Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 86 Rumors
As soon as Yang Yan returned to the courtyard, the housekeeper hurried forward.

"Master, someone came from Cheng'an and brought a letter from the Lord of Lecheng County. He insisted on handing it to you in person and has been waiting for you."

Yang Yan did not say anything, but gestured to the butler to take off his clothes. The butler did not dare to use force and slowly undressed him, but Yang Yan could not help but gasp. As his clothes fell off, the bloodstains on his body were exposed.

The clothes were almost stuck to the wound, and when the clothes were taken off, the wound was torn again and started bleeding again.

The housekeeper felt extremely distressed.

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening? How can a prime minister be whipped like this?"

Yang Yin just shook his head.

"No problem. Don't say more."

The butler took off all his clothes, and Yang Yin's whole body was stained with blood.

Yang Yin's expression was solemn. "Your Majesty's appetite has become smaller and smaller. He can't even drink too much wine."

The housekeeper's eyes lit up, his whole body trembled, and he didn't respond.

"The prince is kind-hearted, generous, benevolent, gentle and cheerful, unlike his peers. If you can assist the prince, you will surely be able to bring order to the world."

As Yang Yin spoke, his eyes were gleaming with anticipation, and this expression was exactly the same as Lu Qubing's at the beginning.

"if only."

He lowered his voice and said a few words, and the butler didn't hear clearly.

"Bring new clothes, and send the messenger to me."

Yang Yin changed into new clothes and met the messenger from Cheng'an in the side hall.

The messenger appeared in front of Yang Yan and bowed to greet him. Yang Yan looked at him. He had a strange beard and did not look like a Han Chinese. Yang Yan's face darkened a little. "I wonder why the county magistrate disobeyed the order?"

"Could it be that this imperial decree cannot control the royal family?"

When Yang Yin got angry, his aura suddenly changed. Although he had no dignity in front of Gao Yang and was humiliated and beaten in various ways, he was still the prime minister of the Great Qi after all. All the political orders of the world came from his hands. He was not a powerless puppet.

He didn't want to have too much trouble with Gao Changgong, but if the county magistrate was too presumptuous, Yang Yin would teach him a lesson.

The Hu man in front of him was indeed a little scared. He handed the letter to Yang Yin respectfully and said, "I was only ordered to hand the letter to Prime Minister Yang. I don't know anything else."

Yang Yin did not continue to embarrass this little man. He picked up the letter, opened it casually, and started reading.

After looking at it for a while, Yang Yin's expression finally eased a little.

"Okay, I know everything. Give me my pen."

Yang Yin asked the butler for a pen and paper and started writing on the spot. When he was done, he asked the butler to give it to the messenger.

"Just take it back and give it to the county magistrate."

"only!!"

Kou Liu hurriedly got up and left with the letter.

After the other party left, Yang Yin finally smiled. "This Duke of Lecheng County is quite good. He is not the arrogant and domineering son of the royal family."

The housekeeper was stunned. "Didn't you say before that this person is violent, murderous, and eager for quick success, which is the style of the royal family. He should not be allowed to approach the imperial city?"

"He is impatient, but he is not a murderous and cruel person. Judging from his letters, he wants to cure Cheng An, or at least do good things for him. This is rare. With time, he may become a capable minister to the prince."

"Then let him stay in Cheng'an?"

"No."

Yang Yin's attitude was very firm. "The capital is already in turmoil. What is needed is a steady and mature person. This county magistrate is too much, which is not good for the overall situation. We still need to let him hone his skills for a while."

"The Lu Yao whom I appointed is a mature, kind and generous person. Let him go to comfort the people and govern the country. He is competent for the job."

Kou Liu rode a fast horse and galloped towards Cheng'an.

Thinking of the scene just now, he still felt a little scared.

But then he was secretly delighted. Who could have thought that someone like him would one day be able to meet the prime minister? In the past, he would never have dared to dream of such a thing.

The road from Yecheng to Cheng'an is not very peaceful.

Wild dogs could always be seen in the distance, wagging their tails, gathering on the road and licking the ground.

On this road, you can see several deep marks that are black and smelly.

When they spotted the knights, the wild dogs ran away in a hurry. They hid in the bushes, poked their heads out, bared their teeth fiercely, and threatened passers-by not to approach.

The bandits were running wildly past, and some wild dogs even tried to chase them. After chasing them for some distance, they stopped and started barking wildly.

The bandits traveled for a long time and finally approached Cheng'an County.

As soon as he approached the county town, he was surrounded by a sea of ​​people. A group of hungry, zombie-like people, they were dazed and trembling as they rushed towards the county town.

Kou Liu looked around, but he couldn't count their number. From the horizon to his eyes, they all seemed to be numb people.

At the gate of the county town, there was already chaos.

There were huge crowds of people outside the city gate, all of them numbly waiting to die. They surrounded the city gate, approaching one by one, and they were bustling about.

Outside the city gate, seven or eight officials were busy restoring their identities. The county soldiers stood not far away, holding weapons, staring at these dead people who outnumbered themselves by ten times, their palms filled with cold sweat.

"one by one!"

"Get in line!"

There was a food official carrying a load on his shoulder, distributing wheat cakes to these people one by one. There was also a water bucket on the side. The dead people picked up the cakes and devoured them, almost eating their own hands.

Occasionally there were cries and sobs.

Kou Liu didn't dare to charge again. He kept pulling on the reins and squeezed out of the crowd. When he reached the city gate, the county soldiers knew him and quickly let him go without checking.

Kou Liu continued to run on the road. Pedestrians along the street retreated to the sides, making way for the main road, and Kou Liu rushed past among them.

Some who knew him even bowed to him.

The door of the restaurant in the distance was open, and a waiter was standing at the door with food in his hands, calling out to attract customers.

Kou Liu rushed all the way to the county government office, jumped off his horse and hurried inside.

The county government was still very busy, and there was almost no one idle.

Kou Liu went all the way to Lu Qubing's residence, handed the letter to Lu Qubing, and then left.

When the bandits returned to the Youjiao Mansion, Yao Xiong was not there. Youjiao Gong and Tian Zilie were lecturing several local officials.

"If anyone dares to bully the people in the village again."

Kou Liu didn't disturb anyone. He took the horse to the stable consciously, put the feed in his hand, and let the warhorse eat.

Looking at the warhorse eating, Kou Liu's face was full of smiles.

He smiled particularly brightly.

The backyard of the county government office.

Gao Changgong held Zhang Li's hand with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Zhang is a man of great talent. This one move has made all the refugees come to Cheng'an. If this can be accomplished, you should be the first to achieve the credit!"

Zhang Li was so scared that he wanted to withdraw his hand, but Gao Changgong held him tightly. He could only whisper, "I dare not, I dare not, this is all because of the county lord's credit."

"This free porridge and food distribution can really attract refugees from all over the country to come here! Why didn't I think of it?"

"County lord, the refugees are homeless and hungry. If they can have a full meal, they will be willing to be captured and killed. Therefore, when the county government distributes food outside the city, they are willing to come."

"However, County Lord, this method has its pros and cons. For example, it consumes a huge amount of food."

Gao Changgong waved his hand and said, "Mr. Zhang, you don't have to worry about the food problem. The county government is much richer now than before!"

Zhang Li smiled bitterly and said, "I know. But, Lord, no matter how much food the county government has, it will eventually run out. And if the refugees from all over the country learn about the situation here, they will surely come here in droves."

"Too many refugees will cause unrest in the area. They will be easily impeached under the emperor's feet. Moreover, if one day we can no longer distribute food, and refugees gather outside the city, I am afraid there will be even greater trouble."

Gao Changgong nodded, "I understand. I'll find a way."

As the two were talking, Lu Qubing walked in.

"County Lord, a letter from Lord Yang!"

Gao Changgong hurriedly stood up, took the letter, and opened it impatiently.

He looked at it for a moment, his face somewhat disappointed, and handed the letter to Lu Qubing.

"This county lord, this is a letter for you."

"It's okay, just watch it."

Lu Qubing then started to read it. After a while, he shook his head and said, "It's just as I thought. I still have to send you away."

“Alas, things have only just begun.”

"Mr. Lu, Lord Yang told me not to worry about Cheng An. He said he has arranged a wise man to take over. If he fails, he will give me an explanation. Do you recognize this wise man, Magistrate Lu Yao?"

"I have never met him, but I have heard of his reputation. I have heard that he is honest, kind and loving, never makes enemies with anyone, treats the common people very kindly, and is deeply loved by the officials in the court."

"Rumors are just rumors after all. It would be better to meet them in person."

(End of this chapter)