A birthday banquet?
Li Ying's eyes lit up.
Although these Hu people had arrested them without distinguishing right from wrong, when it came to organizing a birthday banquet, no one could be more confident than she was.
A Man frowned tightly, listening intently over and over again. After exerting all her efforts, she finally managed to catch some vague clues from the snippets of conversation between the two guards.
It turned out that today was the birthday of the Hu chief. However, this chief was cruel - tempered and unpredictable. One slightest mistake might lead to a beheading.
Although Li Ying was not yet clear about the dietary customs of the Hu region, as a food blogger and with all kinds of rare delicacies on her, she was confident that as long as the Hu chief was a gourmet, she could surely win his favor and seize a glimmer of hope.
Li Ying had an idea, and A Man immediately shouted, "Let us out! My elder sister is a chef. She can surely arrange a luxurious and unforgettable birthday banquet for your chief!"
Before her voice faded, a sarcastic remark came from the corner of the thorn - filled prison cell.
"Little girl, you'd better save your energy! The chief hates the Central Plains traitors to the core. If you behave yourself, you might live a few more days."
Li Ying was startled and looked in the direction of the voice. The speaker was dressed in luxurious clothes. Although confined in the dark and cramped cell, he looked calm and showed no sign of embarrassment. The Hu guards respected him greatly, which was quite astonishing.
"Senior, can you understand the official language of the Central Plains?"
Li Ying spoke politely. In the faint daylight, the Hu man squinted at her and sneered contemptuously.
"Humph, not only can I understand it! In the past, it was through my introduction that those Central Plains traitors were able to enter the Hu region! Little girl, judging from your delicate hands, you probably can't even hold a kitchen knife properly."
"If you really have no ill - will and just strayed here by accident, the chief will let you go after he finds out the truth. Just stay safely in this cell for a few days. Don't make trouble and be careful not to lose your life!"
Perhaps because he saw Mianmian in Li Ying's arms, the Hu man felt a bit of pity and advised them kindly.
Li Ying stared at him intently but stubbornly insisted, "Judging from your clothes, senior, you must have been a person of high status before you were imprisoned. If I'm not wrong, you're trapped here now probably because of the birthday banquet. Senior, are you really willing to be locked up in this cell for the rest of your life?"
She intended to get more information from this man and coaxed him patiently, but the Hu man just snorted disdainfully.
"Little girl, stop your little tricks! I was blind - minded and let the wolf into the house. I let the horse bandits abduct the girls in the village. Even if I'm locked up for ten or twenty more years, it's not enough to atone for my sin!"
He closed his eyes, showing no intention of talking to Li Ying any more.
But Li Ying had an idea.
Horse bandits?
A few years ago, the only caravan that traversed the north - south and east - west trade routes was the horse caravan under the Ping'an Bank, led by Old Zheng.
Where did this talk of horse bandits come from?
She had many doubts in her heart but remained calm. She just asked in a low voice, "Horse bandits? Senior, how do you know that we're investigating this matter? This girl A Man is a Hu girl we rescued. Our journey here is to escort her back to her hometown and to find out the whereabouts of these rampant bandits!"
Half of what she said was true, half false. The imprisoned Hu man sized up the two of them suspiciously.
Li Ying winked at A Man. A Man understood and generously stood in front of the man, performing the Hu greeting ceremony.
A Man told how she had been abducted by horse bandits when she was a child, sold to human traffickers, and had served as a maid in various merchant houses. Her story was so heartfelt that it didn't seem like a lie. The Hu man finally dispelled some of his doubts.
He then lowered his voice and gritted his teeth as he told Li Ying about the abduction of the girls in the tribe in the past.
Just as Village Head Deng had said, a few years ago, the Hu region had a simple and hospitable folkway.
A caravan, claiming to be from a horse caravan, had come from afar. They brought a lot of tea and wine and traded with the tribe.
The Hu region was full of dust and sand. Except for pasture, no grains could grow, and the climate was cold and dry. Drinking tea to keep warm became very popular for a while.
It happened to be the chief's birthday. He was generous and gave more than a hundred cows and horses to the horse caravan. He also held a grand banquet to entertain these "friends from afar". But unexpectedly, when the Hu people were drunk, the caravan members abducted all the young and beautiful girls in the tribe and disappeared without a trace overnight.
Since then, the Hu people had hated this "Central Plains horse caravan" deeply for the hatred of having their wives abducted and children taken away. Everyone wished they could kill them.
And this Hu man who was willing to imprison himself was the guide of that so - called "horse caravan" back then.
Li Ying exchanged a look with Lu Xunguang. Although they hadn't yet figured out the whole story, they could vaguely guess that the abduction of the Hu girls might be related to Lian Ji, who had already been punished.
The "horse bandits" were ruthless and used all kinds of means, which were exactly the same as the water bandits of the Cao Gang under her.
In the case of the Cao Gang's illegal salt trade a few years ago, all the evidence pointed to the horse caravan. The Ping'an Bank was accused of "stealing from its own custody" and almost suffered a total downfall.
Perhaps, by investigating this "horse bandit abduction" case, they could also find the evidence that Lian Ji and the Cao Gang had framed the horse caravan for the illegal salt case.
Li Ying concealed their connection with the bank and just said that they had escorted A Man back from afar. They didn't seek fame or wealth, but only hoped to meet the Hu chief and hear from him the details of what had happened in the past.
The Hu guide frowned and pondered for a long time before finally relenting.
"The chief has been very vigilant against outsiders since this incident. You come from the Central Plains. It's really extremely difficult for you to meet him rashly. Girl, you're smart. Starting from the birthday banquet is indeed a good idea."
"Come here. I want to go out!"
He stood up and loudly gave a few orders in the Hu language. Sure enough, the two guards immediately respectfully opened the door and invited him out.
"When the chief is in a good mood after a sumptuous meal and some wine, he will be less vigilant. All the tribespeople are gathered here today. I can take you and A Man to meet him at this time. If she is really a daughter of our Hu region, you will be our hero. The chief will surely tell you everything you want to know."
He paused for a moment and then added, "However, the chief lost his beloved daughter and has been in a low mood. He has lost interest in worldly affairs. Whether this meal of yours can satisfy him depends entirely on your own ability."
Li Ying understood and nodded confidently. Finally, they were released from prison and followed the Hu guide straight to the yurt.