Capture Jiang Heng
Chen Zhusheng's men traveled north and soon arrived at Yue Fengren's residence. The thatched gate hadn't been replaced in a long time, and after a spring rain, most of it, along with some weeds, had rotted away. He reached out his hand and then withdrew it, tentatively calling out, "Master Chen of Huicaiyan has something to ask of you. May I ask if there is anyone in your esteemed hall to receive you?"
A doorman emerged from the kitchen, chewing something, and looked him over before asking, "What can I do for you?"
The messenger handed over the gold box and relayed Chen Zhusheng's instructions. The doorman glanced at the gold box with disdain, put his hands in his sleeves, and said, "I already know about the matter. The master shouldn't refuse, but our master doesn't like gold and silver. Please take it, brother."
The messenger continued, holding up the box and laughing, "Young brother, you're overthinking it. This box isn't a gold box, and there's no gold or silver treasure inside. Once your master has seen it, you won't regret accepting it."
The doorman examined the box carefully and realized it was clearly pure gold. He figured the man was just rambling, but fearing there might be something he really wanted, he reluctantly accepted it, only to find it too heavy and nearly fall forward. The messenger grinned at the sight.
Before half a day had passed, two wandering soldiers dressed in black coats and short shirts arrived at the door to fulfill their request. After giving Chen Zhusheng his instructions, the two men mounted their horses and set off.
Upon reaching the pass, the two men saw the army arrayed in the distance and were somewhat frightened, hesitating to proceed.
Seeing this, the two gatekeepers became suspicious. They exchanged a glance and walked towards the two rangers, saying, "The cavalry is training; bystanders please keep your distance!"
Upon hearing the name "Sa Taqi," the two men remembered what their master had mentioned before, and felt reassured. They then cupped their hands and said, "We are here on the orders of Master Yue to capture the bandits!" After saying this, they took out the seal paper jointly pressed by Chen Zhusheng and Yue Fengren as proof.
The guards stepped forward to investigate, only to find that the person they were to arrest was named Jiang Heng. They were puzzled and asked, "Who is this Jiang Heng?"
“Jiang Heng is the youngest son of the Jiang family of Tian Song,” the scouts replied.
There is only one Jiang family in Tiansong. Jiang Heng is not a duplicate of the name. However, after spending several days with Jiang Heng, based on their impression of his character and conduct, they all felt that he would not do such a thing, and they were somewhat hesitant.
Seeing that the two men hesitated, You Jiao quickly said, "The evidence against this man for theft is there, and there's no way to deny it! Please let him go immediately so we can arrest him!"
The guards thought to themselves, "You can know a person's face but not their heart," and said, "This man must be working at Bantian!" The more they thought about it, the angrier they became. They stormed open the gate and quickly released You Jiao out of the pass. Guo Zheng's men followed, but were blocked behind the gate and could not catch up.
After the training was over, the news spread throughout the cavalry—everyone knew that Jiang Heng had stolen the official bell and disregarded the law. People sighed, all feeling they had misjudged him.
Zhao Peiming, however, sat in his tent drinking tea, a slight look of worry on his face. Xiao Han saw this and stepped forward, saying, "Commander, there's no need to worry. This man will likely never see us again. Besides, there are plenty of talented people out there, so why lament for him?"
"No, that's a ruse. They're catching thieves in the open, but arresting people in the shadows," Zhao Peiming said, swallowing his tea.
Xiao Han was startled and asked, "What do you mean?"
"It's a long story," Zhao Peiming said, not giving a direct answer. "The next time we meet, you'll either be a corpse or a high-ranking official."
Xiaohan listened to the whole story and knew that the details were complicated, so she stopped asking questions. She just pondered the words and told the others the same thing, telling them not to act impulsively and to pretend they had never heard of it.
When You Jiao leaped up the hill, they both stared in disbelief. Before their eyes was a vibrant scene of farming – not a trace of broken spears, only turning the soil and sweating profusely.
"Isn't Half-Day Flower the legendary desolate land? Who are these people..." One of them finally couldn't help but sigh.
The other one whipped his whip and charged down the slope, leaving him covered in dust.
The farmers, seeing the two men approaching menacingly from afar, quickly hid in nearby mounds of earth. Those a little further away hurried to inform Jiang Heng. The patrolmen felt even more uneasy; they had clearly seen several people working here just moments before, but after the yellow sand cleared, they had all vanished upon closer inspection.
The two slowed down and looked around as they entered the village. The village was large, with sparse thatched houses scattered in clusters, seemingly relying on each other for survival. It was early summer, and the vitality of the earth was emerging from the loess soil, with new shoots and farmers conquering this barren land together.
Two people emerged from afar; the former was timid and hesitant, carrying a hoe, while the latter was tall and proud, with a book in his hand.
The two sides met at a fork in the road.
"Master Yue has ordered that anyone who provides clues to Tian Song Jiang Heng be rewarded with one hundred coins," You Jiao said.
"What are you looking for Jiang Heng for?" Upon seeing the high-ranking official's men, the man with the hoe lost his fear, thinking they were nothing but a bunch of foxes pretending to be powerful, and became self-righteous.
"Jiang Heng is guilty of stealing the Supervisor's Golden Bell." The constables had already secretly identified the disheveled man as the panicked Jiang Heng, and they were about to arrest him.
"Wait a minute," the man with the scroll stepped forward and placed his hand in front of the man with the hoe, then turned and bowed. "I am Jiang Heng." Jiang Heng thought to himself, he had inexplicably become a thief, and You Jiao had gone to great lengths to find him outside the pass. This matter must be complicated.
"My lord!" The farmer was clearly anxious, but he dared not make any rash moves.
You Jiao sized up Jiang Heng, thinking that this person was completely different from what he had imagined, but since no one else was with him, it was unlikely that he was an imposter. He never expected that Jiang Heng, who had such a refined air, was actually a scoundrel inside.
"Horse your horses and come with us!" the two men said firmly.
"Lord Jiang is not a thief! You're making baseless accusations!" The farmer raised his hoe, agitated. Several people emerged from behind the house, whispering that these were officials' men and not to be trifled with, while pulling him back.
You and his companion exchanged a knowing smile and said, "How well do you know him? Judging by the way the crops are growing, you've only been cultivating this land for a little over two months. Can you really conclude that he hasn't stolen anything before based on just those two months?" They then looked at the people gathered around them. "You can hardly be considered law-abiding citizens, can you? You dare say you haven't committed any acts of arson, murder, or robbery?"
Jin Tao was among them. Upon hearing this, his eyes darkened, and he lowered his sleeve to cover the scar.
These farmers, who had lived peacefully and contentedly, had their land inexplicably seized after the capital was established in Tiansong, under the guise of land requisition for city expansion. In the end, they received hardly any silver, and dared not speak out in anger, leaving them no choice but to follow Jin Tao in becoming thieves. Wealthy families might not care about the occasional theft of incense burners or valuables, but these were enough to provide them with clothing and food. Unless forced into a corner, no one wanted to be remembered with infamy.
"Bah! You've all climbed the social ladder, don't think too highly of yourselves! Without the support of some high-ranking official, you'd all be sitting on stools in Tiansong by now!" You Jiao's words enraged all the farmers present, and for a moment, everyone was cursing him.
Jiang Heng said slowly, "If we weren't born into a chaotic world, who would willingly be subservient to others?" His words were slow but powerful, and as soon as he spoke, everyone stopped arguing and looked at him. "When there are elderly parents to care for, good people become cunning. When there is a need to make a living and get enough to eat, officials become tigers and wolves."
Jin Tao and the others sighed after hearing this, and those who had been arguing shook their heads and dispersed. You Jiao and his companion, who hadn't wanted to argue with the farmers, also seemed to be pondering what they were hearing.
"Sir, are you really a thief?" A childish voice broke the silence.
You Jiao was merely following orders and was already bewildered by the sudden arrest warrant, with no clear details. Upon hearing the child's words, the two of them looked at Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng bent down and smiled, "If I were someone who was greedy for short-term gains, why would I go through all this trouble to work so hard with you all here?"
The child smiled contentedly as his elders picked him up and led him away from the crowd. You Jiao thought to himself, "This person is quite the smooth talker; he knows how to win people over. But these words are hardly trustworthy now." Tian Song's rampant Robin Hood-like activities, both openly and covertly, showed no signs of abduction or arrest. On the contrary, chasing a bell thief would require traveling thousands of miles—it couldn't be that simple.
"Come with us!" the guerrillas demanded.
"Wait!" A burly man in his forties emerged from the crowd. He had tanned skin and a fierce look between his brows.
Upon seeing him, You Jiao's expression changed drastically. He shuffled back to his horse and said, "The arrest warrant is indeed here. We are only acting under orders. You cannot keep this man here! Get out of the way!"
The man clasped his hands and stepped forward, saying, "Gentlemen, you are unaware of the truth. Young Master Jiang has been wronged. If I can go with you, I will surely be able to clear your name! The children of this village all rely on Young Master Jiang for their education. This place cannot be without Young Master Jiang. I implore you gentlemen to allow me to go with you!"
Fearing that the man might beat them up halfway and take Jiang Heng away, the two firmly refused.
The man lifted his shirt, revealing the skin on his side, causing everyone to gasp and look away. The vagrants, experienced and knowledgeable, stared intently. Pointing to the conspicuous bruise, he said with tears in his eyes, "Gentlemen, there's no need to worry. This lowly farmer is poisoned and will soon die. Any slight movement will cause him excruciating abdominal pain, making it impossible for him to plot anything."
The constables hesitated upon hearing this. Being confined to their posts and cut off from all communication, they could only judge the man's identity by his clothing and demeanor. Although Jiang Heng was dressed in plain clothes, he possessed the air of a scholar, and his appearance and physique suggested he wasn't a laborer, but rather a down-on-his-luck young master. If they arrested the wrong person, they risked their own lives, which would be a greater loss than gain. With this in mind, the two men looked at Jiang Heng.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, young master." Jiang Heng smiled. He narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that although this person looked familiar, the two had no relationship. Those with deeper relationships would not hold back, but this person was willing to share joys and sorrows. There must be something fishy about this.
Jiang Heng took the reins, mounted his horse, and the men rode behind him, while the guards split into two lines on either side. Jiang Heng thought of something and turned back. Everyone had emerged from behind the pile, their dark or yellow faces all looking worried. Several men opened their mouths as if to speak, but remained silent.
Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be right back." After speaking, he looked at Jin Tao with a determined gaze, closed his eyes, and nodded.
"We hope you will return soon, my lord," the crowd said.
—————
"...Otherwise, where do you think Fu Qinxiang got so many assassins?"
"Isn't this treating people like dogs? I don't believe it."
"Hmph, what else can't she do? You should be locked up in that golden house too, so that when you're about to die, you'll see a fairy in flowing robes bringing you food, and then you'll be convinced."
A chilling sound came from outside the door, like a snake coiled and slithering across the door panel. The two men turned pale, covered their mouths, and stared intently at the dark door, not daring to curl up even slightly.
The door opened, followed by the grating sound of paper tearing, then the sound of wood collapsing. Moments later, there was a rustling sound like snakes crawling, and some sticky glue dripping down.
But at this moment, no one's eardrums vibrate for it.
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