Little Beggar

"Reporting to the Hall Master."

Zhang Wenkui panted heavily, his face filled with indignation. "I ran here. I have urgent news to report. When that Rogue General's troops passed through Wufeng County, the county magistrate happened to be traveling with his family. The women of the magistrate's household were quite beautiful, and the Rogue General saw them. Lust clouded his mind, and he led his soldiers in pursuit of the magistrate's family. He failed to catch them, so he surrounded Wufeng County instead. Even if he takes Wufeng County, he won't make it here by the day after tomorrow."

After saying that, Zhang Wenkui spat viciously, his face full of disdain.

Two detachments had slipped through the heartland of Jiang Prefecture, and one of their commanders was the rogue Zhang Wenkui had mentioned.

His name was Wang Liu. He was a starving ghost in the realm of women. Relying on his status as the Heir Apparent's confidant, he feared no punishment and committed every outrage. He had caused no end of trouble in Yingnan Prefecture, earning himself the nickname Rogue General.

Who would have thought that, with the military strategy of the entire eastern army at stake, he would still dare act so recklessly?

After hearing this, Water Monkey cursed loudly, "Fuck! That bastard will die on a woman's belly sooner or later!"

This kind of matter gave Qin Sang a headache as well. The Hening County magistrate was clearly capable. Although the garrison had been transferred away, the civilian militia and yamen runners at the gates had all undergone strict training.

The plan had originally been for the two detachments to join forces at dawn the day after tomorrow and launch a surprise assault on Hening County, ensuring absolute success. But now Wang Liu had taken his soldiers off to chase women. Their forces here had been sharply reduced—how much confidence did they have in taking the city?

And after taking it, would they still have enough strength left to suppress the rioting civilians?

But if they delayed for a day, they feared the news would leak.

After staring at Hening County's gate for quite some time, Qin Sang spat out the grass stem in his mouth and said in a deep voice, "He doesn't want the merit delivered right to his doorstep, so don't blame the brothers for eating alone. This time, let's put in a little more effort and help General Mu take Hening County. Once it's done, I'll personally ask the County Princess to reward your merits!"

The refugee procession on the main road suddenly erupted into turmoil. Several refugees shouted and shoved one another before being driven out of the porridge stall by servants from a wealthy household.

Refugees all along the road craned their necks to watch, but no one dared leave the line.

Qin Sang looked over curiously and found that one side consisted of three brawny men with similar features, likely brothers. The other side was made up of seven half-grown children, boys and girls alike. The oldest boy looked thirteen or fourteen, though that was uncertain—children from poor families in this era were all malnourished.

After listening to the chatter nearby for a while, Qin Sang understood what had happened.

These three strongmen called themselves the Kong Brothers. They had always bullied others by relying on their strength. They never lined up for porridge, often used broken bowls to extort people, and even snatched porridge from the elderly and weak.

Before wealthy households that kept order, they did not dare make trouble. But if the household giving out porridge did not want to meddle, they could usually get their way.

They had set their sights on these children. They not only wanted to steal their porridge, but also wanted to snatch someone away.

With a mission at hand, Qin Sang normally ignored this sort of trivial matter. But the boy leading the group was interesting, so Qin Sang gave him a few more looks.

"My little sister broke your bowl. We'll pay you for it, but you can't take her away!"

Like a hen protecting her chicks, the boy spread his arms and shielded the other six children behind him. A filthy little girl hid behind his back, sobbing softly. She must have been the one who broke the bowl.

Qin Sang had sharp eyes. He noticed that although the girl was covered in grime, her features were neat and pretty. She was only a little over ten; after being cleaned up properly, she could fetch a good price. No wonder those three wanted to seize her.

"Pah!"

The eldest of the three brothers spat fiercely and pointed at the shards on the ground by the porridge stall. "What the fuck do you know? My bowl came from some Black Kiln—"

"Eldest Brother," the third brother whispered, "White Kiln, White Kiln..."

"Ah, right! A bowl from White Kiln! Little beggar, do you know White Kiln? One bowl is worth several hundred taels of silver. Even selling all you little beggars wouldn't be enough! I only want that little girl, so I'm already letting you off easy!"

The eldest brother stared lecherously at the little girl. "Little sister, come with your big brother. I guarantee you'll eat the finest food and drink the strongest wine. What fun is there in staying with these brats whose hair hasn't even fully grown in? Hahaha..."

The three hulking men laughed obscenely.

The children were filled with righteous indignation, while the little girl trembled in terror.

Qin Sang was nearly angered into laughter as well. The porcelain made by White Kiln was the most precious in Great Sui, all tribute goods. Even ordinary wealthy merchants were not qualified to use it. He had never heard of refugees carrying White Kiln porcelain around to beg for porridge.

"Fuck!"

The second brother suddenly took a step forward, pressing his chest against the boy's face as he snarled, "Little beggar, she's not even your real sister. Who the hell are you to meddle? Know what's good for you and get the fuck out of the way!"

Qin Sang narrowed his eyes. The man held a knife, its point pressed against the boy's stomach.

Zhang Wenkui, who had not even caught his breath yet, could not help feeling angry at the sight. He said indignantly, "Hall Master, these children are pitiful. Shouldn't we do something?"

Qin Sang turned and stared at Zhang Wenkui, asking coldly, "Should I start calling you Hero Zhang from now on? How many pitiful people have you saved?"

Zhang Wenkui's face suddenly went pale. He lowered his head and dared not speak again.

Unexpectedly, even with a knife pressed to his belly, the boy showed no fear. He stood motionless, chin raised, his bloodshot eyes locked on the strongman before him as he shouted like a madman.

"Fuck your mother! If you've got the guts, then stab me! Stab your grandpa to death, and you can take whichever one you want!"

The second brother was startled by the boy's crazed appearance and instinctively stepped back. Then shame turned into fury. He did not dare use the knife, but grabbed the boy by the collar and was about to strike him.

The boy was fierce too. He opened his mouth and bit him.

Qin Sang called out softly.

"Old Zhou!"

Water Monkey immediately understood. He sprang up from the ground, darted between them in a few strides, shoved the strongman aside, and threw himself onto the boy. Pinching the boy's face, he cried and shouted, "Son! Son! It really is you! I'm your father! I'm your father!"

Qin Sang rubbed his forehead and inwardly praised him as a real talent.

The boy reacted quickly as well. He threw his arms around Water Monkey and wailed, "Father! I finally found you! Father, why did you come so late...?"

Everyone was startled by Water Monkey's sudden appearance. Before they could recover, they witnessed this scene of father and son recognizing one another and could not help clicking their tongues in wonder.

Water Monkey was only two years older than Qin Sang, but his face was smeared with a thick layer of yellow mud, and his acting was superb. The "father and son" wept with great fervor, and no one imagined it was all an act.

The three strongmen were somewhat dumbfounded, but when they saw that Water Monkey had one broken arm, they began to stir again.

Qin Sang jerked his chin. Only then did the long-eager Zhang Wenkui dare move. He ran over in several strides and glared fiercely at the three men. "Second Brother! Is that really my nephew? Nephew, don't be afraid. Tell your uncle who bullied you, and your uncle will avenge you!"

Zheng Kun also quietly sidled over, pulling aside his outer robe to reveal part of a knife hilt at his waist.

Seeing there was nothing to gain, the three strongmen finally cursed under their breaths and left.