Chapter 128 (Chapter 128) - Breaking into the Mansion
Everyone turned around and saw that the other party had gone too far. Not only did they want to take away the grain, but they also saw that Wu Feng had valuables hanging from his waist and wanted to steal them.
Wu Feng was not the kind of person who would swallow his anger. His patience was already at its limit, and being provoked like this, he immediately turned red in the eye, and the string he had been holding onto snapped completely.
The dagger at his waist was his prized possession. He had it crafted using his savings from over two months' wages and bonuses after becoming a junior manager at Mingyue Tower. He treasured it dearly and wouldn't even let his brothers handle it.
"What are you! I can touch you whenever I want." The man didn't take Wu Feng's anger seriously at all, cursing and reaching out to grab his dagger.
Wu Feng was furious and could no longer bear it, so he kicked the man away with a bang.
The man's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he was writhing on the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain. Judging from his condition, the kick he had received earlier was quite severe.
The other side was clearly taken aback by this sudden turn of events, standing there stunned for a moment before someone finally reacted and shouted, "These unruly people dared to attack our people! Arrest them all!"
A chaotic battle between the two sides was imminent.
Guan Jing pulled out a riding whip and threw one to Wu Shan, who was standing next to him.
Wu Feng's eyes widened in anger as he gripped the knife tightly in his hand. He was always the most ruthless fighter, as if he didn't care about his life, and he would cut down anyone who dared to get close.
Wu Shan lashed out with his whip at the person who was leaning towards him, kicking him away. Distracted, he turned to his brother and warned, "Take it easy, don't kill him."
These people were all under the jurisdiction of the Prefect of Jizhou. Although they were engaged in banditry, they were not true bandits. If they really killed someone, they would inevitably face imprisonment.
Although he had thought things through, he was ultimately overthinking it. No matter how skilled Wu Feng was, a dagger couldn't outmaneuver someone else's broadsword. Besides, his opponents clearly knew how powerful he was, and several of them surrounded him. Outnumbered, Wu Feng was quickly held to the neck by the opponent's broadsword.
The man he had kicked earlier now looked up and walked up to him, kicking him several more times, still not satisfied. He snatched the dagger from him and slapped it across the man's face. "You dare mess with me? This is what happens to you. You'll be in jail soon, you'll regret it."
Wu Feng's eyes were bloodshot; he had never suffered such humiliation before. He began to struggle violently, seemingly oblivious to the cuts on his neck caused by the blade.
"Wu Feng!" Wang Zongxiu shouted.
His shout brought Wu Feng back to his senses. He stopped struggling and just stared at the other man with hatred, wishing he could tear him to pieces.
"What exactly do you want?" Wang Zongxiu's face was also extremely ugly. He barely suppressed his anger and tried to negotiate with the other party calmly: "You want the grain, you can take it away, but you should at least release our people, right?"
"Let you go?" The burly man laughed as if he had heard something funny, his face trembling with laughter. "Who do you think you are? You beat up our men and think you can get away with it? Dream on."
"Brothers, throw them in jail!"
When Wang Zongxiu realized that even settling for second best hadn't worked, he stopped pretending, spat, and cursed, "Don't fucking push your luck. Do you really think I have no one to rely on?"
Who doesn't make tough statements?
Wang Jing also shouted, "If you dare to arrest us, just wait for the General to come after you!"
The burly man said, "The Grand General? The Grand General is nothing! Apart from the Emperor and the Heavenly King himself, no one would dare to cause trouble here!"
Wang Zongxiu grew increasingly terrified as he listened. That was a great general, yet these people spoke of him as if he were a lowly ninth-rank official.
Why was that? He really couldn't figure it out.
With this question in mind, they were all thrown into prison.
The prison was overcrowded and almost overflowing, so the officers had no choice but to put them all in one place.
Wu Shan was good at socializing. As soon as the officials left, he immediately started chatting with the people in the next cell.
"Brother, how come there are so many prisoners in the jail in Jizhou?"
"Judging from your appearance, is this your first time in jail?"
Wu Shan was taken aback, then nodded: "Ah, it's the first time."
"That's how the prisons in Jizhou are. You can still talk to each other when you're locked up together. You'll get used to it after a few times."
Everyone: ...
This can't happen too often.
Wang Zongxiu and Wu Shan exchanged a glance, then suddenly put on a smiling face and said with a smile, "Brother, we are all law-abiding citizens, how could we do this a second time?"
The man chuckled twice upon hearing this: "Who isn't a law-abiding citizen? I've been locked up several times already, haven't I?"
"What!" Wang Zongxiu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, you look so kind, like a benevolent person, how could you... how could you..."
Hearing him praise him, the man's attitude softened considerably: "What good is benevolence and righteousness? This Jizhou prison doesn't care whether you're benevolent or righteous. If you get in their way, you'll be in here no matter if you're right or wrong."
"But don't worry too much. After all, only a few will be beheaded. We'll just be locked up for ten days or half a month as a lesson."
Guan Jing blurted out, "Then why were you locked up so many times?"
The man gave a wry smile: "I've been targeted! I'm in the grain business, a very small business, but they keep picking on me every few days. If I don't hand over the grain from my shop to them, they not only rob me of my grain, but they also lock me up in jail. I do this business to support my family, how can I keep losing money? I thought I could get away with it this time, but look, I got robbed again, and now I'm in jail."
The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions.
Is this still an official residence? Isn't this just a den of bandits?
Guan Jing was furious and cursed, "A bunch of bandits in official robes."
“You can’t just say things like that,” the man glanced around and lowered his voice. “If they hear us, it’ll be terrible. They’re not killing us because they want to use us like leeks—they can harvest us one crop and then harvest us again. If you displease them, uprooting you is just a matter of lifting a finger. There was someone who cursed at us to our faces before, and he was dragged away and never came back. I saw it with my own eyes.”
"By the way, you didn't offend any of those people, did you?"
The air fell silent instantly.
Wang Zongxiu gave a smile that was even more bitter than a bitter gourd. "Maybe."
"Offended is offended, not offended is not offended," what does "maybe" mean? It sounds ambiguous.
Seeing that they seemed to have lost interest in talking, the man wisely kept quiet and went to sleep in a corner.
Blood was still seeping from the wound on Wu Feng's neck. Wu Shan tore off a piece of cloth and roughly bandaged it for him. Then he squatted down next to Wang Zongxiu and whispered, "Boss, what do we do now?"
Guan Jing leaned closer, his face full of worry: "Have we offended someone?"
"They're so arrogant, they have no respect for anyone. They stole our grain, are we not allowed to fight back? Fighting back is considered offending them?"
Wang Zongxiu said calmly, "So be it! Perhaps in the eyes of those bandits, not handing over the grain is already an offense."
"There's no use worrying, we can't escape anyway. We can only wait for Zhu Mingyue to realize what's happening and rescue us."
Guan Jing was not comforted at all; instead, she became even more worried: "Can the shopkeeper really save us?"
It wasn't that he didn't trust Zhu Mingyue, but the person behind her was the Prefect of Jizhou, who seemed to have a very powerful background. Even if Zhu Mingyue came, she wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
"The shopkeeper's family member is General Xie," Wu Shan reminded him at the opportune moment.
Guan Jing hesitated for a moment before speaking: "They're not even afraid of the Great General."
"Alright, there's no point in saying more, go and rest!" Wang Zongxiu interrupted them, rubbing his throbbing temples.
The governor of Jizhou was so ruthless in harming the people that General Guan, who was stationed in Jizhou, could really be completely unaware of it.
Another suspicious point is that on that road today, you could see patrolling soldiers not far away, but when the dispute occurred, if you looked closely again, there was no one there.
Since these soldiers were patrolling near the military camp, why did they ignore this incident that occurred within their jurisdiction?
Wang Zongxiu didn't understand. Could it be that a great general could be controlled by a mere prefect?
They are now completely wiped out, and it's unknown whether Zhu Mingyue has realized that something has happened to them.
Wang Zongxiu remained silent, but prayed incessantly in his heart.
Jizhou Camp
Xie Pei came out of the camp and was about to leave with Zhu Mingyue.
Zhu Mingyue tugged at his sleeve, her eyes drifting towards the tent.
Xie Pei smiled and said, "No need. He doesn't care about these formalities. You're often in the military camp, so you'll see him again in the future."
Zhu Mingyue secretly glared at him, "Who said I was going to stay in the military camp for a long time?"
Xie Pei remained silent, his deep black eyes fixed on him. Zhu Mingyue, seeing his face clearly, softened his tone: "I...I haven't thought about it yet."
Xie Pei: "When you're not around, I miss you terribly, all the time."
"Alright, alright," Zhu Mingyue's ears turned bright red, "Stop talking. I'll try to spend more time with you, but don't neglect your work." Otherwise, wouldn't he become some kind of male confidant who brings trouble?
Also, where did Xie Pei learn these words? They sound incredibly cheesy.
But since Xie Pei had said so, he would reluctantly agree.
Back at the camp, Zhu Mingyue found Xie Pei waiting outside his tent, but she went into her own tent alone.
With nothing to do, he lay on the bed, thinking of Wang Zongxiu and the others, and his heart began to beat extremely fast for no reason. He always trusted his intuition.
If something felt wrong, it was highly likely that something had happened to Wang Zongxiu, but he didn't know the specifics.
After a while, I felt restless and uneasy.
Just then, the soldier who had reported something to Xie Pei came out, and Zhu Mingyue rubbed her cold hands before going inside.
"Xie Pei, um, I asked Wang Zongxiu to deliver grain to Jizhou camp today. I wonder if they have arrived yet? I'm a little worried."
A look of realization dawned on Xie Pei's face. "The grain has been stolen."
Zhu Mingyue opened her mouth wide, and after a long while, she anxiously asked, "Where is the person?" The food was secondary; as long as the person was unharmed, that was all that mattered.
Xie Pei stepped forward and fastened his cloak: "The man has been arrested. Would you like to come with me to the governor's mansion?"
"Should we send soldiers from the governor's office to arrest the bandits?" Zhu Mingyue asked innocently.
Xie Pei was taken aback, and explained, "This matter was the work of the governor's office."
Zhu Mingyue was speechless. A prefectural governor engaging in the business of robbing grain was something that had clearly exceeded his previous understanding.
"Could there be some misunderstanding?"
As he spoke, Xie Pei put the gloves back on him. "No," he said decisively.
Zhu Mingyue believed Xie Pei. If he said no, then there must be no misunderstanding. This was done by people from the governor's mansion.
Why would the governor rob him of his grain?
No, that's secondary. The key issue is that the governor not only seized his grain but also arrested his people!
Knowing that this matter could not be delayed, Zhu Mingyue immediately spurred her horse and followed Xie Pei and his entourage into the governor's mansion.
Yes, it was a real adventure.
Sun Kan swung his sword at the gate of the governor's mansion, and the chains snapped as easily as fragile plastic.
Zhu Mingyue followed closely behind Xie Pei. Before she could even be surprised by the situation, she watched helplessly as Sun Kan led his soldiers to swiftly capture the government troops who had come to stop them.
Once Sun Kan entered the governor's mansion, he was like a completely different person. He had been chatting and laughing with him on the way, but now he was acting all high and mighty, clearly there to cause trouble.
Xie Pei held him protectively by his side, and he turned his head to look at him.
Okay, Xie Pei looks even more arrogant than Sun Kan, exuding a chilling aura, with a pair of eyes that are cold and sharp.
Zhu Mingyue was also affected, and couldn't help but raise her chin and look people in the eye.
He craned his neck until it ached before a shifty-eyed old man finally arrived.
The old man's expression was also unpleasant, but he dared not lash out. He smiled obsequiously, as if he had not seen the entire mansion of guards under his control: "I am the chief clerk of the governor's mansion. I have long admired General Xie's name. May I ask what brings you here today?"
Xie Pei, however, didn't even bother to look at him.
The official's smile froze, and Sun Kan caught a glimpse of the hatred that flashed across his face.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Lord Wang. Would it be possible for us to catch up?"
Chief official: ...
Sun Kan twirled the knife, and it slipped from his hand in mid-air, grazing the official's toes and embedding itself firmly in the ground.
The magistrate was so frightened that his legs went weak. He looked at Sun Kan in disbelief, then at Xie Pei, his body swayed, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"What do you mean by this, sir?"
Sun Kan chuckled: "I was quite bored not being able to see Lord Wang, so I was just showing off my sword skills. I didn't expect my hand to slip. I hope the magistrate won't take offense!"
Heh! The clerk practically forced out two dry laughs through clenched teeth.
Sun Kan glanced at him and said, "However, to be honest, we soldiers are all a bit impatient. It's been a long time since we've seen Lord Wang. If he's bored, he might as well hang out in the governor's mansion. I hope the officials won't mind."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a potted black pine tree was smashed to pieces on the ground.
The culprit was a young soldier who, seeing everyone looking at him, was somewhat embarrassed: "I'm really sorry, I just wanted to stretch my muscles."
This is a blatant threat!
The magistrate, a short old man, looked weak and helpless. If one did not know the situation, even Zhu Mingyue would probably feel deep sympathy for him.
The old man sighed, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
A moment later, a soldier from the prefecture came over and said, "The governor invites General Xie in for a talk."
Zhu Mingyue followed closely behind Xie Pei, but was stopped by the guards: "The governor said that no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."
Unauthorized persons?
Zhu Mingyue, who was being called a nobody, was unhappy. He spoke arrogantly, raised his head higher, and looked as if he wanted to shove his nose at people, "I am not a nobody. I am here to ask Lord Wang for people."
Xie Pei released his imposing aura at just the right moment and commanded in a deep voice, "Get out of the way."
The guards couldn't withstand such pressure. They didn't even dare to raise their heads. Their arrogance vanished, and they hurriedly made way in a panic.
Zhu Mingyue was thrilled. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she gently hooked Xie Pei's finger with her hand, which was hidden by her cloak.
Xie Pei's expression softened slightly, and he pinched the hand that had been causing the trouble, rubbed it against it, and then let go.
"General Xie, instead of guarding the camp, how come you have time to come to my governor's mansion for a reunion?"
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