Fu Tinghan frowned silently.
Gao Hui noticed and paused before whispering, "Young master, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and he’s placed so treasure outside Hai’er Ridge. He is willing to exchange those treasures for a safe identity."
Fu Tinghan looked up at him, "Being a guard for a caravan isn’t exactly safe."
Gao Hui replied, "But right now he’s being hunted by Beigong Chun and Zhao Yong, facing a catastrophe. If you can save him, he’d be willing to be not just a guard, but even a coachman."
Fu Tinghan remained silent, turning to look out the window, where Qiao Sheng and Zhao Chang were locked in an even match, neither able to gain the upper hand.
But he knew, this round was actually won by Qiao Sheng, because he’d just gone through a major battle and escape, and had fought soone before, seemingly carrying injuries, yet Zhao Chang couldn’t defeat him even by resting and attacking at leisure, proving Qiao Sheng’s prowess.
The guards in the courtyard could naturally see what he did, but their faces showed little anger, instead bursting out with cheers, so even looking at Qiao Sheng with admiration.
"Qiao Sheng and his n killed the guards in the caravan, aren’t the guards resentful?"
Gao Hui was stunned for a mont, confusedly asking, "Why should they be?"
He said confidently, "Us being robbed wasn’t part of a conspiracy, at that ti they were bandits, we were civilians, bandits robbing civilians, civilians resisting bandits, all for profit, all within reason. They did kill several of our n, but we also killed quite a few bandits."
"If he wants to join us, then we’re on the sa side, living and dying together, how could there be resentnt?"
That answer was unexpected for Fu Tinghan, wondering if Hanzhang also thought the sa.
He realized he had been short-sighted, caught up in small loyalties; indeed, this era was beyond his expectations.
Fu Tinghan smiled lightly, nodding, "If you’re confident in winning him over, then keep him, with just one condition, the caravan guard leader must be Zhao Chang."
Gao Hui bowed his head in agreent, promising to keep a close watch on Qiao Sheng and his n, ensuring they cause no further trouble.
"As for that place by Hai’er Ridge..."
"I’ll handle it," Fu Tinghan said, "Second Son is easier to convince, but General Beigong isn’t easily fooled. Make sure they don’t go out and keep a low profile recently."
Gao Hui nodded.
Only then did Fu Tinghan say, "List out their nas for , note their ages and physical characteristics."
"Yes."
Fu Tinghan donned his gauze hat and left. As he passed by, he noticed Qiao Sheng noticing him erging from the adjacent room and stiffened, watching closely, though with the hat obscuring, Qiao Sheng couldn’t see much.
Fu Tinghan rely glanced in their direction before leading his n out of the courtyard and leaving by car.
Gao Hui escorted them to the gate, watching as Fu Tinghan’s guards took him away before turning back around.
Qiao Sheng looked at Gao Hui with piercing eyes, and Gao Hui, eting his gaze, smiled slightly; look, such smart people, he loved dealing with smart people.
Gao Hui stepped forward, announcing to everyone, "From now on, Qiao Sheng is also a guard for our caravan, we’re all one family, and let bygones be bygones. Let’s look forward!"
The people acknowledged, looking at Qiao Sheng and his n not with too much closeness, but not as they did before as if eager to swallow each other whole.
In this era, gratitude is hard to earn, enmity easy to foster, so they’d rember gratitude and forget grudges; all licking blood off a knife’s edge, who knew when they’d breathe their last?
Fu Tinghan left, and the sky gradually darkened, while Beigong Chun and Zhao Erlang were still up on Hai’er Ridge.
They were ransacking the treasures in the mountain hideout: copper coins, gold, silver, textiles, porcelain, various ornants, even tung oil.
Zhao Erlang, a bit naive, found a room full of tung oil, surprised beyond asure, and imdiately ordered people to move it, shouting loudly, "This is my find, it’s all ours."
The soldiers’ gazes drifted to the other side; they wanted to seize the money.
But Zhao Erlang felt there was so much tung oil, not quite knowing its value, so he called everyone to move it quickly.
Lv Hu approached quietly and said, "Young master, these will be divided later, we might as well grab the money first, the soldiers can pocket a bit."
"Huh?"
Lv Hu, "You forgot, you and General Beigong agreed to divide evenly, and these barrels of tung oil are too big to hide, they won’t count as yours."
Only then did Zhao Erlang realize, quickly ordering everyone to scramble for the money.
The captured bandits squatted in the open space, the soldiers frisked them thoroughly, not leaving a single coin.
Zhao Erlang was quite taken with this treasure-hunting ga too, so he ran over, scanning the group quickly and pulling aside one who seed high-ranking to ask, "Tell , besides these few places, where else is your hideout’s treasure hidden?"
The man remained silent.
Zhao Erlang wouldn’t relent, rolling up his sleeves and punching.
The man didn’t expect Zhao Erlang to hit the mont he spoke, quickly saying, "Our boss has so hidden money too, I know it’s stashed inside his bed."
Zhao Erlang clenched his fist and asked, "What else?"
"N-no more."
"Liar, do you think I believe that?" Zhao Erlang thought the money was probably already seized by the soldiers, everyone knew that good stuff was hidden under the bed. But Sister had said, cunning rabbits make three burrows, and that bandit leader was so crafty, he must have many hideouts, "Tell , where’s your other hideout?"
The bandit trembled all over, Zhao Erlang’s punches hurt, he quickly added, "I truly don’t know; I’ve never heard we have a second hideout. General, you can go check, they must have missed it. Our leader hid things in the bed."
He gestured earnestly, "Inside the bed, lift the bed board up, it’s hollow inside."
This was Zhao Erlang’s first ti seeing such a thing; he imdiately led a group, excitedly heading over.
Qiao Sheng’s room had already been searched twice, and still, so soldiers reluctantly continued looking, one even snatching a pearl fallen under a shelf and quickly pocketing it.
Seeing Zhao Erlang burst in, he imdiately lowered his head and stepped aside.
Zhao Erlang paid him no mind, heading straight to rummage through Qiao Sheng’s bed.
The bed lay bare; the soldiers, quite frugal, had even taken away the quilt and pillows, leaving nothing wasted.
This cumberso bed, made of ordinary wood, held no appeal to anyone, thus it was left alone.
At this point, aside from the low table and seating mat, even the wooden screen had been taken by others.
A soldier from the Xiliang army thought, "My parents just arrived, we lack so much at ho, taking this stuff back saves us from buying it."
A Zhao Family Army soldier thought, "Taking this stuff to the pawnshop might fetch sothing, even if just a few hundred wén, it’s enough to eat well several tis, haul it along!"
Therefore, the room was thoroughly looted.
Qiao Sheng’s bed was indeed cumberso, stuck close to the wall as if glued, and there were marks of attempts to move it, unsure whether soone tried to take it away.
Zhao Erlang fiddled a bit, finding himself unable to pry open the bed board or the bed, in frustration he turned, glaring at the bandit.
The bandit quickly said, "I-I also don’t know how to open it; all I know is the boss hid things inside."
Zhao Erlang frowned at the bed, finally taking off his shoes and stomping hard on it. He stomped for a good while, just about to haul in a big rock to smash it when one of his stomps broke through, creating a big hole in the bed.
Everyone: ...
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