Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 97 He Shikai (Two in One)

There was commotion in the county government office.

More than ten riders broke into the county government office and galloped all the way to the backyard. The clerks along the way exclaimed and the soldiers hurriedly raised their spears.

When Lu Yao heard the panic outside, he rushed out of the inner room in dishevel.

"what happened?"

As soon as he walked out, he saw his chief clerk lying on the ground, with several soldiers punching and kicking him. There was also a man standing next to the chief clerk with a vicious look.

The man saw Lu Yao and walked up to him quickly. Before Lu Yao could react, he grabbed his sleeve and said, "Are you Lu Yao?!"

"It's me! Who are you?! Do you want to rebel?!"

Lu Yao reprimanded sternly.

Lu Yao did not recognize the person in front of him. He was very tall but thin, about thirty or forty years old, and quite handsome. However, at this moment, his face looked extremely ferocious and brutal.

The man laughed, and his laughter was like that of an evil bird, creepy.

"I'm plotting a rebellion?"

"You hung the heads of my two brothers on the city wall for public display. Return my brothers' lives!"

He stretched out his hand and was about to grab Lu Yao's neck.

Lu Yao was shocked, "Someone come here!!"

The soldiers rushed in, and the knights who followed this man in were not afraid at all. They beat Qian Zhubu so hard that he could hardly get up, and then looked at the soldiers.

"aqa"

One of them spoke.

Hearing this, the county soldiers were shocked and stopped immediately. They looked at each other and dared not move forward.

Qian Zhubu struggled to get up, "Broke into the county government office! Beat up officials! Rebellion! This is rebellion!"

"Come, kill me!!"

He shouted and rushed towards the Xianbei man holding a knife.

The nobleman was quick to grab Qian Zhubu and threw him to the ground. Qian Zhubu's face was covered with scars and he couldn't even open his eyes, but he kept shouting, "Rebellion! Kill officials! Rebellion!!"

"I'm not rebelling. I want County Magistrate Lu to give an explanation."

This person stepped on Qian Zhubu with his foot, then looked at Lu Yao and took out his official badge from his arms.

"I am a member of the Changguang King's army! My name is He Shikai! I have two younger brothers, who are honest, kind and simple. They studied at the Imperial College and came to Cheng'an to hunt in their spare time, but they lost their lives! Their heads were even hung at the city gate for public display!!"

"Lu Yao!! Why did you kill my brother?!"

At this moment, Lu Yao suddenly realized that it was someone from the He family.

The next moment, Lu Yao frowned, his face solemn, "Your two brothers occupied the road, killing people for fun, and actually killed four people in Cheng'an. The officials came to arrest them, but they wanted to commit murder, so they were killed."

"fart!!"

He Shikai was furious. He shouted, "My brothers are all studious and kind people. It's clearly you bastards who framed them!"

He walked to Lu Yao again, and this time he grabbed the other's collar, "Tell me the truth! How did my brother die?!"

"Why did you kill them?!"

He was aggressive and pushed the county magistrate. Lu Yao was forced to retreat step by step and finally almost leaned against the wall.

Qian Zhubu was lying on the ground, exhausted. Looking at the county magistrate being humiliated, he struggled to get up again, but the knights kicked him down again.

He lay on the ground, looking at the soldiers outside the door who dared not step forward.

"Go find Liu Youjiao, Liu Youjiao!!"

He Shikai ignored Qian Zhubu at all. He pressed Lu Yao against the wall with an indescribably ferocious look in his eyes. "Why?!"

Lu Yao was not afraid at all, staring at his eyes angrily, "Your brothers killed people for fun, and they deserved to be killed, all because of your lax discipline and unkind family tradition."

He Shikai laughed, he banged Lu Yao's head against the wall and lowered his voice.

"How do you want to make up for it?"

"I lost two younger brothers. How much are they worth?"

"You have to give me an explanation, otherwise, I will take you to see the king. The king will cut you into pieces and feed them to his big dogs and your people. Not a single one will be left behind. Do you believe it?"

"What do you want to be told?"

"Dai County Bu Liugu Clan. Oh, no, now it's Luoyang Lu Clan. Compensation shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Lu Yao saw wolf-like greed and ferocity flashing in the man's brown eyes.

There was no longer any sign of the pain of losing his brother on his face; Lu Yao even saw some joy and pride.

He was preparing to exchange the lives of his two younger brothers for a good price.

He Shikai was not a Han Chinese. His ancestors were Hu people from the Western Regions. They were Hu merchants who came to the Central Plains. Later, they married local people, changed their surname from Suhe to He, and became local leaders. By the time of He Shikai's father, he had already become an official and served as a governor.

Lu Yao knew all the details about his family and suddenly thought: He is worthy of being a descendant of a Hu merchant.

At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard from outside the lobby.

The soldier at the door was pushed open, and Liu Taozi walked quickly into the hall. He glanced at the chief clerk lying on the ground, then at the county magistrate who was pasted on the wall, and finally his eyes fell on He Shikai.

When the Xianbei knight saw Liu Taozi, he first took a few steps back and then cursed: "Aqa!!"

"Boom~~"

Liu Taozi kicked the knight in the chest, and the Xianbei man flew away, knocking over the person behind him, and both of them fell to the ground at the same time.

The other Xianbei people were horrified and quickly drew their swords.

"stop!!"

He Shikai turned around and stopped these people. He squinted his eyes and looked at Liu Taozi behind him, from his feet to his head.

"I guess this is the man who chopped off my brother's head?"

"Mr. Lu, you have some very cruel officials under your command!"

He Shikai said, but ignored Liu Taozi. He looked at Lu Yao again, "Mr. Lu, this cruel official can force me to retreat, but he can't force my king to retreat."

"Let go."

Liu Taozi spoke.

He Shikai immediately let go of Lu Yao in front of him, smiled and took a few steps back.

He just looked at Lu Yao, "Mr. Lu, you have to think it over carefully. Before my king returns from Jinyang, I need an explanation. Just one will do."

He retreated as he spoke, all the way to the door, then signaled a few knights to follow him and left in a hurry.

Liu Taozi stepped forward and helped the disheveled Lu Yao up.

The soldiers also hurriedly helped Qian Zhubu up. Qian Zhubu's eyes were still red and swollen. He squinted his eyes and looked at Liu Taozi through the gap.

"Liu Youjiao, we can't let them take that head away."

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong who was standing aside, "Take your men to get those two heads back. If they refuse, I will kill them."

"only!!"

Lu Yao hurriedly ordered: "Don't kill him, don't kill him!"

Yao Xiong had already walked out. Lu Yao looked at Liu Taozi standing aside and sighed helplessly, his expression somewhat embarrassed.

"Liu Youjiao, He Shikai is the confidant of Prince Changguang, the confidant of the confidant, and the two of them are inseparable. Five years ago, the two of them were too much indecent, and rumors spread in Yecheng. Even His Majesty heard about it. His Majesty thought He Shikai was frivolous, so he exiled him and forbad Prince Changguang to have any contact with him."

"But later, Prince Changguang cried and begged again and again, and His Majesty had no choice but to summon him back to the capital."

"If this man dies in Cheng'an, Prince Changguang will lead his army to massacre the city."

As the two were talking, Lu Qubing hurried in, "What happened?! Someone broke into the county government office?!"

He came in and saw the embarrassed county magistrate and the bruised and battered chief clerk. He then looked at Taozi and asked, "What are you doing?"

Lu Yao quickly cleared his throat, "This was not done by Zhizhi, it was done by an evil person. Zhizhi arrived in time and drove those people away."

"what??"

Lu Qubing was a little confused.

Lu Yao cleared his throat and said, "Let everyone go back first. Rongzu, Zhizhi, Ziyi, the three of you stay."

Lu Qubing hurriedly asked everyone to go back, and there were only four of them left. Lu Yao sat in the upper seat and looked at the people in front of him.

"Earlier, the He clan's children rebelled in our county. When the officials went to arrest them, they dared to resist and were killed. Everyone should remember this incident."

Everyone nodded.

Lu Yao added: "Today, He Shikai, this beast, openly broke into the county government office, attacked officials, and demanded compensation from me!"

"I am usually kind to others and don't want to make enemies, but I also know some principles of being a human being, and I will never be bullied by such an evil villain!!"

"I will write a memorial to inform Lord Yang about this matter!!"

"Everyone, take my order. From today on, He Shikai is not allowed to enter our Cheng'an territory anymore. Tell the gatekeepers and village officials everywhere about this matter! If he breaks in again, he will be captured and escorted to Lord Yang's mansion!!"

At this moment, everyone stood up and bowed to Lu Yao.

"only!!"

Xiangfu.

Under the night sky, the prime minister's house was still brightly lit.

The window reflected the man's muscular body, but it was accompanied by screams. Yang Yin was lying flat on the bed, his upper body naked, and an old man stood beside him, carefully applying ointment on his back.

Yang Yan's back was covered with scars from years of being whipped with horse whips, causing him great pain. When the old man was applying ointment, Yang Yan couldn't help but let out a low growl.

The sound spread from the house and drifted throughout the backyard. When the patrolling soldiers heard it, they shuddered, lowered their heads, and quickly passed by.

The old man put clothes on Yang Yin and helped him up.

Yang Yin sat up, feeling a faint burning sensation on his back. He forced a smile and looked at the old man beside him, "Mr. Ma, thank you very much, thank you very much."

The old man shook his head and packed up his medicine bag.

"Yang Xiang."

"Your back cannot be injured again. If you continue like this, you will be paralyzed sooner or later. If you can't resist, why not just hide?"

Yang Yin's face was gloomy, "How can I avoid it?"

He smiled again, "Don't you still have me? No problem!"

Ma Siming grinned and said, "I'm afraid I can no longer treat you."

"Oh? Is Ma Gong going to leave Yecheng?"

"I'm not leaving Yecheng, but my time limit has come. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave this month."

Yang Yin was shocked, "Why do you say that?"

"I'm old now. I've been treating other people all my life. I know my own condition very well, but it's useless to know. It's hard to treat myself!"

"You have to be more careful in the future. I do have a few useless disciples outside. If you need medical help, you can call them over. Although they are not as good as me, they are half as good as me."

"Thank you, Ma Gong."

Yang Yin sent away Ma Siming, who looked very carefree, but his heart became increasingly heavy. He sighed and sat down again to prepare for work.

After picking up the music sheet and taking a few glances at it, Yang Yin's face turned extremely ugly.

Why is it Cheng An again? !
He Shikai from the Changguang Palace?

At present, your Majesty's health is getting worse. Although the crown prince is kind, he is still young. Changshan Prince Gao Yan, Changguang Prince Gao Zhan and others have extremely high prestige and are deeply supported by domestic nobles, and they are also eyeing the throne.

Your Majesty actually said some bullshit to Gao Yan, "Take it if you want, but don't kill him!"
It is only natural that the crown prince inherits the throne. How can we tolerate these princes being so presumptuous? !

The prince is intelligent, knowledgeable, and kind.
Thinking about what happened later, Yang Yin felt his back no longer hurt and his whole body was full of energy. He quickly picked up the pen and began to write.

After writing it, he called his servant.

"Send this letter to King Changguang. Remember, hand it to him personally!"

"only!"

Tenth year of Tenbao, October.

The sky gradually brightened, and the light shone outside the city. The rustling voices of people were heard, and with the sound of vendors walking around, a simple and peaceful town scene slowly unfolded.

A carriage drove in from the city gate, and a tall and strong servant drove the carriage, walking on the road at a leisurely pace.

The noise along the road grew louder.

The carriage remained calm. After an unknown amount of time, it finally stopped in front of a mansion.

The servant got out of the car and knocked on the door.

One of them opened the door suspiciously and looked at the servant outside, "What can I do for you?"

"Is Liu Youjiao in the mansion?"

The servant asked softly.

The man became more alert and said, "I don't know any Liu Youjiao."

"We have no ill intentions. Please find Liu Youjiao for us. We have something important to discuss with him."

The man pursed his lips, locked the door, and then quickly left.

The carriage and servants waited here. After an unknown amount of time, Liu Taozi came galloping towards here on horseback. He reined in his horse in front of the carriage and looked at the stranger in front of him.

"Are you looking for me?"

The servant glanced at the carriage and whispered, "The peach lover is inside the carriage. Please come in and meet him."

Liu Taozi shuddered and quickly looked at Yao Xiong who was standing aside, "Xiong, you guard the door and don't let anyone in."

"only!!"

Liu Taozi dismounted and opened the door himself. The servant drove into the mansion. Yao Xiong took a curious look and stood guard at the door.

The carriage entered the mansion and stopped. Liu Zhang led Xiao Wu out of the carriage.

"mom."

Liu Taozi immediately knelt down in front of her mother.

Mrs. Liu Zhang just hugged her son. She smiled, but there were clear traces of tears on her face.

"My son, my son."

Even though Liu Taozi was kneeling, he seemed to be taller than Liu Zhangshi. Liu Zhangshi touched his hair and face for a long time before letting go.

Liu Taozi looked at Xiao Wu who was standing beside him, "Xiao Wu."

"Brother!"

Xiao Wu quickly saluted.

Liu Zhang's eyes were filled with indescribable tenderness, "My eldest son has made great progress. These days, I often hear people talking about the mandrill. The whole Qingdu knows that Cheng'an has produced a mandrill that loves to eat people!"

"Your grandfather keeps nagging you all day, saying that you are causing trouble everywhere."

"How are you doing? Is anyone bullying you?"

When Liu Zhang saw her son again, she seemed to have turned into Lu Qubing, with endless things to say.

"Mom, I'm doing well and no one bullies me."

Liu Zhang smiled and nodded slightly, "That's good. I knew from the beginning that my son has a promising future and will definitely accomplish great things."

"Sure enough, Cheng'an has changed. I haven't seen Cheng'an so lively and peaceful for a long time."

Liu Zhang pursed her lips, then looked at Taozi, "Taozi, Cheng'an is now well governed, and Lord Lu is definitely not a wicked person. You have done what you wanted to do, so resign from your official position and follow me."

Liu Taozi didn't say anything.

Liu Zhang said again: "My son, you don't know, something big is going to happen. There will be a huge storm next. No matter who is involved, they will be in danger of death."

"I'm not looking down on you. I know how capable my son is."

"It's just that now that you've done what you wanted to do, there's no need to get involved in more dangerous things. This time, even your grandfather wouldn't be able to protect himself. Just follow me and wait until things calm down. No matter what you want to do, I won't stop you."

Hearing what Liu Zhang said, Liu Taozi raised her head slightly and then shook her head.

"mom."

"That's too late."

"what?"

"I am not alone now. I have many friends here, and many people rely on me. If I leave, the evildoers will surely counterattack, and they will die."

"Then take them with you."

"Mom, I don't want to leave."

Liu Zhang's face was full of anxiety. "Why? You have already done what you wanted to do. I really don't understand, what exactly do you want to do?"

"At first, I just wanted to be an official so I could protect my mother. Later, I found that many people were unable to protect their loved ones, so I decided to protect them and kill those evil people who committed crimes."

"Now, I want to change this world. I want to kill all the evil people in the world and restore peace and order to the people of the country."

Liu Zhang was stunned. "Can you kill all the evil people in the world?"

"Kill them first. If there is one, kill one. If there are two, kill a pair. If I kill one, a few more good families can survive. If I kill ten, a hundred more families can survive."

"Just like this Cheng An, I have been killing him for three months, and now he is not thriving anymore?"

"you."

Liu Zhang's beautiful face was full of surprise, she really didn't know what to say.

At this moment, Yao Xiong's voice came from the door.

"Brother Taozi!! An outsider is here to see you!!"

Liu Taozi quickly stood up, told the servants to take his mother and Xiao Wu into the house, and then he went out to open the door.

When Taozi opened the door, he saw several unfamiliar officials riding on horses, standing outside the door with a very arrogant attitude.

"Are you Liu Taozi, the Cheng'an official?"

"Exactly."

"This is your appointment letter. Liu Taozi, a special official of Cheng'an, is promoted to the position of Liyang County Magistrate. You must take up the post within five days!!"

The official casually threw the thing to Liu Taozi, called his attendants, and rode away chatting and laughing.

ps: Ah, the result is not very good, but I have prepared myself mentally, so I am not that upset. My passion has not faded yet, so I will continue to write. Maybe I can catch up later? Even if I can't catch up later, it can be regarded as adding new ways of writing, right? It can be regarded as learning new writing skills.

By the way, I will not publish short four chapters in the future, but two chapters in one. This way, the average subscription may increase again. Haha! I am so smart!

I’d also like to ask for some monthly votes or something, I hope the results will gradually improve!
(End of this chapter)