Chapter 139 How Shameless He Is

The captive returned to inform Yang Xuan of Huazhu's intention to exchange three hundred captives for two hundred thousand strings of cash worth of cattle and sheep. Huazhu was furious and immediately had the captive chopped to pieces, his blood-spattered face looking exceptionally ferocious.

His chief strategist suggested two options: either give up the cattle and sheep, or kill Yang Xuan.

If Yang Xuan were dead, the matter would naturally vanish into thin air.

Huazhu could not bear to part with his cattle and sheep, so he once again sent forth his brother, Wahai.

"Kill him!"

Wahai still remembered Huazhu's madness at that time, which showed just how much pressure and psychological trauma Yang Xuan had inflicted upon him.

Kill him!

In Wahai's eyes, there was only Yang Xuan.

Beside Yang Xuan stood Wang Lao'er and the Old Thief, who could be considered old adversaries by now.

Wahai was prepared to take a blow from Wang Lao'er just to hack Yang Xuan to death.

Yet Wang Lao'er did not move.

One of the soldiers beside him, who had previously been somewhat hunched over, suddenly straightened up.

That sturdy physique unfolded to its full height.

Clang!

The sound of the long saber being drawn was also distinctly different from the rest.

A massive saber, broad as a door panel, slashed forward against the wind!

Wahai instinctively threw a punch, driving his inner Qi to its absolute limit!

Bang!

The colossal saber continued its downward descent.

Wahai's body flew backward, a mouthful of blood erupting mid-air.

Landing back in the saddle, he spurred his horse and fled without a moment's hesitation.

The soldier wielding the colossal saber shouted, "Stay!"

The giant blade whistled through the air as it was hurled after him.

Wahai turned and threw a punch behind him; with a loud bang, the heavy saber was deflected back, but he slumped over his horse's neck, blood continuously gushing from his mouth with every violent jolt of the galloping mount.

He had been too careless!

He had never expected such a martial arts master to be by Yang Xuan's side, and thus he had been utterly unprepared, suffering severe injuries from a single strike.

He glanced back and saw the soldier catching the giant saber, his gaze sweeping over him with an intensity that felt almost physical.

That nephew's cultivation level was truly formidable.

Yet Yang Xuan felt not the slightest bit of joy.

"My Lord's cultivation is truly remarkable, something to be celebrated indeed."

He offered hypocritical praise while secretly wondering when his good nephew might decide to avenge his brother-in-law, sneak into the county office, and chop his head off when he least expected it.

Who would know after the fact?

Damn it!

This was nothing less than a ticking time bomb!

It might detonate and blow him to pieces at any given moment.

The Prince of Wei glanced at him. "What is your cultivation level?"

"Hahahahaha!" Yang Xuan laughed heartily, masking his own utter helplessness.

Wang Lao'er stepped forward. "I'll fight him for my lord!"

The Prince of Wei looked at him, his overwhelming pressure weighing down like a prison!

The aura of a supreme master and the dignity of a royal status crushed down simultaneously.

"Lao'er!" Yang Xuan shouted. "Stand down!"

Wang Lao'er remained stubborn, locking eyes directly with the Prince of Wei without the slightest trace of evasion.

The Prince of Wei extended a hand.

"Try me!"

Yang Xuan was already preparing to draw his blade, but hearing those words, he held back.

Wang Lao'er threw a punch.

Bang!

Wang Lao'er was sent flying backward, executing a somersault in mid-air before landing safely on his feet.

The Prince of Wei asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Wang Lao'er remounted his horse. "I am afraid!"

The Prince of Wei said indifferently, "Then why did you dare to face me head-on?"

Wang Lao'er replied, "I must stand before my lord."

"By next year, you should be able to block that man's strike." A hint of admiration flickered in the Prince of Wei's eyes. "Follow me, and your future potential will be limitless."

Wang Lao'er practiced with single-minded devotion, progressing at a astonishingly rapid pace. By now, the Old Thief had lost all dignity in front of him, and Cao Ying no longer dared to bring up sparring with him.

Seeing him practice diligently every day, Yiniang would happily rack her brains to procure meat for him... which resulted in that herd of sheep frequently featuring one animal that refused to eat fodder.

Wang Lao'er shook his head. "I'm not going."

"What is so good about Yang Xuan?"

"My lord gives me meat to eat."

"My household has mutton every day, and beef too, all you can eat."

"I only eat the meat from my own home."

Little brat!

Yang Xuan chuckled.

On the second day, they caught sight of the royal court.

Tens of thousands of cavalrymen were assembled before the royal tent... some wearing ordinary civilian clothes, clearly just there to make up numbers.

Surrounded by a throng of generals and nobles, Huazhu rode forward.

He could not afford not to come.

Because the previous day, a troop of Peace Army cavalry had 'passed by' their flank, dropping off a letter stating they were heading to Tanzhou to await further news.

Once the negotiations here broke down, that side would relay the message to the Imperial Uncle.

Then the extortionist ruler, that shameless elder, and the Imperial Uncle of Northern Liao would make a grand entrance to have a proper discussion with him regarding the Washe tribe.

This young county magistrate from the frontlines, relying merely on the single territory of Peace County, had skillfully leveraged various forces to back him into a corner where he had no choice but to show his face.

"Kagan, let's surround and kill him!" a general urged with a murderous aura.

Huazhu shared this sentiment.

"Kagan, their people are on both flanks," someone reminded him.

Huazhu looked into the distance on both sides, where dozens of horsemen were reining in their mounts to observe. The moment they detected any sign of the Washe tribe attempting an outflanking maneuver, those scouts would immediately flee.

Their own scouts had attempted to infiltrate the lines but had been blocked.

Should they strike, or not?

The scouts were awaiting orders.

Yang Xuan and his men reined in their horses a few hundred paces away.

This distance was safe; if things went wrong, they could retreat.

"Magistrate Yang, please come forward," someone beside Huazhu called out, waving.

"Kagan, please come forward." Yang Xuan smiled as harmlessly as a little white rabbit.

Both sides remained in a stalemate.

Finally, an agreement was reached: each side would bring only one person for the meeting.

Yang Xuan turned back.

The Prince of Wei was still wearing the clothes of an ordinary soldier.

"That person is not allowed!"

The representative sent from the opposite side pointed at the Prince of Wei and said.

"To recognize me at a single glance!" The Prince of Wei sneered.

Yang Xuan pointed at the massive saber at his nephew's waist.

That gigantic blade was like a firefly in the dead of night, so blindingly conspicuous that who the hell couldn't see it?

"Lao'er!"

Yang Xuan advanced, bringing Wang Lao'er along.

Huazhu advanced, accompanied by a single general.

The two parties stopped their horses three paces apart.

"Been well lately?" Huazhu resorted to customary pleasantries right off the bat.

"Not bad," Yang Xuan replied with a smile. "I heard the Kagan has a brother named Wahai. Why is he not seen today?"

Huazhu said indifferently, "He is occupied."

"Is that so?" Yang Xuan chuckled. "Then let us discuss a business deal."

"Where are my people?" Huazhu saw only fifty men.

"They are all on the way to Tanzhou, just taking a slightly longer detour."

"Aren't you... afraid that I will dispatch a massive army to trample Peace County into dust?"

"Naturally I am afraid, but once this balance is broken, who knows what the Imperial Uncle might think... The counterattack of the Great Tang—to say nothing of the three major tribes—would reduce even Tanzhou to ruins!"

"The Great Tang is in decline."

"No, the Great Tang is rising steadily."

"Two hundred thousand strings of cash is too much."

"I only want cattle and sheep."

"We don't have that many cattle and sheep."

"Then we shall let the Imperial Uncle come and ask for them."

"You..."

"Does the Kagan wish to make a move?"

Huazhu gave him a deep, penetrating look.

"I will remember you."

This was a threat!

Suddenly, Yang Xuan flew into a rage. "You son of a bitch! Do you think the Great Tang is your private pastureland? You come and go as you please!"

Huazhu's expression turned ashen.

"Naturally it is!"

"Old dog!" Yang Xuan said coldly, "Today I want to tell you: no matter how fiercely you act today, be careful when the final reckoning comes!"

"Let your Emperor come and say these words to me," Huazhu retorted with a smile.

Yang Xuan narrowed his eyes at him. "Very well."

He wheeled his horse around. "The cattle and sheep—I want to see them immediately!"

This was a treaty dictated under the walls of the city.

The general beside Huazhu was bursting with fury. "This man is utterly insolent!"

"What use is courtesy?" Huazhu said calmly. "The Central Plains people are simply too reasonable, which is why we have been able to slaughter our way in time and time again to enslave them. Remember this: when they use their tongues, we use our long sabers."

"But Yang Xuan just cursed the Kagan to his face."

"Do you think being cursed a few times or having his entire family slaughtered brings more gratification?"

"Slaughtering his entire family."

"It's not that I don't want to launch a full-scale military campaign, but I am waiting for Northern Liao. Northern Liao has been lying low all these years, waiting for the right moment. In recent years, they have continually harassed the borders of the Great Tang. This is like a rising wind, and I am simply waiting for this gale to grow stronger before I ride the wind and break the waves!"

"Yet the Imperial Uncle shows no such intention and even acts as a mediator."

"He is a shameless wretch."

"Why do I feel like Yang Xuan and the Imperial Uncle are cut from the same cloth?" the general asked, utterly baffled.

The cattle and sheep were handed over, and Yang Xuan ordered his men to drive them back.

Maintaining a considerable distance from Huazhu's five thousand cavalry, he followed them slowly all the way.

The exchange would take place near the borders of Peace County.

Otherwise, the moment Huazhu reneged on his word, the cattle and sheep would vanish like soap bubbles.

***

The magistrates of the five counties gathered in Lin'an County.

Du Hui stood within the gates of the prefectural office, with Lu Jiao beside him.

"Yang Xuan didn't come," Lu Jiao sneered. "The prefect holds him in high regard, yet this man is arrogant due to favor. Today, all the magistrates of the five counties are present, yet he alone fails to show up."

Du Hui glanced at Lu Jiao, knowing this was an attempt to sow discord.

"The prefect has arrived."

Liu Qing and Lu Qiang walked in.

"Greetings, Prefect."

Everyone bowed in salute.

Liu Qing nodded. "You are all busy men, so let us keep things brief."

Lu Qiang spoke up: "The great victory at Peace County has greatly boosted the morale of both our troops and the common people. Peace was once a perilous land, repeatedly captured by enemies. Now that perilous land has transformed into a blessed haven. What on earth transpired there? This time, the prefect will lead you all to witness it firsthand and learn from it."

Du Hui glanced at Lu Jiao again.

Lu Jiao gave a hollow laugh. "At our advanced age, we are supposed to go learn from a mere boy?"

Liu Qing stopped in his tracks and glared at him. "At an advanced age and yet you still cannot manage your own county properly—why shouldn't you learn? Waiting to drop dead?"

This familiar roar caused nearby citizens to halt their steps, their faces filled with gratified smiles as they murmured, "The prefect's vital energy is as robust as ever; our Chen County will surely be peaceful this year."

Lu Jiao stood dumbfounded, letting the flying spittle drench his entire face without daring to wipe it away.

"Let's move out!"

Having finished his roaring, Liu Qing led the procession forward at a leisurely pace.

Upon entering the borders of Peace County, Liu Qing spotted peasants working in the fields, dismounted from his horse, and said, "Let's go take a look."

Chen County was fraught with danger, and this trip was accompanied by hundreds of cavalrymen, making for a grandiose spectacle.

The peasants hurriedly knelt in salute.

"No need for such formalities."

Liu Qing helped an elderly farmer up and addressed the other nervous, bowing peasants, "Stand at ease, all of you."

"This plot of land... was newly opened up this year, wasn't it?" Liu Qing bent down, picked up a lump of soil, smelled it, and inspected it closely.

The old farmer looked astonished. "The prefect actually understands such matters?"

"How could I not?" Liu Qing crumbled the soil between his fingers. "I've spent many years in Chen County, and even cleared a vegetable patch right behind the prefectural office, just to achieve some degree of self-sufficiency and avoid excessive waste."

Chen County had fallen on hard times!

Liu Qing patted the dirt from his hands. "Peace County hasn't seen any land reclamation for quite a few years, has it?"

Lu Jiao asked, "You are reclaiming land this year—aren't you afraid?"

The old farmer replied, "Of course we're afraid! But a man has to survive; if you don't farm, you'll be drinking the wind."

Du Hui asked, "Then why didn't you dare to do it in previous years?"

"In past years, the horse bandits were too fierce." The old farmer sniffed loudly, wiped his nose with his hand, rubbed his palm against the soil to clean it, and stood up. "The horse bandits came this year too, but they got beaten black and blue by our Peace Army. And just a while ago, what's-their-name... those Washe tribe fellows came too, wanting to trample our crops. The magistrate led us in a relentless chase, hacking down quite a few of them and capturing many more."

Lu Jiao laughed. "If captives were taken, they should have been sent to Lin'an. Where are they? Could this be a false report?"

The old farmer's face flushed red. "How could it be a false report? When our magistrate says a thing, he means it; he never tells lies!"

Lu Qiang asked, "How can you be so sure?"

The old farmer pointed toward the direction of the county seat. "During the spring plowing this year, some people said they were struggling to buy seeds. The magistrate announced that anyone facing hardship at home only needed to report to the county office; the county office would lend them money to buy seeds, to be repaid after the autumn harvest. At first, we little folk didn't believe it, but eventually, my old woman nagged me into going to ask. And lo and behold! They really gave us the money!"

Liu Qing frowned and said softly, "Old Lu."

Lu Qiang nodded and continued questioning, "Wasn't he afraid you wouldn't repay the loan?"

The old farmer chuckled. "He was afraid! The magistrate happened to be there that day—oh, what a handsome young lord he is! Looking at him, I felt he was just like my own grandson, and the thought slipped right out of my mouth. I was terrified out of my wits at the time, scared the magistrate would punish me. But the magistrate said... officials are supported by the common people, so aren't they just the children and grandchildren of the common people? Those words! They were spot on!"

Liu Qing's eyes darkened as he glanced at the other magistrates.

"Listen to me rambling on, getting completely off topic," the old farmer said with an embarrassed smile. "Someone asked that day what would happen if people defaulted on their loans. The magistrate said that those who default are only a tiny minority; default once, and you'll never get another loan. If you ignore the vast majority of the common people just because of that tiny handful of defaulters, that's not being diligent in governance—that's being lazy!"

The old farmer scratched his head. "How did he put it again? I... ah, right! The magistrate said that before any official policy is issued, you must consider whether it benefits the majority or the minority. And something else... he said no single policy can benefit everyone..."

Liu Qing fell silent.

Lu Qiang asked, "How do you think this year will turn out?"

The old farmer sniffed again and said happily, "With the magistrate here, I reckon... this year we'll surely have enough to eat!"

"Good! Having enough to eat!" Liu Qing nodded and led the group back.

Along the way, he remarked, "Everywhere in Chen County, there are people who cannot afford seeds, and previously we could only watch helplessly. Magistrate Yang has set a precedent for the government lending money to farming households. What do you gentlemen think of this?"

"It is a good deed."

"In the past, everyone thought it was absurd for the government to lend money to the common people. The biggest concern was still the fear that the common people wouldn't repay. Magistrate Yang's words were truly deafening! We cannot let the majority suffer just because a tiny fraction of people might default."

"Truly spoken!"

Lu Qiang said, "It is an excellent method."

Liu Qing said indifferently, "He likened officials to the children and grandchildren of the common people. What do you gentlemen think of that?"

The group of officials remained expressionless.

Liu Qing continued, "You are all accustomed to holding yourselves high above the common people. To act as children and grandchildren—you probably think you ought to be the patriarchs of the common people instead."

"Hey! What is that?"

The county seat was drawing near, and a crowd could be seen outside the city gates.

Liu Qing shifted his gaze and spotted a patch of white clouds drifting slowly across the distant horizon to the left.

"That is..."

"It's a flock of sheep!"

The common people began to cheer.

"It's our flock of sheep!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Lu Qiang was dumbfounded. "Peace County—where on earth did Yang Xuan get so many sheep?"

On the other side, over two hundred captives were bidding a 'reluctant' farewell to Peace County, trudging heavily toward the Washe cavalrymen who had come to receive them.

Learning that Liu Qing and his party had arrived, Yang Xuan hurried over to welcome them.

"Magistrate Du." Lu Jiao watched as Yang Xuan rode toward them from a distance, and smiled. "Look at this young man—ambitious and capable at such a tender age!"

Suddenly, a figure lunged out from the side with agile movements.

The accompanying soldiers rushed to intercept.

The intruder leaped into the air and hurled a short dagger with all his might.

"Du Hui, you treacherous dog, go to your death!"

Du Hui was too late to dodge, taking a knife wound to the shoulder.

Why would anyone want to assassinate old me?

Clutching his wounded shoulder, he stumbled backward.

He swore he had never laid eyes on that assassin before in his life.

Having thrown his short dagger, the assassin was quickly surrounded. He pulled out a small knife, smiling as he said, "To have fulfilled my elder brother's dying wish—I can close my eyes in peace."

Du Hui was half-carried away to find a physician, casting a glance at the assassin as he passed by.

The assassin looked at his face and suddenly went blank.

"He is Du Hui?"

Yang Xuan dismounted as he approached, concerned for Liu Qing's safety, and shouted, "Stand back!"

Seeing him arrive, the crowd greeted him one after another.

"Greetings, Magistrate Yang!"

"Yang Xuan is here!"

Seeing that Liu Qing and Lu Qiang were unharmed and observing Du Hui being supported away, Yang Xuan felt a weight lift from his heart.

"Take him down!"

Before the soldiers could close in, the assassin decisively slit his own throat.

Listening to the gurgling sound of spurting blood in his ears, the assassin felt somewhat dazed.

Du Hui was clearly still young!

Yang Xuan turned back.

The assassin pointed a shaky finger at him. "You... you..."

Wasn't he Du Hui?

The scene from that fateful night resurfaced in his mind.

"Brother Du."

"Big Brother Hong."

So, we were all deceived.

He was truly shameless!