Chapter 110: Embroiderer (32)
Chapter 110: Embroiderer (32)
Seeing the soldier break into the Danyan Embroidery House with a long halberd, Meng Zhong shook a cup of hot tea and smiled slowly. Empress Du just returned to the imperial city and hadn't got a seat yet. To put it bluntly, she was just an illegitimate and nameless concubine. How could she compete with Fei Li, who had a solid foundation and had a son?
Fei Li was stunned by the emperor's attitude and didn't fight back in time. Now that she had recovered, she would naturally eliminate the remaining evils of the Dus. Meng Zhong was lucky enough to be connected with the Lis. While dealing with the Dus, he also wanted to step Lin Dan into the mud. This time, he would like to see how Lin Dan could turn the tables.
In the storehouse of the Danyan Embroidery House, Lin Dan's hands were cut back by two soldiers, and she knelt on the ground with force. The leader pointed at a prying box and said coldly, "Lin, how dare you!"
"This box is not ours! You framed us!" said Ruyan angrily, kicking the man who had kidnapped Lin Dan. What was hidden in the box was a piece of Darcy wood. It wouldn't be a big deal if it was found alone, but there was bright yellow silk beside it.
The wood was also called the Sawyer wood. Leaves could nourish silkworms, tree trunks could make furniture, and more importantly, it could be used as a dye. Since the Tang Dynasty, the bright yellow cloth worn by the emperor was rendered with it, so it was a tribute. But now, the piece of wood and the bright yellow satin were hidden in a small folk embroidery house, which was closely related to Empress Du. What would the emperor think if the news spread back to the capital city? His trust in Empress Du, which he had just established, would probably be shattered again.
Ruyan instantly understood that the farce today was not only to deal with Lin Dan but also to deal with her aunt. She had already said that her aunt shouldn't go back to that place where people ate each other and shouldn't be stained with these pickled things. Why did she have to be so stubborn?
Her eyes turned red as if she was about to cry.
"Don't cry, Ruyan. To find your brother first," said Lin Dan in a calm tone.
The leader of the soldiers sneered, "what are you looking for? You have hidden the yellow silk and the wood, and you have committed the crime of treason. No one can escape today. You have to be locked up in the prison! Someone will also catch Mr. Du. You can wait for him in the prison."
Hearing this, Du Ruyan suddenly collapsed, but Lin Dan slightly lowered her head to hide her ruthless expression. Now that things had come to this, she couldn't show any evidence to prove her innocence. She might as well kill all these people and run away with her mother, two concubines, and Cuilan. Those Japanese women were also brought with them. They wandered on the sea with the enemy and knew clearly where there was an island they could live on. When she went to those small islands and was far away from the rule of the Great Zhou, she could do whatever she liked. Even if she was a pirate, it was better than being killed.
Thinking of this, Lin Dan's eyes were full of murderous will. When she was about to break free from the arms of the soldiers and launch an attack, she heard a rush of footsteps from outside.
"Mr. Xiao, you are so rude!" Du Rusong strode in and saw Lin Dan pressed on the ground. His eyes became cold.
"General Du, you're here. We're going to send someone to invite you to the military camp. Now that everyone is here, you don't have to bother us to come here again." the officer named Xiao pointed at the box in the corner and said, "Is this your stuff? Who is this cloth for? Please explain it to Lord. Li in person."
"There is no need to go to the Yamen. I can tell you now that this cloth was dyed for my aunt." Du Rusong wanted to draw a saber and cut the two people who held Lin Dan into meat paste, but he restrained himself. He gritted his teeth, held back his anger, and pulled his sister up.
"Brother, don't talk nonsense!" shouted Ruyan in horror.
Mr. Xiao grinned hideously. When he was about to order to arrest these traitors, Du Rusong said slowly "His majesty has issued an imperial edict to re-bestow the title of my aunt. The grand preceptor will be held at the end of the month. She asked Miss Lin to dye this cloth and is waiting to send it to the imperial city to make a robe for her. If you like it, please take it away. Later, I will write a letter to my aunt to explain the whole story to her."
"No, it's impossible! I've never heard that Empress Du can be conferred the title again! It's impossible!" Mr.Xiao's complacent expression was replaced by panic.
"Believe it or not," Du Rusong kicked away the two soldiers and pulled Lin Dan into his arms. He patted her back with great care and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry. I'm here to get you into trouble. Don't be afraid."
With the help of his broad chest, Lin Dan restrained the murderous look in her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not afraid."
Du Rusong patted her on the back and said softly, "Let's go back." then he held his sweetheart with one hand and his sister with the other. Before he went out, he looked back carefully at the officers and soldiers coming today and engraved their faces in his heart. He would settle the score with them the next day.
He didn't look at the living, but at the dead, which made them shiver. No one didn't dare to stop them and let them go. The soldiers who came with Du Rusong made a gesture of cutting their necks with a bloody smile.
After they left, an officer said in a trembling voice, "Mr.Xiao, is it true that Empress Du has been renamed?"
"This must be a delaying tactic used by Mr. Du!" Mr. Xiao said through gritted teeth, but he didn't dare to mention the arrest anymore. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go back today. We'll talk about it after the news is confirmed."
"What should we do if the news is true?"
This question made Mr. Xiao's face turn pale and he felt like his liver and gall were splitting. His eyes kept changing, and finally, he laughed sinisterly. "Then let's sell out the people above and die together!"
Meng Zhong was a little disappointed to see Du Rusong come out with intact Lin Dab and Du Ruyan. Treason was a felony to kill all family, and even Empress Du couldn't escape, let alone these bastards.
However, at this moment, Du Rusong and Lin Dan raised their heads at the same time and looked at Meng Zhong with the same cold eyes, which made them smile at the corners of his mouth stiff on his face. He accidentally knocked over the teacup and scalded his wrist. He immediately took a few steps back to avoid the sight of the two, and his heartbeat rapidly.
Du Rusong had fought with all his might in the bloody storm. It was not strange that he had a strong aura, but it was no less than that of Lin Dan. The thick malicious aura was like that of a demon from the hell, suffocating. At the thought of this, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
After getting in the carriage, Du Ruyan asked in a low voice, "Brother, has auntie really been conferred the title of Empress Du?"
"Yes, I just received a letter from her. The news will be spread to Lin'an in a few days." Du Rusong poured a cup of hot tea for Lin Dan and said in a soft voice, "Dan, drink some water to calm down."
"Thank you. I'm not afraid," said Lin Dan, handing the cup to Ruyan.
Ruyan quickly drank a cup of tea and said in admiration, "Dan, aren't you afraid at all? If we are really caught, it will be a big crime to kill all of us!"
"What are you afraid of? At the worst, kill all those people. Let's go to the sea by ship and be pirates. My mother has a way to make weapons and armors, and your brother can get the warships through the military camp. I'm a little bit powerful. You're good at doing business and can help us sell the spoils. When we go out of the sea, we can do whatever we want and grab as much money as we want. We're not living a hard life now." As she spoke, a look of yearning appeared in her eyes, as if it was a pity that she hadn't become a wanted criminal.
Hearing that, the teacup in Ruyan's hand fell on the cushion with a click.
Du Rusong was stunned at first and then covered his face with his hand to stifle a smile. He should have thought of the way to survive in any case. But Lin Dan was one of the most valiant girls in the Great Zhou, and there was no way for her to survive.
"Dan, how can you be so cute?" seeing the serious look on Lin Dan's face, Du Rusong changed from a muffled smile to a loud one.
Ruyan giggled too. The previous fear had completely dissipated. She should have thought that as long as there was Dan, she didn't need to worry about anything because Dan could always think of a solution. What was wrong with being a pirate? Being able to roam the whole world without scruple was much better than now!
After they returned home, Du Rusong got off first, turned around, and without saying anything, he put his hands under Lin Dan's armpits and held her down. He was very tall, and these days he had gone through a lot of battles in all directions, so he became stronger. While Lin Dan inherited the short and stumpy figure of Lin Dafu, and she would never grow taller after fifteen years old.
Now she was held in Du Rusong's arms, just like a doll. Her thin legs kicked a few times in the air before she could barely step on the ground. Seeing her funny appearance, Du Ruyan covered her mouth and snickered again. She had never expected that there would be such a time.
Zhang Hui, who came out to welcome her daughter, was slightly stunned. She looked at Du Rusong with scrutinizing eyes. This man was so careful with his daughter. Did he fall in love with her? Oh, no! Her daughter was going to marry a son-in-law by adoption, and she couldn't be married to a powerful man!
Thinking of this, she immediately found an excuse to drag her daughter into the room and slammed the door again.
Du Rusong touched his nose and smiled helplessly, but he had no intention of giving up.
Three days later, the news that Empress Du was renamed was finally spread to Lin'an. The brother and sister of the Dus immediately became the local popular figures. All the officers and soldiers who went to search for the Danyan Embroidery House were arrested, interrogated by Du Rusong in person, and tortured. Some people failed to survive the torture and died in prison, while some people were involved in the chaos, dragging many colleagues in the prison too, making the situation more confused.
No one knew what Empress Du had told the emperor. The emperor had even sent the most capable minister around him to investigate this matter, which led to a big shuffle in the official field of Lin'an. Fortunately, Meng Zhong and the Lis were clever enough, and they had found several scapegoats who didn't reveal them. However, the emperor was not a fool. After receiving the letter, he gave the relevant people a hard lesson.
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