Volume 2 Wu Zhong Ke Chapter 26 Night Visit to Wu Fu

  At noon, at the gate of Fan Township County.

  Several villagers pushed a few carts into the city, and the guarding soldiers went through the motions of checking, only to find that the carts were all filled with grain. They casually asked: "Who are you? Where are you sending the grain? Why are you entering the city at this time?"

  A weak-looking man, like a school teacher, came forward politely and said: "We are the servants of Mr. Peng's house in the south of the city, today we went to the East Lake Town's villa to transport some grain back. Only because it was not long after the rain, the road is still muddy, so we delayed our journey and returned late, fortunately the city gate has not been closed yet."

  "Mr. Peng's household?" The soldier knew that Mr. Peng was a well-known wealthy family in Fan Township, with fields and farms in several nearby towns, so transporting grain was normal. Looking at the wheels covered in mud, he believed him and let them pass through.

  After the convoy went far away, a soldier turned his head and looked back, touching the back of his head and muttering to himself: "Why do these vehicles look so familiar?" Someone next to him saw his expression and teased: "What are you looking at? Are you envious of the wealth of the Peng family? Let me tell you a secret, I heard that the Peng family has a young lady who is just the right age for marriage, try your best to win her over!"

  "Haha!" The soldiers guarding the city gate burst out laughing all at once.

  The cart entered the city, and the leading scholar-like man let out a sigh of relief. He turned to one of his cart-pushing companions and said: "Young master, we've entered the city. What should we do now?"

  The fellow lifted his head, and under the brim of his hat was none other than Yin Xu. Needless to say, the scholar's servant was Gao Yi. Earlier on the mountain path, they had robbed Zhang Gong Cao's grain convoy, and what was even more exciting was that they had unexpectedly discovered a letter from County Magistrate Chen Kui to Left Colonel An Tong. The letter accused Wu Rui, the county magistrate of Fan Township, of colluding with bandits and harboring evil intentions!

  Yin Xu thought for a moment and vaguely remembered the history books he had read in his previous life. After the Daze Village Uprising, Ying Bu was one of the first to rise up with Wu Rui against Qin. Now that Ying Bu was by his side, and he had intercepted a letter concerning Wu Rui's life and death, could these things be used to his advantage?

  Yin Xu thought of directly persuading Wu Rui to start a rebellion against Qin. With this letter and the previous contact with Fan Qing, as well as some understanding of Wu Rui from past lives, he had 70% confidence. However, there was a prerequisite - Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had already risen up in Daze Village, and the heroes of the Central Plains were winning grain and following suit. Only then would Wu Rui have the possibility and reason to start a rebellion. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to single-handedly rebel in a small border county. What's more, the three thousand strong army of the Qin dynasty's left and right school lieutenants was watching from the side, wouldn't that be seeking death?

  It's already mid-July, I wonder what the situation is like in Daze Township? In ancient times, news was blocked, and the distance between Jiangdong and the Central Plains was far, so it was difficult to get news in a short period of time. Yin Xu remembered that the uprising in Daze Township probably started in July when autumn began, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang went to Yuyang to guard against the enemy, passing through Daze Township and encountering continuous heavy rain, which missed the deadline.

  According to the Qin law, being late for garrison duty was punishable by death. With no other choice, Chen Sheng and others raised their banners in revolt. This year's rainy season has been exceptionally long, from mid-summer all the way to autumn, and now it has finally come to an end. Even if we just calculate based on time, the days are almost up.

  It's inferred that way, but what about the facts? Yin Xu was not sure. To know that ancient historical records have many discrepancies, as the saying goes, losing by a hair's breadth and being wrong by a thousand miles. Now, what needs to be done can be called real gambling, with one's life and family at stake. If there is any carelessness, it will inevitably lead to eternal damnation.

  A great opportunity is right in front of us, and we can't afford to miss it. After careful consideration, Yin Xiu decided to take a risk and make a move. After discussing with Ying Bu, they decided to secretly sneak into Fan Yi's territory to meet Wu Rui and persuade him to defect.

  It's just a matter of Daze Township, can't directly inform Ying Bu, right? Yin Xu had to retreat and say that he got the news from Fan Qing, saying that the Central Plains would be in chaos soon. Ying Bu had asked about Fan Qing's identity and the reason why Yin Xu was besieged by the Qin army. Yin Xu received Fan Qing's instructions and it wasn't convenient to reveal the mysterious part of the purple-clothed girl easily. He could only push the story that a powerful person from Xianyang was being persecuted by Zhao Gao, escaped to Lingnan, and was pursued and killed, but was saved by himself. Therefore, he offended Zhao Gao and was besieged, while Fan Qing came to repay the favor.

  Ying Bu thought that Fan Zeng was a subordinate of the powerful Xianyang family, and it was reasonable for him to know some things. Moreover, after hearing about Li Si's death, he suspected that the governor of Sanchuan might rebel, which coincided with Yin Xu's words, so he believed them. Ying Bu was also a heroic figure with great ambitions, and he immediately agreed with Yin Xu's proposal to persuade Wu Rui, the magistrate of Fan County, to defect.

  Then, Yin Xu arranged for Zhou Da and Lu Ming to clean up the bodies of the grain-transporting soldiers and transport the grain. He himself, along with Ying Bu, Pu Jun, Gao Yi, and several agile bandits, disguised themselves and infiltrated the Fan District County City.

  Safety is the first step, and then find an opportunity to meet Wu Rui. Yin Xu instructed: "First, find a quiet place to settle down, and take action at night."

  "Yes!"

  ……

  Night falls, and the autumn night wind carries a hint of coolness.

  Three agile figures swiftly passed through the county town of Fan, heading towards the county government office. Needless to say, they were Yin Xu, Ying Bu, and Pu Jun. The weak and frail Gao Yi led others to temporarily hide in a dilapidated courtyard. It's not ideal to have many people involved when taking action at night.

  A wall several feet high, three people directly in sight as if nothing, flew over like flat ground. The backyard was very quiet, the central main house was lit with lanterns, ancient times emphasized hierarchy and distinction, the main house must be Wu Rui's residence without a doubt.

  Yin Xu and two others sneaked in quietly, only to see a tall and slender man huddled over a cabinet in the corner of the wall, seemingly searching for something.

  "Have seen the magistrate of Wu County!" Looking at the back, Yin Xu only said it was Wu Rui, and directly asked for good. He believed that Wu Rui, a generation of heroes, would not act rashly, nor would he shout out loud. If not, he would not be the Wu Rui who could become the King of Hengshan and the King of Changsha.

  The tall man's body shook, and he turned his head to see that it was a young boy with a weak crown, his face panicked, clearly not the middle-aged Wu Rui. Yin Xu was shocked, blaming himself for being careless, and had not first clarified the identity of the place. If this young man shouted out in panic, would they be able to leave safely tonight? At least the persuasion would have been all for nothing.

  Fortunately, Ying Bu reacted extremely quickly and rushed forward to pin the young man down, with his sword tip pressed against the youth's waist, saying: "Don't make a sound, or your life will be in danger!"

  The young man saw the three figures in black clearly, and instead of being flustered, he calmly asked in a low voice: "Who are you people? What do you want to do by breaking into the county government office at night?"

  Yin Xudao: "Are you Lord Wu's son?"

  This young man was Wu Rui's eldest son, Wu Chen. Because of his previous misconduct, Wu Rui forbade him from reading books and going out. In the blink of an eye, several months had passed, and Wu Rui felt suffocated at home, really wanting to go out for a walk. However, the gate guard only recognized Wu Rui's token, which made the dignified eldest son of the Wu family feel depressed. So, taking advantage of Wu Rui's absence in the evening, he sneaked into the room and stole the token. Yin Xu didn't recognize him, but had heard Zhang Gongcao describe Wu Chen's age and appearance, so he spoke out to test him, not expecting to coincidentally guess correctly.

  Wu Chen's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and he asked: "Do you know me? Who are you?"

  Yin Xu shook his head and said: "Who I am is not important, how I know the young master is also not important, what's important is that I have a pressing matter of 100,000 fires to see your respected father."

  "See my father?"

  "Yes!" Yin Xue said solemnly: "It concerns the lives and honor of your esteemed father and yourself, please cooperate."

  "Ah?" Wu Chen was somewhat surprised, looking at Yin Xu's solemn expression, feeling that this remark was not an exaggeration. But what exactly did it mean? He knew that even if he asked, there would be no answer, so he said: "My father has gone to the Chen County Magistrate's house for a banquet, and probably won't return until late!"

  "Going to Chen County's house for a banquet?" Yin Xu was greatly shocked, and cold sweat flowed down his back. Chen Kui was inviting Wu Rui, obviously it was a Hongmen Banquet, what good intentions could there be? It's likely that Wu Rui will go and meet with disaster rather than fortune! Wouldn't his own plan...

  At this moment, footsteps sounded outside, Ying Bu placed the blade of his sword on Wu Chen's neck and quietly looked at the door. A middle-aged man pushed open the door and was shocked by what he saw inside.

  "Father!" Wu Chen spoke first.

  It was Wu Rui, the county magistrate of Fan Township, who had just arrived. Looking at the bright sword blade on his beloved son's neck, Wu Rui already understood what had happened.

  Yin Xu saw Wu Rui return safely, and his heart was overjoyed. He secretly thought: "Fortunately, fortunately!" He got up and walked to the front of Wu Rui, bowed respectfully and said: "Wu sir, please forgive me for coming at midnight and taking your son away. It was unavoidable. I have important matters to discuss with you, sir. Please sit down and let's talk."