Chapter 245: The Fat Fish That Reached Our Lips

Xiao Ran twisted the little tuft of hair on her head: "Who are you still waiting for? Hurry up and go—how long have we been delayed?"

Tuan Tuan rolled over on her small bed, so comfortable!

Seeing their young lady so content, Xiao Er nodded silently; the Seventh Prince really is thoughtful.

Tuan Tuan suddenly remembered: "Where's Seventh Uncle? Didn't you say he'd be coming with us?"

Xiao Er replied: "Lu Qi knows the ways of the jianghu; he left the capital last night to make preparations ahead."

"Oh." Tuan Tuan responded, then lay down, bored.

Xiao Ran found it interesting and refused to go back to the original carriage, wanting to stay here.

Xiao Ningxun thought: "Ninth Prince, the Seventh Prince's carriage arrives just in time."

"Father originally intended for you to be in the open and Tuan Tuan in the shadows—you handle official matters, while Tuan Tuan secretly investigates the jianghu."

"From now on, we'll do this: I'll accompany Tuan Tuan in this carriage, the Ninth Prince will take the original one, Xiao Er will follow us, and we'll go our separate ways."

Xiao Ran immediately objected: "No way! Absolutely not! You want me to spend that long a journey alone in the carriage? I'd rather go back!"

Xiao Ningxun looked at him, helplessly rubbing his forehead: "Fine, then we'll stay here together. You arrange a guard, change into your clothes, and sit in the carriage just for show. We'll leave first, and let them remain here for an hour before setting off."

"That works!" Xiao Ran jumped up and went to make the arrangements.

The carriage was warm as spring; Xiao Ze, fearing Tuan Tuan would be cold, lit two braziers inside.

Tuan Tuan lay there, her eyelids growing heavy, and soon fell asleep.

Xiao Ningxun covered her with a small blanket and pushed the brazier closer to her.

Soon, Xiao Ran returned; Xiao Er personally drove the carriage, which moved forward slowly.

Xiao Ze's carriage is truly extraordinary—its suspension is excellent, making the ride very smooth.

Tuan Tuan slept on the small bed, her cheeks flushed; Xiao Ningxun sat nearby reading, while Xiao Ran idly played with the chess pieces, bored.

Suddenly.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you watching the road?"

Outside the carriage came Xiao Er's shout, and the carriage jerked to a halt.

The inertia nearly sent Xiao Ran lunging onto the small bed.

He steadied himself: "What's going on?"

Xiao Ningxun quickly sat beside the small bed, shielding her sister in front of her.

Tuan Tuan was jolted awake, sat up rubbing her eyes, and asked, "Third Brother, have we arrived?"

Outside the carriage came a man's wretched wail: "Oh no! I've been killed! My leg! My leg is broken!"

Xiao Ran lifted the carriage curtain and looked out.

All that could be seen was a middle-aged man dressed as a farmer clutching his right leg, collapsed in front of the carriage, wailing loudly.

Xiao Er frowned, tilted his head slightly, and whispered to those inside: "He's trying to extort us."

Hearing this, Xiao Ningxun, unwilling to cause trouble, said: "Xiao Er, give him twenty taels of silver and let him go."

"Yes." Xiao Er replied, pulling silver from his bosom and handing it over: "Take it and make way."

Seeing the size of the silver, the man thought, "This is a fat fish! I haven't even spoken yet, and they're already handing out twenty taels!"

"Such a fat, easy mark—twenty taels is too little to let you go!"

A flicker of greed crossed his eyes; he didn't reach for the silver, but wailed even louder: "Twenty taels? You think twenty taels can buy my leg?"

"My leg is broken—seeing a doctor and buying medicine would cost more than twenty taels! Even if it heals, fine; but if it doesn't, how will I ever work to support my family? No way! At least two hundred taels!"

"Two hundred taels?" Xiao Ran snorted inside the carriage: "What an appetite!"

Xiao Ningxun's brows knit tighter; just as he was about to speak, a soft little hand grabbed his sleeve.

Tuan Tuan peered out through the gap in the curtain Xiao Ran had lifted, curiously studying the wailing man outside.

"Third Brother, he's faking it! His leg injury isn't from dodging our carriage—he made it himself beforehand. You don't need to give him any silver."

Her voice was clear, and the man's sobbing cut off abruptly.

"There's a brat in the carriage ruining my fun! Little girl, just wait till I teach you a lesson for meddling!"

He raised his voice: "What does a little brat like you know? Obviously it's your driver who wasn't watching the road, hit someone, and now you want to dodge payment?"

"You actually dare to bite back? Two hundred taels isn't enough now—I need five hundred! Short even a single coin, and I'll go to the officials! I'll sue you for reckless endangerment on horseback!"

Xiao Ningxun's face darkened—how could they run into such a troublesome scoundrel right after leaving home?

Tuan Tuan pondered: "If we go to the officials and they believe you, won't we end up locked up in jail?"

The man instantly gloated: "Exactly! This delicate young lady, the taste of jail—you wouldn't enjoy it! Rats and cockroaches everywhere, the food is all slop! You wouldn't want to live there, would you?"

"If you don't have ready cash, you can pawn your jade pendant, hairpins, or whatever you've got!"

Tuan Tuan nodded firmly, dead serious: "Right, jail is terrifying—I definitely don't want to go." She paused, then said, "Second Uncle, just run him over."

The moment those words left her mouth, the man's smug expression froze, his eyes bulging.

Xiao Ran stared at Tuan Tuan in disbelief.

Even Xiao Ningxun was stunned.

Xiao Er hesitated for a moment: "Miss?"

The man snapped to attention: "You! What are you trying to do?"

Tuan Tuan put on an innocent face: "I'm going to kill him to silence him—that's what storytellers always say, don't you get it?"

"You! You…" The man, seeing Xiao Er raise the whip, could no longer keep up the limp; he sprang up like a carp flipping, more agile than a monkey, and darted without a glance back into the woods beside the road.

In a few leaps he vanished, his speed so astonishing it left everyone gasping.

Xiao Ran burst into earth‑shaking laughter: "Hahaha! Killing to silence! Little punk, you're a real talent! Hahaha!"

He pounded the seat, laughing until tears nearly streamed down his face.

Xiao Ningxun reached out and ruffled Tuan Tuan's little head: "You…"

Xiao Er also laughed, then said: "Hold on tight. Go!"

The carriage crept forward again, and Xiao Ran's unending laughter echoed inside the cabin.

That con artist man stumbled and crawled all the way, then slipped into a hidden mountain hollow.

A few crooked wooden huts stood there; the man rushed into the largest one, grabbed the teapot on the table, and gulped down the cool water with a "glug-glug".

He then caught his breath and shouted at the scar-faced man inside the house: "Big brother! There's a fat fish! A wealthy household!"

Daoba didn't even lift his head, grunted: "A wealthy household? How much did you scoop up?"

"Hey! Don't mention it!" the man slapped his thigh, "It was almost settled! The young master in the carriage didn't even hesitate to give me twenty taels to call it a day! Damn, he's loaded!"

"If it weren't for that sharp-tongued little brat in the carriage ruining things, I could have extorted at least five hundred taels from them today!"

Daoba lifted his head: "That easily?"

"Absolutely! The silver's all been pulled out!"

Daoba pondered for a moment: "A fat fish right at our lips—how could we let them get away! Which direction did they go?"

"They went west! That carriage looks quite ordinary, and it's not fast either!"

"Alright! Round up the brothers and give chase! This time five hundred taels won't cut it—do you think we can send off the Green Wood Gang? Hmph, if I don't wring them dry, I won't be called Daoba Liu!"