Taiheiki

Chapter 124 Encounter
"Hahaha!" the leader laughed. "Whether the imperial edict is real or fake, what are you going to do? Go to Nanchang and report to the governor that there's a swindler here with a fake imperial edict? Are you still going to take people to arrest him?"

The person who asked the question was suddenly speechless. Not to mention that the Yuzhang prefect was currently surrounded by tens of thousands of bandits in the city and was in danger of losing his life at any moment, even if he really got the prefect's documents, he would not be able to do anything to him with only the few thousand soldiers of Wei Cong.

"Get it?" The leader sneered. "Whether the imperial edict is real or fake is completely irrelevant. Even if a letter from the prefect arrived at this moment, ordering you to rescue Nanchang, would you obey? Wei Cong has thousands of elite soldiers stationed in the county. This is true. Does it matter whether his edict is real or fake?"

"Then why did he do this? He could have just given the order!"

"Because it's in accordance with the rules!" the leader said. "Whether it's true or false, as long as it appears to be in accordance with the rules, everyone can feel at ease. This is why I didn't show you the imperial edict. Without reading it, you won't know whether it's true or not, and you can act more confidently. Many things in this world are more confusing than clear. If we insist on making it so clear, it will make life difficult for everyone. Why bother?"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. These individuals were all powerful figures in Yuhan County, their family businesses having been passed down for at least seven or eight generations. They all knew that in such turbulent times, preserving the family business was paramount. To do so, they could only turn a blind eye to other matters. Even if the imperial court investigated in the future, that was a matter for the future. They should get through this hurdle first.

The next day, the county's powerful people delivered food, boats, cloth, and able-bodied sailors as Wei Cong had requested. Wei Cong also paid to recruit sailors on the market and gave each of the powerful families twenty gold horseshoes and one hundred silver ingots. At that time, gold and silver were primarily used as rewards by the imperial court and princes, and rarely circulated among the people. The people were all delighted to receive the gold and silver, and their previous resentment was greatly alleviated.

Half a month passed like this, and it was already the beginning of October in the first year of Yongkang. After completing his preparations, Wei Cong boarded the "Yuhuang" and commanded a fleet of more than 70 large and small boats and more than 5,000 soldiers and sailors to leave Yuhan County, enter Poyang Lake, and head southwest. After three days of sailing, he turned into Ganshui (today's Ganjiang River), then went upstream and headed south.

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Luling County, the county magnate Liujiawubao.

Lightning streaked across the sky, and the light gray sky highlighted the top of the Wu Fort's watchtower. Three breaths later, rumbling thunder was heard, as if knocking on the heart.

The guards escorted Guo Kui across a wooden bridge and under a thick wooden gate. The muddy water from the trench beneath the bridge stirred up countless splashes, washing over the solid walls. Several days of heavy rain had nearly filled the normally dry drainage ditch to its limit. Guo Kui, his hands bound, stumbled slightly across the muddy courtyard, the rain lashing his face, stinging. The guards pushed him on the back as they entered the master's backyard.

As soon as they entered the house, the guards removed their rain-soaked cloaks to avoid soaking the wooden floorboards. Guo Kui followed suit carefully. He remembered that the master of this house had very dark hands. Back in Chaisang, he had once knocked out two front teeth of a stable servant because his horse wasn't properly fed. Guo Kui didn't want the same fate to happen to him.

When Guo Kui was brought into the back hall, he found Liu Wu sitting alone in the dim hall, eating a dinner consisting of grain wine, roasted fish, roasted chicken, fish soup and corn rice. On the wall next to him, there were four stone candlesticks with lit pine torches on them, but only two of them were lit, emitting a faint, flickering light; Guo Kui could hear the sound of water dripping on the floor, which must be because the roof was leaking somewhere.

"Sir!" the guard said, "We found this man not far from the river, and we also found a small boat on the shore. We found these things on him! He claimed that he was going to the county town!" As he said that, he placed a two-foot-long silver-handled ring knife, a deerskin bag, and a crossbow with more than ten wooden feather short arrows on Liu Wu's dining table.

Liu Wu put down the half-eaten chicken wing and casually pulled out his ring knife. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration. This might be the most exquisite weapon he had ever seen. The pale gray blade was covered with a large number of fine patterns, like flowing clouds and silk weaving. He subconsciously stretched out his left fingertip to test the blade. With a cry of pain, Liu Wu's fingertip had a wound. The bright red blood congealed in the wound like a ruby.

"What a fine sword!" Liu Wu sighed, reluctantly sheathing it. He then picked up his crossbow, examined it, and set it aside. He opened his pocket and dumped the contents onto the table: a black ribbon, with more than twenty horseshoe gold coins scattered around, gleaming alluringly.

Guo Kui stood there waiting like a drowned dog. His wrists were fraying from the wet ropes that bound them tightly. One word from the master and he'd be buried in a pit somewhere, but at least he'd be out of the rain, on solid ground instead of the rolling planks of a boat. He was soaked to the skin, his muscles ached, and he was exhausted. He'd had enough of this damned weather.

Liu Wu wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then picked up a gold coin and held it up to his eyes for a closer look. He even bit it, observing the tooth marks to confirm it was real gold. Lightning flashed again outside, followed a moment later by thunder. If this guy was out for money and murder, he wouldn't have tortured himself. A knife or a blow to the back of the head would have been a good option. If he revealed his true identity, he might have lived a day or two longer, but he would have suffered before his death.

Liu Wu stopped examining the gold ingot and began to examine the ribbon carefully. He was an ugly fellow, broad-boned and corpulent, with the broad shoulders of a blacksmith and almost no neck. He had a red nose, thick lips, and puffy eyes. A gray stubble, now half white, covered his cheeks and chin, and a broad forehead topped by a half-bald head. In short, his appearance was not a pleasant one.

"Bring him closer!" the gentleman stood up. "Lift his face up. I want to ask him a question!"

The guards obeyed their orders. Guo Kui lifted his chin and looked at Liu Wu's ugly and ferocious face: "We have met before, at Nie Zheng's house in Chaisang!"

"Yes!" Guo Kui looked at the other person in surprise. He didn't expect Liu Wu to still remember a small figure like him. "I can't believe you still remember a small figure like me!"

"Nie Zheng was once a big shot, but he's dead, and you're still alive and well!" Liu Wu picked up the ribbon and waved it in front of Guo Kui. "Tell me, where did this thing and the gold come from?"

"The Captain of the Rebellion Suppression gave it to me!" Guo Kui replied, "He has recommended me for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Commandery (located in Xingan County, now Xingan County, Jiangxi Province)!"

"The Southern Commandery Sima? You?" Liu Wu was stunned when he heard that, then burst into laughter. After a while, he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "That joke is indeed funny. Any more? Tell me two more, and maybe I can spare your life!"

"Then untie me! How can I make a joke while tied up?"

Perhaps Liu Wu was really amused. He signaled his men to tie up Guo Kui and gave him a cushion to sit down and talk: "Nie is dead, it seems you have a new master!"

"Yes!" Guo Kui rubbed his numb wrist. "Have you heard of Wei Cong, the anti-rebellion captain? I follow him now!"

"Well, this one looks better than the last one!" Liu Wu laughed. "Such a fine sword, and with gold, it's still quite good even without this lousy Sima of the Southern Commandery. Where are you going now?" "To see the county magistrate in Luling County!" Guo Kui replied. "Three days ago, Captain Wei led his troops to capture Xingan County, beheaded the Southern Commandery, and seized all his troops and supplies. I'm here to bring Captain Wei a message, urging him to surrender!"

"Were the ones who captured Xingan County yours?" Liu Wu's smile vanished, revealing a serious and fearful expression. "But I heard from the people who escaped over there that Xingan County was captured by an 'armored army,' and Captain Wen was shot dead!"

"Indeed!" Guo Kui said with a proud smile, "Captain Wei's soldiers are well-armoured, and most of them wear iron armor, making them invulnerable to swords and spears. The one who shot Captain Wen dead was none other than Captain Wei's eagle-shooting expert, Zhebie."

"Iron armor? Archer?" Liu Wu glanced at Guo Kui doubtfully, but the gold and steel knife on the table gave him the upper hand. He gestured, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Then let's talk while we eat! Someone!" He raised his voice and said to the servant who came into the hall, "Bring him another portion of what I'm eating now! Also, prepare hot water and dry clothes!"

The grain wine was murky, the cornmeal smeared with barley grains, and the fish porridge, a milky white layer floating on top, was served by the cook in a large wooden bowl. The porridge was thick, with scallions, carrots, barley grains, white and green radishes, chunks of river fish, and chunks of river clams all mixed in the thick broth. This was exactly what a man who had struggled out of a rainy night needed. Guo Kui ate with gratitude.

"How does the fish porridge taste?" Liu Wu asked.

"It's delicious!" Guo Kui answered sincerely.

"This is better than anything you've ever had before. Even in Chaisang, you can't get fish porridge this good!" Liu Wu replied proudly. "Some people look down on me. We in the south are considered country bumpkins who know nothing. We always dream of marrying a woman from a wealthy family in the north, trying to climb the social ladder, but we forget what our roots are. They are the radishes, corn, and wheat grown in this land, the fish, crabs, and clams in the river, and the fish porridge made from them! Not some damn Lujiang Zhou family!"

郭奎放下木勺，看着刘武那张愤愤不平的脸，他突然想起来眼前这位当初去柴桑好像就是为了把自己的女儿嫁给聂整当续弦了，他现在突然为那个挨揍的马夫感到悲哀。

"He's dead!" Guo Kui whispered.

"You deserved to die!" Liu Wu spat. He stared into Guo Kui's eyes and said, "Tell me, why did you go to see the county magistrate?"

"Send a message to the anti-rebel captain, asking him to open the city gates and let the army into the city, otherwise Xingan will be his fate!" Guo Kui replied.

"If the city is opened, the gold will be his?" Liu Wu asked.

"Yes!" Guo Kui replied, "Of course, there is more than just this gold!"

"More?" Liu Wu's eyes flashed with greed. At this moment, a flash of lightning flashed outside, and thunder rumbled. He sneezed: "We still have a long time tonight. Come, tell me what kind of person that Wei Xiaowei is!"

"That's a long story!" Guo Kui thought for a moment and then picked out a few things he knew about Wei Cong. Liu Wu listened without comment but made no response. The room fell silent, with only the sound of water leaking from the roof.

"That means this Captain Wei is not married yet, and the woman beside him is just a concubine?" Liu Wu asked.

"Yes!" Guo Kui didn't know why Liu Wu asked this question, so he replied, "I heard that he has another woman in Jingzhou, but she comes from a very ordinary family and was originally just a dancer!"

"What about the woman Nie Zheng left behind? The one with the surname Zhou, are they together?"

"I don't know about that!" Guo Kui was a little embarrassed by the question, but he still gave a negative answer: "Even if there is, at least I don't know!"

"I see!" Liu Wu laughed. "If another person—I mean, if another person—can open the gate of Luling County, will the Wei captain be willing to give that person this gold and other gifts?"

"Of course!" Guo Kui suddenly realized that he might not have to die. He smiled sincerely and said, "The captain said that if the county magistrate refuses to open the city gates, then whoever opens the city gates will be the county magistrate of Luling County, and that ribbon will be given to him!"

"I see!" Liu Wu laughed. "Enjoy your fish porridge! Afterwards, change into dry clothes, take a hot bath, and have a good night's rest! I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now!" He then stood up and left the hall. Guo Kui finished his fish porridge and, on his way to change and bathe, suddenly asked the maid who was leading the way, "Does your master have a daughter getting married soon?"

"Yes, how did you know?" The maid looked at Guo Kui in surprise.

"Just a random guess!" Guo Kui said with a smile, "Who are the relatives?"

"I heard he was originally the county magistrate's eldest son!" the talkative maid said, "But it seems something happened recently, and the marriage has been delayed. The master has been losing his temper because of this, it's really scary!"

"Auspicious people are always blessed by heaven!" Guo Kui said with a smile, feeling relieved. "Your daughter will have a better husband!"

(End of this chapter)