The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 014 Implicated

This old man was none other than Manager Liu of Renji Pharmacy.

Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun never expected that their robbery of the Zhang family's caravan would lead them to run into Manager Liu. What was Manager Liu doing here all of a sudden? They had never heard of him having any dealings with the Zhang family before, especially since he was the manager of Renji Pharmacy. What was he doing in the scorching weather, traveling to the prefectural city with the caravan, during this non-holiday season?

"It's a long story!" Manager Liu sighed deeply upon seeing Li Wanqing.

Upon further inquiry, Li Wanqing learned the reason why the other party had ended up in such a predicament.

In fact, this matter is inextricably linked to them.

After Zhou Lun rescued Li Wanqing from the county jail and killed Constable Zhao, the news spread like wildfire throughout the county town that very evening. The county government ordered a massive manhunt to track down Zhou Lun and his accomplices, while simultaneously launching a thorough investigation into the case.

Before long, the fact that Manager Liu had helped Zhou Lun make connections was thoroughly investigated. Although the county magistrate Fan Zhengren classified the case as a "revenge killing" the next day, even if it was a revenge killing, in order to make the case file complete and deceive the superiors, some formalities had to be followed. Since Zhou Lun and his gang could not be caught for the time being, it was also a way to push out a few unlucky people to pass the buck.

And so, Manager Liu, who was implicated, became one of the unlucky ones and was taken directly to the county government office. After a beating, how could this old man endure it? He could only go along with Fan Zhengren's wishes and admit that he knew Li Wanqing, Zhou Lun and others had a personal grudge against Constable Zhao, and that he had become an accomplice because he was greedy for the benefits promised by Zhou Lun, which led to the murder of Constable Zhao in the county jail.

Manager Liu knew in his heart that he was completely innocent by giving such a statement. But if he didn't admit it, Sanmu would beat this old man to death right there in the hall.

Although Manager Liu was the owner of Renji Pharmacy in the county town and considered a prominent figure, that was only in comparison to ordinary people. In Fan Zhengren's eyes, he was just a mere merchant and nothing special at all.

They signed and affixed their fingerprints, then were taken into custody.

Although not the mastermind, he can't escape the charge of being an accomplice. Based on this alone, it's a foregone conclusion that Manager Liu will be sentenced to imprisonment.

In an attempt to save himself, Manager Liu sent word through a messenger from prison that his family had sought out County Magistrate Zhang Xiuguo, offering all his family's wealth as a bargaining chip. This finally secured Zhang Xiuguo's approval. Through Zhang Xiuguo's "maneuvering," Manager Liu "voluntarily" donated the Renji Pharmacy to the Zhang family and spent a considerable amount of money on bribes, ultimately resulting in a commutation of his sentence and his release from prison.

His life was saved, but the Renji Pharmacy, which had been run by three generations, had changed hands. In order to save him, his family sold off other businesses, leaving them with very little.

After this incident, Manager Liu was completely disheartened and decided to leave the county town to seek refuge with his nephew in the prefectural city. He happened to learn that the Zhang family's merchant caravan was going to deliver grain to the prefectural city this time, and because of the previous incident, he approached Zhang Xiuren and offered to go with the caravan.

Zhang Xiuren did grant the request, but he didn't skimp on the fare for the ride. And so, Manager Liu and his family set off with Zhang's caravan.

They had initially thought the journey wouldn't be too arduous, and that traveling with the Zhang family's caravan would be safer. However, they were only halfway there when they were robbed by bandits. Just as the Liu family was filled with terror, thinking they were doomed, they unexpectedly spotted a familiar face among the bandits—it was none other than Zhou Lunyao, who had been on the run after committing murder!

And so, Manager Liu and Zhou Lun met. Zhou Lun was surprised to see Manager Liu there and quickly offered a few words of comfort. After all, they were acquaintances, and Manager Liu had gone to great lengths to help save Li Wanqing. Although Officer Zhao was a scoundrel, this matter had nothing to do with Manager Liu, and both Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing remembered this favor.

"Don't worry, Manager Liu, we will never harm you or your family. I can only apologize for your current situation; I never expected to implicate you like this..." After listening to Manager Liu's explanation, Li Wanqing felt guilty, clasped his hands in a solemn gesture, and apologized to him.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. It's all fate!" Manager Liu waved his hand, showing no resentment towards Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun. He had come to terms with it; that's just how the world is—good people often don't get rewarded. Besides, having a county magistrate like Fan Zhengren, even if they hadn't been involved in this case, they might have been in trouble someday anyway; it was only a matter of time.

Manager Liu was only thankful that this time he encountered Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun. If the robbers had been anyone else, not only would he have lost money, but his entire family might have lost their lives. Every gain and loss is preordained.

After a few moments of reflection, Li Wanqing couldn't help but ask about what had happened after they left. Ever since escaping the county town, they had been hiding in the canyon, completely unaware of the outside world, and also unaware of the government's explanation for the prison break and murder case.

Manager Liu then explained the details of the case to them in detail. After hearing the government's version of events, Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun exchanged a glance, their expressions slightly relaxed.

Although classifying it as a revenge killing was Fan Zhengren's tactic to cover up the serious crime of prison break and to deceive his superiors, for them, this charge wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Revenge killing and prison break are vastly different; the latter is a major case that would shake the heavens, while the former is merely an ordinary murder case. Therefore, the intensity of the manhunt would naturally differ, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"By the way, Manager Liu, we didn't have time to go back after leaving the county town. Do you know anything about the situation in Liwang Village?"

"This..." Li Wanqing originally just wanted to inquire about the situation in his hometown, but when he asked this question, Manager Liu hesitated and his expression became extremely complicated.

"Manager Liu! Has something happened?" Zhou Lun, observing Liu's expression, felt a slight sinking feeling in his heart and asked anxiously.

Li Wanqing also came to his senses. Seeing Liu's appearance, he wondered if something had happened in Liwang Village. He immediately followed up with the question.

Faced with their gazes, Manager Liu hesitated for a moment before finally telling the truth. He sighed and lowered his voice, saying, "Something did happen in Liwang Village. After you escaped, Magistrate Fan Zhengren, in order to apprehend you, arrested several people from Liwang Village who were close to you and brought them to the county government office. Not only were they severely tortured, but they also fabricated facts, forced them to sign documents, and sentenced them as accomplices, imprisoning them in jail."

"Furthermore, the county government is blatantly levying taxes, disregarding everyone's well-being, which has caused widespread public resentment. This matter is of utmost importance to your Liwang Village, and the village elder, Li Shiyan…"

"What's wrong with the clan elder?" Li Wanqing asked urgently when he saw Manager Liu stammering.

"That's all..." Manager Liu sighed, uttering those two words.

"That's it?!"

These two words struck Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun like a thunderbolt, exploding directly into their minds. The kind and benevolent clan elder, Li Shiyan, was gone? How could this be?

Although Zhou Lun and Li Shiyan hadn't known each other for long—Zhou Lun only met Li Shiyan after being rescued by Li Wanqing and brought back to Liwang Village—he had a very good impression of this elder. He felt that while his elder brother Li Wanqing had helped him stay in Liwang Village and later obtain household registration, it would have been impossible without Li Shiyan's help and guarantee.

To this day, Zhou Lun still remembers that morning when he, Li Shoutian, and Wang Tieniu left Liwang Village to try and rescue Li Wanqing in the county town. At the village entrance, Li Shiyan held his hand and kept urging him to bring Li Wanqing back. Those words still echo in his ears.

Zhou Lun never imagined that that meeting would be their last. It was truly hard to accept that this kind and gentle elder had passed away.

Under further questioning, Manager Liu no longer concealed anything and told them that the county magistrate was forcing taxes, and coupled with the prison break and murder, the county had taken a hard line against Liwang Village, intending to use it as a model case. Not only had several people been arrested as accomplices to appease their superiors, but the county had also gone to great lengths to forcibly collect taxes, which immediately led to conflict.

During the conflict, some able-bodied men from Liwang Village couldn't help but fight with the officials. Li Shiyan originally wanted to mediate, but the officials ignored him and started beating him indiscriminately with their weapons. Li Shiyan was old, and in the chaos, he was hit hard on the head and died on the spot.

Even after Li Shiyan died, the officials did not stop. They not only arrested several able-bodied men from the village and imprisoned them all in the county jail on the grounds of tax resistance and being accomplices in the Li Wanqing case, but also ransacked Liwang Village like bandits, taking almost all the village's grain and money under the guise of tax collection before leaving triumphantly.

"You beast! You beast!"

Hearing this, Li Wanqing's eyes turned red with anger and he trembled all over. Zhou Lun was no better off, his hands clenched tightly into fists. They never expected that their matter would not only implicate Manager Liu, but also bring disaster to the entire Li Wang Village.

Fan Zhengren! You bastard, Fan Zhengren!

The grievances should be directed at the perpetrators, and the debts should be settled with the debtors. If you have any problems, come at them instead of dragging innocent people into this mess.

Thinking of the clan elder Li Shiyan who died a violent death, and then of the villagers who were imprisoned in the county jail, and the villagers who were plundered, is this meant to force them all to die in the coming years? How can such behavior be called that of a scholar, or an official of the imperial court?