Chapter 0005: There are soft cries of women

After stepping out of the door, Li Xuan finally saw what the 'country' he was in looked like for the first time

This Liu Bagou bears a resemblance to the character Kong Yiji from later generations. Kong Yiji argued that stealing books is not merely theft, but rather the act of secretly acquiring books, a matter pertaining to scholars. How could one possibly call it theft

Whenever he thought of a certain dark and windy night, when a beautiful woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown might softly call her husband with a smile, only to suddenly transform into a fierce demon, brandishing a sharp pair of scissors from who knows where, and pouncing to sever his lineage, Li Xuan could not help but shiver.

On both sides of the small river, there are scattered fields, where various crops such as rice are cultivated, and numerous raggedly dressed individuals are busy working in the fields

Could it be that this woman is the daughter of the Dong family, forcibly taken by the bandit leader Fang Dongquan? They refer to her as the so-called 'Empress' whom they are to marry in two days

Now that he has fallen into the hands of these bandits, he must have long resigned himself to death. If he were to commit suicide, that would be one thing, but if they were to bring him to his bed and then use a pair of scissors for a bloody wedding night, wouldn't Li Xuan be scared to death

Beside the fields, near the foot of the mountain, there are scattered buildings, all of which are earthen and wooden houses, with not a trace of brick or stone in sight

After so many days, she must have made some preparations

Perhaps noticing the sudden change in Li Xuan's expression, Liu Bagou immediately explained: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, we are already making preparations, and the grand wedding ceremony will be held in two days!"

According to Li Xuan's observations over the past few days, he has never seen a woman dressed as elegantly as her. Not even his mother, Lady Bai, or the Empress mentioned by Liu Bagou, nor the wives of the former small landlords, wore clothes as fine as hers. Their garments were merely made of coarse cloth, let alone others, who were all dressed in tattered rags. Liu Bagou's robe has probably not been changed in decades, with the cuffs already frayed into strips.

Li Xuan waved his hand, signaling the utterly clueless maid not to approach. What do you mean by calling me Your Majesty? Can't you see that I am being forced to play the role of this farcical emperor? And yet you call me so casually; are you intentionally trying to disgust me?

The plan to escape from this place cannot be realized in the short term, as Li Xuan's physical condition is still quite poor. Having not fully recovered from his illness, he becomes weak after taking just a few steps. If he were to attempt an escape now, while the chances of survival are not absolutely zero, there is at least a fifty percent likelihood that he would perish in the mountains.

Even the largest "palace" among numerous buildings, which is the house where Li Xuan currently resides, formerly the residence of the bandit leader Fang Dongquan, is not a structure made of black tiles and blue bricks. It is similarly a mud and wood house, with a thatched roof for rain protection, just larger in size.

In this bandit den, the appearance of such a woman is highly likely to be the daughter of the Dong family, who was robbed by Fang Dongquan and his gang. Only a daughter from a scholarly family or an official lineage, like the Dong family, could be dressed in such a manner

Nowadays, Liu Bagou describes the act of forcibly abducting women as an invitation, which bears a striking resemblance to the behavior of Kong Yiji.

Damn it, this Liu Bagou is trying to kill me. Forcing me to become emperor is not enough, and he even plans to send a forcibly taken common woman. If this common woman is as fierce as I imagine, wouldn't I be doomed by him

Moreover, judging by Lady Bai's performance, it does not seem that she was unprepared in the slightest. Through these past few days of interaction with Lady Bai, Li Xuan realized that although her behavior of boldly cursing at Liu Bagou and others made her appear to be a foolish and unruly woman, in reality, she was quite shrewd in her heart

In the eyes of Liu Bagou and others, this village, or rather this bandit den, is the territory of the "Great Tang Dynasty"; these bandits, along with the elderly, weak, women, and children, are considered subjects.

Since it is impossible to leave this cursed place in the short term, Li Xuan can only confront the many real issues he is currently facing

Li Xuan learned from countless scripts that ancient women placed great importance on chastity, especially those from scholarly and prestigious families, who would often resort to hanging or drowning themselves at the slightest provocation

Through the half-open wooden door, Li Xuan could vaguely see a woman inside the room, covering her face and weeping

Moreover, a crucial point is that this strong and robust "maid" has probably never rinsed her mouth in her entire life, and as soon as she speaks, a foul odor fills the air, which is truly unbearable for Li Xuan

Observing her figure, graceful and elegant, she is truly a young maiden; observing her attire, bright and tidy, she is certainly not a peasant girl; listening to her soft weeping, like a yellow oriole's gentle song, evokes feelings of pity and affection.

This is quite a primitive village, or rather a bandit den, situated in a small valley among a range of mountains. The valley is not very large, measuring only about 5 to 6 kilometers in circumference. A small river flows through the center, which is no deeper than the waist and several meters wide, with several rudimentary wooden bridges connecting both banks of the river.

Moreover, the bandit den where they currently find themselves is located deep within the desolate mountains and wilderness, surrounded by an unbroken expanse of towering mountains and dense forests. Without a guide and sufficient preparation, Li Xuan does not believe that after escaping from this bandit den, he would be able to survive the journey through the mountains to the outside world

Not far in front of the palace, there is a patch of yellow earth, where a few young men are practicing with swords and guns. It goes without saying that these young men are the backbone of the bandits

For example, Liu Bagou just said that he would marry a 'queen' for him in two days

After much contemplation and finding no solution, Li Xuan could only hope that his mother, Lady Bai, had some plans. In the past few days, Lady Bai had repeatedly told him that once Li Xuan's health improved a little, she would take him far away to start a new life in another place, living under an assumed identity and enjoying a peaceful existence.

In the afternoon, Li Xuan, still feeling somewhat weak, stepped out of the room. As soon as he exited, a maid immediately approached him, calling out: "Your Majesty..."

To this end, Li Xuan spared no effort in exhausting his numerous brain cells in contemplation, yet after thinking for half a day, he still had no clue.

How can one change the current predicament they are in

From these observations, this is a very typical bandit village

It is possible, and the likelihood is quite high

As he continued to wander, Li Xuan intended to carefully observe this bandit den. However, halfway there, he heard a woman's scolding and the cries of a girl.

To marry a woman who was taken by bandits as his queen, Li Xuan estimated that he was indeed a unique emperor throughout history, even though he was merely a playful emperor from a remote valley

After Liu Bagou went out, Li Xuan still wore a frown. These past few days had been like a roller coaster for him, with one round of shocks following another without pause

Following the sound, I saw a wooden house guarded by two elderly women holding wooden sticks at the entrance. Peering through the half-open door, I could faintly see a woman covering her face and weeping.

The reason is quite simple; his current identity and situation are exceedingly awkward and perilous. The government troops outside can arrive at any moment, and the individuals in the bandit den are all rather foolish. Aside from Lady Bai, his mother, the rest are utterly unreliable

Upon hearing Liu Bagou's words, Li Xuan realized that this invitation was indeed a 'snatch'

However, now Liu Bagou and the others have actually arranged for the woman they robbed to be his queen, aren't they afraid that she might bite her tongue and end her life