Chapter 140

Xu Qinglian had never been this embarrassed in his life. He took a deep breath of air thick with the strong smell of urine, forced himself to calm down from the flustered panic, squeezed out a stiff smile and said: "I got up to drink water… I accidentally spilled…" The more he explained, the worse it got; it was basically a case of "there's no silver here, three hundred taels."

Guo Shouguang was still quick-witted; he cupped his hands in salute and said: "Sir, please change your clothes first; we'll wait outside."

Hu Xiaotian, however, had no intention of leaving; he stood there smiling narrowly, his beady eyes fixed on Xu Qinglian's crotch. Xu Qinglian gritted his teeth in hatred, wishing he could gouge out the man's eyes alive, and snapped irritably: "What else do you want by coming back?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's a small matter; Sir had me repair Qingyun Qiao, but do we have the funds? If we levy the populace, it will surely cause widespread resentment and make life unbearable. I've thought of a charity benefit idea that might raise some money; I don't know what Sir thinks."

Xu Qinglian's patience had reached its limit; he now only wanted this hateful brat to disappear from his sight as quickly as possible, and he snapped impatiently: "Your idea, you handle it yourself; no need to consult me."

"Does Sir mean support or opposition?"

Xu Qinglian's anger was on the verge of exploding; he glared at Hu Xiaotian and said: "Support, I support you—as long as you can repair Qingyun Qiao, I don't care what methods you use."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Thank you for your trust, Sir; I, your subordinate, take my leave."

As Hu Xiaotian walked away, Guo Shouguang didn't dare stay; he followed Hu Xiaotian's steps out the door, opened his oilcloth umbrella, and saw Hu Xiaotian waiting at the doorway. Remembering how this fellow had kicked his foot black, a chill ran down Guo Shouguang's spine. He gave Hu Xiaotian a slight nod, intending to leave, but Hu Xiaotian called out: "Old Guo!"

Guo Shouguang looked around, saw no one else, and knew that "Old Guo" referred to him. He coughed and said: "Sir Hu, what are your orders?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Are you the one in charge of notices and such in the Government Office?"

Guo Shouguang grunted in acknowledgment.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Rumor has it all over Qingyun Xian that I proposed forcing each household to donate five taels of silver. I drafted a notice and gave it to Sir Xu, but it hasn't been posted yet—are you obstructing me?" He had no need to be polite with Guo Shouguang.

Guo Shouguang wore a bitter face and said: "Sir Hu, what do you mean? I haven't even seen any notice. How am I supposed to post it widely?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I happen to have another copy." This fellow handed the drafted notice to Guo Shouguang: "You also heard Sir Xu's words just now; Sir Xu has been indisposed these past two days, so I've been given full authority over affairs inside and outside the Government Office—shouldn't you cooperate with me?"

Guo Shouguang said: "As your subordinate, I will obey."

Hu Xiaotian waved his hand and said: "Do it quickly; if Sir Guo keeps delaying my affairs, I will certainly take the matter up with Sir Xu."

Guo Shouguang thought, "Let him theorize; who's afraid of whom?" but he guessed Hu Xiaotian had no intention of arguing, so he turned and headed toward the courthouse. After Hu Xiaotian left, Guo Shouguang pondered, then turned back and returned to Xu Qinglian's room. This County Magistrate had already changed out of his urine-soaked trousers and was now tidying the bedding—something Xu Qinglian hadn't done himself in many years.

Seeing Guo Shouguang return, Xu Qinglian couldn't help but flare up; the anger he had been holding in burst forth instantly: "What else do you want?"

Guo Shouguang wore an innocent expression. He sighed and said: "Sir, I came about this notice……"

Xu Qinglian snapped angrily: "Don't ask me—go ask him!"

"But……"

Most of the Government Office's bailiffs had gone home to fight the floods; the few who remained in the Government Office didn't obey the orders of the newly arrived county secretary, so Hu Xiaotian could only make a trip to the jail. From there he selected six strong, able-bodied prisoners; these six were not serious offenders—in fact, there were hardly any serious criminals in Qingyun Xian's jail. They had all been locked up for minor offenses and couldn't pay the fines, so they simply served their sentences honestly; Zhou Batian was one such exception.

The reason Hu Xiaotian took those six people was to provide cover for Zhou Batian, ostensibly sending these prisoners to help reinforce the dike; in fact, he was releasing Zhou Batian.

The rain showed no sign of stopping; within a single morning, the water level of Tongji He had risen considerably. Upon receiving the news, three shifts of Government Office bailiffs also arrived, numbering over a dozen, and Hu Xiaotian organized them into three teams to patrol back and forth along the dike. He also assigned the six prisoners to these teams.

Hu Xiaotian had Murong Feiyan summon Zhou Batian to the makeshift rain shelter, pointed to a nearby stool, and said: "Sit!"

Zhou Batian chuckled, his tall, sturdy frame still standing there: "As a convicted criminal, I dare not sit in Sir's presence."

Hu Xiaotian's gaze turned to the outside world, a hazy vista woven from dense lines of rain, and he sighed softly: "This rain has come down hard; many parts of Qingyun City are already flooded, and if this dike fails, who knows how great the disaster would be."

Zhou Batian said: "The water surface is still five chi from the dike; even if this heavy rain lasts two days, it won't pose a major problem."

Hu Xiaotian said with deep meaning: "Fear not natural disasters, but human calamities!"

Zhou Batian said: "Sir, are you worried that someone might take this opportunity to damage the dike?"

Hu Xiaotian pointed to the distant Qingyun Qiao; since even Qingyun Qiao could be blown up, it's hard to say that these bandits wouldn't turn their hands to the dike.

Zhou Batian said: "Sir, there's no need to worry; if the dike is damaged, the road from Qingyun Xian to Red Valley will be washed away—this is certainly not what those people hope to see."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why do the bandits of Tianlang Mountain want to blow up Qingyun Qiao? Do you know any other secrets?"

Zhou Batian laughed: "Sir, your curiosity is truly intense; the bandits of Tianlang Mountain are far from as simple as you imagine, and if you offend them, you'll likely find it hard to sleep soundly during your tenure in Qingyun Xian."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I feel your current name is far more imposing and intimidating than Zhou Mo's."

Zhou Batian said: "That's why Zhou Mo died, allowing Zhou Batian to continue living."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why do those Tianlang Mountain bandits want to blow up Qingyun Qiao?"

Zhou Batian didn't answer Hu Xiaotian's question; instead, he slowly squatted, plucked a stalk of grass from the ground, and, moistened by the rain, began to chew it habitually.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Tiger Head Battalion is a famed elite force of Xichuan; I've looked up your past records—you've accumulated numerous merits. Leading a hundred well-trained brothers, you ought not to have fallen to those bandits."

Zhou Batian's face showed an expression of extreme pain; his large hands covered his huge head, his breathing growing visibly heavier: "There's a traitor! Poison was put in our food and drink—poor my brothers, even when ambushed they could barely lift their weapons…" His eyes turned red, and he clenched his teeth hard to control his emotions.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Was the news leaked before you set out for Tianlang Mountain to suppress the bandits?"

Zhou Batian slowly shook his head and said: "It wasn't to suppress bandits; our purpose in sending a hundred men through Tianlang Mountain was solely to escort the little prince of Nan Yue back to his country……"

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted; he had never heard anyone mention this before.

Zhou Batian said: "The Nan Yue little prince had been sent twelve years ago to Dakang as a hostage; the Nan Yue king repeatedly memorialized the throne begging for mercy, and early this year he fell gravely ill, again raising the matter, hoping to see his son in his lifetime. The emperor, mindful of Nan Yue's long-standing submission and annual tribute, finally granted grace, sending people to return the Nan Yue prince. We were acting on Sir Li's orders to escort the Nan Yue prince and his entourage to the Nan Yue border, never expecting to be ambushed in Tianlang Mountain."

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "Where is the Nan Yue prince now?"

Zhou Batian slowly shook his head and said: "Since the day of the ambush, we have lost all trace of him; later I heard a report that the emperor changed his mind and rejected the Nan Yue king's plea. I suspect this is nine times out of ten related to the ambush, and the Nan Yue prince is likely to meet more misfortune than fortune."

Hu Xiaotian finally understood why Zhou Batian had concealed his name and hidden in Qingyun Xian's jail; this was no trivial matter—even his future father-in-law, Sir Li Tianheng, the Dukedom Founder of Xichuan, could not protect them, which is why the three fortunate Tiger Head Battalion soldiers who managed to escape were beheaded.

Zhou Batian said: "I cannot let those brothers die in vain; I stayed here precisely to personally behead Yan Kui and use his blood to offer sacrifice to the spirits of my fallen comrades."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You've been waiting for an opportunity all along?"

Zhou Batian said: "Since they blew up Qingyun Qiao, I knew the opportunity had finally come; they are surely plotting a robbery. Blowing up Qingyun Qiao aims to bypass Qingyun Xian, and from this it's easy to conclude that they must be colluding with officials inside the Qingyun Xian Government Office. This robbery will certainly be a major case: blow up Qingyun Qiao, then strike at Red Valley Xian, thereby cutting ties and pushing all blame onto the officials of Red Valley Xian."

"Who are they planning to rob?"

Zhou Batian shook his head, about to speak, when he saw a group of soldiers approaching; he hastily rose and stepped aside. Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw County Lieutenant Liu Baoju leading twenty soldiers over.

Hu Xiaotian and Liu Baoju had no prior dealings; Hu Xiaotian rose and cupped his hands in greeting, while Liu Baoju wore a beaming smile, brought in a damp aura, entered the grass pavilion, and clasped his hands in salute: "Sir Hu, I've heard the flood situation on Tongji He is urgent, so I've specially brought men to reinforce."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Liu, you truly are a timely help in the snow; I've been worried about insufficient manpower, so I've temporarily drafted the six prisoners from the jail to assist."

Liu Baoju pointed to the twenty soldiers behind him: "These men are all my subordinates; Sir Hu, just give the orders!"

Thanks to the million-dollar reward from League Leader l, the Medical Union has finally gained its first million-tier supporter since its launch; Zhangyu had hoped to achieve a nine-star conjunction today, but now he must settle for perfection. The million-dollar reward means Zhangyu naturally can't just add one chapter and call it a day; he plans to deliver five extra chapters, with the remaining four more to come, slightly delayed, for Zhangyu is truly exhausted today and must rest. Thanks to all who tipped and supported, brothers and sisters!