Chapter 308

Xiao Er thought for a moment: "Escape."

Xiao Ningxun nodded, turned to Kong An, and said, "Thanks this time."

Kong An hastily waved his hands: "No need to thank me, I didn't do anything."

Tuan Tuan mumbled, "Date cake... delicious!"

Everyone laughed.

Xiao Ningxun looked at his sister in his arms and said, "Come on, let's all go back to sleep!"

Zhou Ping and Zhou An led the horse carriage, and the group returned to the inn for a good night's sleep.

The next day at noon, Luo Hongli came to the inn.

"Luo sister!" Tuan Tuan happily lunged over, then turned and shouted, "Ninth brother! Luo sister is here!"

Xiao Ran twitched the corner of his mouth: "... Oh, oh."

"Little one, hello." Luo Hongli took her small hand, sat down, then looked at Xiao Ningxun solemnly and said, "Everyone, last night there were indeed small boats coming and going in Hei Wei Dang."

"Our brothers followed from a distance; that place is deeper than we thought."

Xiao Ningxun wondered: "Is that area large? Why does nobody go there usually?"

Luo Hongli replied: "The name Hei Wei Dang lives up to its reputation."

"The reeds there are tall and dense, black everywhere; inside, one can hardly find a way, and unless one is extremely familiar, going in likely means not getting out."

Xiao Ningxun, hearing this, mused: "Now I see; no wonder Shen Wanjin's deeds could remain unknown."

"Since that's the case, we need a guide familiar with that place on the waterways."

Lu Qi interjected: "On the water, the experts are none other than the Canal Gang."

Luo Hongli nodded: "That's right; with the Canal Gang's help, entering and exiting Hei Wei Dang wouldn't be difficult."

Tuan Tuan, hearing "Canal Gang," lowered his head and pulled out the small wooden token: "Luo sister, is this useful? This was given to me by an uncle from the Canal Gang."

Luo Hongli glanced at it and exclaimed in shock, "Shunshui Order?"

"Little one, you actually have this; what are you worrying about? Just take this to the Canal Gang headquarters and tell Luo Zhenjiang—done!"

Tuan Tuan beamed: "Yah! So this little wooden token is actually so useful!"

"Exactly! With this little thing, not only Jiangzhou Prefecture but the whole Jiangnan region allows free passage; wherever you go, the Canal Gang brothers will look after you."

Tuan Tuan tugged at Xiao Ningxun's sleeve: "Third Brother, let's go find that uncle. Have him take us to that marsh to catch the bad guys!"

Xiao Ningxun rubbed her little head, lowering his head in thought for a long while.

If what Luo Hongli said is true, that area is extremely vast; relying solely on the Canal Gang is far from enough; we need the Bridgehead Gang and the Canal Gang to join forces.

He raised his head to look at Luo Hongli: "What's the relationship between the gang chief and Luo Zhenjiang?"

Luo Hongli chuckled: "Heh, I won't hide it from you; hardly anyone in the jianghu knows this."

She cleared her throat, counting on her fingers: "Let's put it this way: my father's maternal aunt's daughter married the son of the paternal cousin of the old chief of the Canal Gang."

"As a result, the daughter she bore was betrothed to the grandson of the old chief's own sister, while Luo Zhenjiang is the sole son of the old chief's own younger brother; doing the math..."

She frowned, her fingers tracing circles in the air, got stuck herself, and finally just spread her hands:

"Ah! Anyway, he calls my father maternal uncle by marriage, and by age I should call him brother! That's it!"

Everyone listened, dazed.

Xiao Ran stared wide-eyed, pondered for a while, then gave up with a blank face: "I think I kinda got it, but also kinda didn't."

Lu Qi suppressed a laugh, whispering to Xiao Er: "I think I figured it out; the Bridgehead Gang and the Canal Gang are just relatives."

Xiao Er put it simply: "As long as it's convenient for getting things done."

Zhou Ping and Zhou An looked at each other; Zhou An muttered softly: "Brother, did you understand?"

Zhou Ping honestly shook his head: "No."

Tuan Tuan's eyes sparkled as he looked at Luo Hongli: "Wow! Luo sister, you have so many family members! Is it especially lively?"

Xiao Ningxun couldn't help but chuckle, gave a light cough, and rubbed his sister's hair.

He looked at Luo Hongli and smiled: "That would be perfect. Then I'll trouble the gang chief to make the introduction; please have your cousin come here tomorrow to discuss important matters."

"Important matters? What important matters? Is there anything bigger than the Qian family?" Luo Hongli looked puzzled.

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "Yes, something bigger than the Qian family."

Luo Hongli immediately wiped the smile off her face, stood up and clasped her fists: "Alright! Then I'll go find Luo Zhenjiang now; tomorrow... at noon? Shall we still meet here?"

"Yes! Thank you." Xiao Ningxun returned the salute with clasped fists.

"Then see you tomorrow." Luo Hongli turned and left gracefully.

Xiao Ran cracked his knuckles: "Is it my turn to step up?"

Xiao Ningxun rose to his feet: "This time I'm going with you. We're not going to Jiangzhou Prefecture; we're heading to the City Guard Camp."

Xiao Er asked: "City Guard Camp? That's the garrison stationed in Jiangnan by the imperial court! Directly under the Ministry of War, and even the senior officers in the camp are dispatched straight from the capital."

Xiao Ran also didn't understand: "Why not use the troops of Jiangzhou Prefecture? They know this area better than the City Guard Camp!"

Xiao Ningxun shook his head: "Precisely because they're familiar with the area, they might have some collusion with Shen Wanjin, so we can't use them."

Xiao Ran suddenly realized: "Makes sense! If they leaked the word, all our effort would be wasted."

Xiao Ningxun rose to his feet: "There are many of my father's old troops in the City Guard Camp; let's go now and have them send troops to help."

"By then, we just need to follow the Canal Gang's people into Hei Wei Dang, cause an uproar, forcing Shen Wanjin to come himself. Then we'll surround and crush them with a large force, catching him red-handed!"

Xiao Er slapped his thigh: "Third Young Master's plan is flawless! Let's do it just like that!"

Tuan Tuan looked this way and that: "Are we going to cause trouble again? Like at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion?"

"Yeah," Xiao Ningxun pinched her cheek, "but this time the disturbance will be bigger than last time. Are you happy about it, Tuan Tuan?"

Tuan Tuan clapped her little hands: "Great! Causing chaos is fun!"

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran set off immediately, heading for the City Guard Camp.

City Guard Camp garrison commander Zhao Tieshan was originally part of Prince Ning's old troops; upon seeing the Nine Prince's token and Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran arriving in person, he naturally had no reason not to obey.

At noon the next day, Luo Zhenjiang and Luo Hongli arrived at the inn.

Xiao Ningxun laid out the entire plan, and the two were left dumbfounded.

Luo Zhenjiang asked, "You…… who exactly are you? You can actually mobilize the City Guard Camp?"

Xiao Ningxun said earnestly, "Our identities are not important; what matters is eliminating these evildoers who disturb the state and bring calamity upon the people."

He cupped his fists toward the two and asked, "Would you two be willing to lend me a hand?"

Luo Hongli and Luo Zhenjiang exchanged a glance, then together returned the salute: "We will contribute our modest strength."

"Thank you!"

The next day, under the guidance of two Canal Gang members familiar with the waterways, the group boarded a small boat and silently slipped into Hei Wei Dang.