On the morning of 26 April, the weather was fine, and the breeze in the air blew away some of the heat of the previous days. A pavilion ten miles away from the south gate of Anlu Mansion was full of officials, and the prefect Zhou Wudao and Shandong Dao Yushi Sun Yongcheng walked hand in hand, and Yan Yan seemed to be close friends for many years.

Zhou Wudao arched his hand and said with a smile: "The virtuous brother came and went in a hurry, but the foolish brother was in poor health and failed to fulfill the friendship of the landlord, which is really ashamed." If it weren't for the emperor's order, the foolish brother would definitely stay for a few days. ”

Sun Yongcheng hurriedly held Zhou Wudao's hand and said: "Brother Xian, don't be like this, these days have been warm, and my brother admires it in my heart." There are many disturbing places, and I ask the virtuous brother to bear with me. Anlu Mansion is rich in treasures and outstanding people, and it is even more prosperous under the governance of the virtuous brother. Among the schools, there are many talents, talking and laughing, and the foolish brother has also benefited a lot. The two then exchanged a few polite greetings, and under the deliberate praise of other officials, the atmosphere was also very warm.

Zhou Wudao saw that the hour was not early, so he picked up his wine glass and stood up and said, "Brother Fool is entrusted today, and on behalf of all my colleagues in Anlu Mansion, I wish Brother Xian a smooth return." The mountains are high and the water is long, and there will be a period later! Drink this cup to your heart's content. ”

Sun Yongcheng stood up and said, "Brother Yu also wishes Brother Xian good health, and looks forward to reuniting with Brother and sitting and talking." After speaking, he drank all the wine in the cup, and then got into a sedan chair surrounded by all the officials and set off for Beijing. Zhou Wudao watched the green sedan chair go farther and farther, and the smile on the corner of his mouth became more and more cold.

Two days later, before the middle of the day, nearly 100 people from Yushi Sun Yongcheng and his party had already left the boundary of Anlu Mansion. A horseback officer watched the procession move slower and slower under the sun, and shouted back and forth: "Everyone, speed up your pace, and you will arrive at the county seat in a few hours." When we arrive in the county seat, we can rest in the post station, serve hot water and hot meals, and no longer have to sleep in the wilderness. Sure enough, hearing him say this, the already tired official quickened his pace a little, and shook the leather whip with a crackle, driving away the prisoner on foot. After walking for less than half an hour, the spirit of the people just mentioned was almost dispersed, and the officials were as loose as ever, without a little vigilance at all. After all, even if there are thieves around, they won't pick a team of hundreds of officials to do it, not to mention whether it can be done, but attacking the brigade of officials who protect Qincha means rebelling, not simply robbing.

The team of officials escorting the prisoners walked to a forest, and suddenly more than a dozen sharp hidden weapons of various kinds flew out from behind the big tree, and seven or eight officials were shot to the ground, and then eight masked assassins rushed out and crashed directly into the team. "There are robbers, everyone be careful!" "Quick, protect your lordship!" These officials never thought that someone would be so bold as to attack the team of Lord Chincha, and they did not react for a moment. As soon as he spoke, and I spoke, he scurried around like a swarm of headless flies, and dozens of officials were attacked by eight assassins and retreated. These assassins were also vicious, armed with daggers or steel knives, and greeted the vital parts of the officials, occasionally sprinkling a handful of lime powder. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen wounded people were added to the ground, and three or five servants were lying motionless on the ground. "Ahem, ahem, ah!" "These people are trying to hijack the prisoner's car, don't let them succeed!"

Sun Yongcheng was originally in the sedan chair with his eyes closed to recuperate, but suddenly heard a commotion outside, and heard the family's announcement that someone had hijacked the prisoner's car. What are you still doing? Go and take down those thieves and don't let them run away. The official wants to see who ate the bear's heart and leopard gall. ”

The eight assassins were superior in martial arts and vicious in their moves, beating the officials who were accustomed to catching thieves and splashing their skins, and the other officials who rushed over were still dozens of paces away. Seeing that one of the assassins had already raised the steel knife, Tian Huaying's eyes, which had been blank, finally regained their clarity, gritted his teeth and said, "Zhou Wudao, you are so ruthless!" I even thought that I would be removed. Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go. Hahaha...... "When he laughed, tears came out, but he still underestimated Zhou Wudao's viciousness. Tian's father, Tian Ruogu's face was even more discouraged, and he was completely desperate.

Seeing that the assassin was about to approach the prisoner cart and hack the Tian family's father and son to death in the prisoner cart, two crossbow arrows suddenly flew out of the woods where the assassin had just jumped. The assassin who had raised the steel knife and had already slashed at Tian Huaying's scalp was pierced through the brain with an arrow, and the arrow came out of his eye socket, and he couldn't die anymore. Another assassin who approached Tian Ruogu was no better, and was shot in the neck by a crossbow arrow, which was still nailed to the wooden fence of the prisoner car, and blood sprayed in Tian Ruogu's face.

A man who seemed to be the leader shouted: "There is an ambush, withdraw!" After three or two breaths, the assassin had disappeared in the other direction of the woods, and the guards of Sun Yongcheng had just arrived, staring at the woods with a wary expression, while the others protected the scene and cared for the wounded.

After a while, after the officials confirmed that there was no danger, Sun Yongcheng came over under the escort of everyone. "How's it going? Are there any clues to the Assassins? ”

One of the headhunters bowed down and replied, "My lord, nine of the servants were killed and seventeen wounded. Both of the remaining Assassins have been killed, and there are no other clues yet. ”

Sun Yongcheng frowned and said nothing, thinking about what was going on with this prisoner carjacking. According to my instincts, there must be a huge secret hidden behind this matter. While he was pondering, a servant came to report: "My lord, the only one who wants to see you is the one who wants to see you." He said he knew what the assassination was all about. ”

"Oh, then I'll go over and take a look." Sun Yongcheng came down to Li Weiwei's side under the escort of several officials and asked, "Do you know about this assassination?" Listen to it, and don't try to deceive the official. ”

Li Wei gritted his teeth and said earnestly: "My lord, I know who organized this assassination, and it must have been done by Zhou Wudao, the prefect of Anlu. ”

Sun Yongcheng was taken aback when he heard this, this was amazing news, but on the surface he still calmly asked, "Oh, what evidence do you have?" Slandering a prefect is a big crime. ”

Li Wei said hatefully: "Didn't the adults ask me who I gave the bribes I received before, in fact, it was Zhou Wudao." I gave him nearly 400,000 silver before and after, and this time I was expecting to force him to come to the rescue, but I didn't expect him to be so vicious! When I was imprisoned in the prison of Anlu Mansion, Zhou Wudao sent his confidant Master Qian to ask me about some information, so I revealed that every time I gave him a gift, I would keep an account. Because I didn't tell him the whereabouts of the account books, he had the cell boss torture him. I've been pretending to be crazy and stupid for the past few days, just waiting for him to find the account books and then agreeing to save me. I didn't think he was so mad that he found an assassin to get rid of me. ”

When Li Weiwei sold the prefect Zhou Wudao, Xu Anping was following the traces of the assassins.