plumnovel Chapter 10 Different Thoughts
Chapter 10 Different Thoughts
After chatting with Cui Shi, Li Chong took advantage of the remaining time to catch up on some sleep.
Before he could get enough sleep, someone came to knock on the door.
Li Chong had no choice but to struggle to his feet. With the help of several servants, he changed into the new clothes that had been brought to him, and he looked completely refreshed.
However, because he was not used to being served, Li Chong always seemed a little uncomfortable.
"My lord, you're awake?"
Yesterday, Wu Dalang, the former headman, came to visit again to say hello.
Li Chong nodded without speaking. It wasn't that he looked down on the other party's attentiveness, but rather that as a county magistrate, he shouldn't have been as kind as he had been yesterday.
Yesterday, one could say they had just escaped danger and were still shaken. But if they greeted people with a smile today, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
"Heh, where can you reason with this? Being kind to others makes you an oddball."
Li Chong smiled bitterly to himself, but his face remained expressionless.
"Is the carriage ready?"
Wu Dalang bowed slightly and said, "Everything is ready. We're just waiting for your permission to set off. Registrar Yang sent someone to invite you to a banquet. He and County Lieutenant Fu are hosting a farewell dinner for you."
"Yes." Li Chong nodded slightly. "We can't keep them waiting any longer. Lead the way."
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Chong strode outside.
This carefree attitude is quite admirable and makes people take notice.
After leaving home and getting into the car, they drove around and arrived at a restaurant, where the two of them set up a banquet upstairs.
Glancing at Cui Shi behind him, Li Chong casually instructed, "You go downstairs and get some food. I'll go to the banquet myself. After I say goodbye to my two colleagues, we'll set off immediately."
Upon hearing that he didn't have to see Yang Chengde, Cui Shi visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly lowered his head and responded.
Upon reaching the third floor, Yang Chengde and Fu Shun were already waiting at the top of the stairs to greet them.
Fu Shun stepped forward first and said with a smile, "Brother Hefu, please don't take offense. Registrar Yang said that since you haven't taken office yet, it would be inappropriate for the two of us to come out to greet you. We can only apologize for our lack of courtesy to you."
Yang Chengde glanced at Fu Shun, his heart filled with disdain.
Such despicable behavior—completely shirking responsibility.
"It was I who said it, and I hope Brother Hefu will forgive me." Yang Chengde bowed with his hands clasped.
Li Chong naturally wouldn't blame them, and casually brushed the matter aside before taking his seat with the two.
They had barely sat down and exchanged a few words when Yang Chengde tentatively asked, "Brother Hefu, you look a little tired. Didn't you get enough rest last night?"
Li Chong knew perfectly well that Yang Chengde must know that his house had been brightly lit until dawn last night.
This strange behavior naturally aroused suspicion.
Yang Chengde certainly wouldn't directly say that he had someone keeping an eye on Li Chong, but he would definitely try to probe indirectly.
However, since Li Chong dared to do this, he must have already come up with an excuse.
He shook his head calmly: "Don't even mention it. I've been through a life-or-death experience, and I'm still shaken. I really can't sleep soundly if there's no one beside me. That's why I had my page boy watch over me all night."
"Even so, I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, and only managed to doze off for a short while at dawn."
Fu Shun slammed his fist on the table indignantly: "Outrageous! Those bandits are utterly lawless! Don't worry, Brother Hefu, once you officially take office, I'll definitely help you curb their arrogance!"
His interruption naturally led to the end of Yang Chengde's subsequent questioning.
However, Li Chong's reaction wasn't too outrageous, and he accepted the answer.
The three continued to drink and chat, and during the meal, Yang Chengde also mentioned the imperial examination, wanting to give Li Chong a try.
Whenever Li Chong encountered something he didn't understand, he would change the subject and talk about being robbed. Fu Shun would chime in from time to time, and in the end, Yang Chengde didn't get any results from his attempts to find out.
After the banquet ended, the three of them got up and left.
"It's getting late, so we should hurry on our journey. I won't say any more to you two. We'll have plenty of time to work together in the future. When I return from Xucheng, we can drink and chat again."
To prevent Yang Chengde from asking any further questions, Li Chong took the initiative to end the conversation and bid farewell.
Fu Shun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "When that time comes, we should both address you as County Magistrate."
"Not at all, not at all." Li Chong waved his hand. "I will always remember your help. Why would I put on airs? The three of us should work together to govern Yanggu and serve the court."
Yang Chengde took out a bundle from behind him: "It's quite a journey to Xucheng. Here's some money for Brother Hefu's expenses on the way."
Fu Shun quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, this is also a small token of my appreciation."
Looking at the pile of silver in front of him, Li Chong raised his hand, then put it back.
"How could I possibly accept this? It would be too much trouble for you two. Besides, given the rules of officialdom, if word got out, people would inevitably gossip."
As a scholar, how could he openly discuss interests? Li Chong had a firm grasp of this attitude.
His attitude of wanting to accept the money but not daring to did not arouse any suspicion from Yang Chengde.
"Hey, Brother Hefu, you're mistaken." Yang Chengde stuffed the silver into Li Chong's hand. "You're no longer the county magistrate. We're merely helping a friend, not bribing him. What difference would it make if word got out? Besides, there are no outsiders here. How could word get out?"
After a few moments of polite refusals, Li Chong finally accepted the silver.
After thanking them, Li Chong bid them farewell and turned to go downstairs.
As Yang Chengde watched Li Chong leave, the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
"County Commandant Fu, what have you thought about my suggestion from yesterday?"
Fu Shun replied nonchalantly, "I think you're overthinking it. Who would risk their life just to swindle a little money? Besides, didn't you send people to follow them? They couldn't even take the money with them."
Yang Chengde said seriously, "It's not about the money. I think it's better to investigate. If something goes wrong and the higher-ups ask, we'll have something to say."
"Alright then." Fu Shun nodded. "I'll arrange for a few people to go with your men to investigate. Is that alright?"
Yang Chengde shook his head inwardly: "How could I work with such a foolish and incompetent man?"
Yang Chengde bowed to Fu Shun and then turned to leave.
He wanted to arrange for someone to investigate in reverse order of Li Chong's origin to see if the situation matched what Li Chong had said.
Looking at Yang Chengde's retreating figure, Fu Shun scoffed disdainfully: "He's just bored. What does it matter to me whether it's true or false? It's just a few dozen taels of silver. It's not like I can't afford it. It's a waste of your time."
Having said that, Fu Shun shouted, "Waiter! Bring me another pot of wine and a few more dishes!"
For Fu Shun, the authenticity of Li Chong was irrelevant; he preferred to believe it was true rather than not.
For Yang Chengde, there was also a matter of face involved, which is why he tested him in every way.
Yanggu County may not be large, but the people there have big ambitions.
Li Chong was completely unaware of the thoughts of his two colleagues at this time.
Carrying the heavy silver, he nervously boarded the carriage bound for Xucheng.