Chapter 56: A Forceful Approach

Regarding Master Xue’s words, Chief Constable Li lowered his head to sip his tea, his smile easy and relaxed.

“The magistrate flatters me. Whether Inspector Tian falls or not is a matter for your imperial court. But with the court in its current state…”

Li continued slowly, “I don’t expect imperial envoys to come down and truly punish evil or promote virtue.”

From top to bottom, the Great Zhou court reeked of decay.

For example, the court’s tax quota to the prefecture was three hundred coins, but by the time it reached Qingyang County, it had become five hundred. In neighboring Shidai County, at the next level down, it had become eight hundred coins.

Yet in truth, how much did the court—or rather, the emperor—actually require? Li Yun could not even estimate.

Perhaps two hundred coins? One hundred?

He had never planned to serve as an official, much less dreamed of saving this rotten dynasty. Naturally, he never considered relying on the court’s power to bring down Inspector Tian.

His dislike of Inspector Tian and Commander Cao was a personal matter. When the time was right, his blade would enact his own justice; he had no need for the court, nor for any imperial envoy.

Having finished, he looked up at Magistrate Xue and said with a soft laugh, “Rest assured, magistrate. If someone is truly sent from the court, I’ll handle it well. I won’t put you in a difficult position.”

“I have nothing to find difficult,” Magistrate Xue replied, glancing at Li Yun with a sigh. “In your heart, you must already be greatly disappointed with the Great Zhou court, am I right?”

To Magistrate Xue, Li Yun was a man from the jianghu, unfamiliar with officialdom. Now, after only a month or two as chief constable, he had already witnessed so much corruption. Even the magistrate felt complicated emotions.

Chief Constable Li rose, looked at Master Xue and smiled, “Magistrate, I never held much hope for the court. If the court were truly upright, Qingyang would not be plagued by so many bandit strongholds.”

He cupped his fists and said, “Magistrate, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Magistrate Xue waved his hand. “Go on, then.”

Li Yun nodded silently, turned, and left Master Xue’s study. He had barely walked a few steps outside when he saw a young woman waiting not far away.

As soon as Li Yun emerged, the young woman hurried over, holding a book in her hands. She presented it to him with both hands, “Chief Constable Li, this is the book my mistress found for you.”

It was Dong’er, the maid always by Xue Yuner’s side.

Li Yun took the book from her—it was called “Records of the Great Clans.” He tucked it into his breast, smiling. “Thank Miss Xue for me.”

Dong’er rolled her eyes. “If you want to thank her, Chief Constable Li, can’t you do it yourself?”

He thought for a moment and nodded. “Just as well. I’m nearly finished with the national history; when I return that, I’ll thank Miss Xue in person.”

At this, Dong’er finally smiled. “How is your arm, Chief Constable Li? Is it better now?”

Li Yun moved his left arm for her to see, grinning, “Much improved.”

Dong’er glanced at him, covering her mouth with a giggle. “No need to move it for me. Just saying so is enough.”

With that, the little maid turned and skipped away.

Li tucked the book away, watched Dong’er’s departing figure, then left the county office and returned to his rented courtyard in Qingyang.

By this time, Li Zheng and Zhang Hu were already preparing food in the small yard.

Seeing Li Yun return, Li Zheng rose to greet him with a smile. “Second Brother, all settled at the county office?”

“I never had any trouble to begin with.” Li Yun stretched lazily and laughed. “Once we rest a few days, we’ll go take out those two strongholds we scouted earlier.”

Li Zheng grinned. “Honestly, Second Brother, you have a keen eye. Raiding bandit dens is far quicker money than robbing merchants.”

“When you’ve cleared out all the strongholds in Qingyang, our Cangshan Stronghold will be the only one left. Then we can not only run roadblock ‘business’, but even open an escort agency and run legitimate escort convoys.”

Skinny Monkey grinned slyly. “Guarantee that goods in Qingyang will never go missing!”

Chief Constable Li shot him a glare, then stroked his chin. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Skinny Monkey, you’ve just given me a good idea.”

“An escort agency really would be a solid business. Once we finish the current matters, I’ll seriously consider opening one!”

An escort agency could travel widely, and in such an age of poor communications, it would bring Li Yun a wealth of information.

Moreover, with an agency, future business dealings would go much smoother.

Most importantly, an escort agency could legally possess weapons—swords, spears, bows, and the like.

The only real obstacle was that opening such an agency required local government approval.

But for Li Yun, even that was no longer a real obstacle.

…

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

During this time, Chief Constable Li gathered his constables and announced his future plans for suppressing bandits.

By now, the constables of Qingyang County no longer resisted such campaigns. After all, with such a formidable leader charging in front, they were never the main assault force.

And each time, they earned a little extra on the side. Even if killed, their families would receive twenty strings of cash!

To put it in perspective, twenty strings could buy two mu of land in Qingyang—enough to feed a family for years.

Thus, the constables were now utterly convinced by Li Yun. While they wouldn’t go so far as to kill Magistrate Xue at a word, if the previous chief returned and Li Yun gave the order, they would beat the former chief without hesitation.

That afternoon, after settling the constables’ affairs, Li Yun took Li Zheng and Zhang Hu to dine in town. They didn’t return to their courtyard until sunset.

Shortly after they arrived, while Li Yun was leafing through the Annals of the Realm, he heard a knock at the gate.

He strode to the door and opened it to find a burly, rough-looking man in his thirties, clad in plain clothes with a full beard.

Upon seeing Li Yun, the man saluted with a cupped fist. “May I ask if you are Chief Constable Li?”

Li Yun sized him up, then smiled. The man’s accent was clearly from out of town.

Very soon, Li asked slowly, “I am Li… Li Zhao. And you are?”

“My surname is Pei—Pei Zhuang.”

Li Yun narrowed his eyes, looking Pei up and down. “What brings you to see me, Brother Pei?”

Pei Zhuang saluted again, smiling. “Chief Constable Li, you may not know, but I have practiced martial arts since childhood, and as I grew, I became obsessed with the martial path. I’ve traveled widely, seeking out renowned teachers and masters. A while ago, after arriving in Xuanzhou, I heard tales of your prowess—you fight ten men as one, have slain numerous bandits, and wiped out several strongholds in succession.”

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked over Li Yun. “So I have come to call on you, hoping for a lesson.”

Li Yun narrowed his eyes further.

If Magistrate Xue hadn’t warned him that an imperial inspector might be arriving, perhaps he wouldn’t have thought much of this. But since the warning…

This “friendly challenge” was a little too blunt.

After a moment’s thought, he stepped aside. “Please, Brother Pei, come in.”

Pei Zhuang saluted and entered Li Yun’s courtyard.

Li Yun strode into the inner room, pulled Zhang Hu aside, and whispered, “Huzi, this man has come looking for a fight. Keep an eye on him—if anything seems off, jump him and tie him up.”

Zhang Hu blinked. “Is there anyone in this world Second Brother can’t handle?”

Li Yun smiled. “Most likely he’s from the capital. Who knows what skills he has?”

With those instructions, Li Yun stepped back out.

Pei Zhuang was already waiting in the courtyard.

Chief Li limbered up, then looked at Pei Zhuang and smiled. “Brother Pei, I still have official duties. Shall we just have a match here?”

Pei Zhuang grew solemn and saluted. “Chief Constable, please.”

The two faced off in the courtyard.

Li Yun wasted no time; in a flash, he closed the ten paces between them and sent a heavy right fist straight for Pei Zhuang’s face.

The move was simple, almost crude. Pei Zhuang paused, then shook his head slightly, sidestepped half a step, and easily dodged the blow, fending off Li Yun’s fist with one hand.

As they passed each other, Li Yun shifted tactics, driving a shoulder hard into Pei Zhuang’s side.

Pei Zhuang again tried to deflect with one hand, but the moment their bodies collided, he realized something was wrong. He quickly switched to both hands, but Li Yun’s force sent him staggering back four or five steps!

The burly, capital-accented man couldn’t help but exclaim, “What strength!”

At the same time, Li Yun, who had also stepped back, eyed Pei Zhuang with growing caution.

After several exchanges, neither had gained the upper hand.