Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

When the music ended and the crowd dispersed, it was already past midnight; in a little while, it would be dawn.

"How can you be so sure that fat man surnamed Lu will definitely send Shi Qian to jail?"

In the north room and west wing, Zhu Biao lay on the bed with his eyes closed, resting, while Pang Qiutang sat on the edge of the bed, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Last night, although she participated in Zhu Biao's series of plans, she only understood about 60-70% of them, and there were still many details she didn't understand.

"If you were Fatty Lu, and you lost a hundred taels of silver and smashed the shop's signboard, wouldn't you be furious?"

Zhu Biao's voice sounded a little weak; he was exhausted after a whole night of tossing and turning.

"hatred!"

Pang Qiutang, on the other hand, was full of energy; after all, he had a brain, so it was inevitable that he would be excited.

"Whom do you hate?"

"Hmm? I hate you, but I hate Shi Qian even more."

"If you were Fatty Lu, would you have let him go?"

"Absolutely not?"

She said it firmly, then her eyes lit up.

"I understand. He hates Shi Qian. He can't let him go, much less take care of him. In the end, he'll just send him to jail."

"That's not all."

Zhu Biao said calmly:

"Shi Qian is quite skilled; he's a menace if he lives, and he'll seek revenge sooner or later. Therefore, he'll try every means to kill this thief."

Pang Qiutang shivered and turned to look at Zhu Biao, who was yawning incessantly:

"You can kill without getting your hands dirty? How come your brain works so well?"

"Eat more walnuts."

Zhu Biao lazily made up a nonsensical remark, then tossed her a heavy, bulging sheepskin money bag.

"Hey~"

This is the one hundred taels that Lu Tongqing just paid as compensation, a full ten ingots of silver. With everyone watching, he dared not and could not renege on the debt.

"Wow! So generous! You're giving it all to me?"

Pang Qiutang's eyes lit up.

"You'll arrive in Tokyo today. Here's your travel money for the journey home."

Her hand suddenly froze, and the purse slammed against the edge of the bed with a thud.

At that moment, the money bag seemed like a venomous snake spitting its tongue. She abruptly looked away, then lowered her head and slowly withdrew her hand.

She didn't speak, and Zhu Biao also closed his eyes and remained silent. The room instantly became deathly quiet, as if the air itself had frozen.

"We killed someone together."

After a long while, she finally spoke softly, her voice noticeably hoarse and trembling with a chilling quality.

"Um."

Zhu Biao remained silent, only nodding slightly.

"I am a criminal convicted of murdering officials and rebelling."

"Um."

"I am not a burden."

"Um."

Although Zhu Biao remained silent, his eyes suddenly opened.

Pang Qiutang suddenly raised her head and looked at him intently.

"What brings you to Tokyo?"

Zhu Biao sat up straight.

"It's definitely a head-on job. You want to come with me?"

Pang Qiutang trembled slightly, her lips pressed tightly together, turning pale, but she nodded heavily.

"Um!"

"Hahaha~"

Zhu Biao smiled.

"Call me Third Brother, and I'll take you to wreak havoc in Tokyo."

"Third, Third Brother~"

The sound was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. At that moment, the red sun leaped out of the east, instantly dyeing the sky red, just like a young girl's pretty face.

"My lord, my lord~"

Just then, a slightly panicked woman's cry rang out from the east wing; the two white sheep had woken up.

Although the large hole in the window had been haphazardly plugged with thick cloth, the mess on the floor was still quite horrifying.

"Sigh~ There's never a moment's rest."

Zhu Biao rubbed his throbbing temples, rolled over and got out of bed, but Pang Qiutang grabbed his arm.

"They're not wearing clothes, it's inconvenient for you, why don't I go?"

"Wu Qi, you're the one with all the inconvenience. Even if you come to Tokyo with me, you'll still be mute."

Zhu Biao freed his arms, casually stuffed the sheepskin money pouch on the edge of the bed into his pocket, raised an eyebrow, and added in a cheeky tone.

"Last night, I saw everything I wanted to see and touched everything I wanted to touch, so it's alright."

It wasn't until he left the west room that the stunned Pang Qiutang suddenly came to her senses and angrily punched the edge of the bed.

"What a load of rubbish! He's clearly a slut; that bastard even took the money pouch!"

After offering a few words of comfort and giving each of them an extra tael of silver, the two courtesans thanked them profusely, dressed themselves, and gracefully departed.

As they left, they looked back again and again, their eyes filled with reluctance.

This is not an act.

They were prostitutes who worked the night shift, which is essentially a high-end form of prostitution. It was extremely rare to find a client as young, handsome, and generous as Zhu Biao.

Those scholars who spout benevolence and morality, when they get into bed, well, "vulgar" doesn't even begin to describe it; they just make a complete spectacle of themselves.

"Don't walk on the snow, be careful not to prick your feet. My mute servant has buried nails inside. Walk along the eaves and you'll be fine once you get out of the courtyard."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. Next time you pass through Changheng, you must come and visit me again."

Zhu Biao didn't want to cause any trouble, so he escorted them all the way to the courtyard gate. The bolder of the two flower maids even had tears in her eyes.

However, Zhu Biao had no time to comfort her at this moment, because several people were walking towards them from the corridor outside the courtyard.

The leader was a wiry, bearded constable with a sword at his side and a dark red face, dressed in black. He was accompanied by Lu Tongqing, and two assistants followed behind him.

"Sir, that thief is now in jail. This is Chief Guo of our Changheng County Government, nicknamed Black-faced Lion."

Damn! These guys really know how to come up with nicknames.

If someone with a dark face and a beard dares to call himself the Black-faced Lion, then I am handsome and young, so can I be called the Jade-faced Little Flying Dragon?

Zhu Biao inwardly grumbled, but outwardly remained nonchalant, cupping his hands in a polite gesture and getting straight to the point.

"Chief Guo, what advice do you have for me?"

The title of "Head of the County Office" sounds nice, but he has no official rank and is far inferior to the "Head of the Imperial Guards and Cavalry" of the Commander's Office.

After all, he had a rank, and the cavalry captain only needed to take one step up to become a commander, starting from the sixth rank.

"I dare not presume to teach you, Chief Tang. I have already conducted a rough interrogation of that thief Guo, and he turns out to be the notorious thief Drum Flea from the Jizhou area."

Guo Dutou's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a metallic quality. His eyes were sharp, and he stared intently at Zhu Biao as he spoke.

"So what? I usually serve in the military headquarters, but I've never heard of his bandit reputation."

Zhu Biao remained noncommittal, his tone carrying the arrogance unique to a spoiled rich kid and a young master.

"Ha, Chief Tang has seen many heroes in the army, so he naturally looks down on these bandits."

Guo, the head constable, chuckled and echoed, then changed the subject:

"However, that flea on the drum is indeed quite capable. I heard that Chief Tang captured him with serious injuries by simply setting up some traps and mechanisms without breaking a sweat."

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Would Mr. Guo like to have a look?"

Zhu Biao raised an eyebrow, stepped aside to let the courtyard gate open, and even looked slightly smug.

"Of course it's not impossible, but there are quite a few nails buried in the yard. They were all taught to me by the old man as a way to deal with the Liao dogs. Be careful not to prick your foot."

"Thanks for reminding me."

Guo, the head constable, looked very carefully. He first examined the nails buried in the ground, then felt the vegetable oil on the beams and pillars, and finally poked open the hole in the window to peer around for a long time.

"Commander Tang truly lives up to his reputation as a valiant general. With such a formidable fighting formation, let alone that 'Drum-Beating Flea,' even if dozens of bandits charged in, they would be sent to their deaths!"

"Hey!"

Zhu Biao said proudly:

"Although I am fond of wine and women, I am also from a military family and have no fear of petty villains, much less of fighting."

At this moment, Pang Qiutang came out after hearing the noise. Guo Dutou glanced at her and was slightly taken aback.

Although Pang Qiutang wore a leather hat, a face mask, and a bound chest, and her clothes were also loose, Guo Dutou still recognized her as a woman at a glance.

Her disguise might fool ordinary people, but it couldn't fool a seasoned veteran with a keen eye.

However, Guo Dutou quickly dismissed the matter and even became more convinced of Zhu Biao's identity as a military officer's son.

In wealthy families, it was common for male pageboys to dress as females and female maids to dress as males; in fact, it was a current trend.

"Chief Tang, what brings you to Changheng this time?"

"I was dispatched by Deputy Envoy Lu of the Commandery to the Privy Council in Tokyo on official business."

After a few moments of silence, Chief Guo suddenly asked abruptly:

"What official business is it?"

"Cangzhou Haystack~"

Zhu Biao blurted out, then abruptly stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he stared sharply at Guo Dutou, his tone turning unfriendly.

"Chief Guo, do you want to check my travel permit and official documents? I can show you the travel permit, but you're not qualified to check the official documents. Let your magistrate come and ask him personally!"

"How dare I? How dare I?"

Guo, the head constable, immediately clasped his hands in apology.

"Please don't take offense, Chief Tang. This is just my duty. I asked the question on my own accord. I apologize for disturbing you. I'll take my leave now."

"Third Brother, did that dark-faced ghost figure something out?"

After Guo Dutou left, Pang Qiutang asked in a low voice.

"What can you tell? Shi Qian is a thief, and I am an official. If he couldn't even tell the difference, he wouldn't be where he is today."

Zhu Biao curled his lip:

"He just wants to get revenge for Fatty Lu, but he doesn't deserve it."

Outside the courtyard, Lu Tongqing was also asking questions in a low voice.

"Chief Guo, how is it?"

Guo Dutou exhaled a breath of stale air:

"Old Lu, that kid must come from a military family and have powerful connections. If this gets out of hand, you'll lose control. You'll have to accept your defeat this time."