gnovel Chapter 17 Song Jiang, the Clerk
Chapter 17 Song Jiang, the Clerk
Liu Tang's mouth dropped open.
The three Nguyen brothers exchanged glances, not daring to utter a sound.
They thought the 100,000 strings of cash they robbed was an immense fortune they could never spend in several lifetimes.
As a result, they couldn't even make a ripple in front of the army, that money-devouring beast.
Liu Bei picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.
That's why I say this is the most important task.
"The birthday gifts are just our capital, not our strength."
"Besides replacing these jewels, we need to find other ways to make money."
Wu Yong gently waved his feather fan and said, "Brother, you mean we should do our own business."
Liu Bei nodded:
"It's not just about doing business. We need to establish intelligence outposts to gather all sorts of information at any time. We need people in inns, restaurants, and casinos—places where all sorts of people gather. More importantly, we need to cultivate good relations with the government."
Gongsun Sheng frowned: "I don't understand, why should we try to maintain good relations with the government?"
Liu Bei slowly said, "If we want to make money to support our army, we can't avoid dealing with the government. If we don't manage these large sums of money properly, we'll easily be tracked down and found to be secretly raising an army, which is a serious crime of treason."
"And as long as we pay them enough, they will turn a blind eye to us, and may even tip us off at crucial moments."
Wu Yong's eyes lit up: "Brother, you're right. The officialdom of the Song Dynasty is like a sieve. As long as money and grain pave the way, there's no link that can't be bribed."
Liu Bei looked at Wu Yong: "Scholar, do you know anything about the officials of Yuncheng County and Jizhou Prefecture?"
Wu Yong thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I do know someone who might be able to help us."
Liu Bei asked, "Who?"
Wu Yong lowered his voice: "Yuncheng County, Song Jiang, Clerk Song."
When Liu Bei heard this name, his fingers paused on the table for a moment.
Chao Gai did indeed have this person in his memory.
Seeing that Liu Bei did not speak, Wu Yong continued:
"In this Yuncheng County, the magistrate is Shi Wenbin, but the ones who really manage things are the clerks and constables."
"Song Jiang, as the chief clerk, was in charge of criminal documents in the county government."
"He's the first to know if the government makes any move or issues any arrest warrants."
Liu Bei withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair: "I've heard of him. People call him Baoyi, or Timely Rain. He's known for his generosity and righteousness, and he makes friends with many heroes of the Jianghu. He's very famous in Shandong. Captains Zhu Tong and Lei Heng are both close friends with him."
Wu Yong nodded: "That's the man. He has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. If we can recruit him or reach an agreement with him, it will be like having a pair of eyes on Liangshan with the government."
"Then it's settled," Liu Bei immediately decided. "Tomorrow we'll go into the city together and see him first."
Wu Yong asked solemnly, "What does Brother intend to do?"
Liu Bei stood up and walked towards the mahogany boxes.
"To accomplish great things, we cannot be bothered with trifles. Since we are going to bribe the government, we must at least show some sincerity."
"Go and bring the molds and charcoal stove from the warehouse."
Liu Tang was stunned for a moment.
"Brother, why are you moving those things?"
Liu Bei opened one of the boxes filled with gold ingots.
"Melt all this gold, recast it into gold bars, and erase all government marks."
Half an hour later, the secret room became very hot.
The charcoal was burning red-hot.
Several gold ingots bearing the seal of Daming Prefecture were thrown into the crucible.
Gold gradually melts under high temperatures, turning into a dazzling liquid.
Liu Bei personally used iron tongs to pour the molten gold into the prepared long mold.
Cooling, quenching.
Ten gleaming gold bars were placed on the table.
There were no markings whatsoever; it was completely clean.
Liu Bei picked up a gold bar and weighed it in his hand.
"Ten taels for one."
"Here is one hundred taels of gold."
He wrapped the gold bars in a piece of black cloth and handed them to Wu Yong.
"Scholar, tomorrow morning, you will come with me to Yuncheng County to see what kind of person this timely rain is."
The next morning.
Liu Bei and Wu Yong changed into ordinary merchants' clothes, drove a mule cart loaded with leather goods, and left Dongxi Village.
There were more displaced people on the official road than ever before.
Ragged people, with their families in tow, ate tree bark and grass roots by the roadside.
Several corpses of starving people lay beside the ditch, unattended.
Liu Bei drove the mule cart, witnessing the tragic scenes unfold.
Wu Yong sat on the carriage shaft and sighed.
"This year's severe drought, coupled with the lingering effects of the government's pressure to collect tribute of rare stones and flowers, makes life increasingly difficult for the people."
Liu Bei swung his whip expressionlessly.
"This world is rotten to the core."
"No destruction, no construction."
The mule cart arrived in Yuncheng County in the afternoon.
The soldiers at the city gate, who had been lounging lazily against their spears, immediately perked up when they saw the mule cart approaching: "Halt! Who goes there?"
Wu Yong jumped off the carriage and skillfully stuffed a string of copper coins into his hand: "Sir, you've worked hard. This is Chao Gai, the head of Dongxi Village. He's come to the city to buy some household items."
The soldier weighed the copper coin in his hand, then immediately put on a smiling face: "So it's Chief Chao. Come in."
The mule cart drove into the city.
The county town was quite prosperous, with shops lining the streets and vendors calling out their wares incessantly.
Liu Bei parked the mule cart in the backyard of an inn.
The two asked for a superior room and settled in.
"Scholar, do you have any informants in this county?"
Liu Bei sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
Wu Yong lowered his voice.
"There is a teahouse diagonally opposite the county government office. The proprietress is an old widow, known as Granny Wang."
"That place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and it's where you can get the most information."
Liu Bei put down his teacup.
"Let's go have some tea."
The two left the inn, crossed two streets, and arrived near the county government office.
Two stone lions stood at the entrance of the county government office, exuding an air of solemnity and coldness.
Diagonally opposite is a shop with a sign that reads "tea".
Liu Bei and Wu Yong entered the teahouse and found a seat by the window.
Granny Wang greeted them, waving her handkerchief: "Gentlemen, what would you like some tea?"
Wu Yong tossed a piece of broken silver onto the table: "Bring two pots of good tea, and a few plates of dried fruit."
Granny Wang's eyes lit up, and she immediately put away the silver.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
The tea was served quickly.
Liu Bei picked up his teacup and looked at the county government office across the street.
Time passed little by little.
The sun was gradually setting in the west.
A person walked out of the gate of the county government office.
The man was short in stature and had a dark complexion.
He was dressed in official uniform, walked with a steady gait, and wore a friendly smile.
Wu Yong put down his teacup.
"Brother, that's Song Jiang, the clerk."
Liu Bei squinted and examined him carefully.
As soon as Song Jiang stepped down the steps, several people surrounded him.
An old man knelt down with a thud.
"Officer, save me! My son has been falsely accused of theft by Master Zhang and is now imprisoned. Please, Officer, have mercy!"
Song Jiang quickly reached out to help the old man up: "Old man, please get up. I have investigated this matter and found that Zhang the landlord was indeed making a false accusation. I have suppressed the complaint and will release your son tomorrow."
The old man thanked him profusely, kowtowing repeatedly.
Song Jiang took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve and stuffed it into the old man's hand.
"Take this and buy some tonics for your son to ward off bad luck."
The old man took the silver and left crying.
The onlookers let out a chorus of admiration.
"Sir Song is truly a just and upright official!"
"The title of 'timely rain' is truly well-deserved!"
Seeing this, Liu Bei turned to Wu Yong and asked, "What did you see?"
Wu Yong thought for a moment.
"Song, the clerk, was generous and righteous, and won the hearts of the people."
Liu Bei picked up his teacup.
"I saw the abuse of power."
Wu Yong was stunned.
Liu Bei's voice was very soft, and only the two of them could hear it.
"A mere clerk has no right to judge. By what right does he suppress the petition? By what right does he decide to release the person? He is undermining the magistrate's authority, using public laws to curry favor with his own people."
Cold sweat poured down Wu Yong's back.
He followed Liu Bei's train of thought and became increasingly alarmed.
This is far from a timely help.
This is clearly a case of forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices within the county government.
After Liu Bei finished speaking, he summoned Wang Po.
"Boss lady, I'd like to ask you about someone."
Granny Wang leaned closer: "Whom do you wish to inquire about, sir? There's no one in Yuncheng County that I, Granny Wang, don't know."
Liu Bei took out another piece of silver from his sleeve, pushed it in front of Wang Po, and said with a smile, "That man from before, Song Jiang, the clerk Song."
When Granny Wang heard this name, her smile widened even more.
"Oh my, sir, you've come to the right person if you're looking for Clerk Song."
"In this Yuncheng County, who doesn't owe Song Yashi a debt of gratitude? He's a well-known philanthropist, a generous benefactor."
Then Wang Po glanced around and lowered her voice: "I heard that Clerk Song has been tripped up by a woman these past few days!"
Liu Bei feigned interest: "Oh?"
Wang Po said proudly, "There's a singing girl named Yan Poxi in the west end of our city. She's incredibly beautiful. The day her father died, Clerk Song gave her money to bury him, and afterwards he bought her a house and kept her as his mistress."
Liu Bei asked, "But I wonder what kind of person this Yan Poxi is?"
"Her character?" Granny Wang whispered like a thief, "I heard this woman is insatiably greedy, and she's bound to cause trouble sooner or later. By the way, a few days ago, I saw a handsome young man lurking around her house."
Liu Bei said, "Thank you for your guidance, madam."
"Of course, of course."
Granny Wang swayed her hips as she walked away.
Liu Bei picked up his teacup and looked at the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water.
"Yan Poxi".
"This timely help is probably facing a great calamity."
Wu Yong asked in confusion, "How could you make such a judgment, brother?"