The two constables were startled and instinctively straightened their backs.
One of them bowed and asked, "General, may I ask what brings you here?"
Needless to say, this general is naturally Li Laosi.
He returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, the plates of his armor rustling as they clicked.
An invisible, bloodthirsty aura seemed to emanate from the air, causing the two constables to become even more respectful and give way.
"Thank you for your hard work, brothers. My nephew is in prison, and I would like to visit him. I wonder if you could make an exception?"
Li Laosi was very polite, and his personal guards immediately stepped forward and gave each of the two constables a piece of silver.
The two constables held the silver, wanting to take it but not daring to.
One of the constables asked, "Which one does the general wish to visit? We need to inform the jailer..."
Li Laosi said, "My nephew is named Li Jiayi!"
"Ah! It's General Li Si!"
"General Li Si of the victorious Northern Expeditionary Army!"
Both constables' eyes lit up, and they quickly pocketed the silver.
One led Li Laosi slowly along, while the other ran ahead to deliver the message.
Two of Li Laosi's personal guards followed him into the courtyard, while the rest stood guard at the gate, serving as substitutes for the two constables.
As it happened, the jailer was out on business, and the officers in the lead couldn't find him for a moment, so they gritted their teeth, said a few words to their brothers, and went straight into the prison to meet Li Laosi.
"General Li Si, General Li is in the innermost cell. You can just go there." A bailiff bowed and made a gesture to please him.
Li Laosi nodded his thanks and gave his personal guard a wink.
The two guards immediately pulled the constables aside and started talking to them.
The constables, preoccupied with their duties, hadn't gone to watch the spectacle, but they were quite curious.
Soon, the two sides were chatting and laughing together.
Jiayi stayed with "Rotten Grass Spirit" for a few days.
They ate, drank, slept, and fought together, and he had figured out his roommate's background—he was a scoundrel whose brain had been damaged!
It's said that because he was confused and couldn't find his way home, he stole chickens in the north of the city, accidentally injuring the owner. Having no money to compensate, he was thrown in here...
Jiayi thought of his uncle who had left home and could not return, and felt a little sorry for him.
Right now, he's secretly using a dagger to shave the "Rotten Grass Spirit's" head.
No sooner had he finished shaving than he turned around and saw his fourth uncle standing outside the door.
"Fourth...Fourth Uncle!" Jiayi jumped up and exclaimed in surprise.
Li Laosi looked his nephew up and down.
It's been more than two years since I last saw him. The mischievous boy has grown into a man, with a robust physique and a strong voice.
Perhaps because they had been kept here for several days, enjoying good food and drink, they were radiant and healthy, showing no signs of suffering.
Relieved, he reached through the fence, patted his nephew's shoulder heavily, and teased, "You little rascal, you've really made the family angry this time. Wait till you get out, your grandma will be beating you with her pipe."
Jiayi tried to pull his fourth uncle to sit down, but when he was half-squatting, he realized that this was a prison, and the ground was dirty and damp.
But Li Laosi didn't mind. He pulled him to sit down, then took a sheepskin wine bag from behind his waist and uncorked it.
He took a sip and then handed it to Jiayi.
Jiayi was overjoyed and quickly took a big gulp. Afterwards, he sighed contentedly and complained, "The food sent from home is all good, but there's no wine. I'm so hungry!"
Li Laosi rolled his eyes at him and cursed, "You dare to drink in this place? Are you out of your mind!"
Jiayi chuckled and whispered, "Don't worry, Fourth Uncle, I'm on my guard at all times."
"Old Huang and I take turns keeping watch at night, and my sister also brought me a lot of things, so even if something happens, I won't suffer any losses."
After saying that, he pointed to the bald man, "Rotten Grass Spirit," and said, "This is Old Huang. He's got a problem with his head and can't say many words, but he's really good with his hands. He fights with me every day, haha."
Old Huang was staring longingly at the wine bag in Jia Yi's hand. When he saw Jia Yi turn around, he reached out and quickly snatched the wine bag, then tilted his head back and drank it down.
Jiayi was in a hurry to snatch it back, and when he finally got it, half of the wine was gone. He was so angry that he kicked Lao Huang.
Old Huang wasn't annoyed. He lay on the ground with his arm as a pillow, comfortably reminiscing.
Li Laosi found it amusing.
My nephew is really thick-skinned; he can still make friends even in prison...
When you get home, you should tell your mother about it, so she won't worry.
Jiayi, fearing that his wine bag would be snatched again, quickly finished the rest of his drink, wiped his mouth, and then said, "Fourth Uncle, don't worry. I killed that Wu family brat after careful consideration, not recklessly."
"Firstly, the Wu family is plotting against Fu Niu'er. Our Li family can only complain to the Emperor, which is not enough to deter those with ulterior motives."
"I killed the Wu family brat in the street, the so-called imperial brother-in-law, and that's why others were afraid. After all, our Li family has a hothead who dares to kill even the imperial brother-in-law!"
"Secondly..."
Before Jiayi could continue, Li Laosi had already taken over the conversation.
"Secondly, I made contributions in Jiangbei, and you also made contributions in Hailan Army."
"Our family has two meritorious officials, plus the Marquis. You're afraid of incurring that person's wrath, so you plan to use this incident to offset your mistakes with your merits and get your family to back down, isn't that right?"
Jiayi chuckled dryly, scratching his messy hair. "It's not entirely like that. I'm afraid that if that person becomes wary of me, I'll be left in Kyoto. I still want to go back and kill the Japanese pirates!"
"Whether I'm a general or a common soldier, it doesn't matter, as long as I can kill the Japanese pirates. Fourth Uncle, you don't know, the Japanese pirates are even more despicable than barbarians!"
"The Japanese pirates were cruel and cunning, causing many people in Quanzhou to lose their homes and lives. It was a blood feud!"
"Even the two boats my uncle left in Quanzhou were almost stolen by Japanese pirates. I swear to wipe out the Japanese pirates and restore peace to the people of Quanzhou!"
He looked somewhat agitated, then paused before continuing, "Xi Ge'er and An Ge'er haven't returned yet. I must stay by the sea and welcome them back on behalf of my family..."
Thinking of his son and nephew, who were wandering somewhere, Li Laosi's eyes dimmed, but he quickly covered it up.
He nodded, looked at his nephew, and said, "We're family, so I won't thank you."
"Firstly, it's good that Wu family boy was killed. Thinking about how Fu Niu'er was wronged, and I, as her father, wasn't around, I wish I could chop the entire Wu family into mincemeat!"
"Secondly, this northern expedition has advanced another 300 li compared to the previous one. Next year, we can drive the barbarians back to the grasslands in one fell swoop and recover our land."
"When the time comes, I will retire from the army and go home to take care of your grandmother, or I will go out to find Xige'er and Ange'er."
"Just go ahead and kill the Japanese pirates. Don't worry about how much merit you make. It's all the family's honor anyway."
"In addition, I will discuss with your uncle and your father about gradually moving some of the family's assets to the south as a backup plan."
Jiayi frowned and subconsciously looked in the direction of the palace.
Li Laosi patted his nephew, "Don't worry, everything's fine for now. But things are unpredictable, and people's hearts are fickle. It's always good to be prepared."
"Besides, with a large tree branching out, our four branches of the Li family can't always stay together..."
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