Liu Mingfu had a very good impression of this humble and obedient young man and patiently explained: "When Li Tang's former wife was exiled to various places, the Prince of Cao, Li Ming, was exiled to Qianzhou."
Yang Fan blinked and said: "So what?"
Liu Mingfu said: "At that time, the governor of Qianzhou was called Xie You. Governor Xie said that under His Majesty's edict, the Prince of Cao, Li Ming, was ordered to commit suicide. The Prince of Cao was afraid of implicating his family, so he didn't dare to disobey the edict and could only hang himself. After the Prince of Cao's death, Governor Xie was afraid of the revenge of the Prince of Cao's descendants, so he filled the mansion with guards. When he rested at night, he always rested on the top floor of the pavilion. He also placed a large bed in the middle of the hall and had more than ten concubines sleep by his side to protect him. Even so, he was unable to preserve his life. One day, his concubines woke up early in the morning and were shocked to find that there was only Governor Xie's headless corpse on the bed. Governor Xie's head was taken off in the middle of the night, but no one in the mansion noticed! "
Yang Fan heard the interest and couldn't help but laugh: "Then what happened next? Did you find out the truth?"
Liu Mingfu nodded and said: "En! The truth wasn't hard to find out. The one who wanted to kill Governor Xie the most was of course the Prince of Cao's son. Later, the truth was found out. The assassin was indeed hired by the Prince of Cao's mansion with a large sum of money. When the soldiers captured the young prince, they found Governor Xie's head in his mansion. Governor Xie's head had already been turned into a chamber pot by the young prince and had been used for a very long time. "
Yang Fan listened with fascination. He thought about how the assassin hired by the Prince of Cao's mansion had climbed a tall building amidst layers of guards and women. He had taken off his head in the middle of the night, and after the deed was done, no one had noticed. Such a skill really made one yearn for it. It was a pity that this kind of wanderer would definitely brush his robe and leave after the deed was done. He wouldn't leave his name at all, otherwise he could have made good friends with him.
Gu Zhuting was in a dilemma in her room and did not hear this story. Otherwise, when she saw Yang Fan's expression of admiration for her proud action, she would have felt a little proud in her heart.
Liu Mingfu chuckled, then said, "This prefecture's Cui Jingsi, Provincial Governor Cui, was an official in Qianzhou back then. He clearly knows about the matter of Governor Xie flying off in the middle of the night. Think about it, now that he's been transferred to Fangzhou, the Prince of Luling is under his watch. If something unexpected happens to the Prince of Luling, what would happen if some chivalrous hero who sees injustice takes his anger out on him? He might not be able to manage other matters, but taking care of the Prince of Luling's food and drink and allowing Your Highness to live well won't take much effort from him, so why not? "
Yang Fan nodded his head. Now that he understood the true attitude of this Provincial Governor Cui towards the Prince of Luling, he no longer dared to rashly borrow this person's strength.
Yang Fan thought to himself, Forget it, I'll use this innkeeper to go up the mountain and get a feel of the situation first. That chivalrous hero can steal Governor Xie's head in a heavily guarded place, but I, Yang Fan, can't steal a lively Prince of Luling from a heavily guarded army?
… …
The bamboo forest on Yellow Bamboo Ridge was dense, and the bamboo poles and leaves were indeed a bit yellow. However, it was not the kind of withered yellow, but a kind of tender yellow that was full of vitality, just like the branches and leaves that had just sprouted. Thus, when the new green and tender yellow entered one's eyes, it was like a cup of fragrant tea slowly entering one's mouth. At first, the fragrance assailed one's nostrils, but after a faint taste, it became a different taste.
Dozens of local young men who had finished their farm work were organized by the innkeeper. Carrying ropes and choppers, they walked along the narrow and narrow mountain path, passing through patches of tall bamboos. The bamboo branches rustled, and as soon as they stepped in, they felt refreshed.
Wearing a round-collared robe, Yang Fan walked shoulder to shoulder with Liu Mingfu at the back. As they walked, they chatted softly, casually chatting about the local customs and customs.
"Halt!"
An open space appeared in front of them. About several dozen zhang away, they could see the end of the open space, and there was even a bamboo wall. This was the second time they had seen such an open space after entering the mountain.
Liu Mingfu had already told Yang Fan about the use of this thing. Building an open area was to prevent fire and also to prevent people from sneaking in. The area was wide and without the cover of the bamboo forest, wanting to sneak in was not something an ordinary person could do.
Hearing someone stop him, Liu Mingfu hurriedly stepped forward and laughed, "Captain Liang, it's this old man who has come."
Standing in front was a soldier, and behind him were several other soldiers. However, their clothes were not very neat, and the robes they wore were also not proper. Some were not wearing pants, and some were not wearing military jackets. If they were commoners, they would have at least a few things that belonged to the army, but if they were soldiers, many of them were dressed like commoners.
However, when he thought about how they had settled down here, with their wives and children all living on the mountain for fifteen to sixteen years, and other than guarding the Prince of Luling, they had no other errands, nor did they receive any training or mobilization, Yang Fan felt relieved. It would be strange if this kind of army still had any semblance of an army.
However, although their appearance and appearance were not neat, their military discipline was still extremely strict. After all, they were guarding an important person, and if there was the slightest mistake, they would all lose their heads. When it came to matters of life and death, no matter how lax they usually were, they still did not dare to be careless.
"Captain Liang!"
The villagers carrying choppers and ropes up the mountain all greeted this officer, and some even greeted the soldiers behind him. It seemed that they had been neighbors for more than ten years, so they were all familiar with each other. When Captain Liang saw Shopkeeper Liu, his expression relaxed a little. "Is that him?"
As he spoke, his gaze was already fixed on Yang Fan. Yang Fan hurriedly put on the smooth smile of a businessman and gave him a humble smile.
Shopkeeper Liu said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's him. Captain Liang, please be magnanimous and let us brothers earn some expenses. It's a win-win situation." As he spoke, he took out the money pouch that Yang Fan had given him and stuffed it into Captain Liang's hands. Captain Liang weighed the money pouch up and down, slowly squeezing out a satisfied smile.
He nodded carelessly and waved his hand. "Just chop in that area and don't go any higher. If the Brigade Marshal finds out, even I will be implicated!"
Shopkeeper Liu nodded and bowed. "Yes, yes, yes."
"Also, this foreign guest is only allowed to go up the mountain today. He won't be allowed to come up tomorrow."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Shopkeeper Liu only nodded. Captain Liang glanced at Yang Fan, then shook his head and led his men back. Yang Fan noticed that there were only two people standing guard at the bamboo gate in front of him. Not far from the bamboo gate, there were several children playing around. They were probably the children of these military families.
… …
"Yes! This kind of bamboo can be used to make shoulder poles and chopsticks. The scraps can be used to make paper. It doesn't matter if you cut more. "
"This kind of bamboo is the best. It's neither too old nor too tender. It's most suitable for making all kinds of bamboo wares. Chop more of this kind!"
Yang Fan dutifully played the role of a bamboo wares merchant. He followed behind the workers and pointed them out one by one. In any case, these villagers did not really know what kind of bamboo was good for. Yang Fan's knowledge was enough to deal with them.
Shopkeeper Liu was old and sat on a bluestone at the intersection to cool off. Yang Fan followed the lumberjacks and pointed randomly while observing the scene behind the bamboo wall.
When it was almost evening, they had to call it a day. There was a mountain spring on the mountain and the water was not small. However, the spring was winding and sometimes deep and sometimes shallow. It was impossible to put bamboo rafts in. If they threw the bamboo into the spring, it would get stuck after flowing along the water and they would have to fiddle with it from time to time. They could only cut off the branches and leaves of the bamboo into bundles and drag them down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, there were several rented oxcarts. They carried the bundles of bamboo back to town and left them in the corner of the inn's backyard.
Back at the inn, Yang Fan took a shower and changed into a new set of clothes. Only then did he walk around the screen and stroll into the living room.
Gu Zhuting was already sitting on pins and needles when she heard the sound of water splashing behind the screen. She only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw him come out after changing clothes.
Yang Fan had changed into a moon-white Daoist robe. The wide sleeves fluttered in the wind, making him look even more handsome and elegant. He had never neglected his martial arts, so his body was extremely fit and sturdy. His bones and tendons were as tough as cast iron and his muscles were well-proportioned and powerful. He was fit and majestic, without the slightest bit of excess fat on his body.
However, this elegant attire and his high Daoist bun gave him a temperament that was completely different from a martial artist. He was handsome, free, and had a unique charm. Perhaps this was just Gu Zhuting's impression of him. Distance makes beauty. Because he could not obtain what he desired, it increased his charm by a few notches. It was as if he had been possessed by an inner demon. The clouds were on the mountaintop. When one ascended the mountaintop, the clouds would be even further away. The moon was in the water. When the surface was pushed aside, the moon would be even deeper.
Gu Zhuting hurriedly withdrew her gaze and moved the couch for him. She softly asked, "Ah Lang, what did you see when you went up the mountain today?"
Yang Fan nodded to her in thanks and sat down. He said, "I've looked carefully. There are three lines of defense on the mountain. If I'm not mistaken, there should be four. The Prince of Luling's residence must be guarded by someone else. There are three lines of defense, and in front of each line is an open area of several dozen zhang wide. Aside from sharp bamboo roots, there are only weeds that don't reach the knees. No one can hide there. "
Gu Zhuting stood at his side, listening attentively.
Yang Fan continued to explain, "Behind each open area is a bamboo wall. Inside the bamboo wall, there is a bamboo building every hundred steps. However, other than the guards at the entrance of the mountain, the bamboo buildings are all empty. However, the bamboo buildings don't look dilapidated. Some of them were repaired not long ago, and there are new bamboo roofs on them."
Gu Zhuting thought for a moment and said, "In other words, the guards on the mountain believe that no one will sneak up the mountain during the day, so they are lax during the day. At night, these bamboo buildings will be used?"
Yang Fan nodded. "That's right! Therefore, after today's observation, I feel that it's easier to sneak in at night than during the day. Moreover, after the second bamboo wall, there are military residences. It can be imagined that the residence of the Prince of Luling's family will not be any different from theirs. If we climb the mountain in the dark, it will be very difficult to find the Prince of Luling. "
"Sneak in during the day?"
Gu Zhuting stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I can do it!"
Yang Fan smiled. "I knew it wouldn't be difficult for you, but … is it too late to prepare now? If possible, I hope to go up the mountain with you tomorrow morning!"
"Of course it's too late!"
Gu Zhuting agreed very straightforwardly. Just for this smile from Yang Fan, she felt that preparing for half the night was worth it.
Last night, they had slept on one side of the long bed, and Gu Zhuting had not slept. Listening to his peaceful snoring and hating him for being so insensitive, all these feelings had vanished into nothingness because of his bright smile …
… …
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