship!"

Who said he is selfish, cold-hearted and heartless?

It was not his fault that he was not close to Lou Jin and Madam Dugu. He was adopted at a very young age and needed guidance from elders, but he had none.

If the father is not kind, how can he expect his son to be filial?

Yang Rui is an upright gentleman, not a rigid Confucian scholar. He has his own way of dealing with people and things.

Yang Rui knew that Lou Yu had a "pure heart" just by seeing how much he cared about Wang Jiu, a little girl from his neighbor's family.

Wang Mian couldn't hear Yang Rui's inner voice, so he couldn't complain:

Prince, you misunderstood!

The little pervert is nice to Jiu Niang because he regards her as his property.

Just like a pet like a cat or dog, or a beloved toy.

There was no truth, goodness, or beauty here; it was merely the tyranny and possessiveness of a perverted individual. How could his possessions be abused by others? How could he be allowed to die in vain?

Governor Li followed Yang Rui closely, and when he heard him praising Lou Yu like this, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

In order to win over Lou Jin, Yang Rui really didn't even care about his shame.

He could actually praise such a naughty boy like Lou Yu in such a way.

However, thinking that Lou Yu was not in the pleasure boat and seemed to have "escaped", Governor Li still felt a little regretful.

After all, plans are not as good as changes.

In his plan, both Yang Rui and Lou Yu would be assassinated by the "water bandits".

It would be a great success if both of them died.

If one dies and one is injured, everyone will be happy, because no matter who dies, the Prince of Qi's Mansion and the Duke of Anguo's Mansion will become enemies.

"Pity!"

Governor Li sighed silently in his heart.

Just at this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

Governor Li's brows jumped. "Here already? So soon?"

"Huh? It seems to be Ayu! He's back again?"

Yang Rui walked to the side of the boat, raised his right hand, put his hand on the canopy, looked carefully, and found that the person leading the group was actually a young boy.

The smile lines at the corners of his lips deepened: He is a responsible man who sees things through to the end!

In just one month, Yang Rui experienced the joy of "nurturing" Lou Yu!

What's the point of carving a rough jade?

He directly refined the stubborn stone into beautiful jade!

Before, because of Wang Jiu, Lou Yu was so concerned that he almost ruined his plan.

Although there are some shortcomings, it demonstrates his kindness and righteousness.

Now, he insisted on coming back to continue his mission, which is enough to prove that he is brave enough to take responsibility.

Yang Rui is increasingly satisfied with Lou Yu, as he values ​​friendship and keeps his business in mind.

Governor Li's eyes lit up: Oh wow, there is such a good thing?

The fish that escaped the net actually fell into the trap?

Haha, God is helping him!

Governor Li could hardly control his excitement and ecstasy. He turned his head and winked at the servant beside him.

On this side, Lou Yu had already ridden his horse to the shore. Seeing that everyone had boarded the pleasure boat, he threw off the saddle, dismounted, and boarded the pleasure boat with a thump.

"Prince, Yu is back!"

"Okay! Is everything done?" Did they save someone?

"It's done!" Although still sick, he is safe at last!

"That's good! Next, let's continue!"

Yang Rui looked at Lou Yu with satisfaction, his eyebrows and mouth corners raised high: A Yu is so well-behaved, let him watch a good show.

Snapped!

Above the river, a cluster of fire suddenly lit up in the dark sky.

"Kill! The dog official is on the pleasure boat, rush over and kill the dog official!"

As if all of a sudden, several fishing boats appeared on the river.

On the boat, lanterns and torches were lit, and it was quickly approaching the pleasure boat.

"Oh no! There are more pirates! Quick! Protect the prince!"

Governor Li shouted in a pretentious manner.

"Don't worry, Governor Li! I have people to protect me!"

Yang Rui was not afraid at all when facing the "water bandits" that suddenly appeared. He glanced at the noisy Li Shizhi calmly. This man was afraid that the thieves would not know that there was a "noble person" on the pleasure boat.

Mr. Li, you are identifying the target for the "water bandits".

Since this is the case, Yang Rui will not "let down" the kindness of Governor Li.

"That's right! Although I'm young, I can protect the prince!"

Lou Yu held a sword in his hand and stood in front of Yang Rui.

Yang Rui: ...Ayu, the “someone” I’m talking about is not you!

Don't worry, I, the dignified Crown Prince of Qi, will not be reduced to relying on a half-grown child for protection!

"Attack!"

Yang Rui gently uttered two words, and the guard beside him immediately took out a bamboo tube and lit the fuse!

boom!

Fireworks exploded in the air, and then countless torches lit up on both sides of the river...