The First Book: The Female Fowls Chapter 6: A Scheming Heart

  Made it onto the chart, signed a contract, what a huge pressure relief~~~~ The cover is pretty good too :)

  Gao Jian's face changed as he heard this, and he spun around with a chill. He grabbed Fu An's collar and shouted: "What are you talking about?"

  Fu An saw the Magistrate's expression change greatly as soon as he mentioned Lin Chong's wife, and thought to himself that his plan was working. He hurriedly smiled and said: "Magistrate, I have a plan in mind, it is absolutely foolproof, and will definitely help you obtain the beautiful woman, so that you can repay the Magistrate for your kindness and favor towards me."

  It seems that this kid has already started to muddy the waters. I remember in Water Margin, this kid came up with a plan to offer his wife to someone else and then withdraw it, just looking for an opportunity to have an affair. However, today Lu Qian also made an appearance, and it's hard to guarantee that he won't suddenly pull out the poisonous move of mistakenly entering the White Tiger Hall. I must ask clearly, can't let them frame good people like this.

  He immediately laughed and said: "Indeed there is such a wonderful plan, come in and tell me about it in detail."

  Fu An saw the county magistrate's eyebrows open and his eyes smile, with a face full of lustful thoughts, congratulating himself on his plan: It seems that the county magistrate really can't forget that Lin family daughter. Now if I succeed, I'll be prosperous! Fortunately, I have an extra eye, rushing to report to the county magistrate overnight. If I waited until tomorrow and let Lu Qian take credit, wouldn't all the merit be snatched away by him?

  Two people entered the small courtyard, and Xiao Huan came to welcome them. He waited for the official to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard, while Fu An stood beside him. Gao Qiang waved his hand to signal Xiao Huan to retreat, and hastily asked: "What's a good plan? Tell me quickly."

  "Sir, the Lu Qian we saw today is a lieutenant in the Imperial Guard. He's on very good terms with Lin Chong and they call each other brothers. His house is just next door to yours, and there's a small pavilion in his backyard that's extremely secluded - you wouldn't even hear thunder from ten paces away. In my humble opinion, we should get Lu Qian to invite Lin Chong over for a drink tomorrow, and after a while, have one of the Lu family servants rush over to Lin Chong's house with an urgent message saying he's fallen ill after drinking too much. His wife will definitely come running to see him, and we can bring her to the pavilion in the front courtyard of the Lu house. Then, we'll withdraw the ladder, and you can sneak out from inside. At that point, no matter how loudly she cries for help, no one will hear her. And with your... particular set of skills, it's not like you won't be able to take advantage of the situation." He couldn't stop leering as he spoke.

  Gao heard that, secretly breathed a sigh of relief in the dark, it turned out to be just a matter between men and women, didn't expect to go and kill Lin Chong. However, this is also normal, if the superior favors the subordinate's woman, no matter how shameless they are, they will rush to offer their own pillow person with both hands, just to please the superior. If this plan succeeds, according to common sense, Lin Chong can only swallow his anger and remain silent.

  Just as he was about to turn his face and scold Fu An, he suddenly had an idea and smiled: "Good, well said! Although this plan can't be compared to the Lingyan Pavilion, it's indeed a good plan. Tomorrow morning, after I've greeted Father in the yamen, we'll go and do it together."

  Fu An was overjoyed and repeatedly congratulated Gao Qiang, wishing him a bright future, and left with a happy heart.

  Gao Liang walked into the house, Xiao Huan came forward to serve him, took off his outer clothes, washed up and went to sleep. Although looking at a beauty under the lamp is another kind of fun, Gao Liang is still a modern person after all, seeing Xiao Huan's obedient appearance, he always feels awkward being with this little girl, feeling like a slave owner, so he didn't let her serve him in bed, and also changed the habit of waking her up in the morning.

  However, seeing Xiao Huan's flustered appearance earlier, Gao Qiang found an excuse to speak, saying that he had met a famous teacher and from today on, he would practice Taoist techniques diligently and could not be close to women. Xiao Huan blushed and agreed, holding the changed clothes and going out to the outer room, leaving only Gao Qiang sitting at the head of the bed, looking at her slender back, suddenly feeling a little regretful again.

  No words that night, the next morning, Gao Qiang hurriedly walked to Gao Fu's study room and told him about the plan he had discussed with Wen Yanbo the previous night. Gao Fu was overjoyed and repeatedly praised Gao Qiang for his great progress. This move could be called a clever trick, on the surface not offending Zhao Tingzhi who held power, but secretly helping Cai Jing. If one day Cai Jing regained power, the influence of the Gao family would also rise greatly.

  Gao Zhan looked at the fake son and liked him more and more. He ordered someone to bring out an object on a tray, lifted the yellow silk cloth on top, and it turned out to be a long knife with a blade as long as five feet, but the handle was only a few inches long. The knife body was slightly curved, with a dark color and numerous hidden patterns on it.

  Gao Jian was shocked at first sight, this knife looked ordinary at a glance, but upon closer inspection, he felt that the faintly visible patterns seemed to come alive, with a power flowing through the blade. Although it lay quietly there, it gave people a sense of hidden killing intent.

  Gao Yun chuckled and said, "My son, this is a famous sword presented by the Great Food Country in those years. This sword can cut through gold and jade, slice through iron like mud, and has another extraordinary feature. The body of the sword is curved and straight at will, and its scabbard hides a mysterious mechanism that can be wrapped around the waist, just like a belt." As he spoke, he put the sword back in its scabbard and walked over to tie it around Gao Qiang's waist. With a click, the two ends were fastened together seamlessly, and from the outside, it looked like an ordinary belt that wasn't even particularly beautiful.

  He was excited for a while, but then put the knife back on the tray.

  Gao Yun suddenly said: "My son, since this knife is wrapped around your body by your father's hands, it is given to you. Why do you decline?"

  Gao Jiang sighed: "This knife is good, but unfortunately the child has no strength to bind a chicken, and doesn't know how to use it. Wouldn't that be a waste of a treasure? It's better to ask Father to choose a strong warrior to give it to instead."

  Gao Yun smiled and said, "My son, you often travel outside, can't you have a defensive weapon by your side? This dagger is a divine object, its essence is introverted, it's just right for self-defense. As for the method of use, I'll choose a master of knife skills from the army and teach you on a chosen day."

  Gao was overjoyed and thanked him, taking the precious sword with both hands. Just as he was about to put it on his body, someone outside reported: "The two Party brothers request an audience with the Commander-in-Chief." Along with the voice, the Party brothers walked in with big smiles on their faces, greeted Gao Yun and the official, and upon seeing the sword, they became instantly excited, their eyes almost popping out. However, this sword was one of Gao's treasured possessions, and besides, the two brothers didn't dare to play with weapons in front of Gao, so they could only satisfy their craving by just looking at it.

  A few people chatted for a while, and Gao Qiang fastened the knife at his waist, then turned to the Party brothers and said: "The two commanders, I have some mundane affairs today, and I would like to trouble you to allocate some strong soldiers to use. I hope you can assist."

  Gao Fang suddenly stopped and hastily asked: "My son, are you going to fight with someone?"

  Gao Xiang laughed and said, "It's not a fight or anything, it's just that yesterday at the Dasang Temple, I met an extremely powerful monk who is said to have boundless strength and be braver than anyone else. I'd like to test his abilities."

  Dang Shixiong heard that the official had a way to deal with it, and hastily said: "Official, don't worry, let me lead my troops to capture that monk and bring him back for you to see."

  Gao Jian rolled his eyes and thought to himself, "You idiot, when did I say I wanted to catch someone?" Besides, even if he really wanted to catch someone, couldn't he just send a post to the Kaifeng Prefecture and have it taken care of? Why would he need to borrow troops from you? He was too annoyed to respond.

  Dang Shiyin still had some sense, seeing the official's expression was not quite right, he also secretly scolded his brother for being a fool. He hastily patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, sir, I'll go and select a few skilled soldiers, and personally lead them to follow your orders."

  Gao Qiang listened and nodded, "Well said, this is indeed a good subordinate who knows how to cater to his superiors." He smiled and said, "It's just a trivial matter of play, why bother the great Party Secretary?" One has to be polite on the surface.

  Dang Shiyin hastened to express his loyalty, saying that he had received the kindness of both Commander Yu and the Imperial Censor, and even if he were to be torn limb from limb, he would have no regrets. Let alone helping the Imperial Censor to tease a monk, even if it meant going through a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, he would do it seven times over.

  Dang Shixiong also came to his senses, patted his chest and said that as long as the official gave the order, he would go through water or fire, kill people or Buddha. However, a rough person is still a rough person, only flattering the official, but forgetting that Commander Gao was the real master. Fortunately, Commander Gao knew his temperament and also cherished his own fake son, so he didn't mind.

  Gao Yun nodded repeatedly, smiling: "My son, both of you have the bravery to conquer ten thousand men, and there are countless brave warriors under your command. Please, let them take care of this for now." Gao Qiang was in need of manpower at this moment, so he didn't decline anymore and frankly agreed.

  These two were originally trying to curry favor with Gao, and as soon as the big boss spoke up, they knew they had found the right place to flatter him. They immediately became spirited and hastily agreed, rushing off like flies to inspect the troops.

  Gao Qiang sent someone to invite Lu Qian, as for Fu An, there was no need to invite him. This person has always been mixed up in the household, even sleeping in the front courtyard's servant quarters, and today is another good opportunity for him to make a name for himself, so he waited in the front courtyard before dawn.

  Not much effort was required, and Party brothers brought more than 20 soldiers, who were all robust and full of energy. Gao Fang was delighted and ordered them to follow his instructions. Upon inquiry, it turned out that these men were the elite vanguard of the Imperial Guard's cavalry. In the Song Dynasty, the cavalry was not strong, so they used skilled swordsmen as their vanguard, known as the "Selected Vanguard". They were all powerful warriors who excelled in close combat and had performed outstandingly in numerous battles. In the battle against the Khitan people, they did not retreat at all. The Party brothers deliberately tried to curry favor with Gao Fang by bringing out more than 20 of these elite soldiers from the Imperial Guard.

  Gao Qiang bid farewell to Lao Da and the group arrived at the front yard, where they met up with Lu Qianfu An. Together, they went to the classroom and sat down.

  Since Old Father had already spoken, Gao Qiang didn't stand on ceremony either. He ordered everyone to change into casual clothes and hide iron chains and ropes on their bodies. He instructed the Party brothers to lead a team of over ten people each, and after giving them instructions, he called two idle men who usually hung around the yamen to lead the way. The two men set off in different directions.

  He then called for Lu Qian and instructed him to carry out the plan he had discussed with Fu An the previous day, to lure Lin Chong up to the pavilion to drink wine, and again ordered him to arrange a clever servant to go and trick Lin Chong's wife.

  Everything was ready, Gao Qiang called Fu An to lead the way and went straight to Lu Qian's home to sit quietly, waiting for news from all directions.