L.F-Hist.Novelist Chapter 142 Another Risk
Chapter 142 Another Risk
The night was calm and uneventful. No one in Yanggu County knew that a momentous event had occurred that concerned the very heavens above them.
Fortunately, thanks to Li Chong's skillful words, the trouble was averted.
But has the storm truly subsided?
No one knows.
In Zhu Family Village, as the weather gradually cooled down, Zhu Zhicheng stroked his beard and carefully examined the account books.
Although he was extremely wealthy, Zhu Zhicheng would personally review the accounts as long as he had the energy.
Having toiled his whole life for these things, he certainly wouldn't deprive himself of this joy.
"The feng shui is good this year, and the harvest in the fields is even better. Although Registrar Yang asked for more, we can make up for the less summer tax we paid."
Muttering to himself, Zhu Zhicheng smiled, clearly in a good mood.
He should be in a good mood, after all, he had received an extra sum of money, and no one would complain about unexpected wealth.
"Tap~ tap~ tap"
A strange sound came from behind, and a man with a sinister face came to Zhu Zhicheng with his hands on his canes. The sound was the sound of the canes hitting the floor.
"Father! I heard you received news? Is it true?"
Zhu Bingzhong shouted at the top of his lungs.
Upon hearing his son's voice, Zhu Zhicheng quickly stood up: "Who told you to come here? The doctor said you need to rest, otherwise you might develop a chronic illness."
Helping his son to lie down on the couch beside him, Zhu Zhicheng frowned and looked behind him: "What have you done? If you ruin Erlang's health, I won't forgive you!"
After being interrogated by Li Chong last time, even though it was confirmed that Zhu Bingzhong had killed someone, there was nothing that could be done about him because of the laws of the Song Dynasty.
But under Li Chong's orders, being flogged wasn't so easy.
More than half a month has passed, and Zhu Bingzhong still cannot sit up; he can only lie there every day.
If we hadn't invited a renowned doctor to examine me, I probably wouldn't be able to walk yet.
Filled with hatred, Zhu Bingzhong forced himself down with crutches and finally came to his father's side.
Zhu Bingzhong continued shouting, "Father, forget about all that, just tell me if it's true or not?"
Zhu Zhicheng frowned, but when he saw his son lying on the couch, his heart softened again.
He waved his hand coldly: "Luckily, Erlang is alright this time, otherwise you would all be punished and sent down to receive family discipline!"
After dismissing the trembling servants, Zhu Zhicheng sat down next to his son.
"Is your body still aching?"
"It hurts! But I hate it even more!" Zhu Bingzhong's eyes blazed with anger. "Father, just tell me, is that story true or not?"
A hint of hesitation flashed across Zhu Zhicheng's aged face. Given his son's immaturity, was it really necessary to tell him those things...?
But seeing his son become increasingly depressed and dejected was not what he wanted to see either.
Finally, after a long sigh, Zhu Zhicheng nodded: "We have made some progress. The people we sent to Daming Prefecture have returned. A clerk at a pawnshop said that there used to be a man in their shop who looked similar, but he has now disappeared, and his name also happened to be Li Chong."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Bingzhong excitedly raised his chin: "Then what are we waiting for! A fake dares to hit me! Quickly take him down, I'll tear him to pieces!"
Seeing his son's recklessness, Zhu Zhicheng was extremely disappointed in him.
"Foolish!" Zhu Zhicheng pressed his son down. "If things were really that easy, why didn't that Yang guy do it himself? Why was he forced into this situation by Li Chong?"
Zhu Bingzhong, however, remained unconvinced: "That kid is definitely a fake! In this day and age, where can you find an official like him? Not only does he not take bribes, but he also reduces taxes for those peasants. Is there no justice in this world?"
"I want him dead!"
Although he only wanted to get revenge on Li Chong, he inadvertently revealed the truth.
These days, what cat doesn't steal fish?
It is abnormal that Li Chong, who was appointed to an official post, distributed all the money he received to his subordinates and did not keep any for himself.
But Zhu Zhicheng didn't think so.
As the saying goes, the common people cannot fight against the officials.
This time, when collecting summer taxes, Li Chong did not increase taxes on the court's taxes as usual, and treated the Zhu family the same, which made Zhu Zhicheng hesitate.
Perhaps Li Chong wasn't deliberately targeting him?
After all, reducing taxes for ordinary people does not mean that taxes cannot be increased separately for them; there is no conflict between the two.
Actually, Li Chong was just embarrassed to single out the Zhu family; after all, he still had some pride.
Moreover, Li Chong didn't know that this could be done.
As a result, Zhu Zhicheng misunderstood and thought that Li Chong's revenge against his family was over.
"We can't bring down a county magistrate based solely on the pawnshop clerk's testimony. If we try to kill the snake but fail, it will only cause more trouble. If that kid becomes a sworn enemy of our family, that will be real trouble."
Zhu Zhicheng earnestly instructed his son: "That guy surnamed Yang isn't confident in his own abilities and wants to use someone else to do his dirty work. We can't let him have his way."
"So we're just going to leave it at that? I'm covered in injuries." Zhu Bingzhong was very unwilling.
Zhu Zhicheng sighed: "The people can't fight against the officials, there's nothing we can do about it. If one day you can work hard, pass the imperial examinations, and make a name for yourself in the officialdom, then you can get revenge. But for now, you can only swallow your anger."
The old man hoped to use this to encourage his son. If his son could calm down and focus on his studies, the old man might even have to thank Li Chong.
Sure enough, after hearing Zhu Zhicheng's words, Zhu Bingzhong struggled to get down from the ground.
"I'm going back to school right now!"
He summoned a servant to help his son back, and Zhu Zhicheng sat back down at the table with satisfaction.
After looking at the account book for a while, he slowly closed his eyes: "We still need to investigate Li Chong's identity. If I get any leverage over him..."
Zhu Zhicheng glanced menacingly in the direction of the county government office, then lowered his head and continued with his work.
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At this moment, Li Chong was unaware that his identity was once again in danger at the county government office.
He blocked Zhong Mei's path, frowning as he asked, "Going back to the mountain? Why do you suddenly want to go back? Is someone in the government office ostracizing you?"
Zhong Mei turned her head away: "No, I just want to go back."
Li Chong's identity was exposed last night, but after he persuaded her, Xie Wenyu actually allowed him to sleep with her again.
This left Zhong Mei speechless.
After a sleepless night, she didn't know how to express her feelings, so she could only choose to escape.
"No, you're hiding something from me." Li Chong pressed down on Zhong Mei's shoulder, forcing her to look him in the eye.
Zhong Mei blinked, forcing an explanation: "Didn't you ask me to deliver a message to the mountains yesterday? I arranged it myself, so you should be relieved now. Or are you still worried about me, afraid we won't obey your orders?"
"No, I believe you."
Seeing Zhong Mei's evasive gaze, he seemed to understand something.
"only……"
He hesitated for a moment: "I don't have many trustworthy people around me, and I also have to oversee tax collection these days, so I'm stretched thin. I need you to keep an eye on the outsiders in this government office for me. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for you to leave at this time?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Mei looked at Li Chong: "An outsider?"
How can you expect to sleep in the same bed with a stranger?
However, there was still a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she looked up at Li Chong.