Chapter 248 Brother Liao, how about we rebel too?
Old Liao and his brothers set up a small square table in the courtyard and sat on the ground.
Looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, I sighed, "Today is neither sunny nor hot, and it's not raining. Perfect for traveling."
“I feel the same way. Before, when I was traveling every day, I always wanted to rest. But now that I can rest, I want to keep traveling.”
"Brother Liao, do you think the Ministry of Revenue will allocate funds for us once the letter is sent back to the capital?"
“It’s so far from the capital. It’ll take three to five months for the funds to come through. Can we just lie here forever?” Zhao Jiu leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “It’s comfortable. Everything is fine except for the lack of money.”
Old Liao chewed on a peanut. "Okay, your body will be lying here for three to five months."
Hu Feng pressed further, "A corpse? Brother Liao, is it that serious?"
Zhao Jiu was so frightened that he sat up.
Everyone looked at Lao Liao, waiting for his answer.
"Brother Liao, I'm still young and haven't gotten married yet. I don't want to die!"
Old Liao said, "Waiting for the imperial court to allocate funds will definitely be late. If it is late, the consequences will be at least a salary reduction and caning, and at worst, dismissal and imprisonment. We are escorting important prisoners this time, so the latter is still a light punishment."
There's an 80% chance he'll die.
"What should we do then? Should we just quit and run for our lives?"
"If we escape, what will happen to our families in the capital?"
"So we tried to get some money to continue our journey and asked the local government for funding."
"Don't we know what kind of people the government offices are? They're probably not much faster than the Ministry of Revenue."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
They went to the government to get a certificate stating that they had been robbed and their money was gone. Two days have passed and the document still hasn't been issued. They keep saying they need to investigate. What the hell? Hundreds of people can testify to this; what kind of investigation is that? They're just dragging their feet and refusing to release the money.
Old Liao was worried; where could he find a few hundred taels of silver?
Zhao Jiu glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then beckoned to his men to come closer and whispered, "I was just buying wine on the street when I heard someone say that hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangnan have risen up in rebellion. In just over ten days, they've amassed hundreds of thousands of people and are sweeping through two prefectures and five towns..."
"Brother Liao, why don't we rebel too? Back in the day, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose up against the Qin Dynasty because they were facing execution for missing the deadline. Now, with Master Liao leading us..."
"You're rebelling? You can't even come up with a few dozen coins, you're so poor you're about to sell yourself, and you still dare to rebel? If word gets out, you'll lose your head!" Old Liao slapped him on the back of the head.
Zhao Jiu quickly covered his head with his elbow, "Brother Liao, please have mercy! I was just joking, just take it as me talking nonsense, hehe~"
He was actually serious.
As the ancients said, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"
Since we're all going to die anyway, we might as well strive to make a name for ourselves in history.
"Drink today, for tomorrow we die. Don't think about the future. Who knows, money might fall from the sky in a little while."
"You're drunk and talking nonsense again. In all my years, I've never seen money fall from the sky. It's more like a pie falling from the sky."
"I've never seen a free lunch before, haha!!"
The group drank until they were staggering, and those with low alcohol tolerance were already slumped on the table, completely drunk and unconscious.
Old Liao had a high alcohol tolerance and could drink a lot without getting drunk. He only drank a few bowls before he was done and still wasn't satisfied.
He turned the jar upside down and poured out only a few drops, hoping to get drunk so he wouldn't have to worry about anything.
Suddenly a large jar of wine appeared before them.
"May I ask if you are Master Liao?"
"I am you, and who are you? What brings you here?"
"His surname is Pei. He wants to discuss a business deal with Master Liao." Pei Huaiji opened the lid of the wine jar and poured him some wine.
Old Liao's eyes held a hint of wariness. "What kind of business?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
"Don't worry, Brother Liao. I'm not asking you to do anything like murder or arson. This is a piece of cake for you. I can even help you solve a major problem."
"Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me already."
"The Xiao family is permitted to use a carriage. Once they reach their place of exile, we will arrange for them to live in a better village. Please take good care of them on the way, and absolutely do not lay a hand on them. If you can do all of the above, I, Pei, am willing to donate one thousand taels of silver to the group for travel expenses. I will also give you one thousand taels of silver for your return journey."
Half-drunk, the wasp pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "Brother Liao, money is falling from the sky!"
Upon hearing this, the others also looked up one after another, exclaiming, "Money dropped! Money dropped! Where is the money?"
A thousand taels of silver was like a lifeline for Lao Liao. He would have been willing to let them ride in a carriage or even carry Yun Zhaoxue.
After repeatedly confirming that the other party was not joking, Lao Liao handed over a box after both parties signed the agreement. Inside the box were silver ingots, silver notes of varying denominations, and loose silver, totaling one thousand taels.
Old Liao asked curiously, "Does Young Master Pei trust me that much?"
“My younger sister often tells me that Master Liao is a man of great loyalty and integrity. I trust her, and after meeting him today, I feel even more certain that Master Liao is trustworthy. My sister is entrusting him to Master Liao.” Pei Huaiji drank another bowl of wine with him.
"Bang!"
...
The lobby of the inn.
Hua Murong handed a bundle to Pei Huaiji, saying, "Disciple, this journey is fraught with danger. Please take good care of yourself. This is a bag of three Leizhenzi pills that I made overnight. This whole bag is full of poison. If you throw it at the enemy at a critical moment, it can poison a large number of them."
"Thank you, Master."
"Remember the secret your master taught you: if you can't win, run away."
"Yes, Master, I've got it. Master, once the rebellion in Jiangnan is quelled, I'll take you to retire here, and we'll all travel to Jiangnan together."
"No rush, no rush, Master is still young, take care!" Hua Murong patted his shoulder and stepped aside.
Pei Huaiji said to Yun Zhaoxue, "Xue'er, you didn't accept the things I sent you before. I've already given them to Lord Zhufeng's caravan to deliver to Lingnan on my behalf. I also bought a lot of things that the children will need. Perhaps the next time we meet, my nephews will have already been born, and I won't be able to see you off on the road. I'm sorry!"
Yun Zhaoxue gently shook her head, "No need to apologize, you have more important things to do. I'll accept the gifts, and I'll thank you on behalf of the children, Second Brother."
"What did you just call me? You called me Second Brother! You're willing to call me Second Brother now, Your Highness! Did you hear that? Xue'er called me Second Brother! You should call me Second Brother-in-law! Hahaha!!!"
"Second brother-in-law, this sword is for you! Take care!"
Pei Huaiji was very generous, booking the entire inn and paying for all the food.
He possesses a fine black iron sword.
"Thank you, brother-in-law. I hope you get back on your feet soon. I'll have a chance to spar with you using this sword."
"good!"
"It's a deal!"
"You've all prepared gifts, it wouldn't be right for me not to give one."
Yun Zhaoxue handed over two bundles. "The Rain of Pear Blossom Needles and Plum Blossom Sleeve Arrows can fire six in a row. This is a repeating crossbow, and this is a Thunderclap Arrow, which is even more powerful. It can be fired from at least fifteen meters away. If you get too close and it explodes, you must lie down, otherwise you will be seriously injured or killed. Remember this!"
"This is holy water, and I've put it in two water bags for you."
Hua Murong immediately bristled upon hearing this, "What? Two water pouches? Girl, you only give me a tiny bit each time, I can't bear to use them!"
He pointed to a spot the size of his fingernail with his thumb.
Pei Huaiji smiled and said, "Master, don't be angry. I'll share half of mine with you."
"No need. Keep these for your own survival. If you take all these weapons and holy water and still lose your life, or even a limb, I will no longer acknowledge you as my disciple."
"Don't worry, I..."
"I also prepared a water bag for the miracle doctor; I'll go up and get it for you in a bit."
"Really? That's great! I was just saying it casually. I'm not a petty person."
"Xue'er, thank you." Pei Huaiji's eyes reddened with emotion, the heavy bundle in his hands representing his sister's love for him.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, it was time to set off.
Pei Huaiji went out, and his men were already waiting at the door with their horses. He mounted his horse.
Yun Zhaoxue walked to the door and said, "Take care, Second Brother! Have a safe journey!"
He gripped the reins tightly, turned around, nodded vigorously, and clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Yes, you all take good care of yourselves. Once the rebellion is quelled, I will come to Lingnan to find you!"
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