Even after Bian Lang pointed out the little scheme in the mind of the Luoyang prefect, he remained calm and composed.
He served as an official for many years and never exploited the people. If he didn't make some money, how could he support such a large family?
“My two heroes, one hundred and thirty taels of silver is quite a lot. How about this, I will take ten taels out of my own pocket to make it a round number, so that you can divide it between yourselves.” The prefect of Luoyang smiled innocently.
Bian Lang sighed and said, "That's fine too."
“Brother Bian…” Shangguan Hongyu didn’t want the reward money, but seeing how greedy the prefect was, she wanted to take all of it.
The prefect of Luoyang laughed heartily and said, "Great Hero Bian is indeed wise and reasonable."
"Sir, you just said the treasury can't come up with that much silver, so please give us 130 taels first. For the remaining 12,870 taels, please write an IOU." Bian Lang said with a stern face and a cold voice.
The prefect of Luoyang could no longer laugh.
This IOU definitely cannot be issued.
The government office indeed couldn't come up with 13,000 taels of silver.
Although offending people in the martial arts world would be troublesome, given the current situation, he had no choice but to offend them.
"I'm giving you two choices," the Prefect of Luoyang said with a dark face.
Bian Lang laughed and said, "I'm all ears."
"The first option is for you to take two hundred taels of silver and get out of here." The prefect of Luoyang thought that any smart person would choose this.
Bian Lang shook his head and said, "That won't do. We agreed on a reward of one thousand taels of silver per head. We brought thirteen heads, which is thirteen thousand taels. Not a single coin less."
"The second option is quite simple: the prison food is delicious, and you two can enjoy it for decades," the Luoyang prefect said with a sinister smile.
Shangguan Hongyu frowned slightly and asked, "Does Your Excellency intend for us to stay in prison for the rest of our lives?"
"A smart person knows how to choose," the prefect of Luoyang declared.
It is said that the common people cannot fight against the officials. No matter how fierce the people in the underworld are, they are still the common people and cannot defeat the officials.
Bian Lang slammed the teacup heavily on the table, startling the prefect of Luoyang, who trembled and asked in a trembling voice, "What...what do you want to do?"
“We don’t want the reward money,” Bian Lang said, standing up.
The prefect of Luoyang chuckled and said, "Two hundred taels of silver is still silver; it's enough for you to live a carefree life for a while."
"My lord, I simply went out to take down the notice and then went to Chang'an to file a complaint with the emperor," Bian Lang said as he walked out.
Should we go to Chang'an to lodge a complaint with the emperor?
Filing a complaint with the emperor is not a simple matter. Many people from all over the world flocked to Chang'an to file a complaint with the emperor, but they all ended up as beggars, dying far from home, with tragic ends.
But Bian Lang and Shangguan Hongyu are not ordinary people, especially since Shangguan Hongyu is the lord of the Righteous Fortress. Perhaps they really have a way to kill him in Chang'an.
The prefect of Luoyang's face grew increasingly grim as he thought about it, and he sighed, "It seems that the two of you have already made your choice."
Shangguan Hongyu drew her Red Rain Sword with a swift motion and pressed it against the throat of the Luoyang prefect.
In that instant, the prefect of Luoyang was so frightened that his legs trembled, his throat tightened, and he almost wet his pants.
After catching his breath, he croaked, "You...you dare to kill an official of the imperial court?"
"I've killed far too many corrupt officials like you," Shangguan Hongyu said with a cold laugh.
Bian Lang told Shangguan Hongyu to put down her sword and said, "We don't want this silver anymore, and we won't file a lawsuit. Let's go."
“This corrupt official won’t let us leave alive,” Shangguan Hongyu said.
The prefect of Luoyang quickly said, "You two heroes, please leave immediately. If I dare to stop you, then..."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw Bian Lang grab Shangguan Hongyu's shoulder and disappear from his sight in an instant.
He chased after them out of the main hall, shouting that there was an assassin.
The constables who rushed over upon hearing the commotion were all dumbfounded. Where was the assassin?
After leaving the government office, Shangguan Hongyu was shocked by Bian Lang's lightness skill, but she was more angry than anything else.
That's thirteen thousand taels of silver; we can't just let it go like this.
Bian Lang laughed and said, "Let's go eat first. I believe the prefect will send the silver over soon."
“He will only send people to cut off our heads,” Shangguan Hongyu said.
Bian Lang said, "There are many fun places in Luoyang, and plenty of delicious food. Let's stay a few more days."
Shangguan Hongyu naturally had no objections.
They captured wanted criminals and received rewards from the government, which was clearly stipulated by the imperial law.
As for the specific amount of the reward money, local government offices can decide it at their discretion.
Now that the prefect of Luoyang has gone back on his word, he is damaging the face of the imperial court, so he will certainly not dare to make a big fuss about it.
However, given Shangguan Hongyu's understanding of the officials appointed by the imperial court, she could soon arbitrarily accuse them of a crime and turn them into wanted criminals as well.
However, the prefect of Luoyang miscalculated one thing: Zhengyi Fort was not easy to bully.
The Righteous Fortress, together with Bian Lang, had just returned Qiao Feng's remains to the Beggars' Sect headquarters, and their reputation in the martial arts world was at its peak. For the Prefect of Luoyang to attack them now was absolutely insane.
For the next few days, the two indulged in eating, drinking, and merrymaking in the city.
Shangguan Hongyu was enjoying her time with Bian Lang so much that she even forgot that the prefect of Luoyang was still watching their heads.
It wasn't until government officials came knocking that Shangguan Hongyu became alert again.
But to their surprise, these officials weren't there to arrest them, but to deliver money to them.
"Please check, gentlemen. This is thirteen thousand taels of silver notes." A constable handed a stack of silver notes to Bian Lang.
Bian Lang laughed and said, "No need to count, I trust the prefect." As he spoke, he casually pulled out a few silver notes and handed them to a few constables.
These few silver notes alone must be worth several hundred taels of silver.
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