Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 963 Clearing and Restoration
In the north, people were also taken out of prison.

"I thought you would be tougher, but I didn't expect to be called back before I even left the house." Yi Cicheng's mouth was swollen as he looked at the slightly embarrassed Xiao Zhonggong. There was no sign of torture on the other party's body.

Any fool knows what this means.

"...I have already been loyal to His Majesty. From now on, this life is my own." Reaching out to tidy up the lonely braids on both sides of his forehead, the iron chain on his wrists clattered, and Xiao Zhonggong looked at Yi Cicheng: "Let's go, take me to see the prefect of Linhuang Prefecture."

"Tsk..." Yi Cicheng looked quite unhappy and looked him up and down: "I really want someone to hang you up and beat you up."

He turned and walked out, Xiao Zhonggong followed behind him with his hands hanging down, and several soldiers followed behind him holding torches. It was already past dinner time, and a short team walked out of the prison door and took him to the prison car.

Wheels--

The wooden wheels rolled over the compacted earth road. Xiao Zhonggong's body swayed with the car. He looked at the dark night sky. The Khitan noble turned his head and looked at the figure riding a warhorse next to him: "I have always been confused. How did you find us? No one has come to look for us for nearly a month. You found us so accurately. It is really hard to understand."

The warhorse moved slowly, and the light of the torch shone on Yi Cicheng's face in an uncertain way. Hearing this, he turned his head and looked at him strangely: "I have to ask you this."

"Me?" Xiao Zhonggong was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Are you saying that someone in Linhuang Mansion recognized me?! This is impossible, today I..."

"Ah, yes, today." The Khitan man on the horse smiled a little maliciously: "You, Ben Xiangwen, have been following the emperor all the time. Although you don't show up much, you have been seen by many officials after all."

The night wind blew, the torches whirred, and the flames drifted backwards. Xiao Zhonggong's face was shrouded in darkness, looking gloomy: "I left the house at sunrise on my duty day."

"So you are unlucky. Someone was watching you as soon as you entered the city today." Yi Cicheng's voice was faintly cheerful: "If you don't go out today, nothing will happen."

The figure in the prison car opened his mouth but could not utter a word. After a long while, he sighed heavily.

Ahead, the gate plaque of the Linhuang Prefecture Liaison Office is already in sight.

……

A courtyard on the east side of Linhuang Prefecture.

Dark clouds covered the bright moon in the sky. Someone was walking back and forth in the courtyard. After a while, he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw his master coming back. He was overjoyed and rushed forward to greet him: "Master, why did you come back so late?"

"What's wrong?" The drunken man came over, slapped the man's shoulder with his hand, and shook him back and forth: "Where am I going... do I need to tell you?"

"That's not what I meant." The man stamped his feet, looking anxious. He glanced at the doorman who was curiously looking at them, and quickly moved closer to whisper, "Master, I have something important to tell you. Please come in..."

"Here... say it." Yelu Tabuye tilted his head and looked at him. He took back his hand and pointed it heavily at the ground. His drunken body lost its balance and he took two steps back involuntarily. Then he stood still: "Well... say it!"

"Uh..." The servant let out a desperate sound, and waved his hands at the other servants who were close to him and shouted, "What are you looking at? Go do your own thing!" Then he took another step forward and pleaded, "Master, please don't be like this. This is the matter of the west city."

"City... North? There, hiccup... A place where Han people gather together, what's wrong with that..." Yelu Tabuye waved his hand first, but before he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped there, his drunken eyes slowly widened, and he grabbed the servant who wanted to cry in front of him, and opened and closed his big mouth spraying alcohol in front of him: "What are you talking about? City North? Is it the City North I was thinking of?"

The smell of alcohol, bad breath, and saliva sprayed on the servant's face. The man didn't even dare to raise his hand, but just kept nodding his head.

Yelu Tabuye's face changed drastically. He felt a chill running from his tailbone to the back of his head. He even sobered up from the alcohol and grabbed the servant's arm: "Let's go, let's talk inside."

He hurriedly ran to the study room nearby, and then a burst of exclamations came from the room where the candlelight had just been lit, making the servants and maids outside look at each other in confusion, not knowing what had happened.

Soon, the owner came running out quickly, and his agile steps did not sound like he was drunk at all.

……

Bonfires and candlelight illuminated the room of the Liaison Office, with busy figures coming in and out. The clerks and officials here would probably not be able to go back until very late tonight, but these people had no complaints. For emergency work like this, the State of Qi had a unique way of calculating military merits.

Although it cannot be compared with beheading the enemy on the battlefield, they do not need to go to the battlefield. They can quietly accumulate merits in exchange for military honors. Why not do it?
The armed soldiers of the garrison turned their heads and heard Xiao Zhonggong's unique voice in the hall: "... Most of the people we are contacting here are former Khitan officials. Give me a pen and I will write a list for you."

The burning wick made a light sound. Lu Yanlun quietly watched the Khitan noble writing with iron shackles. When he began to blow dry the ink, he laughed and said, "Xiao Xiangwen is so sensible. Do you want to come to Daqi to work with him?"

"Of course there is." Seeing that the ink would not flow any more, Xiao Zhonggong handed the list to the clerk beside him. He looked at Lu Yanlun and said, "I didn't expect that Lu Dianzhi was also here, and he was promoted to stay behind."

"A wise bird chooses a good tree to roost in. The Liao monarchs and ministers have blocked their ears and refused to listen to me, and have closed their eyes and ignored me. Why should I continue to be loyal to them?" Lu Yanlun said as he took the list, lowered his head and glanced at it. His eyes suddenly lit up: "Tabuye..., haha, he hid it really well."

Then he handed the list back to the clerk and said, "Quickly send a copy to Minister Qiao. Come, check the list..."

The voice with a raised volume carried a hint of majesty: "Catch him!"

……

Gollum-

"Drive - drive -"

The carriage moved forward quickly with the driver shaking the reins. The bumpy ground shook the vehicle from time to time. The unstable figure bumped against the carriage and cried out in pain: "Husband, why do you want to leave the city so late? Is there something wrong? There is still a lot of valuables at home..."

"You're going to die soon, what's the point of keeping those dead things!" Yelu Tabuye shouted, and yelled at the driver outside: "Hurry up, faster!"

The wheel rolled over a stone, causing the Khitan man to stagger. He quickly steadied himself, but the woman next to him changed color and grabbed his arm and shook it hard: "What happened? Husband, did you do something? Speak?"

Yelu Tabuye was already feeling upset, and he suddenly reached out and pulled away the hand that was grabbing his arm: "Ask, ask, ask, what's the point of asking at this time? I'll tell you in detail when I'm still alive."

The woman immediately had a bitter face and dared not say a word, but then the driver's voice outside rang out: "Master, the city gate is almost here, how do we get out?"

"Let's talk about it at the city gate!" Yelu Tabuye responded, gritting his teeth and saying, "I still have a handwritten letter from the thieves in the garrison, there's no way I can get away with it."

The vehicle was moving very fast, but it stopped after a moment. Then footsteps were heard in the car, and a deep voice came: "There is a night curfew. If you have not been ordered to leave the city, please turn back."

"The official document is here." Yelu Tabuye suppressed his anxiety and spoke. He did not dare to open the car window wide. He just opened it a little and handed out the paper full of words and official seal.

The firelight shone in from the window lattice of the car, and the horizontal, vertical and diagonal shadows were imprinted on the faces of Yelu Tabuye and his wife. The woman could not help but grab the hand of the man beside her. The wet feeling immediately passed through her skin. She just looked at the man outside through the gap without any reaction, and stared intently at the captain of the city gate who was flipping through the papers over there.

Whether you can go out tonight is up to this person.

The captain of the city gate stared at it for a while, then looked down at the carriage. The servant driving the carriage smiled flatteringly, and waved his hand under the torch: "Open the door, let in—"

The male and female in the car breathed a sigh of relief, then covered their mouths together. In less than a breath, Yelu Tabuye reacted: "Let's go!"

creak-

The huge city gate slowly opened, the horse's hooves stepped on the hard bluestone ground, the wheels drove smoothly through the city gate and entered the city wall. "Whoa--" the command sounded, and the car stopped immediately. "What happened?" Yelu Tabuye was startled, stood up and opened the car door "click": "Why did it stop?"

"Master..." The driver's mouth twitched: "There is someone in front."

"……what?"

Yelu Tabuye leaned sideways and stretched his head to look forward. There was no figure in the way and everything in front of him came into view. The outer city gate was closed tightly and a row of black-armored soldiers in front were holding shields and spears pointing at the carriage.

Just at this moment, there was a loud bang from behind, and the city gate that had just passed through was also closed. Footsteps could be heard from above, and figures holding bows and crossbows appeared on the top of the city wall and pointed at this side.

tumultuous--

The torches were lit, and the figures blocking the road ahead were highlighted by the light. The leading general had a fair and slightly immature face, and it was none other than the desperate Shi Xiu.

Tread-

The figure in leather armor took two steps forward. Shi Xiu tilted his head to look at the carriage and chuckled, "Haha..." "Minister Qiao really got it right. Someone is really going to run away tonight."

The driver's eyes turned, and he grasped the reins of the carriage, sweat pouring down his forehead. Shi Xiu glanced at him and turned his head to the side: "Get down, roll over and kneel down."

"Hey!" The coachman responded hastily, and jumped off the carriage. He lowered his body, and regardless of the cold ground, he rolled several times and moved three feet away from the carriage. He got up dizzy, fell to his knees, and shook his body, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Xiu stared at him as he rolled to the side and knelt, and could not help but say, "What a dog slave."

Then she didn't look at him, but just stared at the head sticking out of the car door, with a smile on her face: "Come down, or wait for me to come up and pull you down?"

His body was frozen at the door. After a while, Yelu Tabuye seemed to regain the ability to move. He slowly walked out of the door, got off, and took a breath: "I have an order to leave the city."

Shi Xiu smiled sarcastically, said nothing, and just waved his hand: "Take him away!"

The armored soldiers behind him ran past, and the Khitan man on the other side shouted in shock and anger: "You can't do this, I have an official document to leave the city, I have an official document--"

The struggling figure became more and more embarrassed until he was tied up and pushed away. The woman on the car was pulled down by the soldiers. She did not dare to resist and was tied up tightly and pushed away obediently.

"I have official documents..."

"There is an official document——"

The struggling figure occasionally jumped up while being escorted by the soldiers, and then was pushed and staggered forward.

Shi Xiu said, "Pah!" "You don't know how to die!"

The next day, news of last night's commotion still spread throughout the city. There is no secret under the imperial city. The soldiers and runners who were catching people everywhere last night were naturally seen clearly. After the vivid description, there were naturally some people who did not believe it. There were also people with ulterior motives who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and spread rumors that Qi was wantonly arresting scholars who entered the city.

However, before the rumor could spread, Linhuang Prefecture posted an arrest notice to appease the people. This made the people realize that it was people from the Liao Kingdom who intended to disrupt the imperial examination. Subsequently, more officials took to the streets to maintain stability, and those who spread rumors and caused trouble were reported, arrested and imprisoned.

Soon, on the day of the imperial examination, candidates entered the examination hall carrying bamboo baskets filled with food. A large number of soldiers surrounded the area designated as the examination hall, and officials and patrolling soldiers began to appear in the nearby streets.

Two days before the imperial examination, Lü Bu issued an order to Yang Pu and Qiao Lie: "This imperial examination concerns the national system, and no mistakes are allowed. However, if anyone causes trouble, they will be arrested regardless of the reason, and their crime will be increased."

Afterwards, all the main people who exposed the incident were rewarded. Lu Siyan was promoted to the position of Zong Zhengqing, in charge of the affairs of the Lu family, and Lu Sili was promoted to the position of Weiweiqing, and participated in the government affairs. The Lu family immediately became the celebrity in the city, and there was no end to the discussions and inquiries.

Some of the captured people waited for autumn, while others walked into the palace and knelt before the emperor.

"The criminal Xiao Zhonggong greets His Majesty."

After the Dragon Case, Lu Bu raised his head and looked at the man, his expression showing no joy or dislike: "I heard that you are very happy to have abandoned the dark and joined the light. If so, why are you hiding in the city instead of trying to contact the government?"

"At that time, the criminal was a minister of Liao, receiving the emperor's grace and eating the emperor's salary, so he should share the emperor's worries."

Lu Bu looked at him curiously: "Why did you surrender now?"

"I have tried my best to do this. It is God's will that I failed. Since God's will is in Qi, I should obey it." Xiao Zhonggong raised his head and said sincerely, "How can anyone who goes against God have a good end?"

Lu Bu laughed and shook his head: "He is a talkative man." He looked at the other person's figure and said: "I heard that you are good at martial arts?"

Xiao Zhonggong took a breath and bowed his head respectfully: "Somewhat successful."

"You made me very happy today, so I will spare your death penalty." Lu Bu picked up the memorial on the table and clapped his hands. "Go find Lu Yanlun. You can be free if you serve in Linhuang Prefecture for three years or achieve merits that earn you a title of lower official or doctor. Go down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Khitan man stood up and stepped back respectfully.

……

southeast.

Many things happened in the midsummer of the third year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty.

The captured Fang La could not withstand the torture and gave out a large number of names of rebel leaders, spies and wealthy families. Wang Bing did not dare to act on his own and directly sent a fast horse to Jiangning Prefecture to report.

Tong Guan was overjoyed when he got the news, and immediately mobilized the army to capture the spies and wealthy businessmen hiding in the southeast who were supplying the rebels. Many soldiers and generals of the Western Army looted this rich land like crazy, and any resistance was immediately executed as a spy. For a while, there was chaos and tens of thousands of people died. The generals then downplayed the situation by saying that they had encountered resistance from the rebels.

In the same month, the Western Army on the front line sorted out and collected spoils of war. Among them, the standard equipment of the Liao Army attracted the attention of these frontier army generals. Then Yao Pingzhong was ordered to carry all the Liao Army's equipment all the way back to Jiangning Prefecture.

"The Liao people's equipment?!"

Tong Guan stretched out his hand and pulled off the leather armor, shaking it and looking at the fierce general of the Western Army: "Where did it come from? No, this is nonsense that I said."

After taking a breath, the eunuch turned around and looked at his staff: "Quickly draft a memorial, saying that the Liao people are involved in the southeast affairs."

The scholar over there responded, but before he went down, Tong Guan said, "Send another official document. Since Fang La has been destroyed, the Southeast Yingfeng Bureau should be reopened. Your Majesty is still waiting for the stone to build Wansui Mountain. This matter cannot be stopped. Let the Zhu family father and son roll back and do their work attentively."

He turned around and sat down: "Tell them that if they make trouble again, I can't protect them."

(End of this chapter)