I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 415 Yu Tao Digs a Trap

Chapter 415 Yu Tao Digs a Trap

Wang Wenzhou led his troops on a campaign of assassination throughout Shaanxi Province. In almost every place they went, they would kill the local officials. This wasn't Wang Wenzhou's fault; these Shaanxi officials truly deserved to die. Wang Wenzhou's reputation as a righteous official was at its zenith. Wherever Wang Wenzhou went, the people eagerly awaited his arrival, hoping he would come and kill the corrupt officials.

Wang Wenzhou was wandering around Shaanxi mainly to wait for Gao Yingxiang to return. In his memory, Gao Yingxiang had been defeated by Sun Chuanting and killed this year, the ninth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, when he attacked Xi'an.

Although Yu Tao and Li Lin suggested going to Huguang to find Gao Yingxiang, Wang Wenzhou used the excuse that he was the military supervisor of the Northwest and could not go to Huguang, as this was against the rules of the court. Left with no other choice, Yu Tao and Li Lin could only follow Wang Wenzhou and stage a dramatic scene in Shaanxi where the upright official was executed.

That evening, Yu Tao and Li Lin drank and chatted happily, both of them quite pleased. They had learned that Gao Yingxiang's army had left Huguang and was marching towards Shaanxi.

Li Lin picked up his wine cup, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "The King of Chuang is finally going back to Shaanxi. You and I, brothers, will finally stop messing around with that mad dog Wang Wenzhou."

Yu Tao nodded and said with a wry smile, "Fortunately, we are no longer officials of the imperial court. Otherwise, after going through all this with Wang Wenzhou, we would have no way out in Shaanxi. As soon as Wang Wenzhou leaves, the officials in Shaanxi will retaliate against us."

“Yes!” Li Lin said with a wry smile, “I just don’t understand what Wang Wenzhou is up to. He is the military supervisor of the Northwest, but he plays the role of a righteous official who executes corrupt officials, as if he were performing in a play. If Wang Wenzhou is a righteous official, there will be no corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty.”

"Haha!" Yu Tao laughed loudly, "Yes, Wang Wenzhou is a womanizer, and his guards are all young and beautiful women. I don't know how good these girls are in combat. But I can say for sure that they are quite formidable in bed."

"Haha!" Li Lin laughed loudly.

Yu Tao suddenly looked serious and said earnestly, "Brother Li, I've invited you here today because there's something I need to discuss."

Li Lin nodded and said, "Brother Yu, we are brothers, like sworn brothers. Please feel free to speak your mind."

Yu Tao thought for a moment and then said, "Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, is cunning and unpredictable. Take the so-called corrupt officials he killed, for example, how many of them were truly heinous criminals?"

"Yes!" Li Lin said with a bitter smile, "Lord Shen Zizhen died such an unjust death!"

“Wang Wenzhou is vindictive. We’ve held him hostage for so long, I’m certain that once he escapes, he’ll lead a large army to hunt us down like a mad dog,” Yu Tao said with great concern.

Li Lin frowned and said helplessly, "Yes! Although we have all lowered our stance and treated him with courtesy these days, he is still our hostage after all, and he must harbor resentment!"

Yu Tao nodded and said fiercely, "Therefore, we absolutely cannot let Wang Wenzhou leave alive!"

"No!" Li Lin said worriedly, "Wang Wenzhou has two thousand men who have surrounded us brothers. If we kill Wang Wenzhou, our brothers will surely be hacked to death by his men."

Yu Tao said with a smile, "Brother Li, don't worry, we don't need to do anything. We just need to tie up Wang Wenzhou and hand him over to Chuang Wang. With Chuang Wang's temperament, no official of the Ming Dynasty has ever escaped unscathed once he falls into his hands."

"Haha!" Li Lin laughed loudly, "Brother Yu, what a brilliant plan! With hundreds of thousands of elite troops under the command of the King of Chuang, Wang Wenzhou's small force is nothing to worry about. If we escort Wang Wenzhou to the King of Chuang, we will not only be giving the King of Chuang a generous gift, but we brothers will also have no worries about the future."

While Yu Tao and Li Lin were plotting to trick Wang Wenzhou, Wang Wenzhou was having a heart-to-heart talk with Gao Guilan, who was still baby.

"My little Lanlan is the best!" Wang Wenzhou hugged Gao Guilan and wanted to kiss her as encouragement, but suddenly he thought of something and quickly hugged Gao Guilan in his arms.

"Little Lanlan, Uncle has some good news for you. You're about to meet your father!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

"Really!" Gao Guilan said excitedly, "Uncle, I miss my father so much, your little Lanlan, I haven't seen my father in so long."

Wang Wenzhou gently stroked Gao Guilan's hair and said softly, "Little Lanlan, your sister-in-law will accompany you on your journey later. You must travel through the night and make sure you see Father before us. Tell him that his son-in-law has come to pay his respects. Tell him not to misunderstand and not to mistake our men for government troops sent to annihilate him. We are family; we cannot harm each other."

“Sister-in-law, come here, give me a kiss!” Wang Wenzhou waved to Wang Ying.

Wang Ying smiled slightly and quickly brought her mouth close to Wang Wenzhou's.

"Sister-in-law, you've got it wrong! I told you to kiss Xiao Lanlan. You two have never gotten along very well, and now that you're going out on business together, I'm worried about you! I'm afraid you'll bully Xiao Lanlan," Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.

Wang Wenzhou asked Wang Ying to accompany Gao Guilan because he was afraid the naive and innocent Gao Guilan wouldn't understand. Besides, Wang Ying knew martial arts, so she would be able to protect herself in case of an accident.

Wang Ying hugged Gao Guilan and kissed her baby.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Babies, you're sisters, you're family. You have to love each other and not hurt each other, understand?"

"Mmm!" Gao Guilan nodded with a smile.

"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou patted Wang Ying and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, did you remember what I just told you?"

"Got it!" Wang Ying rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou, annoyed. I'm not your little Lanlan. She's so silly that she can't remember, but how could I not remember?

"That's good!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile. "Gao Yingxiang's army has re-entered Shaanxi, and Sun Chuanting, who is chasing after us, must have already heard the news. If I'm not mistaken, Sun Chuanting will definitely gather a large army to besiege Gao Yingxiang. You must persuade Gao Yingxiang not to act impulsively and to wait until I arrive before making any decisions."

"My lord, don't worry, I understand!" the prince said.

"Uncle, Uncle, you have to save Father! We can't let that old dog Sun Chuanting bite Father!" Gao Guilan said hurriedly.

"Little Lanlan, be good!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Your father is my father! How could I just stand by and watch your father get bitten by a dog? The reason I came to Shaanxi this time is actually to have a good talk with your father about the matter of being granted amnesty. Little Lanlan, don't worry, just know that Uncle would never harm your father!"

"Mmm!" Gao Guilan nestled in Wang Wenzhou's arms with a smile. Uncle is truly the best man in the world!