“My ancestors were considered half scholars. Our family lived in Mao’er Village at the foot of Lushan Mountain. The imperial court didn’t want to deal with that place, and Kezhou refused to take it. It was the first place to suffer in the war.”
Tu Zhenshan murmured his life story, “Everyone knows that the King of Wei is going to rebel. Our Mao'er Village is doomed. Half of the villagers have died. I fled here with my wife and children and became a refugee in the eyes of the court. On the way, we passed through Anyang City and wanted to go into the city to beg for some food, but the magistrate of Anyang City refused to let us in no matter what.”
“My poor wife and children, suffering from hunger and illness, starved to death outside the city.”
As Sun Miao'er listened to him, her heart ached with each word. "So you became an outlaw and a bandit?"
“There’s nothing we can do. There are just too many people like us.” Tu Zhenshan sighed, looked up, and his eyes glistened with tears.
Sun Miao'er stood up, turned her back to him, and said, "I will help you."
On the way back to Ping'an City, the scenery outside the city greatly shocked Tu Zhenshan.
He was shackled and chained, but when he was outside the city, he saw the refugees living in tents, setting up stoves to cook, and doing so in an orderly manner. He would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
Suddenly, Shan Qiu ordered the group to stop and walked up to Tu Zhenshan. "You see, has Pingnan City mistreated these refugees?"
Tu Zhenshan's nose tingled, and he choked up, saying, "Why didn't I meet such a benevolent county magistrate? If Anyang City had treated me like that, they wouldn't have died..."
"There are still more good people than bad in the world." Shanqiu looked at the refugees. It took him a whole day to temporarily settle them all down. However, everything he did was still far from the peaceful and prosperous world that the adults expected.
Shan Qiu raised his hand, signaling the group to continue forward. "If you have no criminal record, I will report to the magistrate and grant you leniency. However, if I find out that you have killed someone, the laws of this dynasty will show no mercy."
Tu Zhenshan remained silent. He often instructed his brothers in the village that they could rob and plunder, but they must never take lives.
Zhang Shengmin was restless in the yamen. After hearing yesterday that Fushui Village had been robbed by bandits, he insisted on going with Shan Qiu, but Shan Qiu said that the mountain road was difficult to travel and that there were many matters in the yamen that Zhang Shengmin had to deal with, so he had to give up.
"Sir, Constable Shan and the others are back!"
Zhang Shengmin's heart jumped to his throat, and he asked, "How is it?"
"Not a single soldier was injured. It is said that Miss Sun beat the head constable to it and captured all the bandits."
Zhang Shengmin laughed and said, "Good, good, that's good!"
"Please invite Miss Sun in quickly; I want to thank her handsomely!"
He was right. Just as his wife had said, Sun Miao'er was no ordinary woman. She was able to take down the bandits all by herself. In addition to her wisdom, she also had the indispensable courage.
Before Sun Miao'er could even take a sip of water, Zhang Shengmin invited her into the yamen.
"Miss Sun, please accept my bow!" Zhang Shengmin was extremely grateful to Sun Miao'er, wishing he could kneel down before her.
After all, if these bandits were to succeed and slaughter the entire village, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Sun Miao'er quickly helped Zhang Shengmin up, saying, "My lord, Miao'er is unworthy of such praise."
“Miss Sun is resourceful and clever in subduing the bandits. I will definitely report this matter to the court and reward Miss Sun handsomely.” Zhang Shengmin calmed down and carefully examined the girl in front of him again. She did not have three heads and six arms, but her actions were admirable.
Sun Miao'er looked around but didn't see Shen Chu. If Zhang Shengmin found out about this, he probably wouldn't be able to bear it. "Sir, everyone in Fushui Village is my family. How can Miao'er stand by and watch my family suffer?"
“The situation was urgent at the time. I thought that the reinforcements from the government would not arrive for a while, so I took it upon myself to infiltrate the bandits. Fortunately, it worked. Otherwise, I would not have been so sure that I could subdue the bandits.”
Seeing her modesty, Zhang Shengmin praised her, saying, "No, no, no, Miss Sun is a great benefactor of our Pingnan City."
Sun Miao'er nodded and smiled, "In that case, sir, could you grant Miao'er a request?"
"Miss Sun, please speak freely." Now, let alone making a request, even if Sun Miao'er asked him for a reward, he would agree without hesitation.
Sun Miao'er said, "This humble woman begs Your Excellency to grant amnesty to the bandits."
"What?" Zhang Shengmin was stunned, not expecting her to make such a request. "Miss Sun, recruiting the bandits into the government is probably..."
Having anticipated that Zhang Shengmin wouldn't agree easily, Sun Miao'er was prepared and not surprised. "Afraid of what?"
“Miss Sun, I am but a minor official, and I am afraid that the decision to grant amnesty is not up to me.” Zhang Shengmin stroked his short beard. “I must submit a memorial to the court and let the court decide whether or not to grant amnesty to the mountain bandits.”
First she took in refugees, then she recruited bandits. What did she take Pingnan City for?
It is true that she has done a good deed for Pingnan City, but as the county magistrate, Zhang Shengmin should have considered the people of the city more.
Those mountain bandits are vicious. If they are allowed to stay in the city after being recruited by the government, what will happen if they become a menace in the future?
Sun Miao'er continued, "Lord Zhang, these bandits are all desperate refugees. If we can take in refugees, why can't we take them in as well?"
"Moreover, there will be more and more refugees in the future. If we expand the militia of Pingnan City now, Pingnan City will be able to protect itself in the future."
"The bandits not only have men, but also weapons and silver. Don't you want them, sir?"
These words were exactly what Zhang Shengmin wanted to hear. He was worried because the court would not approve tax reductions. If he could recruit the mountain bandits, he could obtain the resources they held, which would solve his immediate problem.
"But the mountain bandits are stubborn, how could they easily submit to me?" Zhang Shengmin was tempted but not sure.
Seeing that Zhang Shengmin had relented, Sun Miao'er said, "You can entrust the matter of persuading the bandits to me. You only need to prepare a place for the bandits to stay. As for the rest, Miao'er will take care of everything for them."
She had already decided what to do with these bandits who had been granted amnesty. With war approaching, a large number of wealthy merchants would be planning to flee to safer places. On their escape route, they would inevitably encounter thugs who would take advantage of the chaos.
These bandits were experts in the area, making them perfect for facilitating the escape of wealthy merchants. She only needed to take a small cut to make a fortune.
She is currently short of manpower. If she can keep the bandits in the city, and if she makes good use of them, Tu Zhenshan will surely be grateful and obedient to her.
"By the way, sir, what happened to that advisor who used to be by your side? We haven't seen him in a long time." Sun Miao'er asked casually.
Zhang Shengmin said, "You mean Master Shen? His elderly mother has been ill for many days, and he has already gone home to take care of her."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
