"Jun Mohan, how did the city of Linzhou become like this in broad daylight? Have you been to Linzhou City before?" Leng Ruoli asked, her brows furrowed and her face filled with disbelief.
She hadn't expected such a large border town to be in this state.
"Four years ago, I came here for an inspection. Linzhou City wasn't like this then; it was a scene of prosperity everywhere," Jun Mohan replied, recalling the past.
"Heh! This Linzhou City now is far from prosperous. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a ghost town. If there were an enemy invasion, this Linzhou City would probably be taken without a single shot fired," Leng Ruoli scoffed.
"Let's go to the Prefect of Linzhou's residence," Jun Mohan said to Leng Ruoli.
Leng Ruoli nodded, also curious about what the Prefect of Linzhou did all day.
Afterward, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan found a secluded corner, took out two sets of coarse linen men's clothing from the storage of their system space, and changed. These clothes had been prepared in the capital and placed in their portable space.
Once the two had changed, they immediately arrived outside the main gate of the Prefect's residence, but the gate was also tightly shut.
"Jun Mohan, could it be that the Prefect hasn't woken up yet?" Leng Ruoli muttered softly, looking at the closed gate.
"Even if the Prefect hasn't woken up, the gatekeepers should be awake by now," Jun Mohan said indifferently.
"Then let's check the back gate," Leng Ruoli suggested.
Hearing this, Jun Mohan nodded slightly.
If it weren't broad daylight, he would have directly used his lightness skill to fly in with Li'er, saving them all this trouble.
As a result, when the two arrived at the back gate of the residence, they saw many people lined up.
"Line up properly! Everyone, line up properly!" the Prefect's steward yelled loudly.
Jun Mohan and Leng Ruoli walked over and stopped a man.
"Brother, why is everyone lining up here?" Leng Ruoli asked, full of confusion.
"Prefect Zeng's household is recruiting several guards today with a high monthly salary, so many people who know a few martial arts moves have come," the man explained to them.
"Then why does Prefect Zeng's household need to recruit so many guards?" Jun Mohan asked the man again.
The man glanced around and said in a low voice, "Prefect Zeng's favorite concubine was almost abducted by some refugees a couple of days ago, and several guards were killed."
"Why would such a thing happen?" Leng Ruoli asked, her brows knitted.
"You're from out of town, aren't you?" the man suddenly asked.
"Yes, we only arrived in Linzhou City a few days ago," Leng Ruoli replied with feigned embarrassment.
"No wonder you know nothing about what's happening in Prefect Zeng's household. Let me tell you, three years ago, Prefect Zeng went out for a stroll and took a fancy to a beautiful woman. He wanted to lure her back to his residence as a concubine, but the woman already had a husband and refused Prefect Zeng's demands no matter what. Prefect Zeng, unwilling to give up, ordered his subordinates to cripple the man's legs and take the woman home to possess her. From then on, the woman's husband disappeared, and the woman became Prefect Zeng's concubine."
"But a few days ago, the woman suddenly learned that her husband was not only alive but also had a bit of wealth. Overjoyed, she found ways to contact her husband. When her husband learned that she still thought of him after all these years, he spent some money to hire a group of refugees. Taking advantage of Prefect Zeng's absence a couple of days ago, they broke into Prefect Zeng's residence, killed the guards, stole a lot of silver and valuables, and rescued the woman. Upon learning of this, Prefect Zeng was so enraged he nearly had a stroke. He dispatched hundreds of men to search the entire Linzhou City but couldn't find the couple."
"Later, Prefect Zeng's advisor suggested a plan: Prefect Zeng posted a bounty notice on the street, offering one thousand taels of silver to anyone who could report the couple's whereabouts. However, the notice had been posted for less than two days before the couple was reported and captured. Last night, the man was imprisoned in the prefectural yamen, and the woman was brought back to the residence by Prefect Zeng..."
"Now, Prefect Zeng's household is recruiting many strong men who know some martial arts to strengthen their defenses. Alright, I can't say any more. I need to go line up immediately. If I'm any later, I won't get any of the good opportunities."
When the man spoke of the gossip concerning Prefect Zeng's household, he suddenly became talkative, spilling all the gossip he knew. Afterward, he remembered that he was also there to apply for a guard position in Prefect Zeng's household.
"Heh, so that's what happened. We're much obliged to you today, brother, for telling us about Prefect Zeng's household. Here's some silver for you to have a drink."
Hearing this, Leng Ruoli smiled and reached into her sleeve, taking out two silver pieces and handing them to the man.
When the man saw the silver, a glint flashed in his small eyes.
God! He hadn't expected to get paid for chatting with people. This was too great.
So, he abruptly changed his tune and said, "Young sirs, ask whatever else you wish to know. I don't know martial arts, and even if I get in line today, I might not be able to become a guard in Prefect Zeng's household."
"Then do you know why the city gates of Linzhou have been opening later each day these past few days?" Leng Ruoli asked the man.
"Alas, one reason is to prevent those refugees from the north from entering Linzhou City and causing trouble for the residents. Another reason is that Prefect Zeng deliberately delayed the opening of the gates to prevent the couple's accomplices from escaping the city," the man speculated.
"Oh, oh, thank you, brother, for the information!"
With that, Leng Ruoli took out another tael of silver and placed it in the man's hand.
By now, Jun Mohan and Leng Ruoli had understood the entire cause, process, and result of the matter. It turned out that Prefect Zeng was forcefully occupying a married woman.
After receiving the silver, the man stopped queuing and ran off.
Subsequently, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan heard the Prefect Zeng's steward shouting continuously, "Line up properly, everyone, line up properly. We will select them one by one. Only those who are chosen can stay to become our Prefect's guards."
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan exchanged glances and then walked to the back of the line, obediently joining it, intending to infiltrate Prefect Zeng's household through this method and ascertain the truth of the matter.
As a result, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan, under the aliases Li Ruo and Han Mo, passed the test instantly and entered Prefect Zeng's household.
At this moment, in the room of the woman who was taken back by Prefect Zeng, crying could be heard continuously.
"Young mistress, please stop crying. Master will not let you leave the Zeng residence. Why must you bring such suffering upon that person," the young maidservant Zhi Xia of the Zeng residence advised.