Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 38 Tricky

Chen Yuan shook his head inwardly.

This cousin is good at everything, exceptionally intelligent, and has lofty ambitions, except when it comes to "eating," especially raw fish, he is simply obsessed.

He carefully considered his words before offering his advice.

"Yuanlong, while the raw fish sashimi is delicious, it is ultimately a cold food, and doctors say that eating too much of it is harmful to health. Many minor officials in my county have fallen ill because of it, and it is only thanks to Hua Yuanhua and Hua Gong passing by that they were able to recover..."

"Brother Zhongyi, you are overthinking it."

Chen Deng waved his hand dismissively.

"Those minor officials who had problems with the food were either unlucky, or the cooks were incompetent with their knife skills or didn't have the right dipping sauces. How can they compare to me? Besides, that sashimi was truly delicious!"

Chen Yuan listened, his lips moved, but he ultimately did not try to persuade him further.

"Then... I'll have someone prepare some dipping sauce." Chen Yuan stood up.

Chen Deng nodded in satisfaction and added.

"Have the servants slaughter a chicken and make a pot of chicken soup. I caught a chill last night and feel a bit cold; a bowl of chicken soup will warm me up."

Chen Yuan agreed and was about to turn around and leave when footsteps sounded outside the door.

Wang Ru's voice came from outside the door.

"Lord Chen, I have important news to report."

Chen Yuan frowned slightly and glanced at Chen Deng.

Chen Deng picked up his teacup, his expression unchanged, and said calmly.

"Brother Zhongyi, please go ahead and attend to your business. I'll wait here for a moment. Oh, by the way..."

He called out to Chen Yuan, a slight smile in his eyes.

"Have them cut the fish into pieces and send it over while it's still fresh."

Chen Yuan shook his head helplessly, bowed respectfully, turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Outside the door, Wang Ru stood bowing and spoke in a low voice.

"Lord Chen, a few men have arrived outside, carrying iron halberds. They claim to be local militia and want to claim their reward. The leader seems to be called... Li Sheng."

"Li Sheng?"

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. Of course he remembered that name.

A while ago, a group of county soldiers fled back in a sorry state, saying they had been beaten by a villager named Li Sheng.

That man, all alone, managed to knock all of them, a dozen or so, to the ground and even swaggered off to leave his name behind.

Sun Wentai was so angry that he wanted to arrest him personally, but the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and he was summoned away by Zhu Jun, so the matter was temporarily put aside.

Unexpectedly, this person not only did not hide today, but instead brazenly brought the thieves to our door, and kept asking for a reward.

"Where did he wipe out the bandits? How many were there?"

Chen Yuan asked as he walked.

"It is said that near Wangjiawu Fortress, there was a band of about a hundred bandits from the northern Xiapi Kingdom. He killed more than a dozen and captured seven."

Chen Yuan stopped again and looked back at Wang Ru.

Wang Ru nodded affirmatively.

Chen Yuan fell silent.

Suppressing a band of about a hundred bandits is no small feat!

But the story behind this isn't so simple. Wangjiawu Fortress? Isn't that the Xu family's property in the county? Why aren't any of the Xu family members here? And isn't Li Sheng from Dongping Village? How did he end up in Wangjiawu Fortress in the north, killing thieves...?

Countless thoughts raced through Chen Yuan's mind, but his face remained impassive.

"Take him to the front hall and wait. I will be there shortly."

He paused, then added.

"Be very polite, don't be negligent."

Wang Ru responded and left.

Chen Yuan stood under the corridor, looking towards the front hall, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

tricky.

We can't let this person go. The matter from back then isn't over yet. Now that he's delivered himself to our doorstep, how can we let him get away so easily?

But they couldn't arrest them either. They'd just brought the bandits here to claim a reward; if they arrested them now, what would the county government think? Besides, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was raging, and they needed manpower right now…

Chen Yuan glanced back at the direction of the rear courtyard.

Chen Deng was still waiting inside.

He took a deep breath and strode towards the front hall.

Regardless, let's meet Li Sheng first and find out what's going on with him.

As for how to handle it...

Chen Yuan's gaze darkened.

……

Inside the front hall, Li Sheng stood with his hands behind his back.

Liu Lu and Li Feng stood a few steps behind him. The seven bandits were forced to kneel down in the hall, their mouths stuffed with strips of cloth.

Sunlight streamed in from outside, casting a long shadow on the floor.

Li Sheng looked calmly at the plaque inscribed with "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" in the hall.

Footsteps came from outside the door, neither hurried nor slow.

Li Sheng turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of a figure in a blue official robe walking towards him.

As he approached, Li Sheng took a closer look and saw that the man wore a Jinxian hat with a single beam, the crown tilted slightly forward, the beam resembling a simple brow ridge pressing against his forehead; beneath the crown, a black turban covered his ears. He wore a blue long robe, with a leather belt around his waist, from which hung a bronze seal, the yellow ribbon on the seal knob dangling down and swaying gently with his steps.

Li Sheng turned around, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed.

"This humble citizen, Li Sheng, greets the County Magistrate."

Chen Yuan stepped across the threshold, his gaze sweeping over Li Sheng, then at the bandits kneeling below, before finally settling on Li Sheng's composed and unyielding face.

He didn't rush to speak, but instead walked to the head seat, sat down, picked up the teacup on the table, and slowly took a sip.

The room was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the burning candle wicks.

After a long while, Chen Yuan put down his teacup and spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an imposing aura.

"Are you Li Sheng from Dongping Village?"

"That is indeed me, a humble citizen."

"I heard..."

Chen Yuan drew out his words, tapping lightly on the table with his fingers, "A while ago, you single-handedly injured and killed more than a dozen of my county soldiers, and even left your name behind. You have quite the nerve."

Li Sheng raised his head and calmly met Chen Yuan's gaze.

"I do not recall what you are saying, sir. If there are any eyewitnesses here, I am willing to confront them."

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Before he could speak, Li Sheng continued, his tone becoming increasingly composed.

"I have come today to receive my reward. A few days ago, I encountered a band of bandits in Wangjiawu Fort, numbering about a hundred, who were burning, killing, and looting. I led my fellow villagers in a fierce battle, killing more than ten and capturing seven."

He clasped his hands in a salute and said loudly.

"I heard that the county government has posted a notice offering a reward for the capture of thieves. Could the county constable please confirm if this is true?"

Chen Yuan paused, his fingers moving slightly.

He stared at Li Sheng, his gaze deep and intense.

This kid is something else.

He originally intended to use the events of last month to trick Li Sheng. If Li Sheng panicked and argued or denied it outright, he could then use that as a pretext to detain him and then slowly interrogate him about the beating of the dozen or so county soldiers.

As for those seven bandits below the court, once they're at the county government office, are they afraid they'll escape?

But Li Sheng simply wouldn't take the bait.

This is a bit tricky.

It seems that these seven bandits are the real deal.

If someone receives a reward for their merits, and you bring up past mistakes and arrest them, what will people outside say? The county magistrate is greedy for merit and forgets righteousness for personal gain. Instead of rewarding him, he frames the righteous man.

Chen Yuan's gaze swept heavily over the seven bandits who were tightly bound below the hall, before settling on Li Sheng's calm and composed face.

He suddenly realized that Li Sheng, who called himself a commoner, was much more difficult to deal with than he had expected.