Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 541 The Roughneck
After listening, Xiao Feng suppressed his anger and asked the teenager, "Don't be in a hurry, tell me the whole story from beginning to end!"

The boy, barely able to breathe, finished explaining the situation, and Xiao Feng finally understood the reason.

It turned out that the group had taken the dozens of warhorses that Xiao Feng had captured to the horse market for trading, which soon attracted the attention of the government officials.

Although the horses had their official seals removed with branding irons, to the experienced clerks in the yamen, it was no different from protesting too much. Old Man Zeng spent a lot of time explaining the situation, but the clerks just wouldn't believe him. They insisted that Old Man Zeng and the children were notorious bandits who stole military horses and arrested everyone else. Only one child was clever enough to seize the opportunity to sneak back and report the news.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng frowned deeply: This matter is suspicious. Could it be that this incompetent prefect wants to embezzle this military merit to cover up his failure in defending the enemy?
After all, killing dozens of enemy soldiers and capturing dozens of warhorses in one go was indeed easy for Xiao Feng, but for an ordinary county official, it was definitely a considerable military achievement.

Xiao Feng thought about it more and more and felt that it made sense, so he asked for directions to the local government office, told the others to take what they could carry and set off first, while he went to the government office to gather information.

Xiao Feng entered Yunzhou City and found a tavern near the prefectural government office. Just as he was about to go upstairs and find a window seat to observe the situation in the government office, the waiter smiled and stepped forward to stop Xiao Feng: "Sir, are you here for tea or wine?"

Xiao Feng frowned slightly: "Your shop clearly displays a sign for wine, so what are customers doing here if not drinking? You, waiter, are utterly clueless!"

The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, you may not know this, but we have a rule: if you're just here for tea, you can sit anywhere on the first floor. If you're here for alcohol, you can sit on the second floor. However, according to our rules, you'll need to pay five taels of silver for the tea first!"

After a moment's thought, Xiao Feng immediately understood – this tavern was so close to the prefectural government office that the owner must have some connections within the office; otherwise, how could he have established himself there? Yes, the waiter probably thought I was one of those people trying to curry favor with the prefectural government.

Thinking of this, Xiao Feng sneered inwardly and took out a small piece of gold from his pocket, flashing it in front of the waiter.

The waiter was dazzled by the bright yellow light and was overjoyed. He was about to thank Xiao Feng for the reward, thinking that some rich merchant or other sucker had come along. But Xiao Feng just waved his fist in front of the waiter and then withdrew it.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the waiter's eyes, but then Xiao Feng said, "Answer a few questions for me. If you answer well, this piece of gold is your reward. If you answer poorly, well, my pair of steel fists are not to be trifled with!"

Xiao Feng glared at him, the cold light in his eyes making the waiter shrink back, his already short figure shrinking even smaller, as if his little scheme had been frozen in place.

Xiao Feng said coldly, "I'm asking you, what kind of people usually come to this restaurant?"

The waiter said, "There are constables from various counties, county officials who are ordered to come to the prefectural government to report on their duties. Sometimes there are also officials from above who come to inspect, but most of them are wealthy merchants."

Xiao Feng sneered inwardly: Just as I thought.

Xiao Feng continued, "Who owns this tavern?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter puffed out his belly, like a rooster with a red comb that had regained its dignity: "Speaking of our master, he has quite a background. He is the elder brother of the third concubine, who is the most favored concubine of the prefectural magistrate. His influence extends directly to the prefectural government. In the past, when lower-ranking officials came to do business and had any difficult matters, they would go through my master's connections."

Xiao Feng glared at him: "I didn't ask you, so stop nagging! If you keep this up, I'll slap you across the face!"

The waiter, feeling rebuffed, muttered to himself, "This big man seems to have quite a background. Could he be some high-ranking official sent incognito on a private visit? Yes, even an ordinary official, one or two ranks higher than the prefect, wouldn't act with such fanfare in the local area. Perhaps some member of the imperial family is here incognito? Goodness, I can't afford to offend him." Thinking this, the waiter's eyes darted around, and he quickly put on a fawning smile: "Sir, you are right. I only spoke a few words because I saw your distinguished bearing. Please don't take offense."

Xiao Feng continued, "One last question: Did the prefectural government hold a court session today to interrogate any prisoners?"

The waiter recalled for a moment and replied, "These past few days, the Song army has been crossing the border to raid for supplies, and the city gates have all been closed, so naturally no one has filed a complaint at this time. However, today the county magistrate held court to try a major case of treason, in which a treacherous civilian colluded with Song soldiers to cross the border in an attempt to seize the prefecture. Wow, thankfully the magistrate showed leniency and almost beat the criminal to death. The criminal has now signed the confession and is being held in the prefectural jail. In a few days, he will be sent to the capital to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for processing."

Xiao Feng was burning with nameless rage, wishing he could kill that corrupt prefect with a single palm strike right now. Suppressing his anger, he said coldly, "I know. Here's your reward. Take it. Remember, if you leak even a single word of what I asked you today, I'll take your life!"

Xiao Feng never attacked ordinary people who didn't know martial arts, nor did he want to say a harsh word, lest he be branded as a bully of the weak. However, he had absolutely no liking for this henchman of a corrupt official, and his decision not to kill him on the spot was purely out of a desire to avoid trouble.

The waiter accepted the gold, a hint of joy on his face. Upon hearing Xiao Feng's threatening words, he secretly stuck out his tongue.

Xiao Feng went up to the second floor, ordered wine and dishes, and sat down by the window. While drinking and eating, he observed the movements of the prefectural government.

Xiao Feng thought to himself: "The old man and his group are currently imprisoned in the state government's jail. How can I rescue them? If it were just one person, I could easily sneak into the state government under the cover of night to rescue them. However, this group consists of the elderly and weak. I am unfamiliar with the environment of the state government and do not know where they are being held. If I act rashly and our whereabouts are discovered, and a commotion ensues, I will inevitably have to resort to violence if I want to lead these elderly and weak people out of the state government unscathed. This would be contrary to my original intention and I absolutely cannot act rashly."

But we need to find a way to sneak into the county government office quietly.

Xiao Feng pondered to himself.

Just as Xiao Feng was thinking this, there was a series of thumping sounds downstairs, and he heard the waiter from before shouting, "Chief Zhang, we have distinguished guests upstairs today. Please don't make things difficult for me, so please don't go up."

A gruff voice boomed, “You keep calling me a distinguished guest, but I’m a distinguished guest too! I’ve never owed you any money for drinks! All you’ve got are a bunch of cronies who solicit bribes and abuse power. Today, I’ll see what kind of distinguished guests you really are!”

Then a slap was heard, it seemed that the waiter had tried to stop them but was slapped by the constable.

Xiao Feng thought to himself: This Commander Zhang is a straightforward man, but a bit reckless. In the past, I would have liked to befriend him, but today I'd better not cause any unnecessary trouble.

As I pondered, a middle-aged man in a blue robe with a full beard strode up to the second floor.

The burly man wore a pair of tanned leather boots and was dressed as a low-ranking military officer. He was tall, only half a head shorter than Xiao Feng, and when he stood there, he looked like a black tower.

When Xiao Feng saw the man come up, he smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

The burly man glared at Xiao Feng with his bull-like eyes, snorted coldly, and ignored Xiao Feng's good intentions. Instead, he sat down at the table opposite Xiao Feng, slammed his hand on the table, and the chopstick holder and teapot on the table flew up with a clattering sound.