The fiercest soldier of the border army

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost completely silent.

Two taels of silver would be enough to feed an ordinary family in Lingzhou City for a month, but she made it sound like it was a free gift.

You have no choice but to flatter.

In Lingzhou City today, everyone knows that whoever gets close to this young governor can make a fortune.

Those franchisees and distributors, who were just like ordinary merchants a few days ago, are now all dressed in silk when they go out and have people serving them when they come in.

Why? Because they took the sign of the shady business department.

She runs a brothel, and although she earns money through prostitution, if she can establish some connection with the governor's mansion, even if it's just a nodding acquaintance, who in Lingzhou City would dare to cause trouble in the future? Who would dare to default on their debts?

Cheng Chengfeng took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, weighing five taels, and threw it on the table.

The silver coin landed on the table with a crisp sound, rolled twice before stopping.

The madam's eyes followed the silver twice, and she kept saying, "Too much, too much," and "No, no, I dare not."

Tang Shun turned around and walked towards the door.

Cheng Feng grabbed Dao Man by the back of his collar and lifted him from the hands of the two guards, like lifting a chicken that had been soaked in water.

Dao Man landed on his feet, but his legs were still weak. He staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance. Cheng Feng grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him out.

The patrons and girls in the room automatically made way for them, and no one dared to come closer.

As soon as they left Xiangmanlou, the cold wind from the street swept over them, completely dispelling the last traces of alcohol on Daoman's body.

He hunched his shoulders, crossed his arms, and followed three steps behind Tang Shun, not daring to utter a sound.

Cheng Feng loosened his collar and stepped aside.

Zhao Yi walked at the very back, his face ashen, his lips tightly pressed together, as if he were holding his breath.

By the time they returned to the governor's mansion, it was already completely dark.

Tang Shun entered the main hall, sat down behind the desk, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhao Yi stood below, looking angry at his son's lack of ambition.

Daoman knelt in the hall, his knees on the cold blue brick floor, which made his legs tremble.

He hunched his shoulders, placed his hands on his knees, and kept his head down, revealing only the crooked wooden hairpin.

The main hall was eerily quiet.

Zhao Yi, who had been holding back his words all the way, finally couldn't hold them in any longer.

He took a step forward, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Tang Shun, and lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress his anger:

"My lord, Daoman has committed three crimes today."

"Firstly, they use the prefectural governor's office as a front to swindle and deceive people."

"Secondly, paying with ghost money is an insult to the dignity of the government."

"Thirdly, they attempted to pin their private debts on the head of the 'Hidden Affairs Department'."

"These are all disgraceful acts that tarnish the reputation of the Prefectural Governor's Office. If they are not severely punished, everyone in the office will follow suit. Where will the dignity of the Lingzhou government be then?"

Daoman's head drooped lower and lower, almost touching his knees.

His shoulders were heaving, as if he were crying, but he dared not make a sound, only letting out intermittent sobs from his throat.

Tang Shun wanted to scold him.

He had a lot to say, from legal principles to human relationships, from the dignity of government offices to the principles of being a person, from the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty to the customs of the border regions. Everything was lined up in his mind, just waiting for him to open his mouth and pour it out.

But when he looked at Daoman's expression, he suddenly couldn't utter a single word.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again, then closed it again.

After repeating this several times, he finally just sighed heavily.

The breath he exhaled felt like it had released all his anger and helplessness, leaving only an indescribable weariness.

"Daoman," Tang Shun finally spoke.

Daoman suddenly raised his head, his face covered in tears, his nose red, and a half-frozen snot hanging from his lips.

He looked up at Tang Shun, his eyes filled with fear and fawning, like a stray dog ​​that had done something wrong and was waiting to be beaten.

Tang Shun stared at him for three breaths, then suddenly leaned back and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"You're such a loser."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi froze, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Cheng Feng leaned against the door frame, his shoulders twitching slightly as he almost burst out laughing, but Zhao Yi glared at him and stopped him.

Seeing that Tang Shun didn't seem particularly angry, Dao Man hesitated for a moment before tentatively saying:

"My lord, I... I am trying to find loopholes in the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty by testing the law myself, in order to... fill in the gaps in the law for you."

"You...you brat..."

Tang Shun pointed at Dao Man, his tone carrying something he himself couldn't quite explain.

There was helplessness, a sense of being both amused and exasperated, a feeling of disappointment at someone's lack of ambition, and a touch of indescribable exhaustion.

He has lived two lives, seen all sorts of people, and dealt with all kinds of messes.

He never imagined that one day he would be sitting in the main hall of the governor's mansion, judging a Taoist priest who tried to pay his bill at a brothel with ghost money, and who, when he couldn't pay, planned to put the bill on someone else's tab.

This kind of thing cannot be found in any of the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty or later, and it cannot even be fabricated.

"Pay with ghost money." Tang Shun repeated, as if savoring the meaning of those words. "If ghost money payment is not possible, it will still be recorded in Qin Wen's book account."

"How did you come up with that?"

Daoman's lips trembled twice, and a muffled sob escaped his throat, but he couldn't utter a complete word for a long time.

Tang Shun continued, "Who is Qin Wenshu? He's the head of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics."

"All the salt, sugar, soap, and coal entering and leaving Lingzhou passed through his hands. And yet, you use his name to settle debts at brothels with just a few words."

"Two taels of silver today, what about tomorrow? The day after? What if you get into a murder case someday, and that gets pinned on Qin Wenshu's name too?"

Daoman's head drooped again, his forehead resting on his knees, and he curled up into a ball.

Tang Shun looked at him, sighed, turned his head, and waved to Zhao Yi: "Zhao Lushi, don't be angry yet. I'll handle this matter."

Zhao Yi gritted his teeth, but ultimately said nothing more. He cupped his hands in greeting and stepped aside.

Tang Shun stood up from behind the desk, walked to Dao Man, squatted down, and looked the young Taoist priest in the eye.

Daoman raised his head, looking at him through teary eyes, his lips moving as if he were about to beg for mercy.

Tang Shun didn't give him a chance to speak. He reached out and straightened Dao Man's crooked wooden hairpin, then tucked a few strands of his loose hair behind his ear.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be assigned to the cavalry."

Tang Shun withdrew his hand, stood up, and his voice returned to its usual calm tone, "When there is nothing to do, you shall stay by my side and not run around."

When Daoman heard the words "incorporated into the military," he was struck dumb, as if by lightning. Before the tears on his face had even dried, new beads of sweat were already appearing on his forehead.

He opened his mouth, his lips trembling, and he could barely speak: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please don't... My health... Look at me, look at me..."

He stretched out his arms and rolled up the sleeves of his Taoist robe.

Those two arms were as thin as sticks, pale and unrecognizable, with no flesh visible under the skin, and the bones were clearly angular.

He flicked his arm with his finger, making a loud "bang," and his voice was trembling with tears.

"Your Excellency, look at this. The entire path weighs only eighty pounds. A strong wind could blow it away."

"The Lord's personal guards all use long-handled swords!"

"That Mo Dao (陌刀), I caught a glimpse of it in the side courtyard last time. The one Geng Dachui forged, the blade alone weighs twenty jin (approximately 10 kg)!"

"I can't even carry this, let alone swing it. If I join the Imperial Guard, you'll be collecting my corpse in less than three days..."