The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 102 IOU
The Guo family mansion is now the power center of Kaifeng, and officials and generals seeking an audience line up all the way to the Xiangguo Temple.

The gate to the mansion was an old wooden door that had been replaced, but it was still imposing and quite intimidating.

Old Pan and Hua Nong were not mentally prepared, so they hurriedly straightened their clothes and walked stiffly, their hands and feet moving in unison.

Xiao Yi skipped the queue, stepped forward, and told the gatekeeper that he wanted to see Guo Sanlang.

"Is that General Xiao?"

"You recognize me?"

"General, please come in and wait in the corridor."

"I'm just here to see Saburo."

"please."

Upon entering the Guo residence, one could see that the bloodstains in the front courtyard had been cleaned up, but Guo Tong's words, "Those who break in will die," seemed to echo in one's ears.

The household was also holding a funeral, but it was very low-key, with no mourning curtains hung, so as not to affect state affairs... No, Xiao Yi thought again, Guo Wei probably didn't want to use the tragedy of his entire family being killed as a tool to gain sympathy.

After all, they were a family of military officers; the grief was felt in their hearts, not in their outward appearance.

Old Pan and Hua Nong were quite uneasy, not knowing where to look.

They had never been this uneasy, not even in the military governor's mansion in Yedu or in the imperial palace.

"General, the officials outside are all watching you..."

Soon, a middle-aged man came out to greet them. He was of medium height, with a square face, a neat short beard, and bright eyes.

"My name is Wang Pu, courtesy name Wenbo, a native of Dongping. I am honored to serve as a gatekeeper in the Jiedushi's mansion. May I ask if you are General Xiao?"

"You are polite, sir."

"Haha." Wang Pu laughed loudly and said, "My fate is similar to Xiao Lang's, and we have long admired each other. This autumn, I passed the imperial examination and became a secretary in the household of Grand Tutor Yang. Seeing that the late emperor appointed Li Ye and that Grand Tutor Yang was at odds with the generals and ministers, I knew that a great disaster was about to occur. My advice was useless, so at the end of autumn, I bid farewell to Grand Tutor Yang and returned east, thus escaping a calamity. You and I were both caught in the same turmoil and were fortunate enough to survive."

Xiao Yi then realized that Wang Pu was Yang Bin's retainer, and that he, a servant in the Shi family, had a similar fate.

"Sir, you are a man of extraordinary wisdom and foresight, able to discern fortune and misfortune, and truly a man of unparalleled talent."

"That general is exceptionally skilled and quick-witted."

The two smiled at each other.

Wang Pu said, "I heard that General captured Su Fengji again yesterday, achieving remarkable feats. Is there something you wish to report to you today?"

"I dare not disturb the commander-in-chief, I have come to see Sanlang."

"please."

Xiao Yi then left Lao Pan and Hua Nong under the corridor and followed Wang Pu to the back hall.

He guessed that Guo Xin had probably gotten into some big trouble again and was kneeling in the ancestral hall.

Upon entering the hall, a man sat there, dressed in a plain-colored robe; it was none other than Guo Wei.

"This humble general greets the Commander-in-Chief."

"Wenbo, you go downstairs. I want to talk to him alone."

"Yes."

Only the two of them remained in the hall. Guo Wei sighed slightly, revealing a rare sense of helplessness as a father, and said, "Sanlang has run off to Yedu on his own."

"This... I don't know."

"I just wanted to arrange a marriage for him, I didn't coerce him. I picked out a few families for him to choose from. Yu Niang's mourning period hasn't ended yet, and you're already making a betrothal, you little monkey! Tell me, who's unreasonable?"

Xiao Yi replied, "Sanlang is too impulsive."

"Ah."

"General, should I go and bring him back?"

"Never mind, I've already sent guards, and Dalang will take good care of him. You came here for the reward money to capture Su Fengji?"

"Yes."

"So much Su cowhide is worth a thousand strings of cash?"

"Reporting to the General, this is the reward granted by Kaifeng Prefecture. The Su family's residential land and property are priceless."

"Is it made of his own fat? It's the people's hard-earned money!"

Xiao Yi realized that Guo Wei also didn't want to give the thousand strings of cash.

"The army offers rewards." Guo Wei paused, remained silent for a while, and then shamelessly said, "But these rewards for capturing thieves are meant to incentivize outsiders."

"Yes, I understand."

“I don’t consider you an outsider, that’s from the bottom of my heart. To say one more thing, governing a country is like running a household, and I, a widower, only realized how poor this family is after taking over this mess.”

Xiao Yi thought to himself that it wasn't a bad deal to exchange the reward for capturing Su Fengji for Guo Wei's "one of our own".

He replied honestly, "This subordinate understands and has no complaints. I will certainly continue to do my best in my duties."

Guo Wei nodded in satisfaction and said, "You deserve a reward for your meritorious service. You'll also be appointed as a judge in the Tianxiong Army's military governor's office. You'll receive the plaque later."

"Thank you, Lord Xie."

Xiao Yi then changed the way he addressed him back.

Guo Wei pointed at him and said, "At such a young age, he's quite the shrewd one."

Just as he was about to take his leave, Guo Wei got up first and walked towards the front hall, leaving behind two words.

"Stay."

Xiao Yi, not understanding his meaning, bowed and saw him off, then waited alone in the hall.

After a while, faint footsteps came from behind the screen in the hall.

Her head, styled in double buns, peeked out from behind the screen and glanced in this direction. Then, Guo Xin lifted her skirt and ran out, gracefully leaping down the stone steps.

"I knew it, nobody was looking for me."

She had regained her fair complexion. Because she was still in mourning, she did not wear any hairpins or jewelry. She was dressed simply and did not wear deerskin boots. When she lifted her skirt, her white socks and embroidered shoes were visible, which made her less heroic and more delicate.

Those double-bun hairstyles still looked childish. "Greetings, Fifth Sister."

"Hmph, you finally remembered us... Third Brother has been gone for a whole day."

"I was too busy yesterday to take the time."

"You clearly showed no loyalty when you switched shifts yesterday. If you had told Third Brother about something like capturing Su Niupi, he definitely wouldn't have run away. I'm talking to you, what are you looking at?"

"Your eyebrows have grown out, congratulations."

Xiao Yi knew that when praising a girl, you had to praise her eyebrows, because it was an important yet easily overlooked detail.

Sure enough, Guo Xin pursed her lips slightly and didn't pursue the matter further.

"Tch, it was you who shaved it, you donkey's dick."

Where did you learn to swear?

"I learned it a long time ago, but I haven't had a chance to use it... I haven't even told you yet, what do you want from me?"

"They came to claim their reward from the commander-in-chief, but unfortunately, they were denied it."

"Who's going to renege on your tip? Just wait and see."

Before Xiao Yi could speak, Guo Xin hurriedly ran away and returned shortly after, carrying a box, which she handed directly to him.

"bawl."

"This is your personal savings, it's different from others."

"You saved my life, why are you saying all this? Well... besides, I'm in mourning for my mother and won't be going out for a long time. I can't even play backgammon, so where would I go to spend money?"

"Weren't you planning to buy a dagger to kill Shi Erlang?"

“Kill you… no, I’ve laid down my knife. My grandfather asked me to transcribe scriptures for my mother, saying that she believed in this the most when she was alive. But I won’t transcribe them. I wish I could transcribe those bald monks.”

When the mention of monks came up with the idea of ​​interest, Xiao Yi said, "Then consider it a loan from you, with a monthly interest rate of four percent."

"I always lend money at 80% interest, but for your sake, 40% is fine, let's draw up a written agreement."

"You write, my handwriting is ugly."

"He does have some self-awareness, and he's ready with pen and ink."

When Xiao Yi peeked over to watch Guo Xin write, he couldn't help but say, "You don't seem to have any self-awareness."

"What? In my family, besides my eldest brother, my handwriting is the best."

"The handwriting on your birth chart is very beautiful."

"Don't mention the birth chart!"

Guo Xin angrily cursed, put down her pen, and said, "Signature, signature."

Xiao Yi picked up the IOU and saw that it only stated, "Xiao Yi hereby borrows three hundred strings of cash from Guo Xin, with a monthly interest rate of four percent, and shall not renege on the agreement," without specifying a time limit.

"Wait until I receive my salary..."

"You penniless wretch, you spend all your salary as soon as you get it."

"Do you really have three hundred strings of cash in this box?"

“I have all this gold and silver, and now I can exchange it for even more copper coins.”

"Ok."

Xiao Yi dipped his finger in the inkpad and stamped it with his fingerprint.

Guo Xin dried it and carefully put it away.

"I am leaving."

"Oh."

As Xiao Yi was leaving, he turned around and saw Guo Xin sitting alone in the large hall, looking rather lonely. The smile in her eyes was gradually fading.

As if sensing something, she looked up.

He looked away before making eye contact and quickly walked away.

……

After leaving the back hall, we walked through the corridor back to the front yard.

Just then, Wang Puzheng was speaking to someone with great enthusiasm and passion, his voice quite loud.

"Who says the Lord doesn't know about wealth? It won't be long before you all look at him with new eyes. I'll go and fetch one of them first..."

This person has an outgoing personality and is not as composed as Wei Renpu, but he is also a man of great vision.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Yi, and asked, "General Xiao, is there something you need from me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, just a moment."

Wang Pu hurried towards the side gate, and soon after, he forcibly linked arms with a fifty-year-old official as they passed through the front yard.

"Brother Li, you've finally arrived! The Lord has been treating you with the honorary title of Commissioner of the Three Departments, eagerly awaiting your return to the capital to manage finances and provisions. Stabilizing the people's livelihood and curbing prices cannot be delayed any longer!"

"Slow down, slow down, Wang Wenbo, why are you in such a hurry?"

"How can we not be anxious about recommending talents for the world?"

Xiao Yi looked over and only managed to see the two people enter the hall.

He seemed to see the signs of a new dynasty and believed that Guo Wei could manage the poor family well.

A short while later, Wang Pu came out and said with a smile, "Congratulations, General Xiao, on taking on the position of a staff officer."

"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Wang. Please get an official token."

"Haha, from now on we'll both be serving you in the Shogunate, so we should keep in touch more often..."

After leaving Guo's residence, Xiao Yi had another plaque on his belt that read "Investigator of the Tianxiong Army Military Governor's Office".

(End of this chapter)