Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 109: Searching for Snakes

"Oh? Invite him in."

Cao Min sighed and said to Liu Shangqiu, "Yang Che's family is here, let's meet them together."

A moment later, Yang Yuan was brought in.

He was wearing a soap-colored gown today with a white belt tied around his waist.

I don’t know if it’s because he was wearing soap, but Yang Yuan looked much calmer and more mature.

His calm and steady temperament seems no less inferior to Liu Shangqiu and Kou Heiyi.

Among the two beauties of the imperial city, Liu Shangqiu has the kind of feminine beauty that is so beautiful that it is difficult to tell whether she is androgynous, while Kou Heiyi has the kind of bohemian and unrestrained beauty of a playboy.

As for Yang Yuan, his appearance and temperament at this moment were both neutral, peaceful, and gentle like jade.

Yang Yuan saluted the two commanders and deputy commanders of the next command post, then sat down calmly.

Yang Yuan said: "I came here today to deal with the unfinished business of my brother."

Cao Min nodded and said, "Your brother was a capable subordinate of mine. I am very sorry that he was killed. Now that your brother has passed away, according to the laws of our Great Song Dynasty, he should be compensated..."

Cao Min took a booklet from the desk, opened it and said, "I, the Imperial City's Sima Tiju, have already made a proposal to the emperor that all the twenty-one soldiers who died this time should be promoted to the next rank.

"Your brother is the greatest contributor to the discovery of the suspect in this case, so he was promoted three levels. He was originally the deputy head of my Third City, and now he is promoted posthumously to the rank of Wu Xiu Lang. The emperor is benevolent and will approve it.

"Among the soldiers who died, those who have orphans, widows, or children in their families will receive three dou of rice per month.

“In Yang Che’s family, you are the only brother now, and you are already an adult, so you are not included in this list.

"However, after the government approves it, you can receive half a year's salary as compensation according to your brother Wu Xiulang's official salary."

Yang Yuan suddenly asked, "I have heard that for soldiers who died in battle or died of illness or injury during the war, one of their sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews and nephews who are over 20 years old can fill the public office?"

Cao Min looked at Yang Wan with some surprise, then nodded and said, "Yes, you are already over 20 years old, and there is indeed a quota for you to serve in the government. If you are willing, I will help you arrange a job in a better government office."

Yang Yuan said, "Commander Cao, I want to join the Imperial City Division, is that ok?"

Cao Min frowned slightly: "If you want to join the army normally, it's easy. But the Imperial City Division is harder to enter than the Imperial Guards. You..."

Seeing the white belt around Yang Yuan's waist, Cao Min's heart softened: "Forget it, I'll ask the Imperial Envoy for you, it should be possible."

Yang Yuan was overjoyed and asked, "Then, can I inherit my brother's position as deputy chief?"

Cao Min was stunned again, and said in a ridiculous way: "To be an official, you must rely on your own merits and abilities, and fight for it with every sword and gun."

Liu Shangqiu immediately glanced at Cao Min and asked, "Old Cao, are you pointing at me?"

Cao Min added: "Of course, our dynasty's system of official appointments can also allow people to become officials directly, but your brother is not yet qualified for such a position."

That’s good enough, Liu Shangqiu withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

Yang Yuan said dissatisfiedly, "No way? My elder brother died for the country, and I can't take his place? Then what is this... Wu Xiulang that my elder brother promoted, right? What rank is he?"

Cao Min said: "Seventh rank."

Yang Yuan said, "My eldest brother was originally a deputy captain, a ninth-rank official. Now that my brother is dead, can't I take his place and become a ninth-rank deputy captain?"

Cao Minwan never expected that Yang Che, such a well-known man, would have such a bastard brother.

He suppressed his anger and said, "No!"

Yang Yuan was greatly disappointed. He lowered his head to think for a while, then raised his head and said, "Then I won't join the Imperial City Department. If I don't want the court to assign me a position, can I receive a few more months of pension?"

Cao Min could no longer bear it, and said with a wave of his sleeves: "Does the imperial system allow you to bargain?"

Yang Yuan shouted, "My elder brother died for the court, and you won't give me an official position, nor will you give me more money. How can I marry and have children? How can I start a family and build a career?"

Liu Shangqiu was disgusted by his expression and said coldly: "Do you want to use your eldest brother's life to exchange for a lifetime of wealth? Strictly speaking, your eldest brother died of injuries, and the other twenty brothers died in battle." How much compensation did those brothers who died in battle get?
"What's more, we suffered heavy casualties in this operation, you know? If we catch the Jin spy, we can get more from the court.

"Now that we have lost many soldiers and generals, the Imperial Envoy is apologizing to the court while trying to get rewards for the sacrificed soldiers. What else do you want?"

Yang Yuan seemed to be frightened, and said hesitantly: "Then... if my eldest brother gives compensation as Wu Xiulang, how much money can he get?"

Cao Min was furious. He pointed outside and shouted, "When the relief is allocated, I will send someone to deliver it to your home. You will know then. Now, get out!"

"Commander Cao, you can't just leave me alone, you..."

Yang Yuan jumped up and was about to shout, but Liu Shangqiu shouted at the two imperial guards in the hall, "Are you dead? Why don't you kick this bloody fly out!"

Yang Yuan was carried by two imperial city soldiers and thrown out of the Imperial City Office.

Yang Yuan jumped up and down and yelled at the Imperial City Administration, but the soldiers guarding the gate pretended to be deaf and dumb for the sake of his elder brother.

After a long time, Yang Yuan seemed to be tired of scolding and stopped talking, feeling bored.

Yu Jiguang and others followed from a distance, but after Yang Yuan left the Imperial City Division, the further they walked along the road, the more familiar it became to them.

Yu Jiguang was still making plans in his mind, but the stubborn Da Chu had already called out: "Yu Kongmu, that Yang Yuan seems to be going to our National Information Institute..."

……

On the small training ground of Guoxin Institute, a group of people were playing Cuju. Sports officer Shen He led one team, and sports officer Mu Wen led another team.

Shen He's team wore khaki shorts, while Mu Wen's team wore dark blue shorts.

Each team has twelve people, responsible for the ball head, the ball fighter, the main holder, the head holder, the left pole net, the right pole net, and the scattered people.

The difference in their identities can be distinguished from their slightly different hats.

As the deputy captain of Shen He's team, Cen Ben kept his feet on the ball, juggling it several times, and suddenly passed the ball back to Shen He.

Shen He did not hesitate. Seeing the ball flying towards him, he jumped into the air and volleyed the ball towards the "Feng Liuyan" of Mu Wen's team.

The ball went in!
The onlookers clapped and laughed, and someone immediately ran over with a handful of white foam in his hand and smeared it on Mu Wen's face.

Every time a goal is lost, the captain of the losing team will have a mark painted on his face.

Mu Wen's face was already smeared with four lines, which made him furious: "You bunch of losers, are you still any good? You let four goals go in your short time. Is there any team in the world more useless than you?"

Mu Wen threw his hands and walked to the sidelines angrily: "I don't want to play anymore. You guys are really pissing me off to death."

Shen He laughed happily and said, "Old Mu, don't be so reluctant to play. Come on, come on, at worst, I'll let you play first."

At this time, a soldier from the National Trust Office came running over and said as soon as he saw Shen He, "Shen Goudang, there is a man named Yang Yuan outside the government office, and he specifically wants to see you!"

Shen He was stunned: "Yang Yuan, who is he?"

The servant said, "He said that his elder brother is Yang Che, the deputy chief of the Imperial City Department."

Shen He's expression changed: "How many people did he bring?"

The servant was stunned and replied in surprise: "He is the only one."

Shen He's expression eased slightly, and he asked again: "Oh? What weapon did he bring?"

At this time, the gatekeeper also realized that something seemed to be wrong, so he said carefully: "No... I didn't see it."

Cen Ben's eyes flickered slightly: "What is this person's tone and expression?"

The servant said, "He was quite peaceful. He just said he wanted to ask Shen Goudang for advice."

At this point, he seemed to feel something was wrong, so he took out a stack of copper coins from his pocket with a guilty conscience and said, "He... promised me a little money for running errands."

Mu Wen wiped the white ash off his face and ordered, "Go, bring him in and search him first."

The servant happily agreed, turned around and left, putting the money back into his pocket.

Shen He frowned and said, "There were 22 people from the Imperial City Division in Longshan Warehouse. Except for Kou Heiyi who escaped from the back warehouse, weren't all the others killed on the spot? What is this Yang Yuan doing here?"

Mu Wen said coldly: "Keep calm, we'll see what happens."

Shen He thought about it, then walked over to the bench under the corridor and sat down.

Cen Ben, Chen Chusheng, Mu Wen and others were all people who went to Longshan Warehouse that day.
Naturally, they were particularly concerned about Yang Yuan, the uninvited guest.

So they stood scattered not far from Shen He, pretending to chat and spy on what was going on.

After a while, Yang Yuan was brought to Shen He after being searched.

Shen He looked Yang Yuan up and down and asked, "Your name is Yang Yuan?"

"It is Xiaomin."

"Why do you come to see me?"

Yang Yuan bowed deeply to Shen He and said, "My elder brother is Yang Che, the deputy chief of the Imperial City Department.

"A few days ago, he was assassinated by a Jin spy in Longshan Warehouse.

"I heard from the people in the Imperial City Department that Shen Gou was in Longshan Warehouse at the time and had met my brother."

Shen He quickly glanced at several colleagues not far away, secretly gathering his strength, and answered carefully: "Yes, I was in Longshan Warehouse at that time, what happened?"

Yang Yuan said aggrievedly: "I went to the Imperial City Department to collect my brother's pension, but the people in the Imperial City Department said that my elder brother died of injuries, not in battle, and they didn't want to give me so much pension..."

When Shen He heard this, his body trembled, his pupils dilated instantly, and he cried out: "Injured to death?"

As soon as he said this, he realized that his reaction was a bit exaggerated. He quickly calmed down, coughed lightly and said, "Why did the people from the Imperial City Bureau say that?"

Yang Yuan said, "Because... after my eldest brother was taken back to the Imperial City, he was found to be still breathing. But my eldest brother was already dying at the time. He only lasted half a night. He didn't even leave a word. He didn't even open his eyes before he died. Does this count as death by injury?"

Yang Yuan cried out that he was wronged, but his heart was already cold.

He had been watching Shen He's reaction just now.

He boldly revealed the secret that Yang Che did not die in Longshan Warehouse just to see Shen He's true reaction.

The change in Shen He's expression just now was all caught in his eyes.

This Shen He must have a great deal to do with the death of my eldest brother!

(End of this chapter)