The fiercest soldier of the border army

The two guards paused, then turned and glanced back at the fat woman.

The fat woman hesitated for a moment, but then gritted her teeth and spat on the ground:

"Stop trying to intimidate me with the governor's mansion! If the governor really knew you, why don't you have him come and pay your bill? Call him here! If he comes, I'll accept it; if he doesn't, you're not leaving here standing up!"

Dao Man was taken aback by those words. His eyes darted around, and he stubbornly replied, "Lord Tang is extremely busy; how could he have time to concern himself with such a trivial matter..."

The plump woman, the madam, gave a cold laugh. "Then that means there isn't one! Arrest him!"

Daoman was held up by two guards, one on each side, and was like a fish being lifted up, thrashing about in mid-air.

He struggled twice but couldn't break free, and his expression changed; he sobered up considerably.

The madam stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, a cold smile on her face. A pair of shoe soles had appeared in her hand, and she was slapping them repeatedly in her palm, making a loud slapping sound.

"You son of a bitch, trying to fool me with money meant for the dead?" the madam spat. "If you don't give me an explanation today, you're not leaving this building!"

Daoman's eyelids twitched a couple of times at her display of force, but he still stubbornly maintained his composure.

He turned his head and forced an awkward smile at the fat woman:

"I've already said that money from the dead is still money, and the Great Qian Law doesn't stipulate that money from the dead cannot be used to pay debts!"

"If you don't believe me, burn it and see if your ancestors receive it."

"If you don't receive it, I can perform a ritual to guarantee that you will receive it."

"As for the money, that's negotiable. Ten taels of silver per time, guaranteed to be effective, money back if it doesn't work."

The madam was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger.

She pointed the sole of her shoe at Dao Man's face, her voice shrill and high-pitched: "You really are sharp-tongued! Looks like you won't learn your lesson until you're faced with the truth. Someone, knock his teeth out!"

Upon hearing this, the two guards tightened their grip.

One person twisted Daoman's arm behind his back, while the other freed his right hand, made a fist, and waved it in front of Daoman's eyes.

Daoman's arms were tied behind his back, and he grimaced in pain, kicking his short legs wildly on the ground, but he couldn't break free.

He turned his head to look at the fist that was getting closer and closer, and his expression finally changed.

The arrogance that had been on his face just moments before vanished completely, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.

"No, no, no!" he pleaded repeatedly. "I'll pay, I'll pay, okay? But I don't have any money with me, how about we put it on my tab?"

The madam sneered, slapping her shoe soles even louder on her palms: "Keep an account? Whose account do you want to keep on an account?"

Dao Man's eyes darted around faster than when he was taking money from the dead.

He mentally went through all the people he knew in Lingzhou City. Wei Zong was too cold, Cheng Feng was too rough, and he wasn't familiar with Liang Enyi and Zhu Hang.

After much thought, Qin Wenshu, with his handsome face and refined manners, was the easiest to talk to.

Qin Yishi was in charge of the Bureau of Deception and had plenty of money. He was also a scholar from Southern Chu and valued his reputation. He would never turn against Qin Yishi for such a small amount of money.

Besides, Qin Wenshu lived in the same governor's mansion as him, and they would see each other all the time. It wouldn't be right for him to be detained by people from the brothel.

"Just write it down in Qin Wen's notebook!"

Dao Man's voice rang out again, as if he had grasped at a straw, "Qin Yishi, Qin Yishi from the Bureau of Deception! Put his bill on your tab, and he'll naturally pay for me later!"

The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.

Before the plump woman could react, Zhao Yi, who had been following Tang Shun and standing in the shadows below the stairwell, could no longer hold back.

He took a sudden step forward, his gray eyebrows bristling, and the wrinkles on his face knitted together in anger. "You brat! You linger in a place like this and you still hold a grudge against Qin Yi!"

Zhao Yi's shout was so powerful that it made all the patrons in the room turn their heads to look.

Dao Man trembled at the shout, turned his head and saw Zhao Yi's face, which was ashen with anger, and Tang Shun's speechless expression behind him.

He was stunned, as if struck by lightning. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The madam was also taken aback.

Although she didn't know who Zhao Yi was, judging from the old man's demeanor, the material of his official robe, and the posture of the strong men behind Tang Shun, her judgment was clouded.

She subconsciously loosened her grip on the shoe sole and took half a step back.

Daoman was being supported by two guards, and a layer of fine sweat was seeping from his forehead.

He forced a smile at Zhao Yi, a smile more like a grimace: "Zhao...Recorder Zhao...Lord Tang...why have you come..."

The moment the words "Lord Fu" were uttered, it was like a pebble being thrown into water.

The guests in the room were taken aback at first, then followed Zhao Yi and Dao Man's gaze and looked at the young man in the gray cotton-padded jacket at the bottom of the stairs.

Someone stared at him for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and almost dropped the wine bowl in their hand.

The man was a middle-aged merchant wearing a fur coat. He had seen Tang Shun once before at the grand ceremony in Lingzhou. When he recognized him, he jumped up from his chair and bent over so much that he almost overturned the table.

As soon as he stood up, everyone at the tables next to him, across from him, and behind him stood up as well.

Some people recognized the person, while others didn't but followed suit when they saw others standing. In just a few moments, all the guests in the hall had left their seats.

The women also realized what was happening.

Although they had never met Tang Shun, Zhao Yi's voice, his official robes, his demeanor, and the title "Lord Prefect" made it all clear.

In an instant, more than a dozen pairs of eyes focused on the area behind the second-floor railing, in the corner of the lobby, and at the turn of the stairs.

Those eyes were much brighter than when they looked at ordinary customers. Each one had seductive eyes, some biting their lips, some lowering their heads, and some using round fans to half-cover their faces, only revealing their eyes, as if they wanted to stick their eyeballs to Tang Shun.

A girl in a pink jacket was a bit bolder. She took two steps forward, curtsied to Tang Shun, and said in a soft, sweet voice, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency the Prefect..."

Before he could finish speaking, another girl next to him pulled him back, and the two of them shoved and pushed each other as they retreated behind a pillar, but their eyes were still glancing this way.

The madam was truly panicked this time.

She bent over so low her back was almost parallel to the ground, her face contorted into a fawning smile, "Your... Your Excellency... This humble woman... is blind... blind..."

Tang Shun ignored the gazes of the entire room and the flirtatious girls.

Zhao Yi stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Tang Shun, his white eyebrows still raised: "My lord, this trend must not be allowed to continue."

"Dao Man, as a member of the governor's mansion, uses the mansion's name to swindle and cheat people. Today he uses the dead's money to fool the people, and tomorrow he will dare to use the mansion's seal to extort merchants."

"If we don't punish them severely, everyone in the government will follow suit. What will become of the Lingzhou government's reputation?"

Tang Shun nodded, glanced down at the stack of Netherworld Coins, and then looked at Dao Man, who was being held up by two guards and was now trembling like a leaf.

Then he turned his head and asked the madam, "How much does he owe?"

The madam gave an awkward smile, her voice now soft and delicate, a stark contrast to the shrewish woman who had just been slamming her shoe on the table and cursing.

"Replying to your question, sir, two taels of silver is just a few jugs of wine, a few plates of fruit, and some girls playing instruments and singing. It's free, nothing special..."