I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 2220 Greed and Non-Greed
At this time, at the city gate, the city guard officer of Hezhou City, a burly, dignified middle-aged man, was standing under a simple wooden shed at the city gate, lecturing a few dejected soldiers.

These soldiers were the ones who had stopped Liu Jun and his party at the door and tried to blackmail them. At this moment, they stood in front of the city guard, their faces full of fear and anxiety, their bodies trembling slightly, as if they had a premonition of the upcoming punishment.

"How much did you extort?" The city guard officer had a gloomy face and a sharp gaze as he scanned the soldiers in front of him.

His tone was full of dissatisfaction and anger, as if he was extremely disappointed with the greedy behavior of these soldiers.

On the table in front of him were three bulging money bags filled with glittering God-King coins.

These coins were what Liu Jun had to give to the soldiers in order to enter the city smoothly. At this moment, these money bags lay quietly on the table, as if silently telling of the previous humiliation and injustice.

"That's all, sir. We've taken them all out." A soldier said timidly, his voice trembling and his eyes full of fear. He tried to reduce the anger of the city guard by showing his sincerity and innocence.

However, the city guard officer did not calm down. He kicked the soldier hard, sending him flying. The soldier's body drew an arc in the air, and fell heavily to the ground, uttering a scream. This kick not only hit the soldier's body, but also his heart, making him fully understand the city guard officer's anger and determination.

"I'll give you one more chance, is there any more?" The city guard's voice became even colder, and his eyes revealed an unquestionable firmness. He knew very well that the greed and shamelessness of these soldiers had seriously damaged the reputation and order of Hezhou City, and he had to crack down on them severely to serve as a warning to others.

Seeing this, another soldier hurriedly took out another bag of Divine King Coins and handed it over with trembling hands.

"Sir, there are only four bags, no more." The soldier's voice was tearful, and he was obviously frightened.

The city guard took the money bags, glanced at them coldly, and then threw them all on the table. His eyes were full of disdain and disgust, as if these money bags were just a pile of worthless waste to him.

"You people have really ruined the military discipline of our Hezhou City!" the city guard officer shouted angrily, his voice echoing at the city gate, as if to announce the crimes of these soldiers to the world so that every passerby could hear it, to remind them of the strict and inviolable military discipline.

"Hey my, who made our city guard officer angry?" A sarcastic voice came from not far away, interrupting the city guard officer's angry rebuke.

There was a hint of mockery and contempt in the voice, which made people feel uncomfortable.

The city guards didn't even need to look to know that the visitor was the brother-in-law of the mayor of Hezhou City, the inner city official of Hezhou City - Li Wancai.

Li Wancai, relying on the fact that he is a relative of the city lord, acts tyrannically and does all kinds of evil in Hezhou City on a daily basis. He is also always at odds with the city guards.

The position of the inner city officer is the same as that of the city guard officer, but the duties are different. One is responsible for the outer city, guarding and patrolling the city gates; the other is responsible for the inner city, managing the security and order in the city. Although the positions are equal, the gap between the two is like a natural moat, which is difficult to cross.

This city guard, whose real name was Chu Nanchang, was a brave captain who had made great achievements on the battlefield. However, in an unfortunate battle, he was seriously injured and could no longer charge into battle like before. The higher-ups, considering his merits, transferred him to Hezhou City and appointed him as a city guard.

Although his position was not low, Chu Nanchang knew that he was not on the same path as the officials at all levels in Hezhou City. They were either flattering the powerful or corrupt, which ran counter to the justice and loyalty in his heart. Therefore, every day he spent here was full of challenges and loneliness.

At this moment, facing Li Wancai's provocation, Chu Nanchang frowned, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. But he knew very well that at this moment and in this place, he must not let his emotions influence his judgment. So, he took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and prepared to face the upcoming storm.

"Sir Li, you've come at the right time." Chu Nanchang said calmly, "These soldiers violated military discipline and extorted pedestrians. I am about to deal with them according to the law. As an official in the inner city, you should assist me."

Upon hearing this, Li Wancai sneered, then walked up to Chu Nanchang, glancing at the soldiers with disdain in his eyes.

"Oh? Blackmailing pedestrians? Blackmailing pedestrians?" Li Wancai asked with a smile, a playful look on his face, as if he didn't care about such accusations.

"Where are the pedestrians?" Chu Nanchang's eyes were as sharp as a knife as he stared at the soldiers, his tone filled with unquestionable majesty.

"Your Excellency, I don't know what pedestrians are. There are too many pedestrians passing through the city gate every day." When these soldiers saw that they had Li Wancai's support, their attitude immediately changed 180 degrees and they began to play dumb in an attempt to get away with it. Their eyes flickered and it was obvious that they were lying.

"Those pedestrians you extorted!" Chu Nanchang reminded with a dark face, his voice deep and deep, as if it could penetrate the psychological defenses of the soldiers. "Your Excellency, I am innocent. I did not extort anyone!" Several soldiers shouted in unison, their voices trembling.

They tried to cover up their crimes with innocent expressions and tones, but all of this seemed so pale and powerless in front of Chu Nanchang.

"Then did these bags of God King coins appear out of thin air?" Chu Nanchang slammed the table with a sound like thunder. The heavy bags of God King coins on the table shook with this slam, as if they were also trembling with Chu Nanchang's anger.

His eyes revealed strong doubt and disdain, and he was obviously extremely disgusted by the soldiers' sophistry.

One of the soldiers rolled his eyes and suddenly came up with an idea.

"These bags of Divine King Coins were given to me by Lord Li to help buy some drinks. I didn't expect that you misunderstood me." The soldier's words were cunning and complacent, as if he thought he had found a perfect excuse.

Upon hearing this, Li Wancai immediately gave the soldier an appreciative look. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if he was satisfied with the soldier's wit.

Chu Nanchang couldn't help but sneer in his heart when he saw this scene. He knew very well the collusion and corruption between these soldiers and Li Wancai, and he also knew that this excuse was just a lie they made up to evade responsibility.

However, he did not expose them immediately, but decided to investigate secretly, collect evidence, and wait for the right time to bring them to justice in one fell swoop.

"Look, Lord Chu, this is my fault," Li Wancai said to Chu Nanchang with a smile, his face full of apology. "I thought my brother-in-law had another distinguished guest today, but I was too busy here, so I asked these brothers to help buy some wine and drinks to entertain him. But who would have thought that such a misunderstanding would occur in the middle, and Lord Chu misunderstood. It's really my fault that I didn't say hello to you in advance, and made you make a wasted trip."

Chu Nanchang stared at the blackmailing soldiers with wide eyes, his tone full of dissatisfaction: "That's not what you said just now. Didn't you say that the money was extorted from passers-by? Why, you changed your words now?"

One of the soldiers turned pale with fear, and immediately knelt on the ground, saying in a trembling voice: "Sir, I was frightened by you just now, and I lost my mind and said nonsense."

Li Wancai was listening on the side, and then stepped forward to smooth things over, saying to Chu Nanchang: "Look, Lord Chu, you are different because you have been on the battlefield, you are full of murderous aura. You scared these brothers so much that they are incoherent. But Lord Chu, don't take it too seriously, it's all a misunderstanding. We are all family, why should we hurt our brothers' feelings for such a small matter?"

Chu Nanchang snorted coldly, looked at Li Wancai with a sharp gaze, and then looked at the soldiers. He already understood about 70% of what was going on. He turned around and left without saying another word. He knew that it was impossible to reason with such people, as they would do anything for their own benefit.

After Chu Nanchang left, the soldier immediately took the four bags of Divine King coins on the table to Li Wancai with a flattering smile on his face: "Sir, your money is not enough to buy you the wine, so I have to return it to you."

Li Wancai took the purse, a gleam of greed flashed in his eyes. He looked at the bulging God King coins in the bag and nodded with satisfaction: "Well, not bad, you are sensible kid. You did a good job, and here's a reward for you." As he said that, he took out a few God King coins from the purse and handed them to the soldier.

The soldier took the reward and smiled proudly. He knew that following Lord Li Wancai would always be beneficial. As long as he was obedient and did his job well, he would receive rewards and benefits continuously.

Although several bags of money were lost, it was better than getting nothing and being punished by Chu Nanchang.

"Hmph, you're just a reckless man. Sooner or later, I'll throw you into jail." Li Wancai looked at Chu Nanchang's receding back, squinting his eyes with a sneer on his lips.

His eyes revealed disdain and contempt for Chu Nanchang, as if he had already regarded the other party as his own, who could be manipulated at any time.

Several soldiers stood aside, exchanging subtle glances, but dared not speak easily. They knew Li Wancai's temper very well, and they knew what it meant to stand on the wrong side in this small town where power struggles were rampant. So, they all put on a flattering smile, lowered their eyebrows and looked pleasing, fearing that they would accidentally annoy this old man.

"You guys just guard the gate here, keep your eyes open, be quick with your hands and feet, and perform well." Li Wancai glanced at the soldiers around him.

“I will not treat you unfairly in the future.” After saying that, Li Wancai nodded with satisfaction, hummed an unknown tune, and walked briskly into the city. His back looked particularly proud and arrogant.

"Yes, sir. Goodbye!" Several soldiers bowed and saluted in unison, with flattering smiles on their faces. Only when Li Wancai's figure completely disappeared from their sight did they dare to stand up and cast complicated glances at each other.

When Li Wancai returned to his residence, he saw a waiter wearing Haoyue Restaurant clothing standing anxiously at the door, looking around, as if he had been waiting here for a long time. His clothes were a little worn and stained with oil, but his eyes were unusually bright, full of expectation and eagerness.