Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 187 Gift
The office of the provincial governor.

Lou Rui looked at the many large wooden boxes placed in front of him, his mouth curled up into a big arc, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

"This is the property I seized when I was in Erhechuan. The Xi people don't have any valuable treasures. I brought gold, jade, and some carved animal horns as a gift to the king."

Liu Taozi stood aside.

Lou Rui laughed, "Why bother? This is what you earned through your meritorious service, how can you give it away? Just keep it for yourself!"

"You are a dignified fourth-rank general, how can you not prepare some treasures for your funeral?"

Liu Taozi replied: "Without the guidance of Your Majesty, how could I have achieved such a great success? This success is entirely due to Your Majesty's guidance. Please accept it."

Lou Rui smiled and asked people to take these things away, then asked them to close the door. After the door was closed, the smile on his face disappeared. He looked at Liu Taozi seriously, and even had some guilt on his face, "My dear nephew, I almost killed you. I really didn't know that the army of Da Qi had become like this. The army went out to fight, but the main force of the Xi people escaped. Please don't blame me, don't blame me."

Lou Rui held Taozi's hand and felt particularly guilty.

Liu Taozi won a great victory over the enemy this time and rose to prominence, becoming a real border general with real power.

But when Lou Rui learned about this, he didn't feel happy at all, and was so scared that his eyes went dark.

According to his original idea, the Xi people would definitely be able to escape, but not too many of them, at most 30,000 to 40,000 people. It would not be a problem to defeat them by taking advantage of their rest. But who could have thought that the main force had escaped? If it were not for Liu Taozi's bravery, it would be hard to say whether he would receive the reward or the posthumous title.

Liu Taozi said calmly: "Your Majesty, this military achievement belongs to the one who has the strongest army and can win."

"If you can't win, it's your own fault. Why blame others?"

Lou Rui's expression eased a little, and he frowned, "I've heard a lot of news these days."

"Someone from Jinyang came to me and offered me a large bribe, hoping that I could secretly poison you in your mansion."

"Some people also say that you are a Han Chinese and the son of Governor Liu?"

"Yes."

Lou Rui was silent for a moment.

"I was saying you looked familiar. It turns out it's because of your father. I'm not too close to your father, but I have met him."

"My dear nephew, we, the people of the border town, logically speaking, do not distinguish between Chinese and Han people. If we must distinguish, then isn't my uncle also a Han Chinese from Bohai?"

"But these fools nowadays don't think so. They all think you have set a bad example and the Han people will ride on their coattails in the future."

"I won't hide it from you. Actually, I am a little worried about you, nephew. You know how arrogant Yang Yin was back then. He ordered the dismissal of several of us a day and wanted to drive us all away within a month."

"Tell me, what will happen if these people have military power in the future? It's not that I don't trust you. You certainly won't hang out with people like Yang Yin. It's just that you have set an example, and they can follow suit in the future."

Listening to Lou Rui's words, Liu Taozi suddenly asked, "So the king wants to poison me?"

"What nonsense!!"

Lou Rui scolded him and said quietly, "I have already chopped off the man who came to deliver the letter. His head is hanging on the city wall. Although I am greedy for money, I will not poison my own son for money."

"What I want to say is, nephew, you are now half a Chinese. As long as you become a complete Chinese, no one will dare to talk nonsense."

"Oh?"

Lou Rui grinned and said, "I have made great contributions this time, and I will return to Jinyang."

"When I see the Queen Mother, I will ask her to find a little daughter. It doesn't matter if she has the surname Gao, or Lou. Once you get married, who will dare to say you are Han Chinese?"

Liu Taozi suddenly asked, "But I remember that Lord Yang also married the daughter of Emperor Shenwu, and Lord Yan, who was also a participant, did the same."

Lou Rui was stunned for a moment. He waved his hand and said, "Don't mention these people. You are different from them! Different!"

"Yang Gong's mother's surname was Yuan, and his wife's surname was Gao. He was not considered a Chinese, so how could I be considered one?"

Lou Rui was suddenly speechless.

He sighed, "My dear nephew, you don't understand. The best troops in the world are all in Jinyang. The generals in the central army are all nobles. Even if Your Majesty can replace the leader, he can't say that he can fully control them. Even if he loves you, he may not be able to protect you. These people are vicious and have many tricks. You have never experienced them."

"They can report your faults to you every day, bribe and intimidate your subordinates, send assassins to kill you, withhold the food and fodder sent to you, plunder your villages and towns, and even pretend to be foreign thieves to attack you directly. They have always been arrogant and lawless. Even when Emperor Wenxuan was still in power, he did not dare to say that he could completely subdue them. Otherwise, why would he promote those cunning Han people to work for him?"

"There is no one here, so I will tell you something real. His Majesty ascended the throne with the help of everyone. He does not have the ability to confront everyone."

"I love my dear nephew very much. For the sake of the world and for you, I say this. If you want to live and want to have a better life, you can only become a citizen of the country. Otherwise, what does it matter if you are Gao Aocao?"

Looking at Lou Rui's sincere face, Liu Taozi did not refute him anymore.

He nodded.

"I see."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lou Rui breathed a sigh of relief. He patted Liu Taozi on the shoulder and said happily: "You are the smartest. How could you not understand this? Besides, you don't look like a Han Chinese at all. You are even more Chinese than the Chinese. When people from all over the state heard the news, no one believed it."

"Don't worry!"

"After I go back this time, I will find my aunt and ask her for help. She is the most protective of her shortcomings and has a high status among the nobles. Once she helps, there will be no problem!"

Lou Rui gave many instructions before letting Liu Taozi leave. He was even worried about letting Liu Taozi leave with just that group of people, so he specially asked his confidant to lead the county soldiers to escort Liu Taozi back to Wuchuan.

Liu Taozi and others have walked this road from Zhaoyuan City to Wuchuan countless times.

But I have never walked so carefully.

Even a reckless man like Yao Xiong seemed to understand something. His hand never left the knife at his waist. He looked around and protected Liu Taozi on both sides.

"Brother, is the king leaving?"

"Yes."

“Who will take over?”

"I don't know."

Yao Xiong complained, "The king is easy to get along with. If we give him some money and property, he won't make things difficult. If someone who has a grudge against me comes, I'm afraid things will be difficult to handle."

Liu Taozi pondered for a moment and said, "Probably not."

Just as the knights entered their defense zone, they saw someone riding a horse galloping towards them. The person was Potala Ku. He rushed in front of Liu Taozi, jumped off his horse suddenly, his face full of ecstasy.

"Brother! Brother! Such great joy!!"

He pulled the reins, his face flushed with excitement.

"Brother, three people came to Wuchuan today. They are all the nobles who owed and swallowed up the military merits. They brought a lot of things and are waiting for you in Wuchuan now!"

"Their attitude is very humble. They want to apologize to you in person, distribute military merits, and make corresponding compensation!"

"It seems that Murong Sanzang's matter still frightens them!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Xiong immediately cursed: "You idiot! How can those people bow their heads so easily? These messengers came here, maybe they want to assassinate my brother! Or set fire to the grain, how can they be allowed into the city?"

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong in surprise.

Potala Ku said helplessly: "It was Lord Tian who gave the order. Can I send someone to stop him?"

Liu Taozi ignored the argument between the two and asked the county soldiers to go back first. He then took Yao Xiong and others and quickly set off towards Wuchuan City.

Sure enough, just as Potala said, there were several "caravans" outside the city. The carriages were full of goods, and slaves were busy feeding the horses and unloading the goods. There were also several knights staring at them. When they found Liu Taozi, they hurriedly lowered their heads and ignored him.

When Liu Taozi led everyone back to the government office, he could hear conversation coming from inside from a distance.

Yao Xiong pushed open the door.

Several people in the room got up hurriedly.

"Greetings, Mr. Liu!" There were six people in the room, including Tian Zili and five strangers. The five people stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Taozi with frightened faces.

Liu Taozi looked at the people in front of him. Tian Zilie welcomed him and sat in the upper seat. Everyone still maintained the posture of saluting and stood in front of him.

"Get up."

Liu Taozi spoke, and they raised their heads, but their faces were still filled with fear.

One of them said, "Lord Liu, I am the chief officer of Lord Moduolou. I led 400 Baima garrisons and 600 Huaishuo garrisons, but I failed to distribute their rewards in time. When I learned that General Liu was furious, my master blamed himself very much, so he asked me to bring gifts to pay a visit, asking Lord Liu to forgive our crimes and allow us to make amends. In addition to those rewards, my general also gave you three carts of silk cloth, ten carts of wheat, two hundred slaves, and ten beautiful women from the country."

He bowed again, "Please forgive me, Lord Liu!"

Tian Zili suddenly narrowed his eyes, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Another person saluted, "Lord Liu!! I am the chief secretary of Lord Houmochen's family. This time I am leading 1,200 soldiers from the three garrisons of Huijiao, Yicheng, and Wenhou. I have just arrived in Yecheng and have not yet received the order of reward from Your Majesty, so I dare not distribute them easily. I learned that Lord Liu was angry and sold his property to collect the reward, which will be distributed first. In addition to the reward, I will also send you two sharp swords, ten strong bows, three precious horses, and four fine chariots."

The others also saluted, until the last person spoke up, "General, I was sent by Lord Dugu. Lord Dugu is using border troops from Youyan this time, not your army. But he has admired you for a long time and is worried that he may have offended you in Erhechuan before, so he sent me to bring you a gift to show his closeness."

Everyone told the story one by one, with sincere looks and humble words.

Potala Ku and Yao Xiong looked at each other. Potala Ku looked a little proud, as if to say, see, was I right?

Although Yao Xiong was a little confused, he was still very happy, as if he felt that he had made a fortune this time.

When they finished speaking, Tian Zili hurried out and stood in front of them. He smiled and said, "Everyone, my general just came back from the Prince of Dong'an's Mansion and is still tired. Please allow him to rest for a few days before welcoming you. How about that?"

The messenger was horrified and knelt on the ground. "Lord Liu! When I set out, my master told me to make sure you accept it. If you don't accept it, how can I go back? I am willing to kneel and die in front of you, Lord Liu!"

The others knelt down one after another.

Tian Zili still had a smile on his face. "Did you say I wouldn't accept it? Don't you all want to let my master take a break?"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, then stood up and left the office reluctantly.

Tian Zili personally sent them to the door and arranged for someone to take good care of them, and then returned to Liu Taozi.

Yao Xiong laughed loudly at this moment, "Brother, I thought they were some fierce Xianbei, but they are nothing special. Brother, you killed that county marquis before, they must have been scared!"

Tian Zili ignored this guy, walked quickly to Liu Taozi's side, frowned, and said, "Brother, there is a trick."

"Oh?"

Yao Xiong stopped talking at this moment, just looked at Tian Zili in astonishment.

Tian Zili said seriously: "Brother, you know how powerful these nobles are without me telling you. In recent days, I don't know how many people have come here to contact us. Why did our subordinates suddenly change their tempers and come to give us rewards? Moreover, those who have never led our troops to war have also sent gifts. If this is abnormal, it must be a trick!"

"Maybe the Queen Mother came forward? The Queen Mother gave my brother a dagger. They must be afraid of the Queen Mother!"

"Impossible. If the Queen Mother comes forward, they will at most not make it difficult on the surface. Why would they take the initiative to give gifts?"

Liu Taozi asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

Tian Zili frowned, "I don't quite understand. Maybe they want to coax brother, want brother to relax his vigilance, or maybe they want to flatter brother, so that more nobles will hate brother. At present, most of the nobles who hate brother are second-generation Qihu, and there are also many nobles who are on good terms with brother. I can't tell their specific thoughts, but you can take the rewards you deserve, but it's better to return the extra gifts."

Yao Xiong said quickly: "Why did you retreat? I saw them when I passed by just now, they are all good stuff. Those horses are not inferior to Qingshi. If I can take one, I will die without regrets!"

"And those cartloads of silk cloth, if used to make clothes, I wonder how many people could survive the winter!"

Tian Zili glared at him and said, "You are so short-sighted!"

"They sent these here to lure the lord and force him to take them down."

"Although I don't know their intentions yet, if you accept it, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles!"

At this moment, someone suddenly pushed open the door, gasped, and rushed into the house.

The person who came was Cui Gang.

Cui Gang hurriedly saluted Liu Taozi.

Tian Zili was a little surprised, "Mr. Cui? Aren't you registering your military achievements?"

Cui Gang looked at Liu Taozi, "Brother! I heard that a nobleman came to give a gift, so I hurried over! You must not accept this thing!!"

Tian Zili nodded, "That's what I just said."

Cui Gang hurriedly said: "Brother, this is a trap set by those villains."

"They have no reason to attack my brother, so they want to slander him in this way. If my brother accepts the gift today, they will cry to Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, and even the others tomorrow, saying that my brother extorted nobles, bullied the people, and demanded money and property!!"

"First, it ruins my brother's reputation, and second, it wins over the others to deal with my brother!"

"These villains are so vicious and hateful!!"

Cui Gang's face turned red and his eyes were full of anger.

Since following Liu Taozi, he has done a lot of useful things. He helped settle many civilians on the border, helped them find places to live, and distributed food to them.

Many villages and towns appeared on the border, and the situation of the civilians improved greatly. Although people died every day, the frequency was no longer as exaggerated as before.

When he rode through those villages and towns, people often stopped on the roadside to thank him.

Together they reorganized the border troops, and the entire county was in a state of peace and tranquility. There were no more soldiers and bandits looting and killing people everywhere. Whenever Cui Gang thought of this, he was filled with energy.

But when he learned that a noble had sent a large number of gifts, causing a sensation, Cui Gang became extremely angry.

Do these bastards hate us to this extent?

At this moment, his face was red, and he felt like his whole body was burning. He was trembling, and suddenly cursed: "Fuck you."

Yao Xiong was stunned.

stunned.

Tian Zili was also silent for a long time.

Liu Taozi looked at the extremely angry Cui Gang, and suddenly smiled, looking around, "Did Mr. Cui curse me just now?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Taozi then said, "Being able to make a gentleman curse loudly is enough to let everyone know what kind of people these traitors are."

He looked at Cui Gang and said, "But, Mr. Cui, if I don't accept these gifts, will they not do this?"

"They are the most powerful in the government and in the country, and they are the most powerful in every place."

"Even if I didn't accept it and only took the reward, they would still report it in the same way."

"As for the evidence, I have never seen any evidence when I am working in Daqi."

When Liu Taozi said this, Tian Zili suddenly murmured: "Brother, what you mean is..."

"Take them all, seize their carriages and slaves that are transporting supplies, and give their messengers ten lashes. Have them go back and tell their masters that these gifts are too few and that they are really looking down on me. If they don't want to die, have them send more."

"what??"

Everyone was shocked.

Cui Gang said in bewilderment: "Brother, isn't this giving others a handle?"

"If your majesty believes me, no one else's words can change him. If your majesty does not believe me, I cannot prove my innocence even if I take nothing."

"So, whatever evidence they have, just give it to them. Use the things they gave to reward the soldiers and settle the civilians. If they feel it is inappropriate, let them come to Wuchuan to question them."

(End of this chapter)