Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 199 Killing the Hu

The young master covered his face tremblingly, hesitated for a moment, and then knelt down.

"I was wrong, please forgive me, Mr. Mo!"

The diners in the restaurant seemed oblivious to this.

Huo Cun watched as Yao Shi slammed his head heavily against the floorboards, his forehead bruised and swollen. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and couldn't help but press his hand against the scabbard of his waist knife.

Zhu Zhen quickly pressed down on his hand.

Don't argue with a dying person.

Zhu Zhen spoke in a very soft voice.

Zhu Wen, fanning himself with a folding fan, observed everything.

Huo Cun was prone to rash actions, but he also possessed the chivalrous spirit of a true hero of the martial world.

In comparison, the steady and reliable Zhu Zhen was certainly more capable of being a great general.

However, Huo Cun's heroic spirit also touched Zhu Wen.

A person willing to fight for the weak is unlikely to betray their lord. Regardless of their abilities, they are at least loyal and trustworthy.

After the young master kowtowed three times, "Master Mo" finally managed to force a hint of satisfaction: "I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time..."

The young master repeatedly said he dared not, and retreated with a nod.

"Sir, this is your order of 'Gold and Silver Flower Flat Cut'!" Another waiter brought the dish to Zhu Wen's table.

The rich aroma of crab immediately filled the air.

This dish originates from the famous "Burning Tail Banquet." It involves boiling crabs, extracting the crab roe and meat, kneading it into pastries, cutting them into small pieces, and steaming them. The snow-white, delicate crab meat and the golden, glossy crab roe complement each other, hence the name "Gold and Silver Flower."

Zhu Wen smiled slightly, picked up a piece of food and put it in his bowl, then gestured for Huo Cun, Zhu Zhen and the others to pick up their chopsticks and eat.

The foreign man, "Master Mo," snorted with his large nostrils: "Eek, what's that smell of meat?"

This guy's nose is even more sensitive than a dog's.

He stepped forward, grabbed the waiter who brought the food by the collar, and lifted him up: "You waiters, how dare you bring this kind of thing in my presence!"

Zhu Wen had already put a piece of "Gold and Silver Flower Flat Crust" into his mouth. In addition to the deliciousness of the crab meat and the chewy texture of the dough, there was also a bouncy and crispy feeling.

He immediately knew what was going on. This dish has been around for over two hundred years, but in recent years, the method has been improved by replacing part of the dough with pork belly to enhance the layered effect and add a new flavor.

Seeing Zhu Wen eating meat in front of him, Master Mo was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at Zhu Wen. He casually threw the small cleaver he was holding onto the ground and pointed his halberd at Zhu Wen's nose: "You! How dare you!"

This Arab man actually felt that Zhu Wen eating pork in front of him was a terrible sin.

Even after being thrown to the ground, the cook pleaded, "It's nothing serious! The kitchen staff didn't know Mr. Mo was coming today, so they followed the usual procedure..."

"Hehehe..." Mr. Mo sneered, "I'll spare you for now."

He then said to Zhu Wen, "You brat, spit out all that meat from your mouth! You're new here, don't you know the rules of Boluo County?"

"Oh." Zhu Wen calmly swallowed the "gold and silver interlaced flower" he was chewing: "What are the rules?"

"You Tang people are not allowed to eat meat in front of us Arabs!" Master Mo roared, clenching his fist. "Do you understand?!"

He walked straight over, seemingly ready to overturn Zhu Wen's table.

Zhu Wen suddenly realized that it would have been right to have Huo Cun execute him directly.

My surname sounds the same as "pig," but I eat it without a care. It's one thing for some people to be superstitious, but to actually try to get in their way is quite another.

For some people, every extra breath they take is a crime against the world.

Mr. Mo suddenly felt his arm being pressed down.

He was tall and strong, but in the arms of the young man opposite him, he was like an ant trying to shake a stone pillar, unable to break free even a little.

Zhu Wen struck him in the abdomen with a palm strike, causing Master Mo to crouch down in pain.

"Apologize to me, and to the two junior masters you bullied today," Zhu Wen said coldly.

"Boy, you're from out of town, aren't you!" Master Mo said through gritted teeth. "Don't think you can still act chivalrously in Lingnan! There's no place for wandering knights here!" Zhu Wen understood what this man meant.

Ten years ago, the military governor of Lingnan East Circuit ordered his eldest son, Li Yi, to gather chivalrous heroes from the martial arts world.

The wandering knights who worked for Li Tiao and his son were not true knights; they were merely dogs kept by the father and son.

"You talk too much nonsense."

Zhu Wen pressed his palm down on Master Mo's head, and with a forceful push, Master Mo's leg broke, and he knelt down.

Zhu Wen made him kowtow three times to himself, and then kowtowed three times to each of the two humiliated junior teachers.

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

“Esteemed guest…” the young apprentice who had been thrown away earlier said in a trembling voice, “Master Mo is the sworn brother of the county magistrate…”

Zhu Wen understood.

Mo Ruicong, the magistrate of Boluo County, was a pedantic and pedantic scholar.

When the names of Arabs are transliterated into Tang language, the first character is often "墨" (mo).

This Arab foreigner then formed a "same surname" bond with the county magistrate, recognized him as a brother, and gave him the incredibly pretentious nickname "Master Mo".

Upon hearing the words of the young master, the dim light in Master Mo's eyes brightened again, and he roared arrogantly, "Hahaha! The county magistrate will wipe out your entire family!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Wen snapped his neck.

At this moment, Master Mo's followers rushed over, shouting, and tried to pretend to fight Zhu Wen.

Originally, they were just trying to make a living, but because these people were all dark-skinned, even darker than the Kunlun slaves, Zhu Wen found them very annoying. He chased after them with his sword and quickly cut off the necks of two of them.

The remaining few screamed and tried to escape, but Huo Cun and Zhu Zhen blocked the stairwell and chopped the black men to pieces.

Blood was everywhere inside the restaurant.

Suddenly, more than a dozen constables rushed in, pointing their knives at Zhu Wen and his companions.

"That damned magistrate deserves to have his entire family wiped out."

Only then did Zhu Wen learn the situation from the diners next to him.

In order to win over the Hu merchants, Li Tiao, the military governor of Lingnan East Circuit, instructed the people of Lingnan to respect the customs of the Hu people and to be tolerant of them when they encountered them, so as not to cause conflict.

Mo Ruicong, the magistrate of Boluo County, was originally a failed scholar, but he joined Li Tiao's household as a staff member. By flattering and ingratiating himself with Li Tiao, he won Li Tiao's favor and became the magistrate of Boluo County.

Mo Ruicong took the instructions from above to heart, believing that the Han and non-Han peoples were one family and that their harmony should not be disrupted. Given that most of the merchants in Lingnan were Arabs, Han people were forbidden from eating pork in front of Arabs, so as not to offend their Arab allies.

In other words, even if Mr. Mo was not one of the top merchants in Boluo County, but just an ordinary Arab, Zhu Wen and his companions were still breaking the county magistrate's law by eating meat in front of him.

The saying "a prefect's family is wiped out, a county magistrate's family is ruined" is truly an exaggeration for ordinary people.

The Qiu Fu Rebellion, which was a huge uproar back then, was also caused by Chen Liqing's father, Chen Jian, Chen Xizhen, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate who squeezed the land dry.

"These government officials," Zhu Wen said with a smile, "are just going through the motions for the government, they don't even get paid, do they really need to work so hard?"

In the Tang Dynasty, corvée labor was a form of service that was performed on a rotating basis according to the social class of the household, and those who were obligated to perform the service were not paid wages.

Although they can still gain some benefits through these corrupt practices, they don't even have proper employment. It's one thing to put in some physical labor, but why risk their lives?
The constables were already a bit flustered when they saw how ruthless Zhu Wen and his men were, but when they heard these words, they all stopped in their tracks.

"You are all men, and you can't stand by and watch these barbarian dogs humiliate the sons of the Han people!" Zhu Wen suddenly raised his voice.

Seeing the officials' expressions change, Zhu Zhen stepped forward and added, "Gentlemen, this hero who slays the barbarian dogs is none other than Zhu Wen, Zhu Liangyu, the commander of the Wild Goose Army under the command of Huang Jutian, the supreme commander of the righteous army! The army has now captured the city gate, and today we will kill the entire family of the corrupt magistrate and exterminate all the barbarian dogs in the city! Please follow us to achieve merit and uphold justice!"

Zhu Zhen did not tell the truth.

Zhu Cun has already led his men to seize the city gate, but they haven't succeeded yet.

However, after being incited by Zhu Zhen, the group of officials suddenly raised their sleeves and arms, shouting loudly, "We are willing to serve the general!"

It seems that the people of Boluo County have been harboring deep-seated anger towards the Hu people for a long time.

(End of this chapter)