Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 282 Fengyun Village

"Leave this matter to me. I'm not afraid that they won't confess." Pei Xuan stood up and said.

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded.

"Brother Pei Xuan, you should also remember the merits of this battle. Each soldier who went on the expedition should be rewarded with a pot of wine, and those who have made meritorious contributions should be promoted and rewarded as soon as possible." Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said to Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan nodded in agreement.

Seeing that it was getting late, Wu Yong and the other two said goodbye and left.

Zhao Zhen also got up and went to Cheng Wan'er's residence in the backyard. Inside the room, Cheng Wan'er and the other three were chatting and laughing, and each of them had a pile of snacks and small toys in front of them, all of which were brought back by Hu Sanniang from the main world.

When she saw Zhao Zhen, Bai Zhi raised the short sword made of wormwood in her hand and waved it at him: "Sir, it turns out that ghosts and spirits really exist. From now on, I will always carry this short sword with me."

Jin Cui Lian agreed, "Yes, I heard from Sanniang that this short sword is the best at suppressing ghosts."

"My mother is a Buddhist. When I was at home, I thought she just wanted to express her feelings, but it turns out it really works. Doesn't it mean that all the Buddhas in the sky really exist? Doesn't it mean that after death, the soul really has to go to the underworld to be evaluated for merits and demerits, and then either be reincarnated or go to hell to be punished and atone for sins?" Cheng Wan'er said.

Zhao Zhen listened and smiled, "My lady, why worry? Haven't you heard the saints say, 'Respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance'? Although Buddhists cultivate the afterlife, Taoists focus on this life."

"Sir, you are right. No one can tell what will happen in the afterlife. It is better to live a good life in this life." Hu Sanniang said with a smile.

After listening to what Zhao Zhen and Hu Sanniang said, Cheng Wan'er was relieved: "My husband, the clay gray pottery jar with rope pattern, the sand-tempered gray pottery cauldron with square pattern, and the sand-tempered gray pottery cauldron with rope pattern that we brought back this time have been placed in the small kitchen. When Li Xiaoer saw them, he said that these things were too old and he was afraid that they would be accidentally dropped, so he didn't dare to use them."

Zhao Zhen said: "It's okay, this thing is not very expensive, just use it."

"After all, they are a bit out of date, and they are all steaming and cooking utensils. I thought that since this is the case, we can use them to cook soup, porridge, and medicinal food." Cheng Wan'er said.

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "In addition to these, there is also a batch of water cotton cloth. Go to the warehouse tomorrow to have a look. You can pick out some rare patterns from this batch of cotton cloth and make a few summer clothes. Wearing this cloth is like taking a bath in the hot summer, very cool."

"Send some more to the cloth shop, and have the manager Wang Qiao make three sets for each of the county's military commanders, county officials, and others, and send two extra sets. The managers and village heads of various places should also make two sets. Take out the remaining twenty or thirty pieces and put them in the shop. They will sell for 10 strings of cash each, while they are sold out."

Cheng Wan'er said, "Don't worry, my husband. I will go to the cloth shop to make arrangements tomorrow."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Also, the ladies should send ten horses back home so that your parents can enjoy them."

Cheng Wan'er heard this and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to ask Zhao Xing to go to our father's place again."

Zhao Zhen said, "That's fine. Madam, write a letter and I'll have someone escort the old steward back tomorrow. Didn't you say last time that you wanted to invite your mother-in-law to stay for a few days? Now is the perfect time."

Cheng Wan'er responded and went to the study to write a letter with a smile.

Hu Sanniang said, "Sir, I haven't seen my father for many days. I want to go back to Hujiazhuang tomorrow."

"Yes, your brother Hu Cheng has gone to the salt field to transport salt. Now only Grandpa is at home. You can go back and stay for three or five days so that you can take care of him. Grandpa is a greedy man. You brought so many fruits. I think he must be very happy. I have to interrogate a few thieves tomorrow, so I can't go with you. You can bring the female guards from the manor with you."

Cheng Wan'er came out with the letter and heard what Zhao Zhen said. She asked, "My husband, are the thieves you are talking about the one who brought the horses to me a few days ago and asked me to use the seal?"

"That's right. This Zhujiazhuang has a relative named Yun Tianbiao, who is stationed in Jingyang Town, Yanggu County. This time, the army was mobilized because he wanted to avenge Zhujiazhuang and sent a group of people to Dulonggang to cause trouble."

"This Jingyang Town is under the rule of Daddy. My husband, tell Daddy to transfer this man far away." Zhao Zhen said, "My wife is right. Tomorrow I will ask Zhao Xing to tell his father-in-law that it would be best if he can be transferred away."

"It's a pity that my father is a civil servant. He can only transfer him but cannot remove him from his post. This can't be a permanent solution." Cheng Wan'er said angrily.

"I also talked about this with mother in the letter, and asked her to talk to father about it." Having said that, Cheng Wan'er turned around and went back to the study.

The next morning, Jiao Ting, Shi Qian, and Fu Yu packed up their troops, and Zhao Xing took Cheng Wan'er's letter, cloth, and other things and went to Dongping Prefecture. Hu Sanniang took the gifts, called the female cavalry, and went to Hujiazhuang to visit the old man.

Zhao Zhen took Zhang Qi and more than ten other men to the prison.

Pei Xuan had been waiting here for a long time. When they met, Zhao Zhen asked, "Brother, have you been able to interrogate anyone else?"

"Sir, when I came back yesterday, I interrogated these ten people separately. These people were not high-ranking officials, and everything else was the same as what the scholar interrogated. There was no difference."

"I saw that all these people were surnamed Feng, so I asked them about Fengyun Manor. Fengyun Manor does have some connection with important officials of the imperial court."

Zhao Zhen heard this and asked, "Who?"

"Sir, Yun Tianbiao's father is called Yun Wei, with a courtesy name of Ziyi. He joined the army when he was young and became a prefectural governor. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, he served in the frontier fortress for five years, following the old Jinglie Xianggong to fight against the Khitan. Yun Tianbiao was the only son of the old Jinglie Xianggong, and he was highly valued by the old Jinglie Xianggong, who promoted him to the position of the chief of Jingyang Town."

Zhao Zhen said: "Since Yun Wei has become the governor of a prefecture, I think he is quite skilled in martial arts. I wonder if he can fight again now? He has made great contributions to the country, so it will be difficult for him to become an enemy in the future."

Pei Xuan shook his head: "Sir, Yun Wei is already nearly 70 years old, how can he go to the battlefield again. Besides, I have asked these farmhands, Yun Wei's left arm was injured by a firearm, and he was not able to receive treatment in time. He lost too much blood, his tendons were shrunken and his bones were injured, and he could not move. There is no need to worry about running into him."

"Let's talk about the village of Fengyun Manor. There are about 600 to 700 households in the village, and there are only two surnames, the Yun surname and the Feng surname. The Feng surname also has a great hero named Feng Hui. He recruited local warriors in the village and set up watchtowers to guard against the bandits in Lengyan Mountain."

"I think the loss of these 30 farm guards is enough to hurt Fengyun Manor. Even if Yun Tianbiao cannot be transferred, we are not afraid that he will transfer more troops from Fengyun Manor. The bandits from Lengyan Mountain are enough to give Fengyun Manor a headache."

Zhao Zhen was overjoyed when he heard this: "I never thought that I would benefit from Lengyan Mountain. I wonder what kind of heroes are there in Lengyan Mountain?"

"I have already asked. The two leaders on Lengyan Mountain are Kuang Jinlong, the Flying Marshal, who has a red beard and a blue face, wields a golden spiked mace, and is from Yanzhou. The other is Shamohai, the Soul-stealing General, who has a pimpled face and wields a nine-ring head-cutting machete. These two have gathered five to seven hundred people and are robbing houses."

"There are also Deng Yun and Zhu Da Niang who have set up a tavern on Feilong Ridge. These guys have repeatedly troubled the village, causing trouble to all the merchants coming and going, and the soldiers are unwilling to arrest them. Fengyun Manor is also on guard day and night, so it can't do its best to help Yun Tianbiao take revenge."

Zhao Zhen nodded: "I just don't know what kind of personalities these two are. If they are good and righteous men, I will ask someone to invite them over so that we can have fun together."

Pei Xuan said, "I'm afraid they are from the same tribe. From what the farmhands said, these four men are not good people. They have destroyed all the villages at the foot of the mountain, and they often kill people for fun. They have made the area within a hundred miles unrecognizable, and no one in the village has a good word to say about them."

Zhao Zhen said: "In that case, there is no need to worry about him. We can just focus on protecting Liangshan County. I don't think Yun Tianbiao can be our friend, so we can just send him away from us."

"Then should we release these farmhands?"

Zhao Zhen sneered, "I respect his family for having fought for the country, but I can't let him do whatever he wants. This is all because of Zhu Family Manor. If he wants revenge, I will naturally not stand still. If he really wants to fight, I want to see if he is really capable of dealing with Second Master."

Pei Xuan said: "This is correct. Besides, General Dazhong is far away in the west, so he naturally cannot take care of this place. And I heard that this family army was also under the command of Tong Guan, so there is naturally some room for maneuver."

Zhao Zhen shook his head: "Let's not worry about him. Who can tell what will happen in the future? Besides, I have heard that people call Tong Guan one of the six thieves. We don't need to actively curry favor with him."

(End of this chapter)