Chapter 2

A few people watched for a while, then each went back.

The bald youth seemed very satisfied with this transaction, watching as the people on both sides unloaded the goods and moved them to the carts on the opposite bank. He then extended his hand to Zhu Qing, their fingers meeting under the other's robe.

After a while, the two laughed heartily.

It seemed that, without the villagers realizing it, the two had struck another deal.

After the goods were unloaded, both sides departed. Apart from Zhu Qing and the bald youth, no one spoke. The Song and Xia had fought for so many years, accumulating too much hatred. Compared to the slight tension and worry of the villagers on the Song side, the Xia people on the other side of the mountain looked proud and disdainful.

The convoy returned.

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the items in the burlap bags. However, the weight had increased significantly, making the clumsy single-wheeled carts creak even louder, like a severely ill patient groaning in pain.

The concubine suddenly realized and said, "Are you smuggling salt?"

I nearly fainted.

Wang Ju wanted to cover her mouth. Could those words be said so easily?

"Doesn't your husband deal in contraband?" Zhu Qing asked angrily.

"He wouldn't..."

"Why did you come to Yan Prefecture then!"

"Coming to Yan Prefecture is for smuggling salt. What kind of logic is that?"

Zhu Qing stopped and stared fixedly at the mistress and her maid.

The young woman hurriedly said, "She's young and doesn't understand."

But a cold glint flashed in Zhu Qing's eyes.

Wang Ju shook his head inwardly.

However, this was not the time to be concerned about the identities of the two women. Zhu Qing shouted, "Everyone, don't relax. The most dangerous part is the return journey."

Just one sentence made everyone feel inexplicably tense.

If the soldiers discovered the goods on the nearly hundred single-wheeled carts, everyone from top to bottom would be beheaded.

This was just one of the dangers...

A few strong men separated from the convoy, moving ahead or behind, constantly climbing to the tops of several hills to look around.

The wheels fell silent again, with only birds occasionally being startled by the group, flying up and making agitated calls.

The young woman curiously observed everyone's expressions and actions.

But she wasn't stupid. It seemed that only this young man in the crowd was relatively friendly to them, so she asked in a low voice, "Why is the return journey the most dangerous?"

The mountain breeze brought the faint scent of musk and orchid from her.

"What does your husband do?"

Zhu Qing immediately perked up his ears.

"He's a dissolute farmer."

"Farmer" in the Song Dynasty didn't necessarily refer to an old farmer; sometimes it was an insult, meaning a rustic, and by extension, a crude person.

It seemed he came from a good family, but now he was using it as an insult.

Seeing the strained relationship between the couple, every word carried a deep resentment. But she hadn't revealed her husband's identity. Wang Ju, being kind, hinted at it in the most subtle way: "Has he explained it to you?"

"Explained?"

"Since your husband came to Yan Prefecture and is from the Central Plains, it's likely for contraband. Doesn't he say anything about it?"

Wang Ju gave a subtle wink.

Contraband, whether it's salt or not, is a capital offense.

If your husband deals in contraband, he wouldn't reveal it. But if he doesn't deal in contraband, who wouldn't fear a leak? Here, human life is as cheap as grass. If they were to harm you, could your maid's small sword protect you?

The young woman was puzzled at first but then realized, "He never tells me these things."

"No wonder you don't understand. On the way out, the contraband is usually cloth and tea. Even if it's discovered, it's not a problem. After all, there are still some Song outposts on the border. As long as you claim it's for the border residents, the authorities can't do much. But on the way back, it's different. It's goods from the other side, so the soldiers usually catch you then. Black eats black... that's when it happens."

"Black eats black."

"Do they really turn it over? But such cases are rare. Usually, the bosses have smoothed things over with the officials and soldiers. The most feared are the bandits along the way... You got lost and didn't have any trouble in this area, which is a huge stroke of luck. Not only are there corrupt soldiers, but also some savage border residents, bandits, and occasional invasions from the other side. They take everything—wealth, food, people, even the elderly and children. What about you two?"

Wang Ju couldn't help but shake his head.

"Boy, you have some insight," Zhu Qing praised.

"My late father died in battle, and my mother remarried to Mr. Jiang in Baoan Military City. Mr. Jiang's wife didn't like me and my younger sister and brother, so my uncle took us back to the village. I was fortunate to learn a few characters and see some things outside the village while living with the Jiang family."

This might be a heavy history. In Shaanxi, especially in the border areas, the court had established many local militias, including the Fan soldiers, the Shaanxi local garrison, the Baojie Army, and the archers and strong men. The Song and Xia had fought for so many years, and countless soldiers, including the local militias in Shaanxi, had died.

With her husband dead, the woman had no choice but to remarry.

This boy was handsome and had a good appearance, suggesting that his mother was also quite beautiful. She remarried to the Jiang family in Baoan Military City, but some remarriages were good, and some were not. For example, the mother of Fan Zhongyan remarried to the Zhu family, which was not a good match, but it led to a legendary story.

Of course, there is only one Fan Zhongyan in the world, and this boy could never compare to him.

But the bitterness was only known to the parties involved.

In the end, Zhu Qing patted Wang Ju's shoulder comfortingly, as he was still part of the Zhu family.

The young woman, however, seemed lost in thought.

Unconsciously, the sun set, and the group moved more quickly. The creaking of the single-wheeled carts became more frequent. In the dim yellow light, the foreheads of over a hundred men were drenched in large beads of sweat.

But at this moment, no one felt tired; instead, they looked around nervously...

Just then, someone ran up from behind and shouted, "Black Bee Bandits!"

The "mule drivers" feared the soldiers the least. Since the bosses dared to bring contraband to Hengshan, they usually had everything smoothed over. What they feared most were the bandits in the mountains, the Black Bee Bandits.

The three leaders were Gun Bee, who was skilled in martial arts and wielded a bright silver spear that no one could match in Hunszhou Valley. Blade Bee was ruthless and never left a living soul with his large saber. Fan Bee was both wise and brave, and under his strategy, the soldiers had failed to capture a single bandit in several campaigns.

However, the villages in the Baoan Military border area, living in this harsh region, were all fierce and brave. Even the Black Bee Bandits didn't dare to raid the villages. But for the mule drivers, losing the protection of the village walls, encountering the Black Bee Bandits was a disaster. And because of the black market, they couldn't seek help.

Everyone stopped and stood on the hilltop, looking into the distance.

In the distance, a group of shadows appeared, with a tattered flag in the middle, embroidered with a sinister black bee. That black bee was the nightmare of all mule drivers.

Disaster had arrived.

Wang Ju was a first-time mule driver and had heard of the great deeds of the Black Bee Bandits. In reality, each group of smugglers usually had a large number of "mule drivers" with simple weapons, so few bandits dared to attack them. But the Black Bee Bandits were an exception, and they never left a living soul.