Lian Ji's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared fixedly at Inspector Lin. Her face was etched with profound incredulity.
"We're on the same boat. How could you turn against me!"
Li Ying arched an eyebrow. As she expected, now that Lian Ji knew she was cornered, she had lost her composure and was speaking recklessly.
She held her breath, waiting to hear what more secrets Lian Ji might blurt out. But Inspector Lin's expression changed. Frowning tightly, he coldly interrupted, "This obstinate woman is deluded and spouting nonsense. Her words are unreliable. Guards, drag this venomous woman away and give her a severe caning! Make her confess exactly how she colluded with the pirates!"
Several constables swarmed forward and surrounded Lian Ji. She tried to struggle, but the leading constable slapped her hard across the face, right on her well - maintained visage.
Lian Ji, who was used to a life of luxury, had never suffered such treatment before. A faint taste of rust welled up in her mouth. Clearly, the blow had left her dizzy and made her bleed.
Li Ying knew that Inspector Lin was being so ruthless because he was afraid Lian Ji might reveal something she shouldn't.
She turned to see that Su Buchi also had a knowing look in his eyes. Curiously, she lowered her voice and asked, "Little Master - Uncle, how did you come back?"
There was no attempt to hide her surprise and overwhelming joy. Su Buchi was quite pleased and gave a faint smile.
"It's a long story."
The fishing village was famous for its delicious shrimp dishes. The shrimp - catching boats showed no signs of anything amiss. They had made several trips and had gotten on well with the villagers.
Even Li Ying, who was usually cautious, had let down her guard. Naturally, Su Buchi seemed not to notice anything either. He decided to take a boat to some nearby fishing villages to enjoy the different scenery.
The boatmen were quite polite to him. But at night, Su Buchi thought of Li Ying's every frown and smile. He tossed and turned in his bed and couldn't fall asleep.
He got up and went to the deck to get some fresh air and think of his beloved under the moon. But as he passed by the boatmen's cabin, he heard them whispering and plotting in low voices.
"Are we really going to take that penniless scholar out to sea? In my opinion, we should find a suitable opportunity to throw him overboard to feed the fish!"
"What's the rush? Thanks to the young lady, we barely escaped death this time. We've gone to so much trouble to gain the trust of these peasants. We can't give up easily! Not only that useless scholar on the boat, but the whole fishing village should be wiped out. No one should be left alive!"
Only then did Su Buchi realize that he had accidentally boarded the pirates' ship. He also heard that the pirate leaders had decided that after returning to the village, they would sink all the fishing boats and personally eliminate Lu Xunguang, their sworn enemy.
How could he sit still? He quickly took advantage of the thick night and quietly slipped to the stern of the boat. Despite his mediocre swimming skills, he took a deep breath and swam ashore. Then he rushed to the prefect's mansion under the stars and the moon.
"Junior Brother Su, you mean you suspect that these pirates are the escaped criminals from the private salt case and the water bandits of the Cao Gang?"
The prefect's expression grew solemn after hearing Su Buchi's detailed account.
The private salt case involved a wide range of people. The once - powerful Ping'an Bank was also implicated. It was only because the mistress of the bank took on all the suspicions and responsibilities that it barely managed to survive.
Few people knew that this remarkable woman who had turned the tide was a disciple of Yan Lianzhi. And the prefect's only purpose for entering officialdom was to find out the truth about his junior - sister, who had ended up in prison and died a tragic death.
Su Buchi had never understood why his master, who detested the officialdom so much that he expelled this prefect senior - brother from the sect, still seemed to care about him.
After the first attack, he secretly checked many files about the water bandits of the Cao Gang and finally understood the prefect's good intentions.
Sure enough, as Su Buchi expected, upon learning that there were still remnants of the Cao Gang, the prefect quickly counted his men and came with him to suppress the bandits.
Li Ying nodded respectfully to the prefect. Soon, several constables came to report that after a careful inspection, the chisel marks on the fishing boats were indeed different from ordinary scratches. This was the common method used by the water bandits of the Cao Gang when they looted and killed.
The boats sunk by them usually had special marks to remind their comrades that the boats had already been looted and there was no need to waste time on them.
"According to the laws of our dynasty, it's my duty to punish these remnants of the Cao Gang. Please don't stop me from handling this case, sir."
The prefect had discussed with Su Buchi in detail. This Inspector Lin's words and deeds were really strange, and he might not be trustworthy.
The prefect spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. Inspector Lin looked unhappy but couldn't raise any objections. He just nodded and said, "Naturally. But I must remind you that the remnants of the Cao Gang are cunning and fierce. Don't let them rescue Lian Ji."
He looked meaningfully at Lian Ji. A venomous look flashed in Lian Ji's eyes, but she didn't say anything more. She allowed the constables to escort her onto the prison cart.
The news that she had colluded with the pirates and kidnapped Granny Sun and Mianmian quickly spread. The villagers scolded her for attacking the defenseless old and young. Her imprisonment was really satisfying.
The owner of the bank was unwell. He just sent some tonics like ginseng and ganoderma through Dejitang to soothe Granny Sun's nerves and nourish her body. Although he didn't show up, this clearly indicated that the cooperation between Ping'an Bank and Li Ying would not be affected by Lian Ji. His stance was very clear.
Li Ying was arranging the medicine boxes. When she opened one box, there was a strange token made of red copper inside.
She couldn't tell what this thing was. As she was thinking, she suddenly heard a jubilant "Sister" from outside the door. Looking up, it was A Man.
"Sister, I've lived up to your expectations! Come out quickly and see what A Man has brought back!"
There was an undeniable pride in her voice. When Li Ying went out, she saw A Man riding on Wu Zhui triumphantly. Behind her, there were dozens of wild horses!
"Sister, with these horses, we can transport goods by ourselves! Brother - in - law Lu is good at horse - riding. It won't be a problem for him to build a new horse - team!"
Li Ying looked at Lu Xunguang. He was riding a white horse, looking high - spirited and quite heroic.
There was a clear copper bell hanging on the white horse's neck. The gilded patterns on it were exactly the same as those on the token.
Li Ying's mind stirred. "Brother Lu, A Man, where did you get these horses?"