sovbooks Chapter 82 Triumph
Chapter 82 Triumph
Zhu Bingzhong left, leaving behind a group of terrified maids.
Only after he disappeared from sight did the remaining people dare to timidly enter the house.
After tentatively calling out a few times, a piercing scream rang out as soon as the person inside was clearly seen, echoing through the sky.
......
Zhu Bingzhong reverted to his frivolous demeanor. On the way out of the village, a wicked smile played on his lips as he casually asked, "How many more have escaped back in this short time? Has our county magistrate lost any limbs?"
The servant's reply was unexpected.
"Reporting to young master, the people who returned this time said that the magistrate seems to be alright. Not only is he alright, but it is said that he won a great victory and captured the bandit leader."
"What?" Zhu Bingzhong was stunned. "You're not kidding me, are you?"
The servant quickly bowed and said, "I wouldn't dare. I only heard it secondhand. But the master sent me to call the young master, probably because of this matter. Most likely, most likely..."
He carefully observed Zhu Bingzhong's expression and continued, "It's probably true."
No matter how arrogant Zhu Bingzhong was, he knew where his family's wealth came from. If Li Chong could really catch the bandit leader, his family's good days would be over.
Putting aside whether they can continue to expand their family business in the future, it's already a mercy from Li Chong not to punish them for treason.
Putting himself in Zhu Bingzhong's shoes, he felt that if he were the county magistrate and had the opportunity to seize the property of a wealthy family, he would never hold back.
As for public criticism or obstacles from colleagues, it's obviously impossible to make a spoiled brat worry about those things.
Having suppressed his curiosity about watching the spectacle, Zhu Bingzhong quickly walked outside. He needed to ask his father as soon as possible what had happened.
Before long, Zhu Bingzhong arrived outside the manor. The scene outside the manor was quite different from what he had just seen.
Several yamen runners dressed in black were shouting and directing the defeated soldiers who had escaped a few days earlier to get busy.
"Clean this place up quickly! The master is about to return in triumph, so all of you better be careful!"
"Flowers! Go get some flowers, we can scatter them and make a big show!"
"Don't just stand around, get all the people here, and we'll line the streets to welcome them."
A group of people were busy working enthusiastically, leaving no room for the Zhu family to interfere.
Zhu Bingzhong looked around with a gloomy face, and when he saw Zhu Zhicheng, he quickly walked over.
"Father, I heard the county magistrate is coming back?"
With people all around, Zhu Bingzhong knew he had to restrain himself; he couldn't very well speak rudely to Li Chong in front of others.
Zhu Zhicheng nodded slowly: "They said they were coming back. Well, a few of the ones who ran back ahead to report the news are making arrangements."
"Did he really win?" Zhu Bingzhong asked impatiently. "What if those two had been caught..."
"Shut up!"
Zhu Zhicheng reprimanded him, then gave a wink to the people around him. Only after he and his son were alone did Zhu Zhicheng speak.
"What's the panic? It's just a small matter, and you can't even sit still? How will you ever amount to anything in the future?"
Zhu Bingzhong tightened his lips, and after a long while, he spoke up: "I'm just worried about our family. If those two betray us, that would be terrible."
Zhu Zhicheng shook his head: "It's not that bad. Two bandits are just making baseless accusations. If we believed whatever they said, would there be no law in this world?"
Hearing his father say this, Zhu Bingzhong felt it was somewhat absurd.
He was always the one spouting wild words, saying that his Zhu family was the law in Yanggu County, but today he heard his own father say that they needed to rely on the law to protect their family's safety.
However, seeing his father so calm, he felt much more at ease.
"So, even if that guy surnamed Li catches the person, he can't do anything to us?" Zhu Bingzhong looked at his father.
"It's hard to say," Zhu Zhicheng said with a serious expression. "This new magistrate is not someone to be trifled with. If he gains power, he'll be even more difficult to deal with than Registrar Yang."
"What should we do then?"
Zhu Bingzhong couldn't help but show a hint of fear.
Often, the most arrogant people are also the most cowardly inside. Zhu Bingzhong's past arrogance and domineering attitude stemmed from his knowledge that others could not do anything to him.
However, when faced with pressure from a higher level, his anxiety is greater than that of ordinary people.
Because he knew exactly what would happen when he became vulnerable.
After glancing at his disappointing son, Zhu Zhicheng sighed inwardly, but still comforted him, saying, "Things are not settled yet, it's too early to talk about these things. Just because he says he's won doesn't mean he's won. You saw all those defeated soldiers, how can you draw conclusions so easily based on a few words from others?"
Zhu Bingzhong's eyes lit up: "That's right!"
Looking closely at those who returned with news, Zhu Bingzhong's confidence returned.
"Father, look at those men. They look energetic, but they're all covered in dust and dirt. They don't look like they've won a battle at all. I think it's just that guy surnamed Li who lost and felt embarrassed, so he's just lying about the military situation!"
The more Zhu Bingzhong talked, the more he felt that this was the truth.
These days, it's common practice to lie about military intelligence. Where in the Song Dynasty could you find someone who could command troops like a god?
Even the border troops in the Northwest kill innocent people and claim credit for their crimes. How could a scholar who has only recently entered officialdom be so good at fighting? That's impossible!
Soon, Zhu Bingzhong convinced himself with his own theory.
In the blink of an eye, he became spirited again: "Dad, what do you think about us exposing him directly? What if that kid can't take it and hangs himself?"
Shaking his head helplessly, Zhu Zhicheng looked up ahead.
However, although he disapproved of his son's arrogant behavior, he still largely agreed with his son's judgment.
Even if Li Chong didn't completely lie about the military situation, he certainly couldn't have won any major battles, let alone captured the bandit leader.
Those defeated soldiers who kept running back couldn't be fake; they spoke with such certainty, surely not all of them were just pretending to be stupid? Were they just trying to fool him?
Therefore, Zhu Zhicheng thought that Li Chong might have gathered some yamen runners and killed a few bandits during his escape, and felt that he had given an explanation and could save some face, which is why he made such a big fuss.
In that case, the new magistrate is being far too naive.
Before Zhu Zhicheng's smile could fade, several shouts from afar startled him awake.
"The lord has returned in triumph!"
Zhu Zhicheng's cane started to move: "Let's go, let's go and greet the 'triumphant' county magistrate."
Having said that, he took his son and went forward.
In the distance, a large, dark group of people rushed towards Zhu Family Village, led by Li Chong.
"Feed," Zhongmei said in a low voice. "You've managed to hold on all this way, not even taking a sedan chair when there was one available."
Li Chong smiled slightly: "After this battle, I've changed a lot. What about you? Can you control your temper?"
Zhong Mei remained silent, only raising her head to look at the figure in the distance with a complex expression.