gnovel Chapter 43 I Won't Eat Your Mutton
Chapter 43 I Won't Eat Your Mutton
Suhe's days are becoming more and more hopeful.
Ever since the government troops recaptured Yijun, his luck has turned around.
First, they discovered a batch of valuables and grain that the thieves hadn't had time to take away, and handed them over to Zhang Shixiong, thus clearing him of the guilt of being captured and forced to join the bandits. Then, they led the remaining wealthy families in the city to maintain order and captured the remaining roving bandits.
Including the group of thieves in the prison cart, I have already sent two groups to Yan'an Prefecture.
As long as the prefect approves, my position as a clerk will be secure.
With that thought in mind, Suhe rode his horse wobblingly to Old Sun's liquor store.
July heats up quickly, and people walking around are already covered in a light sweat.
Upon seeing the signboard of the liquor store, several yamen runners cried out that they were thirsty.
Su He chuckled and cursed, "These scoundrels!" but still dismounted and called out from outside the shop, "Old Sun, bring me a few pots of cold tea! And whatever you have to eat, bring me some too!"
Suhe was also a frequent visitor on this road and was very familiar with Old Sun's shop.
But when he called out, no one came out of the shop.
Suhe raised an eyebrow and was about to step forward when he noticed that five horses were already tied to the trough.
"Hey, old man Sun, you've got a big guest today."
He went inside and saw two tables of soldiers in full armor.
Before he could even go up and greet him, a man wearing chainmail who was sitting at the table stood up.
"Is that Officer Su? It's been a long time."
Suhe felt that the person looked familiar, but couldn't remember who it was.
Could he be a bannerman under Commander Zhang? But judging from his attire, he is clearly an officer.
Could there be officers under Commander Zhang who he didn't recognize?
Although she didn't recognize the other person, Su He still bowed and asked, "Who are you?"
"Officer Su, you really have a bad memory. Have you forgotten who shot an arrow into your leg?"
Hearing the chainmail-clad man's words, Suhe shuddered. Upon closer inspection, he recognized him. This was the very man who had led his men to break through the north wall he was guarding, allowing the rebel army to enter the city!
Suhe gritted his teeth and swallowed the urge to call for help, because he noticed that the other four "bandit soldiers" who were sitting had also stood up, each holding a knife.
Su He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Mr. Li... what are you doing here? You could have just called if you needed anything, you didn't have to come looking for me."
Li Chengye was also somewhat surprised by the other party's flexible response.
Although Li Hongji, who was standing next to him, did not know what the relationship between the two was, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit stiff, so he slowly retreated to the entrance of the wine shop.
At this moment, the constables outside also entered the shop. Seeing Su He standing in front of a border army officer, one of the constables, being bold, asked Su He, "Master He, who is this officer?"
"This is a close friend of mine! A few days ago, the bandits... it was this gentleman who saved me!" Su He quickly said, afraid that his men would notice something and incite Li Chengye and the others to act impulsively and kill him.
"Hey shopkeeper! Do you still have any mutton? Bring some for all of you brothers!"
Li Chengye then shouted towards the kitchen.
Upon hearing this, Old Sun awkwardly stepped forward and said to Li Chengye, "Sir, we only have that one skinny sheep. If we send everyone, it still won't be enough..."
Before Li Chengye could reply, Su He spoke up: "We lowly servants are lucky to have a bowl of mutton soup, why make such a fuss!" Then, turning to Old Sun, he said, "If there's not enough mutton, just add more water!"
Seeing that Li Chengye had no objections.
Old Sun nodded in agreement, went to the kitchen, added water to the remaining broth, and brought it to a boil again.
The constables cheered and thanked their head constable's "closest friend".
After all, in these times, even for constables from the county government, eating meat was a rare treat.
Li Chengye pulled Suhe to a table, away from the yamen runners, and bluntly told him, "I'm here today to intercept prisoners."
If you cooperate with me, I won't kill anyone. If you don't cooperate, I'll kill you and then release the person.
Su He's knees buckled at the thought: "Master Li, as you said, I'll release the man, just please don't kill me." With that, Su He took out the keys to the prison cart and placed them on the table.
Li Chengye took the keys and patted Su He on the shoulder: "Eat well, we'll leave after we finish eating."
Next, Li Chengye approached Li Hongji. Li Hongji looked at him warily.
"You are not a government soldier."
"How did you figure that out?" Li Chengye asked, somewhat curious.
"That constable is clearly afraid of you. I saw him give you the key again."
"Oh, I see." Li Chengye thought to himself, Li Hongji's observation skills are quite sharp.
"To be honest, I was the one who captured Yijun City a few days ago. That constable was my defeated opponent back then."
Upon hearing this, Li Hongji immediately sprang to his feet and reached for his own baton.
Li Chengye didn't stop him, but simply said, "Do you think you can beat all five of us by yourself?"
indeed.
Even though Li Hongji had practiced martial arts with sticks since childhood, he was no match for five fully armed men wielding swords and knives. Moreover, the men were also wearing armor, making it even more impossible for him to fight them.
Seeing that Li Hongji had calmed down, Li Chengye said to him, "In this year of severe drought, instead of providing disaster relief, the government is levying exorbitant taxes. If we don't rise up in rebellion, what other way will we survive?"
Li Hongji twisted his neck and said, "That's...that's because there are treacherous officials around the emperor! Once the emperor learns of our people's suffering, he will surely exempt us from taxes and provide disaster relief!"
Li Chengye couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this—the future gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty was now so loyal to it.
"You're in charge of the postal relay stations, right? You've seen plenty of official documents, traveled many roads, and visited many places. Even when there's disaster relief, how often has it actually been implemented?"
The imperial court set the amount of silver for the Liaodong campaign. After passing through the prefectures and counties, by the time it reached the farmers, the nine-tenths of a percent had become two-tenths or even three-tenths.
"Doesn't this just prove that the emperor is wise and just that the officials below him are greedy and treacherous?"
"But have you ever thought about this? Without these officials, how would the emperor govern the country?"
"There are always...there are always good officials."
Have you seen it before?
This completely silenced Li Hongji.
Li Chengye waited for a long time, wanting to see what else he would say.
After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out, "I...I won't eat your mutton."
This made Li Chengye find it somewhat amusing.
At this moment, this future Li Zicheng was truly a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty, refusing to accept charity.
Li Chengye simply waved his hand and said, "If you want to leave, then leave. It doesn't matter if you go to the authorities. I won't stop you."
Li Hongji was somewhat incredulous upon hearing Li Chengye's words, but he still tried to leave the shop.
Seeing that no one was stopping him, he quickly ran to the willow tree and untied the reins.
He mounted his horse, thought for a moment, and instead of leaving immediately, rode to the shop entrance and called out, "Sir inside, would you like to leave your name?"
Seeing that Li Hongji still addressed him as "Military Lord" instead of "Bandit," Li Chengye laughed.
He stepped out of the shop and looked into Li Hongji's eyes:
"My name is Li Chengye, remember that name!"