Su Mo used an excuse to leave, then immediately hid in a corner.
Just as he had expected, before long, he saw Yao Shitou hurrying toward the County Yamen!
Su Mo thought to himself, That settles it.
After waiting a little longer, he could go to the yamen and surrender himself, without having to worry about suffering a beating!
What County Yamen would dare torture an Imperial Guard?
Su Mo refused to believe Yao Shitou could resist such temptation!
This was an excellent opportunity to curry favor with the old county magistrate!
As the saying went.
Subordinate Clerks could be bad, but they could not be stupid.
How many times in a lifetime could one encounter such a heaven-defying chance to change one's fate?
Even once would count as a lot!
Once Yao Shitou met the county magistrate, none of this would remain a problem.
All he needed to do was suspect that Su Mo might be connected to the Imperial Guard.
Would he dare gamble?
Would he dare seek confirmation from the Imperial Guard?
Taking a step back.
Even if the county magistrate had enough nerve—or had somehow remained a hotheaded greenhorn after serving as an official for more than a decade—and truly went to the Imperial Guard for confirmation, with the Imperial Guard coming out to refute the rumors...
Would he really dare believe the Imperial Guard's words?
With matters like these, one could always believe that something existed, but never that it did not!
Su Mo was in no hurry to surrender himself.
He would wait until things had brewed a little longer.
Chen Gan had struck him from behind in the dead of night, and it was noon by now, yet he had not eaten a thing.
Su Mo turned his head and happened to spot a steamed-bun shop by the roadside. It had plenty of customers, so the food should be decent.
Su Mo entered the shop and found a seat.
An old man with a wiping cloth draped over one shoulder came over and wiped the table for Su Mo. "Honored guest, what would you like to eat?"
Su Mo thought for a moment. "Bring me a few mixed-vegetable buns, and half a bowl of mutton."
Then he added, "Do you have any wine?"
The old man hurriedly said, "We do, but it's only rough fermented wine made from chaff and grain. I'm afraid honored guest may not be used to it."
This roadside shop served ordinary commoners and impoverished folk.
From Su Mo's clothes, the old man could tell that although he was no high official or noble, he certainly did not belong among the common people.
Su Mo waved his hand. "It's fine. Bring me a bowl."
The food was served quickly.
Su Mo took a look.
The buns steamed with heat, their portions generous and their surfaces glistening with oil. Clearly, the cook had not been stingy with the grease.
No wonder there were so many customers.
The mutton had also been steamed until it was tender and soft. What was rare was that some spices had been added. It smelled wonderfully fragrant, and the taste was quite good too.
Though it could not compare with the richly seasoned cuisine of later generations.
It was still considered good by ancient standards.
The wine was filled to the brim, but extremely murky. It tasted almost like vinegar, with only a faint hint of alcohol.
It truly was wine!
Su Mo had discovered another path to wealth.
Distilled liquor ought to have potential.
Although Great Wu had a large population and could hardly be said to have abundant grain, decades of recuperation had allowed countless people to solve the problem of food and clothing and begin turning toward a life of pleasure.
Wine was absolutely a hard currency.
And unlike salt and iron, it was not subject to such strict controls.
If he managed to cling to Female Captain's coattails, he could try developing it.
No matter the era, money was a fine thing.
Even the immortal-hero world was no exception.
Just look at how Chen Gan had brought out real gold and silver. It had immediately changed the Subordinate Clerks' stance!
After eating and drinking his fill, Su Mo smiled and called for the bill.
The old man came over with quick, eager steps. "Honored guest, did you enjoy your meal?"
Su Mo nodded with a smile. "Not bad. The portions were generous, and there was enough oil and salt!"
"How much is it?"
The old man immediately replied, "Not much. Just three large coins!"
Money was divided into large coins and small coins.
Large coins were copper coins, slightly larger in shape, while small coins were iron coins, slightly smaller.
One large coin could be exchanged for three small coins.
Great Wu lacked copper, so money was quite valuable.
Three large coins were enough for Su Mo to enjoy a full meal.
An ordinary able-bodied man earned only around a hundred coins a month.
This was also why local thugs and hoodlums scrambled to become unpaid yamen runners.
After all, a white runner could earn three to five taels of silver a year, equivalent to three to five thousand large coins.
That came to roughly four hundred coins a month—three or four times the income of an ordinary commoner!
Su Mo took out three large coins and handed them to the old man. Casually, he said, "Old sir, your shop seems to be doing quite well."
"You must earn a fair amount over the course of a year."
The old man gave an ingratiating smile. "It's all thanks to the neighbors' support. I just earn a bit of hard-earned money, barely enough to support my family."
Su Mo smiled but said nothing.
A pretty young woman came over beside him carrying a food tray. She could not help snorting, her voice filled with resentment. "What money do we earn!"
"We work from dawn to dusk, and it's hard to scrape together even a few large coins."
"First the damned yamen runners and Subordinate Clerks come and take half, then the local thugs and hoodlums come and take another half. How much is left!"
Su Mo's expression instantly turned awkward.
The old man glared at the woman, then went to greet the other customers.
Su Mo figured it was about time.
Just then, he saw Chen Ping leading several white runners toward the steamed-bun shop, iron rulers and chains in hand, swaggering as they came.
Su Mo raised his hand in greeting. "Chief Chen!"
Chen Ping looked at Su Mo in astonishment, and his expression turned strange.
He actually turned around and started to leave.
One of the white runners could not help saying, "Chief Chen, it's Su Mo!"
Chen Ping gave a heavy snort. "Who's Su Mo? You've mistaken him for someone else!"
Unexpectedly, Su Mo called out even more enthusiastically, "Chief Chen, it's me, Su Mo!"
"Why don't you have something to eat? It's on me!"
Chief Chen...
This time, he could no longer keep pretending.
He came over with several white runners in a foul mood and sat down brazenly!
The other customers in the steamed-bun shop all dropped their iron coins in terror and hurriedly rose to leave!
The old man and the pretty young woman stared dumbfoundedly at Chen Ping, then at Su Mo.
They hurriedly sent the woman back inside. Looking anxious, the old man came forward and greeted them. "Several yamen officers, may I ask... what would you like to eat?"
Su Mo was extremely magnanimous. "The same as before. One serving for each person!"
Chen Ping did not know whether to laugh or cry!
He glared viciously at Su Mo. "Su Lengzi, oh, Su Lengzi!"
"Just as they say: there are names one can get wrong, but never nicknames!"
"You gravely injured Zhou Meng, and the old magistrate ordered your arrest. How dare you remain here?"
Su Mo smiled. "Wasn't I just planning to surrender myself?"
"Once Chief Chen and the others have finished eating, I'll return to the yamen with you."
Chen Ping snorted. "Eat what?"
"You're coming back to the yamen with me right now!"
With that, he turned to the old man and said stiffly, "Pack it up!"
Su Mo obediently followed Chen Ping away.
The corner of Chen Ping's mouth kept twitching.
If one asked who, among the three shifts of yamen runners, least wanted Su Mo to be caught, Chen Gan would rank first, and he would unquestionably rank second.
The reason was simple.
Su Mo was a white runner under Chen Gan, while Chen Gan was an Assistant Servant under him, Chen Ping!
He was Su Mo's supervisor's supervisor!
If Su Mo got into trouble and implicated Chen Gan...
Then if Chen Gan got into trouble, wouldn't it implicate Chen Ping?
If Chen Gan was the protective umbrella of salt smugglers, then he was the protective umbrella over that protective umbrella!
No small amount of silver had flowed into his own purse!
Chen Ping genuinely did not want to arrest Su Mo. Yet this Su Lengzi, as if he had lost his mind, actually wanted to surrender himself!
His face had gone completely dark.
All he could do was ponder how to distance himself from Chen Gan.
Su Mo, however, smiled carelessly and asked, "Chief Chen, has the magistrate tried Leper Zhou's case yet?"
Before you continue