Chapter 31
Out of the Blue
Yan Kingdom had restrictions on weapons.
Sabers and spears could only be used by the government officials.
If the escorts wanted to use it, they had to register with the government and obtain permission.
If they dared to use the weapons privately, they would be severely punished.
Especially at this sensitive time, using an unregistered weapon and being called a traitor by Fourth Master was very likely to cost him his head.
Fourth Master glanced at the officer in the lead and said solemnly, “Their weapons are hidden in the cart and on their bodies, sir. You can search them now. If there aren’t any, I’ll cut my head off and kick it like a ball.”
The officer looked at the panicking villagers and waved his hand. “Search them!”
Zhao Cunzi hurriedly said in shock, “Sir, we’re innocent! The weapons were all from the bandits who robbed us. We chased them away and kept the weapons for self-defense. Otherwise, with so many of us, we wouldn’t have been able to get here.”
Fourth Master said, “Bandits! How could bandits with weapons be chased away by them? They must be traitors! Sir, we have to capture them as a warning to others!”
Village Chief Zhao’s face turned pale. He hurriedly shouted, “Sir, that’s really the truth. We’re not lying.”
“You’re lying! If you’re not traitors, how could you kill several of my poor brothers in one go? They’re all hidden experts! We passed by them and were almost killed. Sir, you have to stand up for my brothers! They even stole our silver!”
The words “silver” made the eyes of the leader light up. He asked in a low voice, “How much silver?”
Fourth Master said hatefully, “More than 500 taels!”
More than 500 taels!
The officers all suck in a deep breath.
This hooligan leader had actually collected so much money!
The officer looked at Zhao Pengfei, who was in the lead. The group of people who could snatch Fourth Master’s silver and kill his brothers probably had more silver in their hands!
Zhao Pengfei said angrily, “Nonsense! I shouldn’t have been merciful to you last night!”
Fourth Master hurriedly pointed at Zhao Pengfei and said, “Sir, look, they want to kill me in front of you!” He deliberately said that there were 500 taels of silver because he wanted the soldiers to torture and interrogate them about the whereabouts of the silver.
Letting them die like this would be letting them off easy.
The officer’s eyes were filled with greed as he said urgently to the soldiers, “What are you waiting for? Arrest them!” These livestock and things were worth a lot of money. Fourth Master had really given him a big fat sheep.
Village Chief Zhao was in despair. If they really discovered those weapons, all the villagers in the entire Zhao farmyard would be in danger of extermination.
When Bai Wutong saw the villagers’ panicked expressions, she lowered her eyes and said to Lin Yue, “Money makes the world go round. Take some banknotes and try bribing them.”
Didn’t these soldiers just want money? Then they would just smash them with money!
Lin Yue had the same intention. He took a step forward and hesitated. Why was he the one paying?
Bai Wutong clearly still had the few thousand taels that he had given her!
Lin Yue patted Village Chief Zhao’s nervous back and stood in front of him. He said to the officer, “Officer, slow down. I can prove that we are not traitors.”
“You can prove it? How can you prove it?”
It was extremely unsightly to bribe him with silver in front of everyone. Lin Yue took out a book and handed it to the officer. “Sir, you will know when you see it.” He opened the book.
The officer did not know what he was up to and looked up.
When he saw what was inside, his eyeballs almost fell out.
The entire book was actually filled with banknotes.
The value of each banknote was 100 taels!
This book was worth at least 10,000 taels!
The officer subconsciously wanted to reach out and take it.
However, Lin Yue suddenly closed the book and took a step back. He deliberately said to the officer, “After seeing my proof, you know that we’re not traitors. Can you let us pass?”
It was obvious at a glance that the people from Zhao farmyard were refugees. If they were really traitors, why would they bring their children and wives to join in the chaos? Moreover, Village Chief Zhao had a household register.
The officer knew very well that they could not be traitors. He looked around and immediately urged, “Hand over the proof and I’ll let you pass now.” Compared to so many banknotes, why would he care about such a small benefit?
Fourth Master’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Sir, they’re traitors! How can you—”
“Shut up! I can tell if they’re traitors or not! But you have ill intentions and framed good citizens. Arrest them!”
The officer suddenly changed his target. The soldiers were stunned for a moment before following his instructions.
Fourth Master struggled and shouted, “Sir, I’m really not lying. The weapons are in the cart. You’ll know after searching it!”
“Who doesn’t bring weapons with them to protect themselves on the way to escape? Drag him away and hit him 50 times!”
Fourth Master never expected this outcome. He was already half-dead from Zhao Pengfei’s hit. If he were to be beaten up 50 times, he would be a cripple even if he survived.
How could he accept this!
Fourth Master shouted desperately, “They’re traitors! You’re with them! You’re a traitor too!”
What if the higher-ups misunderstood if he shouted like this? One would be exterminated if one was found to have colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country!
The officer was furious. With a whoosh, he pulled out his saber and was about to seal Fourth Master’s mouth forever.
“What’s the commotion about?”
At this moment, a dignified city guard captain came over with a team of soldiers.
Fourth Master usually behaved like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw Ye Wu. At this moment, it was like darkness meeting light for him. He pointed at Bai Wutong and the others and said excitedly, “Captain Ye, they are traitors! They even want to silence me! You have to uphold justice for us!”
The word traitor made Ye Wu’s expression change instantly.
His sharp gaze landed on the officer’s face, and his deep voice carried a strong aura. “What is going on?”
The officer lowered his head and wished he could eat Fourth Master alive. “They’re just a group of refugees and have some weapons with them. Their household registers have been checked. There’s no problem.” He planned to deal with Ye Wu first and ask Lin Yue for the banknotes later.
Ye Wu glanced at the team and his gaze landed on Chu Tianbao, who looked like a martial artist. He sized him up and said to the officer, “Let me see the household register.”
As soon as he said this, Bai Wutong’s heart skipped a beat.
He couldn’t possibly tell that something was wrong, would he?
The officer handed the household register to Ye Wu. Ye Wu flipped to the last page and asked, “Who is Bai Wutong?”
Bai Wutong’s heart sank. She stood up and said, “I am.” She would seem even more guilty if she had run away at this time. She could only brace herself and improvise.
Ye Wu glanced at her. Chu Tianbao immediately blocked her and said angrily, “Don’t look at my wife!”
Ye Wu glanced at him in surprise, as if he was surprised by Chu Tianbao’s strange words. He asked Bai Wutong, “Where is your original household register?” In the entire household register, only three people had been added at the last minute. The ink had not even dried yet. Ye Wu felt that if there would be a problem, it would be from them.