Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Song Jiang frowned and said, "Although I know some people in Jizhou, none of them are high-ranking officials; they are all minor officials. I'm afraid they can't be of any help with this matter."

“This matter doesn’t require the clerk to go to Jizhou. All that’s needed is for the clerk to say a few words to He Tao,” Wu Yong replied.

"Strategist, what's the plan? Tell me! I'm dying of impatience!" Liu Tang urged.

"Master Wu, if I can truly help, please speak frankly," Song Jiang said, bowing slightly.

"It's simple to explain,"

Wu Yong then explained his plan.

"The four of us have now settled in Erlong Mountain in Qingzhou. According to regulations, Qingzhou is no longer under the jurisdiction of Jizhou Prefecture."

"The prefect of Jizhou Prefecture is already overwhelmed with troubles because of this birthday tribute. Clerk, you can inform He Tao that we have settled in Erlong Mountain."

"And by the way, give him another idea: say that Bai Sheng is also one of the bandit leaders of Erlong Mountain. Now that Jizhou Prefecture has captured him, he should naturally be handed over to Qingzhou Prefecture for disposal."

"Once the Jizhou Prefecture is escorting Bai Sheng to Qingzhou, we can make our move and rescue him directly."

"If this matter can be accomplished, the clerk can also establish a good relationship with the envoy He Tao and the prefect of Jizhou. It would be a win-win situation!"

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang understood Wu Yong's meaning.

Now, both the prefect of Jeju and He Tao are worried about being punished by Cai Jing because of the birthday tribute incident.

But if we follow Wu Yong's method...

Jizhou, however, could delegate the task of capturing Chao Gai and his men to Qingzhou.

As for Prefect Murong of Qingzhou, although he was inevitably somewhat displeased, that was all.

Because Erlong Mountain is indeed located within Qingzhou.

Suppressing this gang of bandits was his job, after all.

Furthermore, if they could capture Chao Gai and his men,

Prefect Murong could also use this opportunity to curry favor with Cai Jing.

This would obviously also greatly benefit his younger sister in the palace, Consort Murong.

If this matter can be accomplished, He Tao, who will breathe a sigh of relief, and the prefect of Jizhou will also be relieved.

They would naturally remember the good things about Song Jiang.

Upon considering this, Song Jiang immediately and readily agreed.

"Don't worry, scholar. He Tao is currently drowning his sorrows in a nearby inn. I'll go find him now!"

After saying this, the timely rain hurriedly took his leave.

After he leaves,

Wu Yong and Liu Tang then noticed the bag of gold bars on the table, which he hadn't taken with him yet.

"Strategist, what should we do?" Liu Tang asked.

"The reason Clerk Song refused the gold is probably because he's worried about the many people in the city who might see it, and if the matter were to be exposed, it would get him into trouble,"

Wu Yong instructed, "Brother Liu Tang, you take this bag of gold. When we leave the city later, we will deliver it directly to the countryside to the residence of Song Yashi's father, Old Master Song."

········Requesting flowers·· 0

......

In an inn somewhere in Yuncheng,

He Tao was drowning his sorrows in alcohol with his men.

Ever since that day, when Wang Dingliu scared him away from the inn on the west bank of the marsh,

The group returned to Yuncheng, but they were already at their wits' end.

He Tao dared not return to Jeju.

When he came to Yuncheng on business, the prefect of Jizhou had already told him about it.

If they cannot capture Chao Gai and his men, they will exile He Tao to Shamen Island.

.. 0 0

He Tao had elderly parents and young children to support, and naturally did not want to be sent to the army or exiled.

He could only drown his sorrows in alcohol every day.

His men also knew that

If they go back like this, they'll definitely get what's coming to them from the prefect's office.

The group remained dejected for three to five days.

"Oh, Inspector He, I've been looking for you for a long time, and I've finally found you!"

When Song Jiang arrived at the inn and saw the drunken He Tao, he immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh, it's Clerk Song,"

He Tao hiccuped: "What do you want from me? Could it be... that the prefect sent someone to urge me to go back?"

By the end, He Tao was already trembling with fear.

"Don't panic, Inspector He. I've come here with good news to tell you."

Song Jiang recounted everything Wu Yong had said to him.

Upon hearing this, He Tao suddenly realized what was going on.

"Great idea! Great solution! This way, my troubles are gone, and the prefect's worries are gone too!"

At this point, He Tao quickly bowed and greeted the guests.

"Thank you so much, Clerk Song! Your idea saved both my life and the Prefect's!"

Chapter 291 Song Jiang: Wen Yuan, where did this lipstick mark on your face come from?

"Observer He, there's no need for such formalities. We're all working for the court; helping each other is only natural."

Song Jiang cupped his hands in reply, his face full of generosity and righteousness.

"Sir Song truly lives up to his reputation as a timely help; he genuinely understands and anticipates the needs of others."

He Tao remarked with considerable emotion, then offered Song Jiang a bowl of wine, saying with shame,

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore, Clerk. The reason Chao Gai was able to escape this time must be because someone in Yuncheng County leaked the news. I originally thought that the person who leaked the information was Clerk, but now it seems that I was just being petty and judging a gentleman by my own standards."

Song Jiang blinked twice, inwardly thinking how close he had come to disaster.

If He Tao were to return to Jizhou and file a complaint, even without evidence, the prefect wouldn't be able to punish Song Jiang, but his future prospects would likely be...

"Now that I think about it, the person who leaked the information must have been someone like Zhu Tong and Lei Heng..."

He Tao said angrily, "When I get back, I will definitely report to the governor that such people who collude with bandits must be severely punished."

"Ahem, well, Observer He may have misunderstood,"

Seeing that this matter had implicated Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, Song Jiang quickly said,

"Commander Zhu and Commander Lei have always been loyal and diligent in the county government. How could they possibly be colluding with bandits? In my humble opinion, Liangshan must have planted spies in Yuncheng. Once they discovered He's presence, they immediately informed Chao Gai and the others!"

"Otherwise, why would the inns of Liangshan protect Chao Gai and his men when they were being investigated and pursued? Perhaps Liangshan was involved in the birthday tribute incident as well."

“The clerk is absolutely right,”

He Tao nodded. He already had a way to deal with the prefect, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

The reason I mentioned Zhu Tong and Lei Heng earlier was to make excuses for my own failure, so as not to appear too incompetent.

"In that case, there's no time to lose. I'll take my leave and return to Jeju Island now."

He Tao stood up and said,

"Please convey this message to Magistrate Shi."

......

After seeing He Tao off, Song Jiang returned to the teahouse across from the county government office.

After recounting the events to Wu Yong and Liu Tang,

The two then took their leave.

Seeing that the two men didn't mention the hundred taels of gold again, Song Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

He owned thousands of acres of fertile land and also ran a private business in Yuncheng.

This hundred taels of gold is equivalent to a thousand strings of cash.

In the past, he would have just taken it.

But now Chao Gai and his accomplices are wanted criminals by the imperial court.

If he jeopardizes his future by coveting this small amount of money,

Wouldn't that be penny-wise and pound-foolish?

With these thoughts in mind, Song Jiang had just left the teahouse when he ran into an acquaintance.

It was his colleague in the county government, Zhang Wenyuan.

Zhang Wenyuan was handsome with delicate features, red lips, and white teeth.

He also loved to frequent brothels, learning a lifetime of flirtatious skills and becoming adept at manipulating women.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and ended up homeless, unable to even afford food.

He was lucky, as Song Jiang happened to see him.

This timely rain saw that he was good-looking and literate; if he were to enter the county government, he would surely be favored by the magistrate.

They then recommended Zhang Wenyuan to work as a clerk in the county government.

Because Song Jiang had been kind to him, the two had frequent and familiar interactions.

This time, however, they encountered Song Jiang at the entrance of the teahouse.

This startled Zhang Wenyuan, who quickly said...

"So it's Clerk Song!"

"Oh, it's Brother Wenyuan..."

Song Jiang was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed a lipstick mark on Zhang Wenyuan's face and burst out laughing.

"Brother Wenyuan, now that you're in the government, it's best to avoid those brothels as much as possible. Otherwise, if the magistrate catches you there, wouldn't that be..."

A place of entertainment?

Zhang Wenyuan was taken aback.

I clearly came from your outer residence just now, how could I have gone to a brothel?

Could it be that Song Jiang sensed something, which is why he issued such a warning?

After giving him a word of advice, Song Jiang left alone and returned to the county office.

Zhang Wenyuan was left standing there, feeling uneasy.

......

Song Jiang thought that the matter of Wu Yong and Liu Tang would be over after they left.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, before the time for the 2.0 version of the government office to be opened,

Then a constable came in to report that his brother, Song Qing, had arrived.

These two Song brothers,

Song Jiang went out to work as an official, striving for his future, while Song Qing stayed at home to take care of his elderly father and make a living by farming.

In the past, Song Qing often came to the county town to bring Song Jiang some food from home.

Therefore, Song Jiang was not surprised to hear that Song Qing had come looking for him.

As usual, upon arriving at the county government office,

But then he saw the package in Song Qing's arms.

"Brother, where did you get this package from?"