CH 60

That scar-faced mountain bandit looked very apprehensive as he was brought in by two Youyun guards. He started pleading for mercy loudly the moment he knelt on the ground. “My Lords, spare me! I was foolish not to have seen that you were important people. Spare my life, and I will be your slave for life,” he begged.

He said this very smoothly, as if he’d done this many times before. 

Lou Jing didn’t look at him or respond. He simply added more seasoning to the goose roasting over the flames. Ordinarily, game hunted in spring was quite lean and stringy, but Yun Shi’er had somehow managed to get two geese that were very fat and tender. As it roasted, liquid fat dripped down tantalisingly, making sizzling sounds as they fell into the flames. Lou Jing smiled at Xiao Chengjun. “Wild geese usually fly toward the Central Plains in early spring. The ones that we have here probably were too fat to fly with the rest of the flock,” he said.

Xiao Chengjun nodded slightly. He hadn’t felt hungry earlier, but now that he smelt the delicious fragrance coming off the roasting goose, his stomach started to growl.

Scarface didn’t dare to say anything more. He just let himself be pressed down by the Youyun guards.

“Who are you, and why did you pass by this place?” Xiao Chengjun finally asked, after ignoring him for a good amount of time. 

Xiao Chengjun’s back was still a little sore from their lovemaking earlier, but because there was an outsider present, he forced himself to sit up straight even though it was uncomfortable to do so. Part of the reason why he had spoken up was to try and distract himself from the discomfort.

Xiao Chengjun might have been able to fool others into believing he was perfectly fine, but he couldn’t fool Lou Jing. The latter turned the goose once, then scooted over next to Xiao Chengjun. It looked like he was leaning on Xiao Chengjun’s back.

Xiao Chengjun smiled faintly, then leaned on Lou Jing’s back surreptitiously.

“We’re bandits from the mountain nearby,” Scarface said. “We were on the way back to Black Mountain.” The fellow spilled his guts without any further questioning, like a bamboo container of beans that had been knocked over.

It transpired that the Imperial guards had been making great efforts to catch mountain bandits of late, and they belonged to a small group of bandits. Scarface’s band didn’t stand a chance against the Imperial guards, so their leader had decided to just cut their losses and make a run for it. He said that they would go and swear allegiance to the bandits with hideouts in neighbouring counties. He and his companions were just lackeys who had followed their leader as he fled. They hid in the nearby villages as they inched their way toward the next county.

Lou Jing raised an eyebrow. “If you run the moment the Imperial guards come, then how did you maintain your mountain hideout until now?” he asked.

“We come back when the guards are gone,” Scarface said, shrugging. Jiangzhou’s mountain hideouts were all like this – they were small, and the moment Imperial guards came to attack, they’d run off elsewhere to hide for the time being. All they had to do was to give the host hideout enough money to house them during that time.

Xiao Chengjun frowned. No wonder the mountain bandit situation in Jiangzhou had persisted for so many years. It wasn’t merely a battle with unfavourable terrain – these mountain bandits themselves were incredibly slippery, and never met the Imperial guards head on. “Don’t the Imperial guards chase after you?” he asked. 

Scarface shook his head. At first, the bandits had been afraid, too, but they noticed that the Imperial guards only searched the area for a short while on the first day before leaving. No one actually chased after them after they left the hideout.

“Utter rubbish!” Xiao Chengjun exclaimed in anger. This newly appointed Jiangzhou Prefectural Governor was really something else. All he wanted was to be able to say that he had “eradicated the bandits” without actually checking to make sure these bandits were dealt with once and for all. He didn’t bother checking where the bandits ran to when they found the hideouts empty! No wonder Jiangzhou was in such chaos. “The fellow should be charged with the crime of deceiving the Emperor!”

Scarface broke out in cold sweat the moment he heard this. It was clear from the way Xiao Chengjun spoke that he had to be some kind of Imperial official, and he was unlikely to get out of this situation in one piece.

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All he wanted was some money? Lou Jing sniffed coldly. He still remembered exactly what he saw when he had first burst in – the fellow had been trying to lay his hands on his Xiao Chengjun! He didn’t care whether Scarface had done so to get his money or his body; he would die for trying to hurt Xiao Chengjun!

“Everyone who’s about to die will say they have parents to feed,” Yun Yi said emotionlessly. If they were that filial, then they probably wouldn’t rob people so brazenly. He kicked Scarface in the face, raised his sword, then killed him in one clean stroke. 

“Will you be remaining here in Jiangzhou?” Xiao Chengjun asked, relaxing his body and allowing himself to lean on Lou Jing completely. The Youyun guards had been dismissed, and they were alone now. Lou Jing was the general sent by the Imperial Court to deal with the mess in Jiangzhou, and he would probably be very busy once he got to Nansi County.

“Not necessarily,” Lou Jing said, sitting cross-legged on the floor to let Xiao Chengjun lie down with his head in his lap. He shot a mysterious smile at Xiao Chengjun. “It’s not time for me to take action yet. I’ll go and put in my attendance at Nansi County, then head to Minzhou with you.”

The next day, the two of them started their journey again, and they reached Linjiang County at noon.

The biggest river in the Yu Empire had its narrowest point at Linjiang County. People who travelled on the Imperial roads in these parts usually crossed the river at Linjiang as such. 

At present, there were many refugees surrounding Linjiang City, though they were much fewer in number than the group outside Xunyang City. However, this city was very small, and the wharf from which the boats crossing the river set off was not situated within the city itself. The city was under heavy guard, and the refugees were all gathered at the wharf, waiting for a boat that would take them across the river.

“What happened in Qingzhou?” Lou Jing asked in confusion, looking at the refugees gathered outside the city gates.

Xiao Chengjun clenched the reins tightly in his fists. “The flood disaster was not properly dealt with, and the canal repair work also delayed the planting of crops, which should have been harvested in autumn if they were planted on time. There was a famine in Qingzhou as a result. The Imperial Court sent special envoys to look into the situation, but because Shen Lian was afraid that the Court would see that the situation was unstable, he drove the women and children who could not work into Jiangzhou.”

Even though Qingzhou had suffered a flood disaster last year, the Imperial taxes had not been reduced. The crop fields were deserted, there was no food, and the end result was that the displaced refugees swarmed into Jiangzhou. Jiangzhou itself was in chaos when this happened, and no one had the capacity to deal with the refugees for the time being. 

“Master, we can enter the city,” Yun Yi reported. Linjiang City might have been heavily guarded, but one could get in so long as every member in the group paid a tael of silver.

“Gongzi, have pity on me. Bring me into the city with you. I can wash clothes, cook and chop firewood…”

The refugees swarmed around Lou Jing and Xiao Chengjun’s company on seeing how well-dressed they were.

Xiao Chengjun looked at the wan-looking commoners and felt his heart ache painfully for them. However, he was currently a vassal of the Imperial Court and could not meddle directly in Imperial affairs that he was not charged with. He had met who he needed to meet and made all the necessary arrangements; what he had to do now was to get to his fief as quickly as possible. 

The Youyun Sixteen immediately formed a circle around their two masters and pulled out their swords to prevent the people from getting closer. Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing galloped quickly into the Capital under their guard.

Linjiang City itself was very peaceful. Other than being forbidden to exit the city, the Linjiang residents had not experienced much of a change to their day-to-day life.

Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing washed up in the inn, then changed into a set of peasant robes before walking hand in hand toward the restaurant by the river.

Linjiang City got its name because one side of the city was right beside the river. There were many restaurants built right next to the river, and one could enjoy the scenery whilst eating good food in these restaurants. 

“The mandarin fish are in season right now. Since we’re in Linjiang, we should have a taste,” Lou Jing said, pulling his husband down into a seat next to him. The restaurant’s second floor didn’t have windows – instead, it just had railings on the side of the restaurant facing the river, the better to give its customers an unobstructed view of the beautiful scenery.

“Sir, you’re absolutely right! And our restaurant’s sweet and sour mandarin fish is the best in Linjiang City!” the waiter said, smiling at them.

“Great! We’ll have a plate of your sweet and sour mandarin fish then, and also a few of your restaurant’s best dishes,” Lou Jing said happily.

“Coming right up!” the waiter said. He left to go and place the orders. 

Xiao Chengjun looked a little helplessly at the beaming Lou Jing. “You don’t look like you’re rushing to get somewhere at all – are you here to have fun as a tourist?” he teased.

Although he was very worried about the situation in Linjiang, he had to get to his fief within forty days, or people would suspect that he had left his fief without permission. That was a serious offence for a vassal king.

“I’m on the road to ‘exile’ with you – that, to me, is also having fun,” Lou Jing said tenderly, grasping Min Wang Dianxia’s hand under the table.

Xiao Chengjun stared into those eyes that looked like a pair of burning stars. The tenderness in them was plain to see, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless, not knowing what to say in reply. He turned awkwardly to look at the river, such that all Lou Jing could see was his side profile. 

Lou Jing toyed with Xiao Chengjun’s soft hand. It had the same springiness as one of those bunny-shaped buns. Lou Jing’s other hand supported his chin on the table, and he smiled to himself as he saw one of Xiao Chengjun’s ears blush pink.

“Why aren’t there any boats on the river?” Xiao Chengjun asked, looking at the empty wharf and frowning.

Just at that moment, the waiter came to serve the food they’d ordered, and he overheard Xiao Chengjun’s question. “It’s all because of those refugees. A few days ago, some fishermen went to fish in the river, and those refugees forcibly took over their boat. They insisted on using the boat to cross the river, and when the fishermen refused, they were beaten to death by the refugees,” he said.

The refugees had no money, but needed a boat to cross the river, so they had no choice but to resort to unlawful means. For this reason, the boatmen who ordinarily sent people across the river and the fishermen didn’t dare to operate any more. 

Xiao Chengjun’s heart sank. How were they supposed to leave without boats?

“Don’t worry. Yun Ba is on it. He will find a way,” Lou Jing said confidently, waving a hand to dismiss the waiter. He took a pair of chopsticks and picked out some fish meat for Xiao Chengjun, putting it in his bowl. He’d heard from Yun Jiu that his Yuanlang hadn’t eaten well these past few days, and his heart still ached badly at the thought. He had deliberately brought Xiao Chengjun here to have some good food after all those days of eating poorly.

“If we don’t do anything about those refugees, there’ll be civil unrest sooner or later… mmph…” Xiao Chengjun hadn’t finished speaking when a mouthful of fresh fish was stuffed into his mouth.

“You were waiting for me to feed you, right?” Lou Jing said innocently. He got up and sat down again right next to Xiao Chengjun, then whispered into his ear. “Dianxia, you should just say this upfront next time instead of making me guess.” 

Xiao Chengjun shot him a dirty look, but he couldn’t say anything because his mouth was full of food. He chewed and swallowed. The fresh fish had been generously coated in a sauce that was sweet, sour, salty and fragrant all at once. It was very tasty, and Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help looking satisfied. “Stop messing around. Sit back on your own seat,” he admonished.

Lou Jing looked around. Their table was separated from the rest of the restaurant by bamboo blinds, and the people seated at other tables couldn’t see what they were doing. “I’m not going back unless you feed me,” he said in a wheedling tone.

Mandarin fish didn’t have any small bones, so one didn’t have to be careful when eating it. Xiao Chengjun looked helplessly at Lou Jing, then picked up some of the juicy fish meat, coated it in sauce, then shoved it into the shameless Lou Jing’s mouth.

“Mmph…” Lou Jing’s mouth was stuffed full, and his cheeks puffed out as he chewed, looking very much like a squirrel that was trying to eat a nut that was much too big for its mouth. 

Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help laughing softly at this sight. His troubles had all been swept away. When he was with this person, he really couldn’t hold on to his worries.

Yun Ba scoured the whole of Linjiang City and went to check out all the boats tethered at the dock, but the boatmen absolutely refused to operate, saying that they would only start ferrying people across the river seven days later at earliest.

“We only have two options now. The first is buying a boat and crossing the river ourselves. The second is waiting until midnight. The boatmen are willing to ferry people at night,” Yun Ba reported when he got back to the inn.

“The refugees are watching the docks like vultures in the day. Even if we bought a boat, we wouldn’t be able to cross safely,” Yun Shiliu said. He had investigated the situation in town. “This part of the river is also very treacherous, and if we don’t have an experienced boatman, we’re quite unlikely to make it across.” 

“In that case, we’ll cross the river at night. Go and book three of the larger boats,” Lou Jing said after thinking for a while. He sent Yun Ba off to make the arrangements after that. They had eighteen horses with them, and a single boat wouldn’t be able to take them all.

Yun Ba found a boat very quickly. Ordinarily, the boats that took people across the river didn’t take horses, but thankfully, there were some merchants who were in a hurry to get their goods across the river at that time. These merchants had a big cargo ship, and the horses could easily fit on this ship. The only problem was that the cargo ship was dirty and messy. It was decided that two of the Youyun guards would go on the cargo ship to watch over the horses, and the rest would take the normal boats across the river.

Crossing the river at night was a very dangerous undertaking even with an experienced boatman at the helm. Lou Jing looked at the dark waters of the river. The sound of fast flowing water filled his ears, and he felt strangely uneasy. He took out a brocade belt from his bags and tied his belt and Xiao Chengjun’s together. There was only two feet of fabric between them when he was done.

“What’s this for?” Xiao Chengjun asked. He didn’t stop Lou Jing from tying them together, and waited until he was done before asking this question. 

Lou Jing gripped Xiao Chengjun’s hand tightly. “I’m afraid to lose you,” he said.