Great Tang Idyll - Chapter 130

Zhang Xiaobao had been waiting for these words. Seeing that Li Xun was very angry, he comforted him, “You don’t need to be angry, Young Master Li. It’s not worthwhile to be upset over someone like this. The magistrate may be a little greedy, but he does think about the people. My family is willing to give some money.

The people of Sanshui County are better off and more prosperous. The wharf can generate more income, and my family will also make more money. If we spend part of that money to improve the lives of the people, the place will become more prosperous. This is what we call a virtuous circle.

But Jia Shan doesn’t think like this at all. My father had planned to see how he would act. If he treated the people well, then we would give him some money, help him achieve political success, and help him get promoted.

But you can’t even guess what he did. Before he took office, he went to the wharf to calculate how much money could be made there each year. The assistant magistrate saw through his plan, and when he took office the next day, many people came to greet him, hoping he would treat the people well. But instead, he thought about the Pingcang Warehouse and, the very next moment, asked the Han and Yuan families for money.

Hmm, he asked for money twice—13,000 strings of coins each time. Isn’t it New Year’s Eve? Magistrate Cheng gave gifts to the people during the New Year. He is still waiting for his reward from above, after all, he was welcomed by thousands of civilians, so he wouldn’t dare not give gifts. He bought some things from my family and spent money.

But now, he’s unsatisfied. He was just given money and now he’s lost some, so he can’t resist targeting my family. My father already knew about this but thought that Magistrate Jia would at least wait a few days after the New Year before taking action. Who would have thought that on the 30th, he would want to come here and make a move? Sigh, this is really hard to deal with.”

Zhang Xiaobao understated his family’s efforts to make money and exaggerated Magistrate Jia’s actions. If an adult had said these words, Li Xun might have thought twice about it, but since they came from Zhang Xiaobao, he believed them without question. Li Xun was persuaded, but instead of calming down, he became even angrier. He clenched his fists and said, “That damned Jia Shan! He’s too greedy. Some of the magistrates were appointed by my uncle. How dare he do this?”

“Maybe he won’t come today. What if this was intentional? However, we should still take precautions,” Zhang Xiaobao spoke up for Jia Shan this time. The more he spoke like this, the angrier Li Xun became.

“If he doesn’t come, I’ll go find him and ask what he’s done for Sanshui County and where he got all this money from. 26,000 strings of coins! That’s more money than I have. I was thinking of starting a business with someone to make money, yet he asks for it directly. Don’t try to persuade me anymore. The matter is decided.”

The more Li Xun thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Seeing that Zhang Xiaobao was about to speak, he waved his hand, signaling Zhang Xiaobao to remain silent. Zhang Xiaobao naturally felt relieved because it meant less work for him.

“Let’s not talk about him anymore. Let’s see if anything else is missing. Oh, do you really have to use silver chopsticks to eat? I hear they can test for poison.” Zhang Xiaobao changed the subject.

“What silver? It’s bamboo. Let’s work together to earn money. Your family is counting on me to help them when they run into trouble, so would they possibly harm me? Unless your family is tired of living. Give me a cucumber to eat now. The cucumber plants at my manor haven’t fruited yet.”

After being interrupted by Zhang Xiaobao, Li Xun finally stopped thinking about the matter, though he kept it in his mind.

At the junction of Sanshui County and Huayuan County, Magistrate Wen, Magistrate Jia, Official Han, and Official Yuan stood with three hundred people behind them. Some wore bailiff uniforms, while others wore civilian clothes. Everyone had clubs and knives in their hands.

The four of them were still waiting. They were waiting for Jia Weiran, the son of Magistrate Jia, who had set out the day before but had not yet arrived for some reason.

“Master Jia, is something wrong? It might be better not to wait for him, or we won’t make it there before noon,” Official Han said anxiously. He was worried that the bailiffs from Sanshui County might notice something. If they encountered the bailiffs when they arrived at the Zhang Manor, they wouldn’t be able to take action.

“Things should be fine. Maybe he found a place to sleep yesterday and overslept. Let’s wait a little longer,” Magistrate Jia said, more anxious than anyone else. After all, it was his son. If something had really happened, what would he do?

When the other three heard him, they couldn’t leave and had to wait patiently. After some time, when it seemed like some couldn’t wait any longer, Jia Weiran finally arrived on horseback, looking unwell. Without waiting for anyone to ask, he said,

“Father, when I was coming over yesterday, the horse wasn’t doing well. The one they gave me couldn’t handle long distances. Later, I ran into a caravan, ate some food, and bought a new horse. I don’t know what food made me sick, but I had to stop often along the way and rest at someone’s house. Even now, I still feel weak.”

“You, you even got sick from food. Let’s put that aside for now. Did you bring the item?” Magistrate Jia asked. Though he was a bit concerned about his son’s condition, as long as nothing major had happened, he was more worried about the item his son carried.

“I brought it, Dad. Here it is,” Jia Weiran said, taking out an envelope from his robe and preparing to hand it over.

Magistrate Jia gave him a meaningful look. “Keep it with you. Don’t lose it. You’ve worked hard to bring it. You’ll be credited for this.”

“Okay.” Jia Weiran suddenly remembered that he was the one who needed to take out this item when the time came and use it to convict the Zhang and Wang families. In that case, he would receive some credit.

Once everyone arrived, the large group of horsemen headed toward the Zhang Manor. The three hundred people who followed were all excited. They had already discussed in private that when they arrived, they would take anything valuable. The magistrate wouldn’t care about the small items, but if they encountered anything of high value, it would be their gain.

The magistrate and the others were also looking forward to it, and their speed picked up as they moved along. After this, they could enjoy their fortune.

After walking for a while, the group began to feel tired. Only now did they take a look at their surroundings. Jia Weiran had already inquired about the place. He looked up into the sky and said, “After walking for another hour, we should be there before noon. Good things are waiting for all of you.”

After hearing this, the dozens of people who weren’t bailiffs and wanted to rest decided to keep going. The sooner they arrived, the sooner they could get the goods. Under this encouragement, the group’s pace quickened.

At the Zhang Manor, the bailiffs had already sent out some people to guard the place, while the remaining ones hid themselves. They took cover in the haystacks. The bailiffs were strong, and when they had been gangsters, they had to fight. After becoming bailiffs, they had to train, so in no time, the little haystacks were ready. Half of the bailiffs, along with the one hundred people Li Xun had brought, hid among the haystacks. The rest were easy to handle. They erected wooden boards next to each other and hid behind them. Since houses were also being built in the area, no one would find this suspicious.

Everything was ready. They just needed to wait and see if anyone would come by. If no one came today, they would wait until tomorrow. Li Xun had decided to wait until the fifteenth. He had both the time and patience. After all, he wasn’t the one hiding. He could play with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, building relationships with them.

At a quarter past the Yi hour (10 AM), before anyone else arrived, the old man from Between The Water and Clouds brought some people over first. They crossed the small bridge and saw the houses under construction. The old man walked in front, observing as he went. When he arrived at the spot, he suddenly noticed Li Xun.

He was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the Emperor’s nephew hadn’t returned to the Capital for the New Year. When Li Xun saw the old man, he quickly took a few steps forward and greeted him, “Why is the minister here? You aren’t celebrating the New Year in the Capital?”

“Isn’t the young prince here too? Did you sneak out? The prince will punish you,” the old man remarked, looking at Li Xun and assuming that the child had sneaked away on his own.

“My father knows I’m here. Sir, you don’t really plan to spend the New Year here, do you?” Li Xun was confident, so he wasn’t afraid of being disciplined by his father.

The old man nodded slightly and said, “Yes, I’m spending the New Year here this year. I don’t want to go back to the Capital. There are too many people, and my body can’t handle it anymore. The water here doesn’t freeze in winter, the food is just as good as in the Capital’s big restaurants, and the scenery is nice. It’s peaceful here, and I can rest. Why did you think of coming here? What are you doing here now?”

“Oh, then you must take care of your health. Grandpa still counts on you. I have a manor here. It’s New Year’s Eve, and I’ll be enjoying it with the people. The Zhang family and the Wang family are also building houses here. When the 31st comes, we’ll stay up late together, eating and drinking. It’ll be more lively this way. Are you planning to stay at Between The Water and Clouds? Why don’t you come here instead? I heard from the Zhang family that they specifically chose this place because it’s convenient for the waiters to come back and forth to pay respects to their families during the New Year. Otherwise, there’s plenty of space in the main house.”

Li Xun explained to the old man. The old man looked around at the construction and felt very satisfied. This family really knew how to do things right. Not only were they accommodating him during the New Year at Between The Water and Clouds, but they also made sure the waiters serving him would know that their master family hadn’t forgotten about them.

Looking back at Between The Water and Clouds, the old man thought for a moment before replying, “I think I’ll stay at Between The Water and Clouds. There are too many people in my family, and it would be a disturbance if I had them come here. When the firecrackers go off on the 30th, we’ll come over and watch.”

“That’s fine. Don’t rush to leave just yet. Your guards should also hide behind the wooden boards. There’s something interesting happening,” Li Xun said just as he spotted a cautious bailiff running over, vigorously waving a small red flag. Li Xun knew that the people they were waiting for were coming, so he quickly asked the old man to have his men hide.

The old man didn’t know what was going on, but still with a childlike innocence, he ordered his guards to move. He assumed no one would harm him here. The guards were startled when they went behind the boards and saw so many people—there were hundreds of bailiffs and the young prince’s guards. Now, they were safe.