Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

As Cao Can approached the entrance to the inner hall, he heard laughter and chatter coming from inside. The door was half-open. He looked down at the documents in his hands, a hint of hesitation on his face. He didn't go in immediately, but instead stood there listening for a while.

The sun was already high in the sky. After days of clearing out bandits in Mangdang Mountain, everyone finally had a rare moment of rest. They sat together for lunch, and the atmosphere was exceptionally cheerful.

Liu Bang sat imposingly at the table, one hand supporting himself on the edge, the other slapping his thigh, a broad smile on his face, his smugness almost overflowing from his eyes.

"Xiao Yuan, you didn't see it! When I went to each pavilion to select officials and soldiers, those old foxes tried to hide the men, but little did they know I had been keeping an eye on them—Lu Wan was keeping an eye on them for me!"

His voice was hearty, radiating a triumphant and triumphant air. He patted his chest and declared, "I know exactly which village head has experienced clerks under his command and which has strong soldiers!"

"I picked all the good talents from their ranks, not one of them was spared! It's a shame you didn't see the expressions on those old men's faces back then, tsk tsk, it was quite a sight!"

"Exactly!" Lu Wan chimed in with a laugh, her eyebrows dancing with excitement. "They kept complaining about being broke, saying they only had a few people on hand and they wouldn't be able to spare any more. But when I, in their name, sent word to transfer all their hidden talents over—you didn't see it, their faces turned green!"

Liu Bang laughed heartily, picked up his wine bowl, took a large gulp, wiped his mouth, and continued with a touch of smugness:

"Back then, they were making sarcastic and threatening remarks, saying that even if they gave us their elite troops, we wouldn't be able to crack the tough nut of Mangdang Mountain, and that suppressing the bandits would be a complete failure, a suicide mission. Bah!"

Lu Wan picked up the conversation, her face full of disdain: "What a joke! They're incompetent themselves, yet they think Brother Ji can't do it either. They keep bragging about how they were capable back in the day, how laughable! If they're so great, why did they back down when it came to suppressing bandits? They're truly a bunch of useless trash!"

Liu Bang laughed even more heartily, slapping his thigh: "Now it's all good! We've wiped out the bandits in one fell swoop! Even those old soldiers who were transferred here, after having a drink with me, are all willing to follow me. Those old foxes don't dare to utter a word when they see us; they all slink away without daring to say a harsh word!"

"They deserved it! Hahahaha!"

Xiao He, holding his teacup, looked at Liu Bang's heroic and even somewhat smug expression, shook his head helplessly, but his tone became more serious:

"Don't be too happy yet. Although the main bandit group in Mangdang Mountain has been wiped out, the small groups of bandits scattered in the deep mountains and dense forests are elusive and familiar with the terrain. They are probably the most troublesome to deal with in the future. You must not be careless or underestimate them in your future actions."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone growing increasingly solemn: "Relying on courage and underestimating the enemy will surely lead to disaster—I have already heard that when you went into the mountains to suppress them the other day, you were almost ambushed by the bandits. They used the mountainous terrain to their advantage, flanking and scattering you. If it weren't for Brother Fan's bravery and quick reflexes, leading his men to rush out and provide support in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"Don't worry, Xiao Yuan, I understand this principle." Upon hearing this, Liu Bang stopped laughing, became slightly more serious, and clasped his hands in greeting.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to look at Fan Kuai, who had been eating in silence beside him, and patted the other's broad, strong arm heavily, his eyes full of approval:

"That time, we really owed it to Kuai, my good brother. His strength is unmatched. With him by our side, even if those bandits hid in the mountains and used all sorts of underhanded tricks, they couldn't harm us in the slightest!"

Fan Kuai was eating and drinking when Liu Bang slapped his arm twice, but he didn't flinch. He held the wine bowl steady and didn't spill a drop of wine.

He tilted his head back and downed the strong liquor in one gulp, then slammed the cup down heavily. He looked up at Liu Bang, his voice rough but steady: "Brother Ji, it's only right."

He then nodded solemnly to Xiao He and replied in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Xiao Yuan, Kuai will not be careless."

After saying that, he lowered his head again and silently picked at the food in his bowl, reverting to his usual taciturn demeanor.

Although the words were brief, Xiao He felt somewhat relieved seeing his expression.

Lu Wan, standing nearby, quickly nodded in agreement, adding, "Xiao Yuan, don't worry. We suffered a loss at the hands of the bandits last time; how could we repeat the same mistake? In my opinion, with Brother Ji and Brother Kuai here, wiping out the remaining bandits in the mountains is only a matter of time, and it will be foolproof!"

Liu Bang chuckled and was about to say a few more words when he caught a glimpse of Cao Shen standing at the door.

He immediately stood up, walked briskly forward, and said in a warm and cheerful tone, "Isn't this Prison Clerk Cao? Please come in, please come in! Hahaha, you've come at the perfect time, let's have a drink together!"

Before Cao Shen could speak, Liu Bang had already enthusiastically put his arm around his shoulder and led him inside without saying a word.

"Cao, the success of this bandit suppression is all thanks to you! You quickly extracted the location of the bandits' hideout from the few 'treasons' we brought back, allowing me to launch a precise attack and capture these villains in one fell swoop!"

As they spoke, he had already pressed Cao Shen down to sit at the table, personally poured him a bowl of wine, and pushed it in front of him, saying, "Come, come, today's wine and dishes were all prepared by me personally, so please eat and drink as much as you like, don't be shy!"

Cao Shen was preoccupied with the matter of Chen Commandery, stroking the documents in his sleeve. He had no appetite for food or drink, his expression was somewhat unnatural, and he did not raise his cup to speak.

Xiao He observed this and assumed that Liu Bang was simply unaccustomed to his overly familiar and enthusiastic manner, and fearing an awkward situation, he smiled and made a lighthearted remark to ease the tension:

"You only say you'll arrange it yourself, but this wine and meat, I'm afraid you've already taken some and are on credit, leaving you with debts to the tavern, haven't you?"

"Oh! Clerk Xiao, you're really wronging me!" Liu Bang immediately patted his chest and solemnly defended himself, "This time it really wasn't on credit. I, Liu Bang, paid for it myself with my own salary, with real money. Clerk Cao, please eat and drink as much as you like!"

"Yes, I can testify!" Lu Wan jokingly chimed in, "This time, it's rare that Brother Ji didn't get the meat from Kuai, so Clerk Cao can eat as much as he wants!"

Cao Can quickly waved his hand and said, "You all misunderstand. I don't suspect anything, it's just that..."

He paused, his brow furrowing in difficulty. His gaze instinctively swept across the hall outside, making sure no one was eavesdropping, before lowering his voice and carefully choosing each word:

"However, I have an urgent official matter that I need to report to Clerk Xiao privately."

This matter is of great importance. All the clues point to a secret collusion between officials of Chen County and mountain bandits. It is extremely complicated and risky. With his meager authority as a prison clerk in Pei County, even if he were to risk his life, he might not be able to uncover the truth. He might even bring trouble upon himself.

Although he had not worked with Xiao He for very long, he could tell that Xiao He was a steady and righteous man, and was by no means someone who would collude with the corrupt or bend the law for personal gain. Liu Bang and others were trusted friends of Xiao He, and they had even volunteered to suppress the bandits, so there was absolutely no suspicion of colluding with the traitors.

Even though he didn't know whether they would decide to intervene and investigate thoroughly after hearing about this, or whether they would advise him to suppress the storm and avoid disaster for the time being, Cao Can was certain in his heart that at least... they would never betray him.