Chapter 278: Xiahou Yuanwei
“Esteemed officers, the weather is hot—please take two cooling melons to quench your thirst. And here, let me pack you a whole bag of tomatoes.”
Sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Hu Liu quickly grabbed two large watermelons and offered them to the lead officer. Seeing this, Wu Er stuffed an entire bag full of tomatoes and handed it over with both hands.
Each cooling melon was worth dozens of taels of silver, and two together amounted to nearly eighty or ninety taels. Adding in the ten-plus jin of tomatoes, this was a huge sacrifice for them. But they knew that when dealing with local enforcers, sometimes you had to give up a little to avoid losing everything.
The officers opened the bag, grabbed a few tomatoes, and ate them greedily.
After just one bite, their eyes brightened with delight. Looking at Hu Liu and Wu Er, who stood before them offering flattery, the lead officer smirked.
“Heh, these fruits really are something. I heard you’re selling them for several taels per jin. And these cooling melons—aren’t they usually only gifted by the royal family of Xi Mo Nation to the nobles of Dongfeng Nation? Yet here you are, selling them in Yueyang City?”
What does he mean by that?
Was he trying to imply that they were spies from Xi Mo Nation?
Hearing the officer’s words, Hu Liu’s mind raced, searching for a response. But before he could speak, the junior officers behind the leader had already finished eating their tomatoes and stepped forward.
“They’re definitely not from Dongfeng. Their accents don’t match at all—they must be up to something. We should arrest them first and figure it out later!”
“Exactly! And they claim they grew these melons and fruits themselves? Ha! That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. Neither Dongfeng Nation, Bei Dynasty, nor the Lan Yue Dynasty has ever been able to cultivate cooling melons—how could these nobodies manage it? They’re definitely spies from Xi Mo Nation trying to infiltrate our land!”
The officers kept building their case, leaving Hu Liu and Wu Er completely speechless.
The lead officer, seeing their anxious expressions, grew even more smug.
So many cooling melons and tomatoes—if he confiscated everything and resold it, he’d make a fortune!
“No, no! We’re not from Xi Mo Nation, we’re just borderland farmers from the Dongfeng side of the wastelands. We’re Dongfeng citizens!”
Hu Liu hurriedly tried to explain.
But it was too late. Claiming to be borderland people wouldn’t work now. To pass through Dongfeng’s border checkpoints, they needed official travel papers. As exiled criminals, where would they get such documents?
With no other choice, Hu Liu desperately fabricated an identity.
“Borderland people? The border is more than two hundred miles away. Why travel all the way to Yueyang City instead of selling in closer counties? And besides, your accents are nothing like ours. Stop wasting time—show me your household registration papers, and I’ll check your identities right now.”
Household registration?!
Where would they get that?!
Hearing the demand, Hu Liu panicked even more.
From afar, their dozens of companions were also helpless. If they stepped forward, they’d all get caught in the investigation. All they could do was watch anxiously as their comrades were surrounded.
“Sir, we—we forgot them! We left in a hurry and didn’t think to bring our papers! This is our first time traveling so far—we didn’t realize we needed them!”
With no other option, Hu Liu lied through his teeth.
But these officers weren’t so easily fooled.
“Boss, they’re definitely lying. How could someone smart enough to grow rare fruits be stupid enough to forget their papers? Let’s arrest them and interrogate them properly!”
Hearing this, Wu Er’s expression changed. After a brief hesitation, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it over to the lead officer.
Hu Liu, already flustered, had no idea what Wu Er was doing.
The lead officer snatched the paper, read it carefully, then—without saying a word—handed it back.
“And yours?”
Wu Er had just sighed in relief, thinking they were in the clear. But the officer turned to Hu Liu, demanding his documents next.
“H-he really doesn’t have them, sir! We’re together!”
“Heh. And how do I know you’re telling the truth? If he has no documents, then arrest him, and confiscate both carts of fruit!”
At the officer’s command, Hu Liu and Wu Er completely panicked, while their distant companions rose to their feet, ready to fight.
“WAIT!”
Just as ten of their men were about to charge in, a woman’s voice cut through the tension, halting the officers in their tracks!
At the crucial moment, Wu Er and Hu Liu felt their hearts jump into their throats.
That voice—it was so familiar!
“You—!”
“What’s the difference between this and highway robbery? If you want to steal their fruit, just say so! Why bother making false accusations and pretending to investigate?”
A figure descended from above, and everyone froze.
Hu Liu’s entire body stiffened.
He knew exactly who this was.
Their lady—Yu Luo.
But if Yu Luo revealed herself now, wasn’t she just offering herself up for arrest?!
Realizing his mistake, Hu Liu forcibly swallowed back the words “my lady”, suppressing the urge to cry out.
He was terrified for Yu Luo but had no choice but to wait and see what happened.
“Who are you? I’d advise you not to interfere.”
The lead officer scanned Yu Luo up and down. She was clad in simple white robes, with minimal adornments, yet her stunning beauty was undeniable.
If she had stayed silent, he might have been willing to spare her.
But she just had to speak up and expose his corruption in front of so many people.
That infuriated him.
“This is my household registration. Take a look.”
Yu Luo calmly pulled out an aged document and handed it over.
The officer, still furious, snatched the paper from her hands and glared at it.
“Xia Hou Yuan Wei?! You—you…!”
