Tiger Guards

Chapter 97 Beating Colleagues
After a brief silence, Pei Mao asked, "May I ask, Minister, what is the second matter?"

Huan Dian began to focus, as it would definitely involve rewards for the Tiger Guards, and he wanted to save as much money as possible for the court.

Giving out too much money as a reward would be detrimental to the stability of Hedong.

There will be a series of wars in the future, and it will cost money to build weapons and purchase military supplies, and rewards will also cost money.

If the reward is too high at the beginning, the level of rewards later cannot be lowered, which will place a heavy burden on the court.

"The first matter concerns the reputation and long-term career of Hu Ben and Yi Cong; the second matter is related to the gold and five-zhu coins stored in the secret room."

Zhao Ji went to look at Huan Dian and said, "Duke Huan, is this money the savings that the Wei family has siphoned off and exploited the people of Hedong for over three hundred years?"

Hearing this, Pei Mao immediately became excited, his chest straightened and his eyes bright.

Even if the official was angry after reacting, he had to restrain himself at this moment.

Anyone who denies this issue should not blame others for being dragged into an alley and beaten by people from Hedong while taking a walk.

Huan Dian did not respond directly, but asked, "What is the purpose of Minister Zhao asking this?"

"Duke Huan, I'm asking whether this money is the accumulated savings of the people of Hedong over the past three hundred years. If you don't understand the Hedong accent, I can ask Minister Pei to relay it."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Pei Mao. Huan Dian chuckled, "Minister Zhao's accent isn't thick, so I can understand him. This money is the savings of the people of Hedong for generations, but it was acquired by the Wei family. Now that the Wei family has committed a crime, the court has confiscated it. This money is naturally the court's money."

"Are you betting that I can't let go?"

Zhao Ji stood up, untied the sash from under his chin, and took the Diao Chan crown in his hand, examining it carefully. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Now that Dong Zhuo is gone, they've become like dogs barking like men. They couldn't correct Wang Yun's chaotic rule, nor could they punish the rebellious ministers Li and Guo. They persuaded the emperor to move east, abandoned the Three Prefectures and Hongnong, and countless officials and civilians died in vain. I feel deeply ashamed to be associated with them!"

After saying that, he turned around, put the Diao Chan crown on Qubei's head, tore off his official uniform, crumpled it into a ball and threw it on the ground.

The outer Huben stood up one after another. Jia Tong drew his sword first, and then one Huben drew his sword and knife.

The Xiongnu Yicong retreated, and Qubei stood up to persuade them, his expression distressed: "Minister, please do not be impulsive!"

Pei Mao also hurried to Zhao Ji's side and tightly grasped his wrist: "Aji, why do you have to do this! If you take the tiger guards and run away, where will the emperor be? Where will Yuan Minggong be?"

"Uncle, this is Hedong's money, and it should be used in Hedong!"

Zhao Ji pointed at Huan Dian and said, "I'll keep an eye on you, you old thief with a gray beard!"

Huan Dian also stood up, glaring and refusing to budge: "All land under heaven belongs to the king! This is the court's money!"

"Without the people producing, where would the money and food come from?"

Zhao Ji retorted and turned to leave. Huan Dian thought he was just scared. After all, he had been involved in many quarrels and shouting matches in his youth. He immediately cursed: "You are a lunatic who has no respect for the emperor and his father! You will die a horrible death sooner or later! The Zhao Yuanming family is full of loyal and brave people, how could there be such a person as you..."

Seeing Zhao Ji stop and turn to look at him, Huan Dian scolded him again: "The court is in danger and needs talents, but you just left. Where is the safety of the country?"

"How can I help the world if I'm associated with an old villain like you? How can I save the people from disaster?"

Zhao Ji stepped forward and grabbed Huan Dian's collar, stretched out his left arm and slowly raised it. Huan Dian's short legs flapped, trying to kick Zhao Ji.

But his legs were short and he had nowhere to gain leverage, while Zhao Ji had long arms.

Seeing this, an official drew his sword and was about to rush towards Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji turned his head and glared at him, and the other party stood there in shock.

One of Zhao Ji's mounted slaves stepped forward and kicked the opponent in the waist. Without waiting for the opponent to struggle to get up, he put his spear under the opponent's neck and stared at him.

Pei Mao was so anxious that he couldn't even call out to Aji. "Minister Zhao, calm down! This money belongs to Hedong... and it's also the imperial court's money! Minister Zhao, please explain how you want to allocate it, and we can discuss it with you!"

Qubei held the slightly deformed Diao Chan crown in his hand, straightened it with his hands, and perfunctorily persuaded: "Minister, please speak up. Just for the sake of the little prince, please calm down your anger for a while."

"Okay, I'll give the wise king a favor."

Zhao Ji loosened his left hand, and Huan Dian fell on the straw mat, losing his balance and falling to the ground in a miserable state.

Yang Qi looked at Huan Dian, whose face was red and ears were so red that he wanted to hide in the haystack, and felt that this guy had saved him from disaster.

Zhao Ji took a moment to catch his breath before speaking loudly, "The head tax in Hedong must be exempted for ten years! Only one tenth of the wealth in the treasury can be withdrawn each year, and it must be used up within ten years! Otherwise, the excessive issuance of currency will hurt the common people in Hedong!"

"I don't believe you, old scoundrel. I must erect a monument here and have the names of the ministers and officials listed on it. If you break your promise, all the ministers and officials in the court will be exterminated and their descendants will be exterminated!"

Zhao Ji pointed at Huan Dian and said this, and Yang Qi felt like he was scolding himself.

Then Zhao Ji looked at him and said, "Mr. Ziqi?"

"Minister Zhao is also thinking about the people of Hedong. I think this is feasible."

Yang Qi said sullenly, "The Emperor loves you, you shouldn't be so rude."

"Even my king and father didn't scold me like this. I am a minister in the same palace with this old villain. He is not my teacher. Why does he insult me like this?"

Zhao Ji reached out and took the spear from the riding slave. Suddenly, he turned around and asked Fu De with a smile, "Can my merits be exchanged for this old thief's leg?"

Fu De was horrified and hurriedly advised: "Why do you belittle yourself, Minister?"

How could a minister of the imperial court beat up his colleagues?
"It seems my merit is worth two of his legs. This old thief is really valuable. The court should keep more of him."

Zhao Ji turned around and chopped down with his spear, breaking Huan Dian's two skinny shins in the blink of an eye. Huan Dian's hair and beard stood on end in pain, his eyes widened, his body twitched, and he passed out.

Fu Degan swallowed hard, and Zhao Ji looked at the restrained official on the ground. "I dare to ask the wise king, if a lowly person offends a high-ranking official among the Xiongnu, how should we punish him?" Qu Bei hesitated, then turned to his subordinates and asked, "What is the punishment for this crime?"

Hu Yanguo stood up and said, "My king, anyone who draws a sword against an elder or noble will have their shins torn at best, their hands severed at worst, or even be trampled to death by a horse."

Zhao Ji sneered at this and said, "The laws in the Xian Kingdom are too lenient. In China, the lightest punishment for offending a superior is death, and it often affects the entire family."

Be humble and playful. The Huns' family is their wealth. They have no human rights, so how can they be violated or affected?
After Zhao Ji finished laughing, he tilted his head to look at several mounted slaves. They immediately stepped forward, controlled the official, and tortured him on the spot.

Seeing them carrying nearby stones to hit their legs, Zhao Ji instructed Han Shu: "Carry a hammer with you from now on. I think it will be useful."

"Here."

Just standing nearby and watching the torture, even if the official didn't die, he would become a cripple and his future career would be ruined.

Jia Tong, standing diagonally across from Zhao Ji, couldn't help but think of something, and immediately said to his attendants, "The torture is over. Drag him away to be treated."

Several Tiger Guards held wooden pieces in their mouths and went to lift up the official upon hearing what was said.

Jia Tong bowed to Zhao Ji and said, "Zhonglang, I will take my leave."

"Do your best to treat him. After this lesson, I think he won't do it again."

"Yes, I understand."

Jia Tong bowed to Pei Mao and Fu De again, took a few steps back, and followed the tiger guards.

At this time, another palace official stepped forward and bowed to Zhao Ji, saying, "Minister, please help rescue Duke Huan."

"I beat him and then saved him. Will he be grateful to me after he recovers?"

Zhao Ji asked back, and the other party was stunned.

Zhao Ji waved his hand and said, "Take him back to Anyi. I only have one doctor who can fix bones here, and I don't have time to save him."

Even if Hua Tuo was brought over, Huan Dian could not be saved. Zhao Ji had full confidence in his destructive power. With a comminuted fracture, Huan Dian, at his current age, could only lie down and die.

Several palace guards carried Huan Dian away, and Zhao Ji sat down again.

Pei Mao had folded his official uniform and placed it beside Zhao Ji, with the Diao Chan crown on top of it.

The others gradually took their seats. Pei Mao coughed dryly twice and said, "Minister Zhao has already said two things. What's the other one?"

"I'm going to ask the Emperor to issue a decree to establish a Locust Temple at the foot of Purple Gold Mountain in Jiangyi. All the people of Hedong can bring locusts and exchange them for money. I'm going to compact the locusts to make a platform, and on top of this platform, I'm going to build the Locust Temple. One stone of locusts for one hundred coins!"

After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he looked around. Jing Chun and Wang Qi, who knew the inside story, looked at each other and felt helpless.

But it's also giving money to the people of Hedong Township, so there's really nothing to object to.

Seeing Zhao Ji being so disrespectful to the gods, Yang Qi sneered secretly, although he didn't respect them much either.

Pei Mao couldn't refute it. It was true that the people feared the locust god, but if they could make money by killing locusts and using them to offer sacrifices to the locust temple... the people would naturally make the right choice.

Anyway, whether the people respond or not has nothing to do with him, but if he blocks this way of spending money, the people in the countryside will criticize and slander him.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Minister Zhao wants to raise money to build a temple for the locust god. How much does it cost?"

Zhao Ji pointed at the entrance to the secret passage and said, "There are twenty-eight cellars inside. The Right Wise King and I will use six. One is for rewarding the Tiger Guards, one is for rewarding the Xiongnu volunteers; two are for exchanging locusts for sacrifice to the locust god; and the remaining two are for military supplies for the Tiger Guards and the Xiongnu. The specific expenditures will be recorded, and the court can send envoys to investigate."

Pei Mao frowned. "That's inappropriate. We can only give one to the Minister of the Interior and one to the Virtuous King. The two needed for the sacrifice to the locust god can be granted by the emperor. The expenses for rewarding the Tiger Guards and the Righteous Followers should also come from the court."

The Hu Ben and Yi Cong soldiers around him bit the wooden pieces and could not make a sound, but their expressions of ridicule were clearly visible.

Qu Bei smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it's all right. However, the treasury cannot be guarded by the imperial court. Your Majesty is willing to send a hundred men to assist in the defense."

Zhao Ji smiled at this and said, "Alright, erect the stele as soon as possible. I'll make a copy. If any ministers break the contract in the future, I'll lead the men of Hedong to find the horse by name and exterminate his entire family!"

No one responded. After a moment, Fu De said, "Minister Zhao, please stabilize the affairs here as soon as possible. Your Majesty misses you very much."

"Here."

Zhao Ji bowed to Fu De, and Fu De also bowed in return. They both seemed very polite.

In the attic of the distant courtyard, Cai Zhaoji watched Huan Dian being dragged away before she breathed a sigh of relief.

Her brows relaxed, and she said to the maid beside her, "I'll go ask for some meat later. Ask the guard outside the door to pass on a message, saying that I want to thank Zhao Zhonglang for avenging my grievance."

"Here!"

The maid responded crisply and left happily.

There is a limit to the happiness in the world, and she felt that she was getting further and further away from the Huns.

But the Huns were getting closer and closer to Zhao Ji, so close that Yang Qi felt suffocated.

No matter how much they admired Chinese studies, it was difficult for the Huns to change their racial nature of admiring the strong.

(End of this chapter)