Chapter Eighty-Three: Heartless

Two days later, at dusk.

After lingering in the fortress for more than ten days, Li Zheng finally returned to the courtyard rented in Qinyang. The moment he stepped through the gate, he saw Li Yun turning the pages of a book. Li Zheng set down the bundle on his back and said with a smile, "Half a year ago, if I had seen Second Brother reading by lamplight, I would have thought I was seeing a ghost."

Li Yun put aside the book he had just obtained from the county magistrate and looked up at Li Zheng.

"Didn't I tell you to help Old Nine more at Mount Lingyang? Why are you back so soon?"

"Most of it has been settled."

Li Zheng sat down, took a long drink of tea, and then went on, "When we were still at Green Mountain, I thought the Ten Kings Fortress was something truly formidable. Only after taking it over did I learn there aren't many hard bones there."

He gave a snort. "Second Brother, you don't know this, but those people under Tong the Elder were downright mad. Now that we've taken over, everyone on the mountain is obedient enough, and some of them even asked Old Nine and me when we'd bring them along to work."

Deputy Li laughed. "They're certainly eager."

Li Zheng nodded. "They're afraid they'll become useless and be driven down the mountain. Then they'd truly have nowhere to go."

"Oh, right, Second Brother. I rushed back down the mountain mainly because I had something to report."

He lowered his voice. "Two days ago, a man surnamed Fang came up Mount Lingyang, saying he was a runner for Cloud Prefecture. We discussed it and had Old Nine dress up as the master of Ten Kings Fortress. It seemed he was fooled."

"He said he wanted to spend a thousand strings of cash to buy some of the old documents from Ten Kings Fortress. Following your instructions before you left, we agreed."

"Yesterday, before I came down the mountain, that Fang fellow brought two men and took quite a few documents from the fortress, leaving behind a thousand strings of cash."

"This matter should have something to do with Cloud Prefecture's attitude toward Mount Lingyang, so I hurried over to tell you."

Li Yun set down the book in his hands, thought for a moment, and then smiled. "It seems the people of Cloud Prefecture truly have no intention of taking Mount Lingyang by force."

At that, he looked outside and narrowed his eyes. "This world is even worse than I had estimated."

Thus far, everything Li Yun had done after arriving in this world had in fact been based on his judgment of the age's circumstances.

He was certain that this era, which could still barely be called stable, was already on the brink of collapse, and that was why he had begun to gather strength by every possible means.

And from the present situation, this Great Zhou was far worse than he had imagined.

It might even be said that the reason Great Zhou still existed was not because it still possessed enough power to maintain its rule, but because of more than two hundred years of inertia.

For more than two hundred years, everyone had grown used to such a dynasty that even now, though it had long since become rotten to the core, it could still continue to exist in this world by the force of habit.

Like a house already in tatters, on the verge of collapse. It had already begun to fall apart, yet the people who had lived inside it for two hundred years were desperately patching and plastering it so that, on the surface, it did not look quite so bad.

All it would take was some hotheaded fool to come along and kick it hard.

Then the house would come crashing down.

After staring blankly for a while, Li Yun looked at Li Zheng and said softly, "You came to bring me word, so someone must also have brought word to Magistrate Cao. He will probably leave Qinyang tomorrow."

Whether it was because he truly did not feel at ease, or for some other reason, even after County Magistrate Xue had permitted Cao Rong to take away those bandits from Ten Kings Fortress, this Commander Cao had still not left Qinyang for several days.

The outward explanation was that he was staying in Qinyang to oversee the bandit suppression efforts.

But his purpose in remaining there was obvious: he still did not trust Li Yun, nor Ten Kings Fortress, nor the Sun Shouli who had been captured by Li Yun, and he was waiting for a chance to settle the matter.

And now that the issue at Ten Kings Fortress had been resolved, the dark cloud hanging over the great families of Cloud Prefecture had vanished as well.

After all, there was no longer any evidence left to convict them.

Li Zheng grinned, a little excited. "Second Brother, if the people from Cloud Prefecture no longer interfere with Mount Lingyang, then Ten Kings Fortress will truly be ours from now on!"

He lowered his voice. "The largest stronghold in all of Cloud Prefecture. If the elders were still alive and I told them, they wouldn't believe it!"

The "elders" he spoke of were naturally Li Yun's father, the old master of the Green Mountain stronghold.

Li Yun gave a faint smile.

"The older generation may not have had such ambitions."

"But in any case," Li Yun said lightly, tapping the table once, "once we digest Ten Kings Fortress, the world of the greenwood in Cloud Prefecture will be ours to command."

"When the pacification commissioner arrives next year..."

He did not continue, only gave a quiet laugh.

When the commissioner came to Cloud Prefecture, whether to pacify or to punish, there would be no way around Li Yun.

The next day, Commander Cao indeed left Qinyang, and before departing, he no longer showed County Magistrate Xue the slightest courtesy. His entire manner had become much more arrogant.

Because his leverage had vanished.

The documents from Ten Kings Fortress no longer existed, and with only a bandit like Sun Shouli as a witness, his word counted for little.

Even if County Magistrate Xue submitted a memorial to impeach them, he was fully confident he could handle it.

After all, it was only Sun Shouli's one-sided account.

Thus, when Commander Cao left Qinyang, he walked with his head held high.

At the yamen gate, he even said something to County Magistrate Xue with a half-smile.

"When Brother Yueji finishes this term as magistrate, where will the next appointment take you?"

There was clearly a hint of threat in those words, for Cao Rong had connections in the imperial court.

His brother-in-law, Lord Zhu, was in the Ministry of Personnel.

Faced with such a threat, Old Master Xue remained composed. He replied, "Once this term is done, I plan to resign from office and return to my hometown to retire."

Commander Cao looked at Xue Song, clasped his hands, and laughed heartily.

"Then I wish Brother Yueji a peaceful old age."

With that, he departed with his hands behind his back.

County Magistrate Xue stood at the gate of the county yamen, watching Commander Cao's departing figure as he laughed, and frowned slightly.

Behind him, Deputy Li wore a genial smile. "Your Honor, shall I help vent your anger for you?"

"No need!"

Old Master Xue turned back, shot Li Yun a glare, and then sighed. "If you could be a little more peaceful, this old man's temper would be much easier to settle."

Just then, a chill wind blew in.

County Magistrate Xue pulled his robe tighter and walked back into the yamen, sighing as he went. "Winter has come. Before we know it, another year has passed."

"Time flies."

Old Master Xue shook his head and sighed as he made his way toward his study.

Li Yun did not follow him in. Instead, he turned and went to the county school, planning to look through the book he had left half-read last time. Before he even reached the school gate, he ran into a little girl coming the other way.

The little girl looked at Li Yun and held out one hand. "Deputy Li, return the books."

It was none other than Dong'er, maid to Miss Xue.

Li Yun thought about it; indeed, he had borrowed two books from Miss Xue. He smiled and said, "I haven't finished them yet. I'll return them to Miss Dong'er in a few days, once I've read them through."

"No way. Return them now!"

Dong'er folded her arms over her chest, looked up at Li Yun, and huffed, "You're heartless. I won't lend them to you anymore!"

Deputy Li was a little curious. "How am I heartless?"

"How many days have you been back?"

Dong'er glared at Li Yun, looking indignant.

What on earth was in this tall fellow's head? Their young lady had been so close to him, and he was well enough off, yet after being away for so many days, and now back for several more, he still hadn't even gone to see her!

The more Dong'er thought about it, the angrier she became. She stepped forward and grabbed Li Yun's sleeve. "Come on, I'm going with you to get the books right now!"

Deputy Li was dragged a couple of steps and gave a wry smile. "Miss Dong'er, what kind of look does this make? Pulling and tugging like this..."

"Do you act proper?"

Dong'er looked at Li Yun in exasperation and gritted her teeth. "You're the one who doesn't act proper!"

Li Yun thought for a moment, then said, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll return the books to Miss Xue. Will Miss Dong'er grant me one more day?"

"Fine."

Dong'er let go and looked at Li Yun. "If I still don't see you tomorrow, just wait and see whether I spare you or not!"

With that, the little girl stormed off in a huff.

Li Yun watched her receding figure and silently sighed in his heart.

After all, he had lived a second life; he was no naive youth. He could make out, to some extent, the thoughts of Miss Xue and her maid.

He also had some fondness for the young lady he had captured up the mountain.

But after all, Xue Yun was a gentlewoman of an official family. Her clan might not be great, but it would not be small either.

And he, Li Yun, would most likely end up opposing the imperial court. If the two of them truly became a pair in the future, it might well implicate the entire Xue family.

Besides, the future was still uncertain.

Thinking of this, Li Yun rubbed his brow and stepped into the county school.

Let things be left to fate.

End of chapter.