novelraw Chapter 412: One Sentence Makes You Admit Your Mistake
Chapter 412: One Sentence Makes You Admit Your Mistake
Feng Jun was completely dumbfounded upon hearing Gao Yiye’s relayed message.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. “Up here, I’m not bound by the rules you follow below, so I couldn’t care less whether the court is pleased or not. I know this might cause you trouble, which is why I urge you to bring your family here. I will personally ensure their safety.”
Feng Jun let out a long sigh. Blood began to trickle slowly from his nose, but he had no mood to wipe it. Cupping his fist toward the sky, he turned to the Heyang patrol officer behind him. “You heard what the Deity just said, didn’t you?”
The Heyang patrol officer nodded.
Feng Jun continued, “You and I are in the same boat now. If this gets exposed, both of us will be charged with treason. So, for now, our only best option is to keep it hidden from the court. Later, take your soldiers and station them in Qiachuan Fortress. Raise your banner openly to pretend that both the fortress and the blacksmith workshops are under our official control. If a passing general questions you, tell them that Heyang County is acting under the emperor’s secret decree to cast cannons and build warships to counter the bandits. As long as they don’t personally ask the emperor, they’ll have no way to know the truth.”
The patrol officer’s eyes brightened. “That is a clever strategy.”
Feng Jun added grimly, “If anyone actually asks the emperor… we’ll only be waiting to die.”
The patrol officer lowered his voice. “It might not necessarily be death. Didn’t the Deity say that if we move our families here… he’ll protect us?”
Feng Jun’s face twisted miserably. “The moment we truly need the Deity’s protection, it means we’ve become rebels. Ah, let’s just take it one step at a time.”
Just as his mood plummeted further, he suddenly saw Gao Yiye strolling over again. She waved at him cheerfully. “Lord Feng, this is my first time by the Yellow River. Such a vast river must hold countless fish, right?”Feng Jun nodded. “Of course!”
Gao Yiye chuckled. “Are they tasty?”
Caught between laughter and tears, Feng Jun replied, “This area is famed for a unique fish called the Qiachuan Black Snakehead. Its flesh is tender and delicious, renowned for its ability to dispel blood stagnation, regenerate muscles, nourish the body, and enrich the blood.”
Gao Yiye’s mouth instantly watered.
Li Daoxuan’s mouth watered right along with hers.
Feng Jun, taking one look at Gao Yiye’s expression, understood exactly what to do. He immediately ordered the yamen runner beside him, “Go ask at the fishermen’s homes. See who has any Qiachuan Black Snakeheads. Buy me a few.”
The runner hastily left and returned shortly, triumphantly carrying four scaly, dark-colored, spindle-shaped fish that looked extraordinarily delicious. Kept alive in buckets filled with water, he struggled under their weight but refused any help from nearby servants. He insisted on carrying them himself, hoping to curry favor with both the county magistrate and the Saint Lady.
Feng Jun announced, “Saint Lady, we have the fish. Please accompany me back to the county town. The riverbank lacks a decent chef; attempting to cook them casually here would ruin them. Only the chefs in town can prepare such delicacies properly.”
Gao Yiye beamed. “Then I shall impose upon your hospitality. Hehe.”
She brought along the two attendants, Qiu and Dong, along with Ground Rabbit (Zheng Gouzi) and a hundred guards. They followed Feng Jun toward the county town.
Gao Yiye was soon set to enjoy the fish, but Li Daoxuan remained without a bite. He couldn’t be bothered to search online delivery platforms–he knew without thinking he wouldn’t find this in Shuangqing City. Sullenly, he gazed into his diorama and lamented: I really shouldn’t have expanded my view to Heyang County. This cradle of Chinese food culture taunts me with a bizarre new delicacy every day. It’ll be the death of me.
Resigning himself, Li Daoxuan opened the food delivery app and placed an order for sour soup with yellow spicy ding fish, hoping to soothe his wounded spirit when it arrived for dinner…
As dusk fell, Li Daoxuan’s sour soup was delivered. Picking up his chopsticks, he was just about to tuck in when Gao Yiye and her entourage arrived at Qiachuan County Town.
The runner carrying the fish bucket raced ahead, eager to deliver the fish to the kitchen so the chef could start cooking immediately and please the important guests. His legs pumped furiously as he ran, simultaneously trying to care for the four thrashing fish inside the bucket, terrified they might die before reaching the kitchen.
Running too fast as a man isn’t always good; it can earn you disdain.
His sprint carried him through an entire street in seconds. Rounding a corner, he collided with a “crunch!” into a dark-skinned man. The man yelped in surprise but steadied himself. The yamen runner, however, lost his balance entirely and crashed heavily to the ground.
The bucket overturned, water splashing everywhere. The four fish flopped desperately on the hard street.
The runner panicked, scrambling to his feet in a flurry, desperately trying to pick up the flapping fish. The dark-skinned man he’d knocked into now saw the mess. He quickly bent down to help retrieve the fish. Between the two of them, after a chaotic struggle, all four fish were safely returned to the bucket. The runner dashed into a nearby shop, scooped several large ladlefuls of water from their storage vat into the bucket, and sighed with profound relief seeing the four fish swimming feebly but still breathing.
Watching this frantic scene, Li Daoxuan stifled a laugh. Look at your frantic desperation. Though currying favor with the powerful is indeed a survival tactic for small folk, you carry it too far. At this point, it borders on absurdity.
With the fish seemingly saved, the runner’s panic ebbed slightly, giving way to a surge of anger. He grabbed the dark-skinned man by his shoulder and roared, “You nearly killed my fresh fish! If they die, could you bear the responsibility?”
The dark-skinned man now saw the runner’s yamen attire and likely guessed the fish’s purpose. He snorted contemptuously. “So these are for the county magistrate? Are you really this flustered? You ran into me! You were the clumsy one that dropped the bucket! I helped you gather the fish out of kindness, and now you try to pin the blame on me?”
The runner barked, “How dare you!”
His anger flared. How brazen! This man knew he was a yamen runner, knew the fish were for the County Lord—and he dared speak like this?
The runner demanded angrily, “Where do you hail from?”
The dark-skinned man answered proudly, “Jinshuigou Coal Mine!”
The runner froze. “…”
Li Daoxuan inwardly exclaimed: Ha! So that’s why!
For nearly twenty rapid blinks, the runner stood motionless. Finally, it clicked: no wonder this sooty fellow acted so arrogantly. He was a coal miner from Jinshuigou.
After the mine was “contracted” by Gaojia Village, it had slipped completely out of official jurisdiction, becoming a private enterprise of Gaojia Village. Miners working at the Jinshuigou Coal Mine now earned astonishingly high wages.
Moreover, these men spent their days singing about “we workers have power” and possessing an almost messianic sense of “we are building a new world.” Naturally, a lowly yamen runner warranted little respect in their eyes.
The runner sneered coldly. “Feeling cocky, eh? Because you’ve got a powerful backer now?”
The coal miner retorted, “My confidence isn’t from a ‘backer’! I’m confident because I’m in the right! You crashed into me! Why are you yelling at me? I’m the one who should be mad at you!”
The runner shot back, “You want reason? You think I’ll waste time reasoning with you? I need only utter one sentence to force you to lower your arrogant head and admit your fault!”
The coal miner puffed out his chest defiantly. “Impossible! Utterly impossible!”
The runner declared triumphantly, “These fish are for the Saint Lady of Gaojia Village.”
The coal miner’s face instantly paled. “I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please quickly… quickly escort the fish to the kitchen! Hurry! Hurry! Don’t let them die!”