novelAbuy Chapter 39 Hesitation to Throw a Blow at a Rat
Chapter 39 Hesitation to Throw a Blow at a Rat
The hall was quiet for a moment.
Just as Chen Yuan was about to speak, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
A bailiff trotted in, leaned close to Chen Yuan's ear, and whispered a few words.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly, glanced at Li Sheng, stood up, and said calmly.
"Please wait here."
Having said that, he offered no further explanation and walked straight to the corridor. The bailiff followed behind, whispering a few more words, his voice barely audible.
"A large crowd of people gathered outside the county government office... all wanting to see the hero who annihilated the bandits..."
Chen Yuan paused slightly.
He glanced back at the front hall, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
Could the people outside the county government office be people he hired? He shook his head in denial.
An ordinary villager shouldn't have that much power.
He pondered for a moment, then turned and walked back into the hall, his expression unchanged.
"Li Sheng, is that right? Please wait here for a moment."
His voice was neither warm nor cold.
"As for these few bandits,"
He glanced at the seven people kneeling below and raised his chin.
"Take them away and detain them separately until I, the county constable, interrogate them one by one. Only when their testimonies match can it be considered true."
Wang Ru responded and waved his hand. Several county soldiers stepped forward, picked up the seven bandits, and escorted them out of the hall in single file.
"The county constable may dispose of him as he sees fit."
Li Sheng watched the seven bandits being led away without the slightest fear.
Chen Yuan didn't look at him again and turned to walk towards the back hall.
The front hall fell silent.
Liu Lu took half a step closer to Li Sheng and lowered his voice.
"Brother Sheng, what's going on with them...?"
"They're leaving us hanging."
Li Sheng said calmly, his gaze fixed on the cup of tea that had gone cold.
"No rush, just wait."
……
The interrogation did not take long.
After the seven bandits were separated and imprisoned, the county clerks only needed to crack their whips before some of them couldn't withstand it.
The testimonies were handed over one by one, corroborating each other, and were exactly the same as what Li Sheng had said.
A band of about a hundred bandits had fled from Xiapi in the north. They were plundering near Wangjiawubao when they were attacked by a group of local militia. Most of them were killed or wounded, the rest scattered, and more than ten were captured alive.
Chen Yuan flipped through the confession, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
During the interrogation, they also uncovered something Li Sheng hadn't mentioned: the captured bandits weren't just the seven of them; there were about ten others under Li Sheng's protection.
Moreover, one of the bandits, in order to save his own life, revealed a detail.
Those who fought against them... wore leather armor that looked like that of soldiers from the county or state.
Chen Yuan's fingers paused.
He was certain that it was Li Sheng who had released those county soldiers.
The clothes they were wearing were the ones stripped from the county sergeant.
Chen Yuan threw the confession on the table, stood up, and walked around the room twice.
A tricky guy.
It's truly unbelievable that someone would dare to swagger in and claim a reward after injuring a county magistrate.
But we can't take it too seriously right now.
At this time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was raging, and the imperial court was in dire need of manpower, with various prefectures and counties recruiting soldiers to suppress the rebels.
Although Li Sheng beat the county magistrate, he did release a group of people and was not a bloodthirsty man.
What's more, they're bringing seven Yellow Turban rebels here to claim their reward, and there's a crowd of people waiting to see the "heroes."
Chen Yuan rubbed his temples in frustration.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, and a servant poked half his body in, bowing as he spoke.
"Lord Chen, the noble lady from the inner palace sent me to deliver a message saying that the meal is ready and she would like you to come and dine there."
Chen Yuan was startled. He looked up at the sun outside the window and realized that it was already past noon.
He took a deep breath, gathered the confession together, and pressed it against the corner of the table.
"understood."
As he walked out of the interrogation room, he glanced back at the front hall.
Li Sheng is giving him a headache; it's good to let him cool off for a while.
……
The flower hall in the back courtyard is not large, but it is decorated in a refined and elegant manner.
On a paulownia wood table were several dishes. In the center was a plate of fish sashimi sliced as thin as cicada wings. Next to it were a plate of minced scallions and ginger, a plate of soy sauce and vinegar, and a bowl of steaming chicken soup.
Chen Deng was already sitting at his desk. When he saw Chen Yuan come in, he greeted him with a smile.
"Brother Zhongyi, you've come at the perfect time. The fish sashimi was just cut; it won't be fresh if left any longer."
Chen Yuan sat down in the main seat, glanced at the plate of sashimi, then at Chen Deng's enthusiastic expression, sighed inwardly, and picked up his chopsticks.
"Yuanlong, you've gone to a lot of trouble."
He picked up a slice of sashimi, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth.
It was indeed delicious.
But his mind was preoccupied with Li Sheng's affairs, and he lost his appetite. He picked up two more slices, put down his chopsticks, and picked up the chicken soup bowl.
Chen Deng was enjoying his meal. He took a bite of fish sashimi, squinted his eyes to savor the taste for a moment, and then noticed that Chen Yuan had stopped eating.
"Brother Zhongyi?"
He put down his chopsticks and glanced at Chen Yuan's face.
"You just said to speak up if you have any trouble, so why are you frowning and silent now?"
Chen Yuan held the soup bowl and remained silent for a moment.
"I have indeed encountered a troublesome matter."
He briefly recounted Li Sheng's story.
Last month, the county soldiers were beaten and their armor was stripped. Today, Li Sheng brought the bandits to claim the reward. After interrogation, it was confirmed that the bandits were real, and the source of the armor was also confirmed.
"This person is right here in the front hall. We can't kill him, we can't release him, we can't reward him, and we can't punish him."
Chen Yuan gave a wry smile.
"Yuanlong's talent far surpasses mine; could you please offer your insights?"
After listening, Chen Deng did not speak immediately.
He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Brother Zhongyi, what exactly are you worried about? Are you afraid he will rebel? Or are you afraid he will damage the dignity of the county government?"
Chen Yuan was taken aback.
Chen Deng put down his teacup, his tone indifferent.
"Now the Yellow Turban Rebellion is raging, and the world is in turmoil. In the past, the Way of Peace (Taiping Dao) misled people's hearts. Not to mention the common people, even among the great gentry, there were quite a few who believed in this way. If Li Sheng really believed in the Way of Peace and joined Zhang Jiao in the rebellion, would he still stay in Dongpingli to protect the people and the region?"
Chen Yuan remained silent.
Chen Deng continued, his tone tinged with disdain.
"The emperor issued an edict ordering all prefectures and counties to recruit soldiers to suppress the bandits and protect the people. Although Li Sheng was just a commoner, his actions were exactly in line with the emperor's decree. Instead of joining the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he organized local militias to quell the bandits and protect the peace of the region."
Chen Deng paused, his gaze turning slightly cold.
"And look at some of the powerful local tyrants today. When the court is in trouble, they don't send a single soldier or contribute a single grain of rice. Instead, they take advantage of the chaos to annex the land of ordinary people and seize the property of their neighbors. They only know how to beg for land and houses, and they are scheming and despicable..."
He gave a cold laugh.
"I think those people are far inferior to Li Sheng, this country bumpkin!"
The flower hall was quiet for a moment.
Looking at Chen Deng's youthful arrogance, Chen Yuan felt both emotional and complicated.
His cousin, born into a wealthy family, always harbored ambitions to help the world and despised those powerful figures who only knew how to scheme and plot. Although his words were harsh, they reflected his true nature.
He could still maintain his integrity, but I...
"Yuanlong's words enlightened me."
Chen Yuan said after careful consideration.
"This Li Sheng is just a commoner, yet he has such good fortune to receive your commentary. If he were a scholar, he would probably be famous throughout Xuzhou just because of Yuanlong's words."
Chen Deng waved his hand dismissively.
Chen Yuan asked tentatively.
"If Yuanlong takes a liking to this man, why not recruit him as a retainer?"
"No need."
Chen Deng interrupted him, his tone calm but unquestionable.
"Brother Zhongyi, hurry up and eat, the food is getting cold."
He picked up his chopsticks again, took a slice of sashimi, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth, squinted his eyes, and showed a satisfied expression on his face, as if the discussion just now was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Chen Yuan glanced at him and made up his mind.
He picked up the soup bowl and drank the chicken soup in one gulp.