Daming King of Punishment

Page 632

But the leading masked man walked towards the cell where Song Wuya and the others were.

He looked fiercely at Song Wuya and the others, and after scanning their faces one by one, he finally landed on the Wuliangjiao man who died in prison.

"Trash!" The masked man cursed angrily, and once again looked fiercely at Song Wuya and the others.

He took a few steps to the front, and then withdrew his gaze, and his gaze fell on the vinegar jar in front of the cell.

Immediately, the masked man kicked it out, and the jar of vinegar shattered.The vinegar inside splashed all over the floor.

"As long as the things are still there." He took out the jade from the broken jar, and washed away the dirt on it with the remaining vinegar, revealing the face of the jade.

The jade is a seal. The masked man held it up and looked at it. There were some strange lines engraved on the bottom of the seal, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

He smiled slightly, put the thing in his arms, and looked at Song Wuya and the others again with that fierce and cold gaze.

When he took his hand out of his pocket, the jade seal was gone, but there were a few more darts instead.

Obviously, he was going to silence.Although he didn't know the identities of Song Wuya and the others, he didn't want to let others know what happened today.

The masked man raised his hand and wanted to throw the dart out.

"who!"

At this critical moment, he turned around suddenly, and threw the dart in his hand directly behind him.

The dart fell, and there was no movement.The eyes of the masked man were still serious, he drew out his dagger, and slowly backed away.

Seeing this situation, Song Wuya immediately gave Bai Zhuo a wink.

The masked man's five senses were intelligent, and he only felt alert when he heard something just now.At this moment, he was facing danger, but he handed over his back to Song Wuya and the others who he thought did not pose any threat to him.

Song Wuya didn't dare to act rashly, he didn't know why the masked man suddenly became so nervous, he hoped in his heart that the imperial guards had already arrived.

After all, they are now deeply trapped in the cell, and there is no way to leave here.And with such a guy guarding outside, he might end their lives with darts at any time.

Even if they had a chance to sneak attack from behind now, the other four masked men were definitely not something they could handle.

Just before the masked man slowly leaned against the prison, something suddenly flew in the distance, round as a ball, glowing black and red, it was difficult to see what it was while spinning.Without hesitation, the masked man shot out the dart in his hand, heading towards that thing.

The dart was nailed to that thing with incomparable accuracy, the two collided, and the forces canceled each other out, and the ball-like thing fell to the ground with a bang.

Before the masked man could see what it was, four more of the same thing flew over.

The masked man was worried that it might be deceitful, so he didn't dare to let the thing fly in front of him, and the throwing knives in his hand flew out one after another, shooting directly at the four flying things.

Just as he shot the dart, a figure suddenly appeared not far away and came towards him quickly.

Seeing people coming, Song Wuya was immediately delighted, it was none other than the guards who secretly protected them before.

The dart was shot, and before the masked man could take out the dart again, the guards had already arrived in front of him.

He could only fight against it with a short knife, but how could he alone be able to parry a few guards, but in just one round, he was stabbed several times in the body, and he no longer had the strength to resist.

"Sir Song, I hope you will forgive me for being late." The leading guard broke open the prison cell with a steel knife in his hand, and released Song Wuya and the others.

"There are still a few civilians who were captured by the bandits over there, let them go together." Song Wuya stepped out of the cell, and immediately signaled the other civilians to the guards.

A guard walked aside and quickly released those people.

Song Wuya squatted down in front of the masked man, tore open the skirt of his clothes, and saw that the jade seal inside was intact, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter 6: Go straight to Yangzhou

Chapter 6: Go straight to Yangzhou

“刚才我还在担心，你们不要不小心把这东西给砍坏了。”宋无涯微笑着说道。那名禁卫上前，看了则玉石印章一眼后道：“宋大人，莫非这就是那万寿碑之内的东西？”“哦？”宋无涯微微一惊：“没想到你们消息还挺灵通的嘛！这个你们都已经知道了。”“那是自然，我等奉命保护宋大人安危，一路都在暗中跟随。宋大人所做之事，我们自然是了解的。”禁卫向宋无涯解释了他们为何知晓这件事情。对此，宋无涯也只是微微一笑，不作理会。毕竟在这之前他便已经猜测道，他们被抓的时候，这些禁卫应该就在附近，没敢直接出手罢了。“你们既然一直跟着，怎么我们被抓的时候，你们也不出面？”白卓一听这话，微微有些气恼。“白大人，当时情况不明，我等若是贸然出手，不是他们的对手，那可真就完了。”禁卫见白卓有些恼怒，急忙向他解释起来当时的情况。“原本我们刚刚已经摸清楚了情况，原本想要等到夜晚趁着天黑的时候动手。没想到在这个时候突然间这几个人来到了这里，这才暗中不动。没想到的是，他们的手段这般狠厉，好在我们动手够快，要不然的话真就危险了。”虽然嘴上说着这话，可白卓也并不是真的怪罪他们，只是现在看到他们忍不住抱怨一句罢了。“我知道你们不容易，可刚才吓死我了，我以为我就要这样死在这家伙的手里了呢！”听到禁卫说明了情况，白卓也说了一句，缓和了一下。“大人，我们快离开这里吧。王爷他也正在前往扬州的路上。”禁卫向两人说着，还提了一句晋王。听到这话，宋无涯立刻便问：“晋王前往扬州，他是否要回京了？”“正是！”禁卫点头。晋王此处南下，本是南巡，以及这一次的恩科。现如今这两件事情已经全数完成，他自然要回京复命了。“那咱们走吧，不过走之前将这里山贼搜刮来的财物带上一些。至于其他的就交给本地的官府来处置吧。”宋无涯向那禁卫说道。听到这话，禁卫顿时一愣，错愕的看着宋无涯说道：“大人，这恐怕有些不妥当吧！”“有什么不妥当的？本官都不怕你怕什么？让你那你就拿，就当是我犒赏诸位禁卫大哥了。”宋无涯理直气壮的说着，他可不担心这一点。毕竟，他所拿的钱财，并非是某人送给他的贿赂之银，而是一些无主的东西罢了。一旁的白卓也跟着掺和道：“是啊！这又不是第一次了，有什么妥当不妥当的？”他这话一出口，旁边的宋无涯当即白了他一眼。虽然这事情他们确实不是第一次所为，可这种事情哪能让他说的这般自豪呢？白卓自知失言，急忙闭上了嘴巴。禁卫们也只是尴尬的点了点头，也没有多说什么，各自前往寻找这些山贼搜刮来的财物了。很快，他们就带了不少东西从这里离开，顺便还将那几个平民也分了一些。众人下了山之后，原本是打算让那些一同被释放出来的平民前去报官，可宋无涯又有些不放心这些人，害怕他们秘而不报，将这些财物私吞，便派了一名禁卫随行前往。如此一来，他们四个人后边就只跟了四名禁卫了。“无涯兄，咱们这还有多久才能到扬州啊？”白卓看着前方，疑惑的问道。宋无涯皱着眉头，思索了一番后，摇头道：“这不好说。这一带因为闹山贼的缘故，白天不会有车辆经过的。咱们这路上怕是连个车都碰不上，这样走着去，还不知道什么时候才能到呢。从这里回去，估摸着今天傍晚也能回到那个村落了。到了那个地方，咱们再找了马车前往扬州吧。”想来想去，这样走下去也绝对不是好办法，只能暂且回去，等找了马车再走了。如此一来，他们便又耽误了一天的时间。好在他们现在拿到了那样东西，也不着急着赶路，也就无所谓了。“你……你们不是……被山贼抓了吗？”当宋无涯几人回到那个村落的客栈后，客栈内一群愁眉苦脸的人，看到他们几个，顿时傻眼了。瞧着他们吃惊的样子，宋无涯点了点头：“你们放心吧，山贼已经被我们收拾了。至于你们丢失的财物，等过些时日前往万寿镇的县衙领取就是了。”“大人当真是厉害啊！”吃惊之后，他们才想起了宋无涯的身份来，一个个恭敬的向宋无涯跪下行礼。“行了，不必拘礼。”宋无涯笑着招呼众人起来，随即向老板娘说道：“老板娘，为我们准备两间房间，另外准备点吃的。这一整天没吃饭了，昨天夜里也没怎么睡好，今天可要好好的休息一下。”老板娘急忙点头：“大人稍等，民女这就去帮你们准备。”老板娘离开之后，眼前的这些人全都凑过来，向宋无涯和白卓道谢。毕竟他们刚刚还在为丢失了银子而发愁呢，这会功夫宋无涯便给他们解决了这个问题，他们怎么能不心怀感激呢？在这个村落里好好的休息了一晚上后，第二天一早，那名前往万寿镇的禁卫赶回了村落。“交代你的事情可完成了？”宋无涯见到他之后，立刻询问起情况来。禁卫点头：“大人交代的事情已经完成，万寿碑之案那县令当即便做了判决。另外，他们今天也会赶往那林子里，找到那山贼的贼窝。”“那就好，看你这么早便赶来，想必昨天是连夜赶来的吧？”宋无涯看到这禁卫神态略显疲惫，便问了一句。禁卫点了点头，对此并不隐瞒。宋无涯立刻让村子里准备了两辆马车，立刻便前往扬州。过了一日之后，在第二天的下午，他们总算是来到了扬州。“这扬州果然是好地方啊！”白卓看到扬州之后，立刻兴奋的说道。扬州之巨大，可不是原先他们所看到的地方所能比拟的。即便是先前的几个省城，那也比不上这里。城门口人流涌动，各地来往的商旅络绎不绝。“这扬州果然是好地方啊！”白卓忍不住的连连称赞。因为禁卫的关系，他们在城门口便分开了。宋无涯几人下了车，徒步向城内走去。来到了城门口，城门前的官兵正在有序的盘查进城的人员。“无涯，你知道吗？”在城门前排队检查之际，司徒雯突然开口问了宋无涯一句这么没头没脑的话。宋无涯听着顿时一愣，很是疑惑道：“知道什么？”“知道这扬州的历史吗？”原来司徒雯是在说这个事情。要说这个，宋无涯还真不知道。以他对扬州的了解，也只是曾经从一些古诗词中得到的了解。虽然知道这里在古代很是繁华的地方，但却并不知道更加详细的事情。“这个，只是了解过一个大概，并不详细。”宋无涯如实将自己对扬州的了解说了出来。司徒雯微微点头：“这扬州之所以如此繁华，最主要的原因还是盐。”“盐？”宋无涯顿时一怔，他没想到扬州竟然是因为这个而繁华的。“没错，想必咱们进入这城内，会见到不少的盐商。”司徒雯点头确认着。“这扬州自古便是盐运重地，之前咱们所去过的那些地方，和这个地方那是没办法相提并论的。”“哦？雯儿，你怎么突然说起这个来？莫非……你是认为？”宋无涯对此很是疑惑，他感觉司徒雯这个时候突然说起这件事情，必定是有所指的。宋无涯没有把话说透，但司徒雯已经知道他在想什么了，点了点头。“哦！原来如此。难怪那无量教的人偷了万寿碑之后，会带着里边的东西前往扬州，原来是这么一回事。”宋无涯一下子明白了过来，同时心里也更加的担心了。他们两人的对话，令白卓和小环很是诧异。尤其是白卓，他越听越糊涂，哪能忍得住，立刻就像两人询问。“你们两个再说什么？我怎么听不明白啊？这扬州因为盐而繁华，这又怎么了？莫非这里也是私盐泛滥的重地？”司徒雯摇摇头：“话可不能这么说。虽说这扬州因为盐而繁盛，可也不能说这里私盐就泛滥。此地向来都是朝廷最注重的地方，怎么会让这里成为私盐泛滥的地方呢？我说这里有大量的盐商，那可都是正经的盐商，绝非你所想的那样。”“那无涯兄刚才明白什么了？”白卓依旧诧异。“还能明白什么？你觉得咱们追查私盐，目的是为了什么？”宋无涯看着白卓，没好气的说道。白卓一听这话，当即恍然大悟：“你是说无量教以及观山酒楼？”“没错！我想这个地方，必定会有他们的存在。”宋无涯对这件事情相当的确定。毕竟如此繁华的地方，这两方的势力怎么会放过呢？

Chapter 681 The Prosperity

Chapter 681 The Prosperity

经过了城门前的盘查，四人进入了扬州城内。没等几人往里边走，这门前的摊贩便大声的吆喝着，向众人兜售他们的东西。“咦！小姐，你看那边。”小环一进来便注意到了前边的一处摊位上，正卖着一些首饰。首饰很是精美，立刻就吸引了她的眼球，急忙便指给司徒雯看。司徒雯立刻笑道：“走，咱们过去瞧瞧。”看着她俩直接向着那摊贩走去，宋无涯和白卓只能无奈相视一笑。好在现在时间还早，他们也不担心找不到住处，索性就由着她们两个，让她们在这里闲逛起来。宋无涯和白卓懒得掺和其中，只是跟随在后边。“无涯兄，你看这扬州，到底就是不一样。你有没有觉得，这扬州比起咱们上次去过的京城，都还要好得多？”白卓依旧是对扬州赞不绝口，向宋无涯指着眼前的街道说着。说实话，白卓这话一点都不假。这地方确实是个不错的地方。越朝的开朝皇帝乃是张士诚，此人乃是兴化人氏，正是这扬州府境内，北上数日便可达到。原本张士诚建号大周，最终因为其出身越地，而改国号为越，以此顺应民意。可能是念及故乡的缘由，便欲将都城定在兴化。奈何下边大臣反对，称此地乃是其兴旺之地，同样越地自古常有起义之事，此地乃是不祥之地，便使其定都内境。又因张士诚与陈友谅朱元璋分庭抗礼，其中又以朱元璋最成气候。旗下能人观星而测，认定朱家生有祥龙之气，如今虽将其灭亡，却难免日后会再生事端，便将都城定在了朱元璋兴起之地凤阳。“那是自然，毕竟凤阳府定都不过几十年的光景，哪能与这扬州所比较啊！”宋无涯摇头说着。这两个地方根本无法相提并论，相差实在是太远了。不过凤阳既然为都城，若是越朝能经营个几百年，自然能够追的上扬州的。“咱们离开这扬州后，直接前往凤阳吗？”这才刚刚来到扬州，白卓便问起了离开扬州之后的事情。宋无涯不由得为之一笑：“白兄，你想的太远了吧？咱们这才刚来到扬州，你便已经向着要走的事情了？”“这不是随口一问吗？”白卓笑着说道。宋无涯没有理会他这个问题，而是提醒他道：“白兄，我看你还是多留意一下，这扬州城内，是否有观山酒楼吧。”“观山酒楼？我看不会有吧。”白卓立刻回应。“为什么？”这倒让宋无涯觉得奇怪了，毕竟扬州这等繁华的地方，观山酒楼怎么会不插足呢？白卓这么说，那自然是有他的说法，“无涯兄，你想啊，咱们之前所见到的观山酒楼，那可都是小地方的。这种地方，我看他们未必会有。”“什么叫都是小地方？咱们不才刚在镇江府查封了观山酒楼吗？”宋无涯可不这样认为，毕竟这观山酒楼的目的性很强，绝对不会放过扬州这等地方的。听宋无涯这么一说，白卓倒是没有反驳他，点了点头：“还真是如此，不过那镇江是什么地方？怎么可能和扬州这样的地方比较。不过，无涯兄你说的没错。咱们留意一下就是了，管他有没有，看看就是了。”“嗯！我想这一次，如果这扬州城内有观山酒楼的话，咱们的收获不定会不小的。”宋无涯很是肯定这一点，倘若在这里发现了观山酒楼，那绝非一个镇江所能比较的。“晋王不日便会抵达扬州，到时候咱们有了后盾，可以再次大干一场啊！”白卓也对此很是兴奋。不管怎么说，他们现在当务之急，就是要找到观山酒楼其背后势力，真正的目的。倘若他们只是敛财的话，那为何要控制那些官员呢？他们大可以有更多的手段去敛财，就像无量教一样。另外，那些官员被观山酒楼所控制，令宋无涯想到了另外一种可能。或许这观山酒楼的背后，正是朝廷位极人臣的存在，他们以观山酒楼这样的手段来控制那些官员，好让他们更加便宜的行事。如此一来，形成了体系，贪污受贿便简单的多了。“无涯兄，你瞧这扬州城内，烟花柳巷还真是不少啊。咱们这刚刚进城，这街道两侧到处都是花枝招展的女子啊！”白卓看到了不远处的阁楼之上，一个个穿戴的鲜艳无比的女子，展露着魅色，吸引着往来的人群。这一点宋无涯早已经料想到了，毕竟自古以来扬州便是风流之地，这样的地方哪能少的了这些烟尘女子呢。“白兄，你还没看到这河岸的花船呢！那才是好去处。”宋无涯微微笑着，顺着白卓的话说道。他虽然不曾来过这里，但也听闻过这些。白卓一脸吃惊的看向宋无涯，扭头看了看一旁还在认真看着街边摊贩的司徒雯和小环，压低了声音向宋无涯问道：“无涯兄，你怎么会了解这些？莫非你以前来过这里？”“不曾来过，我只是听说罢了。”宋无涯可不想让白卓误会自己，急忙解释道。这地方他是第一次来，这里也完全的不熟悉。要不然的话，他怎么会不知道这扬州乃是盐商聚集之地呢？之前有了司徒雯的话，令宋无涯对私盐这事，放心了不少。“我还以为你来过呢！”白卓松了口气，他显然是误会宋无涯了。“嘿，无涯，你们快过来。”两人正因为刚刚的话题，而略显尴尬的时候，司徒雯在旁边大声的喊了一句。两人立刻走过去，却见她们所在之处，里外都是人群。走进了一瞧，才看到其内竟然是有人在杂耍。几个约莫十来岁的孩童，正卖着力气的做着一些极难的动作，引来周遭人群阵阵的叫好声。“无涯，你看这些孩子。这般小小年纪，便遭这等苦难折磨。咱们也给他们点银子吧，也好让他们能吃上一顿好的。”司徒雯可怜那些孩子，可她也清楚，以他们的能力，没办法做其他的，也只能给他们点赏银，能让他们少挨点饿。宋无涯点了点头，这也算是做善事，没有什么不可以的。司徒雯之所以如此询问宋无涯，只是因为她想要多给这些孩子一些。只见她从荷包中取出了100两银票来，向着那两个孩子扔了过去。“嗬！这姑娘好大的手笔啊！”司徒雯这一出手，顿时便震住了旁边的看客们。他们不由得发出惊呼，眼睛全都看向了司徒雯。一下子被这么多人看着，司徒雯有些不好意思的低下了头，往宋无涯这边靠了靠。这些人围观在此，多数人只是看个热闹，根本就没有打算施舍钱财给这些孩子们。少数的一些人，也不过是给上一些散碎的银子，只当是给了叫花子。可司徒雯却不一样了，他这100两银票，莫要说这眼前杂耍卖艺的这些孩子们，就是旁边这些看客，也怕是多数没有见过的。“谢谢姐姐！”“谢谢姐姐！”震惊之后，这些孩子们知晓了司徒雯这银票，是赏给他们的，他们哪里还顾得上杂耍，一个个赶忙停下，跑到司徒雯的面前跪下，嘴里说着感谢的话，还不住的给她磕头。瞧着这些小孩子认真磕头的样子，司徒雯不忍心的蹲下身去将他们一一扶起。“姐姐也只能帮你们这一次，日后你们还要自己照顾自己，切莫太过卖力上了自己的身子。”面对着司徒雯的关心，这些孩子们却说不出什么其他感激的话来，起身之后也是一个个的躬身作揖，嘴里只说着‘感谢姐姐’。宋无涯在一旁看着她，拉了她一把：“雯儿，我们走吧。”他们出门在外，宋无涯几次叮嘱过财不外露。可今日情况不同，这些孩子是在可怜，宋无涯也不忍毁了司徒雯的善心，也就没有阻拦。此刻他看着周围，人们的注意力已经从哪些杂耍孩童的身上，放在了他们四人之上。他担心这些人之中，会有用心不良者盯上他们，所以才催促着司徒雯赶紧离开。就在这些人群中，一精干的瘦子，那一双小眼之中闪烁着阵阵精芒，凝视着司徒雯。他那张面容平凡的脸上，却露出了一抹不易察觉的阴狠。“司徒小姐，你这出手也太大方了！”离开了人群，那些围观的人，依旧在目送着他们离开。白卓立刻吃惊的说了一句，毕竟这么大的手笔让他可是着实心疼不已啊。司徒雯低着头：“这些孩子实在是太可怜了。”这天底下最容易博取人同情的便是妇女孩童和老人了，宋无涯不觉得司徒雯做错了什么，毕竟人能够保持着一颗善心还是非常重要的。“可怜也无可奈何，这天底下填不饱肚子的人实在是太多了。我们虽有同情之心，却也没办法对他们都有援助之手。如今遇到，能帮自然要帮帮他们了。”

Chapter 682 Book Renamed

?Chapter 682 book renaming

Song Wuya helped Situ Wen and said something. When Bai Zhuo heard this, he thought that what he said just now had misunderstood them.He didn't want Situ Wen to think that he was blaming Situ Wen for what he said just now.

"Miss Situ, I don't mean to blame you. It's just that you sold 100 taels of silver just now. This won't cause us any trouble, right? After all, brother Wu Ya often said that money should not be exposed!" Bai Zhuo was also very worried. This point, after all, before this, Song Wuya had warned him several times, and some things that happened after that also made his memory very deep.

Situ Wen was not sure about this matter, and looked up at Song Wuya.

"Don't think about it, I think we should find a place to settle down before we talk." Song Wuya didn't want to face this problem directly, after all, if he told the truth, Situ Wen might feel guilty, but if he didn't tell the truth, he felt that he would confess If he didn't go over, he simply took the matter directly and vaguely.

Fortunately, the three of them just nodded and did not delve into the matter.

Looking around along the way, they all forgot that they had already entered the city of Yangzhou, and the city gate had already been left far behind.

At this moment, they started looking for inns with all their heart, but they saw inns everywhere around them.In such a prosperous place, how can they worry about this matter.

"Welcome Inn!" Bai Zhuo pointed to the signboard of an inn and said to the three of them, "I think we'll live here. The name sounds very good!"

No one refuted, and the four of them headed towards the welcome inn.

When the four of them entered it, amidst the crowds on the street, a thin man kept looking at the Yingbin Inn for a long time before turning around and leaving.

In the inn, Song Wuya and the others had already booked a guest room.

When they came to the room, they planned to rest for a while. After all, the bumpy road these few days made them somewhat overwhelmed.

But as soon as they sat down and drank the tea, everyone started talking.

The one who bears the brunt of this is naturally Bai Zhuo. Before he came, he thought of leaving Yangzhou. Now that he entered Yangzhou, he naturally had to ask Song Wuya clearly what they were going to do in Yangzhou.

"Brother Wu Ya, how long are we going to stay here? Or should we head west directly to the capital?"

"Brother Bai, you are too anxious. We just came to Yangzhou, so we have to do some research in Yangzhou. After all, Wuliangjiao and Guanshan Restaurant will not let go of such a good place." Song Song Wu Ya is not in a hurry to leave here.

Originally they were passing by here, but the Wanshou monument was stolen in Wanshou Town before, which triggered a story about the treasures of the Song Dynasty.As for the members of the Wuliang Cult who got the things in the Longevity Monument, they wanted to bring this thing to Yangzhou, which made Song Wuya feel that they were probably going to give that thing to the high-level people of the Wuliang Cult here.

It is precisely because of this idea that he wants to investigate here.

"Brother Wuya, I haven't seen Guanshan Restaurant during this journey! Besides, it's not easy for us to find Wuliangjiao, and we don't know how long it will take." Bai Zhuo said worry about this problem.

Song Wuya shook his head again: "What's the matter? Even if we delay for a few days, we can meet King Jin here, and then we can go to the capital together. In addition, King Jin will definitely have other things to do when he comes to Yangzhou. At that time, we can also help King Jin!"

"Well, since you've said that, brother Wu Ya, it's useless for me to say anything." Bai Zhuo understood this point, and now that Song Wuya said this, it was useless for him to refute.