20demayo Chapter 006 Take Action
Chapter 006 Take Action
Li Shoutian leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Lun, you're not planning to sneak into the county jail and just snatch Big Brother out, are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Breaking out of prison? That's a capital offense, I don't want to lose my head!" Zhou Lun denied it outright.
"Brother Lun, you don't trust me?" Li Shoutian was anxious, poking his chest with his finger. "Right now, what other way is there besides throwing money at him? We definitely can't raise the money, but we can't leave our brother unsaid. If we drag this out any longer, who knows what those guys will do to him?"
"The longer my brother stays in there, the more complicated things become. Officer Zhao is fixated on the money; what else can we do but give him the money? We might as well go all the way, find a chance to sneak in, tie up those jailers, open the cell door, and bring my brother out!"
"Brother Lun, don't tell me you haven't even considered it. Otherwise, what were you doing loitering around outside the county jail for so long? We're all brothers here, so count on Tie Niu and me. Besides, you can't do it alone. With our help, the chances of success are much higher."
Zhou Lun sized up Li Shoutian, a hint of hesitation rising in his heart.
Li Shoutian's guess was correct; he was indeed planning a prison break.
Having been imprisoned twice, Zhou Lun had a pretty good idea of the situation. The guards here weren't very strict. Although there were guards on duty, there weren't many of them, and their vigilance was pitifully low.
Ultimately, this was just a county jail. This wasn't the future; a county town was a tiny place with a population of only about 20,000—nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in later times. Besides, major cases were rare these days; everyday disturbances were just trivial matters. Those imprisoned in the county jail were mostly ordinary people. Ordinary people naturally feared the government and would avoid such places altogether. Who would dare to mess with the county jail?
As time went on, the jailers had long since lost all vigilance, their minds preoccupied only with how to squeeze as much money as possible out of the prisoners. Take Zhou Lun's two visits to Li Shouyi, for example. According to the rules, it wasn't that easy, was it? But as soon as he handed over a handful of silver, didn't he get in with ease?
Especially today, Zhou Lun was only there to scout the area, and he entered the county jail without even alerting Constable Zhao. He heard the jailer's words in the cell very clearly; the meaning couldn't be clearer: anything was negotiable as long as there was money. These words were like a lifeline to Zhou Lun.
He had already considered this method yesterday, and after going around again today, he felt it was even more feasible.
Previously, Zhou Lun had sent Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu back to the village, ostensibly to deliver a message to the clan elders, but in reality, he didn't want to involve them. Just as he had said, breaking into prison was a capital offense, punishable by death!
Zhou Lun didn't care. He wasn't from this place anyway. As long as he rescued Li Shouyi, he planned to leave and take his men far away.
But Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu are different. They both have families, and the Li and Wang families in the village are related. If they get involved in this matter, the whole village might suffer.
Zhou Lun was all alone, and Li Shouyi was an orphan; neither of them had any ties. Even if the authorities pursued them after the incident, escaping the county wouldn't be difficult for them, given their abilities. In this world, news travels slowly; by the time the authorities react, they would already be far away. Zhou Lun planned to find a way eastward, heading straight for Jiangnan, or find a secluded place to hide for a while, waiting for the storm to pass before making further plans.
However, Li Shoutian's words made sense; it was indeed a bit tricky for him to handle it alone.
Even with a surprise attack, Zhou Lun could only control one person at most, but there were three jailers in the county jail. He didn't have any firearms, so how could one person subdue three? If one of them escaped and shouted outside, the county jail was only a few steps away from the police station. If the constables arrived with their yamen runners, there would be no way for him to escape.
With Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu as helpers, it wouldn't be difficult for the three of them to take down the three jailers. As long as they acted swiftly and prepared thoroughly, they could control the men, open the cell door, and rescue Li Shouyi. Then they could run away as fast as they could, and by the time the authorities discovered the incident in the county jail and figured out what had happened, they would already be far away.
"Have you thought this through? This is no joke." Zhou Lun looked at Li Shoutian seriously.
"Don't worry! I, Li Shoutian, am a man who can pee standing up! If your brother Lun can risk everything for Brother Shouyi, how could I back down? Don't forget, I'm still his brother."
Li Shoutian patted his chest without the slightest hesitation, his eyes revealing a eager anticipation.
Zhou Lun pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Having said all that, and unable to hide his true feelings any longer, Zhou Lun figured agreeing to Li Shoutian's offer wouldn't be a bad thing. As for Wang Tieniu, he'd have to ask Wang's opinion first. If Wang was unwilling, Zhou Lun wouldn't force him; he could simply let him go back to the village. With Li Shoutian's help, the two of them had a good chance of success.
The three of them left the alley and met up with Wang Tieniu, who was waiting not far away.
When Wang Tieniu saw Zhou Lun and Li Shoutian coming together, he was taken aback and wondered to himself, "Wasn't Li Shoutian secretly following Brother Lun just now? How come the two of them came back together in the blink of an eye?"
At first, Wang Tieniu was a little embarrassed. He was following Zhou Lun to prevent him from abandoning Li Shouyi. Although the idea came from Li Shoutian, he hadn't stopped him! But this showed that he didn't trust Brother Lun. Compared to Li Shoutian, Wang Tieniu, being an honest and simple man, was closer to Zhou Lun and less scheming. For a moment, he was at a loss, unsure how to explain.
Zhou Lun didn't blame him. After the three of them reunited, he gave them a wink and led them to a secluded and deserted place.
Upon arriving at the scene, before Zhou Lun could even speak, Li Shoutian told Wang Tieniu his entire plan to break Li Shouyi out of prison. After listening, Wang Tieniu, without a second thought, patted his chest and said he'd be included. As for the law, he didn't care at all. In Wang Tieniu's eyes, nothing was more important than saving Li Shouyi.
Since neither of them objected, Zhou Lun decided to lay out the unpleasant truth upfront. This undertaking was not only risky, but would also bring numerous troubles. Once Li Shouyi was rescued, they wouldn't be able to stay in this area, nor could they return to their village. They would be forced to flee for their lives. It was still possible to regret it now, but once the deed was done, there would be no turning back.
Zhou Lun underestimated Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu. Far from backing down, the two were determined to follow him. Seeing their resolve, Zhou Lun felt more confident. Since they had made up their minds, let's do it!
Over the next two days, Zhou Lun led them in intensive preparations. On the third day, everything was ready, and Zhou Lun led them to the county prison again.
Upon arriving at the location, Zhou Lun, familiar with the place, approached the guard and, as before, slipped him some silver. The guard accepted it with a smile, then glanced at Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu who had come with him, and casually asked why there were three of them this time.
"Officer, this is Brother Shouyi's cousin, and this is his younger cousin. They've been really worried about Brother Shouyi these past few days, so they specially asked me to bring them over to check on him. Please do us a favor; we just want to bring Brother Shouyi some clothes and food, change his medicine, take a quick look, and then we'll be leaving..." Zhou Lun said, while simultaneously reaching out and slipping another small piece of silver into the jailer's hand.
With the money in hand, the jailer was naturally more agreeable. Besides, this was a county jail, and the three peasants before him looked honest and simple. Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu were carrying two bundles and a food box, presumably medicine, clothing, and food for Li Shouyi. Helping others is helping yourself; having benefited several times already, the jailer didn't think much of it, secretly planning to squeeze even more money out of Zhou Lun in the future.
"Alright, come with me." The jailer smiled, stuffed the silver into his pocket, and led them into the county jail.
Inside, Zhou Lun followed behind the jailer, keeping a close eye on his surroundings as he walked. Just like the previous two times, besides the one leading the way, there were two other jailers drinking in the guard's cell. Hearing footsteps, the two looked up and glanced at their companion leading Zhou Lun in, but didn't pay much attention. They exchanged a knowing glance and chuckled, then continued drinking.
The gate opened, and we entered the innermost cell. Under the dim light of an oil lamp, Li Shouyi was locked in the cell on the left.
"Big brother!" Zhou Lun stepped forward and called out urgently.
"Second brother, why are you here again?" Li Shouyi looked better than a few days ago, it seemed that the money he had bribed had worked. Hearing Zhou Lun's voice, he was leaning against the corner. He looked up and saw that it was Zhou Lun, and couldn't help but ask. But then he saw Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu following behind.
"Shoutian? Tieniu? What are you doing here?"
"Brother Shouyi!" Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu saw Li Shouyi in prison for the first time. Seeing his appearance, their eyes reddened and tears streamed down their faces.
They never imagined that Li Shouyi was living such a life in prison. Anger surged up in their chests, and their fists clenched involuntarily.
"Shoutian! Tieniu!" Zhou Lun called out in time, fearing that the two might ruin things in a moment of impulsiveness. "Take the things out. Oh, and also send a pot of wine to the two officers in front. Brother Shouyi is very grateful for the help of these officers here. I'll have to ask them to take care of me in the future."
Zhou Lun's words were a double entendre, and Li Shoutian immediately understood, reaching out to quietly nudge Wang Tieniu beside him.
The two men responded, put down a food box they were carrying, opened it, and found some food inside. They picked some out, took a pot of wine, and walked side by side toward two jailers who were drinking wine not far away.
Seeing their sensible manner, the jailer leading the way was quite satisfied. These peasants were rather clever; not only did they give him money, but they also remembered to bring him food and drink. Considering their past kindness, it would be no trouble at all to look after Li Shouyi a little more in the future.
Just as he was thinking this, Zhou Lun chuckled and moved closer to him, lowering his voice to say, "Officer, this is especially for you. I'll need your help with my elder brother's affairs in the future..."
"Of course, of course..."
The jailer beamed, secretly pleased, wondering if Zhou Lun was about to slip him more money. But before he could even process what was happening, Zhou Lun, still smiling obsequiously, pulled something from his robes. Before the jailer could even see what it was, his vision blurred, and then he felt a chill on his neck as a gleaming dagger was pressed against his throat.