Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 93 Shui Rong: This shameless scoundrel!

"What...what do you want to do...?"

'

"Snapped!"

"Ouch—I'm an imperial censor on patrol. Without the Emperor's decree, you...you can't hit me..."

'

"Papa"

"Lord Liu, I was wrong! Please forgive me this time."

At the entrance of the brothel, Liu Feng sat on a grand chair with a gloomy expression, surrounded by kneeling people in front of and behind him.

The brothel madam, the prostitutes, and the patrolling soldiers all lay on the ground trembling, as if the slap was landing on their own faces.

The imperial censor on patrol, enraged by the beating, shouted, "Hanlin Mei, come quickly and save me!"

Mei Hanlin?

Liu Feng raised his head and followed the gaze of the patrolling censor. On the second floor of the teahouse, the window of a private room was ajar, and a figure could be faintly seen through it.

After a long while, there was still no movement.

With a cold snort, Liu Feng said, "Go and bring them down."

A small flag bearer led a group of people to rush over.

Before we even reached the door, a group of people came out.

Liu Feng immediately understood: they had come in a group to seek revenge.

"How dare you! You're assaulting an official of the imperial court in the street! Do you intend to rebel?"

Mei Hanlin pushed the servant's hand away, stood tall and strode over with a righteous and awe-inspiring expression.

The officials behind him were all indignant, shouting at the top of their lungs, "This is outrageous!"

"audacious in the extreme!"

"I will definitely submit a report against you!"

Liu Feng looked at the group of people and suddenly smiled: "You're all in cahoots, aren't you?"

"What... in cahoots..." Mei Hanlin felt guilty, and his four-step steps became disordered, causing him to stagger forward.

"You are all graduates of the imperial examinations, and you must have read many of the classics. You should be able to clearly distinguish between public and private matters. Do not let private matters interfere with public duties, and even less should you use public affairs to settle personal scores... The affairs of the court cannot be delayed..."

'

Liu Feng's words, laced with admonition and sarcasm, ignited Mei Hanlin's anger, prompting him to scoff, "We, the descendants of sages, naturally study the classics thoroughly and practice the ways of the sages..."

'

"What a sage's son!"

Liu Feng slammed his hand on the armrest of the armchair, his eyes blazing like knives as he swept his gaze across the faces of the crowd: "If the prisoner escapes, not one of you will escape today!"

Having said that, he turned to the patrolling censor who was kneeling on the ground, covering his face, his gaze icy: "Especially if you don't reveal who ordered it, your whole family can expect to be executed at Caishikou!"

The patrolling censor trembled with fear and scrambled towards Hanlin Mei, pleading, "Hanlin Mei, save me! I followed all the instructions!"

"Shut up!"

Mei Hanlin's face turned ashen with rage. Forcing down his panic, he snapped, "A criminal? Coming to a brothel to arrest a criminal? Are you kidding me?!"

Then, he changed the subject, "Young people... who here doesn't understand those things?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials understood immediately and burst into laughter, echoing the sentiment.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came—Wang Daniu had returned.

Wang Daniu leaped off his horse and rushed to Liu Feng, reporting, "Sir, that man surnamed Gao hasn't returned to the Prince's residence, and there's no one at home... He must have run away!"

"Okay~ Okay~"

With each "good" uttered by Liu Feng, the patrolling censor trembled. Seeing Liu Feng's gaze sweep over him, his face turned ashen, and his teeth chattered: "I...I..."

Liu Feng stared at him: "Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"

"I... am, I am..."

"7

"It was me! I was the one seeking personal revenge!"

Mei Hanlin suddenly roared and walked up to the patrolling censor. His legs were shaking like leaves, but he still managed to keep his eyes on Liu Feng.

"You?" Liu Feng scoffed, his face full of disdain.

Mei Hanlin's face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "It was me! I take full responsibility for my actions; don't try to implicate others!"

Liu Feng's eyes flashed; it seemed the person behind him was a high-ranking official!

"This matter has nothing to do with Imperial Censor Wang, so release him." Mei Hanlin turned around and gave the patrolling censor a wink.

Imperial Censor Wang immediately understood and quickly changed his tune: "I... I owe Brother Mei a favor, which is why I came with him to the brothel to catch him in the act of adultery..."

""

"Catch your mother in the act!" Wang Daniu rushed forward and slapped him across the face, leaving his mouth full of blood and him lying on the ground howling in pain.

Mei Hanlin and his companions trembled with fear.

Liu Feng then stood up, walked over to Mei Hanlin, and gently patted his face: "Speak, who is it?"

Mei Hanlin gritted his teeth: "A true man dares to act and take responsibility..."

"7

Liu Feng laughed and shook his head slightly: "It's not that I look down on you, but you're just a lowly official in green robes. You think you can get someone to go all out and cause trouble for my Northern Garrison with a favor that may or may not be genuine? Are you his father? Or his mother? Or perhaps your wife is having an affair with him?"

Wang Daniu and the other Imperial Guards burst into laughter.

Mei Hanlin was so angry that he couldn't even speak coherently: "You, you..."

'

"I don't want you anymore, go talk to them in jail!" Liu Feng waved his hand, "Take them all away!"

The Imperial Guards roared in unison, swarmed forward, and captured all of them.

"How dare you! Arresting an imperial censor without an imperial edict is a capital offense! Liu Feng, don't you even know that?!"

Liu Feng sneered: "Beheading? Fine, let's go see the Emperor together now."

After the death of the Prince of Jin, the most panicked people were not the emperor, but the officials of the Ministry of Revenue.

These people had already pledged allegiance to Prince Jin, placing all their bets on him. When news of his death reached the Ministry of Revenue, it was as if the sky had fallen; everyone was filled with fear and unease, dreading that the emperor would send another prince to take over.

Fortunately, the last one to arrive was Prince Bei Jing, a well-known "wise prince," which relieved everyone.

The climate in western Liaoning is extreme, and every year the imperial court rushes to send grain, fodder, and winter clothing to the front lines before autumn. However, this year, due to the outbreak of war in Datong, a large number of laborers and vehicles have been requisitioned, and the Ministry of Revenue has not yet allocated all the winter clothing out of the pass.

In the Ministry of Revenue's office, Shui Rong sat at his desk and said to the officials standing on either side, "The remaining grain and winter clothing should be directly allocated from the Shanhaiguan warehouse and delivered to the front lines before the blizzard arrives."

"Yes," the officials responded, their voices scattered.

At that moment, one of Shui Rong's attendants hurried in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Shui Rong's expression changed: "Let's go!"

As soon as Shui Rong left, the officials immediately gathered together and whispered among themselves.

"Transferring them from Shanhaiguan? That's suicidal!"

"Who can argue with that! Ever since the current emperor ascended the throne, the granaries at Shanhaiguan have never been fully stocked..."

""

"What are we going to do now!"

"Alright!" said the Vice Minister of Revenue.

The discussion abruptly ceased.

The Vice Minister of Revenue said, "The Ministry of Revenue has always allocated the full amount of military rations, military pay, and military equipment. As for whether there is anything in the granaries at Shanhaiguan, that is not our concern."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Everyone, you can all leave now."

The officials nodded thoughtfully and dispersed.

The Vice Minister of Revenue turned his gaze, walked to the door, raised his hand to summon his confidant, and lowered his voice: "Go and tell His Highness Prince Lu."

The Ministry of Revenue's documents will be issued a day late. This is a perfect opportunity to win over the generals of Shanhaiguan.

As soon as Shui Rong stepped out of the Ministry of Revenue's gate, the guards from the Prince's Palace who had come to deliver the news came to greet him.

Shui Rong looked around: "Where is everyone?"

"They've already been sent out of the city."

A fierce glint flashed in Shui Rong's eyes: "Dispose of them immediately." Seeing the guard's hesitant expression, she quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Guard: "The man surnamed Gao had a backup plan. When he came to the Prince's residence to offer his congratulations, he took the steward's invitation... and wrote down the whole story on it..."

""

"That shameless scoundrel!" Shui Rong gritted her teeth.

The guard added, "He said he wants us to help him rescue his wife and children."

Water-soluble gas laughed. Snatching people from the Northern Garrison Command?

"The butler's idea is to give him the money first to keep him calm, then find a way to locate the item, and deal with the rest as the situation develops."

There was no good solution for water-soluble substances, so he could only nod.

Thinking that this trouble was caused by Liu Feng again, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.