The barbarians in the mouth of a cripple are the general terms for the people outside the Great Zhou.

  The Turks, Khitans, Huihe, and other northern ethnic groups lived in the harsh and cold lands beyond the Great Wall. They were mainly nomadic, with a fierce and brave people. Especially the Turks, who had a large number of herders and war horses, everyone was skilled in archery, even women could ride horses and fight. They had become the overlords among the northern ethnic groups.

  The Turks are like a pack of wolves outside the fence, eyeing the rich and fertile land of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In recent years, they have frequently made disturbances along the border. However, the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded by military power and has strong national strength, so it is impossible for them to shake the foundation of the Great Zhou in the short term.

  Among the tribal leaders of the Turks, there were many who admired the culture of the Central Plains. The silk, tea, porcelain, fine salt and even writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones of the Great Zhou Dynasty could be sold at a sky-high price as long as they could be transported through the passes to outside the passes.

  Merchants are naturally profit-driven, and the huge profits involved are truly enticing. Even if they were caught and beheaded for treason, it couldn't stop the flourishing of smuggling trade.

  And among them, the most profitable is human trafficking.

  This sounds better. To put it bluntly, it's about abducting beautiful young men and women and selling them to wealthy and powerful leaders among the Turks.

  Ordinary commoner girls can't be sold for a high price, so those with bigger guts started to set their sights on the daughters of officials.

  A well-born official's daughter, beautiful and literate, skilled in playing the zither, flute, poetry, and painting. If one were to kidnap such a person and sell them into slavery, the profit would naturally be enormous.

  Of course, those who dare to lay hands on the official's daughter are by no means ordinary bandits.

  The lame man with a scar on his face and the second master of the house are the most daring and ferocious villains among this group of bandits.

  The eldest mastermind hides behind the scenes, responsible for "smuggling and selling stolen goods". The second mastermind disperses most of his men to various places, searching for suitable targets to strike.

  The so-called suitable target is a beautiful and elegant lady with outstanding temperament. Such targets are hard to come by, sometimes taking several months to encounter one. Even when encountered, it's necessary to weigh the difficulty of making a move.

  Those who can sit on the official boat are all officials and their families, with many servants and guards. One careless move, not only will they fail to kidnap someone, but they will also bring about a disaster that will cost them their lives.

  "How many guards are on that official ship?" The second master, impatient and inquiring, asked: "What does it look like? How many sailors are on the boat?"

  The cripple thought for a moment and replied, "A big official boat like this would probably have around ten or more sailors on board. There were eleven or twelve family guards who got off the boat, and I estimate there are still several left on the boat. These family guards walk with steady legs and look quite robust, their movements seem pretty good."

  Scarface frowned, listening: "Second master, hearing the cripple say this, the official position of the people on this official ship should not be low, and robbing such an official ship is indeed a bit risky..."

  The lame man snorted with his nose and quickly interrupted the scar-faced man: "What we do is a bloody business, how can there be no risk? Besides, it's not the first time we've robbed officials. These officials look powerful, but when they really encounter knives and guns, they become soft eggs. We don't take people's lives, nor do we rob gold and silver, just two people. They will only seek revenge as if they were enemies, besides, the ones who were taken away are unmarried girls, they don't want to report to the officials, nor dare to speak out. In the end, it's still just a mute loss."

  The daughter in the boudoir was robbed by a villain, who dares to spread this news?

  Once the news gets out, the woman's reputation will be completely ruined. Even if she is lucky enough to be found one day, she will never be able to marry again in this lifetime. It will also bring shame to her family.

  Out of this consideration, most officials who encountered such a disaster would secretly send someone to find out about their daughter's whereabouts after the incident. After searching for one or two years and finding no hope, they would painfully announce to the outside world that their daughter had died of illness.

  This is exactly the cleverness of the bandits' crime. They don't kill people, they don't rob gold and silver treasures, but only abduct beautiful young girls. This way, they can make a fortune quietly, without worrying about provoking the authorities to pursue and kill them.

  Scarface was robbed by the cripple, and he felt a little unhappy in his heart. He snorted: "We usually rob those low-ranking county officials and push officials. This time I heard you say that it's an upper-class official boat. Those who can take such an official boat are at least fourth-grade officials or above. How can they be so reckless and not afraid of encountering a hard nut to crack?"

  The cripple and Scarface quarreled endlessly.

  The second master furrowed his brow, a pair of triangular eyes flashing with ferocity, and bellowed: "Enough, all of you shut up! Whether it's worth taking the risk to make a move will be decided after I take a look myself."

  ......

  Ling Xiao entered the shop selling Wen Fang Si Bao and touched this and that with a face full of joy.

  The shop assistant next door was very enthusiastic and introduced the paper, ink and inkstone in the store.

  Since leaving Dingzhou City, Ling Jingxu also changed from her usual gloominess and depression, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her voice soft and elegant: "A Xiao, if you like it, just buy some."

  The guests and apprentices in the shop, hearing such a pleasant and moving voice, couldn't help but steal glances over. In their hearts, they secretly imagined the true appearance under her veil, and their minds were filled with excitement and infatuation.

  Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment, but then couldn't bear to part with it: "Let's just buy a little less!"

  The prices of high-quality brushes, ink, paper and inkstones are quite expensive.

  The silver on Ah Shu's body is for treating illness or saving some of it would be better.

  Ling Jingxian saw his appearance and felt both heartache and amusement: "If you like it, just buy it all. We're not short of this little bit of silver."

  Madam Ling and Old Man Ling were both generous with their money, the silver she brought with her was enough for the two siblings to spend.

  In the shop, he spent more than half a day, buying many pens and inks that might not be used, Ling Xiao was very satisfied.

  Ling Jingxu looked at Ling Xiao's satisfied face and felt exceptionally satisfied in her heart.

  After finishing shopping, Ling Jingyan and others also came over. Just looking at the several maids holding brocade boxes in their hands, it was clear that Ling Jingyan and Jiang Shi had also spent a lot of money in the cosmetics shop.

  Everyone comes with enthusiasm and leaves with satisfaction!

  Just after leaving the shop, a lame beggar suddenly rushed up and knelt down in front of Ling Jingyu and Ling Xiao: "Young masters and misses, have mercy on me! I haven't eaten for three days...".

  Speaking while kowtowing, with a face full of tears, looking quite pitiful.

  Ling Jing's eyebrows furrowed, and she subconsciously took a step back.

  As long as there is a strange man approaching within three feet of her body, she almost immediately becomes tense all over.

  The white jade behind immediately rushed forward and took some scattered silver coins from her sleeve to the lame beggar: "Take the silver coin and leave quickly."

  The lame beggar accepted the broken silver coins and repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude.

  It was a coincidence that at this moment, a gust of wind blew by. The light gauze on Ling Jingxu's face was lifted by the wind, revealing half of her face.

  The lame beggar took a deep breath and stared straight at Ling Jingyu.

  Ling Jing furrowed her brow but didn't make a sound, pulling Ling Xiao along as they walked around the crippled beggar and towards the official boat.

  Not far away, in front of a grocery store, stood a tall and sturdy man. His eyesight was extremely good, and he even caught sight of Ling Jingxuan's delicate face, his triangular eyes almost shining with light.

  ......