Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 481 Go find Zheng Tu and ask him to give you meat on credit. Everyone can get meat on credit and doesn't have to pay it back!

"Don't panic."

Lin Dao pressed down with one hand, "What's coming are the village guards, not armored soldiers."

The so-called "tingzu" were responsible for patrolling and arresting criminals; they were essentially constables.

Zhang Liang instinctively asked, "How did you know?"

"As the soldiers moved, their armor clashed and their weapons clashed." Lin Dao said calmly, "Anyone who has been on the battlefield knows this; it's common sense."

Han Xin and Zhang Liang both turned pale.

They've never been on the battlefield, so they really don't understand.

Before they could finish speaking, the door was kicked open, and a group of soldiers armed with weapons rushed in.

The leader stepped forward and shouted angrily, "The head of Nanchang Pavilion is here!"

His gaze swept over the crowd, and when he saw Han Xin, he was immediately stunned. "Han Xin?!"

"Pavilion Chief~"

Han Xin bowed somewhat awkwardly, saying, "It is indeed I who am here."

Seeing the awkward scene of the two meeting, Lin Dao couldn't help but laugh.

In fact, this Nanchang pavilion chief had some connection and interaction with Han Xin.

When Han Xin was a street urchin, he once went to the home of the village headman in Nanchang to freeload meals.

This pavilion chief probably had similar thoughts to the pavilion chief of Sishui, wanting to befriend heroes and win people's hearts.

Therefore, he tolerated Han Xin eating at his home for several months.

But he came to eat every day, and the headman's family couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't afford it.

Later, the village head's wife would bring the food to the bedroom every morning and no longer leave any food for Han Xin.

Upon realizing this, Han Xin left in anger and never returned.

This is the story of 'morning meal' recorded in historical books.

I recalled the historical record that after Han Xin was enfeoffed as a king and became successful, he specifically sought out this pavilion chief of Nanchang, gave him a hundred coins as payment for his meal that year, and humiliated him by calling him a "petty person who failed to fulfill his virtue."

This made Lin Dao burst into laughter.

'Han Xin, oh Han Xin, your emotional intelligence is truly beyond words.'

'Or they might just be putting on an act, generously rewarding the head of the Nanchang Pavilion to cultivate an image of someone who always repays kindness.'

'Or I could just kill this person and establish myself as someone who lives a life of swift revenge.'

'But they just had to pick someone petty and humiliating~'

'It's true, he's never lost on the battlefield, but he's never won in terms of emotional intelligence.'

While the Nanchang Pavilion Chief was still feeling awkward, he heard Lin Dao laughing and immediately found an outlet for his frustration.

He roared at Lin Dao, "Who are you?"

"How dare you drink alcohol here in violation of the rules?!"

"Heh~" Lin Dao sneered, "Who told you that we were drinking here?"

"Could it be that butcher?"

"If the butcher reports it, then he's already asking for his death."

Lin Dao gave the butcher a chance; if he doesn't appreciate it, he's just asking for death.

"How brave!"

The village head of Nanchang was furious: "How dare you utter such arrogant words! Seize him!"

"Wait a minute!"

Lin Dao raised his palm and asked with a smile, "Do you know who we are?"

The head of the Nanchang Pavilion immediately felt a pang of anxiety and hurriedly stopped the guards beside him.

He carefully examined Lin Dao and Zhang Liang; dressed in plain clothes and wearing black headscarves, they were the most typical images of commoners.

But their skin color is different; they are much whiter than the common people.

Moreover, he is exceptionally handsome and has an extraordinary demeanor.

Simply put, it means that one look at someone's energy and spirit tells them they are no ordinary person.

The head of the Nanchang pavilion seemed unsure of himself. "Who are you all...?"

He reached into his robes, took out something, and handed it to Zhang Liang, gesturing for him to take it.

Zhang Liang looked down and was startled.

It turned out to be a smooth bamboo board with Lin Dao's portrait and information such as his place of origin carved on it.

Without a doubt, this is a personal identification document from the Qin state.

Zhang Liang had used these counterfeit goods, which were even more realistic than the real thing, with Lin Dao before, so he shouldn't be so surprised.

What truly shocked him was that the identification document recorded Lin Dao's official title as the Grand Master of the Qin Dynasty!
~Subordinate sons~
The Langzhongling was one of the Nine Ministers of the Qin Dynasty, in charge of the palace guards. He was the emperor's closest high-ranking official and was responsible for the core protection of the emperor's daily life and personal safety.

Without a doubt, the Imperial Physician was the person the First Emperor trusted most.

The current Imperial Physician of the Qin Dynasty is named Zhao Gao!
Lin Dao actually impersonated one of Zhao Gao's subordinates, that's really something!
Composing himself, Zhang Liang stepped forward with a straight face and handed the identification badge to the head of the Nanchang Pavilion.

Upon seeing the contents of the sticker, the head of the Nanchang Pavilion first shook his leg.

Although he was called a pavilion chief, in reality, a pavilion chief was just a clerk and not even an official.

He was considered a figure in Nanchang Pavilion, but in Huaiyin County he was just a nobody, someone who could say a few words to the county officials.

Once you leave Huaiyin County, it's nothing!
But the identity card in front of me is actually Zhu Lang's!

What is Zhu Lang's identity?
Those were the First Emperor's personal guards!

They were responsible for guarding the palace with halberds, and when they went out, they served as charioteers and attendants!

Those were the noblemen who saw the First Emperor every day.

In fact, the head of the Nanchang Pavilion had already performed quite well. If he had seen the physician's personal identification, he wouldn't have just trembled, but would have been so frightened that he would have knelt down.

"We are acting under orders."

Lin Dao picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "Are you trying to obstruct us from carrying out the imperial decree?"

The knees of the Nanchang Pavilion Chief finally gave way and kissed the ground.

He bowed his head, holding the photo in both hands, his voice trembling.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare!"

Of course, I suspected that the stickers might be fake.

First of all, as the head of the village, I have seen too many identity cards and know how to identify them.

He verified it; it was absolutely real, even more real than real gold.

Secondly, Lin Dao's appearance, demeanor, and even his spirit and energy are undeniably those of a noble person.

On this point, the head of the Nanchang Pavilion said he would never be wrong.

Finally, forging a personal identification document was not a capital offense in the Qin Dynasty; it was a super capital offense that would result in the extermination of three generations of one's family, being torn apart by five horses, and then piecing the remains back together before tearing them apart again.

Who among ordinary people would dare?
"Dare not?" He slammed the wine cup down, the sound of it hitting the table in front of him making the head of the Nanchang Pavilion jump.

Lin Dao stood up and walked up to him, looking down at him.

"Do you know that the First Emperor was assassinated at Bolangsha some time ago?"

"Yes, yes~" The Nanchang Pavilion Chief, his back drenched in cold sweat, stammered, his forehead touching the ground. "I heard from Magistrate Lu of the county that they've even issued a warrant for a sea arrest~"

“Then do you know,” Lin Dao said again, “that we are here on orders to capture the fugitive who attempted to assassinate the First Emperor.”

"You've come to arrest us, are you perhaps an accomplice of the assassins?"

During the Qin Dynasty, officials were addressed by their official titles.

What kind of "adult" or "master" is that? It wouldn't be appropriate to use that term here.

In a certain TV series depicting the legendary story of Liu Bang (played by Chen Mouming) and Xiang Yu (played by He Moudong), Liu Bang addresses Xiao He as "Lord Xiao."
In the Qin Dynasty, the word "大人" (dàrén) was used to refer to one's father.

In other words, Liu Bang called Xiao He "father."
It would be better to hire some historical writers as screenwriters when filming these historical dramas.

Back to the point, Han Xin was completely dumbfounded.

If my memory serves me right, these two men said before that they were the assassins who were meant to assassinate the King of Qin!
What's going on here?!

The assassin, instead, questioned the guards who had captured him.
Even though Han Xin was mature beyond his years, he was completely bewildered by the situation before him.

"Considering this is your first offense."

Lin Dao changed the subject, his tone softening, "This time, we won't pursue the matter further."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Thank you so much, sir!"

The head of the Nanchang Pavilion immediately bowed deeply, deeply moved.

He thought he was going to be defeated here.

Lin Dao waved his hand and said, "Go. Don't bother us again, and don't spread the news, lest it alarm the assassin."

"No, no~" The head of the Nanchang Pavilion, covered in sweat, lowered his head and backed away.

As I reached the doorway, I had just turned around and exhaled when I heard Lin Dao calling out behind me again.

"Wait~"

The pressure from that single word, "wait," almost brought tears to the eyes of the Nanchang Pavilion Chief.

Can you please stop torturing me like this? My heart hurts so much!
He quickly turned around and bowed again to greet him.

"Who told you that we were drinking here? Was it the butcher?"

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through the mind of the Nanchang Pavilion Chief.

He recalled his past with the butcher, carefully thinking about the times they drank together, how much money he owed him for meat on credit, and the awkwardness of bumping into Widow Xu in the village by the river outside the city.

In a split second, the head of the Nanchang Pavilion thought of so many things~
"Responding in Mandarin~"

The head of the Nanchang Pavilion bowed respectfully and said, "It was one of my guards who witnessed the fight on the street. He followed the official to the tavern and then ran to inform me that it had nothing to do with the butcher."

"Okay." Lin Dao nodded. "It's alright, go ahead."

Finally stepping out of the room, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his skin, the head of the Nanchang Pavilion smiled.

'Zheng Tu, you owe me a life!'

"Let's go," the Nanchang pavilion chief whispered to his soldiers. "Go find Zheng Tu, get meat on credit from him, everyone can get it on credit, no need to pay it back!"

One of the guards was puzzled. "How is that possible? That Zheng Tu is notoriously stingy. If he doesn't return it, won't he cause a scene?"

"Trust me, you won't go wrong."

With a beaming smile, the Nanchang pavilion chief strode forward, saying, "What are a few pieces of meat? I saved his life!"

Inside the house, watching the soldiers hurriedly leave, Lin Dao turned around and met Han Xin's puzzled gaze.

He waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's a fake product sticker, no need to worry about it."

These words shocked Han Xin even more.

That's incredibly daring, but why does it feel so exciting?
"Come, come, come~"

Having traversed countless realms and encountered all sorts of things, Lin Dao greeted them without a second thought.

"Let's continue eating meat and drinking wine!"

"Let's drink until we drop tonight!"

Although grain-based liquor has a low alcohol content, it has a strong aftereffect.

The next morning, the sun rose, and the weather was warm and bright.

Golden sunlight streamed through the holes in the dilapidated thatched roof, illuminating the bare walls of the house.

It's not an exaggeration; they were truly destitute.

The rice container was broken.

As for the fire in the pond, it had long since been extinguished, leaving only ashes.

On the dusty ground lay two men snoring loudly.

They were holding hands and feet together, breathing almost in each other's noses, each snore reeking of alcohol—typical hangovers.

The half-open door was kicked open, and Lin Dao, holding a bowl of duck blood soup in one hand and a sesame seed cake in the other, stood at the door and shouted.

"It's already dawn, when are you going to wake up?!"

His voice is loud and penetrating.

Han Xin and Zhang Liang, who were lying on the ground, opened their eyes in a daze.

They exchanged a glance and then stood up.

Smelling the aroma of the food in Lin Dao's hands, the two men with their hair like a bird's nest grinned and stepped forward to ask for some.

"Don't even think about it."

Lin Dao took a few steps back and entered the courtyard. "This was made for me by my royal wife. You can't have any."

He certainly couldn't sleep with those two drunkards.

After leaving them at Han Xin's house last night, Lin Dao turned around and went to the late Yuan Dynasty to clean himself up and accompany Empress Ma.

When he woke up in the morning, Empress Ma had already prepared a hot breakfast for him.

Although it was just duck blood soup and sesame seed cakes, it was only for myself.

"Over there," Lin Dao gestured to the water vat lid in the courtyard not far away, "it's all prepared for you."

Zhang Liang smiled immediately upon seeing this, and hurriedly stepped forward, picking up his favorite instant noodles.

Han Xin, who had followed, looked around curiously and asked, "Is this soup cake?"

"It's not soup noodles."

Zhang Liang, holding the instant noodle cup in both hands, responded solemnly.

"It's a delicacy!"

(End of this chapter)