The Thief Prince

Li Zheng talked to Zhou Qing for a long time before the two reluctantly parted ways.

Before leaving, Zhang Yin, Ma San, and others came to see him off.

Although Zhou Qing was not a qualified bandit leader, he did not treat his men too harshly, and his brothers still remembered their friendship.

Li Zheng dispatched twenty henchmen to escort Zhou Qing all the way to Zhangjia Village.

There, Zhou Qing will bid farewell to Tang Meng and select men to head to the sea, embarking on his new journey.

As Zhou Qing walked down the mountain, he looked back at the village that was faintly visible on the mountain.

The salt merchant beside him, thinking he was reluctant to part with his salt, comforted him, saying, "Master, there's no need to be reluctant. As the saying goes, fortunes change, and you may very well make a comeback someday."

Zhou Qing looked over with disdain: "Why bother coming back? This dilapidated village will be reduced to ashes in a couple of days."

"So, what's going on with the employer...?"

Zhou Qing sighed, "It's just some sentimentality."

"I lost a village, but gained a close friend like Li Zheng. It's the best deal I've ever made in my life."

The salt merchant was secretly astonished by his boss's genuine emotions.

Just a few days ago, the boss was so angry with Li Zheng that he fainted, but today they have become close friends and brothers.

Looking back at the truckloads of real gold and silver that Li Zheng had given to his employer, the salt merchant immediately felt relieved.

If someone gave me these things, I'd be more than just a close friend...

I'd even call him my own grandfather!

. . . . . .

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Huang Fuwen arrived at the residence of Zhang Pin, the prefect of Danzhou, again. He waited outside the door for about half a cup of tea's time before being led into the room by a servant.

Zhang Pin was in his early forties, with a fair complexion and a meticulously groomed three-strand beard.

At this moment, he held a purple brush, suspended his wrist, and wielded the brush to splash ink on the Xuan paper.

Huang Fuwen bowed hurriedly as he entered, saying, "Lord Zhang, this humble official..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Pin raised his hand and gently waved it, signaling him to be quiet.

After writing the last character, he placed the brush on the jade brush mountain, took a half step back, and examined it for a while.

He then slowly raised his head, glanced at Huang Fuwen, and said, "Magistrate Huang, your timing is perfect. Do you think my calligraphy has improved?"

Huang Fuwen had no interest in reading the words. He stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying:

"Master Zhang, it's still about Changfeng Temple..."

He looked around, then lowered his voice further: "If you don't send troops soon, my lord, those bandits in Dangshan might really escape. What if they..."

"They ran away, so they ran away." Zhang Pin didn't wait for him to finish speaking, calmly placing the Xuan paper on the table. "What important matter is it this time?"

Huang Fuwen was stunned for a moment, then said urgently, "But the letters from Changfeng Temple are still in the hands of the thieves."

"If those thieves spread these things around, we..."

At this moment, Huang Fuwen only felt that Zhang Pin was too carefree.

You should know that the letter not only had their names on it, but also the seals of the Liao people’s Southern Court King and even the private seals of several ministers in Yingtian Prefecture!

The court wouldn't act rashly against the officials, but he was just a seventh-rank county magistrate. In the end, wouldn't he be the one to suffer?

Although the current dynasty does not kill scholar-officials, I don't know which remote place I will be exiled to.

Zhang Pin smiled gently: "Magistrate Huang is still not thinking things through."

"Tell me, are the officials in the court more concerned about a few local officials doing business with the Liao people... or more concerned about someone mobilizing troops without imperial decree during the national mourning period?"

Huang Fuwen was stunned and couldn't say a word for a moment.

Seeing his appearance, Zhang Pin couldn't help but shake his head.

He strolled to the window and looked out over the courtyard before slowly saying, "The most important thing for an official is to fulfill his duties."

"What is your duty? You should do as much as the court gives you."

"The movement of troops is the prerogative of the emperor. It is already an imperial favor that you and I can exercise it on behalf of the emperor. How can we act recklessly?"

"As for doing business with the Liao people..."

He turned around and said meaningfully, "Throughout the Great Zhou, I am not the only one secretly colluding with the Liao people. If doing business is punishable by death, how many people in the court will be left to serve the Emperor?"

Huang Fuwen broke out in a cold sweat, his official robes soaked through the back.

This is the tragedy of lower-level officials; ultimately, they are not qualified to have access to these things.

The Zhou emperor and the scholar-officials jointly governed the country. High-ranking officials like Zhang Pin, who had passed the imperial examinations, were already shareholders in the Zhou court.

What's wrong with taking on some side jobs for your own business?

Anyway, the Great Zhou is rich, so it doesn't matter if I'm greedy for a little bit more.

But Huang Fuwen was still somewhat unwilling, and after careful consideration, he said, "So we're just going to wait and do nothing?"

"I have already submitted a memorial to the court." Zhang Pin strolled back to his desk unhurriedly. "Judging by the days, the imperial edict should arrive in the next day or two."

"When the imperial decree arrives, whether those thieves are arrested or killed will be determined by fate."

"As for if they run out of Danzhou, wouldn't that be even better?"

"Once they leave Danzhou, they are no longer bandits of Danzhou. The neighboring prefectures can have their own headaches; what business is it of mine?"

Huang Fuwen stood there blankly, feeling as if Zhang Pin in front of him was a bottomless pool, and that his limited skills were completely unable to see what was hidden beneath.

He could only bow his head and say, "This humble official understands."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the study.

A minor official in blue robes ran breathlessly to the door, bowed, and reported, "Prefect, the imperial envoy from the capital has arrived and is waiting in the main hall to announce the decree."

Zhang Pin calmly rolled up the calligraphy and placed it in the celadon brush holder on the desk, then slowly smiled at Huang Fuwen:

"Look, they're here."

He strode out, and as he reached the door, he glanced back at Huang Fuwen, who was still standing there: "Magistrate Huang, please rest here for now. We will discuss the matter of sending troops after I receive the imperial decree."

"There is tea in the study and a chess set on the table. Please make yourself at home."

After saying this, he followed the minor official to the main hall, walking calmly and unhurriedly.

Huang Fuwen remained in the study, feeling restless and uneasy.

He considered colluding with the Liao people a huge deal, so how could Prefect Zhang be so carefree?

After an unknown amount of time, just as Huang Fuwen was feeling that each day was an eternity, Zhang Pin returned, holding an imperial edict in his hand.

Zhang Pin smiled and said, "Since you gentlemen have agreed, it seems I have no choice but to accept this credit for suppressing the bandits."

He never even considered that the bandit suppression would fail. With the Great Zhou government troops on the front lines, how could they possibly fail?

Even if they truly lost, their reports to the court would state that they had utterly defeated the bandits and that the roving pirates had fled.

As for where they fled to, that's none of your business; they've escaped anyway.

Huang Fuwen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

But Zhang Pin sat down at the table again, picked up a brush and wrote a few lines of text, then stamped the seal.

"Take this letter to Cao Su, the military commander of this prefecture, and order him to mobilize three hundred imperial guards, five hundred local militia, and archers and yamen runners from various counties to join the army and wipe out the bandits of Dangshan in one fell swoop!"