Thief Emperor

Chapter 155 Qingyang's Sisters

The current emperor is a mean ruler.

This was the truth that Su Jing understood when he was unemployed. However, he had no intention of fighting for power and profit, so he was too lazy to calculate these things and just did things according to his own heart.

Later, after his old subordinate Zhao Hong was involved in a disturbance, his entire family ended up being broken up, which inevitably made Su Jing feel a little sad.

All this actually did not cause much change in Su Jing's mentality. He still wanted to concentrate on doing his job for the court. After suppressing the rebellion, the worst that could happen was that he would go back to his hometown and continue to be idle.

Anyway, he has reached the age of retirement.

But some time ago, the incident involving Captain Li Zhao finally caused some subtle changes in his mentality.

Originally, according to normal logic, this unemployed old man was transferred to the front line by the imperial court to quell the rebellion. Apart from a piece of paper and a deputy general Jiang Yan, the imperial court had no more support, and the team had to be built up by Su Jing himself.

Having done so much for the court, he, as the commander-in-chief of the army, reported the merits of a colonel to the court. The court would definitely give him some face and promote the colonel he recommended.

But the court did not do so.

As a prank, he promoted his son to a high position.

This matter...on the surface, it seems that the Su family father and son took advantage, but in fact it only shows that the court and Su Jing are not on the same page.

Since they are not of the same mind, General Su must consider the issue from his own perspective.

After Su Sheng heard this, he was immediately shocked. He widened his eyes and looked at his old father: "Dad, you...you..."

"What a fuss."

General Su put his hands behind his back, still looking towards Yuezhou, and said slowly: "In the past twenty years, most of the generals in the court have had this idea."

"Otherwise, why does the border war never end?"

Su Jing snorted and said, "Your Majesty in the capital..."

Su Sheng quickly stopped his father and whispered, "Dad, be careful if someone hears you!"

Naturally, his father had some conflicts with the emperor in the capital. He had been with his father in his hometown for more than ten years, so he could naturally understand his father's resentment.

After thinking for a while, the young general consoled him, "Dad, your majesty is old enough. Maybe in a few years, when the crown prince ascends the throne, he will be able to put order out of chaos, and the Great Zhou will gradually get better."

Su Jing sneered and didn't respond.

He closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, "Go and send a message to Zheng Yu, asking him to lead his troops northward and enter Yuezhou."

"Send a letter to Li Zhao as well, asking him to move closer to Yuezhou."

Although General Su did not have a map in front of him, he already had maps of several states near Yuezhou in his hands. After thinking for a while, he continued, "Li Zhao's position should be in front of Shan County. The thief Qiu is from Shan County and he also started the rebellion in Shan County."

"After Li Zhao enters Shan County, let him adapt to the situation. If he can capture Shan County, he will be credited with a great contribution."

Su Sheng responded and said with a smile: "Dad, you really take good care of him. I will go and tell him the message right away."

“It’s not care.”

General Su put his hands behind his back and said calmly: "You have taken credit for his contribution, so we should give him some back. That boy is a promising talent. In this world..."

"Maybe he can become something great in the future."

"My son knows."

Su Sheng bowed and said, "My son has gone downstairs to do some work."

"Just go."

Su Jing waved his hand and squinted his eyes and said, "Within a month, we will surround Yuezhou City with our troops."

Su Sheng responded, then turned and went downstairs.

After Su Sheng left, General Su put his hands behind his back and murmured softly.

"Zhao Cheng..."

.........

When Li Yun received the order from General Su Jing, he had just been stationed at the border between Dongyang County and Yuezhou.

After seeing this order, Li Zheng scratched his head and asked, "Second brother, Third Uncle and his men haven't finished suppressing the bandits for half a month yet. Should we just ask them to come over and join us?"

"Not in a hurry."

Li Yun patted Li Zheng on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Shou Hou, take your men to the vicinity of Shan County and find out the situation. We will proceed step by step."

"This Shan County is where Qiu Dian started the rebellion. No one knows how many people he has left behind. It is better to be cautious."

Li Zheng responded, left the tent, went out and called a dozen subordinates, and left the camp together and went to Shan County.

Li Yun was sitting in the tent, looking at a rough and simple map in his hand, muttering something.

"This Shan County is Qiu Dian's hometown. If Qiu Dian is defeated in Yuezhou, he might flee back to his hometown." "No."

Li Yun himself rejected this idea.

"There should be a lot of soldiers in Yuezhou City. Even if Marshal Su can defeat the Yuezhou Army, it will not be easy to enter Yuezhou City. We can only consume them bit by bit. This war will not end in a short time."

"Just right."

He clapped his hands gently and said: "The thousand men under my command can also take this opportunity to practice well."

…………

In Qingyang County, Magistrate Xue was stunned for a moment when he saw the hundreds of refugees who had inexplicably poured into Qingyang.

He already knew that these were the people who fled from Qiantang to Xuanzhou, but the problem was that the closest county to Qiantang in Xuanzhou was Ningguo County. Even Xuanzhou City was much closer than Qingyang County. How could all these people run to Qingyang?
Mr. Xue personally arranged temporary accommodation for these refugees. After asking a few people, he found out the whole story. He put his hands behind his back and sighed.

"This kid really knows how to find things for me to do."

Fortunately, this is not a big deal.

Because these fleeing people were not real refugees, they more or less had some property on them and could spend their own money to buy things and food. All Mr. Xue had to do was to settle them down.

Of course, County Magistrate Xue did not understand the concept of promoting consumption, but in his opinion, if half of these hundreds of households could stay in Qingyang, Qingyang would become much more prosperous.

So, partly out of compassion and partly for Qingyang's sake, Mr. Xue was quite concerned about these refugees. He personally inquired about the matter for several days and sent people to buy food and deliver it to their temporary residence.

Just like that, a few days later, two Qingyang yamen runners brought a woman dressed in hemp mourning clothes into the Qingyang County Yamen.

After learning the identity of the woman, County Magistrate Xue did not dare to neglect her and quickly invited her to the main hall and treated her very politely.

"It is touching that Governor Liu died in battle. I have already arranged a place for Miss Liu to live. From now on, Miss Liu will stay in Qingyang temporarily. Once she finds a place to stay, I will send someone to take her there."

When Miss Liu escaped from Qiantang, she was still unsure whether her father and her family were alive or dead. It was not until she saw many refugees fleeing from Qiantang on the road that she finally confirmed that her family had all died. Only then did she begin to wear mourning for her parents.

Because she had cried so many times along the way, her emotions had now stabilized. She bowed to Magistrate Xue and said tearfully, "Thank you, Magistrate. Thank you, Magistrate."

"It should be."

Master Xue sighed and said, "Although I don't know County Magistrate Liu, I admire his character. I will report this to the court, and the court will most likely issue an imperial decree to reward him."

Miss Liu burst into tears: "My father only has two daughters, and no children. The imperial court's reward is useless."

Seeing her crying so sadly, Xue Xianzun, who had never comforted a girl before, was at a loss for a moment. He could only quietly walk out of the living room, call Dong'er over, and said, "This is the daughter of Qiantang County Magistrate Liu. She is very pitiful. Go and invite the young lady to comfort her. They are the same age and can be companions."

Dong'er glanced at Miss Liu, nodded slightly, and walked away in small steps.

After a cup of tea, Miss Xue arrived at the main hall. Seeing that Miss Liu was still sad, she hurried forward to greet her.

Miss Liu hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up to return the greeting.

The two of them were ranked in age, and Xue Yun'er was one year older.

Because they were the same age, it was easier for them to talk to each other. Xue Yuner took Miss Liu to her own small courtyard in the backyard and ate some food with her before asking, "I almost forgot to ask, what's your sister's name?"

Miss Liu lowered her head and said, "Sister Xue, I... my name is just Su."

"Liu Su, Liu Su..."

Xue Yuner said softly: "What a nice name."

She held Miss Liu's hand and comforted her softly, "The dead cannot be resurrected, Sister Su, don't be too sad. Just stay in Qingyang for a while, and we sisters can keep each other company."

Miss Liu nodded slightly, and the two of them ate together. After they got to know each other, they began to talk about their own things.

"Has Sister Xue been promised to someone else?"

Xue Yuner sighed and shook her head, "I probably won't be able to make a promise to anyone in my lifetime."

As she spoke, she bit her lips lightly, not knowing what she was thinking.

Miss Liu was a little curious and asked, "Why is my sister so beautiful..."

"I was killed by a thief..."

She shook her head and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this."

"I heard that the rebels were vicious. How did you escape from Qiantang, sister?"

"There was no way to escape."

Miss Liu lowered her head and spoke softly.

"He was rescued by a young general on the way."

"It seems to be from your Qingyang..."