Qiao An asked Chief to dress up as the Su Family's daughter and take her place and marry into the city?
Hearing this, the rest of the three were shocked. Su Jiu sat on the ground. "You want me to dress as a woman? What stupid idea is this?! No way!"
Qiao An gave a meaningful smile. "Chief, no one else is more suitable than you," he said.
Su Jiu froze, thought about it, and exclaimed in frustration. "No way!"
Chang Huan squatted behind Su Jiu. "I must disagree as well. What if the Ji Family finds out? Chief would be in danger."
"They won't find out. The Ji and Su family have not been in contact for almost ten years. Ji Family's first mistress passed away two years ago, no one else has seen this Miss Su." Qiao An explained, "If we dress up as attendants and follow Chief into the city, we can always run if something goes wrong."
"No way!" Su Jiu insisted determinedly, gnawing on a blade of withered grass. "No way am I dressing up as a woman!"
Hu Dapao and Ah Shu squatted on the ground, their brows furrowed, as they too seemed to be thinking about the matter.
"Chief, winter is coming. Do you really want to see this gang of your brothers have nothing to eat but grass?" Qiao An persuaded. "Let's head into the city and act accordingly. I understand it's a sacrifice for you to pretend to be a woman for a few days. As soon as we get the money, we'll leave right away."
Su Jiu gnawed on the hay and glanced up at Ah Shu, Hu Dapao and Qiao An, looking at their ragged, yellowish-skinned appearances. Sadness surged in Su Jiu's heart.
Su Jiu had entered the Dragon Conqueror Gang at the age of five, with very blurred memory before then. After entering the gang, the first people Su Jiu knew were Ah Shu and Hu Dapao.
At that time, there were nearly 100 people in the Dragon Conqueror Gang: Su Jiu was the youngest, so of course, was bullied by everyone. In the first two years, Su Jiu would not have survived without the protection from Ah Shu and Hu Dapao.
At age 13, Su Jiu already had gained influence in the gang. With the support of Hu Dapao and Ah Shu, Su Jiu took out the original chief and became the new chief.
After that internal battles, many members either died or ran. There were less than 50 people left.
After Su Jiu took power, they were still robbing, but only from the corrupt officials and rich cruel businessmen. They then gave the money looted to the poor people nearby.
Because of this, many Dragon Conqueror Gang members grew displeased and went to Eight Dragons Gang and other small bandit gangs. In the end, only five of them were left.
However, corrupt officials and rich businessmen did not often appear for them to rob, and as Su Jiu did not allow them to rob the common folk, they only had a dilapidated yard left to call their own. The five of them often suffered from hunger.
But no matter how hard or how difficult it was, even when they couldn't get up because they were so hungry, the four of them were with Su Jiu.
Looking at Ah Shu and Hu Dapao's gazes that screamed of hunger, Su Jiu made the decision, spat out the hay with a huff, stood up and announced solemnly, "Alright! For you brothers, I will be a woman just this once. We will run away immediately after robbing the Ji Family!"
They would then leave Shengjing City and enjoy a life of pleasure. Su Jiu wouldn't let this bunch of brothers down for sticking with their chief through thick and thin for all these years.
"Chief!" Hu Dapao and Ah Shu stared at Su Jiu tearily, clearly touched.
Chang Huan pouted as he stood behind Su Jiu, feeling that something was amiss.
"Since I said I will do it, let's not waste time. Since we now are members of the Su Family, take these people's clothes, put them on, and then bury them!" Su Jiu instructed.
"Yes, sir!" the other four replied, and they hurriedly made out to dig holes to bury the corpses.
"Masters, spare me, spare me!"
A voice startled them, coming, seemingly, from the dead.
Suddenly, a woman under a maid got up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed. "Masters, spare my life!"
They froze, but looking at the woman's face covered in blood and her brisk kowtows, they immediately understood.
This woman had been feigning death!
She even hid under a dead servant girl and smeared blood all over her face to put up an act. It was only after hearing that Su Jiu was going to bury everyone that she realized she could not play dead any longer.
Su Jiu's gaze was cold. The woman was dressed well and was about 40 years old. She should have been the nanny of Miss Su's family. Yet she did not die and did not even appear to be faint. This showed that she had stood by and watched her family's young lady being raped and killed. What a cunning and vicious heart, what an old slave who was only afraid of her own death!
"Since your lady is dead, you will be buried with them!" Su Jiu said coldly and looked at Ah Shu.
Ah Shu nodded and approached the nanny with his broadsword.
"Don't kill me!" the nanny retreated in fear, her face ashen. "Aren't you going into the city?" she asked hurriedly. "You will need a member of the Su Family. Don't kill me, I am willing to work for you!"
The woman clearly had overheard the matter they had just deliberated on whilst pretending to be dead.
"Ah Shu!" Qiao An shouted out right as Ah Shu raised his sword to kill the woman, and he looked at Su Jiu.
"Chief, this woman is right. If we want to pretend to be members of the Su Family and enter the city, we need a member of the Su Family to lead us. Spare her life for now!"
They wanted to pretend to be members of the Su Family, but they knew nothing about them. With this woman, she could at least to tell them something about those they wished to emulate. It would be easier if the woman knew the Ji Family, as it would be more persuasive.
If they rushed into Shengjing City brashly, who could say for sure what kind of trouble they would encounter?
"This treacherous slave, what if she betrays us?" Su Jiu asked.
Thieves also had a code. Although they were bandits, they despised such people who betrayed their masters to survive!
"If she dares!" Hu Dapao roared. "If she dares betray us, I will kill her and cook her for dinner!"
The woman trembled and fell to the ground as she waved her hands frantically. "I won't dare, I wouldn't dare betray you, I swear!"
"If you dare betray us, I, Master Su Jiu, will be more vicious than those of Eight Dragons Gang!" Su Jiu used the blunt side of the sword and tapped the woman's head, smirking coldly.
"Yes, yes!" The woman nodded hurriedly.
"Alright, let's get ready!" Qiao An said. "Chiel, please go change your clothes in the carriage with this woman. We'll bury these corpses!"
"Alright." Su Jiu nodded as everyone set off to do their assignments.
As the nanny followed Su Jiu and got into the carriage, she trembled and closed the door. She glanced at the sword in Su Jiu's hand and asked in a wavering voice, "Master, you are really going to dress up as our lady?"
There was mud smeared on this Chief's face and the nanny could not discern Su Jiu's countenance.
Yes, he was slender, but a man dressing up as a woman? she thought. Never heard of it! Did they think the Ji Family were fools?
Unaware of her inner thoughts, Su Jiu nodded. "Shut your mouth and hurry up. What do we need to do first as a woman?"
Though her face was pale at the moment, the nanny was no longer as frightened as she had just been before. "Please wait just a moment. I'll go get a basin of water!" she said.
She pushed the door open and set off.