Chapter 53: Discovering the Truth

The news had inevitably leaked out. It was only natural—amidst the vast fields, where could people not hide? Among the dozens who slipped through the net, there were bound to be a few lucky ones.

When the news reached the county office, the official who had stayed behind in Yishui County to expedite the subsequent surrender arrangements, without a second thought, immediately packed up and fled. His task of delivering orders was complete; whatever happened with the surrender afterwards was no longer his concern. He had already fulfilled his duty by urging them on and did not wish to be sullied by any ensuing chaos.

County Magistrate Ding was overwhelmed. He had just managed to coax the bandits over from the Li Gui faction, and the handover was still incomplete when trouble arose again.

“Sigh, Changping, I must trouble you once more. Go to the Liu family and negotiate earnestly with Old Master Liu.”

“Forget Li Gui and his men. As long as they cough up that batch of tribute valuables and hand over a few scapegoats to take the blame, this matter can be smoothed over.”

“Let the local gentry’s affairs be their own; this tribute is no trifling matter for them to meddle with—it belongs to Grand Tutor Cai.”

Scholar Song accepted the order and hurried to the prefectural city. By the next evening, dust-covered and weary, he returned in haste and, upon seeing Magistrate Ding, grimaced and declared:

“We were mistaken!”

“All of it was wrong!”

“Dong Weng, we have been completely misled. Li Gui is not connected to the Liu family; he is truly a rebel!”

“What?” Magistrate Ding was shocked and quickly demanded details.

On this trip to the Liu household, Song, speaking indirectly, hinted at the situation, but Old Master Liu was utterly confused and could not reconcile his account with Song’s story.

At first, Song thought Liu was feigning ignorance. Frustrated and angry, he pressed further, but the shock caused Old Master Liu to collapse to the floor, nearly losing consciousness.

When he recovered, grasping Song’s hand, he swore on his life that Li Gui had no connection whatsoever with the Liu family.

At this point, Old Master Liu dared not hedge or conceal the truth and revealed everything plainly.

The Liu family had distanced themselves from the prefectural city out of fear of being implicated in the previous magistrate’s death, not to benefit from anyone’s misfortune.

After hearing this, Song reconsidered their previous conversation and immediately realized the grave misunderstanding that had occurred.

Knowing the truth, Song dared not linger and quickly took his leave to report back to Magistrate Ding.

Upon hearing the whole story, Ding was dumbfounded.

All his prior certainty had been based on a tacit understanding between two parties. Now he learned it was all false information, and everything had to be overturned.

Realizing that for the past half year he had been sitting atop a volcano, unknowingly facing life-threatening danger, Magistrate Ding broke into a cold sweat and trembled uncontrollably.

“What are we to do now?”

“If Li Gui is not a puppet of the Liu family, how can we recover the tribute valuables?”

Song paced in circles, hesitating. “Perhaps we could send someone to reason with him, appeal to his emotions?”

Ding smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Li Gui has committed such heinous crimes; he would not listen to reason.”

Song stroked his goatee, pondering. “Maybe when he was pillaging, he was unaware these people were escorting the tribute, or didn’t know what the tribute was. If we send someone to inform him, he might be frightened and reconsider.”

“Hmm?” Ding thought carefully and found it plausible. “Who would be trustworthy enough for such a task?”

“How about Li Yun, the county constable?”

“Good, call Li Yun here!”

Song stepped outside to summon Li Yun. After Magistrate Ding painted an optimistic picture, he assigned the task.

Li Yun understood the hopeful pretense but, under the roof, had no choice but to feign ignorance and reluctantly accepted the order. He then set off directly toward Yushan.

Upon arrival, Zhu Fu greeted him cheerfully, calling out, “Master, are you here to take over the mountain stronghold?”

Li Yun shook his head with a wry smile and sighed. “You have committed a grave offense. Disaster is imminent, yet you remain oblivious and still think of surrendering?”

Zhu Fu’s face paled. He quickly invited Li Yun up the mountain to the assembly hall, where the four leaders gathered and asked, “Master, what disaster do you mean?”

“You don’t know. The convoy you ambushed was dispatched by the Huainan Eastern Route Commander to present the tribute valuables to Grand Tutor Cai in the capital.”

That one sentence sent Zhu Fu and the others into a panic, their faces draining of color as they cried out:

“Ah! What are we to do now?”

“I knew all those carts full of gold, silver, and treasures couldn’t be good news—never expected it was such a serious matter!”

The Huainan Eastern Route Commander alone did not frighten them; despite his high rank, he had no jurisdiction over them. They had already taken the goods; what more could happen?

But Grand Tutor Cai was a different matter altogether.

Everyone hated him to the core but feared him nonetheless.

If Grand Tutor Cai truly sought to hold them accountable, their newly acquired official positions would be lost at once.

Seeing their fear, Li Yun explained the purpose of his visit.

“The county magistrate’s intention is this: if you return the tribute valuables, Grand Tutor Cai will likely care only about the gold and jewels, not the fallen guards. If your stronghold provides a few scapegoats, the matter can be minimized, and the generals won’t be implicated.”

Huang Silang anxiously turned to Li Gui, who was watching from above, and said, “Brother, this plan is excellent. Before things get worse, we should return the tribute!”

Others echoed his words, but Zhu Fu remained silent.

Li Gui chuckled darkly, lifting a large axe from the ground. The gleaming blade scraped lightly against his steel beard as he said calmly:

“The buttocks truly determine the head.”

“You have just been accepted into official ranks without even a day’s service, and yet you’ve already caught the vile habits of office.”

“That tribute is merely gold and silver, external possessions. It matters little whether we keep it or not.”

“But have you ever thought about which brothers you will hand over as scapegoats?”

Li Gui’s words caused all the leaders’ faces to darken immediately.

As sworn brothers of the bandit stronghold, loyalty ranked first. None dared to betray their comrades as scapegoats.

Even Li Yun, a government constable, was known for his generosity and loyalty, often associating with rogues and thieves. Zhu Fu, a bandit leader, regularly came and went at his household, yet Li Yun had never suggested turning him in for a reward.

They had been so focused on preserving their newly gained official titles that they had forgotten the matter of scapegoats—or perhaps, subconsciously, they had never cared about their subordinates’ lives.

They were bandits, not comrades who had faced life and death together on the battlefield. What true brotherhood could there be?

Such matters could only be done, never spoken of.

Moreover, all the old comrades had been with Li Gui for a long time and knew this accursed leader well. Seeing his smile and hearing his tone, they sensed his murderous intent.

If anyone spoke out of turn or displeased him, it was likely that the next moment the razor-sharp steel axe would fall upon their heads.