Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 33 A way to survive
The sun had just come out, and its light was still a little damp and cold.

The county town was quiet, with a few wisps of smoke rising.

The old official opened the gate of the county government office and was about to sweep the street when he saw a man standing outside the gate.

The old official was stunned, "It's hard to beg for a building?"

The man with a slightly curved beard and light green eyes, standing outside the door was none other than the beggar Lou Nanhuo.

At this moment, he looked exhausted and extremely haggard, but there was a gleam in his eyes.

"Mr. Xu, haha, it's been a while since we last met. Are you still strong and healthy? This is the big fish I brought from the village for you!"

Qilounan smiled and handed the big fish in his hand to Xu Laoli.

Xu Laoli's old face was full of smiles. He refused several times before taking the big fish.

"Why are you so polite?"

Qilou Nan might have been an official in the past who was responsible for catching thieves. In terms of status, his position was much higher than that of doormen like Xu Laoli.

But Qi Lou Nan had a good reputation in the county government. Although he looked rough, he was actually very thoughtful, got along well with everyone, and had many friends.

This time, almost all the officials in the county government were wiped out, but he was able to save his life, which shows his ability.

Xu Laoli asked politely, "What is the purpose of your visit, Mr. Qilou Nan? Do you need my help?"

"It's not a big deal. I just checked the household registration of the village again. I want to come and report to the Hucao official in time. I wonder if the county official has taken office yet?"

The old official sighed.

"Not yet. Not to mention the clerks, even the positions of county magistrate, county magistrate, county chief clerk, and county recorder are all vacant."

"what?"

Qi Lou Nan asked in astonishment: "You haven't taken office yet? What about the county's affairs?"

Xu Laoli looked around and whispered, "He is the founding duke of Lecheng County, Duke Gao of the Yitong Sansi."

Qi Lounan was stunned and nodded, "No wonder, I was wondering why there were so many soldiers near the county government office. Isn't that hard for you guys?"

Xu Laoli nodded, "Who said it wasn't true? In the past, we could report to the higher authorities if we encountered any problems. But who should we report to now? Should we report to Lord Gao?"

"Even if the county magistrate came, he wouldn't dare to say that he could meet Lord Gao casually, let alone people like us who are lowly?"

Qi Lou Nan smiled bitterly, "Then I can't find anyone in the village to report to?"

Xu Laoli said again: "It's okay, you can go back now. When the household official has finished his work, I will send someone to inform you."

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Xu!"

"No need to be polite, but it's hard to beg for a place like this. It's not a long-term solution. We still have to find a way to come to the city."

"Well, I do want to, too. But all my good friends in the past are not here now. I don't know who to ask for help."

"Looking for Mr. He!"

Qi Lou Nan was stunned, "What Ananda? But he was not arrested."

"No, he made meritorious contributions while serving his sentence. I heard that he made great efforts in catching thieves. He is now in the city and will be promoted. He may even be given a new official position!"

Qi Lounan frowned, "I see. Well, I'll go ask him now!"

"Thank you, Mr. Xu!"

"No need to be polite!"

Qi Lou Nan turned around and left, heading towards He Ananda's residence.

This man was one of his good friends. He used to be a county official like him. His family was not considered a big family in the local area, but it was also very powerful.

His house is in the west of the city, near the west gate. It is a very ordinary house.

When He Ananda saw Qi Lounan, he was so excited that he almost rushed out, enthusiastically pulled his friend's hand, and shouted for his family to prepare meals.

"Great, great, I've always wanted to send someone to look for you!"

"Sit down quickly, sit down quickly."

Qi Lounan sat aside politely, "I came to the county government to report the village affairs. I heard from the people in the county that you were safe and sound, so I hurriedly said goodbye to them and came to find you."

"Ah, you are such a beggar, if others don't tell you, you won't come to see me?"

"Don't leave today, stay at my house and have a drink!"

"I have a lot of things to do in my village, so we'll have wine another day."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Qi Lou Nan asked, "How did you get out?"

He Ananda shook his head, "I was just lucky. I was valued by a noble from a family, so I was spared."

“A lot of things happen in town after you leave the county.”

He took a sip of wine and said bitterly: "After you left, the court sent King Gaoyang to investigate these matters."

"The King of Gaoyang is truly a great sage of the country, wise and powerful."

"It only took him two days to solve the case." "It turned out that Cui Mou colluded with the Pseudo-Zhou and instructed Fei Zongxian to contact the Pseudo-Zhou. Later, the spoils were not evenly divided, so the Pseudo-Zhou killed people to silence them. There is evidence from both the witnesses and the objects. It's right, they also killed the three Xianbei people earlier."

"They bribed the people from a village near the Zhang River, called Li Village, and attacked and killed the three knights."

"Prince Gaoyang's subordinates also found a large number of letters between Cui Mou and the Pseudo-Zhou, privately hidden Pseudo-Zhou coins, and weapons used to kill people. The surviving retainers of Fei Zongxian's family also admitted these things."

"I heard that King Gaoyang was praised and rewarded by His Majesty for this matter."

"I don't know what happened to the Cui family. I only heard from the noble that Cui Mou was cut into two halves that night. One half was hung on the wall of Yecheng, and the other half was thrown into the territory of the Pseudo-Zhou. I heard that the Pseudo-Zhou even collected his body and gave him a grand burial. I don't know if it's true or not."

Qi Lounan shuddered and interrupted the other party.

"Mr. He, please stop talking. You are scaring me to death!"

"I originally wanted to come to you to ask for a promotion, but now it seems that although my village is small, it is much more peaceful than the county town."

He Ananda laughed, "We are close friends. Even if you don't look for me, I won't forget you."

"But the county is in quite a mess right now, so it's not the right time yet. I am also in danger of losing my life. You should go back to Zhangjia Village and wait for my news."

"You are my only friend here. Please keep in touch with me in the future. If there is a chance, I will send someone to find you immediately."

Looking at He Ananda's sincere face, Qi Lounan was quite moved and just said thank you.

Despite the other party's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Qi Lou Nan decided to return.

He Ananda walked the other person all the way to the door and stood there watching him leave.

The figure of Qi Lounan leading the donkey gradually disappeared in the distance, and the smile on He Ananda's face also disappeared with him.

Until the end, his expression became extremely grim.

The same was true for Qi Lou Nan. He lowered his head, strode forward, and had a solemn expression on his face.

"Snapped!"

After walking a few steps, Qi Lou Nan suddenly slapped himself again.

The donkey was frightened and dodged its head.

"It's broken, it's broken."

Qi Lou Nan muttered to himself, his eyes filled with fear.

What on earth had driven me crazy to follow the fisherman's son to investigate yesterday?

Report to the official?

Report to the county government that Prince Gaoyang framed him? Report that the emperor was incompetent and blind? ?
But if I hide it, and if Taozi, the murderer, finds out, won't I be silenced? ?
He is a butcher who kills without blinking an eye! !
Qilou Nan just felt his head hurting even more.

He left the county in a daze, rode on his donkey, and headed towards the village.

Are you going to run away?
But as an official, if I run away, I will be dead and have nowhere to go.

Kill that little fisherman? ?

Wouldn't that arouse the butcher's suspicion even more?

Qi Lou Nan was riding his donkey leisurely on the path. The cold wind kept blowing from both sides, flattening the weeds. The surroundings were extremely quiet and silent.

Qi Lou Nan suddenly reined in the donkey and looked around vigilantly.

"who?!"

Then two people jumped out from the front and back, and the four of them surrounded Qi Lou Nan from the front and back. The four people were dressed simply, with only their faces covered, and held large bows in their hands.

Qi Lounan looked at this scene and immediately let out a long sigh.

"My friends, I am a minor official in the city. I don't have much money. If I die and someone is looking for me, why don't you just spare me?"

"Why would Qilou Nangong give in?"

The other party suddenly spoke, and Qi Lounan felt that the voice sounded familiar, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Which friend is this? Is there any chance for me to survive?"

"Hahahaha, it's me, Mr. Qilounan."

The masked man tore off the cloth on his face, revealing his true face.

Qi Lounan was stunned, "It's Wang Jun."

The man standing in front of him was a wealthy man in the city. His surname was Wang and his given name was Fu. He had some property in the city and usually lived in a restaurant near the East City Gate.

Wang Fu, the owner of the shop, bowed respectfully towards Qi Lou Nan.

"Mr. Qilou Nan, I have something very important that I want to discuss with you in detail. I am intercepting you just to guard against villains. I have absolutely no intention of murdering you."

"Can you move over and talk to me?"

"good."

(End of this chapter)