Chapter Eighty-Five: The Righteous Energy of Great Zhou

Several months had already slipped by since the affair in Hexi Village by the Shidai River.

Of course Li Yun had not forgotten it. He could even be counted among those directly involved.

But the speed with which matters had developed still exceeded his expectations.

The villagers from Hexi Village who had slipped through his fingers that day, Meng Chong and the others, had in just a few months formally taken the road of rebellion.

Li Yun had originally thought they would hide in the mountains, become bandits, and eventually grow into an organization like the Great Cangshan Stronghold, living on in secret and in ruin. But they had not done that. They had chosen to confront the authorities head-on.

It was not hard to understand.

In the great fire at Hexi Village, the older people had mostly died in the flames, reduced to charcoal. The younger ones who escaped, for the most part, followed Li Yun and lived at Great Cangshan Stronghold.

Those few who truly fled with Meng Chong were all in the prime of their youth.

Struck by calamity all at once, they were wretched enough in their lot. Yet in truth, the deeds of the authorities had broken the bonds of family that had once held them back. Now there was nothing left on those Hexi people except two words:

Hatred.

After hearing the news, Liu Bo was stunned. He frowned and said slowly, "The Hexi bandits..."

"Using that name..."

Li Yun lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then said indifferently, "Using that name, they naturally mean to bring up the old matter of Hexi Village again. The provincial authorities have already covered this up, and even the imperial inspector who came down found nothing. If they want to make a commotion and let the court hear of it again, there is only this one way."

At that, Captain Li set down his teacup, looked at the two brothers, and said coolly, "To put it plainly, they still want someone to stand up for them."

Liu Bo also understood this and nodded. "Then it seems this rebellion was not done cleanly."

"They have no other choice."

Li Yun said solemnly, "They can only make a desperate gamble like this. If they can stir up enough noise, then if they succeed, they may found some kind of cause. If they fail, they can still use it to alarm the court."

"And if the court is truly alarmed, and learns that the unrest in Hexi was caused by the officials of Xuan Prefecture, then for a matter that shakes the very foundations of the realm, even if the emperor were more foolish than he is..."

Captain Li raised a finger and counted them off one by one. "Governor Tian, Chief Military Officer Cao, and that lofty Young Master Pei—none of them will escape accountability."

Liu Bo was somewhat curious. "Second Brother, then what would count as making a big enough stir?"

"For example, taking over the provincial yamen and raising a banner of rebellion."

Li Yun thought for a moment, then his mind suddenly stirred and he looked outside with a faint smile.

"Or perhaps someone wants to force this matter upward."

As he said this, Li Yun suddenly thought of what County Magistrate Xue had once told him about that Young Master Pei's identity. His tone changed at once, and he said with conviction, "This matter will definitely be forced upward!"

Neither Li Zheng nor Liu Bo understood. Li Zheng added a piece of charcoal to the brazier and asked, "Why is Second Brother so certain?"

Li Yun smiled and said softly, "Because that Young Master Pei is of the Crown Prince's faction."

............

The twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month.

As New Year approached, the anti-bandit patrol had little left to do, and there was naturally not much business in the yamen either. Captain Li no longer went to the county yamen very often, and simply stayed home to read and drink.

After all, as a captain he was only responsible for suppressing bandits; he had no concern with the daily affairs of the yamen clerks.

That evening, Captain Li was drinking at home with Li Zheng and Zhang Hu. They had barely finished half the dishes on the table when there was suddenly a knock at the door.

Li Yun stood up, pressed a hand down, and said, "You stay in here. I'll go take a look."

He stepped outside, then turned back into the courtyard and took down a sword from the wall. Only then did he reach the door and ask slowly, "Who is it?"

"Captain Li, it's me."

A familiar voice came from outside.

"Xue Fu."

Li Yun recognized the voice. It was a servant from County Magistrate Xue's household, about the same age as the magistrate himself. In the past half year, he had often come and gone from the county yamen, and Li Yun had frequently seen him.

Li Yun let out a breath of relief and opened the gate with a smile. "On such a cold night, why isn't Uncle Xue in bed asleep? What brings you here to see me?"

Xue Fu outside sighed and said, "Naturally, the master sent me to fetch you."

He looked up at Li Yun and said, "The master wants you to come at once. There's urgent business."

Li Yun looked back toward the house and gave a wry smile. "Uncle Xue, I'm still in the middle of eating. What can be so urgent that it can't wait until tomorrow?"

"If it could wait until tomorrow..." Xue Fu sighed. "At my age, would I still be running to Captain Li's door in the middle of the night?"

Li Yun nodded and smiled. "All right, I'll change clothes and come over. Is it in the back hall of the county yamen?"

"It is."

Xue Fu nodded and said, "Then I'll head back first."

Li Yun watched him turn and leave, then went back into the house and changed into a thicker set of clothes. Looking at his two brothers, he said helplessly, "Keep eating. I'll go see what's going on."

Li Zheng frowned. "It's so late. There won't be any danger, will there?"

"No."

Li Yun shook his head. "County Magistrate Xue is trustworthy. Besides, the yamen clerks in the county yamen all listen to me now. Nothing will happen."

After changing, he glanced at the wine and dishes on the table and said with a laugh, "Cheap luck for you two."

Li Zheng and Zhang Hu both rolled their eyes at him. Captain Li laughed heartily and left his little courtyard, making his way all the way to the county yamen.

After entering the back compound, someone was already waiting for him and led him along to one of the side rooms in the county yamen.

In the side room, a brazier had already been lit. It was warm as spring. At a wine table, County Magistrate Xue and a middle-aged scholar sat facing each other across the table.

Li Yun removed the outer garment from his body and pretended not to notice the middle-aged man. He instead clasped his hands to County Magistrate Xue and said, "Your humble servant Li Zhao pays respects to the County Magistrate."

Old Master Xue looked up at him, then at the middle-aged scholar opposite him, and smiled. "This is my classmate, Mister Gu Wenchuan."

Only then did Li Yun turn and greet the middle-aged man with clasped hands. "Greetings, Mister Gu."

Gu Wenchuan set down his chopsticks, looked up at Li Yun, and wore a warm smile. "Brother Yueji has praised Captain Li to me for a long time, saying that Captain Li is a chivalrous young man with great heroic bearing. Having seen you today, I find the description well deserved."

Li Yun shook his head. "You flatter me. I dare not accept it."

County Magistrate Xue pointed to an empty seat nearby. "Sit and speak."

Only then did Li Yun sit down. After he took his seat, Old Master Xue added a pair of bowl and chopsticks for him, then said, "Mister Gu has come from the capital. He is an imperial censor of the court, sent to investigate the matter of the rebels in Shidai."

Hearing this, Captain Li's mind instantly cleared.

The purpose of having him come tonight was now entirely plain.

But inwardly, he gave a faint, cold laugh.

The court's commissioner for suppression had been talked about for several months, and it would only be sent next spring.

The rebel attack on Shidai that killed the new county magistrate had only happened a few days ago.

Not even half a month had passed, and the court had already secretly sent someone down! Judging by the distance from the capital to Qingyang, this official likely rode here the whole way!

When it came to matters that truly endangered the state, no one paid attention. But as soon as it involved a struggle for power, they rushed in with eager hunger!

Thinking this, he looked at the two middle-aged men before him and, after a moment's consideration, asked, "What do the County Magistrate and Mister Gu want me to say?"

Mister Gu poured him a cup of wine and smiled. "It is not what we want Captain Li to say. We only want to know what truly happened in Shidai back then."

At this, his expression grew serious again. "If there is any injustice or wrongful grievance, then no matter what, the court must uphold justice."

"To settle the people's hearts and silence the wild talk!"

Li Yun lowered his head and took a sip of wine without replying.

Seeing him like this, County Magistrate Xue coughed and said, "Mister Wenchuan is a great scholar of the literary world, the righteous spirit of Great Zhou itself. He will not harm you."

"You may speak freely. When the matter is reported upward to the court, your name will not be mentioned."

Li Yun inwardly shook his head.

For once, why was the usually shrewd County Magistrate Xue so muddled now?

For a so-called great scholar of the literary world to ride all the way here and not even take a sedan chair, it showed how important this matter was to him.

And in order to prove to the court that the matter was true, in the end he would have to bring up Li Yun after all.

If it were truly some sort of righteous spirit, why had he not come before Young Master Pei arrived?

Thinking this, Li Yun set down his cup and said, "That day, I was acting according to the orders of the Shidai county yamen. As for exactly what happened in Shidai, we ourselves are not clear."

Gu Wenchuan frowned. "Then was it true that Shidai's tax levy was collected at eight hundred cash?"

"I am a man of Qingyang."

Li Yun's expression did not change.

"If you ask the people of Shidai about it, sir, you will naturally know."

The End.