Taiheiki

Chapter 37 Bribery
The assassin didn't seem to hear what Wei Cong said. His eyes were still fixed on Ah Jing, and he muttered, "If it weren't for this woman, I would have shot him!"

Wei Cong's limited patience was exhausted. He gestured, "Yannian, take this fellow away. I'm going to take him to see the county governor tomorrow morning, so he can't die. Do you understand?"

"My subordinate understands!"

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Zhangjiawu Fort.

"So, you have sent someone to assassinate Wei Cong?" Zhang Boan asked.

"That's right!" Zhang Ping straightened his neck. "He was the one who harmed my eldest uncle and fourth uncle, and the prefect even made him a thief. Who else should we kill if not him?"

Looking at his defiant nephew, Zhang Bo'an felt his temples throb violently. These young men in the clan had grown up watching their elder brother's prestige. They only knew the "Red-robed General"'s aura of dominance, unstoppable from the prefectures and counties, but they had no idea of the delicate circumstances behind it. In their eyes, his uncle, who stayed home all day tending to the farm, was a cowardly and incompetent farmer. How could they listen to him? But with his elder brother and fourth brother gone, he had no choice but to shoulder this burden.

"Things aren't as simple as you think!" Zhang Boan advised. "First, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the eldest and fourth brothers are still unclear. Secondly, this Wei Cong's origins are unknown, and no one knows who's behind him. If you act rashly, you'll only end up with endless trouble!"

"Third Uncle!" Zhang Ping's face was filled with disdain. "Big Uncle and Fourth Uncle were attacked by a strange boat on the river and died. The thirty or so people on the boat that escaped saw it clearly, it was definitely true. That boat first appeared during the dragon boat race on the river, and the one who presided over the race was Wei Cong. He later recruited many rowers. Do you dare to say that he had nothing to do with Big Uncle and Fourth Uncle's deaths?"

"Yes, they are related, but that doesn't mean he was the one who assassinated him," Zhang Bo'an said desperately. "Besides, the prefect directly appointed this guy as a thief's assistant. He's one of the five officials under the prefect. If you just sent someone to assassinate him like that, where will the prefect's face be?"

"Third uncle, eldest uncle and fourth uncle are already dead, and you still care about the prefect's reputation?" Zhang Ping was furious. "The prefect appointed Wei Cong as the thief's assistant. He is obviously the mastermind behind this. The knife is at our throats, and you are still hesitating. Our family will be doomed soon!"

Faced with his nephew's forceful rebuttal, Zhang Bo'an was momentarily speechless. He knew his nephew's words were illogical. After all, even killing a thief like Cao Gongshi wouldn't deter the county governor from his plan to destroy the Zhang family. But the Zhang family's rise to power was based on this ruthlessness. The problem was, once the Zhang family was just an ordinary local tyrant, now it was one of the most powerful in the county. Before his brother was murdered, he had been thinking about studying hard and becoming a filial and honest official. Was he going to go back to the old ways?

"What if the assassination attempt fails?"

"Then let's do it again!" Zhang Ping sneered, "There are plenty of brave men in our family who are willing to avenge uncle. Third Uncle, don't forget that these brave young men are indebted to uncle. Anyone who stands in their way will be killed!"

"This..." Faced with his nephew's explicit threat, Zhang Boan was obviously timid. He has been like this since he was a child. He knows it in his heart and has a clear mind, but he becomes soft when faced with a direct threat. Even if he knows that he is right, he dare not insist.

Seeing that Zhang Boan was frightened by him, Zhang Ping nodded with satisfaction: "Don't worry, Third Uncle, those guys can't make trouble as long as I am here. You can take care of the things at home, and leave the things outside to me!" After that, he casually bowed to Zhang Boan and turned to leave.

"Leave the outside affairs to you? I'm afraid the world will turn upside down!" Zhang Boan smiled bitterly: "Brother, brother! You recruited these desperate criminals. It's okay while you are alive, but what will happen when you leave? You have caused us so much trouble!"

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Jiangling, Taishou Mansion.

During breakfast, the Chief Clerk told Han Chun that Wei Congtian, the newly appointed thief official, had arrived at dawn. "He was furious, and his men were holding a thin, smelly man with a small crossbow. He said he was assassinated by someone from the Zhang family last night and almost died!"

"Was he assassinated by someone from the Zhang family?" Han Chun suddenly felt a dull pain in his temples. "How could he be sure it was someone from the Zhang family? Did the assassin confess?"

"That's not the case. The assassin was very stubborn!" The Chief Clerk whispered, "Wei Cong said he had only been in Jiangling for a short time and the only person he had offended was the Zhang family. Who else would send someone to assassinate him?"

"What he said makes sense!" Han Chun put down his chopsticks and pointed to his head. The maid beside him hurriedly massaged his temples. "Did Wei Cong say what he was going to do?"

"He's going to the Zhang family to apprehend the real culprit behind this!" The Chief Clerk said with a wry smile, "Look at this—"

"Okay, let him go!" Han Chun opened his eyes.

"Master, the Zhang family is not to be trifled with! If—"

"That Wei Cong is even more difficult to deal with!" Han Chun sneered, "What does he want here?"

"I want to see you, Lord of the Mansion, and I need to recruit the county soldiers and have a reason to do so!"

"There's no need for a face-to-face meeting. Just say I'm sick and bedridden, and can't see outsiders. As for the county soldiers, give him fifty men, and the corvée doesn't matter!" Han Chun said coldly, "Give him the title. He started this matter anyway, so it's his responsibility. Tell him that the Zhang family has people behind them, and the longer the night, the more trouble there is. If he can resolve this matter within three days, everything will be fine. If it's after three days, it will be hard to say!"

"Within three days!" The chief clerk opened his mouth wide. "The Zhang family's Wubao has been running for quite some time. I'm afraid it won't be that easy, right?"

"That's Wei Cong's business. As the governor, I've done everything I can to help. If things don't work out in the future, no one can blame me!" Han Chun sneered. "By the way, if Wei Cong is a good person, you can give him some of the discarded old stuff in the armory. But you have to make it clear to him beforehand that it's all discarded old stuff. Do you understand?"

"My subordinate understands!"

————————————————————The Chief Clerk left the back house and came to the front with a changed expression. He bowed to Wei Cong and said with a smile, "Sorry for the long wait, Mr. Wei. The Lord is ill today and cannot see outsiders, so I'm afraid I can't see you either."

"Is Prefect Han ill?" Wei Cong looked a little strange. This fat man was chatting and laughing with Deng Zhong yesterday, and now he's so sick he can't see anyone after just one night? It's obvious he doesn't want to see him. He wanted to leave in a huff, but the chief clerk, although smiling, looked like he was ready for a good show.

"Does the Lord have any other instructions?" Wei Cong asked carefully.

"The Lord of the Prefecture already knows about your assassination!" the Chief Clerk replied slowly. "He told me to tell you that the Zhang family's Wubao has been operating for years. If you want to capture the mastermind behind this, you'll have to proceed with caution. I'll give you fifty county soldiers, and you can recruit as many officials as you like."

Hearing the Chief Clerk's words, Wei Cong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the fat governor still had to give Deng Zhong some face, feigning illness to avoid getting too involved. It didn't matter, though. He hadn't expected much from the other party, otherwise Zhang Bolu wouldn't have been able to dominate Jiangbei for so many years.

"The Chief Clerk would like to thank the Lord on my behalf!" Wei Cong bowed and said, "I do have a few men under my command, but we are short of weapons. Please inform the Lord on my behalf!"

"Weapons, huh?" The Chief Clerk's face showed an awkward expression. "That's a bit troublesome. First of all, weapons and armor are strictly regulated. Secondly, the Wuling Barbarians in the south are making a big fuss right now. Feng Cheqi's order arrived a long time ago, strictly prohibiting the unauthorized use of the armory. You just happened to run into that!"

Wei Cong saw the Chief Clerk's expression and still couldn't guess what he meant. He fished out a long-prepared pocket from his sleeve and calmly put it into the Chief Clerk's hand. He lowered his voice and said, "This matter concerns not only me, but also an errand for the Deng family in Nanyang. We must not make the slightest mistake. Please accept this little gift as a token of my gratitude. I will reward you handsomely after the matter is completed!"

The chief clerk took the bag and slipped it into his sleeve without leaving any trace. His face suddenly became more angry. "You and I are colleagues under the Lord. Why be so formal? Don't worry about the weapons. After dark tonight, send a few people to wait at the side door of the armory. I will make all the arrangements!"

"Tonight after dark, at the side door of the armory! I've got it!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "I have some trivial matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. When this is over, I'll definitely treat you to a drink. Please don't refuse!"

"Okay, okay!" The Chief Clerk sent Wei Cong away, fished out his pocket from his sleeve, weighed it twice, and felt that it was very light. He snorted coldly: "This guy is so stingy. He only gave a hundred coins. Humph, I'll just give him a few blunt knives and rotten bows tonight!"

At noon, having finished his business for the day, the Chief Clerk left the prefectural residence and headed home. Passing a cosmetics shop on the way, he remembered that his wife's complexion had been changing since he took in his new concubine, her nose and eyes looking awful. He thought it would be best to take a box of rouge and powder home to make her look better. With this in mind, he entered the shop, selected a box of rouge and a box of powder, and paid for it. However, he realized he was short on cash. The shopkeeper, a sweet-talker, said, "Sir, we're acquaintances. Take the rouge and powder home first. I'll have someone send the money tomorrow to make up for it!"

"That's all right!" The chief clerk remembered the small pouch Wei Cong had given him, fished it out from his sleeve, and said with a smile, "I almost forgot, there's more here!" He grinned and opened the pouch, pouring the coins inside onto the counter: "How much is still missing? It should be enough!"

"Sir, are you trying to tease me? This, this is—!" The shopkeeper stared at the yellow pieces on the counter in amazement. These lovely pieces of metal emitted an eye-catching light. The chief clerk's mouth opened wide in surprise. He quickly stuffed all the gold back into his pocket and apologized to the shopkeeper in a hurry: "Forgive me, forgive me. Please pack up my rouge and powder for me. I'll send someone to make up the money later!"

The chief clerk almost ran back home. He didn't care about the surprised looks of the maids and servants, rushed into the study, took out the bag from his arms, and poured the small gold nuggets inside onto the table. He couldn't help but think of his complaints to Wei Cong just now.

"After all, he's a disciple of the Nanyang Deng family. His moves are truly different!" The Chief Clerk couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "I'm just too ignorant. I almost wronged him!"

In the evening, Zhao Yannian brought more than ten people to the side door of the armory. As he was looking around, he heard someone ask, "Are you from Wei Gongshi?"

Zhao Yannian saw the side door half-open and a black-clad clerk watching him warily. He quickly stepped forward and replied, "Yes, it's us!"

"Where is the proof?" asked the clerk.

"This is the official seal!" Zhao Yannian pulled out a piece of cloth from his sleeve. On it was the official seal that Wei Cong had just handed down. The clerk looked at it carefully and whispered, "Follow me in!"

Zhao Yannian and others followed the black-clad clerk into the side door. The clerk walked through a narrow alley and came to an open warehouse. He pointed inside and said, "These are the rotten and old goods in the armory. They are to be eliminated as usual. You can go in and take what you want. I have something to do. I will be back in a quarter of an hour to close the door. No one will be waited for after you are late!" After that, the black-clad clerk turned and walked away.

"Yannian, what does he mean by this?" Diwu Deng was confused by the clerk and couldn't help asking, "Let us take it as we please? He won't even watch?"

"That should be it?" Liu Jiu interjected, "It shouldn't be anything good either. Didn't he just say that? It's just rotten old stuff that needs to be discarded as usual. This guy is too lazy to just stand by and watch!"

"No wonder, I knew it!" Diwu Deng cursed angrily, "You're sending us off with junk again!"

"Even if it's rotten old stuff, if you look carefully you can find a lot of useful stuff!" Zhao Yannian said solemnly, "We only have a quarter of an hour, everyone, hurry up and pick it out!"

Everyone responded and entered the warehouse. Soon they found something wrong. Although the weapons and armor on the shelves were not new, they were obviously well maintained. In any case, they were not rotten old goods at all. They were enough to arm the county soldiers.

"Yannian, what's going on?" Diwu Deng asked, picking up a pair of leather armor that was about half new. "When did the Han become so wealthy that he would throw away such a fine item?"

"Yes, and this one!" Wen Sheng, who was standing next to him, picked up a horn bow and said, "Look, there's quite a bit of dust on it, but the paint isn't damaged at all. This is a really good piece!"

Zhao Yannian also realized something was wrong. He remembered Wei Cong's instructions before leaving: "I have already arranged everything. When you go there, follow their arrangements and don't make any unnecessary troubles!"

"Shut up!" Zhao Yannian shouted, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? It's been so long, hurry up and move your things!"

A quarter of an hour later, the black-clad clerk staggered back and found that there were fewer things in the storeroom. He cursed subconsciously: "How could you take so many things without knowing the importance of them? Damn it, I'm going to get scolded by the chief clerk again!"

(End of this chapter)