Chapter 20: Conscripting the Dings

Inside the dormitory.

Yu Lin glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

This time, the flow of time was different.

Eight hours had passed in the mission, but only eight minutes had passed in reality.

It seemed that one hour now equaled one minute.

A two‑day holiday equated to four months of mission time—enough.

The next moment.

He returned to the house that Xiao He had prepared for him.

He lay down and fell asleep.

Until the next day.

As soon as the rooster crowed, Yu Lin opened his eyes.

At this moment the sky was bright, and a thin mist shrouded the streets of Pei County.

Yu Lin pushed open the creaking Wooden Door, and a damp morning breeze mixed with cooking smoke and the scent of earth hit his face.

On the earthen road, early‑rising farmers already bore their ploughs toward the fields, their bare feet leaving clear prints on the still‑wet ground.

Even straw boots were a luxury to them, and they were reluctant to wear them into the fields.

A few children with tied‑up hair chased each other past, startling the flock of chickens pecking by the roadside.

From afar came a "thud‑thud" of laundry pounding, likely women already washing by the stream.

Xiao He knelt beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, the Bamboo Slip in his hand spread out more than halfway.

Morning light filtered through the foliage, dappled on his dark brown robe, yet it could not disperse the storm cloud locked between his brows.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the slip, unaware that the bamboo string had come loose.

"Good morning, sir," Mrs. Xiao emerged from the kitchen carrying a wooden basin, the stacked robes inside still steaming.

She bowed to Yu Lin: "Breakfast is ready—eggs, sunflower seed paste, and congee."

Yu Lin gave a slight nod: "Thank you, Mrs. Xiao."

His voice startled the deep‑in‑thought Xiao He.

The county clerk rose, his wide sleeves accidentally tipped over a ceramic cup on the desk, and clear water spread a dark stain across the Bamboo Slip.

"Mr. Yu!" Xiao He hurriedly saluted, fumbling to rescue the Bamboo Slip: "I'm sorry for the rudeness."

"Please forgive me."

Yu Lin's gaze fell on the Bamboo Slip in Xiao He's hand, where the cinnabar‑annotated numbers stood out: the court conscripted a hundred dings, to be dispatched to Li Mountain within ten days.

"Mr. Xiao, you look so troubled—are you worried about this conscription?" Yu Lin asked, pretending to be unaware.

Xiao He let out a long sigh, nodded, and said: "The Li Mountain tomb construction is delayed; we need an extra two hundred thousand laborers. Pei County has over eight hundred households, and the hundred dings would almost take half of the able‑young men."

His voice deepened: "Those sent to Li Mountain, fewer than one in ten survive..."

Yu Lin's brows lifted at the words, and he thought to himself: it seems Liu Bang's myth of slaying the White Snake is about to begin.

"What's the deadline?" he asked, feigning concern.

"Within ten days," Xiao He replied, his face full of worry, "but those hundred men..."

Yu Lin suddenly pretended to calculate with his fingers, then laughed to himself: "Mr. Xiao, you needn't worry; just let nature take its course."

"Think as you will, act accordingly, and the matter will resolve itself."

Xiao He snapped his head up, a flash of surprise in his eyes: "Does Mr. Yu practice divination and calculation?"

"A little, a little," Yu Lin replied with a mysterious smile, bowing:

"I have other matters to attend to; I'll take my leave now."

Xiao He stared blankly at Yu Lin's departing silhouette, deep in thought.

He sat down and continued handling official affairs.

Until the afternoon.

Only then did he rise and leave the residence.

He passed through a few alleys and arrived at a modest tavern.

Before entering, he heard Liu Bang's hearty laugh and the clatter of wine cups from within.

He pushed open the wooden door; inside the tavern was dim and damp, with a few rough wooden tables surrounded by men in street‑wear.

Liu Bang sat in the corner, one arm around a drunken man, the other holding a wine bowl, his face flushed red.

"Liu Ji!" Xiao He shouted gravely.

Liu Bang turned, saw Xiao He, a flash of surprise in his eyes, then grinned mischievously and waved: "Hey, Lord Xiao, why are you free today? Come, come, have a bowl together!"

Xiao He frowned, approached, and whispered: "There's an important matter to discuss."

Liu Bang saw Xiao He's solemn expression, then restrained his smile and waved to the men beside him:

"You keep drinking; I'll be right back."

The two walked to the locust tree in the tavern's back courtyard; Xiao He looked around to ensure no one was watching, then lowered his voice:

"The court is levying corvée again, to repair the Li Mountain tomb! Our Pei County must send a hundred dings!"

Liu Bang heard this, and most of his drunken haze vanished.

"A hundred people? Isn't that taking the lives of Pei County's citizens?"

"Who says it isn't?" Xiao He sighed, raised his hand, and patted Liu Bang's shoulder:

"I'll leave this matter to you."

"When it's done, I'll credit you for the achievement!"

Liu Bang threw a sudden punch at the nearby tree, shaking its branches into constant tremor.

He stared with his eyes widened, his beard even bristling in anger:

"Xiao He! Are you out of your mind?"

"Transporting a criminal to Mount Li? How is that any different from sending him to his death?!"

He ripped off his bamboo‑skin crown in one grab and slammed it to the ground:

"This lousy pavilion chief, Laozi I'm done with him!"

"Need money or not,............ if you have business, come to Laozi, I spit!"

"Whoever wants to do it, does it!"

Xiao He looked at him coldly, his voice low yet as sharp as a knife:

"Liu Ji, do you think this is child's play?"

Liu Bang strained his neck: "What? If I don't do it, can you still bind me and send me?"

Xiao He suddenly laughed, that smile making Liu Bang's heart twitch.

"Not doing it?" Xiao He said leisurely, his calm gaze fixed on Liu Bang:

"Do you think this is just your own matter?"

"You are the pavilion chief, a court assignment; how dare you drop the job?"

Liu Bang curled his lip: "At worst I run away! Laozi am not the one who hasn't run before!"

Xiao He shouted sharply: "Run?!"

His voice suddenly rose: "If you run, what about your wife and children? Lu Zhi, Liu Ying... what will happen to them?"

"Do you think those brothers of yours can escape? Fan Kuai, Xia Hou Ying, Zhou Bo..."

Xiao He sneered: "They're all in league with you; once the court investigates, none of them can run!"

Liu Bang's complexion stiffened.

Xiao He pressed on step by step: "According to Qin law, the derelict—beheading!"

"The co‑accused—exile!"

"Wives and daughters—to be made official slaves!"

With each sentence he uttered, Liu Bang's face grew paler by a shade.

"They will die, I will die, I also will die!"

"Moreover they'll implicate all the men of our Sishui Pavilion! This is collective punishment!"

"This is Qin law!"

Liu Bang's fists clenched with a clacking sound, the veins on his temples bulging.

But in the end, he fell onto the ground like a deflated rubber ball, landing on his butt.

"Damn it..." He gripped his hair hard, gritted his teeth: "This damn world!"

"What's the point of continuing? Better to rebel.........."

"Be careful with your words." Xiao He, hearing him about to utter treasonous words, hurriedly covered his mouth and whispered:

"Liu Ji, I know you're unwilling, but right now... we have no choice."

Liu Bang was silent for a while, then suddenly looked up, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Fine, I'll do it! Can't I do it?!"

"Wait, I'll gather it for you within three days."

He stood up, strode toward the tavern.

Watching his back.

Xiao He pursed his lips, finally just sighed, turned and left.