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墨書 Inktalez
At around eight o'clock in the evening, Qin Feng and his companions had already traveled a long way and arrived at a post station in Jinzhou, North. They needed to reach Fen Prefecture by tomorrow.
The horses had been taken to the stable for feeding, but they were still not full and needed a hearty meal since there was still a long way to go!
They had prepared their rations and water, which were placed in their respective rooms. Most of them were resting in their rooms, as traveling was truly exhausting.
A few were on guard duty, with people assigned upstairs and downstairs taking turns to watch.
Qin Feng, however, was alone behind the post station, walking back and forth, lost in thought.
Dressed in a blue long robe and deep blue trousers, he looked quite refined. His face was somewhat pale, which made him appear handsome and elegant!
This time he was going to negotiate with the Jurchens, and it seemed they would arrive soon. However, he still felt uncertain about how to conduct the negotiation; it was very dangerous.
He wondered what the Sovereign was thinking, allowing him to handle the negotiations when he had more experience. He felt like he had forgotten everything and couldn’t recall anything at all.
After all, they were a fierce army! Any slight misstep could lead to violence; he really didn’t want to die! And now there was also a beautiful lady involved, whom he couldn’t bear to part with.
Moreover, that useless Wang Xiang had been killed by bandits; it was truly pathetic! Knowing there were so many bandits around and still humming carelessly—wasn’t that asking for death?
He still had two older brothers stationed in Taiyuan: Wang Song and Wang Xiang. He guessed they wouldn’t let him off easily since his younger brother had died while escorting him.
Just thinking about it made him anxious. Xiao Xiao had already lain down on the bed; being delicate as she was, her body was exhausted. He decided not to wander around the house and disturb her rest.
He walked alone behind the post station, pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a good plan to resolve these issues but still hadn’t figured anything out.
He cursed, "These ungrateful vicious wolves of the Jurchens are truly despicable! They are worse than beasts! Clearly, we pay tribute to them every year, yet they still come south to attack; it’s infuriating!"
Suddenly, a strong cold wind blew through, causing his long hair to flutter in front of his eyes. It was quite bothersome and felt very cold against his coat, making him shiver significantly!
He also looked up, and now it was the winter of the north, just early January. The trees had long shed their leaves, becoming bare and grayish-yellow, embodying a sense of sorrow and desolation.
The ground was also covered with layers of withered yellow leaves, which felt thin and powerless, making him feel even more melancholic.
If he hadn't come to this era, would he have already died?
Then why did he traverse to the late Song Dynasty? Was it just to accompany its downfall?
He closed his eyes, recalling the events of the past few days, which were truly beautiful and filled with ambition.
His stunning wife Wang Xiyue, the voluptuous Li Shishi, and the gentle and charming Xiao Xiao were all his women; it felt incredibly comfortable.
Injuring Wang Xiang, crippling Imperial Guard Commander Liu Xian, and shooting dead Bandit Lin Hu and his son—what invigorating accomplishments!
Oh! He opened his eyes, feeling as if he had figured things out. Why should he kneel like a Civil Official to seek peace when he could rely on his fists? If necessary, he could drive them out of Great Song's territory.
Qin Feng laughed heartily again as he thought of a plan. The biting cold wind that swept through him made him forget his sadness.
“Sir Qin is so happy; could it be that you know a guest is coming? What keen hearing you have!”
He quickly turned his body around and saw a man in a green robe approaching. He wore black trousers below and had his hair tied up in a bun.
It was none other than Jinzhou Prefect Li Chang, accompanied by two strong-looking men who seemed to be his servants, carrying a rather large brown box.
They all showed signs of strain on their faces, indicating that the box must be quite heavy; even the two burly men were struggling.
Qin Feng said, “Lord Li, what brings you here so late? It takes nearly two hours to travel from Jinzhou City to here.”
Li Chang laughed heartily in response. This Brother Qin was straightforward; he spoke so directly that there was no need for him to beat around the bush.
"I should be over ten years older than you, so I'll call you Brother Qin. If you don't mind, you can call me Big Brother. Is it alright if we refer to each other as brothers?"
Although they weren't very familiar, having only met once, he agreed to it given the warmth of the other person.
He thought to himself that forgetting the past, including friends, and having more friends was a good thing.
"Then I'll call you Li Brother from now on! I wonder what business you have with me; feel free to speak directly, we're not outsiders anymore."
Li Chang was delighted. This Qin Feng was indeed a straightforward person. Although he was a Civil Official, he was direct and had already considered him a brother, so it was time to discuss serious matters.
"I have something to ask of you! Brother, you led hundreds of Soldiers and managed to capture over a thousand bandits! That's quite an achievement. The bandits from Heifeng Stronghold took me years to deal with, yet you managed to catch them in such a short time."
"I plan to write a memorial immediately to report to the court that we jointly dispatched troops to eliminate them. The court will surely reward us generously; we might even get promoted and receive some monetary rewards."
Qin Feng was also pleased; it turned out there were opportunities for promotion and rewards. It was indeed a joint military effort, and although he hadn't led troops into battle himself, he had contributed.
He nodded in agreement with a smile.
Li Chang waved his hand, and the two Servants beside him reached out to open a box. As soon as it was opened, a dazzling light burst forth from within.
The box contained gleaming silver, filled to the brim! Although the box wasn't large, it looked like it held several hundred taels.
With a smile, he said, "This is just a small token of appreciation from Big Brother. Please accept it, Brother. Actually, I have one more request. The current Sovereign values talented individuals; I believe you can say a few good words in front of him for me. It doesn't matter whether it succeeds or not!"
He was somewhat surprised at how much Silver was being offered for just one request. What could this request possibly be?
"Big Brother, let's be straightforward! I'll do my best to help you with whatever I can; there's no need for money between us since we're calling each other brothers now!"
Li Chang excitedly grasped his hand, feeling as if he had found a kindred spirit. His eyes were filled with excitement as if he understood everything.
"Brother Qin, I'll be straightforward. My Jinzhou is not far from the border of the Jin Kingdom, and we often face disturbances from Jin soldiers, which is quite dangerous. Once this negotiation is successful, the Jin soldiers will retreat."
"My brother will definitely be promoted again and will often meet with the current emperor. Could you say a few good words for me to get transferred to the Jiang-Zhe area? Even if it's just as a county magistrate, it would be much better. It's really too dangerous here, and I'm afraid I might lose my head one day! Everyone is relying on me to support them!"
"I'm not afraid of death. If my family had someone to take care of them, I would dare to fight the Jin people to the death. It's just that without anyone to look after them, I don't want them to end up as refugees!"
Qin Feng was somewhat surprised and also a bit scared. It was absurd for a prefect to want to become a county magistrate.
However, thinking about it, there was some logic to it since it was indeed close to the border.
"If the negotiation is really successful and I return to Tokyo City, I will definitely speak well for you, brother. You can take this money back! Whether it succeeds or not is uncertain; there are too many treacherous officials in the court, and they probably won't listen to me."
Li Chang felt relieved upon hearing this. He could see that Qin Feng was a straightforward person who wouldn't lie.
He insisted on giving him some silver since he would need it for food and drink on the way. Tokyo City requires building connections, and if it's not enough, he could always ask for more.
Of course, he initially refused. His mind was quite simple at the moment; he didn't understand the intrigues of officialdom and regarded Qin Feng as a brother.
In the end, under his persuasion, he accepted it; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to his brother. When doing things, one should always offer something in return.
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