A Long Story

It took a day and a half to travel from Fengxize to Fuping County and then back again.

This speed isn't fast, but it's not slow either.

Without logistical support, they could only travel this far even traveling day and night.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind traveling. After all, he hadn't had many peaceful days in recent years. He traveled not only when he was awake, but also when he was asleep.

In terms of travel skills, he might not be the best, but he is certainly a professional.

Li Jiao and the others were exhausted, but he was in pretty good condition.

"My hips hurt, and my butt is shaking so much!"

Seeing everyone's cries of pain, Zhang Xuezhou joined in the fun.

With the Northern Frontier Legion's standard cavalry and armor, entering Fuping County was extremely easy for him; he even drove straight into the camp area next to the county government office.

"Gentlemen, this way!"

Zhang Xuezhou also met Wang Yanchong, the subordinate of Dong Zhongshu and others, and Bo Dang, the lord, stood obediently in the camp to accompany him.

Holding the token of the Northern Border Military Region, they proceeded unimpeded.

"Where is the Yamen General in charge of verifying Fuping County?" Ning Cheng asked.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, that general has already returned to the county seat," Wang Yanchong replied.

"Are you mute, Captain? I'm asking you a question and you expect your subordinate to answer?" Ning Cheng frowned and looked at Bo Dang, asking, "What did the General of the Vanguard find out in Fuping County?"

"My... sir, he didn't find anything, but when he saw that I had been drinking, he beat me up!" Bodang stammered.

Hitting you wasn't a bad thing!

There are many hot-tempered people in the military region, and most of them would rather resort to violence than make empty promises. Bodang, who was caught violating the rules, obviously got a severe beating.

"I heard you arrested several members of merchant groups a few days ago?" Ning Cheng asked. "You also confiscated their money and threw them in jail!"

"Yes... that's true!" Bertan replied.

"My lord, they're bribing us! They're trying to get close to Prefect Li. These people are definitely plotting an assassination!" Wang Yan, the supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat, said urgently.

The people who came to Fuping County for inspection in the past few days were all powerful and influential figures. For example, Bo Dang led a small army of a thousand men in Fuping County, while none of the military officers who came to Fuping County for inspection had a strength of less than three thousand men.

His gaze swept over the group of people behind Ning Cheng, and he felt that these men wearing iron masks held a higher military rank than the Yamen General.

"You mean they want to assassinate Prefect Li?" Ning Cheng asked curiously.

Yes, yes, yes!

"That's interesting. I'd like to see who this guy is who has the ability to assassinate Prefect Li, yet he's been imprisoned by you!"

Wang Yanchong spoke with absolute certainty, which prompted Ning Cheng to casually ask a question in return.

These words immediately made Wang Yanchong's face turn pale, and even Bo Dang, who was slow to react, realized the problem.

He looked up and glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, who was wandering around aimlessly behind him, and felt that he might have stirred up a hornet's nest this time.

"Have we gone without feeding them for several days?"

Bodang asked Wang Yanchong a question in a low voice. Wang Yanchong barely raised his head, and then slapped himself a few times.

"General Yamen inquired about this case a few days ago, and even went into the prison to see those people, giving them some food," Wang Yanchong said. "Gentlemen, they should still be alive. I'll go and fetch them here!"

If Bodang could understand it, how could Wang Yanchong not understand it?

Looking at Zhang Xuezhou, who had previously sworn to have no connection with Dong Zhongshu and others, he couldn't understand why the other party had brought several powerful generals to cause trouble today.

Wang Yanchong's heart sank. If he hadn't been unable to escape the Northern Border, he would have wanted to flee for his life.

All he can do now is pray that these people have survived the freezing and starving days.

The military region's management and the county government's governance of the people are completely different. The county government conducts joint trials and inquiries to ascertain the details and makes judgments according to regulations. However, in the military region, as long as a preliminary case is confirmed, some details can be ignored. Violence is also the most common form of punishment in the military region.

The beating that Bertan received is one such example.

It is not uncommon for serious errors to lead to fatalities.

Wang Yanchong felt that he might have made a serious mistake; the merchant group he and Bo Dan had arrested might involve a relative of a general.

This made Wang Yanchong's legs tremble for a while, and cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead.

In this chilly spring season, he felt as if his not-so-hot heart had already cracked from the cold.

"Go and invite them over; hopefully, no one will die because of your greed!"

Ning Cheng glanced at Wang Yanchong; his nonchalant gaze clearly carried a warning.

As the registrar of Shanggu County, he was all too aware of the underhanded tactics of Wang Yanchong and his associates.

Making a fortune off the dead is something these people often do. As a large county town with military settlements, Fuping County doesn't care about the profits brought by a merchant group, and few merchant groups come here.

If Wang Yanchong and his gang find any dirt on these people, it would be perfectly normal for them to be imprisoned until death.

"This is a case that General Yamen asked about, but he didn't say anything at the time," Bodang muttered.

But after Bo Dang was slapped by the military officer surnamed Lu, the latter did not say another word.

Wang Yan rushed to the prison, whereupon Li Jiao asked him a question with concern.

Are they resistant to the cold?

"Half the people can withstand it, the other half can't!"

Wang Yanchong looked dejected, but Zhang Xuezhou was not worried about the lives of Dong Zhongshu and the others.

As soon as Dong Zhongshu entered the prison, he knocked down a wall. Even if he were imprisoned for half a year, he wouldn't starve or freeze to death, let alone be locked up for a few days.

But suffering for some is unavoidable.

To Zhang Xuezhou's surprise, Dong Zhongshu missed the opportunity when the general of the Northern Border Military Region inspected the prison.

He grabbed a chicken leg and savored the high-quality food from the military region, while the rest of the group ate heartily, trying to recover the energy depleted from their long journey.

After Zhang Xuezhou finished eating the three chicken legs, he saw Zhang Xuezhou Dong Zhongshu and the others being carried in on stretchers.

"They're not dead! Not a single one is dead!"

When Wang Yan rushed out of the camp, he looked dejected, but when he returned, his face was slightly flushed.

As long as no one died, he was undoubtedly spared the death penalty that the generals might have imposed when they were in a fit of temper to solve problems. At most, he would have to hand over what he had obtained, have some of his salary deducted, and receive a few slaps as punishment.

"It seems you're doing well," Zhang Xuezhou, looking up.

"Damn it, I ran into that big mouth Gongsun Ao," Dong Zhongshu whispered in Dong Zhongshu's ear.

"What? Did you run into someone you know?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Of course! He insists I'm Dong Zhongshu, what can I do?" Dong Zhongshu said with a headache, "If I accept the identity, it would be disrespecting the court's rules and arbitrarily leaving the administrative area. If I don't accept it, I have no choice but to stay imprisoned!"

Your interpersonal relationships are truly a complicated mess!

Dong Zhongshu encountered an acquaintance, but Dong Zhongshu was unable to accomplish his task.

Given his awkward position, it would be quite difficult for him to accomplish anything as the manager of the merchant guild.

Dong Zhongshu even realized that news of his arrival in the Northern Border might be difficult to keep secret, which made him very worried.

"You seem to know these people. Can you get things done?" Dong Zhongshu asked in a low voice.

"It should be possible," Zhang Xuezhou thought for a few seconds and said, "But you have to protect me for seven days and prevent them from harming my body!"

After two days on the run, three days imprisoned in the tomb, and finally returning to Fuping County, Zhang Xuezhou's week passed in an extremely tense manner.

As he prepares to return to the real world, his physical problems inevitably come to the attention of Li Jiao and the others.

Aside from long-time acquaintances like Dong Zhongshu, Zhang Xuezhou had little assurance that others would do anything to him.

Considering that the military personnel resorted to violence to resolve disputes at the slightest disagreement, Zhang Xuezhou felt that if he didn't ask Dong Zhongshu for help, his return might result in some unpleasant scenes during the rescue efforts.