Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

After discussing the matter, Cheng Xiao, the eastern border guard, and Mao Wei, the northern border guard, decided that Mao Wei would lead a dozen or so officers and soldiers to guard the crime scene, while Cheng Xiao would take Liu Bei and Geng Yong to the Zhuo County government office to report the case.

Subsequently, Cheng Xiao, Liu Bei, Geng Yong, and two officers and soldiers hurried towards Zhuoxian City.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles.

At this time, news of the fierce battle in the dense forest dozens of miles southeast of Shiwulipu quickly spread throughout Zhuoxian County.

People were talking about it, and there was widespread anxiety.

Along the way, the people looked at Cheng Xiao and his group with curious eyes.

When they rushed to the county government office...

Magistrate Xue You of Zhuo County had already taken his seat in court and was talking to a man in his thirties dressed in a blue robe.

"...Your Excellency, Liu Bei is suspected of colluding with bandits. I urge Your Excellency to arrest him swiftly and bring him in for questioning. He must not be let off lightly."

"There's something fishy about this... Perhaps there's some other hidden story..."

As Zhuo County Magistrate Xue You was speaking, he looked up and saw Cheng Xiao leading Liu Bei and Geng Yong quickly approaching.

Cheng Xiao strode into the main hall, bowed, and said:

"Your Excellency, a large-scale brawl has occurred in the dense forest twenty miles south of Qingxi Manor. We have now brought the two eyewitnesses, Liu Bei and Geng Yong, to the court."

Upon hearing this, Xue You frowned slightly:

"...It's Liu Bei again. Bring him in."

Two officers led Liu Bei and Geng Yong into the main hall.

Liu Bei and Geng Yong continued to kneel and pay their respects, and then recounted in detail to Xue You, the magistrate of Zhuo County, what they had said to Cheng Xiao in the dense forest.

After hearing this, the man in the blue robe glared angrily at Liu Bei and shouted loudly at Xue You, the magistrate of Zhuo County:

"My lord, Liu Bei is lying. He is in cahoots with the bandits of Baishi Mountain."

"Our Qingxi Manor's steward, Wen Xuan, was personally sent to Zhuo County by the patriarch, Lord Zhao, to manage the entire Zhuo County's industries. Lord Zhao trusts Steward Wen very much and has entrusted him with important responsibilities."

"Now that Chief Steward Wen has been killed by the bandits of Baishi Mountain, Lord Zhao must be furious. I implore Your Excellency to punish Liu Bei with death!"

After listening, Xue You pondered for a moment and said:

"This matter involves the bandits of Baishi Mountain. The task of suppressing the bandits is beyond the jurisdiction of this county. What this county can do now is to verify the bandit situation, write a report, and submit it to Prefect Cui of Zhuojun."

"As a retainer of Qingxi Manor, you accused Liu Bei of colluding with bandits, yet you have no concrete evidence, relying solely on verbal conjecture. How can this county sentence Liu Bei to death?"

The retainer then spoke passionately:

"My lord, Liu Bei just said that he was the one who brought the bandits Sun Qing and Wang Dang from Baishi Mountain to Qingxi Manor. This is his own confession."

Xue You frowned and said again:

"Yesterday, Liu Bei assisted the government troops in killing the bandits of Baishi Mountain. How could he possibly be conspiring with them to murder Wen Xuan, Wu Guang, and others today? Clearly, the bandits of Baishi Mountain are putting on an act, setting a trap to use Liu Bei!"

"this……"

The retainer from Qingxi Manor was speechless, his face flushed, "Liu Bei, he..."

Xue You continued:

"As you yourself said, Liu Bei went to Qingxi Manor at the invitation of Wu Guang. Liu Bei also mentioned that Wu Guang admired his righteous act of killing the bandits of Baishi Mountain. Liu Bei has no prior grudge against Qingxi Manor, so how could he have conspired with bandits to harm Wen Xuan and the others?"

Suddenly, the retainer remembered something and shouted:

"My lord, this morning, Zhang Fei of the Zhang clan from Zhuo County accompanied Liu Bei to Qingxi Manor. Zhang Fei's cousin is Zhang Hun. Zhang Hun and Qingxi Manor have always been at odds."

"According to what Steward Wen said before his death, Zhang Hun colluded with bandits in Baishi Mountain, intending to rob the caravan of Qingxi Manor. It is clear that Zhang Hun was in league with the bandits. The Zhang clan of Zhuo County must also have been in league with the bandits."

Magistrate Xue You of Zhuo County sighed:

"This is just your side of the story. What evidence do you have to prove that Zhang Hun colluded with the bandits? Now, Zhang Hun is dead. Wen Xuan and Wu Guang are also dead. There are no witnesses or physical evidence."

"Even if Zhang Hun was involved with bandits, it doesn't mean the entire Zhang clan of Zhuo County was. How can you speak such blatant lies in court?"

When he spoke the last sentence, his tone became sharp and stern.

It was clear that Xue You was very impatient with that retainer.

The retainer was also startled, and his face changed color:

"If Your Excellency is unwilling to believe my one-sided account, you can arrest Zhang Fei and the others and question them."

Xue You shouted loudly:

"Everyone involved in this case will be summoned for questioning by the county. Then, a written report will be prepared and submitted to the Prefectural Governor's Office of Zhuojun. You may leave now."

Seeing that Magistrate Xue You of Zhuo County looked displeased, the retainer from Qingxi Manor couldn't help but feel indignant as well. He snorted and said:

"Your Excellency should not forget that my patriarch, Lord Zhao, is a cousin of Attendant Zhao of the Inner Court."

Xue You knew that Zhao Zhong, a eunuch in the inner court, was a favorite of Emperor Ling of Han. A single word spoken to the emperor could lead to the extermination of Zhao Zhong's entire family or even his clan.

He sneered inwardly and said in a deep voice:

"This county handles matters impartially, and everything is done in accordance with the law."

The retainer flicked his sleeve, gave a cold snort, and said:

"The affairs of the world are unpredictable!"

He turned and left without looking back.

Liu Bei watched coldly as a mere retainer acted so arrogantly and disrespectfully before the magistrate of Zhuo County, which fueled his hatred for these wicked eunuchs.

The words spoken by the retainer of Qingxi Manor before he left were clearly a veiled threat to Xue You, the magistrate of Zhuo County.

Xue You watched his retainer's departing figure, a barely perceptible sneer appearing on his lips.

Immediately afterwards, Zhuo County Magistrate Xue You dispatched additional personnel, sending the county constable, along with clerks and other staff, to continue their investigation in the dense forest where the incident occurred, further verifying the bandit situation and compiling a report.

He then ordered Cheng Youjiao to lead the officials and soldiers to immediately summon Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, Wutulu, and others mentioned by Liu Bei to the county government hall.

After a series of inquiries.

Think for a moment.

Xue You glanced at Liu Bei, Geng Yong, Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, Wutulu, and others, and said:

"This massacre in the dense forest was caused by the bandits of Baishi Mountain. Fifth Guang, a retainer of Qingxi Manor, assisted the government troops in ambushing the Baishi Mountain bandits' spies at the Wu Family Inn. The Baishi Mountain bandits then set up this trap to retaliate against Wen Xuan, Fifth Guang, and others. This matter has nothing to do with the five of you. Go back to your respective places."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and the other four hurriedly replied:

"The county magistrate is discerning."

After thinking for a moment, Xue You then said to Liu Bei:

"Liu Bei, you personally killed several thieves yesterday, so be careful of the bandits of White Stone Mountain retaliating."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Excellency. My home in Lousangli is already under strict security," Liu Bei said.

Magistrate Xue You of Zhuo County nodded. Seeing that the courtroom was crowded with people who had come to hear the trial, he loudly proclaimed:

"The bandits of Baishi Mountain have become increasingly rampant recently. They not only rob merchants traveling to and from the area, but also kill people everywhere. This has caused unrest throughout Zhuo County."

"All the people of Zhuo County should guard their homes carefully on ordinary days. They should send more people to their villages and communities to be on high alert. If there is any news, they can come to the county government to report it."

"If you see any suspects or anyone acting suspiciously or furtively, report them to the village head, the village chief, or the patrol officer. Be sure to investigate them carefully and do not let them get away."

"Yes. That's how it should be."

"We will all listen to Magistrate Xue."

The people were talking all at once.

Magistrate Xue You of Zhuo County then adjourned the court.

Liu Bei, Geng Yong, Qian Zhao, Zhang Fei, and Wutulu walked out of the county government hall and went together to the Ruijinfang silk shop.

Everyone settled down in the back hall to drink tea and rest.

Qian Zhao first said:

"Lord Xue, the county magistrate, is truly insightful and fair in his dealings, and he is not afraid of the power of Attendant Zhao in the inner court at all. He is truly an upright official. He is a blessing to the people of Zhuo County."

"Zijing is right."

Liu Bei sighed, "Nowadays, the eunuchs in the inner court wield immense power and influence. Most people would rather avoid them than risk their lives. It is extremely rare to find someone like Lady Xue, who dares to confront them head-on. Her character and knowledge are truly invaluable."

Qian Zhao nodded, then asked:

"How do you think this matter will develop next, Xuande?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment and said:

"Zhao Xiang, the owner of Qingxi Manor, will not let this go easily after the bandits of Baishi Mountain in Jizhou killed and injured many of his retainers and servants."

"He will surely send someone to Luoyang to exaggerate to his cousin, the eunuch Zhao Zhong, how the bandits of Baishi Mountain have run rampant in You and Ji prefectures, causing panic and making the people live in unrest."

"Zhao Zhong will surely advise the emperor to suppress the bandits. Therefore, I guess the next step the court will likely be to send an official, such as an Imperial Censor, to Jizhou to supervise the governors of Youzhou and Jizhou in suppressing the bandits of Baishi Mountain."

Geng Yong said worriedly:

"While the imperial court is waging war, Zhao Xiang, incited by his retainers at Qingxi Manor, will certainly not let us off the hook. From now on, everyone must be careful. Be especially wary when interacting with outsiders, as they may be spies sent by Qingxi Manor."

Liu Bei then said in a deep voice:

"These retainers of Qingxi Manor are far too arrogant. Relying on the power of the eunuch Zhao Zhong, they are causing trouble in the local area. I think we don't need to wait for them to come to us."

"We need to take the initiative and go find them first!"

"Those retainers were merely following orders. The real culprits are these sycophantic, treacherous, and cunning retainers of Qingxi Manor!"

"Only by eliminating all the remaining retainers of the White Stone Mountain bandits before the next steward of Qingxi Manor arrives can we live in peace."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, the group was filled with fear and trepidation.

……

Binjiang and the lake were once home to many outlaws and bandits. But the local authorities brought order, punished the powerful and cunning, and captured the mountain thieves, bringing peace and tranquility to the county.

—From the Biography of Hou Ba in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty