Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Liu Bang and his entourage arrived in Chen County more than ten days ago.

The fact that they were able to sneak into Chen County to conduct their investigation was entirely due to the network of connections that Xiao He had built up in various counties in his early years. Even so, the group went through many twists and turns, changing their identities and taking roundabout ways to conceal themselves, before finally managing to settle into an inconspicuous inn without the Chen County officials noticing.

After settling in, they didn't waste a moment and split up to begin their covert investigation.

Knowing that this matter would be difficult, I was prepared to wait for eight or ten months, or even longer. I patiently investigated and sorted out the clues bit by bit, determined to expose all the treacherous officials who preyed on the people and colluded with bandits in this county.

But who would have thought that after a covert investigation, not only did they not find a single useful clue, but they also almost lost their lives.

Ironically, it was Xiao He and Cao Can, the two most composed and reliable people who, in theory, were least likely to cause trouble, who got into trouble.

After much deliberation, the two decided to start with the villagers at the bottom of society—the common people are the most direct victims of oppressive government, and there must be hidden stories to be found in private.

So he took off his usual neat clothes, put on a faded coarse cloth long gown, and wandered around villages and riverside markets.

They pretended to be weary travelers stopping to rest, speaking to people in a gentle and friendly manner, slowly asking for directions and chatting casually, subtly inquiring about whether there were bandits or thieves on the road ahead, and the state of public security.

Logically speaking, their questions were cautious and consistent with their disguised identities, so no one should have suspected anything.

But the elders in the countryside had long been terrified and silenced by the ruthless methods of the prefect and his gang.

Some time ago, Erlang's youngest son from the outskirts of the city saw a traveler who seemed kind and couldn't help but offer a few words of advice, saying that things were not peaceful in their county and that he should leave quickly.

Unexpectedly, that very night, bandits broke into their home, vandalizing and looting, leaving the entire family homeless and in dire straits.

Who would dare to speak now?

Perhaps they are spies sent by the prefectural governor's office to probe and coerce a confession!

The villagers dared not offend him, so they either stammered and talked about other things, or simply lowered their heads and pretended to be busy, refusing to say a single word of the truth. Some even locked their doors and windows, avoiding him as if they were in a hurry.

Despite their repeated setbacks and failure to obtain any clues, Xiao and Cao's unwavering upright demeanor attracted the attention of many.

The local bullies and scoundrels all had spies planted by higher authorities, who had been secretly keeping a close eye on the two men. They were convinced that the two men were spies sent from elsewhere and planned to ambush and arrest them, taking them directly to the prefect's mansion to claim credit and rewards.

The moment they were surrounded by several short sticks at the narrow alley entrance, Xiao He and Cao Can felt a heavy weight in their hearts, realizing something was wrong.

I didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly.

The ringleader, a burly man with a face full of scars, dangling half a blade of dry grass from his mouth, took two steps forward with his hands on his hips, spat fiercely on the ground, and his triangular eyes swept over the two men with a sinister look.

"You two have been wandering around these outskirts of the city for most of the day, aren't your legs aching?" He sneered, pressing closer. "Tell me honestly, where did you come from? I've never seen anyone like you around here before. Who sent you?"

Cao Can's back tensed instantly, his hand subtly retracting into his sleeve, his fingertips already gathering strength. He glanced sideways at Xiao He without making a sound—it would be best to use words to deceive them and get away with it, but if the other party insisted on fighting, he could protect Xiao He and fight his way out.

Xiao He immediately understood, stepped forward half a step, smiled and cupped his hands, trying to smooth things over: "Please forgive us, sir. We are just travelers passing through your esteemed place. We got lost and are just wandering around asking for directions. We have no ill intentions whatsoever. We hope you will be lenient and let us pass."

As he spoke, he took out the money pouch from his waist and handed it over, looking like he was trying to pay to avoid trouble and just want to get away safely.

The moment he reached out, the purse was snatched away. The thug glanced at it, then stuffed it into his pocket, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth:

"Don't give me that crap! I've been watching you guys for ages. Traveling students? What kind of traveler goes to the most remote corners? If I let you through, how am I supposed to explain this to my superiors?!"

"I'll take this money pouch, and I'm definitely getting the reward money from above!"

He waved his hand, and several men carrying short sticks immediately surrounded him. "Since you're somewhat sensible, you'd better come with me obediently, and you might avoid some physical pain. Otherwise..."

He weighed the wooden stick in his hand, then tapped it against his palm; the dull thud was particularly clear in the narrow alley.

Cao Can stepped forward with a solemn expression, shielding Xiao He behind him, the short dagger hidden in his sleeve already sliding into his palm—

"Damn it, what bad luck! It's you two again!"

Suddenly, a rough and extremely impatient curse, full of disdain and impatience, pierced through the tense air.

Everyone turned around and saw two people strolling into the alley. Both had their shirts open and headscarves askew, exuding the carefree and roguish air of street ruffians. Their nonchalant demeanor was immediately apparent.

Leading the group was Liu Bang, who frowned and pursed his lips as if he had seen something disgusting that he couldn't shake off. He strode forward with a look of disgust. Behind him, Lu Wan crossed her arms, looking displeased. Following behind was Fan Kuai, whose face was dark. The three of them standing there looked exactly like a gang of thugs and bullies.

"Brother, don't let them fool you!"

Liu Bang seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere on the field. He simply raised his hand and put it on the shoulder of the ringleader, looking like he was in a good mood with the enemy. With his other hand, he pointed at Xiao He and Cao Can, who were surrounded in the middle, his face full of indignation.

"These two pretty boys are really good actors, don't believe them!"

Xiao He and Cao Can: "???"

Having lived for over twenty years, the two were upright and honest, and had always been respected by others. This was the first time someone had pointed at their noses and called them "pretty boys," and they were a little stunned and almost didn't react.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously pressed down the short daggers hidden in their sleeves, deciding to wait and see what Liu Bang was up to.

The local thug was also completely bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

He sized Liu Bang up and down, noticing that the man was also dressed like a thug, and that he was followed by someone who looked like a troublemaker. Suppressing his anger, he asked with suspicion:

"And where did you come from? I've never seen you before. What do you mean by that?"

"Don't even mention it! It makes me furious!" Liu Bang spat on the ground, pointing at Xiao He and Cao Cao, "Isn't it all thanks to these two!"

He glared fiercely at Xiao and Cao, then, with an air of seasoned experience, gave the local thug a piece of his mind:

"Brother, do you think they're anyone? Spies sent by the imperial court? Bullshit! That's what I thought too, and look what happened! They're just two bastards!"

Liu Bang cursed with spittle flying everywhere, his acting was so natural, he looked like a wronged victim who had been deceived.

"Last time they sneaked into our area, they were putting on airs, and I thought I'd caught a lucrative job. Without saying a word, I had my men tie them up and excitedly sent them to show off. Who knew they were actually the younger brothers of the magistrate's newly acquired eighteenth concubine!"

"Don't be fooled by their long gowns and refined appearance; they're actually full of wicked schemes. Taking advantage of my sister's favor in the bedroom, they idle away their days, squandering money recklessly. They've swindled all of my sister's savings, and when they couldn't get any more, they came up with this despicable trick—pretending to be spies from out of town!"

The thug listened in stunned silence, slowly lowering the wooden stick in his hand, his suspicious gaze shifting back and forth between Xiao He and Liu Bang.

Liu Bang continued to complain: "I was so stupid to send her up there, and what did I get? Not a single penny of reward! That concubine made a scene in front of the magistrate, crying and wailing, and we ended up being arrested and given a severe beating! Our buttocks are all bruised and battered!"

As he spoke, he subconsciously touched his lower back and grimaced, as if the lingering pain from the beating was still there.

"In the end, they even took all the money from me and gave it to those two bastard brothers-in-law before it was finally over! I had to stay home for more than half a month before I could get out of bed!"

Lu Wan, standing beside her, also grimaced and inadvertently tugged at her sleeve, revealing a purplish-blue scar on her arm that hadn't completely faded, and added at the opportune moment:

"That's right! They beat us up with a flurry of blows, almost killing us. We couldn't make it over there anymore, so we thought we'd try our luck here. But when we heard there were spies, we rushed over excitedly, only to find, damn it, those two swindlers again!"