Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 111 Does Your Majesty know me well?

County government office.

Cars were parked in the yard, and the entire north yard was packed with cars, leaving almost no place to stand.

Lou Rui tiptoed past these "junks" with a smile on his face, his eyes burning with passion.

He walked around like this a few times, then returned to the door, stood on tiptoe, and patted Liu Taozi's shoulder again.

"Well, good young man!"

"This is much better than that gift!"

"If you hadn't come, I would still be kept in the dark by them!"

"I have lost so much money and treasures over the years!!"

Lou Rui thought of the losses he had suffered in the past few years and suddenly felt a little painful, speaking with gritted teeth.

Liu Taozi stood aside calmly, "After the granaries were opened and grain was released, your reputation among the people has become even higher."

"These are only from Liyang. The ones from Dongli are still being counted and will be delivered once the count is completed."

"Haha, OK, OK, all good."

Lou Rui's face became happy again. He grabbed Taozi's hand and took him out of the North Courtyard.

Logically speaking, the entire county government office should have been used by county officials to do their work, but now, the entire county government office is Lou Rui's private property. Even the north courtyard has become his warehouse, specifically used to store money, grain and treasures.

There are many Xianbei warriors stationed here, patrolling back and forth.

Lou Rui held Liu Taozi's hand and walked towards the backyard.

"My dear nephew, I will report the affairs of the Li and Wu families to the imperial court. You don't have to worry."

"The only person I'm worried about now is Shi Yao."

"My dear nephew, you don't know that this guy is Yang Yin's best friend. He was promoted to a high position because of Yang Yin's promotion. There have been two rebellions in Liyang County. If this guy talks nonsense to Yang Yin, I'm not afraid of him or Yang Yin. I just don't want to cause trouble. It would be better for everyone to make money in peace. Why do we have to fight and kill and make things so unhappy?"

Liu Taozi replied: "Shi Yao has been sidelined by me. Yang Yin is very busy right now and will not care about the affairs of the county."

Lou Rui smiled and nodded, "I think so too."

As soon as the two of them walked to the backyard door, they saw Dugu Jie and Zhao Kai kneeling on both sides of the door with their heads lowered.

Lou Rui glanced at them, then pointed at Dugu Jie and cursed: "There have been two rebellions in the county, all because of your incompetence as the county lieutenant!"

"I will truthfully inform the temple of the mistakes you have made!!"

Dugujie raised his head, his face full of grievance, "bat kl"

"Shut up!!"

"You know best what I am saying!"

"Open, follow me."

Lou Rui brought Liu Taozi into the yard. Zhao Kai stood up trembling and followed them. Dugu Jie was still kneeling on the ground, his face full of indignation, but he dared not say a word.

After entering the house, the three of them took their seats.

Lou Rui glanced at Zhao Kai and said, "You are really not a capable person. It was just a matter of sharing the responsibility, but now it has turned into a rebellion. I don't know how much trouble this will cause."

Zhao Kai quickly knelt in front of Lou Rui and said, "I know I was wrong."

Lou Rui looked at Liu Taozi and said, "Zhizhi, the task of sharing the profits between these two counties and one township will be left to you."

"You can mobilize all the officials and soldiers in the county, and you can collect taxes in the county however you want. But there is one thing, don't do it like Zhao Kai. If you can be peaceful, don't fight."

"only!!"

Lou Rui looked at Zhao Kai, "As for you, you should stay in the mansion and reflect on your own mistakes. Don't go out again."

"only"

Zhao Kai stood up tremblingly, turned around and left.

Lou Rui shook his head in disdain and sneered, "Incompetent rat."

He looked at Taozi, "If it weren't for this guy's brother, I would have found a way to kill him long ago. His brother's name is Zhao Qi. He used to be a minister in the court, but now he is a governor. It would be troublesome to kill him."

"However, you don't have to worry about him. He got his official position thanks to his father and brother. He is an extremely incompetent person and will definitely not interfere with your important affairs."

Taozi nodded slightly.

Lou Rui grinned, "In addition, I have also reported my nephew's military achievements to the imperial court. With military achievements, it will be much easier to get promoted."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to be polite, nephew. I'll leave the affairs of this place to you. I have to worship Buddha recently. If there is nothing serious, you don't need to come to me!"

"only."

When Liu Taozi came out from the backyard, Dugu Jie was still kneeling at the door. Liu Taozi stepped forward and pulled him up like a chick. Dugu Jie was startled. He looked up and saw that it was Liu Taozi. He quickly put on a smile and said, "Mr. Liu."

"No need to kneel here, just follow me."

Dugu Jie nodded and followed Liu Taozi with a smile. They walked out of the county government office together. It was still very lively outside the government office. The people had completely blocked the place. It was packed with people. Some were laughing, some were crying, some were kneeling, and some were chanting scriptures. Wang Shun kowtowed repeatedly towards the county government office in front of him, then he picked up the second bag of corn, hummed a little tune, and left happily.

Liu Taozi took Dugu Jie and bypassed the main gate and entered the county government office through the small door on the north side.

The county government office was also very lively. Liu Taozi had too much to do these days, and there were not enough county officials. One could even see some county officials helping out here.

Although they were of a higher rank, they were extremely polite and servile to the county officials, just helping them.

Even Dugu Jie felt a little confused after seeing it.

In all his life, this was the first time he saw a county official helping a county official in the county government office.

Of course, the county officials dared not abuse their power anymore. Their leaders were powerful, but they might not care about them. The leaders of the county government were very protective of their subordinates. In the past few days, the city gates were full of human heads, and several poles were erected outside to hang human heads. Who would dare to make trouble here? ?
Everyone bowed to greet them, Taozi just nodded and walked into the backyard with Dugujie.

As soon as I walked into the backyard, I heard crying.

Liu Taozi walked in and saw Shi Yao kneeling on the ground, covering his face and crying.

Yao Xiong stood beside him in panic, at a loss.

"what happened?"

Seeing Liu Taozi, Yao Xiong hurriedly saluted, and then his face was full of grievance, "Brother!! This is none of my business!!"

"I was telling everyone about our achievements outside, praising Lord Lou and his knights. They seemed to be inconspicuous, but they were so brave that no one was injured. I don't know when Magistrate Shi came in. After listening to what I said, he suddenly started crying. I don't know what happened."

Liu Taozi nodded, "They are still busy outside the county government office, and they need someone to keep an eye on them. Go and send the county magistrate over there, and let him work while crying."

"Ah, Wei."

Yao Xiong helped Shi Yao up. When Shi Yao heard what Liu Taozi said, he wiped his tears and walked out quickly.

Liu Taozi invited Dugu Jie to sit next to her and asked everyone to get busy.

"Lord Dugu"

"Don't call me that. Just call me by my first name. It's more friendly."

"Lord Dugu, how many soldiers are there in Liyang County?"

Dugu Jie was stunned and quickly replied: "Mr. Liu, there are 1,000 soldiers in Liyang County, including 600 soldiers from Liyang County and 400 soldiers from Dunqiu County."

"Can you fight?"

Dugu Jie's lips trembled and his expression became a little complicated.

“Just be frank.”

"We can't fight. These people were captured by force. The county has insufficient food and can't even provide them with two meals a day. The weapons are incomplete, and the remaining ones are rusty and tattered. The military uniforms have not been replaced for four years. There are bows and crossbows, but no arrows. Logically, there should be thirty cavalrymen, but I can't even get thirty horses together."

Dugu Jie spoke word by word, and his tone gradually became stiff.

He looked at Liu Taozi, "I'm afraid that if I train them a little bit, I'll kill them. Do you think they can fight?"

Dugu Jie's eyes were particularly fierce at this moment. After looking at Liu Taozi, he immediately came to his senses and forced a smile.

"Lord Dugu is from Jinyang, right?"

Dugu Jie tore open his clothes, revealing a fist-sized wound on his chest. "I was injured in the battle and couldn't draw the bow or kill anyone, so they sent me here to serve as a county lieutenant."

"No wonder. Lord Dugu was appointed based on his military achievements. His political achievements are all attributed to others, and all the faults are yours."

The veins on Dugu Jie's forehead twitched.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mr. Liu."

"Then can you train soldiers?"

"Ah"

Dugujie raised his head and wanted to say something, but in the end, he held back and nodded, "Yes."

"If I can provide your county soldiers with enough food and fodder, replace their weapons and uniforms, guarantee two meals a day, and provide them with all kinds of rewards, can you change the appearance of your county soldiers for me?"

Dugu Jie, who had originally had a gloomy face, now looked up blankly.

"Ah?" "Can I?"

"not me."

Dugu Jie's mind was really a bit confused at the moment. Just now, he thought Liu Taozi had received the order from the governor to come and suppress him and deliberately humiliate and make fun of him, but now, training troops? ?

He asked with a confused look on his face: "Mr. Liu, why are you training the county soldiers?"

"What are the duties of the county soldiers?"

"It is to defend against bandits. However, only the county soldiers bordering the two bandits or the frontier can truly defend against bandits. Lord Liu doesn't know that the county lieutenants in the hinterland are used to place the weak like us."

"The security of the city is the responsibility of the county government, so there is no need for county soldiers."

"Even if there are bandits plotting a rebellion, a small county government office can destroy it. If the county government office cannot be destroyed, then the imperial court will send people to destroy it. The county soldiers are completely useless."

"I don't think so."

Liu Taozi spoke slowly, "Like the two rebellions this time, either I led my followers to solve them, or the governor led his followers to quell them, and the county soldiers were unable to contribute. If we encounter such a thing again in the future, do we have to ask the governor for help?"

Dugu Jie pursed his lips and said, "If Lord Liu insists that I train the soldiers, it's not impossible. As long as they have sufficient food and equipment and can eat enough, I can train them well. It won't take long, just a few months."

"I don't expect Lord Dugu to train them all into elite Xianbei soldiers. I just want them to be able to fight and kill people. How long will it take at the fastest?"

Dugu Jie suddenly became serious, as if he realized something.

This Mr. Liu obviously had other ideas, perhaps it was the governor's instructions.
He licked his lips and said, "Can kill people. Ten days, give me ten days, I can train a group of county soldiers who dare to kill people."

Liu Taozi nodded, and suddenly asked, "Does Lord Dugu know how to attack a city?"

Dugu Jie couldn't sit still anymore. He looked at Liu Taozi with fear in his eyes, "Mr. Liu, what do you want to do?"

"Share the tribute equally."

"Mr. Liu, please forgive me for speaking frankly. There is no one in Liyang County who doesn't know you. Even if you go to Dunqiu alone, you can make those people take out money and food obediently. There is no need to attack their Wubao!"

Liu Taozi didn't waste any words. He suddenly took out a piece of paper and showed it to Dugu Jie.

"The governor has ordered me to take charge of the county's affairs. All county officials, both big and small, and all county soldiers are under my command!"

"Just obey!"

"If this can be accomplished, I will write to the King of Changshan to pardon your crime!"

Dugu Jie was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and bowed respectfully to Liu Taozi.

"only!!!"

Jinyang.

"The Prime Minister is busy and has not yet seen the guests!"

Two warriors stood in front of Kou Liu. Kou Liu looked very tired and dusty. He held the letter in his arms and said hurriedly, "Everyone, I have something very important to discuss with Mr. Yang."

"I have a letter for him. Please help me tell him."

The two warriors pretended not to hear anything and just stared at him.

Kou Liu hesitated for a moment, took something out of his sleeve and quietly handed it to the warrior in front of him.

The warrior weighed it and finally showed a stiff smile, "Brother, we are not trying to embarrass you. Lord Yang is currently busy with the state funeral in the palace. He hasn't been back for several days. It's useless for you to be anxious. If you have something important to do, just wait here. When Lord Yang comes back, you will naturally see him."

"Okay, okay, thank you very much! Thank you very much!"

At this moment, all the ministers were gathered outside the Xuande Hall, all wearing mourning clothes, mourning for Gao Yang and holding a state funeral.

Yang Yan stood at the front of the ministers, next to the prince. His fat body was like a barrier, blocking the connection between the prince and those unfriendly gazes behind him. They could only see Yang Yan's back but not the prince in front of him.

The etiquette officer is reciting the many merits of the late emperor.

Well, at least in the first five years, the late emperor had many merits and achievements.

All the ministers listened very carefully. When the etiquette officer finished reading, a new session began.

"Dong~~dong~~dong~~"

Suddenly, the sound of Hu drums rang out, with a cheerful and joyful rhythm.

At this moment, all the ministers were in an uproar and looked up. They looked around and saw the absurd scene in the distance.

In front of Gao Yang's coffin, several Qihu musicians were playing music.

Gao Xi's clothes were quite revealing. He stood in front of the emperor's coffin and motioned everyone to follow him. He held a flute in his hand and began to play it to the rhythm of the musicians.

For a moment, the entire outside of the hall was filled with the sound of joyful musical instruments.

King Gaoyang blew the flute joyfully, and the emperor's coffin followed behind him. When the flute reached deep inside, King Gaoyang could not help himself, so he dropped the flute and began to sing loudly.

"Does Your Majesty know me?!"

He snatched the drum from the Hu musician's hand and began to beat it hard.

Yang Yin stared at the scene in amazement, then his face turned ashen. He turned around and looked at Changshan King Gao Yan, only to find that Gao Yan's eyes were also wide open. Not only that, his mouth was also open and he couldn't close it at all.

Not only Gao Yan, but all the other ministers and royal family members were in the same mood at this moment, stunned and motionless.

"What a beast!!!"

A loud shout came from the crowd, bringing everyone back to their senses.

They turned to look.

Then I saw an old woman, supported by several palace maids, slowly walking towards this place.

The old woman was not young, but she was not kind at all. Her face was a little thin and she looked fierce. If you looked closely, you could see the face of the late emperor in her features.

The old woman came forward step by step, leaning on a cane. All the ministers and clan members made way for her. Yang Yin pushed the crown prince, who hurried forward to salute.

"Meet Grandma!"

Empress Dowager Lou glanced at Gao Yin but ignored him. She pointed at Gao Xi above her and said through gritted teeth, "Catch that beast and bring him here! Bring him here!!"

Immediately, the soldiers rushed forward and grabbed Gao Xi. Gao Xi resisted with all his might, but he was no match for them. He was lifted up in a few moves, ran all the way over, and thrown in front of Empress Dowager Lou.

Empress Dowager Lou stared at him fiercely, "You beast! Do you hate your brother so much?!"

Gao Xi felt very aggrieved, "Mother, these etiquettes are all Han Chinese things, why should we follow them? My brother loved to be lively when he was alive. So I just want to be more cheerful."

Empress Dowager Lou nodded, "Okay, okay, cheer up? Someone, come! Take off this guy's clothes and beat him! Beat him to death!!"

Before Gao Xi could beg for mercy, his clothes were stripped off and he was pressed to the ground. The soldier did not dare to hold back at all and used all his strength in every strike.

Gao Xi's back was soon covered in wounds.

"Mother!! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

"Sixth brother! Save me!!"

Gao Xi shouted loudly, but gradually, he stopped.

Outside the hall, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of sticks falling and hitting people again and again.

Gao Yin was trembling all over, too frightened to look, and quickly lowered his head. Yang Yin stretched out his hand and asked the prince to come closer to him.

Gao Xi did not move, while the soldiers continued to swing their sticks.

Gao Yan frowned and stepped forward quickly, "Mother, please forgive him."

Empress Dowager Lou glanced at him, and the fierceness in her eyes gradually disappeared. "Forget it, forgive him, take him away."

Several soldiers stepped forward, dragged the unconscious Gao Xi away from here.

Only a streak of scarlet was left on the ground. Empress Dowager Lou walked forward and stood on the scarlet. She turned around and looked at the ministers in front of her.

"There is no need to rush to send the emperor's coffin back to Yecheng. The prince will inherit the throne in Xuande Hall!!"

She looked at Gao Yan again and said, "Prince Changshan, from now on, government affairs will be handled by the ministers, and imperial edicts will be issued by the emperor. You will move to your own residence, and imperial edicts will no longer be your responsibility."

Gao Yan took a step back and saluted to the Queen Mother, "Yes!!"

Yang Yin drove away from the palace in a pretty good mood.

Although some absurd things happened today, fortunately, the thing that he was most worried about did not happen. The emperor will inherit the throne smoothly, and future government affairs will fall into the hands of wise ministers.

As soon as Yang Yan's car returned to the gate of Beppu, a man tried to pounce on him and was immediately surrounded by soldiers.

"Prime Minister Yang!! I have something important to discuss with you!"

Hearing this voice, Yang Yin poked his head out suspiciously and looked at Kou Liu, "Aren't you the one sent by Gao County to deliver the letter? I remember your record said Kou Liu, what do you want?"

Kou Liu was startled for a moment, and hurriedly saluted, "Prime Minister Yang, I am now serving as a county official in Liyang. This time I am here on the orders of Magistrate Shi to bring you his letter!"

When Yang Yin heard Shi Yao, his expression became better.

"I see. Come with me!"

ps: When Emperor Wenxuan died, he served as Minister of Education, led the coffin, played the flute, and said, "Your Majesty knows that I am not good enough." He also played the Hu drum for fun. The Queen Mother beat him with a stick for more than a hundred times, and soon died. ———"Book of Northern Qi·Biography of King Gaoyang"

Later, there was a candidate named Lu Manhan, who said that he was a lowly person, but he was the only one who didn’t recognize him. Yin said, “You were in Yuan Zisifang before, riding a donkey with a bald tail. You saw me and didn’t get off. You used a square and curved face. Why didn’t I recognize you?” Manhan was amazed. — Biography of Yang Yin in Book of Northern Qi

(End of this chapter)