Chapter 782: The Zhao Family's Xuzhou

Everyone nodded excitedly. Steward Zhou made a few more arrangements, and they all nodded in agreement, each swearing oaths not to reveal the truth before heading back. But knowing they were about to strike it rich, none of them would be able to sleep that night.

"Are you certain that fat, burly man is the murderer?"

"Rest assured, Master Zhou. This lowly one once went to that murderer's rundown temple. Though it's been cleaned up now, his vicious look hasn't changed one bit."

Once the questioning confirmed it, Steward Zhou finally felt at ease. He spent a high price to get a jin of Hanjing Famous Wine from the counter and drank himself into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Steward Zhou and his men went to wait by the city gate. They couldn't afford any delay. If they could get the local authorities to arrest the rebel, there would be opportunities for manipulation. If the big shots from Prince Lu's estate stepped in, then the enormous benefits of He Family Village would never trickle down to people at their level.

The group hurried to the front of the Xuzhou magistrate's yamen and said directly to the runner on duty at the gate: "We have a major case to report. Quickly take us to see your superior."

In yamen service, the runners assigned to guard the main gate were usually older, unflustered by trouble and knowing how to handle situations. Yet here at the Xuzhou prefectural yamen, the gate guards were all young, able-bodied men. Steward Zhou was in no state to pay attention to such details.

"What do you think this place is? You think you can see His Honor just by asking? Get lost, before I get rough!" The runner on the steps rolled his eyes and retorted rudely.

Steward Zhou and his men had not expected to be treated so discourteously. They were all stunned, then furious. The people of Prince Lu's estate ran roughshod over Weihui Prefecture and even the entire territory of Henan. How could a mere runner from a small place like Xuzhou be so brazen?

"This is a major rebellion case. If it's delayed, a catastrophe will happen."

"Scram!"

This restrained shout only enraged the runner further. He directly grabbed the large black-lacquered staff at his side and swept it forward, forcing Steward Zhou and his men to stumble backward in panic. They then saw several other runners closing in around them with unfriendly expressions.

"We are from Prince Lu's estate! Do you know Prince Lu? He is the uncle of the current Son of Heaven! Someone from our estate was murdered, and the killer is right here in your Xuzhou! If you don't report this immediately, the blame will fall on your head too, you know!" Steward Zhou was nearly mad with rage, thinking what kind of backward place this Xuzhou was, where no one, high or low, followed any rules!

Hearing the words "Prince Lu's estate," the runner stopped his attack. He frowned at Steward Zhou and muttered, "What are people from Shandong doing coming to Xuzhou to throw their weight around?"

This fellow had misheard "Prince Lu" as "Prince of Lu." Steward Zhou was so furious smoke practically poured from his seven orifices. He pointed at the runner and said, "Take me inside immediately, or I'll have your hide later! This is a rebellion case involving an imperial prince. If your magistrate fails to handle it with full diligence, he'll be in trouble too, and you'll be sliced to death by a thousand cuts!"

"Are you trying to scare me? Wait outside!" The runner was somewhat cowed by these words, but still refused to lose face verbally. He simply told Steward Zhou and his men to wait outside, then turned and trotted inside.

Not long after, a dozen or so young, able-bodied runners clustered around a tall, thin young man as he walked out. Judging by his attire, he looked like a constable captain. The men from Prince Lu's estate all muttered to themselves—what was wrong with this Xuzhou place? Why were all the ones speaking and taking charge so young?

"Are you the ones making a racket out here?" The tall, thin young man stood outside the gate, looking down at them and asking coldly.

Steward Zhou paid no heed to the man's expression or attitude and just said with extreme urgency: "We are subordinates of Prince Lu's estate. We have discovered a major criminal in your Xuzhou who murdered someone from the estate. This is a rebellion case! We request the authorities send men to arrest and interrogate him!"

"You say you're from the prince's estate, so you are? Do you have any proof?" the young man continued to ask.

Steward Zhou suppressed the irritation and fury in his chest and pulled a tablet from his bosom to hand over. When people from the prince's estate traveled abroad, they relied on this waist tablet to prove their identity. Steward Zhou had already sworn in his heart that once he saw the magistrate, he would make sure these snobbish bastards were severely punished.

Unexpectedly, when he handed over the waist tablet, the young man merely glanced at it. He didn't even take it, but swatted it away, then turned and glared at the man who had reported to him, saying: "You called me out for a fake like this? Are you blind? Beat them out of Xuzhou!"

"Eleventh Brother, my apologies. This little brother was out of his mind." The young runner guarding the gate bowed repeatedly in apology. The young man called Eleventh Brother paid him no attention, turned around, and went straight back into the yamen.

Though Eleventh Brother had gone inside, the dozen or so young, able-bodied runners who had come out with him did not turn back. The apologetic gate runner now straightened up and glared viciously at Steward Zhou and his men. Steward Zhou and his group were all dumbfounded, completely clueless about what was happening. It wasn't as if they had never run errands outside before. Relying on the name of Prince Lu's estate, they had moved unhindered in Shanxi and Northern Zhili. Why didn't it work here in Xuzhou?

"This isn't a fake..." At this juncture, Steward Zhou panicked as well. He no longer had the presence of mind to be angry and just hurriedly tried to explain.

"Beat the hell out of them!" The runners at the yamen gate paid no heed whatsoever. Led by the gate runner, they raised their staves and attacked.

Clangs and thuds rang out, mixed with miserable howls. Steward Zhou and his few subordinates were no match for the pincer attack of over a dozen staves. Two of the men from Prince Lu's estate knew martial skills and tried to block and counterattack—one even drew his blade—but they hadn't expected that not all of the dozen staves would come swinging down. Some were direct thrusts, and the attackers coordinated with each other. Blocking one strike, they were jabbed in the chest by two staves, their movements instantly slowing, and then a staff smashed heavily onto a wrist, making it impossible to hold the blade.

Once the men were knocked down, the attackers didn't bludgeon them with the staves—otherwise they'd all have been beaten to death in moments. Instead, everyone rushed in with fists and kicks, beating Steward Zhou and his men until they rolled all over the ground. Fortunately, Steward Zhou had plenty of fat on him and could still endure it.

Even so, after this beating, none of the group could get up. The gate runner spitefully spat on them, casually flagged down an oxcart hauling coal, and had them all tossed onto it. Then he said carelessly: "Haul them out of the city and dump them by the roadside. Which city gate let these swindling bastards in? Go ask one by one. If anyone causes this kind of mess again, I'll go make trouble for them."

Someone agreed with a chuckle, and the crowd dispersed at the gate. The coal-hauling oxcart didn't dare linger and headed straight out of the city.

In a side room right at the front of the magistrate's yamen, Zhao Eleven, who had just swatted away the waist tablet and turned to leave, was now standing by the window looking out. Beside him was Adviser Wang. Zhao Eleven wore his usual cold expression, while Adviser Wang had a smile on his face. Both were watching the direction the oxcart had gone.

"Actually, Eleventh Young Master, you didn't need to be so cautious. Even if these scoundrels had seen Magistrate Tong, would Magistrate Tong dare issue a warrant to arrest Master Jin? These bastards don't know what kind of place Xuzhou is, and they take their prince's estate status far too seriously," Adviser Wang said very casually.

Zhao Eleven shook his head and said in a deep voice: "The news from He Family Village was right. People's hearts aren't settled yet. There are still many who fear the mere mention of a feudal prince. In matters like this, it's best to be prudent and careful."

After saying this, Zhao Eleven hesitated a moment, then spoke again: "I must trouble you, Mister Wang, to advise Magistrate Tong. His current days are good. Once this term is done, he can still leave with a sum of silver. Don't let him throw away a perfectly good life and seek trouble for himself."

Adviser Wang gave a somewhat awkward smile and shook his head. "These scholars with official degrees all have minds that can't quite turn the corner. I will go advise him. Please rest assured, Eleventh Young Master, and please reassure Master Jin as well."

Before coming to the authorities to file a complaint, Steward Zhou had never imagined such a reception. A dignified official of a prince's estate, and he hadn't even managed to step onto the yamen's stairs before being beaten black and blue. On the way out of the city in the coal cart, passersby spat on him several times, and children threw quite a few stones and bits of debris. When they reached the inn outside the city, the inn had already gotten word and simply tossed their luggage out.

Steward Zhou and his men were then thrown off the cart, hitting the ground painfully. Having been beaten and then slammed down so hard, their entire bodies felt like their bones were falling apart. They lay there for over two double-hours before catching their breath, then helped each other up from the ground. During all that time, not a single person came to pay them any attention.

By the time they got up, the sky was nearly dark and the city gates were about to close. Steward Zhou and his men looked at each other, all feeling an uncontrollable fury. A mere local thug from Xuzhou dared to treat an official of Prince Lu's estate like this? A mere Xuzhou magistrate's yamen dared to beat an official of Prince Lu's estate? Their old prince was the blood brother of the Wanli Emperor, and the current prince was the emperor's own nephew, the uncle of the current Tianqi Emperor. How dare they show such disrespect?

Fury aside, they had now witnessed Zhao Jin's outrageous arrogance and seen the attitude of the magistrate's yamen. They truly didn't dare stay out in the wilderness. But it wasn't as if they had no options. The group led their horses a few li, found a village, and spent a few taels of silver to lodge for the night at a commoner's home.

"Rest easy and sleep well, a hundred and twenty percent at ease. We absolutely won't murder you for your money. Master Jin set the rules, and no one dares break them!" Traveling merchants lodging at commoners' homes were often murdered for their wealth, so this household made a point of stating this plainly to show their hearts were clear.

Despite these words, how could Steward Zhou and his men sleep? They passed the night in fear and trepidation. At this point, they no longer cared about making their own fortunes. They just gnashed their teeth and swore oaths to each other that upon returning to Prince Lu's estate, they would definitely persuade the prince to personally write a letter giving orders, to have these lawless Xuzhou barbarians ground to dust. Yet they failed to notice one thing: despite the clashing staves and the punches and kicks, none of them had suffered broken bones or tendons. After resting for a few double-hours, their movements were largely unimpaired.

Of course, even if they had noticed this detail, they would have thought the other side feared the power of Prince Lu's estate and dared not strike hard. They would never have given it a second thought.

Dear friends over at Qidian, if I can't get monthly tickets, how about a few more tips? It'd be nice to look at, haha.

Over on the Chuangshi side, I'm just waiting for the double monthly ticket event now. I really hate this event, but there's no way around it.