Chapter 726: Thank You Words

Song Dalin: "If we don't register, I'll have them disperse on the spot."

Yu Qian frowned: "Our government office has funds allocated for dispersal—without you registering, how do we distribute them?"

"Just give them to me, I'll distribute them."

"No," Yu Qian refused. "Every single coin of the government office's funds must be accounted for. If we don't register and record them, we'll all lose our heads. They must be distributed by us personally."

Yu Qian paused, then said: "Then here's an alternative—if you refuse to enter the city, I can send a scribe to the Ten Li Pavilion to register you, or you can go directly to Sanhu Village."

Song Dalin was tempted and was about to agree when Wang Xiaojing tugged his sleeve.

Song Dalin snapped back to his senses and immediately refused: "No need. Keep the government office's relief funds for the villagers—we'll disperse right here."

Yu Qian turned and stared at Pan Yun without expression.

Pan Yun looked back at him, innocent.

Song Dalin saw this and grew even more resolute: "Once my lord issues a public notice granting us amnesty, we'll immediately disband and return home. No relief funds are needed."

Worst case, we'll raid two more wicked landlords tonight—then our brothers will have enough to get home.

Cai Cheng sneered: "Song Dalin, don't project your petty mind onto gentlemen. Do you think the Imperial Envoy's actions are meant to collect your names and origins so he can punish you later?"

Yu Qian: …

Pan Yun: …

Song Dalin sneered: "Isn't that exactly what it is?"

"Of course not!" Cai Cheng shouted. "My lord is benevolent and sincerely intends to give you relief funds. How many rebels you are, where you come from, your names—this official already has it all in hand. Why would I need to go through such roundabout means?"

Song Dalin frowned slightly, but he chose to trust Pan Yun and Wang Xiaojing, and still refused to register.

Seeing their argument heading toward a complete breakdown, Yu Qian quickly intervened: "Enough. If you won't register, then don't."

Yu Qian set a time for their dispersal with them.

"I must personally witness your dispersal. Also, since we've agreed to amnesty, from this moment on, you are law-abiding citizens. You must not commit robbery or seize civilian property—no matter who they are."

Song Dalin's body stiffened slightly; his eyes flicked toward Pan Yun.

Pan Yun gave him a slight nod.

Song Dalin frowned and agreed: "Then two days from now. Tomorrow, post the notice—have each village head spread it through the countryside, then bring the amnesty documents. I'll disband the crowd immediately."

Yu Qian agreed.

Once the notice spreads through the countryside, the government office can hardly change it without appearing capricious.

Even Cai Cheng dared not immediately renege and ruin the imperial court's credibility.

Next came the details. Pan Yun sat listlessly on a stone bench, chin propped up, watching the soldiers crouched in the woods—poor things, they'd been lying there for an hour already. July weather, thick, airless forest, sweltering heat, mosquitoes…

Pan Yun looked up at the sun, then turned to a government office runner: "Go back to the Charity Hall. Have them brew two large vats of sour plum soup and bring them to the city gate."

government office runner: "Huh?"

Pan Yun: "Aren't you thirsty?"

The government office runner immediately glanced at Cai Cheng, who was arguing with Song Dalin over whether the dispersal ceremony should be held in Sanhu Village or the Ten Li Pavilion—he wasn't even looking over here—so the runner silently stood and left.

Lu Yuan glanced at her, standing motionless behind Yu Qian.

In the end, Song Dalin won, securing dispersal in Sanhu Village. Sanhu Village was a good place—there were fertile fields, rich soil.

Unlike the scattered, patchwork fields of eastern Mount Sanqing, its land was flat, stretching endlessly with crops, crisscrossed by water and surrounded by three lakes.

Precisely because it was so flat, anyone approaching would be spotted quickly—and escape was easy.

They'd already prepared boats and bamboo rafts; once they reached the river, they vanished instantly.

Yu Qian smiled: "Song Dangjia, so worried about ambushes—how did you dare come to the Ten Li Pavilion to negotiate?"

Song Dalin: "Because I trust Daoist Pan!"

He paused, then added: "Besides, I'm not unprepared."

He glanced at the men he'd brought.

Yu Qian nodded slightly: "What if we'd also hidden two or three hundred men in the woods?"

"Then I wouldn't fear!" Song Dalin stood, walked outside the pavilion, and shouted toward the road: "Brothers, greet Lord Yu!"

His voice crashed against the mountains, echoed, pierced the air, and carried far away.

A thunderous roar came from afar: "Hah—hah—Lord Yu is great—Lord Yu is great!"

Lu Yuan's hand gripped his sword hilt, body taut.

Yu Qian merely paused, then burst into laughter, nodding: "Good! Brave, cunning, and value their lives—now that's what a true man should be!"

He clapped Song Dalin on the shoulder: "You're good. You know what's best for them—you didn't expand the rebellion, and you didn't lead them to Fujian to join Deng Maoqi."

Song Dalin fell silent, then said: "To be honest, if the landowners and gentry of Yushan County hadn't offered relief, I'd have attacked the county again. Because some people were saved, they survived—I knew then that even if I attacked again, I couldn't take the city, and I couldn't recruit more men."

Yu Qian pressed his shoulder. Yes—if the people had any way to survive, who would rebel?

Song Dalin said: "That night, if Daoist Pan hadn't come to me, I'd have raided two more wicked landlords who refused to donate grain and seized villagers' fields, then taken everyone to join Deng Maoqi. So if you want to thank someone, thank the landowners and elders with conscience who gave relief—and thank Daoist Pan."

Yu Qian turned and smiled at Pan Yun: "Indeed, we must thank Daoist Pan. I must thank her, County Magistrate Cai must thank her, and you all must thank her—for saving your lives."

Song Dalin didn't hesitate—he bowed deeply. His men followed, bowing in unison.

Virtue points surged upward.

Pan Yun beamed, stroking Pan Xiaohei in her arms: "It's nothing, nothing at all—it's all for the people, for the Great Dao, for the Emperor, for the state, for…"

"Enough. Time's getting late. Matters settled—I'll see you off the pavilion," Yu Qian said to Song Dalin.

Song Dalin, still stunned, nodded repeatedly and walked down the pavilion with Yu Qian.

Cai Cheng was deeply annoyed, realizing he'd merely been a tool this time.

Once Song Dalin and his men disappeared around the bend, Yu Qian lowered his waving hand and turned to Cai Cheng with a blank expression: "What are you standing there for? The woods are damp and hot—go get the soldiers out now!"

Cai Cheng remembered—he hurried off to call the men out.

The soldiers, who'd been lying in wait for two hours, crawled out, immediately tore off their armor, and ripped off their hats to breathe.

Fortunately, they came in handy at that moment—grabbing their hands, patting and pinching them—and the soldiers who had nearly suffered heatstroke and fainted finally felt a bit better, no longer so dizzy and bleary-eyed.

In the end, they walked back, leaving the ox cart to the few more seriously afflicted soldiers.

All the way, Yu Qian kept cursing Cai Cheng: "Lucky we weren't spotted by Song Dalin—otherwise if a clash broke out, all our work would have been wasted!" (End of chapter)