A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 329 Carrying a Corpse Through the Streets
Wei Shaou overheard County Magistrate Ban explaining the story of Wuyou Cave to Song Xuan.

He immediately saw a glimmer of hope for his survival.

Song Xuan, a newly appointed top scholar, only cared about political achievements.

He simply doesn't understand the rules of survival in Tokyo.

Even if the children of those powerful and wealthy families were to enter the Worry-Free Cave, the government would be completely powerless to do anything about it!
Now, if Song Xuan handles the gold and silver treasures in the tomb gently, without touching them, he will be fine.

There is still room for maneuver in this matter.

If he insists on going his own way, the four halls and five heroes of Wuyou Cave will go all out to deal with him.

So even though Wei Shaou was in great pain, he was still waiting to see Song Xuan get scared off.

"Zhong Wuliu, I remember you were very good at picking locks?"

Song Xuan ignored Ban Feng's words.

If the people of Wuyou Cave can truly threaten the government, then the Song Dynasty might as well be abandoned.

Rats in the gutter can never be brought to the table.

"Yes, sir."

"Back then, the master was testing the brothers' skills, and I was even rewarded for it."

Zhong Wuliu was very excited, as his skills finally had a chance to be put to use.

During his years in the county government, he fully understood that he had to consult his superiors on everything.

only if.

Only then can one live more comfortably in the county government office.

Therefore, although he could open the lock on the tomb passage, he absolutely could not open it without the order of the high official.

"You've opened all the locks down there. Also, tell the brothers to be careful and not to be blinded by the money inside."

“Bad guys will inevitably set traps. Check if there are any gaps in the floor tiles. They can shoot arrows as soon as you step on them.”

"Also, when moving things, you should be careful so that you don't get hit by some kind of arrow attack as soon as you lift them up."

"Yes."

Zhong Wuliu immediately returned to the cellar to prepare to unlock it.

Wei Shaou truly couldn't understand how Song Xuan, a top scholar in the imperial examination, could possibly understand the mechanisms inside the tomb.
Does he read such a wide variety of books?
Perhaps it was because one of my ancestors was a tomb raider that I became familiar with this profession.

Adding to this the secret code he mentioned earlier about the Worry-Free Cave, Wei Shaou was truly baffled.

Does he know the people in Wuyou Cave?
Even though Wei Shaou said a lot just now, there are still many life-saving things he didn't say.

Don't assume that just because the government kills people, Wuyou Cave won't eliminate the traitors who leaked the secrets.

The Xuanwu Hall in Wuyou Cave was specifically designed to eliminate those who might otherwise pass through its walls.

Song Xuan glanced at Wei Shaou, who was in excruciating pain, and ignored his wails.

Li Junyou walked over and said in a low voice:

“Cousin, although we are not afraid of the people of Wuyou Cave, it would be extremely disgusting to be smeared by a bunch of vermin.”

"I know."

Song Xuan also lowered his voice:

"The Worry-Free Cave organization has been around long enough; it's time to take them down."

"Besides, why should I do it all by myself? I should at least bring some people on board."

"Let's take this opportunity to catch them off guard."

"Who should we bring on board?"

"Whoever needs money, we'll bring them on board."

Li Junyou wanted to persuade him further, but then Song Xuan said:
"Cousin, you probably haven't heard this saying before."

"What?"

"A single punch can prevent a hundred more."

After Song Xuan finished speaking, Li Junyou immediately froze on the spot.

He kept repeating Song Xuan's words to himself in a low voice.

As expected of the top scholar, what he said makes a lot of sense!

Seeing that Song Xuan was determined to go his own way, Ban Feng understood that once someone got involved in this kind of thing, there was no way he could stop.

Master Song was determined to make a big splash.

As for Worry-Free Cave, come on over.

Now that things have come to this, trying to back out will only make them laugh at us.

Zhong Wuliu opened the locks effortlessly.

"Great job, this is really good."

"Hey hey hey."

Zhong Wuliu then reiterated Song Xuan's words, saying that there might be a trap set here, which could easily lead to someone's death.

He told everyone to move aside before he lightly pushed open the door to the tomb passage.

Inside, there were many neatly arranged boxes, as well as some standing jade carvings.

There was also a piece of fine silk, which must have been goods deliberately withheld.

"do not move."

Zhong Wuliu lay on the ground, carefully examining the bricks and stones below to see if anything had moved.

"what are you doing?"

"I will do as you instructed and thoroughly inspect it."

Zhong Wuliu said without looking up:
"Brother Xin, don't be in such a hurry. Even if you want to sneak something into your pocket, you should consider whether you'll live to take it."

Guo Xin spat and said, "What nonsense are you spouting, kid?"

"Since this place is a treasure trove, how could there be a trap!"

"The master is worried about our lives, and we're just wasting our time here?"

"The news has already leaked out. If it gets dark, those people from Wuyou Cave will inevitably try to intercept us."

"It would be better to finish the business as soon as possible and transport everything back."

The other three agreed with Guo Xin's words.

Guo Xin immediately stood up and went inside, but he was also a little cautious as he checked the marks on the ground.

He walked over, opened the box, and found it full of silver ingots.

The silver ingot is made in the shape of an arched head and a constricted waist, similar to a pig's kidney, so that the two fit together and are easy to transport and store.

Guo Xin reached out and took the topmost piece of assembled silver ingots, stuffed a few into his belt, and then distributed them to the other four people.

"Take it, take it, everyone who sees it gets a share."

Although Zhong Wuliu hesitated for a moment, he still reached out his hand subconsciously.

"This little bit of money is nothing," Guo Xin chuckled twice.
“The master will surely not blame us. I will buy some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones for my son later, after all, he needs to study.”

The other three chuckled a few times.

"Yes, yes, yes, the master wants to start a private school, and our son needs the money right now."

After Guo Xin put it away, he noticed a separate small box next to him.

He walked over and lifted the small box, which was filled with ten-tael gold ingots.

He reached out and pinched it, then put it in his mouth and bit it.

It has been confirmed that it is real gold.

The others were also breathing very rapidly.

Even though Guo Xin's eyes were shining, he suppressed his impulse and put the gold ingot back.

After all, most people don't have the opportunity to spend gold.

Taking a little silver is somewhat acceptable.

If you were to keep this kind of gold in your pocket, it would be a recipe for disaster.

So Guo Xin had to exert a great deal of effort to control himself and close the box.

"Don't reach for it, this gold is not something we can afford to spend."

Guo Xin picked up the six-pound gold box and said, "I'll take it to the master."

"what sound?"

Zhong Wuliu shouted, "Run!"

Immediately afterwards, rocks began to fall.

Zhong Wuliu scrambled out of the tomb passage; there were also people in the cellar.

"what happened?"

"What's the noise?"

"There's a trap."

"There's a trap."

Zhang, the head constable, lay prone at the cellar entrance, his expression suddenly changing. He turned to Song Xuan and shouted:
"My lord, there are traps in the tomb. Our men have been wiped out."

Song Xuan gave the order: "Quickly, save them."

Li Junyou and the others also stood up, never expecting that something would happen.

除了郭辛，另外三人被抬出来了，倒是没有立死，被落石给砸伤了。

Seeing their injuries, Song Xuan sent someone to fetch the doctor and also went to the county government to request reinforcements.

Guo Xin was carried up, already on the verge of losing consciousness.

"My lord, it's me, my son."

Song Xuan leaned down to listen to Guo Xin's faint voice and immediately replied:
"Guo Xin, your son will have no worries about food and clothing from now on. I will raise him to be a successful person. I mean what I say."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Guo Xin could no longer open his eyes.

After feeling around for a while and confirming there was no pulse, Song Xuan finally asked:
What happened down there?

Zhong Wuliu hadn't expected such a big mess to happen, so he told the whole story.

Guo Xin wanted to bring up that small box of gold for the master to inspect, and that's how this happened.

Zhong Wuliu also mentioned that some people wouldn't listen to advice.

"The trap of weight control is hard to avoid."

He told Zhong Wuliu not to dwell on this matter.

Song Xuan sat on the ground.

He glanced back at Wei Shaou, who was still wailing.

Wei Shaou was so frightened by Song Xuan's gaze that she quickly shook her head:
"None of my business."

"I only know that it contains gold and silver jewelry, and I did not mean to withhold this information."

"That trap was probably Xiaofeng's way of protecting himself from me."

"You'd better not know."

Song Xuan's eyes were filled with anger.

This is the first time that any of his men have been injured or killed.

"I would never dare to hide it."

"I wasn't even qualified to go in there; I had no idea what was going on."

Wei Shaou was also scared.

He really couldn't withstand this kind of massive memory restoration technique.

As for Li Rui, who defected, he dared not utter a word; he had never even been inside.

Many of the constables believed what Song Xuan had said earlier; although going down there could earn them a reward, it was indeed risky.

Li Junyou sighed:
"This is troublesome. Knowing my cousin's personality, he's really going to go after Wuyou Cave."

Wang Yufeng began:

"Worry-Free Cave is not to be trifled with; it will be very difficult to eradicate it completely."

"Never mind, let's just leave it like this."

Although Li Junyou found it troublesome, he did not think that the people of Wuyou Cave would dare to mess with the government officials.

In any case, when you're in the game, you need connections.

"County Commandant Ban, take your men down there and bring out all the stolen goods."

"Yes."

Ban Feng could also see that Song Xuan was furious. He was just investigating a case, but someone had lost their life.

……

Zuixian Tower.

Xiaofeng listened to his subordinate's report. He had been following along perfectly fine, but then he was discovered.

However, it did successfully alert the enemy.

"From now on, even when that guy surnamed Song goes out, he'll be surrounded by a retinue of servants."

"Let's get a few more cases, keep these black dogs busy, give them a good walk, walk them until they have no energy left."

"At that time, we will be more confident that we can empty all the money in the county government office at night."

Upon hearing the words of Xiaofeng, the leader of the White Tiger Hall, Canglin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, laughed heartily with satisfaction.

"Brother Feng's move is really impressive!"

"Hahaha."

Xiaofeng waved his hand:
"It's just a small trick. Song Xuan passed the imperial examination in three rounds, refused the prime minister, and chose to marry into a military family. This is enough to prove that he is not clear-headed."

"With a few simple tricks, we can easily outmaneuver him."

"Haha, not bad."

Cang Lin stroked his beard:

"Let's wait a bit before we act. Maybe when the time comes, someone will bring him money."

"Yeah, big brother is right."

Xiaofeng nodded repeatedly:

“We have people in the county government who can keep an eye on what he does at all times.”

"That's good." Cang Lin poured himself a cup of tea.

"Surely, the top scholar Song was also stubborn. He collected so much debt and handed it over to the court, but in the end, it was all taken away by Liu Congde."

"Liu Congde was merely transferring money from one pocket to another, yet he still managed to gain a reputation for voluntarily paying taxes."

"Scholar Song is still too green!"

Xiaofeng chuckled twice.

"But I think the big guy next to him is quite clever; he noticed someone was following him right away."

"My people say this big guy is pretty good at fighting."

"Well, that's normal."

Cang Lin nodded:
"It must be the skilled soldiers his father-in-law assigned to protect him. But since Scholar Song won't be staying at the county office when he goes home at night, we don't need to worry."

"It's none of our business. I've also heard about this Scholar Song's affair."

"This kid is incredibly audacious; he even dares to target his own superior."

"Currently, Chen Yaozuo, the Prefect of Kaifeng, doesn't dare to utter a single word."

Xiaofeng agreed with this statement.

He felt that Song Xuan was so tough in his official duties that the county magistrate and the registrar were all subservient to him and didn't care about anyone else. He was only strong because of his connections!
They used the bathroom murder case to spread rumors that they would kill anyone who investigated, but in reality, they didn't dare to actually kill any officials.

The goal is money.

Nowadays, most of the uprisings in the Song Dynasty are small-scale rebellions caused by traitors, and it is difficult for them to spread to all parts of the country.

They generally didn't have the guts to kill officials, especially those with powerful connections like Song Xuan.

Compared to the others in Wuyou Cave, these high-level leaders still have a normal sense of self.

"However, I heard from my people that this Song Zhuangyuan was very generous and didn't treat money like money."

Cang Lin stopped pouring tea: "Is his family rich?"

"I don't know, I've only heard that his father was a gambler, his second brother was also a gambler, and his eldest brother was even adopted out."

Xiaofeng picked up his teacup and took a sip: "But..."

"But what?" Cang Lin chuckled twice: "It can't be that his father and brothers are all gambling gods who are particularly good at winning money."

"Hahaha."

Xiaofeng laughed upon hearing this, but did not voice his doubts.

He had also heard excerpts from Journey to the West.

When I first heard it in the entertainment district, I had some doubts.

But no matter how I think about it, it doesn't match the child named Song Wennuan.

How can an orphan have a home?

dong dong dong.

There was a rapid knock on the door.

To make himself more comfortable during the hot summer, Canglin naturally placed ice cubes in his room.

Close all the doors and windows to prevent the ice from melting too quickly.

"Come in."

"Big Brother," Tong Youxiao hurriedly reported to Xiaofeng.

"Then Magistrate Song led a group of constables and ransackers to Taoran Inn and arrested everyone there."

"what?"

Xiaofeng stood up immediately:

"Is the news reliable?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. The doors inside and outside Taoran Inn were closed, and there were guards. Anyone who dared to approach would be arrested."

Tong Youxiao's face was solemn:

"I heard that some hooligans wanted to watch the show, but they were knocked unconscious by the strong men around Magistrate Song, who also warned everyone else to stay away and not to get themselves killed just to watch the show."

"Who dares to come near?"

"Who is this accomplice of this shady establishment!"

"Something's happened!" Xiaofeng said with absolute certainty.
"But we didn't get any advance notice, this is probably going to be troublesome."

"We can't let our information leak out beforehand, can we?"

Cang Lin also had a solemn expression.

He didn't believe Song Xuan would have prejudged the fact that someone was eyeing his large sum of "debts" that he had collected.

Moreover, they struck at the snake's vital spot, gaining the upper hand by striking first, targeting the forces of Wuyou Cave.

After so many years of development, the power of Wuyou Cave is no longer that of a stinking rat hiding underground.

Whether it's Taoran Inn or Zuixianlou, these are their open businesses, along with other outposts.

For the underworld, "laundering" is something that has always been something they need to consider after they have grown and become powerful.

"No."

Xiaofeng sat down and said with a slightly more composed tone:

"No one else knows about this except the two of us. They must have handled it poorly, and Song Xuan caught them red-handed and led his men to arrest them by accident."

"That's fine."

Cang Lin didn't care, but Xiao Feng was extremely worried, though he couldn't show it on his face.

There was a small treasury there that he had accumulated over the years, and he had no doubt about the loyalty of Wei Shaou and the others.

Worry-Free Cave is home to the Five Killings Punishment.

Leaking secrets, embezzling, disobeying orders, backing down, and deceiving superiors.

Even if they don't cut off their tongues, they will still be devoured by the nine worms.

The only thing Xiaofeng needed to care about was whether these captured people could withstand the severe torture.

Song Xuan, the top scholar, had no experience in this area, but his men were very familiar with it.

"Don't worry, even if there are still some leftovers, Scholar Song will take the stolen goods to the county government office."

Listening to Cang Lin's words of comfort, Xiao Feng simply nodded, not wanting to reveal anything.

"Once this location is exposed, it will be difficult to find such a good location again."

Xiaofeng sighed and rubbed his head again:

"Go and investigate again, and report back to me if you find anything."

"Yes."

After bowing, Tong Youxiao closed the door and left.

Cang Lin looked at Xiao Feng's appearance:

"Tokyo is such a large city, how could there only be one suitable location?"

"Don't worry, even if this one is seized, we can find another one. It's just a matter of transferring assets from one pocket to another."

Xiaofeng really couldn't tell Canglin that his savings of three years were also going to be confiscated.

How could he not be upset?

"If Wei Shaou is not careful in his work, and Song Xuan catches many missing merchants and continues to investigate, many people on this line will probably be cut off."

Xiaofeng picked up his teacup, feeling somewhat agitated.
How could they be so careless?

"There are plenty of people, so just treat them as expendable pawns."

Cang Lin remained completely unconcerned and said:
“These old folks are getting harder and harder to manage. They have their own agendas. Just replace them with a new batch.” “This year, when the Yellow River floods Tokyo, not to mention how many people will die, a large number of refugees will definitely come here to seek survival.”

"Our power will only grow stronger by then, so why can't we select some clever people to work for us?"

"Big brother, I need to hide for a while."

Xiaofeng sighed:

“Wei Shaou has met me before. If he exposes me, it will definitely cause some trouble.”

Cang Lin glanced at him:
“Once Scholar Song has dragged the man into prison, I’ll have someone kill him. There’s no need to worry.”

"We haven't figured out this top scholar Song's temperament yet. If we kill him directly, it might provoke his rebellious nature, and he'll want to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"What's the rush? What can he possibly find out?"

"It's not like we haven't done this kind of thing before."

Cang Lin chuckled: "Little brother, you hid for so many days, waiting for the rain to come down."

"He'd be thrown into chaos by the countless refugees, how could he have time to investigate cases?"

"He's just lucky now, he's managed to find a clue."

"it's not a big deal."

Xiao Feng's expression changed slightly:

"Brother, I still need to think about how to explain this to our godfather."

“Yes.” Cang Lin nodded.
"It's really hard to explain to my godfather. He's getting old and doesn't want any more trouble to bother him."

“It’s our responsibility as sons to handle any minor troubles.”

"This matter cannot be blamed on you."

Xiaofeng nodded, said nothing more, and took his leave.

Cang Lin stroked his beard as he stood by the window, watching Xiao Feng leave.

"You're so interested in that outpost, you must have smuggled some good stuff there."

However, Cang Lin knew this perfectly well.

Who wouldn't think of themselves and wholeheartedly give all their money to that old geezer, their godfather?
"That's a weakness we can use against him."

Cang Lin continued to mutter about his beard, chuckling twice.

Xiao Feng rushed to Taoran Inn. He really didn't expect that his stronghold would be suddenly taken down.

At this time, many yamen runners and constables arrived at Taoran Inn.

Song Xuan looked at the covered corpse and the gold and silver treasures that had been cleared out, and loaded them directly onto the donkey cart.

"Chief Zhang, you just stay here with your men and keep watch. I'm sure someone will come to investigate."

"Yes." Chief Zhang immediately responded and selected eight people to stay.

Song Xuan straightened Guo Xin's clothes and found the silver ingot he had hidden away. He simply tucked it away for him and did not take it out.

“County Lieutenant Ban, I would like to trouble you and me to carry Brother Guo’s body back to the county office. There will be four of us.”

"My lord, how can I let you carry his corpse?" Ban Feng was greatly puzzled.

Song Xuan carried his corpse through the streets.

That was practically like a stroke of good luck coming from Guo Xin's ancestral grave.

"Let's do it this way. After all, he died because of my orders. What's a little farewell?"

Song Xuan patted his official robes: "Let's prepare like this, there's still time."

"Guo Xin died in the line of duty. If someone hadn't reported it to us, we wouldn't be here."

"Yes."

Seeing Song Xuan's words, Ban Feng stopped trying to persuade him.

He believed that Song Xuan had already made his decision.

"Also, have a few people bring Guo Xin's family to the county government office; they should also receive compensation."

"Yes."

So several yamen runners cleared the way ahead.

Song Xuan, Ban Feng, and two others carried Guo Xin's body on bamboo poles, while three wounded yamen runners were also carried.

Following behind were several prisoners being escorted, and a donkey cart struggling to move.

What these constables and yamen runners found most unacceptable was that their superior, Song Xuan, was carrying a corpse for his subordinate.

They were just yamen runners; what status did they have?

Song Xuan's actions alone made many of the yamen runners feel extremely uncomfortable.

Even if Song Xuan was putting on a show, what official could possibly do something like this?

Everyone could tell that Song Xuan truly treated them like human beings.

So not only did the yamen runners not understand Song Xuan's behavior, but the common people who came to watch the spectacle along the way also did not understand it.

The youngest scholar to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations since the founding of the Song Dynasty was tasked with carrying the body of a deceased yamen runner.

This is an honor he could never achieve in several lifetimes.

"Master, your great revenge has finally been achieved."

The servant who reported the incident mingled in the crowd, weeping bitterly.

After all, he was holding the severed head in his arms.

Such a ostentatious display naturally frightened some people.

Wang Yufeng also followed the yamen runners:

"Brother, I don't quite understand your behavior, sir. Is it really necessary to lower yourself like this?"

Li Junyou actually understood the meaning behind Song Xuan's words.

So, it's just that one of the yamen runners died. Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss about it?
Give me some money.

Just get rid of them!
Everyone's happy. Why should we lower ourselves to carry a corpse for a mere yamen runner?
However, listening to the discussions of the onlookers around him, Li Junyou was certain that Song Xuan's move would gain tremendous public support.

When Lord Song received a report of a heinous murder, he led his constables to raid the stronghold, but one of the constables died in the line of duty.

At least in the eyes of outsiders, Song Xuan's actions appeared to be genuinely seeking justice for someone, rather than just going through the motions.

"You do not understand."

Li Junyou shook his head: "You've never wanted to be an official, so of course you don't care about this kind of thing."

Shi Yuansun nodded in deep agreement.

It's not easy for an official to have a good reputation, especially in a place like Tokyo where all sorts of people mingle.

He believed that after what happened today, eight out of ten of his men would be completely devoted to Song Xuan.

If Song Xuan provided generous compensation, Guo Xin's descendants would receive excellent treatment.

Shi Yuansun believed that nine out of ten people would be loyal to Song Xuan, and the remaining one would be either stupid or evil.

“My brother-in-law has always said that Song Twelve is a sincere person. I didn’t believe it before, but seeing him today, I can see that it is true.”

Li Junyou glanced at Shi Yuansun but didn't say anything, silently following the group.

Xiao Feng mingled in the crowd, watching Song Xuan carry the corpse across the street, and was deeply shocked.

"How come someone's died?"

"I heard he fought a fierce battle with the thieves and died in the tunnel."

Xiaofeng was shocked to hear this.

Needless to say, Wei Shaou must have revealed the secret passage.

The constable who died had also taken the gold and was killed by the falling rocks he had set up.

Although Xiaofeng is the head of the hall, it's not easy for him to make money off his own slush fund.

At this moment, he was so angry that he wanted to beat up Wei Shaou, who was being carried away, to vent his anger.

Many people followed behind the group, most of whom were eager to know the truth.

Qi Lecheng quickly came forward: "My lord, let me help you."

"No need, it's just a short walk."

The weather was hot, and as he walked, Song Xuan's official robes were soaked with sweat.

As for Ban Feng, he was panting heavily, as he was getting on in years and lacked stamina.

The clerks in the county government office stood on both sides, watching Song Xuan carry the corpse into the office.

In fact, everyone knows that it is perfectly normal for a yamen runner to die in the capital city of Tokyo.

Who can a mere yamen runner control?

They were just ordinary people, people even the servants of powerful and wealthy people dared not offend.

But Song Xuan actually carried his body all the way back from the crime scene.

"My lord."

County Magistrate Zhou had just returned from gathering information and never expected such a thing to happen.

"Ah."

Song Xuan then placed Guo Xin's body in the main hall and sat down on it.

To be honest, Song Xuan wasn't tired, he just felt a bit hot.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard, waiting for Song Xuan to give orders.

"I will remember your merits. Today, I will deal with Guo Xin's matter first, and then I will reward you all for your contributions another day."

"My lord, we do not wish for any reward."

"Yes, I want to continue working for you, sir."

"Correct."

After all, apart from Song Xuan, no one really treated this group as human beings.

Or rather, it wasn't just the yamen runners.

Many groups were not considered human beings by the court and officials, but rather as cattle and horses that could be whipped.

If the cattle and horses die, they die.

Anyway, there are plenty of cattle and horses to replace them.

Perhaps the new oxen and horses are stronger and more energetic, and we can get them to work harder on their own at a lower cost.

"Go about your business. Put everyone in solitary confinement. Li Rui should also have a solitary cell. Make sure he's well-fed and cared for. Don't mistreat him."

"Yes."

"Let's call it a day, I need some peace and quiet."

"Yes."

Those who needed to work went to work, and the rest remained uninhabited.

Yu Gao, the head of the criminal investigation department, quickly pulled away a constable and asked him what had happened.

"what?"

Yu Gaoyi was somewhat bewildered: "That criminal was so brutal, killing so many people."

"Master Yu, the master wants to see you."

"it is good."

Yu Gao rushed over and saw Song Xuan sitting on the ground, staring at the corpse:
"What business does my lord have with me?"

"I need you to draft a public notice explaining this matter."

"Yes."

Song Xuan briefly explained the basic situation to Yu Gao, and then emphasized the dark nature of the liaison station in Wuyou Cave.

Praise the casualties suffered by Guo Xin and others, and finally list the rewards for reporting the other contact stations in Wuyou Cave.

A process of turning a funeral into a celebration.

"Yes."

After returning to his office, Yu Gao began to write carefully, and he would eventually have Song Xuan review it.

Without keeping Song Xuan waiting long, Yu Gao presented him with a notice whose ink was still wet.

Song Xuan pointed out a few points and told him to revise them and send them out while a lot of people were gathered outside.

After Yu Gao finished making the revisions, he patiently waited for the ink to dry before asking Song Xuan to review them again.

Only after Song Xuan nodded did he lead the yamen runners outside to post the notice.

As soon as the government officials came out, everyone gathered around the notice board.

Yu Gao brushed on the paste and carefully pasted it on, while also instructing the yamen runners to watch over it to prevent anyone from tearing it off.

"Who can read this for everyone?"

"Yeah."

"I can read."

Xiaofeng followed the person who said he could read and squeezed in, wanting to take a closer look as well.

"Today, our county received a report from Wu You, a man from Suzhou, that his owner, Wu Xuyao, came to Tokyo sixteen days ago to sell silk and stayed at Taoran Inn."

"When he recovered, he went to look for her, but heard from the shop owner, Wei Shaou, that a female ghost was claiming his life and had disappeared without a trace."

"Magistrate Song led local constables Guo Xin and Sun Cheng, among other loyal and brave men, to investigate the case of the missing merchants. Undeterred by hardship, they ventured deep into the lion's den and finally found irrefutable evidence of the thieves' murder for money and the killing of innocent people at the Taoran Inn in the west of the city."

"However, the bandit leader was vicious and designed a trap, which led to Guo Xin, a yamen runner in our county, being hit by falling rocks in the secret passage and dying in the line of duty. Sun Cheng was seriously injured."

"After interrogation, it was found that the case was committed by Wuyou Cave."

"It was done by Wuyou Cave."

The crowd immediately started talking about it; this was someone not to be trifled with.

"Their evil deeds are as follows: murdering and robbing, robbing and killing merchants and travelers, stripping them of their clothes, beheading them and abandoning their bodies, destroying evidence, using dry wells as graves and paving roads with their heads. In eight years, more than 500 people have been victimized, and the tunnels are densely packed with human heads."

"what?"

Even scholars themselves felt a chill run down their spines after reading this passage.

The Worry-Free Cave is surprisingly ruthless.

What they usually heard about was the abduction of women and children, their sale into slavery and prostitution, the mutilation of young children to beg, and the forced thieves and robbers of the strong.

As for the situation of beheading people to pave roads, many of them were hearing about it for the first time.

Xiao Feng frowned upon hearing this. How could it be that serious?

Since he took over, he has been very strict in selecting fresh goods, and he doesn't just get his hands on any independent merchant from out of town.

Some goals that are not worthwhile should be simply ignored.

Is Song Xuan framing me?

Or did Wei Shaou reveal everything he had done in the past?

"Read it, what else?"

"Today, the county is offering a generous reward to eliminate these wicked villains."

"Capture the bandit leader Xiaofeng, and you will be rewarded with five hundred strings of cash."

"Anyone who reports the location of the thieves' lair and helps the government to crack it will be rewarded with two hundred strings of cash."

"Provide reliable clues, and after verification, you can get a reward of ten to one hundred strings of cash."

"If anyone in the know is literate, they can secretly place a petition in the wooden box at the entrance of the county government office. If they are illiterate, they can directly seek out the yamen runners to explain the situation."

Note: 1. Those who harbor traitors shall be punished along with their accomplices.

"Second, those who make false reports or accusations shall be punished for their own crimes."

The scholar coughed twice: "That's all."

"The bounty is quite generous."

"Yes."

Xiao Feng never expected that Wei Shaou would actually expose him and even put him on a wanted list.

I reckon his portrait will be released soon.

Thinking of this, Xiaofeng wished he could just kill Wei Shaou.

Even if he wanted to keep it a secret, the matter would inevitably reach his godfather's ears.

The crowd buzzed with discussion as Xiaofeng pushed his way through the throng.

This is bad, let's hide and think of a solution.

Five hundred strings of cash.

Xiaofeng didn't distrust his subordinates; he just felt that someone coveted his position as the hall master and was hoping something would happen to him.

Walking in the dark, there are always many underlings eager to rise to power, using others to get rid of their boss so they can take over.

Clerk Zheng couldn't understand why so many people had gathered at the county government office today; what was so interesting about it?

But when he saw Zhong Wuliu leading an old woman and a young man through the crowd, he quickly followed suit.

Qi Lecheng stood on the high steps of the county government office and immediately ordered the onlookers to make way.

Zhong Wuliu brought Guo Xin's elderly mother and son Guo En to them.

"The master is waiting for you two inside. Please follow me."

Guo's mother and Guo En had no idea why Master Song would suddenly want to see them.

However, I heard from Guo Xin that the official was generous and willing to give money to his subordinates.

They also wanted to open private schools so that the sons of those who worked in the county government could study and hopefully become top scholars in the imperial examinations.

Guo's mother actually had some bad thoughts in her heart, but the younger Guo En was very excited.

"My lord, Guo Xin's family has arrived."

As soon as Qi Lecheng shouted, the yamen runners and constables surrounding the main hall made way for him.

The grandfather and grandson entered the main hall and saw their relative lying on the ground.

Guo's mother collapsed to the ground, and Guo En was completely stunned.

After all, no one can accept something like this happening so suddenly.

"My son."

Guo's mother rushed over with a wailing cry, trying to shake her son awake.

Guo En is only fifteen years old and quite tall. He tries hard not to let himself shed tears.

Song Xuan remained silent, letting them grieve for a while.

After the two had calmed down for a while, Song Xuan spoke:

“Aunt Guo, your son died in the line of duty, and the imperial court will provide him with compensation.”

"Furthermore, I promised your son that I would ensure your grandson's success, as he said before he died."

Song Xuan glanced at Guo's mother and slipped her two gold ingots, then whispered:

“Your son still has a few coins left from the previous reward that he hasn’t had time to give to you.”

Guo's mother looked at Jinzi with teary eyes. It wasn't that she had forgotten her sadness, but rather that she had heard Song Xuan say that he wanted her grandson to succeed.

Having reached this age, she understood many things and quickly stuffed the gold back into her hands.

“My lord, I cannot accept this money. I only hope that you can raise my grandson to be a successful person. Then my son can die in peace.”

Song Xuan said, "You all go out first. I have something to say to Brother Guo Xin's family alone."

"Yes."

Ban Feng led everyone out of the hall.

Song Xuan accepted the gold ingot:

“Aunt Guo, I really didn’t think things through in this situation. Openly giving you gold ingots is actually putting your lives at risk.”

“Things have been a bit unsettled outside lately, so you and your daughter have moved to the county government office. The backyard is provided for officials to stay in, but I don’t live here.”

"I won't give you and your grandson the money all at once; I'll pay you monthly stipends."

"The funeral expenses for the Guo brothers will be covered by the county government."

What could Aunt Guo say? She could only nod.

Anyway, the place they were staying was rented.

Song Xuan glanced at Guo Xin's son: "I still don't know your name."

"My lord, my name is Guo En."

Guo En still managed to hold back his tears as he answered.

"Alright, Guo En, I'm letting you live in the county government office from now on, which is also a way of fulfilling my promise to your father to help you succeed."

"Whether you study literature or martial arts depends on your aptitude. Even if you're not good at literature or martial arts, I'll teach you how to do business, and I guarantee you'll never have to worry about food and clothing in the future."

"Hurry up and thank the master for his favor."

Grandma Guo immediately pulled her grandson to bow and pay respects to Song Xuan.

Her son died suddenly, and now her grandson is her only hope.

It's already quite remarkable that the official in front of us has done this much.

She had heard her son talk about the treatment of dead yamen runners in the past.

Song Xuan accepted Guo En's bow and helped him up.
"Talk to your father, he might not have gone far yet."

"Yes."

Only after Song Xuan left the main hall did Guo En's tears begin to fall.

Song Xuan stood at the door, holding a gold ingot in his hand, his feelings complicated.

All the yamen runners looked at Song Xuan. To be honest, it was already quite remarkable for a superior official to have achieved this level of success.

He's not asking you to rebel.

"My lord," Ban Feng stepped forward and bowed.

"This matter must not be left unresolved."

"Yes, sir, as long as you give the word, our brothers will go through fire and water."

(End of this chapter)